Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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'Ir LAUREL 'A' evening with cards and radio and my favorite lady-friend. Late to bed with a disgusted look from my mother. R. Pinkham '43. IIINE 6 At last! The coveted Army-Navy E is ours. This award for unusual efficiency in war- time production bestowed this afternoon. All the past weeks of work and anxiety to fulfil our quota richly rewarded now. A great celebra- tion with Sec. Knox sending his personal rep- resentative to make the award. Each man re- ceived a little E pin also. An occasion my men and I shall never forget. Nor the Farm- ington Steel Inc. G. Croswell '43. S.xTURn.xv, Inu' I8 To Clearwater where we had a jolly time tak- ing sun baths and dips in the cool fresh water. Home by way of Mosher Hill, which is now a lovely ride and view. It being my birthday, a supper celebration with family relatives invited by my parents. Presents to open and a big double layer birthday cake. After supper, a date with Dick and to Lakewood to see the play, Philadelphia Story. Thought it almost as good as the movie but not quite. Home to bed after a swell birthday. I. Hodgkins. OCT. 20 An unusually good breakfast, mother frying some bacon, which in these days is quite a luxury. Took my small sister's ration book to do the family shopping for groceries, at which she was quite disgusted. Guess she wanted to keep it for a souvenir. E. Hammond ,43. T1-rURsnAv-- Took the 5 o'clock train for Boston. Much difficulty in making connections as the trains were very overcrowded so that we were two hours late. Lucky for me, my sister met me and we are now at her apartment. We shall go into town for dinner at 5, then to the Boston Symphony. FRIDAY - Elaine just home from work. Terribly de- pressed as several departments of her plant were on the verge of a strike. Tonight she goes out to Fort Strong with the U. S. O. girls. Know she will have a great time. As for me, I shall take a shower, and afterward read my new book, On Being a Real Person by Dr. Harry Em- erson Fosdick. G. Dill '43. Nov. 23 Supper, then to the Report Center, where I was on duty from 7 to ll. Quite excited with my first practice call. Wondered what I would have done had it been real. Up later than usual -cleaned the house a little, rested a while and read the paper. Still worried about Carlton as we haven't heard from him since he left for Iceland. Not feeling too well but to school so as not to worry mother. A. Adams '43, FEB. 27 People are showing signs of repugnance be- cause so much of the news coming from Wash- ington seems to be about the Post War Worldfl I do not think it wise to count my chickens before they hatchf, The government has stopped the sale of all fats and greases. There is plenty of talk about it. Many getting impatient waiting for Washington to straighten things out. Politicians revolting because of a hint about a fourth term. The people pleading for them to attend to the business at hand. E. Bosworth '-13. MARCH 18 Up early and with some friends journeyed to Lewiston on a shopping excursion, which after a length of time, becomes a most tiring business. Visited all the dress shops and even Wool- Worth's bargain hunting. Eventually pawed from under a huge pile a beautiful white angora sweater with silver buttons. After purchasing some household articles, wended our way home -tired but triumphant. M. Heath '43. SUNDAY, NIARCH 21 Up betimes to complete duties before church. At choir rehearsal, where many were gathered, heard much of plans for Holy Week, namely, divine service each night with various ministers and churches conducting. Much pleased to hear one service was to be solely a Union Com- munion service. Feel it much needed. During

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'A' LAUREL 'lr Assignment: Original fable. THE HANDSOME LEOPARD AND THE HUMBLE I-IARE' fPatterned after Guy Wetmore Carroll's Fables for the Frivolous J N Africa's damp jungles, A handsome leopard dwelt. l-lis coat was black and shiny And soft as finest felt. He was not very honorable, For he would slink around And skulk throughout the underbrush Without the slightest sound. One day he did an unwise thing, I-le pounced upon a hare. The scene attracted animals Till all the kinds were there. They booed him and they jeered him, Till he slunk away in shame, For picking on a humble hare As being his size of game. They told all o'er the forest What a poor sport he had been, Until he finally wandered off And never more was seen. Moral: Perhaps that you are handsome, too, As this black leopard was, But learn from his experience- That handsome is as handsome does.' B. Day '44. 'Accepted by SCHOLASTIC for their Student Round Table page. a til..- Assignment: Vignette. EYED WITH SUSPICION T had always been said that the old Mason Estate on the edge of town was haunted. It is true that it had all the characteristics of a haunted house, because about sixty years ago a rich man and his wife had come to this small hamlet to settle down. Forteleven years they had lived on the estate in a very secluded man- ner. The posmaster can remember of never having a piece of mail for the couple. To com- plete the supposition, they had never been seen in town, but they always seemed to have enough to eat and had quite a few luxuries. Then one morning they left for God-knows- where. Only a few people saw them leave, those that did eyed them with suspicion and spoke no word of farewell. The house has remained just as they left it- curtains up, windows unlocked, and most of the small surrounding buildings open to the trespasser. Over everything lies an ever-in- creasing layer of dust, which adds to the dreary aspect of the place. Mr. Ienkins, the nearest neighbor, once made a tour of the grounds, and found in a secluded corner, a small elaborate graveyard. After he had told several of his friends of his discovery, he grew curious. So he, with sev- eral other men, returned to the graveyard and started to dig in the musty earth. At an un- usual depth they came upon several large logs, which seemingly had been buried there for no reason at all. After disposing of these and digging deeper, they finally came to what ap- peared to be a roof. The wood was very rotten, which made it quite easy to hack through. The spectacle which was revealed to them was one of utter surprise-below them was an extravagantly furnished room. It had but one entrance which was a tunnel about five feet in diameter. ln the center of this room, on a small platform, were two mummy-like bodies of what must have been much-loved sons-each in the condition as he was when he died. B. Weymouth '45, Assignment fSenior English, College divi- sionj: Informal diary entries, Samuel Pepys style, depicting modern customs and manners. FRIDAY- Up early with a good breakfast in spite of rationing. fGrapefruit juice is now a swell treat.j VValked to school feeling very patriotic for leaving the car. Had a quarrel with my sister at noon over which program we should listen to. Settled by arbitration. Had a good, stiff six weeks' in Solid Geometry with only five propositions. Played basketball in the gym after school with some of the boys. An enjoyable

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if LAUREL ir service this morning, although most excellent sermon presented from pulpit, my mind wan- dered. This is the Hrst day of spring, and on the heads of the women in the congregation were perched most dainty and colorful hats. QNote: much to my satisfaction, color is not rationedj Church duties and preparations for the week consumed my time till a late hour. So to bed. M. Preble '43. Amin. 23 A busy day at the oflice, with numerous calls for prospective student helpers for the Victory Gardens. In fact, glad to stay the evening at home with my paper and favorite radio pro- grams-Red Skelton, lack Benny, and Gabriel Heater. To bed after the 12 o'clock news. B. Alexander '43. .iii-1 Assignment: A vignette. SEEING EYES T was going to be a near one. Even the youngsters knew that. Londoners learn quickly and our night school began right on the dot at eight-thirty every night. First, the deathly bombs would scream down to earth. Then, the really heavy explosions, which meant death and suffering to many innocent men, women and children. This one was heavy to- night. It came with a hard, grating roar fol- lowed by a moment of silence. Someone asked for a light, even a match would do, but the flicker of a match would be a target for enemy bombers, which were flying low. In the partly ruined shelter, children were lying suffering. Suddenly l heard the voice of a man, in his early fifties, which sounded calm in the silence. He tried to comfort us. As he moved from one to the other, stumbling but calm, to ease our pains and thoughts, I wondered if he were used to this. We wanted to see him, but it was so dark we couldn't see even a white object. At last the enemy had done enough damage in London for one night, but they would be back. With our hearts in our mouths, we hoped it was over. Finally, the all-clear signal rang shrilly through the smoky air. I As I lit a match, I looked at the stranger in the dust. He had two sightless eyes. A. Robinson '45. ll-1-1 Assignment: Paragraph developed by De- tails. STREAMLINING FIRST CLASS T1-ns beauty of a streamline plane is brought out distinctly in the P-39, better known as the Bell Airacobrasf' The propeller is full feathering and is neatly designed for the most advantageous ways of fighting and cruising. The propeller hub is in reality the nose of this sleek ship. The cockpit is streamlined into the fuselage so that very little is protruding other than is needed for flying. The air scoop is directly behind but not above the cockpit, this also helps to eliminate some drag caused by that important item. The engine, which on most planes is in front, is behind the cockpit to make the nose as streamline as possible. The wings are of conventional design with a slight dihedral and tapering at the ends to cut down wing drag. The tail surfaces are all in perfect streamline form which makes the plane a deadly lighter. Armament is a vital factor in Fighting but not in streamlining. Wheels are retractable with the nose wheel going directly into the fuselage while the landing wheels go into the wings. This plane is not the fastest in the world but by far the best streamlined. N. Tardy '43. il-l Assignment: Paragraph developed by Con- trast and Details. THE ARMY AND PHIL I coULn hardly believe my eyes that this was Phil! Four months in the Army had brought about many changes. His blonde hair lay smoothly in waves, whereas before it was dulled with dirt, now it lay neatly combed. His natu- rally good physique ruined by poor posture, he now stood straight and tall, with shoulders square as if he were ready to face the world's troubles. Four months ago he had been one to shirk life's duties. He had been careless, happy- go-lucky, with little respect for his elders. Al- though he was a member of the Home Guard, he rarely attended. He was now a straight and forward looking soldier, visiting the Home