Fenger Academy High School - Courier Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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COURIER STAFF Ruth Olson ...,....,.,.. Edwin Tharp ,. Robert Kahn ..,, Anthony Janulis . Kathryn McGrath Dorothy Thullen . Wade Nichols . . . Ruth W. Robinson ..,, Dorothy Dasher . . Betty Pleckavic , . Anthony Lisack . . joseph Chester . . , Merlin Hansen , . , Robert Wadman . . Irene Gregol .,.. Marian Browne . , Margaret Barker . Albert Van Santen Ruth Jackman . . . Dorothy Krueger . James Bender .,., Naomi Erickson .,.. Charlotte Zeller . . . . .Editor-in-Chief . .Business Manager . Business Manager , .Business Manager . . . .Oiiice Manager .Financial Secretary . . .Associate Editor . . .Faculty Adviser ..... .Art Editor ........Art ........Art ...,....Art Photographic Humor ...Interview .....,Chief Editor Editor Editor Editor Editor Editor Typist . . . .Literary Editor . . . . . .Cartoonist ......Music . ,.... B. A. A. . . .G. A. A. . , . . , Social . . .Publicity Editor Editor Editor Editor Editor Page Seven MW m J

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THEME STORY Books-why yes, they are our life: our educa- tion and our recreation, our vocation and our avocationg they form our life in its entirety. They shape and mold us in extreme youth, broaden us in our high school and college years, and, after spending a lifetime with us, bring our lives to a dignified close. What better theme for our semi-annual, a mem- ory book, than books? There! at last the theme of our book, our own work, was decided! A novel manner of presenting this theme was suggested by the ever popular song, The Story Book Ball, and by it our vague notions were crystalized. A great decision had been made, and then there came a hesitant pause-we were all so afraid of spoiling our beautiful theme, so afraid that our group might not contain the necessary talent, that in some way we would not portray our Story Book Ball as it so vividly appeared in each of our imaginations. Picture a scene where all the most prominent of your book friends gather in a great ball, where Old King Cole charms an equally delightful Alice-in-Wonderland, where we see the Pied Pi- per of Hamelin leading the throng of boys and girls from the rat-freed town to the hills never to return, where we have Uriah Heep, him of the slimy, slippery personality, where we see old Mother Hubbard watching over a small David Copperfield, made immortal by Dickenis taleg and where we count among those present Hamlet, Jack and Jill, and all our other story book characters. Would it not truly be wonderful if it were pos- sible to visualize such a scene, to see our loved friends together instead of each in his or her own setting? This we have tried to bring about for you. We see our childhood fairy tales equally as important in shaping our destinies as our more serious works by Dickens and Shakespere, there- fore, we have used both in carrying out our theme. As to future books, for there will doubt- less be many, many more before we have reached a settled and staid old age when our ideals and prejudices are so firmly rooted that nothing new can enter into our minds, as to these books, we leave them as we think right for the future, and concern ourselves only with the books we have enjoyed together in the nursery, all through grammar school, and in our high school careers. The books we have read and the books we shall read will form an important section in the list of our friends. An old quotation that illustrates this phase of books is: A blessed companion is a book. A book that,s fitly chosen is a life long friend. Book friends can be relied on, too, they are ever in waiting for our callg they are ever faithful and helpful, and always willing to spend an afternoon or evening with us to fill our thoughts, asking nothing in return. Each new book we read will bring us at least one new friend. We borrow the opening lines of Wordsworthis Daffodils,' and suggest not daffodils this time, but books and book friends, as the theme of this charming poem: Qc For oft, when on my couch l lie In vacant or in pensive mood They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitudef' PURE EOOLISHNESS What happens in a chemistry book, Locked up in a desk at night? Why the H's and O's and 2's Gather together, of course, And hold the wildest of balls. What happens in your red English book When you hold it up, but Are thinking of Spring? Why the nouns, and the commas All begin laughing and joking. And here's a bit of advice- The most valuable I could giveg Never leave your Algebra alone With a green Geometry book. Page Six L A For the ais and the b's and the xls Will be climbing and sliding All down your angles, and Mixing your theorems and axioms. And think of the gay time The ancient and modern history Books have. Why, behold Pericles himself Arguing and ranting with Bismark. What would happen to you if, perhaps, You should become famous some day? Why, you will be gay For the rest of all life In somebody's blue school book. -Margaret Smith

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4A CLASS HISTORY Listen closely, children, and Grandma will tell you the life story of the class of June, 1932, which began on that September morning in 1928 when 463 freshmen Hrst gathered in the Audi- torium. Children, when you first enter high school, don,t ever be as green as those freshies were. They let the seniors give them wrong directions, and I have even heard of several being completely lost. However, it didn't take this group long to become accustomed to the new ways, and soon you could see these freshies strutting 'around as though they were mighty important personages. One of the well liked Physiology teachers took a group through the tunnels under the school, and you can imagine the joy expressed by Bob Stewart when he found a nickel which he claimed he had dropped through a ventilator in the Auditorium. Of course the vastness of the underground region impressed them, but being freshies the incident of the nickel impressed them the most. Most of the girls of the class met their first case of stage fright in the G.A.A. Dance Pageant. There was perfect Bedlam in the dressing rooms with Japs, Chinese, Gypseys, sailors, and dancers from every nation scurrying around, but on the stage they lost their terror and went gracefully through their dances. Children, you would have enjoyed the parties that were given for the freshies. Old Santa Claus himself was there giving out whistles and dolls to the very good children. Oh, how proud the members of that class were when a year had gone by, and they had become sophisticated sophomores. No more could they be called green, no more could they be abused, but now it was their turn to do unto others as had been done unto them. In o-ne of the third hour English classes Wally Hohman received the sur- prising grade of SH on a theme on athletes' su- perstitions. I suppose Wally was the one to tell you about the sweat shirt superstition and that an athlete always tries to outrun a black cat. Miss Charlotte Smith, that noted Civics teacher, told me that the best division room she ever had was a group from this class. She had them for five semesters and claimed that it was because of her influence that eight out of the room were later elected to the National Honor Society. Chil- dren, that class was forever putting on some pro- duction. The one for that year was the opera, The Marriage of Nanette, a French story. Those were glorious days when the members of the class became juniors and would soon be near- ing graduation. It was then that Peg Smith, who had studied in Europe, came to be one of them. All the girls joined the Junior Girls' Club and helped entertain the freshies, looking down on them as loftily as they themselves had been looked Page Bight L me A down upon. Children, some of those girls-as Marge, Flips, Irma, and others-began leading quite a social life. More dramatics, children! I wish you had been there on that rainy, dismal night to see the crowd that came out to see Dad- dies the first night the play was given by the Drama Class. It was really inspiring. Another production I know you would have enjoyed was the G.A.A. Minstrel with its sparkling repartee between the interlocutor and the endmen, its drills, tumbling, dancing, and singing by more than three hundred girls. Then there was the sec- ond evening play, The Poor Nut, of which there were two performances. In this play, children, you would have been thrilled to witness the track meet which took place on the stage between mem- bers of the school team, spurred on by Pat Dob- bins and Peg Barker, who alternated in the lead, and Janet Herlihy, Carl Nitz, Al Bullinger, Red Von Tour and Marge Dardis. In this class a musical family was discovered-the Stumpfs. Sarah played the cello in the orchestra, and Andy, who played the trombone, led the Social Orchestra in his last semester. The class songbird, Lydia Ostarello, sang the role of Martha,' in the opera, Martha, given by the Glee Clubs. Time rolled on, and by making the 4B class oihcers, Bob Stewart, Lucille Lundgren, and Do- lores Rack, go through strenuous and embar- rassing exercises the 4A's initiated the class as Seniors. Children, those newly fledged seniors couldn't believe that they had risen so high. In fact, some of them insisted they were too young to be thrust out into the cold, cruel world. A popular boy of that class whom I know you would have liked was Vince Ferrini, who entertained with his singing sax. At first the big event of the year, the Prom, was only a dream to the 4B,s, but when they were told that dues must be paid to make it materialize, the dues were forthcoming, and it became a reality. What,s more, there were iwo moonlight dances, the second was an electri- cian's mistake, but a fortunate one. The big, all- school production, The Frolics, claimed practically all the members of the class. You would have en- joyed Lawrence Pearson as the strong man and Wally Hohman as the circus barker. Now as 4A's the class found many near disappointments in store for them. The powers-that-be had said that in view of the financial condition there would be no Fenger News or Courier. Those seniors rose in rebellion and claimed that they would buy, so it was but a near-disappointment. It is now many years, children, since the mem- bers of that class of June 32', scattered after graduation. Some went to college to continue their education, while other applied for and found business positions, but all lived happily ever afterf'