Grover Cleveland High School - Clevelander Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

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14 THE CLEVELANDER History of the Class of 1936 Time is as feather-footed as the snowg So light he treads we never hear him go Save when we list the clock's untiming beat Marking the swift iambics of his feet. -Clinton Scollard. There gathered once, upon the plains of Grover Cleveland, an untried but enthusiastic band of people, bubbling with the freshness of youth and brimming with an abundance of energy. They had come a long way unassisted, for their former leaders fteachers in grammar school, had merely pointed the way and had returned, leaving them as a remembrance a goodly amount of confidence. Consef quently they had chanced upon this fertile area with the hope of finding new guides and even more prosperous, flourishing fields. Many able leaders ffaculty, were found in this unique village of Grover Cleveland. The guides quickly but efficiently organized this perplexed crowd, and then led them on to the Hill of Difficulty Q4 year course,. Upon reaching the foot of this hill, they were selected ac- cording to ability fintelligence tests,, placed in various companies under lieutenants fstudyroom and homeroom teachers,, and directed as to which road to take to the summit of this hill fCollege Entrance Course, Commercial Course,. Then, armed to the teeth with strong weapons fsteadfast courage, un' wavering determination, hope and faith, they began the long, tedious, perilous ascent. At first the plucky army made slow progress, but gradually as they became accustomed to the daily routine and the rocky road they proceeded much faster. Occasionally the good General fMr. Kennedy, and his aide- defcamp fMr. McDonnell, would call them together fassemblies, and give fine orations on military conduct, preparedness, repeatedly reminding them that their objective fgraduation, was an important one and also one well worth striving for. Many an afternoon they whiled away in sport fhomeroom basketball and baseball games,, cheering their comrades on to glory fFreshman basketball team wins school championship,. The first skirmish which the army encountered was of little significance fexams 1933, as a complete victory was realized. For this a furlough Qsummer vacation, was granted' which the party welcomed boisterously. The conquerors returned hale and hearty after soothing, refreshing rest, determined to meet their next enemy with even greater resources. Gradually the awkward warriors were being changed to skilled men though as yet the process was in its early stages fSophomores,. Now, scouts were ever on the lookout for the unseen enemy ftests,. Our General frequently joined in the honoring of the victorif ous players in their sport ffirst Yale cup team,. One of our comrades in particular had shown immense skill Joe Manganello-allfhigh,. Now, of course, many privates had brought considerable glory upon themselves by their consistent demonstration of aptness and ability for the tremendous task ahead fHonor Roll and Merit Roll students,. Another sport was inaugurated ffootball,. Suddenly their pleasures were interrupted by the information that the scouts in advance had seen an enemy of conf siderable strength fexams 1934,. Our leaders gave us many drills in addition to our other work so all bravely awaited the approaching enemy. By the employment of strategy they overwhehned their opponents, pouncing upon the unsuspectf ing army and unmercifully beating them to pulp. This again occasioned a respite which their superiors fschool board, graciously extended to them, The progress up the hill up to this time had been fairly fast but now the incline became steeper, and the climbing more dangerous, which fact was easily discerned by the now trained eyes of the pri' vates fJuniors,. However, they were constantly reminded that theirs was a worthy ordeal. A third sport was inaugurated and this, too, met with a great deal of success fHarvard Cup Team -1934,. Several of our comrades acquitted themselves very nobly, proving their skill and knowledge of the game. They were always inspired and led by a man of many virtues fMilton Berner-Coach,. Gradually the courageous band neared the summit of the Hill of Difficulty. However, it was easily perceived by the leaders that some sort of celebration was needed to strengthen the morale of the army. Accordingly a special feast day was set aside Uunior Day,. For valor in battle some of the

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THE CLEVELANDER 13 Valedictory Tonight, dear classmates, the olive branch of victory rests upon our brows. For after four short years of struggle within the fold of this, our beloved Alma Mater, we have finally succeeded to the crowning glory of our high school careers, graduation. Yes, we have added another victory to our chain of success, but now that the link is fastened we pause and longingly reflect upon those sweet, happy years and recall with boundless pleasure the many joys that we have shared together, and then we turn again to face the future. Staring out over that vast sea of as yet unrealized hopes and ambitions a feeling of apprehension creeps over us and we clutch our throats and ask God for guidance before we take that ever important step. Perhaps, however, our fears for the morrow are quite without reason. For here under the wise counsel of Mr. Kennedy, Mr. McDonnell and our teachers we have become more intimately acquainted with the essential factors of the founding of a life of service. Here we have learned the great principles and secrets of that mysterious drama of life. Here we have been vested with traits of sportsmanship, fidelity, determination and honor, traits so necessary to our success in the battle of life. Yes, our captains have guided well our ship and set us on a course which, if we continue to pursue, will land us straightway on the shores of success. To them we are forever grateful. Naturally our attainment of this cherished goal had to be fostered by a never dying faith. Our mothers and fathers well exemplify that faith. It was only through their devoted efforts and sac' rifices that we were given the opportunity to grasp the advantage of a high school career. Their words of encouragement swept aside our petty despairs and helped us to go on as Lincoln's mother inspired him when she said: Remember, my son, you can be a great man in this free country 'if you only say, 'I wil1.' Perhaps tonight's consummation of our dreams will show them that their efforts have not been in vain, while with all our hearts we sincerely hope that during the relentless Shifting of the sands of time we may be able in greater measure to repay them for their ceaseless evotion. And now while the joy of success is upon us, a strange feeling of regret creeps into our hearts, a regret that we have reached a fork in the road and that the parting of the ways has come. In these four short years our souls have been enriched by the acquisition of many fond, lovable friends. We shall always cherish the memory of the companionships which we have formed in our happy high school years. Working and playing together, our tasks have seemed a little less difficult, our defeats a little less bitter and our accomplishments a little more sincere. And as our individual interests tend to branch out in all directions, we are happy in the thought that each will go his way and tackle the grim obstacles in life with a fine strength of purpose and with the immortal law of God deeply rooted in each heart- Love thy neighbor. We know that as the years roll on, and even though our paths may never meet again, we shall always be united, at least in spirit and the many memories which have been bred within these walls will live to fill our lives with contentment. As the severing of the bond draws nigh, we turn and say one to the other, in the plain and simple Anglo'Saxon tongue- Good'bye - God bless you! FLOYD W. SILL

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THE CLEVELANDER 15 party were honored Qunior Class Officers-Floyd Sill, Clarina Rossi, Jean Doubles, Joseph Knepper, Rowena Thomson, and joe Manganelloj. Showing a decided improvement due to this injection of cheerfulness, the troops again began the ascent, this time with a great increase in vigor and enthusiasm. Before long, however, they encounf tered another battle, more serious and dangerous than the last two but not injurious enough to inflict serious loss. This was due to the experience and foresight of the combatants Quniorsl. After this conflict, the leaders called a halt and another furlough was granted fvacation-19351. Early in the fall of 1936 the peak of the Hill was sighted. This gave all a new hope for they realized now that all had not been in vain. Because of this a marked increase in progress daily was noted. One day, however, a sudden attack by a wild tribe caught some brave recruits by surprise. So well drilled were they, that they completely routed the enemy in such a fashion as to bring home the crown of the enemy ruler fDebate Team-trophyj. Now the leaders in battle were honored for their courage and bravery fSenior class officersj. Now came what was to prove the most terrific battle ever waged by the brave company of people-that with King Regents. It seems that he had never before been defeated and for that reason he was unduly proud and haughty. The scouts first sighted the enemy a short while after a glorious celebration in camp QClass Dayj. The scouts of King Regents were now in sight. Qur band fSeniorsj crept slowly toward the enemy, cautiously advancing step by step. Our gunners had a large supply of ammunition Qbrainsj. Finally the armies met on a small plateau fgymnasiumj in a terrible face to face conflict. Had it not been for the fact that the courage' ous army had been so well trained, and so expertly organized, the result would have been inevitable defeat. As it was, however, the army gradually subdued the enemy but only after a bitter battle. Thus they seized the land of King Regents. Now they saw at the very top of the Hill in glittering 'gold letters Graduation Night. Then, the allfpowerful band of conquerors gained confidence for now they were clad in strong armor. Wearing the peaked helmet of courage, the sturdy breastplate of hope, the keen sword of determination and the shield of loyalty, they started on their journey and began their battle with life keeping Browning's lines in mind: One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed, tho' right were worsted, wrong would triumph. PASCAL MAZUCA C The Stranger . Silently the swirling flakes sweep earthward, Y And though the bleak cold day is not yet done, Shadows have lengthened with the dying sun. Through fragrant pine sounds call of lonely bird, And stalwart trees 'mid snowy haze are blurred. In the marshflands as the night has begun, He stands immovable as though benumbedg Fixed are his eyes, and speaks he not a word. Hopelessly stunned and ravaged by time's toll, His face is haggard and weary his frame. By whose hand was the light snuffed out in his soul? Can't someone help, by rekindling the flame? A cloud on the pale moon obscures my sight, The stranger vanishes into the night. THOMAS KENNEDY