Johnstown High School - Beacon Yearbook (Johnstown, OH)

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A - V ., ' MIA .y u I, Norman Thompson, will my ability to work nights and still manage to get to school in the morning to Jim Piper. Signed, sealed, and delivered on this second day of May in the year 1953. Barbara Ann Miles Gerald Boner Richard Montgomery CLASS PROPHECY Over the hills and far away, a light glowed dimly through the octangle- shaped panes of the living room of a small, thirty-room mansion. Inside, a tabby cat dreamed contentedly on the hearth of a large fireplace. In front of the varicolored flames, a little white-haired woman sat rocking, the essence of age and full life etched on her face. Suddenly, a loud rapping at the door echoed through the house. The old Woman sighed, then rose and hobbled to the door. Ella Ruth, a woman, obviously in her sixties, exclaimed as the door was opened. Hazel, darling, after all these years. Do come in and sit down, Ella Ruth said with joy in her heart. It's been such a long time since I last saw you. Wait a minute while I get a pot of tea for us and we'll have a good long talk. After Ella Ruth brought in the tea, the two women sat down on a large, old-fashioned davenport. They sat gazing at each other for a while, remembering fondly the fun they had had together at old Johnstown High. Tell me, Hazel, Ella Ruth asked, what happened to you and Bob after the reunion in 1963? I know you had four children and a lovely house in California then. But it seemed that I lost track of you. As a matter of fact, I don't know Where most of our old classmates are now. Well, to make a long story short, Hazel replied, Bob got a position as general manager of the Alaskan Fur Company. We settled down on a farm in Southern Alaska and raised our ten children there. You remember Mary, my eldest, don't you? Well, she mar ' d J ghn Lewis, Dick Lewis's son. You surely remember Dick. He establislixgH'ifguitar string factory and made himself a fortune. He was one bf our ates at Johnstown. You know, it's funny and yet sad, but I can't even' emember our classmates' names any more. Why back in high school we thought that we would know each other forever. Yes, I know, Ella Ruth mused. How I wish we had kept in touch with each other-wait a minute! I have an old Beacon somewhere in the attic. I'll go get it. It'll be so much more fun looking at it together. A few minutes later Ella Ruth came into the living room carrying a dusty old annual. The two women dusted the cover and opened the yellowed pages of the cherished Beacon. Look, Ella Ruth exclaimed, that's Carolyn Adams. She had such beautiful flaming red hair in her younger days. I received a letter from her just a few months ago. She and Doris Fickel are co-editors of the Johnstown Dependent. if They were always doing something like that in high school. And oppo- site Carolyn, isn't that Nancy Logan? I wonder what she's doing now? I visited Johnstown only five years ago, said Hazel, and then Nancy, Anna Green, and Logean Matney were the cooks in the school cafeteria. Their specialty was Parmesian tomato soup and bologna sandwiches. Look here on the next page, that's Bill Lynch and Rod Clark. You know after theygradu- ated, the two joined up with the Marines. They got stuck in Tibet doing reconnaissance missions for twenty years. After getting out, they bought an atomic submarine, and the last I heard of them they were hauling bananas between Siberia and Alaska. Ella Ruth flipped a page saying, I don't know whether you know it or not, but Gerald Boner, you know Pete, is working in Berlin for the govem- -Q h 21 4--AF-' .V

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5 Q ir .J ' 'I CLASS WILL We, the Senior, Class of 1953, being of sound mind and body, and saying and doing things at the wrong time, will our good personality to the Fresh- man Class, our generosity to the Sophomore Class, and our ability to get into trouble to the Junior Class. To our teachers, God Bless Them , we give back their peace of mind. Also, we do hereby will the following: I, Carolyn Adams, will my red hair to Pat Mustacchio, and my vast in- formation of worldly knowledge to Sandy Evans. I, Phyllis Ashbrook, will my place on the Appleton bus to Shirley Bod- kins, and my baton and position in the band to Ray Belt. I, Hazel Bisang, will my height to Carolyn Davis, and my Math book with all the answers to Marjorie Looker. I'll keep Bob for myself. I, Gerald Boner, will my chemistry grades to Don Chapman, and my nickname to Paul O'Bryan. I, Barbara Carley, will my ability to argue with Mr. Schultz in English Class to any Junior, who thinks himself capable of doing the same. I, Roderick Clark, will my attempts to go to Alexandria to Gene Almen- dinger, and my bets with the teachers to Bill Pitt. I, Larry Dietrich, will my good-looking girls to Jack Dowell, and my membership in the Big Four to Bill Stratton. I, Ella Ruth CDeLongJ Melick, will my seat in Government to Wanda Jacks and my love of school to Marilou Keyser. I, Doris Fickel, will my driving ability to Janice Priest and my poetic ability to Janet Priest. I, William Fohl, will my troubles to John Fleshman, and my good luck to Dick Scovell. I, John Forest, will my excess height and Weight to Bob Shea. I, Anna Green, will my ability to get into trouble in typing class and get away with it to Elsie Miller I, Anna Mae Hughes, will my laugh to Jane Stough. I, John Johnson, will my ability to sleep in classes to Tom Dixon. I, Carol Lafferty, will my nickname Sunshine to Norma Severn, and my cooking ability in Home Eci Class to Patty Davison. I, Richard Lewis, will my ability to produce golden Guernsey milk to Clyde Montgomery. , 5 I, Nancy Logan, will my gcod attendance in school to Barbara Wilson and my long hair to Sandy Evans. I, Robert Logan, will my ambition to get up on Monday morning to come to school to Bill Stratton. I, Neil Longwell, will my speaking ability to Harley Reese. I, William Lynch, will my homeroom seat in the office to Bob Welch, and my hot-rod to Charlie Fohl. I, Logean Matney, will my way with the teachers to Joanne Smith. I, Barbara Miles, will my attempts to chew gum in Mrs. Franklin's Government Class to Katie McCann, and my temper to Rod Kauber. I, Richard Montgomery, will my ability to milk Holsteins to Bill Liggett, and my ability to sleep in class to Larry Moore. I, Fred Moore, will my ability to keep out of 'trouble to Phil Gray. I, Jo Ann Piper, will my back row corner seat in Homeroom to Katie McCann, and my ability to get A's in Government quizzes without reading the lesson to anyone who thinks he can get away with the same. I, Marylin Samsal, will my ability to get along with the Homer boys to Carol Foster and my back porch swing to Lois Downing. I'll keep Keith for myself. ' I, Ronald Smith, will my ability to hot-rod to Bill Almendinger. I, Joyce Swick, will my back row left center seat in Homeroom to Judy Dietrich, and my ability to stay out late the night before and then sleep in Spanish Class next day to anyone who thinks he can accomplish this feat. fzon

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was ment. After his discovery of Claminite, the government hired him for 35,000,- 000 a year just to do research. I don't know what Claminite is exactly, but I understand it's an extract of used motor oil. There, above Pete's picture, that's Barbara Miles. The Barbara Miles. What a life that poor woman has led. She had such a hard struggle up the ladder of success and then, when she became the greatest star this country has ever seen, she ruins it by marrying that veterinarian and leaving the stage. I believe the doctor's name was Belt. Ella Ruth sat there sorrowing, thinking of days gone by. Her eyes glistened with tears as her thoughts roamed over her almost forgotten high school days. Anna Mae Hughes was married to a Mexican oil man, Marilyn Samsal had become the modern Clara Barton with her help on the battle field of the Lithuanian Civil War, Bob Logan was managing General Motors, and Ron Smith-Ella Ruth blinked and turned to Hazel, Excuse me, I let my emotions get the best of me, I was just thinking of some of our classmates and I was trying to recall what happened to Ron Smith. Hazel looked at Ella Ruth with incredibility on her face. You mean you didn't hear about Ronnie? Oh, it was tragic, so horrible I can hardly bear to think about it. He and Bill Fohl rigged up a space ship about fifteen years ago. That was before modern space travel was common. Well, they had this hot-rod space jumper fixed up with dual-jets, musical horns, and about everything else imaginable, and they blasted off for Mars. No one ever saw them again. A few years later, when John Forest made the first round trip to Mars, their ship was discovered, but Bill and Ron weren't in it. The only thing the scientists can figure is that they were captured by Martian Amazons. Let's not think about it. . . . Look! There's Jo Ann and Larry Dietrich. They're managing a huge dairy out in the Virgin Islands. They've had about the happiest life of any of them. There's Fred Moore, he's a representative from Outer Mongolia to Washingtong and Norman Thompson, he has a combined career-managing the Pure Oil Company and being missionary to Inner Liberia. These drawings in the book are by Joyce Swick, Ella Ruth said, she's an artist now for the Power's Model Agency where Barbara Carley and Carol Lafferty work. That picture beside Joyce is Phyllis Ashbrook. She was voted Miss TWA of 1986. Quite an airplane hostess I understand. And there's John Johnson. He married the daughter of the Kroger million- aire and now it's all Johnny's. He has his personal picture pasted on the end seal of all the loaves of bread. Then, there's Neil Longwell, you surely have heard about him, he plays the tuba in the Mars Symphony. He's really made a name for himself. I always knew that he'd be a great success. He was the first man to arrange 'The Flight of the Bumble Bee' for the tuba. He certainly made a lot of money from it. Oh, yes,'and look here! That's a picture of Richard Montgomery. You remember at our reunion he was just getting started, but then he had to give up his stock in General Motors to be in politics. He then had to give that up too ffor various reasons that we won't go intoj so he bought an interest in the Ford Company. I always knew that he would make good, too. Oh deary me, I guess that's the end. As the two women came to the end of the book they sighed and gently closed the cover of the ancient annual. They sat there facing the dying fire, two women united with their memories of days gone by. 22