Hoosac School - Owl Yearbook (Hoosick, NY)

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Jiow tht Chan J?atti tht Counts. Hardest Easiest Most Valuable Favorite Most needed Physics French III English IV P. O. A. D. .. Cocktail Mixing and Speedshifting zHoiv tht Clan zRatti tht iasttis Most popular ..... Hardest to bluff .. Most unacclaimed Faculty playboy Most brilliant ...... Influenced us the most Most personal ........ Mr. Howard Fr. Dunkerley Mr. Locke Mr. Howard Mr. Clarke Father Wood Father Wood cJfotxr tht Chin zf atti tht eStaff Most popular...... Hardest to bluff Most entertaining .. Staff playboy Most brilliant ........ Influenced us the most Most personal ......... Most generous ....... Most goodnatured ..... Fred Jones Mrs. Franklin Jim Frost Mr. Butcher Mr. Green Charley ... Flo Ethel Walt

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lu'dnr’s Xetter “(The Higbt to the (tree of JCife” Each year at year's end, the Owl Board is kind enough to ask me to say a few parting words to the graduating class. I am, of course, happy to do this, even though I know that what I write will soon be forgotten. Nevertheless, there are some things I would like to mention with the belief that some day they may take fire in your hearts as your experience broadens and deepens. You are now leaving the small world of school life to go into broader fields of great interest and opportunity for you. You will go eagerly and with high hopes for the future. Fortunately, none of us can foresee what lies in store for us so we can only venture forth with dreams in our minds and hope in our hearts and with the courage to try to make our dreams come true. These are challenging times. Yet despite all the signs of difficulty that lie about us on all sides, I am sure of this one thing. There never has been a more exciting and desirable time to be alive than the present. The challenges are great, but the opportunities to live life to the full are even greater. In the Book of Revelation which closes our Bible, St. John the Divine seeks to pierce the veil of the future in symbolic language and to describe the new heavens and the new earth which God will and does create. In the 22nd Chapter and the 14th Verse, St. John writes these words which are my parting ones for the graduating class: “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” It is my hope that you will think deeply about these words and seek to penetrate through to the treasure that lies in them. We are in this present era witnessing the great struggle to build the city of God here upon earth. That it will ever be fully accomplished before the end of time is doubtful but certainly we can all enter into the great creative task which God has laid upon us. He wants us to earn the right to the tree of life and to enter into the city by the main gates. But He tells us that we can only have this right if we obey His commandments. This life of ours is based upon many levels of law. First, there are the laws of nature which surround us every moment of our lives such as the laws of matter, energy, gravity and the like. We accept these as a matter of course and if we are wise we shall so order our lives as to obey them. Next, there are the laws of ordinary human society, whereby we learn to live together with our neighbor in peace and decency, respecting the rights of others. Third, there are the great moral laws given to us by God whereby we know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. The basis of the moral law is laid down in the Ten Commandments and in the second great Commandment of our Lord “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Finally, there are the laws of the spirit, whereby we come to know God directly through prayer and through communion with Him. This supreme law is summed up by our Lord in the first and greatest of all Commandments, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.” Natural law, human law, moral law, spiritual law-all of these in the last analysis come from God. The wise man is he who understands these laws and who seeks to obey them. He is the one who earns the right to the tree of life. He is the one that will enter into the city by the main gates. As you leave this School, may God bless you richly with His abundant love. I am sure that you know that my prayers will always follow you. Ever faithfully, your friend and rector, MEREDITH B. WOOD.

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iCnhu'r (than CLlmsi' » » Every year there are certain rabble which fail to be among the select few who are in the senior class. And we, the Seniors, get pretty shaken about this. Being the Noble class that we are, we are going to lower ourselves and mention these plebeians. In the fifth form there are seven lucky members. First among these is Reb Asplund, who, when not seen in his long underwear, can be found nailing beer-bottle caps on his bulletin board. From the lower end of the building comes Rock ‘n’ Roll Watkinson and his teenagers, followed by Nick Maddux, who thinks it’s so funny he can’t stop laughing. Moving onto the second floor, we come upon Mai Bliss, who is handicapped by coming from the wrong side of the river. He has never lost an argument, but who has. His roommate, Albany’s gift to Hoosac, Jim Keenan, has a great claim to fame—the only boy to trap a duck all year. By the way, do you have a “Keenan for Prefect” button? On the third floor we find Bill Mills pushing through radio tubes looking for part of his pet Gravely. We see Jim Boink “I Go Papo” button on. In the fourth form there is none other than Darien’s one and only Herbert Schwartz, better known as Hoby. Hobv is Rebel’s partner in crime and corruption. When not train-hunting, Hoby is taking triangles with the Reb. Geff Ball is the scape-goat of the Owl Board, while Loftus is the end of the council which goes over the fence last. Lee Bishop can usually be heard saying “Come on”, but when you come, he goes. In the third form there are a bunch of hackers. Kemp, for instance, developed a mad passion for Angelus and had a habit of ringing it after lights. But snooping Mai Bliss found him out and turned him over to a responsible group of merciless seniors. Then there’s Torres with his little list. Torres was confident that he was Hoosac’s Joe Lewis. When Bill Parshall is not in a St. Agnes letter, he’s out ducktrapping with Jim Keenan. Edgar Torev can usually be found checking his one trap, while Garges is looking at chopped and channeled girls. Keller’s claim to fame is being the first to realize that Mr. Clarke was a master. Moving on to the really lower forms we come upon Charlie Rexford shoveling it away at Mr. Howard’s table. Charlie is the only boy who asks for seconds when the firsts aren’t out yet. Charlie’s friend in crime and corruption is Bill Schultz. Schultz is the Romeo of the second form, and when not “snowing” the girls from the Falls, is working on St. Agnes. From Tant’n, Slim Jim Beal, the boy in long red flannel underwear, can usually be found running around with same football tackle from the Falls. We have to watch what we say about Rus Reeder, because he has three older sisters. Bill Hall is the second form’s Bill Mills. Dean Smith wants to be able to trap like Jim Keenan. The bottom of the band comes in the forms of Hillman and Eisner, who can usually be found ringing the bells for Sabo or selling flavored toothpicks. There is only one trouble with being an underformer, and that’s being an under-former. But someday, maybe they too shall be honored enough to become sixth formers.