Fredericksburg High School - Rapahanoc Yearbook (Fredericksburg, VA)

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Last Will and Testament We, the Class of ’24, knowing the intrinsic value of the treasures we have acquired in the field of our high school activities, and real¬ izing that they will be of great help to those who follow us, we wish to leave these articles in the hands of those who merit them. Highly valued treasures are usually preserved in chests of gold; but we have placed those treasures dearest to us in this heart of gold for safe¬ keeping. Being of sound body, though we have burned a great deal of the midnight electricity, and with sane mind, even if we have strug¬ gled through two cases of madness with our dear friends, Hamlet and Ophelia, we do hereby will and bequeath the following to the de¬ serving: First: We, the following, will and bequeath to the silent members of the Junior Class, our unusually noisy class attitude: Shelby Arritt, James McWhirt, Richard Decker, George Young, Edward Gouldin, Susie Greenlaw, Josie Carneal. Florence Pancoast. Nannie Gray, Clara Huffman, Margaret Tinder, Audrey Stevens and Florence Scott, Second: I, Carter Rowe, do will to him who is bored in study hall my seat next to “Doc” Cole. Third: We, the following stars, do leave to the team of ’25, our knowledge of baseball: Francis Gouldman, Willie Curtis, Lehmer Sulli¬ van and Floyd Sullivan. Fourth: We, the following “baby sheiks,” do will to those who have unruly hair a bottle of our choicest hair groom: Godfrey Smith, Edgar Stevens and Horton VanDenburg. Fifth: We, Winfield Jones and William How¬ ard. do will to those who want them our ex¬ perience in growing tall. Sixth: We. the following “vamps.” do will to next year’s Seniors the right to gossip during the opening exercises without writing an extra parallel for it: Sarah Wilcox, Anna Paige Green, Esther Cosby, Elizabeth Payne, Mary Dickinson and Delma Clark. Seventh: I. Geraldine Anderson, do will to her who is lacking: a “John” to take her to all school activities and parties. Eighth: I, James Daffan, do begrudgingly leave to him who hath a “Lizzie” my position as faculty errand boy. Ninth: I, Agnes Baber, do bestow upon Alice Scott my ability to handle a “Sale.” Tenth: We, Cephas Freeman and Andrew Bolling, do will to two naughty Juniors our seats at the last table in study hall, where you have a good time, but get plenty of marks. Eleventh: I. Sidney ScoH. do bequeath to those w ho are late to class the knack of sliding the length of the hall. Twelfth: I. John Billingsley, do will to the president of the Class of ’25 my vacant chair as president and my great speech-making ability. Thirteenth: T. Henry Genther. do will mv talent on the mandolin to Claude Truslow. and. I Harold Green, my genius as a cartoonist to Charles Hunter. Fourteenth: I, Vivian Cussons, do hereby be¬ queath to those whom it may help my ability to get up at 7 o’clock and catch the 7:10 train. Fifteenth: I, Thomas Morrison, do will the football letters I carried in my pockets to him who hath a basket large enough to hold them. Sixteenth: I, Richard Gatlin, do will to War¬ ren Farmer my gracefulness as a basketball player. Seventeenth: We. Muriel Euliss and Elizabeth Harrison, do leave to the girls’ teams our abil¬ ity to keep on our feet while playing basketball. Eighteenth: We. Jeffries Hudson and Mildred Fines, do will and bequeath to the country stu¬ dents the old Brisco we came to school in. Nineteenth: We, Anne Harrison Shepherd and Helen Hearn, do leave to two Juniors our positions as class bookkeepers. Twentieth: I. Virginia Gouldman, do will to Julia Troian some of my choicest giggles to be used in a quiet class. Twenty-first: We, the class as a whole, do hereby will and bequeath: 1. To Mrs. Blake our unusually good order in study hall and two signs to put over the study hall doors to warn the students that they will get five marks for slamming the door so she won’t be always telling them this. 2. To Mrs. Courtney a class in Economics without any Seniors late to class. 3. To Mr. Dickerson a class of boys in Math who won’t cause him to stop and ask, “Who is that cuttin’ up back there?” 4. To Miss Morris more statues and pictures to add to the already large collection in the English room and one practice of the Senior play with everyone present. 5. To Miss Richards a solid geometry class with some girls in it. 6. To Mrs. Williams a vacant period in which to teach French III. 7. To Miss Kennedy more apparatus for the chemical laboratory. 8. To Miss Marsh a typewriting class in which there is no borrowing of paper. 9. To Mr. Woodson a copyright for ‘‘Woodson’s Law” in physics. 10. To the Sophomore Class a good boys’ bas¬ ketball team. 11. To the Freshman Class a few large boys to play on their basketball team. 12. To the Junior Class the few privileges we had as Seniors. 13. To the student body rainy day sessions, and the abolition of the system of 500 words for punishment. 14. To the Class of ’25 our dignified and re¬ served manner while Seniors. We thus set our seals, on this last night th t we shaH be toother, to this, our last will and testament, on th : s third day of June, in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and twenty-four. (Signed) THE SENIOR CLASS OF ’24. Per ANDREW J. BOLLING, .TR. 46

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History RIENDS, tonight we face one of the hardest moments of our lives; for we must say good-bye after being together for four years, and to say goodbye is to die a little. It seems as if, when we leave high school, we lose some of our youth, leave it behind, as it were, to others who come after us. But though we leave our child¬ hood we cannot lose our dreams and our memories. The Class of ’24 is a proud one. Even as royal families took pride in their ancestry, so we remember and treasure each event of our career as gold and precious gems were treasured by pirates of old. Were I an artist I would paint for you in flaming colors the history of the class or, being a poet, would show it to you in such vivid word pictures that you would never forget. But, being neither of these, I can only do my best to show you such pictures as are strongest in our memories. There are four series of these pictures and the first work of art which I wish to draw to your attention is the oldest of the collection. The scene is the elementary school. There is a large room filled with desks and a tall man, who is easily recognized as Mr. Birckhead, is in the act of telling the children just what is to be expected of Freshmen. The scene shifts ever so slightly and in place of the elementary school there is an obviously new ' building, but it seems strangely quiet—there are no children in sight. Let us look inside of the building. Here we find a reason for the strange silence, for these same young people with fear and sorrow written large upon their features are filing slowly into a room receiving small blue books as they pass through the doorway—examinations! and the first at that. It’s no wonder they are quiet. We will now pass on to a second picture. Here we see a very large bare room, which everyone who has ever been to high school easily recognizes as the math room. Presiding over the class is a little lady with dark hair and eyes. But as we watch her she becomes clothed in shining white with a filmy bridal veil and disappears quite suddenly with a flutter of white ribbons, dropping a card on which is engraved Mrs. Sharpe.” As she vanishes we become aware of a gentleman seated in her place, Mr. Steck. Let us push this aside. In its place is a lovely room filled with pictures and flowers. There are two figures in this study seemingly engaged in earnest conversation—Mrs. Courtney and Mr. Dickerson, the new principal. The next is a scene from our Junior-Senior banquet. Seated at a long table, extending from one end of the basement to the other, are the Juniors and the Seniors feasting merrily, exchanging jokes and witty sayings with one another. Truly this is a merry picture, but W ' e must not linger too long. The first one of this last series of pictures is a painting of a large black book and has written on it in letters of gold The Rapahanoc. It is our annual of which we are justly proud. The next picture is a nature study very much on the order of Corat ' s Dance of the Nymphs,” for here we see Grecian youths and maidens dancing gayly while one of the youths, “Endymion,” by name, sleeps peacefully beneath a tree. Can you guess what the next picture represents? It is a very vivid study in red and white. Hundreds of hearts, large and small, hang suspended from the ceiling and flow ' ers grace the hall wherein dancers dressed in costumes from all parts of the world pass gayly to and fro. This is a portrayal of the Senior-Junior party. The last of these pictures is a rather peculiar one. The central figure is a tall, awkward young fellow in khaki. He stoops badly and limps slightly when he walks. It is Clarence himself just as he appeared in our Senior play, and just to look at him one imagines he hears the jazzing music of a saxophone. And so, as we end our high school life, we should remember to always look forward, not backward, and to keep to the right wherever we may go. We should strive to go higher and struggle always to succeed, as we know not whom we may influence nor when, for “Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time, “Footprints that perhaps another Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.’’ Florence Scott. 45

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Far back in the ages there was a time when people believed that fairies left messages for mortals. These prophecies were magically written on the petals of flowers. Few people will agree with me when I say we think this today. No, we do not believe in all kinds of fairies; but we know that such fairies as good will, faith, love and courtesy exist, especially in the Senior Class. The members of the graduating Class of ’24 expectantly hope that some good fairy has left for 11s tonight a written message of the future. (Mascot enters with daisy.) We believe in this beautiful theory because someone whom we love very much has brought us one of these magic flowers. This flower has survived through all hardships and withstood all kinds of weather for four long years, and tonight it is brought to us as fresh and beautiful as if this was the begin¬ ning of its life in the world. Let us see if we will find our prophecies on the petals of this daisy. Nannie Gray—The fairy says that Nannie will live on a plantation and her husband will be very successful. Elizabeth Harrison—Fler future will be a continuation of her high school activities. She will be one of the leading basketball coaches of the South and her team will make startling records. Edith Philips—Edith’s future will be among the bright lights of Broadway. She will make her debut in four tears. We can imagine with what popularity she will play. Esther Cosby—This petal tells us that Esther will live in New York and study at Columbia University. She will give many piano concerts to delighted audiences. William Howard, James Daffin—The fairy says that William and James will spend their future among feathered chickens. They are going to start a poultry farm in Stafford. Susie Greenlaw—The good spirit predicts a prosperous future for Susie. She is destined to go to Massachusetts to prepare to hold the position as physical director in the largest school in that state. Richard Gafhn, Henry Genther, James McWhirt—These musicians of the Senior Class will form a three-piece jazz orchestra. Winfield Jones, Andrew’ Bolling—Andrew and Winfield will become teachers in correct posture; that is, the proper manner to sit in a chair. Clara Huffman—Clara is our budding poetess. In the future the fairy predicts that she will be compared with Alice and Phoebe Cary. Delma Clark, Elizabeth Payne—Delma and Elizabeth are destined to he the future models for Whistler. Vivian Cussons—In the future we are told that Vivian will be the mistress of the large house on the hill located in the suburbs of Fredericksburg and approached bv a great many steps. Willie Curtis—We know’ that the characteristics we possess in high school remain with us all our life. Due to Willie’s honesty and dependability, he will be the treasurer of the United States. Margaret Tinder, Anne Shepherd—Margaret and Anne will run a cafeteria. Anne will be teaching aesthetic dancing and Margaret will compose jazz music. Florence Scott—Florence is the gifted one who will take Mrs. Courtney’s place in F. II. S. Anna Paige Green, Sara Wilcox, Mary Dickerson—This trio will establish a very enticing tea shop in New York called the “Butterfly Inn.” Helen Hearn—In the list of the eminent scientists of the future will be the name of Helen Hearn. She will specialize in domestic science. Harold Green—The fairy prophet says that Harold will be a professor of English in the University of Maryland. Horton Vandenburg—We all know that Horton likes to go to the State Teachers’ College for some unknown reason. The fairy foresees him as a professor of art at this institution. 47