El Reno High School - Boomer Yearbook (El Reno, OK)

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ALL came in 1940 bringing with it a new group of freshmen and a proud class of sen- iors, each one thrilled by his new position in El Reno High School. FALL brought many new additions, improvements, and changes in the high school life ------- Song books containing the words of all the favorite songs were compiled and published by the Students’ Associa- tion ----Girls for the first time enrolled in the E. H. S. band. This was one of the most striking changes in the music department and, indeed, an improvement ----No grinding shrieks! No deafening noises to dis- turb the quiet of the classrooms! Yes, the manual training courses were transferred to the industrial arts building, and courses in welding and auto-me- chanics were added to the curriculum. FALL in E. H. S. brought one of the most success- ful football seasons in the history of the high school, with the Indians coming in second in the Boomer con- ference. New bleachers were erected on the south side of the football field, and the pep organizations and band moved to the north side---------Directing th • impressive flag-raising ceremony at the beginning of each football game was an outstanding service ren- dered to the school by the Ogimas pep club this year ----The climax of the 1940 football season was the coronation ceremony of the beautiful football queen, Virginia Belle Bruce, at the Thanksgiving game, No- vember 28. Attending the queen were three lovely lassies, representing the senior, sophomore, and fresh- man classes—Dona Mae Fahey. Marion Riggs, and Louise Leonard. The election was based on a pop- ularity contest in the high school, and the votes cast by ticket-buyers. FALL brought Hallowe’en, and Hallowe’en brought the high school carnival------Fun and frolic reigned when the carnival king and queen, Dewey Kessler, and Helen Tinsley, were crowned as the climax to a hilarious evening. FALL 1940 was election year, and the election was waged with as much vigor in school as out. For the first time in E. H. S. history, students registered for their respective parties, and on November 5 voted at one of the four polls set up in the high school build- ing. FALL brought many honors to our alma mater. Lillie Mae Schumacher won third place in the na- tion for her essay on “What America Means to Me” —Richard Boynton represented the El Reno Hi-Y at Camp Cunningham and was presented a trophy for outstanding participation—Virdin Royse won the Ok- lahoma Gas and Electric contest with his essay on Rural Electrification” and received as a reward a trip to Kansas City. FALL was its brightest when the creative writing class attended the Oklahoma Interscholastic Press As- sociation convention in Norman and when represent- atives of the El Reno High School Students’ Associa- tion—Jack Valliant, Catherine Newsom, Virginia Belle Bruce, and Mr. Delbert Scott—attended the state con- vention at Tulsa--------It wasn’t such a bright day when the E. H. S. band and drum and bugle corps participated in the band day festival at the University of Oklahoma, but everyone had an enjoyable time, despite the rain. FALL brought the Red Cross roll call, and each home room and several school organizations contrib- uted membership fees. Miss Irene March’s senior homeroom was the first one to make its donation. FALL would not be complete without a glance at the music department. The new six-hour school day made possible a period for the high school choir. With three girls’ glee clubs, one boys’ chorus, and the choir, there has been music-a-plenty resounding in the halls this year. FALL in El Reno High School was a happy profit- able time. A driving, victorious football team, a love- ly football queen, a successful carnival with a stately king and a gracious queen, and interesting classroom projects made FALL 1940 one always to be remem- bered. (9)

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America must be strong, must be ruthless to every agent among us both at home and abroad that would corrupt the American soul or impair the prestige of Old Glory. Such an America, prophet of univer- sal social justice among men, may lead all Nations to furl their battle flags in the Parliament of man. PAUL R. TAYLOR, Superintendent of Schools. A MESSAGE TO THE SENIORS OF 1941 This commencement season should be, for you, an occasion for rigid self-examination. It comes in the midst of one of the most critical hours in the life of our beloved Nation. The test is two-fold; your personal worth and the values of the educational process to which you have submitted yourself are alike being weighed in the balance. The supreme test for both you and your Institutions is applied as you seek answer to the following questions: 1. Do I have implicit faith in the democratic ideal? 2. Do I believe in the American dream and am I eager to help in making it come true? Unless you con answer these questions affirmatively, there has been failure; somehow, either you or your Institution has been found wanting. In the American interpretation of the democratic ideal—em- bracing. as it does, concepts of liberty, justice, equal opportunity, the sacredness of human personality, the brotherhood of man, the Father- hood of God—we hove everything known among men for which one must be willing to live or die. Your teachers believe you are the kind of Americans who will help to make reality of the most stupendous obsession—the most romantic dream—that has ever possessed the mind and heart of a vast and re- sourceful people. To such an end, you may proudly dedicate your life, your abundant energies and your sacred honor.

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Herbert Little, co-captain. J. I . Roland. Loren Kochcllc. Klmer Miller. Glen Stroud, Orville Lind- sey, Kenneth Qulrnby, Hugh Bright, James Murphy. I'hil Jerman, Richard Boynton. Vernon Rush, Harold Rush, Jack Burmeier. Kverett Xweezey. Reese Thompson, J. L. Barry, Jack Mitchell, co-captain. FOOTBALL Playing under Coach Jenks Simmons, who returned to El Reno after seven years absence, and Assistant Coach E. L. Williamson, the El Reno football machin- ery clicked with smoothness and precision this year. Winning four games, one of these a forfeit from Chickasha, while also losing four and tying one, the Indians earned for the season a 500 per cent average and second place in the newly formed Boomer con- ference, of which El Reno. Lawton, Chickasha, Duncan and Anadarko are members. Simmons developed in the El Reno football team a fast, hard-hitting, wide open attack, and an equally strong defense. The team had, possibly, more than its share of bad breaks, for example, the hard-fought season opener with Clinton when the Indians lost 13-7. When the final whistle blew, the Indian charges were a scant few feet from touchdown territory and had a first down. The Weatherford game was an- other example of the luck that plagued the Indians throughout the first part of the season. After push- ing the Eagles all over the field and finally in the last quarter staging a magnificent goal-line stand to hold Weatherford, a blocked kick, when the Indians at- tempted to boot out, bounced behind the Tribe's goal where it was pounced upon by an alert Eagle player to give the victory to Weatherford. After the opener against Clinton, the Tribesmen journeyed to Kingfisher, where the Indians played the Yellowjackets to a 0-0 deadlock. Next came a Boomer conference engagement against possibly the outstand- ing team in the conference, Chickasha. El Reno lost 7-0, but was later awarded the game because of the ineligibility of a Chickasha player. The Indians first tasted sweet victory in their fourth start, against the Purcell Dragons, 6-0. When the first half ended with no score and the Tribe in possession of the pigskin on the 1-yard line, hard luck still seemed destined to follow the Indians. In the final quarter, however, all wts forgotten when dimunitive Herbie Little scamp- ered 70 yards across the double stripe to give the team its first mark in the victory column. Next in succession came the Weatherford game, the Norman game, in which the team lost a 7-6 tear- jerker, and the Boomer conference tussle with the Duncan Demons, in which the Demons proved just that and made off with an 18-6 victory. The Indians next pasted a 13-0 reversal on the Yukon Millers; and in their final game of the season, on Thanksgiv- ing day, they subdued the Anadarko Warriors, 12-6. Within 6 minutes after the game had started, El Reno had scored. Anadarko then scored; and as the game went into the final few minutes with a 6-6 deadlock, J. D. Roland faded back and hurled a 40-yard aerial bomb into the arms of Loren Rochelle, right end, to give the Tribe the triumph in the final game. Head medicine man, Jenks Simmons, losing only nine players by graduation or by the eight-semester ruling, predicts that next year’s Indian eleven will be much stronger, and he expects them to chalk up an impressive record. Success to him and the Indians in the coming year! K«l Har.lt, Clifford Golden, Weldon Dooley. Rill Huteon. Bill Meredith. Dougina Jennings. Jack Roblyer, Andrew House, Raymond Pouts. Iienzil White, Gene Wilker ton. Gordon Brown. Klm Mayhue Kenneth Kreger. Bill Barry (water boy). (10) Hulbert, Harry Ward. Prank Capps. Bob