Franklin High School - Laurel Leaf Yearbook (Franklin, NC)

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( Cfclll Plojl lSClj As we switched in desperation to our reserve fuel supply, and crossed our fingers in the hope that Lady Luck would be with us, we suddenly spied below us tall buildings extending upward into the clouds. As we landed, using the last drop of gas taxiing up to the hangar, we were greeted by the airport mana¬ ger, a man we thought was vaguely familiar. What town is this? Charlotte?” asked Robert. No, this is Franklin,” said the manager. Imagine our surprise! After being away for fifteen years we could hardly realize that this town had expanded so rap¬ idly. An even greater surprise was yet to come; the airport manager was Earl Moses, one of our old class¬ mates at F. H. S. Deciding to explore the town, we rented a car from the Curtis U-Drive-It Service, owned by Claude Curtis. We also saw Edith Willis, Josephine Dalton, Patsy Hays, and Louise Moore, who were renting one of the new Cadillacs from Claude to go on a tour of the Smoky Mountains. They said they were just in from Duke University, where they taught journalism. As we stepped on the street, the famous 200-piece Franklin High School Band passed in parade, playing The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Later, the bandmaster, Johnny Owens, told us they had just returned from a tour of Europe. After having a cup of coffee in Cabe’s Cafeteria, owned by Dorothy and Evelyn Cabe, we said goodby to Johnny and drove off. Driving past the Baptist Church, we heard the choir singing, and later learned that the choir directo , Edith Plemmons, was rehearsing the group for the Christmas Cantata. We attended church here the next Sunday and heard a wonderful sermon by the Reverend Francis Stevens. We saw Nora Carpenter, Kate Green, and Irene Seay just coming from lunch and going into a large office building where they were em¬ ployed as reporters for the Franklin Press. Arising early Monday morning we decided to visit our old Alma Mater, and who should greet us but the new principal, Donald Brown, who was quite busy helping Einstein with his Unified Field Theory. Hearing loud screams, we dashed to a room on the third floor only to discover that it was the Latin Class taught by Miss Evelyn Sorrels. After school we watched the undefeated F. H. S. Panthers, coached by Bill Huggins and Burton Leach, run through a short practice session. After stopping by Bryant Furniture Company to see Cullen, we decided to find our classmates who we learned were living in various cities in the Eastern United States. Our first stop was Detroit, Michigan, where we visited Jim Conley, president of Ford Motor Co., and his wife, Sara Dalymple. One of the swankiest stores in town was a dress shop run by Mildred Bishop and Jane Ledbetter. That night we stayed at the Hotel Potts, one of the twelve hotels owned by the tycoon Jerry Potts. One night while in Detroit we ate in a big restaurant downtown where Belva Nichols was head cashier. We happened to meet Jim Nichols outside the First National Bank where he was second Vice- President. Leaving Detroit, we flew on to Washington to see the President, Alvin Stiles, who greeted us warmly in the White House. Alvin invited us to a meeting of his cabinet and we heard an interesting speech by the Secretary of Agriculture, R. L. Cunningham and a lecture by the Secretary of State, Bill Ramsey. In the outer lobby we met two lady delegates to Russia, Nell Waldroop and Mary Slagle. We were escorted through the Treasury Building by Melvin Penland, the Vice-President, and chatted with the Secretary of the Treas¬ ury, J. B. Brendell. Alvin said that his Secretary of Labor, Frankie Leatherman, was in conference with John L. Lewis, trying to end a coal strike. Saying good-by to Washington, we winged toward New York where we expected to find quite a few of our old friends. We were met by Mayor Robert Edwards. He presented to us, among other things, tickets to the stage play, North Atlantic, co-starring the famous actors, Bill Ray and Margueritte Smart. Later at Radio Station A-I-R we heard a recital by the world renowned baritone, Lamar Bradley, accompanied by the famous pianist, Ethel Waldroop. In the next broadcasting booth we saw the quiz show, Dr. C. P.”, whose

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The Agriculture boys did fine work. They often fed the pigs chicken feed half a dozen times, and then couldn’t understand why the pigs acted as if they wanted to lay an egg, or try out a roost. The chickens borrowed the teachers’ false teeth so they could eat the fodder given to them. But the Ag. boys, like the Home Ec. girls, learned — partly. And those business students! Ah, what have we here ? ? Those pleasant days in typing, bookkeeping, and shorthand. After the first week or two new typewriters were needed. The students typed so fast that they burned the typewriters up — keys, ribbons and all! ! Franklin High really goes out for sports. Sometimes the basketball players must get their rules con¬ fused with those of football and vice versa. However, we got the team Sometimes initiation days are just too funny (?) for comfort. Girls, remember the bustles? Kind of hard to arrange when trying to get seated, were’nt they? And, boys, we loved those new hair cuts. Quite different from what we are used to. But we go out for the new look.” Fire drill! fire drill! Everyone please remain seated. It’s only a modern chemist in his beloved laboratory with the master” standing near-by. Those voices! They must be angels! ! Just Fisten! No, no, that’s only the glee club rehearsing for a P.-T. A. meeting. No, that isn’t Gabriel with his host of followers either; it’s only the F. H. S. Band. But who knows? At the rate the band and glee club are moving along, they might get that high up some day! Yes, we can truthfully say we’ve had some swell times in school, despite the homework! As we march down the aisle during graduation many of these thoughts crowd into our minds. It isn’t that we wish to remain any longer at F. H. S., because we all feel the honor in graduating and receiving those long awaited diplomas. It’s just that we shall soon be stepping out into a strange world; strange to us because we must then assume the responsibilities which rightfully belong to us instead of depending on our parents for further livelihood. With graduation the door of childhood seems to slowly close. We aren’t sorry, for we hold these memories close to our hearts with school days playing a great part in them, but we are eager to step out on our own, knowing that we have a firm foundation on which to build a happy, successful future and knowing that that foundation for the future was beng laid during those happy days at Franklin High School! Joe and Polly Anderson

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quizmaster was Carl Phillips. As we arrived he was telling Betty Fouts, Barbara Guffie, and Joyce Swafford that they had won ten million dollars and a free vacation to Kukamonga. They were to be transported by Wiggins’ Air Lines, owned by John Wiggins. The plane, to be piloted by Captain Grendell Peek, was the new Sleeper Special,” and was so large it required three hostesses who were none other than Jean Ammons, Juanita Rogers, and Gaynell Vanhook. Flying on to Boston, we saw James Rowland, a well known shoe manufacturer. He told us about Vir¬ ginia Cansler, who was head nurse in the Boston Municipal Hospital, and Dan McCall, president of a large department store there. We also saw L. C. Howard, professor of English at the Mass. Institute of Technology. Next morning, we were looking over the Boston Tribune, and read about two nurses having found a com¬ plete cure for the common cold. They were Jo Ann Hopkins and Patsy Stiles, who were much too busy to be bothered with visits from former classmates. Further on in the paper we saw where one of our old friends, Betty Sharity, had just married the fabulous Prince Samuel VII of Egypt, heir to a 37 million dollar diamond mine in South Africa. We spent the following night in Pittsburgh with EJ Crawford, who owned a coal mine. And guess who was his confidential secretary! — Helen Henderson. We were forced down in Cleveland because of bad weather and saw Linda Evitt, Helen Jones, and Pene¬ lope Mincy, who were there to fly in the National Air Races. We finally arrived in Chicago where we had heard that Bill Brown ran a meat packing plant. We saw Bill and he gave us five pounds of hamburger and some sausage. With the first flurry of snow we left for the South. Our first stop was Memphis. We attended a party given by Shirley Rowland, a nurse, for Jane Talley, who had just inherited a large cotton plantation. There wasn’t much excitement in Memphis so a few days later we pulled out for Atlanta. We were met by Bobby Joe Corbin, manager of a chain of theatres in the Atlanta area. Bobby Joe got us some tickets to a profes¬ sional football game, and imagine our surprise when we spied Joe Wilson and Bo Norton, star players for the Atlanta Atoms.” Next day we stopped at the Three Bee’s”, fur shop owned and operated by Lucille, Rometta and Jewel Brown. Later we visited the city auditorium and heard a recital by the famous Atlanta Sextet,” consisting of Edith Hurst, Alice Elmore, Betty Cochrane, June Teague, Dorothy Welch, and Marie Waldroop. accompanied by Pat Landrum. We then went to Jacksonville, Florida, and saw Betty and Maxine Holland of the Holland Girls’ Beauty Shop.” They told us about Charles Moore and Clifton Ledford of the Moore and Ledford Law Firm.” By the way, their secretaries were Beatrice Buchanan and Betty Sue Allen. Since he was this near his home in Orlando, Robert insisted that he go down and get his wife, the former Jo Anderson, as they were planning to go out to visit Jo’s sister, Polly, who was superintendent of nurses at the San Francisco Municipal Hospital. They also expected to see Betty Jean Stiles, one of the hospital’s psychologists. As for me, I guess I’d better get back home and pull some teeth because that trip sure drained my pocketbook. Curley Walker and Robert Hines