Hartford High School - Hartford Key Yearbook (White River Junction, VT)

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Somewhere it ought to be said that Mrs. Ryan and Miss Burmaster were our home room teachers our seventh year for room 14 and 12 respectively. Mr. Petersen and Miss Young wiped our noses in the eightli grade, rooms 11 and 10. Ye didn’t have much political organization in the Junior High. The class was broken up into two rooms, a practice that was carried on till that day in 1943 when Willy and his pals came together in a solid unit for the first time in room 5. Willy was a home room officer a couple of times in the Junior High, but outside of that he didn't do much in the political field. Came 1940 and Willy became an honest to goodness Freshman on the bulletin board. He had located room 15 with Mr. Freitas as his home room teacher. The rest of the Freshmen, as tradition has demanded, were cloistered in room 1 with Miss Van Deusen. Willy happened to notice an austere looking fellow. Hartley Thompson turned out to be the individual’s name. The class was soon to rememl)er forever that individual was only half of it. By degrees Willy got to know Harley Lovell, Rutherford Trot tier, June and Joyce Tucker, Marjorie Gauthier, Beverly Greenwood, Charlotte Lyman, Max Greene, Ossie Couture, Ernest Kenyon, Stadel Charon, Jesse Lyman, Dick Wood, Stanley Joy, Dennis Hoisington and Florence Larrabee, all new. That Freshman year Willy and his mates elected Hartley Thompson class president. The memorable arguments over Hartley’s proposed reorganization of the class finances, that Willy sat and listened to, and occasionally stuck his neck in, will never leave his memory. Willy went out for football that year. A number of Freshmen went out with him and quite a few quit with him a couple of weeks later. Those that stuck were Billy Kontos, Tuffy Wright, Peter Perry and Ernie hilosa. That was the year (1940-41) Willy took Social Science from Miss Young in room 6. That was the scene of many a stormy debate. Teddy Theriault, Hartley Thompson and Ernie Filosa were to be counted on to have their say on any subject. Willy doesn’t like to be reminded of some of the ideas he advanced that year. “Kid Stuff” he grunts. That was the year Billy Kontos was the Freshman Star on the Basket Ball team Hartley and Jim Clayton were given room 5 to play Chess in by the Seniors in their Will. Teddy Theriault was presented with a season ticket to the next year’s record dances. We tried our utmost for stunt night, but all to no avail. We were handed fourth place and w'e took it, glad to have that much. There is nothing so wise as a Sophomore it has been said. Willy was wise his Sophomore year. He knew everything, just like the rest of his crew. Willy took up French and World History—and Biology among other subjects. Yessir, Willy learned a lot that year. All about French irregular verbs from Miss Hannifin, Persian Arches from Mr. Freitas, and not least of all—the amoeba was thoroughly looked into along with other sundry matters in Biology. On one occasion, Willy was given a very chill glance by Mr. Holland for whistling in the corridor. So what,” you say? Brother, you’d know better if you had ever been looked at with displeasure by Principal Holland. Willy struck an acquaintance with some newcomers, Alice Fuller, Harry 14

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The History of the Class of W We, the class of ’44, will have you know that we have the most extreme honor of having spent six long and somewhat ghastly years in Hartford High, the longest sojourn of its kind of any previous class. We are, in other words, the first seventh grade to graduate from the Hartford Junior-Senior High School. One bright September morning in 1938 there arrived at the front door of Hartford High School, a young stalwart of about 12 years. For sake of identification his name is Willy, William Able. That morning in September, 1938 Willy arrived at the Junior High entrance, found his way up the stairs past the cafeteria, and looked with awe at the crowd of pickerel-bait accumulated around Rooms 10, 11, 12, 14. (There must have been all told alxnit thirty, with more to come). Willy kinda shied down the corridor. Opposite room 14 he saw' some of his pals and for want of better to do wandered in. “Your name, please?” asked a brisk, diminutive, black-eyed lady over whom Willy towered even then. Willy Able. Uh, lady, uh, where do 1 belong?” By great and good fortune,” said she, “your name begins with a B and so this will be your home room for this year.” Willy wasn’t listening, a trait he was soon to discover that did not lend itself to the good humor of that particular teacher. All ready he had picked out some of his pals, “Bus” McKenney, “Giggy Gillingham, “Billy Kontos, “Burt” Shepard, “Jimmy” Clayton and Clayton Wood, and with them he was busily renewing past acquaintances. Taking advantage of the lull in the noisy talk afforded by the first l ell. the lady' who took Willy’s name introduced herself as Mrs. Ryan. She was to l e their home room teacher for the year. W illy made many new acquaintances that year from all over the town. There were Marjorie Stockwell, Benton Crowell, Reggy Burnham, Milly Kivler, Bobby Kaskar, and many others. Willy had also the exhilarating thrill of moving from class to class, just like honest to gcxnlness High School students. And, funny thing too, he didn t get lost as he had once lx en afraid. Ah, but there was a draw back to all this. Leonard Timmons told W illy that “they ought to install elevators so that we can go up and down that stairs from room 15 and the gy m more easily. Ah, yfouth, ah, innocence, compared w ith what we go through today, there was little homework and the incompanying evils. Little for W illy to do but play football, baseball, and basketball when the High School varsity wasn t. little piddling adventures such as the Carnival and those Sand Lot learns in “Perry’s Cow Pasture” as Mr. Petersen so aptlyr put it. Little did W illy and his mates realize how much theyr would curse the wasted time in the Junior High, when they would each one night shy up to the old man and ask him what that story about the bees and the flowers was all about anyways. 13

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Oakes and Marion Mooney; and he took his first date to the Junior Prom. It was a rather painful affair for him at first, but after awhile he lost himself in the spirit of things. Burton Shepard was elected President. That was the year “The Army Has Us Nailed Up, But They C an't Keep Us Down” won second prize in Stunt Night. Came the Junior Year. Willy was sixteen now with a job working nights in the baggage department at the railroad station. It was hard going at first but after awhile the four hours didn’t bother him at all. During the Christmas season he held down an eight hour trick, frequently stretching it to twelve hours. The class of ’44 moved from rooms 6 and 7 to 4 and 3; Miss Kingsbury and M iss Kelleher respectively. Miss Coleman took Miss Kelleher’s place in the middle of the year. As Juniors we brought home the first prize in Stunt Night with a sketch about the villain, the hero, and the farmer’s daughter. That year the Juniors elected Marjorie Gauthier president; threw a successful Junior Prom under the capable direction of “French Inc.” Willy will never forget the work he put in that Prom just decorating. Evergreens after evergreens were hung in a solid bank all around the walls of the gym, on the stage, on the balcony and on the score board. Evergreens that wouldn’t have existed had it not l een for Stanley Joy’s, Dennis Hoisington’s and Tuffy Wright’s efforts along the foresting angle, Willy shared a lot of people’s sentiments “I don’t care if I don’t see another spruce tree the rest of my life.” Anyway, the Prom went over swell. The chairs and tables around the sides of the gym added a nice exclusive touch. And we lost only SI.50. Willy got to know some newcomers to the class. Barbara hite from North Hart-land, Erma Summarsell from Woodstock, Mafelda Izzo, Marbara Burke, inona LaRock, Ruth Mclnnis and George Adams all from Queehee and vicinity. Another big event of the year for the Juniors was the Operetta, Hats Off.” A large majority of the speaking parts were held by Juniors, l esides, the class was well represented in the extras. Marjorie Gauthier and Hartley Thompson shone well in the Watson Prize Speaking Contest. “Gauchv” won first place for the girls with Hartley picking up second with a mighty deliverance of “The Third Olympiad.” Come the Senior Year At last the glorious day arrived, Willy finally achieved his life long ambition: on the morning of Septeml er 7, 1943 Willy entered the High School building and wralked confidently into room 5. He was a Senior. It will lie a day to l e remembered. Looking around that first day of school in Septemlwr 1943, he saw that a number of his pals were missing. Gone were the laughing countenances of Leonard Jacobs and Raymond Byron. They were in the Navy and Army. Leonard Timmons after attending Boys State in the summer went into the Army Air Force. Missing also was the granite profile of Hartley Thompson. “Hart” was in the RCAF. incent Agan had also gone into the Army. Leo Fitzmorris and Billy Kontos were both to enter the Navy 15