Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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JEAN WEAGLE A good heart is worth gold. Jeon, on attractive blond, is a quiet, rather shy girl whom we all know to be very sweet and likeable. Jean ' s interest in children will some day make her a very effi- cient baby nurse. We are glad to have had you as a member of our class, Jean, and we hope you enjoyed being one. Senior Committee 4; Librarian 4; Cafeteria 3. DAVID WILLIAMS Not that you won or lost, but how you played the game. Dave, one of our most active classmates, has found time not only to participate successfully in athletics, but to work, to serve on many committees, and to spend considerable time with Mary as well. Dave ' s ability to make friends and his athletic tajent should aid him greatly in his years at Springfield College and throughout his career as a Physical Education teacher. Baseball 1, 2, 3, 4; Letter 1, 2, 3, 4; Football 1 , 2, 3, 4; Letter 2, 3, 4; Basketball 1, 2, 3, 4; Letter 3, 4; Tiger Staff; Operetta 1, 2; Glee Club 1, 2, 3, 4; Band 1, 2, 3, 4; Picture Committee; Orchestra 2, 3; Junior Prom Committee; Class Day Part; Steering Committee. GRADIIATIOM ESSAYS LIBERTY-THE PRICE OE VIGILANCE By ELIZABETH NELSON Only a few years ago, the general attitude toward Communism was, It can ' t happen here. Now when we pick up a newspaper or a magazine, we read of Com- munist spies stealing top secret government information. Communists in our educational systems, and Communist investigations by the government committees, and we realize that it can happen here. It has happened and it will continue to do so unless the public does something about it. We must realize that Communism, as we know it today, is far from the ideal Communist state described by Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital . The Soviet leaders use Marx ' s ideas to win converts, but, actually, their methods are no different from Hitler ' s or Mussolini ' s. For instance, propaganda, appealing to people ' s emo- tions, but not their reasoning, is a powerful weapon. The Communists, like the Fascists, use every medium available to direct public thinking along the Party Line. Then there are the parades, the glittering spectacles with shouting, flag-waving, and saluting. A new idea of Stalin ' s? No, it is a method used by Julius Caesar to give the public a sense of belonging to the great state machine. It is a method used by Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo to great advantage. The police system of Russia is the same as that of Nazi Germany. Call it the Gestapo or the NKVD; the name makes no difference. The methods are identical — the feeling that you are constantly being watched, the arrests in the dead of night, the forced confessions to crimes you didn ' t commit and about which you know nothing, and then, either the slave labor camps or death in public. Finally, the Communists, like Hitler and Mussolini, realize the importance of controlling youth. Robert Ley, the labor boss of Hitler ' s regime, said, We begin with the child when he is three years old. As soon as he begins to think, he gets a little flag put in his hands; [ 22 ]

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STEPHEN TGAVALEKOS Men of few words ore the best men. Steve , our class woman-hater, is a quiet serious fellow whose sincerity and understanding nature have won him many friends. Although his interests lie for the most part outside of school, his quiet humor has added much to our classes. We all wish Steve a mgst successful future. Senior Committee. WILLIAM TRUDEL Smiling ever smiling as he wends his way Jake , one of our class comedians, has the remark- able ability to throw a whole group into gales of laughter with his dry humor. His always friendly manner and interest in sports as well as his comic talents have made him very popular with the boys. His antics both in and out of school have made him one of our favorites. Basketball Manager 4; Tiger Staff; Reception Com- mittee 4; TANYA VLAHOS The dancers crowded around her And many a sweet thing said. Tanya, who will long be remembered for her dancing talent, possesses a vivocious personality which will be a great asset to her in the business world. Target of many jokes about her shoe store, Tanya, has retained her sense of humor through it all. Her vibrant laughter and dash- ing Spanish dances have made Tanya a never-to-be- forgotten classmate. Archery 1; Softball 1; Glee Club 1, 2; Cub Staff 1; Cub and Tiger Typist 4; Junior Prom Committee 3; Sub-cheer- leader 1, 2; Librarian 4; C,lass Celebrity; Senior Com- mittee. JOHN WARD A wandering, A wandering. Until the day I die. Jake is an affable fellow who spends much of his time in Melrose with his good friend Charlie. He is always willing to pitch in and help on any class endeavor and has often worked conscientiously for the success of school functions. His happy-go-lucky manner and lust for speedy driving will make Jack a well remembered classmate. Football 3, 4; Letter 4; Band 1, 2, 3; Glee Club 3, 4; Tiger Staff 4.

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i t then follows the school, the Hitler Youth, and military training. We don ' t let him go, and when adolescence is past, the Arbeitsfront (or work program) takes him again and does not let him go till he dies, whether he likes it or not. In Russia a child of grammar school age learns pa- triotic poems and slogans. Military training begins in the eighth grade. Then come the Young Pioneers or the Young Communist League. The minds of the children ore saturated with propaganda about the great Soviet Union and the capitalist war-mongers. A seven-year old Russian girl, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, replied, A Red Army nurse and help fight the fascists who surround our country . The main difference between Fascism and Communism is that although the Fascists use force and militarism, they are direct about it; the Communists, however, prefer the spy system. They are unscrupulous and unpredictable. What can we do to protect ourselves and our country from this menace? We must put as much effort into improving and building up Democracy as the Communists put into tearing it down. Most of us believe that our way of life is the best on earth. We do not live in eternal fear of being spied on, arrested, or killed. Our police forces are for the protec- tion, not the persecution, of citizens. We ore not continuolly bombarded with propaganda, because, here in America the newspapers, the radio and television stations, and the movie studios ore not owned and operated by the government, but by private citizens. We can listen to or read anything we like, and from that, form our own opinions. Our educational system is set up, not for the purpose of teaching children to think in military terms, but to teach them fundamental facts and their application. We believe that the most important thing is to teach children how to think, not what to think. Recently there have been investigatians of high school and college teachers and their alleged affiliations with the Communist Party. Our Bill of Rights gives everyone the right of freedom of speech; and educators are jealous of their academic freedom — the freedom to seek the truth. But does that mean the right to teach Communist doctrine which aims to overthrow our democratic institu- tions and enslave us all? Should we expel all teachers with Communist tendencies and those who take refuge in the Fifth Amendment, or should we allow them to continue teaching and jeopardize the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow? Or is there a middle road? The people must decide and, in deciding, guard against violating any of our fundamental rights as guaranteed by our Constitution. Certainly, these rights, which were gained through the sacrifice of many Americans and are now being preserved by the sacrifice of many more, are not to be treated lightly. Voting is both the duty and the privilege of every citizen. If we sit back and say, My vote doesn ' t count , we are leaving public offices open to men who are inter- ested, not in serving the people they represent, but in personal gain. We must each do our part in making Democracy work. For Democracy must begin with the individual and work up through the community, the state, to the national government. If the public becomes ap- athetic and the federal government is required to do the work of the state or the town, we will no longer have a democracy, but a bureaucracy. Therefore voting and encouraging friends and neighbors to do likewise is one step toward safeguarding our way of life. Cooperation is also a vital factor. If individuals can ' t learn to cooperate, how can we expect whole nations to work together? If we ore asked to work on a community project, we should do it willingly and well. Trial by jury, one of our greatest democratic institu- tions, will be in danger if people continue to beg off jury duty. Thus, taking an active part in the government of our own community is also very important. We should keep informed about current events and conditions by reading facts, and not by listening to those who spread propaganda and those who continuously com- plain about matters and never offer any constructive suggestions. Above all, we should be always alert and ready to defend and protect our country and the rights that are ours. In the words of Thomas Paine: — These are the times that try men ' s souls . . . Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this con- solation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply we esteem too. lightly; it is dearness only that gives every- thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. CLASS DAY SPEAKERS PROPHECY Edward Sklarz Grace Matheson GIFTS TO BOYS Patricia Cogswell Virginia Player HISTORY Eleanor BJair WILL Edith Hall GIFTS TO GIRLS David Williams Robert Dort