Fayetteville High School - La Famac Yearbook (Fayetteville, NC)

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Miss GLADYS SEssoMs Heaven, Dean of Girls April 26, 1955 LaFayette University New York, New York Dear Gladys, Upon hearing that you were so ill, I decided to write you. That was a year ago. I was disappointed not to find you here, so I take it for granted you're still hanging on. Well, things have happened quickly. After I left you at the hospital, I saw Billy McLeod with Elise C Gay Divorcee D Rouse, and the dire shock of seeing him with a specimen of the female sex was too much. I fainted. When I awoke, I was surrounded by nurses. Eleanor Acker, Marcelle Bullard, Mary Frances Hall, Olga Kanos, Doris Ragan, and Mildred Watson were all looking at me and trying, I guess, to figure out whether or not I was real. In a small while three more nurses, Margaret Tripp, Marilyn Miller, and Jessie Warren came in, fol- lowed by, of all people, Doctor Dick Hurdis and Doctor Sam Wright with his inseparable assistants, Carter Twine and David Trice. With apologies for the on-lookers, Sam asked if E were ready for him to operate. That was too much! I died. After Doctor james Pittman helped them pronounce me truly dead, I was sent to the Lee Tatum-La Marr Williams funeral home. Here Katherine Sanson, Grace Quicke, and Ruby Hubbard, beauticians, tried to fix my hair so that I'd at least be buried a good-looking woman. From the funeral home I was flown to my cemetery in a plane piloted by John Mc- Gugan and jack Lunday. The Zooki of things almost made me wish I were alive again. Then the funeral. Do funerals make you nervous, Gladys? Your being so sick. . . Harold Townsend and Charles Broadfoot conducted my funeral. There were so many prominent people present. Doctor Charles King was there. Doctor Watson Lawhon was among the rest, and he certainly looked sad. They say he still can't make up his mind whether to return to kindergarten or not. CLea Brown is the principal-or principle-have it your way.J The famed business man, james Norris, was surrounded by his secretaries and stenographers, Mayme Ward, Hester Underwood, little Mary Kennedy Cwho is actually beginning to grow -two inches D, Helen Mann, Catherine Melvin, and Mary Louise McNeill. Thurman Bishop, james Raeford, and Howard Brown, the wealthy automobile factory owners, were sad on- lookers. I think they really came to hear Fred Owen make his speech-which was very touch- ing. Robert Bagley and Inez Dew wrote up my funeral for the Happy Herald, Mary Huske's society newspaper which is printed by Glenn Stevens. Robert Sherman rendered Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep , Thelma Beasley sang too, accompanied by Lucille Baker at the piano. Then the funeral ended. They covered me with dirt-not any too reverently, either. Gladys, getting here is an easy matter, but I had to have my lawyers, Mary Elizabeth Johnson and Harris Vinokur, argue Saint Peter into admitting me. Imagine the humiliation! I 'll stand by you, though. ' Not so much occurred until recently. Anne Evans, the New York Times star reporter, died of a broken heart in spite of the faithful administering of Doctor Annie Boone. Anne and I have done a great deal of talking lately. She told me that joe Melvin and Gregory Holmes own the worldis largest department stores, and they have hired, it seems, everything from clerks to stenographers and secretaries-all coming from Fayetteville. Minnie Lou 20

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June, 1939 At home DEAREST NAN, Thank you so much for the lovely graduation present. I still can hardly believe that high school days are over. Can you? Do you remember our first day at high school? We were so scared! And then, remember our first class meeting, when we elected officers. If you remem- ber, George Burriss was president, Frank Burton, vice-president, and Patsy Miller was secretary and treasurer. And then we selected for our class colors blue and gold, for our flower the sweet pea, and for our motto Truth Conquers All Things. At Commencement, that year, when Patsy Miller won the Schol- arship prize, we were so proud of her! After that, you left. We missed you 50 much. In September, '36, we began our second year of high school. A few mem- bers of the class were missing, there were a few new ones. For this year Frank Burton was president, Rupert Jernigan, vice-president, Mary Kennedy, secre- tary, and Anne Mclnnis, treasurer. Nothing of special importance happened to us that year. In the fall of 1937, we came back again as juniors. George Burriss and Frank Burton again were president and vice-president. Agnes Howard was secretary and Sam Wright was treasurer. In the spring of '38 we gave a Spanish Junior-Senior CI wrote about thatb. Robert Lee was chief marshall that year. Elise Rouse was the junior debater and Anne Burkehead won the Junior Stedman Essay prize. Then at last we became seniors. We could sit on the front seats in chapel, be the first to leave, and use the senior steps. Our officers for this all-important year were: Sam Wright, president, Mary Kennedy, vice-president, Eddie Joyner, secretary, and Mary E. Johnson, treas- urer. We finally picked these superlatives: Prettiest Girl-Elise Rouse, Most Courteous Girl and Boy-Cantey DeVane and Jack Stubbs, Best All-Round Girl and Eoy-Gladys Sessoms and Harold Townsend, Most Dependable Girl and Boy-Agnes Howard and Rupert Jernigan, Most Popular Girl and Boy- Mary Huske and Eddie Joyner. Donlt you think that we've had four very nice years of high school? I do. Write and tell me how youlve been getting along. Love, Polly. L -i N-16, g.Lxa.L,ELl. LJ 19

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Genes, Vera McLaurin, Elizabeth Sykes, Marjorie Morris, and Elsie Peoples are clerks. Ste- nographers for the firm are: Marguerite McLaurin, Kathryn Stone, Dorothy Sykes, Pauline Hall, and Frances Askea. Sarah Jackson and Kathleen McBennett are the chief secretaries. Bobby Baucum helps manage the home town store. Howard Grifhn, Frank Burton, and Cecil Lee keep the accounts, L. G. Dew and William Driver take care of all important books and records. Wonder how many nights a week the owners Cwho told me they were out to be ladies'-men'i?J work-with the secretaries or stenographers? And, oh yes, Paul Autry, whom I always wanted to be a preacher, drew up the plans for the Fayetteville building. Speaking of buildings, I guess you've heard of the awful Jernigan fire. They say Rupert's business was all but ruined. He runs a Parisian style shop, you know. Anne Burkhead gave up her dramatic career so that she and Betty Paige Shepherd could design the gowns. Eve- lyn Rose Simon tries to sell them to prospective customers, and the customers wear them- they hope. Fires really are awful things, often resulting in much tragedy. Are you sure your hospital is fire-proof? If not, call on inventor Francis Bullard for help. No use burning until you have to. Of course you want to know what has happened to Eddie Joyner. Anne found out all about it from Mary Pittman, who is the telephone operator in the Joyner Lovely Ladies' Luxuries building. He sells all sorts of beauty hints to the young women of the world. Anne Mclnnis is practically boss of the firm, Ruth Fuqua and Frances Jackson aid her. Ira Blue Canady keeps an account of the firm's debts. Lacy Geddie and Ralph Hall test the creams for impurities. Speaking of beauties, I hear that Roy Sappington is in the U. S. Coastguard service. Do lovely girlsturn over in boats? Or what do the coast-guards do? So Stacy Hair pulls teeth! And J. L. Johnson, Frank McFayden, Jim McLeod, Robert McMillan, Thomas Cheshire, and Laurence Nichols are getting wealthy selling tobacco. Will you need to borrow money for funeral expenses? Guess what! Bettie London Wooten and Mary Coit Tillinghast have run away to Holly- wood! Bettie London was the world's loveliest debutante, and Mary Coit was teaching ex- pression. Teaching reminds me: Agnes Howard teaches English, Jackie Herring, health and physical education, Ethel Stevens, home economics in Lea Brown's school. When it comes to home, has Frances Sloan married yet? I hear she's succeeded in making quite enough money in her athletic work to support them both. And has Cantey DeVane chosen between her loyalty to the Navy and marrying into the Army? School reminds me of something else Anne said. She told me that engineers of all types are as prominent as Hitler was when we were young. She remembered about all of them: Fred Crowson, Jimmy Coiner, Billy Byrd, George Burriss, Von Autry, Bryan Beckwith, Jack Ratts, Alfred Riddle, Jack Rhodes, and James Roberts are a few. And last but not least, in the way of peace and quiet, the president has just sent Jack Stubbs over to some far-off country to see what Jack can do to promote peace. It's really nice up here. Perhaps I'd better stop now. I just wanted to write you a letter to cheer you up. I hope I'll see you soon. Your loving friend, Eleanor McRae. 21 LN