English High School - Blue and Blue / Record Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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CLASS HISTORY FRESHMAN Our career at English High began after a two- week postponement due to the polio epidemic which plagued New England. Mr. Mclnerney, our new headmaster, made a few faculty changes. During the summer, Col. Meanix retired, and Girl’s Latin moved, — an inoident which made pushing on the M.T.A. buses quite uninteresting. Captain Fisher replaced the Colonel and intro¬ duced the English High School Trick Drill Team. One day, during the first period, a notice was sent to the homerooms, notifying the boys to get their coats and return to their homerooms for dis¬ missal. It seems that we were the victims of a mad bomber. After the police and fire depart¬ ments searched the building, the incident was termed a hoax. Shortly after, the Blue and Blue bombed Latin, 20-14, at Harvard Stadium. Other sports highlights included the 9-2-1 season for our Hockey Team, which earned the city champion¬ ship; a Regimental and city track team champion¬ ship and the 7-5 record of our basketball team, including overwhelming victories over Latin School. All our teams enjoyed victories over Schola Latina that year. In the spring, we watched the upperclassmen finish second in the Schoolboy Parade. Our Band and Bugle Corps came in first place. Blue Cross Blue Shield along with the newly installed one-dollar student insurance policy found many Blue and Blue claimants. Mr. “Red” Evans was out sick and was replaced by Hal Connolly who later went on to set a new hammer-throwing record in the Olympic Games at Melbourne, Australia. Other casualties included Mr. Joseph Sheehan, who suffered a severe heart attack which necessitated a two month convalescent period. Too, a local hospital was greeted with “post number one, my chickadees.” SOPHOMORE The new year brought numerous changes. Mr. Joseph L. Malone succeeded Mr. Mclnerney. The new “Dress Right” policy went into effect. Ties could be rented for 15c. Discussion, Chess, Radio, Photography and Military Clubs were added. The French Club was supervised by Mr. Robert “Red” Evans, until his death in February. Other deaths included Mr. Ralph Quinn, head of the History Department and Mr. Robert Gifford, a veteran of twenty-seven years in our English Department. Mr. William “Notebook” Devore became a De¬ partment Head. Other faculty changes included a new Math Department Head, Mr. O’Brien, from Girl’s Latin School. (For a time there was some doubt as to whether the girls of Girl’s Latin would let the suave, debonair Mr. O’Brien leave.) Mr. Charles Keelon left for the treacheries of East Boston High, where he became principal. The price of milk was raised to 2c and Mr. Malone instituted the Activities Fund. Captain Fisher obtained a flag in Washington and brought it back with him for the School-boy Parade. Upon his return be founded the E. H. S. Cadet Officer Training Corps. The student council, having been

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HERITAGE later on Montgomery Street and Warren Avenue was an unreclaimed marsh. Mr. Charles M. Cumstan, in whose name an undergraduate scholarship is named, succeeded Mr. Sherwin as Master-in-charge in September of 1869 and remained until 1874, at which time he retired. Following Mr. Cumstan, Mr. Edwin P. Seavers, an assistant professor of mathematics at Harvard was appointed headmaster. In 1880, Francis A. Waterhouse was appointed to the headmastership and it was during his term that English moved to its fourth building located on Montgomery Street in Boston. This new build¬ ing was called the “most modern and elaborate building in the whole public school system.” En¬ rollment doubled. Upon the death of Mr. Waterhouse, Mr. Babson, a Harvard graduate, was installed as headmaster. It was during his administration that the system of heads of departments was introduced. Mr. Babson, because of ill health, resigned in 1908 to be succeeded by Mr. John F. Casey, who remained headmaster until 1915, when he was succeeded by Mr. Snow, a B. U. graduate. Before the centenary year was over, Mr. Snow was elected to Assistant Superintendent of school, thus withdrawing in favor of Mr. Walter F. Downey, who remained headmaster until 1953. In the summer,of 1953, the Boston School Com¬ mittee appointed Mr. M. Henry Mclnerney as headmaster of The English High School. The old building on Montgomery Street had been abandoned in favor of the old High School of Commerce building on Avenue Louis Pasteur, directly across the street from our traditional rival, Boston Latin. In 1956, Mr. Joseph L. Malone be¬ came headmaster. Since his appointment, many honors have been brought to the school. The Boston English High School has had a long and glorious history. Members of its faculty have given of themselves to the school as well as the entire school system. Its graduates, having trav¬ elled far and in sundry direction, have brought distinction to the Alma Mater.

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duly elected by the student body, efficiently set to work and new shiny mirrors were soon installed. This same law-making body decided to set up en¬ trance examinations which each applicant con¬ sidered for future enrollment would have to pass. Sports wise . . . Latin defeated our eleven, 19-12; the basketball and hockey team survived with respectable records. The surprise of the year came when Mr. Elmer Phelps, the Iron man of English High, retired. Having completed two years of our high school career at English, we looked forward to two more. Hmmmmmm. JUNIOR At the beginning of our third year, everyone was either talking about, suffering with, or spreading the Asian Flu. In November, we all regretted the death of Colonel Meanix, who was only briefly seen by us at the beginning of our Sophomore Year. The price of milk was raised from two to three cents. Inflation! The immediate reaction of the typical E.H.S. student was, “Is that right?” From Russia came the earth-shaking news of the first successful launching of an earth satellite, Sputnik I. Soon to follow was Sputnik II and Muttnik. These events had a profound effect on our curriculum. Mathematics and the Sciences became an integral part of our studies. It should also be mentioned that since the launching of Sputnik I, no English High School man has skipped a Math or Science period. In October, Mr. Devore led a group of arch¬ patriots to the U.N. building in New York City to observe the action. One day in November, Captain Fisher, tears pouring from both eyes, came into 303 and an¬ nounced with bursting pride “WE have a hard top pavement in the back yard—and it was made es¬ pecially for drilling . . .” At the same time, the Class of 1913 honored the Alma Mater with a stone in memory of those students of The English High School who died for their country. The stone was placed out on the left front lawn and was immediately surrounded with shrubbery. It was so well surrounded by shrubbery that on the day of Dedication Exercises, Captain Fisher, on an order from Mr. Malone, sent out a regiment of his favorite cadets to find it. We also acquired a statue from the old building on Montgomery Street, too. In one corner of the assembly hall four plaques were hung, each depicting one of the freedoms mentioned in the Bill of Rights.