James Whitcomb Riley High School - Hoosier Poet Yearbook (South Bend, IN)

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RILEY SENICDR DRCHESTRA HE Orchestra, under the direction of Mr, P, H. Riggs, started the school year by entering some of its members in the North Central High School orchestra. All of the stu- dents who were candidates for this selected group gained high places in competition for positions. At the beginning of the 'f year it was decided to make an effort to secure more instru- ' ,jf ments for the orchestra so that ultimately the group would F DQ4' -Q '- I have all of the instruments required of a full symphony or- if chestra, Two new violas and a string bass were purchased ii and with the addition of these instruments the orchestra could now be called a little symphony since it now contains all ,. of the instruments that are used in symphony orchestras. pb H- RIGGS The members of the orchestra have decided that they will play one symphony each year in addition to a great many smaller programs. At the Orchestra concert in the spring the Second Symphony of Haydn will be played. Within the orchestra are several small groups-the string trio, the violin quartet, the mixed woodwind quartet, a newly-formed string quartet, and the string ensemble. Verla Hilliard is president. Elmer Blondell, vice president: Dorothy Nall, secretary and treasurer: Margaret McGaughan, social chairman: John Nyka, business manager, and the librarian is Edward Modlin. The members are: Eirst row-Donabelle Hively. Harry Paige, Ruth Dauner. Mary Walz, Inga Magnuson, Helen Dean. Second row-Betty Walz, Dorothy Nall, Elmer Blondell, Ann Manders, Barbara McCaughan. Verla Hilliard. Virginia Fitch, Gerald Hosier, Eloyd Van Meter, Jean Wolfram, John Nyka. Margaret Schantz. Third row- Virginia Stevens, Marjorie Rothkopf. Noble Heidrick, Marjorie Norris, Donald Hosier, Dorothy Mossholder. Gertrude YVolfe. Betty Vklolfram, Peggy Yockey. George Rodibaugh, Robert Eelkins. Robert Bullock. Donald Garcola. Edward Modlin. Standing-Betty Mageau, Edna Butz. Dean Detweiler. I-IOOSIER POET 19

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RILEY HIGH ROBED CHOIR NE of the school's finest organizations is the Robed Choir. Most of the members of the group meet every day, but they also spend much outside time both in rehearsals and in performances. The program for this semester included the following events: October ZZ-Thirty-two members of the Cilee Club formed a group which sang with some 300 students from all of North Central Indiana under the direction of Olaf Chris- tianson, an internationally famous choir director and com- poser. lncluded in the numbers was Mr, Christianson's first composition. Hail Cilad Day. The program was given for the North Central Teachers. y October Z3-The Robed Choir sang for the Junior BARBARA IXANTZER High School North Central Teachers' convention. October 23-The Robed Choir sang for the Junior High School North Central Teachers' convention. November l3fThe Robed Choir sang at a Senior High School Assembly at which D. C. A. lVlcPheeters of the Preaching Mission spoke. November 24-The Robed Choir sang for the School lVlen's Wives' Benent Bridge held at the Riley School. November 26-On Thanksgiving morning the Robed Choir gave a program for the Union Services for the south side churches. December 3-A small group from the Cilee Club sang at Cirace Methodist Church. December l5-The Glee Club. with the Junior High boys' and girls' Cilee Clubs. gave their annual Christmas program for the ParentfTeacher Association. December l7-The Boys' Octette and a mixed group from the Robed Choir sang between acts of Quality Street . December 16, 17, l8+Christmas program given for school at a series of assemblies. December 22-A group of singers caroled in the stores and hotels in the city. December Z3-The Robed Choir gave a program for Rotary Club at Oliver Hotel. December 24-Early morning found members of the Cilee Club carolling in the hos- pitals and at Healthwin. January Z4-The Robed Choir sang for Baccalaureate. The officers of the Cilee Club are: Fred Verink. president: Rebecca Jane Bowman. vice president: Shirley Dygert. sec'y-treas.3 Virginia Kuhn and George Werner, librarians. I8 HOOSIER POET

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Y OVELY piece of linen!-small, finely woven. exquisitely patterned. slightly yellow with age. I held it reverently in my hands and once again summoned to my mind the image of a tiny wrinkled old lady, with snow-white hair and the mer- riest of twinkling blue eyes, who had tended the flax in the early summer. strip- ped the fiber from the stalk. bleached, woven, and embroidered that lovely piece of linen. Great-grandmother Elizabeth. ninety years young, who still sewed busily on innumerable quilt blocks and who en- joyed nothing so much as to recall glor- ious stories of her girlhood for anyone who would take the trouble to ask a few questions. And such stories as they were --tales of pioneer life breathing of the ex- ultant joy of freedom. of the small amus- ing events of every-day life, of the un- speakable hardship and privation. all borne with undaunted courage and a smiling heart. Her great-grandfather had come from Germany to settle with William Penn in the eastern forests of our country. Penn- sylvania Dutch they were called-and the name still clings-a staunch, hardy, prac- tical race, who worked untiringly turning a desolate wilderness into thrifty farm lands. The turn of the century saw their canvas-covered wagons drawn by heavy teams of oxen wearily plodding their way into Ohio, and thence to Indiana. Great-grandmother remembered little of the trip but she did remember her first home in Indiana-a square cabin made of small. round logs, notched, and roofed with clapboards. The door was a hole cut in the side and closed by a skin. At the end stood a mud and stick chimney open- ing into a huge fireplace decorated with a semicircle of three-legged stools. At the opposite end was a straw and shuck bed: underneath a trundle bed for the babies was hidden away during the daytime. Ev- ery night the covers were turned back to be sure no snakes had crawled inside. In another corner of the room was a table with its quaint table-ware of pewter, gourd. and wood. Here little Elizabeth was very happy. She was naturally lovable, kind and gen- tle, as befits a little girl brought up in the VISTA- old Dunkard faith. Many joyous hours she spent learning the household tasks from her patient mother-how to care for the animals, the chickens and the geese, how to spin and weave, how to prepare delicious meals for the hungry men-folks from the barest of provisions. But the days were not all work. The little girl liked to play house down by the spring with her twin brothers, to act out plays with frogs for an audience, to build houses from moss, tiny twigs and stones. But best of all she enjoyed the times when Mother would dress her in her Sunday homespun, put on her bonnet with the crisp bow beneath her chin, take her hand and start down the trail to the Taylor's homestead. Mrs. Taylor was the kindest twinkliest lady imaginable. She always had hot Johnny cake and foamy milk waiting for hungry little girls-and the grandest, most shadowy spring house where the moss grew thick and cool and the water gurgled and chuckled as if telling itself amusing stories. It was just the place to dabble hot dusty feet in cool water. and to imagine all sorts of tales about Indians and pioneer weddings and house-warming picnics, One sweet spring afternoon Elizabeth sat on a stone watching her mother pick- ing the geese for a new feather bed. The breeze ruffled her soft brown hair and the sun shown warmly on her back. She could faintly hear the men's voices shouting as they grubbed out stumps in the Held be- hind the cabin. At the edge of the clear- ing the tips of the trees danced merrily, as if beckoning her to come to see them. She simply could not resist the desire to steal down the path, bare feet padding in the dust. and to crouch down behind a big boulder at the turn. Mother's back had been turned when she saw Father ap- proaching for his daily jug of cool butter- milk and she hadn't seen. What fun to be freel She would go see Mrs. Taylor. Um- m-m. she could just smell the hot corn- bread! The tall trees made cool shade and every stone invited her to sit down and rest. It was great fun to explore behind every clump of elderberry bushes, and to hunt for wild strawberries hiding in the deep grass. She wandered wherever she chose-here chasing a white butterfly and 20 HOOSIER POET