Harding High School - Folio Yearbook (Bridgeport, CT)

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THE FATHERS' CLUB EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Fathers' Club The WL1l'1'Cll Harding High Fathers' Club, which early in 1927 raised twentyfsix hun' dred dollars at a monster minstrel show, thus providing Harding with a fortyfpiece band, has gone forward without checking its pace during the past year, adding to its history a series of successes which keep it the valued auxiliary organization it has always been. The first business of the year was to elect otlicers. The following were chosen: PresidentmDr. Harold W. Hersey. Vice'President---Thomas J. Hungerford. Recording Secretary- -john j. MacFarland. Financial Secretary and Treasurer 'Rod ney C. Bannatyne. Publicity Manager! M. V. Doolittle. Executive coniniitteee -one year, Clarence Lister, Oliver Merillat, james McGovern, William lvIcDermott, Eliot Curtiss. Two years, Leonard Allen, Ernest Kin-f' lon, Philip Carroll, joseph Cubelli, Dr. li. Smykowski. Three years, Paul Becker, Ralph Hedges, Angus Thorne, Joseph Nlullins, lvlarcus Hirsch.

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STYL 5 from Service, with an introductory talk on the Klondike. Monsignore Patrick L. Mc' Givney presented us with an illustrated lecf ture on his travels in Europe. With his mo' tion pictures he took us the length of the Mediterranean, showing 'us many of jthe beauty spots of the Old World and historif cal sites in Palestine. Captain Walker and Superintendent Wheeler of the police also gave us interesting talks on traffic laws and the value of the policeman to the country. Addresses by ,ludge Frank Wilder and by Ex' Commander Shalen of the Grand Army of the Republic were features of our Memorial Day assembly. Mr. Edward T. Buckingham, former Compensation Commissioner, and Mr. Carroll Reed, our superintendent, were other local men who gave addresses, the latter at our Junior Red Cross drive. Most of these speakers were obtained through the efforts of Miss Moynihan, who also helped to get many interesting visitors from outfofftown. One of these was Dr. Winfield Scott Hall, who addressed us on The New Age Of Chivalry. Another, Frank B. Kennedy, the editor of Collier's Weekly, pointed out to us the idealist and herofworshipper, in contrast to the materiaf list. Professor Happy was with us this term again with a new bag of tricks, he succeeded in getting us very interested in the miracles of nature without the aid of the miracles. His talk was, as usual, very original and humorous. A new visitor this year was Uncle Billy, another apostle of health. Besides these assemblies we have had one or two motion picture assemblies, featuring, The Chronicles of America, the beauties of our Western national park, or the ex' planation of some scientitic subject. This last term the boy and girl gym leaders treated us to a gymnasium exhibition. Another type of regular assembly is the musical assembly, sometimes entirely of stu' dent talent, but often made more enjoyable by such friends as Mrs. McNamara, Miss Kathryn Richards, Mr. Bruce Young, and Mr. joseph Girlando, whose sacrifices of time and effort to add to our happiness we appreciate so much. From these meetings of the entire student body come not only the obvious cultural benefits and training in poise and selffcontrol but also intense enjoyment. Wheia Thursday, the customary assembly day, brings no speaker, the student body experiences a gloom which can be dispelled only by a rumor of some treat the following week.

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k?l,THE STYL S, These men, all prominent East Side resif dents, form the committee that manages the affairs of the club fwhich, by state charter ref ceived in the fall, is a legal corporationj. Starting where it had left off last year, the club provided uniforms for the Harding band to enable the organization to appear at the fall football games. Repeating its generosity of 1927, it voted a iiftyfdollar scholarship to be awarded to a member of the February g r a d u a t i o n class. This scholarship was promptly doubled by Marcus Hirsch, a mem' ber of the executive committee. It was award' ed to Ellsworth Hemingway. In December the Fathers gave a victory banquet to the Harding city and state champion football team, at which letters were awarded. With the aim in mind of increasing the fund available for the Fathers' Club Scholar' ship and of donating books to the school li' brary, the club next conducted an entertain' ment with Captain Irving O'Hay, noted sol' dier of fortune, humorist. and lecturer, as the feature. This entertainment was a huge sucf cess, bringing in over a hundred and fifty dollars in spite of the high cost of the speakf er. The next entertainment sponsored by the association was a concert by the Middlebury College Glee Club, 1927 New England champions and winners of fourth place in the national contests. This group, showing finish' ed perfection and trained unison, gave an ex' hibition of collective singing that made a pro' found impression on the large audience pres' ent. This concert, too, netted a considerable amount toward the fun. The club next turned its attention to the Harding Revue, an immense allfHarding min' strel show, containing a chorus of over two hundred voices, all studentsf This show was directed by Mr. Joseph Heffil. The Revue packed the auditorium the nights of May 24' 25, again swelling the fund. With this event the Fathers' Club concluded what has been its most successful season with a clear record of attainment. To supplement our alumni, The Fathers' Club was organized in 1926 by our princif pal, and in these two years has grown to be an indispensible unit of our school. Its prim' ary aim is to increase the interest of parents and of the whole East Side in the work, actif vities, and needs of Warreii Harding. How- ever, through the enjoyment its entertain- ments have given, the club has also built up a force that unites the people of this side of the city socially. It has won the esteem and appreciation of the entire student body by its policy of do ing something , whenever possible, for the school and the pupils.