Durfee High School - Durfee Record Yearbook (Fall River, MA)

Page 13 text:

SOPHflillDMS As sophomores, many of us were newcomers to Durfee for we had entered from junior high. Although it took us a few days to find our way around school, we finally became accustomed to our new surroundings and took an active part in many of the activities going on about us. September found Durfee losing its first football game of the season to East Providence. By the end of November however, we had won the remainder of the games to annex our first Class C Championship. Included among the gridsters were sophomores Tex Bramblett, Jeff Sullivan, Gil Medeiros and Bob Dunlop, November was also the month for report cards. Twelve sophomores attained All-A honors, while 70 made the Principal’s List the first term. In December, the music department presented its annual Christmas concert, in which many of us took part. About this time, basketball became our great interest. The Hill toppers started the season well by beating Providence Central 64-32. This team swept through the season undefeated and thus captured the Bristol County Championship. This outstanding quintet defended it Eastern Massachusetts Crown by trouncing Everett High 39-27 on March 13, 1948 at the Boston Garden. The Hilltoppers travelled to Boston again the next week and defeated Hillhouse High 41-30 in the finals of the N E. Tournament to become the first Massachusetts team in 23 years to cop the Mew England title. The Dramatic Club’s big production of the year was ' Junior Miss”. It was soon learned that there were some actresses and actors in the Class of ’50 for Claire Galland, Ruth Moss, Harriet Ltfrak, John Corea, Lew Nadien, Carl Schweber and Robert Higgins displayed their talents it. the play. In the spring, Durfee’s music department added another artistic triumph to its long list of successful productions when it presented The Bohemian Girl” in St. Anne's Auditorium. Sophomore class officers were Frank Hadley, president; William Fletcher, vice-president; Delores Texeira, secretary; Harold Kaizman, secretary of the S. A. A.; John McMahon and Barbara Coffey, S A. A, councillors. Several school dances were held this year. Among these were the Get Acquainted” Dance, Pigskin Hop, Mid-Winter Hop, and the Record Book Dance. We weren't too sorry when June arrived because we knew that we’d have two more happy years in B. M. C. D,

Page 12 text:

Perhaps it will be a pleasure in years to come to recall the highlights of our high school days, so, beginning here, we set down the story of the four years of Durfee history which we of ‘50 helped to make. Our first few' days were the toughest, weren’t they? Instead of the royal welcome w?e expected on entering high school, we got get- out-of - my - w ay ’' looks from super- cilious seniors and side glances from gesticulating juniors. Yes, we were quite de- jected with all the rules and regulations we had to learn. During our first year we noticed the arrival of 160 of ' Kilroy's Buddies. These, of course, were vets who ''invaded” Durfee with books, pencils, notebooks, and all the other ’’weapons’' necessary to conquer’’ an education. Times change and w e change with them. That is a familiar saying which is especially prevalent in women’s fashions. This was proved to be true in Durfee in 1946 when the fad was jacquard sweaters and wide belts, and black suede flat heels were the latest campus rave. However, these were only a wee fewr, as far as we girls were concerned. We probably all remember the Get-Acquainted Dance, wrhich certainly fulfilled its purpose. It was almost impossible to ignore the person whose elbowr was in your backbone, whose foot crushed your toes, and wrhose hips nearly sent you sprawling. It was almost impossible not to get acquainted with anyone who did all that. We certainly w ere freshmen just in bloom, especially during the election of class officers. Although there weren’t too many candidates, wre elected as president, Barbara Coffey; vice-president, Ann B. Rose; secretary, Delores Texeira, and S. A. A, council- lor, Louis Cabral. We’ll never forget our big disappointment when Durfee bowed to New Bed- ford in the Thanksgiving Day Game, 13-7. This was made up for, however, wrhen Durfee wron the Headmaster's Tournament at Boston Garden, which was a newr dis- tinction as well as a new thrill for Durfee followers. Then there was the Clean-Up-Drive, a contest by the Health Club. The winner from the freshman class wras Gertrude Cayer, who received a year’s subscription to the Hilltop. One of the many festivities wfe were unused to was the singing of Christmas carols in the corridors. We wrere pleased to find out that this was customary every Yuletide. We are very proud to announce that tw'o freshmen, Mary Theresa Oliveira and Charles Isherwood, attained the All-A List.

Page 14 text:

j u j] I i) ;i As we look back on 1948-1949, we find that we all wore a new air of im- portance, We were juniors, upperclassmen, older and more important than the sophomores and freshmen. We also played a more important role in the activities in Durfee, The football team provided many thrilling games in compiling a record of eight wins and two defeats to retain the Bristol County Championship. Outstanding juniors on this team were Tex Bramblett, Bob Dunlop, Ernie Elias, Brud Hadley, Jeff Sullivan and Dick Torchia. The main social events of the fall were the Get- Acquainted Dance and the Pigskin Hop, both sponsored by the S. A. A., and the Thespian's performance of T. N, T. Several additions were made to the list of S, A. A.-sponsored clubs, namely the German Club, the La Petite Cercle Francois, the French Club, and the Records Club. When time for report cards came along, the juniors placed seven on the A1LA list and 39 on the Principal's List. December brought the Dramatic Club's performance of Alice In Wonder- land” and the Music Department's wonderful Cantata, The Christmas Story”, The main interest of school wras nowr centered on the basketball team, which compiled a record of 16 wins and three defeats to retain the Bristol County championship and gain a bid to the Tech Tourney. They were defeated by Somerville in one of the most thrilling games of the tournament. On the social calendar for the winter we found the S. A. A.’s Gold Rush Dance and the Dramatic Club’s Curtain at Eight performance of Our Town”. In spring, there came a series of assemblies, social events and performances. Main events were the Officers' Banquet, the Speech Social, and the Record Book Dance. Performances were the Varsity Club’s show, Varsity Night and the Dramatic Club's Hilltop Review, Jimmy Dean walked off with first prize at the latter. In May we had our junior Prom, the highlight of the social events of the year, and our elections. Winners were Herbert Chase, president; Claudette Gagnon, vice-president; Velma Travers, secretary; John McMahon, president of S. A. A.; Charles Moran and Jane LaRocque, councillors; Irene Victorine, Editor of the Record Book. During this month 23 juniors were elected to the National Honor Society. In June, Barbara Cohen was named editor of the Hilltop.