Hamilton High School - Hamiltonian Yearbook (South Hamilton, MA)

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The Hamiltonian 11 of the multitude, it must have captured the j ame for her. ' I ' he two women shook hands and walked over to the judge’s stand where they were immediately surrounded by news- reel men and photographers. ' I ' he victor seemed to have a familiar countenance, riiat smile! I’d know it anywhere and the announcement of the judge further con- vinced me that I was correct. He said in very loud tones, “It is my pleasure to be- stow upon Miss Rita Walsh, this silver cup for having won the National Women’s Tennis Championship.” I was not at all surprised at having heard this as I knew that Rita had spent much of her summer vacations back in the old high school days jumping around tennis courts and I won- dered if that strenuous practice had started her on the road to fame in the tennis world. I ' he next scene showed me the e.xterior of a church. Something unusual seemed to be going on as groups of people stood out- side talking excitedly. Suddenly, the strains of an organ were heard playing a wedding march and through the open door, two hap- py looking couples ran down the steps. They were stopped at the bottom by photog- raphers and news reporters from the Ham- ilton Daily Globe and as they did so, I caught a glimpse of the happy brides and they were no other than the inseparable companions. Ruby ' Free and Mary DeLuca with their newly aajuired husbands whose faces also appeared familiar. As I looked more closely, I recognized one persistent youth who, back in the days of Hamilton High, was seen frequently around Ruby’s house in a Che rolet roadstej and the other I recognized as the owner of a Ford road- ster whose tires had worn a considerable track leading from the citv of Danvers to .Ma ry’s home. 1 could no more than gaze upon the pic- ture for it faded away and in a second, the ingenious device of the professor’s was showing a scene of the night life of Broad- way. Eagerly 1 gazed upon the vision as it stopped in front of a brilliantly illuminated night club. The interior of the place was elaborately decorated in modernistic fashion and a snappy dance orchestra was playing the latest tune. My eye caught a glimpse of the leader of the band, who had a violin tucked under his chin, and 1 gave a start as I thought 1 must be having an optical illusion. But no! When he turned to bow, acknowledging the vigorous acclamations of the attentive audience, I saw that it was no one else but Kenneth McRae whose early ambition had now been fulfilled, and whose violin playing was pronounced the wonder of the age. As 1 watched, three beautifully gowned girls came over and seated themselves upon the piano and started to croon. With some difficulty, as their glittering jewels fairly dazzled me, 1 recognized none other than Janice Gould, Doris Finch, and Marjorie Dodge. I later found out that these three girls had become the highest salaried night club performers in New ' ork and that thev had reached the highest rung of the ladder when the ’ were chosen to perform in Kenneth’s fash- ionable night-club. Through the medium of Professor von Herring’s marvelous invention, 1 learned that Glenn Armstrong and William Smith, after having opened their separate establish- ments, had finally incorporated and were operating a series of dining cars and grocery- stores. I’hey were very successful in their line because of the training both had re- ceived in after-school hours back in their high school days. I also found out that their private secretary, Dorothy Greeley, having won a beauty contest, had left the company, and was now on her way to Hollywood to star in a mo ing picture. I have no doubt that Dot would make good as her acting ability had received ample training at the hands of so capable a coach as M rs. Boyd back in those memorable school days. During the next ensuing minutes, the all-seeing eyes of the camera revealed to me that Lawrence Lamson and Harold Knowl- ton had formed a brain trust and after earning two or three million dollars in the stock market, they had settled down to be men of leisure. After breaking many hearts, Harold finally became serious and an- nounced his engagement to a girl in the neighboring city of ' Topsfield and Lawrence likewise to the lady of his choice. Dorothy Whipple and Cherstine Brad- street had become world famous as fashion experts and were noted for their distin- guished creations of dress. Edna Sprague, it seemed, was using her brilliancy outside of school as well as she ever did inside, be-

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lO The Hamiltonian culminatiiifi; a worthy and fruitful life in the service of mankind. Horace Mann’s influence on higher school development is difficult to ascertain, hut all judges and all competent men agree that his reputation rests chiefly on the work he did for the common schools. And let us all go out into the new lives we are com- mencing tonight with the words of fdorace Mann ringing in our ears — “He ashamed to die until vou have won some victory for mankind.” — Rita Wk i.SH. Prophecy evening, while I was reading the latest news sheet, the telephone beside me started to clang in a very important manner. I picked up the receiver rather impatiently and immediately the voice at the other end shrilled into my ear. 1 recog- nized the voice as that of my distinguished friend and famous inventor. Professor von Herring, of whom you no doubt have heard considerable in connection with his numer- ous inventions. In ver - enthusiastic tones, he related that he had just perfected his latest invention and, knowing how interest- ed 1 was in all his undertakings, he was giving me the honor of viewing it before anyone else. His sanguine and buoyant words aroused my curious nature and so, partly because of his impetuosity and, per- haps more, because of my curiosity, a half- hour later I found myself in his laboratory where he proceeded to explain the structure of his remarkable device. Hy putting his scientific terms together, I gathered that his invention was a super-camera which, when a certan person’s name was uttered, would show on an especially constructed screen a technicolor, sound, moving picture of what the named person was doing at that ' ery instant. My incoherent murmurs must have be- trayed my skepticism for the Professor im- mediately proceeded to demonstrate his machine to me. He asked me to think of some person I knew so that he could prove that his invention would work. As I was thinking, an idea suddenly popped into my head. I had not seen my classmates from the Hamilton High School for several years. If what the professor said was true, then why couldn’t 1 have a class reunion all b ’ myself? I suggested my idea to my friend and he proceeded to fulfill it. I named the members of my class and settled comfort- ably back in my chair to await develop- ments. After some delay of pulling levers. pressing buttons, and adjusting gadgets, my class reunion began. The first picture that appeared before my eyes was that of a large building. I won- dered what this magnificent specimen of architecture could be and then, somehow, the familiar lines struck a chord in my memory. Ah ! 1 thought so. A marble name plate announced to the world that this was the Hamilton Wenham Rail- road Station, the finest piece of architecture in the state, having been built in 1940. The camera clicked on and the next view showed the interior of the building which seemed to be the inside of a busy telegraph office. A young man was working indus- triously over the clicking key and he some- how looked familiar. Of course! It was Eddie Laski. As 1 looked, he suddenly ceased work, glanced at the clock, and rushed outside and jumped into a latest model of an expensive car and sped aw’ay. His car stopped in front of a cute little bungalow on the outskirts of the thriving city of Hamilton where he rushed up the steps as if he could not wait any longer and Hung open the door where he was greeted affectionately by a black-haired young lady, obviously his wife, whose former residence during high school days had been in East Hamilton. I ' he scene faded away into blackness and I eagerly awaited the next picture which soon proved to be the interior of a tennis court. A match seemed to be going on and the vast crowd of tennis fans, gathered to see the championship matches played, shouted and yelled when a particularlv brilliant pla - was made. The figures leaping and hopping around like jumping-jacks w ' ere those of women, one of whom seemed familiar to me, and I searched my rather small quanti- ty of gray material wondering who they could be. Finally, one of the contestants made a w’onderful shot and from the shouts

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12 The Hamiltonian cause the camera informed me that she had taken a position in a laboratory of a well known scientific institution and was makinji a name for herself by her discoveries in the chemical world. Once ajiain the scene chanj ed and I found myself looking at another excitable picture, a baseball game. The score board told me that it was between the old town team rivals, Hamilton and Topsfield, and a further examination of the surroundings told me that it was on the old high school baseball field. The score was tie in the ninth inning and the bases were loaded. A man came up to bat and immediately I recognized the cheerfid grin of Eddie Car- ter. ' I ' he pitcher wound up and sent the ball travelling across the plate. Eddie slammed his bat against the ball and al- though I do not profess to know anything about the intricacies of baseball, 1 knew this one was to be a home run which it proved to be. As soon as Eddie crossed home plate, he was greeted by cheers from the crowd and as the scene faded away, he was being lifted upon the shoulders of the admiring crowd. Ehe last name, but by no means the least, written on my list was that of Alex- ander Koloski and by the means of the camera, I learned that Alec had captured the eye of a Big League scout from the Red Sox and was at that time being groomed to fill Lefty Gro e’s former position on the mou nd. As the last view flickered before my eyes, my reminiscing came to a close and it was to my sorrow that my class reunion came to an end, but 1 firmly resolved that next year at the same time, 1 would again see what my classmates are doing and recall the pleasant memories that still cling to the happy days spent in Hamilton High School. — Edna Preston. Salutatory THE HISTORY OE EDUCATION IN HAMILTON F ew towns have an older educational background than ours, and as citizens of Hamilton, I thought you would be inter- ested in knowing something of the develop- ment of education in your home town. So let me take you back tonight to the little colont ' at Aggawam ( now ' knowm as Ipswich) of wdiich Hamilton was so long a part. Our Puritan forefathers wTo settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony showed an in- tense interest in education. In 1634, before the colony was firmly established, steps were taken to found Harvard College. The interest w ' hich the little colony of Ipswich took is show ' n by its influence in the found- ing of the College and in after years by her generous contributions tow’ards its main- tenance and in the number of her graduates. Of the nine men in the first graduating class of Harvard in 1642, two w’ere Ips- wfich youths, Samuel Bellingham and Wil- liam Hubbard. With all this enthusiasm for education, it was only natural that the Ipswfich colony should set up a Grammar .school in 1636. Although it was not wholly successful, the spirit of the leaders w ' as not dampened. In 1642 the town voted to establish a free .school for the purpose of teaching reading, w ' riting, and ciphering. Inspired perhaps by the success of their tw ' o Harvard graduates, several prominent men permanently founded in 1650 the (Tammar school for the purpose of in- structing their sons in Latin and Greek that they might enter college. Even though the Grammar School w ' as established for those boys desiring to go to Harvard, the townspeople showed a great deal of interest in its development. In 1651 all the “Neck beyond Chebacco River and the rest of the ground up to the (Gloucester line,” was given to the Grammar School. Ehis was leased to John Cogsw ' ell Jr. and his heirs forever for 14 lbs. a year: that is 4 lbs. In butter and cheese ; 5 lbs. in pork and beef ; and 5 lbs. in corn, at the current price. At the present time this tract of land is known as the Essex farm and is leased to the town of Essex for 999 years for a small amount which still helps support the .schools. Another tract of land on Little Neck W ' as left to the Grammar School by Wil- liam Pa tie in 1660. 4 ' hese trusts w ' ere put into the hands of a group of four men