Gloucester High School - Flicker Yearbook (Gloucester, MA)

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30 THE SENIOR FLICKER Andrews with her benovolent smile was as interesting and amusing according to tradition. Speshal! John Garland put on long pants at this point. This year Flivver is as lovable as ever and Charlie Pew made his brilliant entrance. Of coarse we had to have class ossifers and being the enlightened desperation, elected a woman for president, thus extinguishing all boresome arguments. Evelyn Wilkins belongs to this handle with Harriet Fall, vice- president, Frank Jenney secretary, and Vilbert Giator, treasurer. Mr. Par- sons is the illuminator of the meetings. Maggie Nunes suggested the design for class rings, most of the boys wanting pins for utility. They will be had by all this year if they ’re willing and since you’re willing we’ll see you next year. — Margaret Greenleaf, ’24 HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF 1923 Last year as I was glancing over the “Times”, an interesting item caught my eye — Explorers Return From North Pole — Reveal Clue To Long Lost Arctic Explorer — Reading through this item, I discovered that it concerned me and some of my friends, so I read on. — Upon graduating from G. H. S. in 1923, Joseph Z. Martin, the now famous Arctic explorer, who had always expressed a desire to visit the north pole, was given an opportunity to gratify his wish. He sailed from Gloucester harbor, July 4, 1923, on the good ship Pauline. Since then very little has been heard of his whereabouts, until the year 1925, when various advertise- ments were published requesting the return of some valuable documents. Re- ceiving no answer to these advertisements, Martin returned to the United States to begin life anew. Eight years later in the winter of 1933 Brick Robinson and Jazz Mc- Laughlin set out for Alaska to look after the interests of the Robinson, Mc- Laughlin Ice Co. This experience was looked forward to with much en- thusiasm by both men, as they never had cut any ice while students of G. H. S. Upon their arrival they were set to work removing ice cakes. On the afternoon of the third day of work, an immense ice cake was reached. A fel- low workman explained to them that no human being had ever been able to move this huge cake of ice. Thereupon with one move of his brawny arm Jazz easily pushed the cake aside. Brick’s eyes were quick to detect, and it was not long before he had discovered some neatly folded manuscripts lying under the ice cake. Upon close examination they found that the clue to Martin’s long lost documents had been revealed. These documents con- tained the history of one of the most famous classes to graduate from G. H. S. Being members of that class, Brick and Jazz returned to their hut, and read the following account : In the fall of 1919, much to the amazement of Mr. Kimball, a very lively class entered G. H. S. From the beginning, the students of this class were loyal rooters for their school. Toward the middle of the year honors began to appear, and our class was well represented at the presenta- tion by Charles Hemmer and Ernest Devere. Not to be outdone, the girls entered the gym meet with the determina- tion to win, and win they did. A beautiful loving cup was presented to Miss

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THE SENIOR FLICKER 29 Maybe you’ve heard a Soph called a “wise fool” But we’re sure it’s not so in the Gloucester High School. Our Sophomores are meek, never bragging or bold, They have virtues galore and gifts manifold. So when St. Peter calls the roll, The class of ’25 he will extol As models of virtue and everything nice, And admit every Soph to fair Paradise. — Louise Tarr, ’25 JUNIOR CLASS HISTORY— 1924 (With Apologies to Nina W. Putnam) Not being stuck on fish, such as sharks, our higher educational existence is certainly a quadratic because we have exchanged from our first to the place between just before where our second childhood starts. This stage is called the flapper period by those who are enjoying a second-hand kidhood and is generally where one learns agriculture, as per example — sowing wild oats. Well one day we all was dressed and washed up, like we was to go to dancing school, feeling like a fly parked on glue ; and all that afternoon we listened to classmates’ farewells until we began to think we was leaving this life for somewares else. We had now been granulated, that is — all the good taken out of us for High School. Being the only nineteen-24 class of freshmen to enter that year we man- aged to get the expression that school was a zoo and us the show, only we probaly were to dumb to fall for anything in particular. “There are excep- tions to every rule” as Erasamus B. Black once said. Many teachers inserted a great deal of time telling us if we do as they say, we’ll be O. K. But how can we believe this when we can see those what they have done it to? Nevertheless we depreciate their sympathy like Miss Watkins, she being our idea of a good sport especially the maskwithline sex. A mixup stirred the first two yrs. into a vague jumble of memories, us working on the instalment plan as y sleeping in the morning and the other y 2 in the afternoon. Most of the morning students was all put together (or put themselves together) in the study hall. In this group could be seen and heard The Gold Dust Twins, Nina and Frenchy, bland Madeline Egan, baby face Sensenig, Mister Francis Jenney, Fliv Martin hitting all four, Helpful H enry (Don Phillips), giggling Bet Hilton, bright Karl Robinson, gentle- man Millard, young bashful Gene Publicover, and Paddy Last, Ben Frazier. Accidentally there was a few more but these could be the ones henpecked for such slams as dropping of books at the time when Mr. Crockett was about to axphixiate on the devotions or crowning poor George with a waste basket. Many tried to look foolish by hair-ribbons and flowing ties but no-one knew the diffrunts. As sophs, life was full of thrills such as roosting on radiatiors and keep- ing within allotted floor space (loaded bones and ponies forbidden). Miss

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THE SENIOR FLICKER 31 Marion Proctor, who represented the class. On Field Day, Eliot McLaugh- lin had the honor of being presented with the junior Haskell Medal. Being a bit timid, and also being desirous of gaining high scholastic standings, the boys practically remained out of athletics this first year. As a result of his earnest efforts, Thomas Healey was presented with the boys’ Sawyer Medal, while Louise Alden received the girls’. At the end of the first year, Mr. Kimball foresaw that in later years, he would be unable to manage such a class, and so decided to resign, much to our sorrow. But at the beginning of our sophomore year, we returned to find a new principal fully capable of handling any class. He was welcomed with great enthusiasm, and has since remained in our midst, being a friend to the class as a whole, and always willing to give advice to any individual. This second year had hardly begun when laurels were placed upon our heads. One memorable day, Charles Gregory Hemmer was presented with the Carnegie Medal for bravery in saving the lives of two boys at Mill Pond in 1918 — “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.” — A typical example of American youth and manhood. This year, the school magazine originated, and two members of our class were elected to the staff. Thev were Alice Ehler and Elizabeth Frost. M iss Sullivan, our singing instructor, undertook the task of presenting “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast”, and a large number of our class helped to make this affair the success that we all remember it to be. But all can not run smoothly, and one must expect sorrow as well as joy. One morning our class was saddened at learning of the death of one of its most promising members, Robert E. Hodgkins. We shall never forget his pleasing disposition and his desire to assist those with whom he came in con- tact. His spirit helps us to carry on the work of helping others. The boys, no longer being timid, and feeling that they would be able to attend to both athletics and studies, entered the athletic world. We were well represented in track by Arthur Healy, Hemmer, Hodgkins, Blatchford, and Joe Martin; in basketball by “Charlie” Ehler; and in football by Hemmer. Once more the girls showed their colors, and came out on the winning end of the gym meet. A peculiar incident accompanied this victory. In former years, the winning side was usually picked by the victory in the relay race. Our class was defeated in the relay, but the judges felt that the gymnastic exhibition of our class, excelled by far anything ever presented be- fore, so that we were pronounced the winners. The class cup was presented to Alice Sponagle, while Ida Frederickson won the coveted G. H. S. for ex- cellency in apparatus work. At City Hall a prize speaking contest was held where Frank McNamara and Nellie Lorman deserve much credit for rendering their selections in such a fine manner. The Presentation brought medals to more members of our class. This year Stuart Hodgkins and Esther Syrjanen were presented with the Sawyer medals. For the third time we returned to school, but oh so much wiser and so much better acquainted with the customs of the school. From the very be- ginning we had something to look forward to. Preparations were being made for a new high school, and although we were obliged to contend with many difficulties, the visions of new surroundings helped the worthy cause along.