Gridley High School - Pylon Yearbook (Gridley, IL)

Page 12 text:

for the enjoyment and education which this new addition has offered us during our last year. This fine improvement comes as the climax to many dreams and we wish to thank all those who have made it possible--especially the principal of our school and our Senior class advisor, Mr. Watkins. We have helped in the establishment of our first weekly school paper this year. The Gridlite is truly one of the accomplishments of '4l. For the first time in many years a Senior Play was presented at our auditor- ium on May 16. Our class has been proud to present this first Senior Play en- titled, nAmerica First.N v As a lingering remembrance for those who will make this flight in our paths we are happy to leave a trace of our class in the form of a contribution, which we trust willadd to their education and enjoyment. The flag-pole and land- scaping which shall stay as permanent reminders are gifts of our class of '4l. Following the custom of previous years, four Seniors have been chosen to represent our class at the com encement program on June 5. The Seniors chosen to the honored are: Maude Heiple, Carolyn Kuerth, Donald Scarbeary and Arthur Gramm. The American Legion Awards for Citizenship were awarded to Carolyn Knerth and Donald Scarbeary. Last minute activities caused our class to be in a virtual trance at the close of the year but thanks to the assistance of the Junior Class we have been able to publish the second edition of the Pylon. We hope that our experience with the pioneering class of this project has enabled us to publish a year book finer than the preceding one and we truly hope that next year's class can im- prove on our edition. Strange as it may seem we were royally entertained by the Juniors at the Annual Junior-Senior Banquet given by the Class of '42 on May 10 at the Rogers Hotel. Guiding our clipper on its final flight was Irsel Funk. And now a dim cloud lies in our path and we can glimpse the end of the trail. The motor is becoming tired and we know that we must Wgive up the ship.n A new group is waiting to use it next fall when they take their last flight. But we have all brought our parachutes. Our crew is being called togetherfor last minute instructions on, June 5. Then we are all going to Wbail out!!' Fate and the future will detenmine where each of us will land but we all have a world of wonderful memories concerning the Wplane of lifen at G. C. H. S. As we grasp our diploma, we shall think of it as a pilot's license giving us the title of full-fledged flyers. Having mastered this phase in the art of flying we shall use that license and our knowledge as a key to open up new worlds of opportunities and success in our solo flights. A TRIBUTE The last five years have been prosperous ones for G. C. H. S. with enlarged curriculum and an increased enrollment, faculty, and adequate building facilities. It was five years ago that our school became a community high school, large- ly due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Watkins. Mr. Watkins has been instrumental in making our greatly needed auditorium-gymnasimma realization. The policies and ideals have also been greatly changed. New commencement programs have been presented, the Senior honor system has been establishedg many new student organizations have been published, visual education has become a regular part of classworkg a school band has been put into useg and many other improvements have been effected. Mr. C.K. Watkins, the principal during these years, has been largely responsible for the im- proved G. C. H. S. we attend in 1941. 1101

Page 11 text:

'Twas in the year of '57' that one and thirty frightened freshmen hopped abroad a brand new airplane a little Nmonoplaneu and slowly ascended into the deep blue mist. Skies were sometimes cloudly but usually bright and fair. A group of ignorant Wflyersu we made our debut at a fine initiation party staged at Lake Bloomington lwhere we Wlandedn for an afternoon for the wget acquaintedn ceremonies.J As full-fledged Naviatorsn we began in earnest to learn the facts connected with the Wplanen of life in a high school. Steering the ship that year was Arthur Gramm, chosen as our first class president. Getting acquainted with the ncontrolsn was soon over, but we learned to know them better each day. Becoming accustomed to our environment within and without our class-ship, was an all-year process. But circumstances were favorable. The experienced Nflyersn who had flown before us were helpful, and our directors were especially patient in teaching us the art of flying. We emerged from our first flight loving the Nairn of our new surroundings, feeling a growing kinship for our Woo-aviatorsn, and especially grateful to the npilotu, our advisor for the year, Mr. Paul McKey. Alas Mates! Alas mates! We've lost four of our classmates! It was during our second flight, the year we were recognized as full-fledged Sophomores in G.C.H.S., that four flyers deserted our ship. They were Dorothy Ringger, Martha Benedict, Yvonne Krug and Joan Hoobler. However Bill Ethington, formerly of Towanda, joined our crew about the middle of the year. The year was somewhat more eventful for us than the previous one had been. Having proved ourselves worthy of graduation from the Freshman stage we took our new position as sophomores very seriously. Entering into many more activities we began to function as a necessary body in our school becoming more and more a part of G.C.H.S. It was during that year that the existing Home-Ec. Club was organized with many of the members of our group taking active parts. The WCantantes Puellaen, a club organized by the Music Class also contained a valuable number of our class. One of the highlights of the year was a trip the Art Exposition in Bloomin- gton. We felt privileged to visit such a great spectacle and the event shall stand out in the memory of many. Yes, we had our social get-togethers too! Lake Bloomington was our favorite resort for these engagements and after numerous disagreements we usually arrived safely in the midst of a rain storm. But cars in the ditch and raw weiners all add to unforgettable incidents in our school life at G. C. H. S. Earl Rinkenberger and Florence Kuerth were elected to steer our Nbi-plane' that year, serving as class president in respective semesters. Miss Reinau Maurits was our class advisor that year. The fall of '59 found our class returning to GCHS as a group of Grown-up Juniors. Realizing our position as an indispensible part of our school, we beg- an in earnest to seek means of raising money in order that we might do our duty toward our Alma Mater and the class one year our senior. But our Class turned out to be trogans in the project, and football stands and bake sales caused the amount in our treasury to jump by leaps and bounds. And then the undertaking of the year, the Junior Class play. We are proud to relate in this little epilogue that HThe Harvest Queenu was a howling success. As a result we were able to entertain the Seniors in the customary fashion at the Annual Junior-Senior banquet in Bloomington. It proved to be a fitting climax to our efforts and a memorial night for the guests as well as the hosts As usual it showed a blossoming of the suppressed desires among the lads and lassies of each class-in shorq there were some remarkable examples of modern Romeo's and Juliette's that May evening. Our membership was unaltered from the previous year, with the exception of one, Maxine Brown, who failed to return at the beginning of the term. Guiding our Juniorship, Know a tri-motored affairj, was Carolyn Kuerth. A great part of the success that we realized from our play and other class projects was due to the capability and interest of our most efficient adviser, the chief- pilot of our class ship of 39-40, Miss Dorothy Garrity. For the last time, a group of dignified and serious Seniors boarded a stream lined clipper on Sept. 16, 1940. The crew coming with us on our last flight was the same as the one leaving our previous cruiser last spring except for one girl, Elva Mille . Asce ing into the full swing of our school life once more we took the role of the ' iors very seriously' and we have tried to make the best of every minute i this last cruise together. As seniors we have been able to witness the comp' tion of our new Auditorium-Gymnasium. Our class is truly appreciative . 1? 6 9 D

Page 13 text:

1942 ,M Back Row: Ehresman, Froelich, Stephens, Schlipf,lu Rich, Clausen, Hany,Yergler, and Phillis. Middle Row: J. Kearney, Westermeyer, Kaufman, Diggle, V. Yergler, B. Funk, M. Hany, Rinkenberger, Pfister, and L. Gramm. Front Row: D. Fleming, H. Holzhauer, Moser, Roth, Finch, Cornwell, B, Reeves, L. Zehr, Grusy, and Taylor. , The thirty-one Juniors, under the sponsorship of Miss Garrity, have worked this year to raise funds for the Junior-Senior Banquet and other activities. They have had a very successful year with a turkey raffle, football stands, candy sales, track stands, and the Junior Play. They were the first to contribute to the new scoreboard in the gymnasium. The class was also privileged to give the first play, NThat Crazy Smith Familyu, in the new auditorium. The class colors are red and silver. The motto is UForward Ever, Backward Never.n The class flower is the American Beauty rose. The officers for the year are: Evelyn Cornwell--President Margaret Ann Taylor--Vice President Jack Kearney--Treasurer Aldene Roth--Secretary Marcella Moser--Historian ,,.,,. V . i n,.., w, n ,f W.f,, i .,i.. ,f wgeagh 9w,HaMq. ,.,, ,.,h,i f. A a i at ff' 1-.2 t ,, t if so-effm' 49 mf. - . fl.. M V, We Vs. my ,wtf , ',ak12.,,gFXi--,u,k'mq.- . . X ,652 CJILJ7 0 C113