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

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 The History of the Class of'45 In the beginning there were 55 seventh graders and their minds were void and empty. In the end there are 34 seniors and their minds are crammed and overflowing. To what miracle from the skies may we attribute this miraculous change? Has it been the studious atmosphere in the Hartford High School study halls, or has it been the hours and the long evenings of pouring over text books? Or better yet, has it been the hours spent at the Lyric Theater or Drew's Pool Room? Your guess is as good as ours. Believing that: “Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime And departing, leave behind us, Foot prints in the sands of time,” we deem it wise to record for the sake of the future generations the trials and tribulations of the Class of ‘45 which have led them to their present pinnacle of achievement. It is right and logical that we begin at the beginning which was on a September morn, way back in 1939, A. D., when the portals swung open to admit one of the most promising collections of freckled faced, rosy cheeked American youth ever to enter this revered institution. Ere long we had adjusted ourselves to the new routine of the Junior High system, including the detention room. The abolition of this chamber of horrors in 1943 was due in no small part to the model behavior of this illustrious class of ‘45. At the Junior High Carnival the class brought to the public’s attention its great dramatic abilities which have remained with it throughout its years even in the Senior Play, “That Crazy Smith Family.” Those who attended the Junior High Carnival in 1939 can hardly have forgotten Peter Filosa’s and Tim Dunley’s impersonation of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Next year, being Junior High upper classmen, we impressed ourselves and others with our importance. Our blue and gold class pins dazzled every eye. As spring rolled around we were confronted with the momentous task of selecting the subjects which would determine our future careers. A few sturdy souls decided to delve into the ancient languages and classics. But the majority, influenced by Roosevelt’s promise of the New Deal for the working man, decided to throw in their chips with the commercial group. FRESHMEN YEAR The privilege of using the front door and the front hall were some of the things we acquired as soon as we became Freshmen. Entering our designated rooms we met many new faces from Hartford, Wilder, Jericho, West Hartford and some from other towns and states. (Obviously these additions knew a good class when they saw one and came to swell our ranks to well over 70). According to tradition our home rooms were 1 and 15 and our sponsors were Miss Van Deusen, Miss Malone, and Mr. Calhoun. Looking over the many eligible 14

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Senior Class Officers President, Robert Eske, (seated); Left to right: Sergeant at Arms, Timothy Dunley; Secretary. Elizabeth Bettis: Treasurer, Richard Laskey; Vice-President. John Bogle; Attorney. Peter Filosa. 13

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candidates, we decided that the following would fill the bill as class officers for the year: President: Lawrence Theriault; vice-president: Albert Romano; Secretary, Ruth Sanders; treasurer: Betty Hathorn; Sgt. at Arms: Edward Rosen-beck. Later in the year William Carr replaced Edward Rosenbeck as Sgt. at Arms since Edward left Hartford High school. Our contributions to the S.A.B. were Alvin Southwick and Robert Eske. SOPHOMORE YEAR Upon entering rooms six and seven, in the fall of 1942, as Sophomores, we noticed several new members of our class: Luther Fletcher, who had left us for a year at West Lebanon, Frank Sanders, Anne Wilson, Dorothy E. White, and Edward Denn. Our first class meeting was held to elect officers for the forthcoming year. The elected were: Alvin Southwick, president; Albert Romano,, vice president; Ruth Sanders, secretary; and Betty Hathorn, treasurer. Alvin Southwick and John Bogle represented the class on the S.A.B. Our sponsors were Miss Hannifin and Mrs. Roy. At the annual stunt night contest we were greatly rewarded for our efforts— and carried off second prize. Well over 70% of the class participated in our stunt, the ever popular minstrel show, under the direction of Lawrence Theriault. Due to the patriotic trend in our class we made no plans for a class trip, but were consoled by the fact that we were now juniors. JUNIOR YEAR Returning in the fall of 1943 to our Junior year at H. H. S. we found three Quccheeites, Eva Paige, Lillian Thomas and William Liberty. In spite of their addition the enrollment of the class was considerably smaller because of many who had left for the Armed Forces and for other varied reasons. Our class sponsors, Miss Kingsbury and Miss McCarthy, guided our affairs until class officers were elected. They were as follows: President, Albert Romano; vice president, Alvin Southwick; secretary, Ruth Sanders; treasurer, Betty Hathorn; S.A.B. representatives, Robert Eske, Alvin Southwick, John Bogle, and Lawrence Theriault. We achieved our dream of winning the Stunt Night competition with our presentation of a skit in which we showed a typical talent show for servicemen. Lawrence Theriault was master of ceremonies and put his ravishing chorus beauties through many intricate routines. Now just a pleasant memory, the Junior Prom gave us plenty of headaches last May, under the leadership of Albert Romano and Robert Eske. Eddie Winn’s orchestra was secured and many hours of labor went into the colorful, patriotic decoration. Many of our members were active in athletics, dramatics, and musical organizations including the newly formed Hartfordians. We finished the year by attending graduation exercises in a body and accepting the Hartford Key which entitled us to the rights and duties of the Senior Class. During the summer seven of our class were privileged to attend Green Mt. Girls’ and Boys’ States. The studertts thus honored were picked by the faculty and were: Ruth Sanders, Betty Bettis, Jane Mills, Albert Romano, William Liberty, John Bogle, and James Harvey. 15