Kent School - Kent Yearbook (Kent, CT)

Page 26 text:

NIPS up by Mmes. Humphreys, Julier, and Nadal. and curves courtesy of AYright and llitson. The faculty took Randolph P. Teupercent. and his sou, Bunnydnster. a playboy with a yen fora LITTLE BWP hen. in good part considering their avowed scurrility. Athletically, the Wallis Aggies, slowed down with age and care, were still in existence. Peake and Monkey Dickson were on the first hockey squad, Fatty Atty Lambkins and Ted Bridgeman on the basketball team. and the iudefatigable Laurie Hooper and Jerry Howe were our wrestling maiustays. The fans got a double treat at one wrestling match, when in the midst of a bout during which Jerry was trying foot- ball tactics ou a wily foe, a whole stand collapsed, trapping some of the brothers. After winter examinations came spring vacation, and a rest while the weather changed from slush to green grass. Then, as spring came upon us, and Gillie once again wafted out flies to the faithful. and the crews hit the river, and the tennis eu- thusiasts rolled aud scraped, we began to think for the first time of the noble life of a sixth former. After a series of talks with Father f'halmers. we decided to be a tough bunch, and try to do the job of running the school right. Our immediate interest, how- ever. was not in the theory of being a sixth former, but in the practical issne of' what color the rock was to be painted. There were long. soul-tearing fights in study hall, with many combinations advocated and fought for fiercely. The gangling figure of Fod the Hod was everywhere, urging on the legions of' politicians who wanted helio- trope and mauve or magenta. in place of commonplace colors. lied and white was decided on after it was found out that a flashing airplane silver would not be available. f'omiug into job assembly. the fateful morning. we had carefully arrayed ourselves in the oldest, most tattered clothes imaginable. As usual, Aus Garduc-r's short shorts, ex- posing a wealth of shapely calf, took honors for abbreviation. After a panting job assembly, the fifth form was dismissed, and we beat it down past the incinerator. with Howe and Humphreys trying to strangle each other with the rope. and others demand- ing that the paint cans be opened immediately. lest it be found too late that we were gypped. After an arduous climb, tough on our Wednesday-night meeting lungs, we slung the rope about the cross. and set ourselves to the task of shaping our three. Bevo llasbrouck shared the honors of the first hour or so with ltose Wallis, who grew so attached to his Mona Lisa effect on the numerals that there were mntterings before he relinquished his post to the next man. Bevo was. that day, a fly. We will swear it. lle walked up. down, and sideways over that precipitous rock face all morning, rescued the white paint when the can tipped over, and only fell once. He rolled .lox-: Bu. Dick

Page 25 text:

DEECK verse activities above mentioned galvanized, for the most rart into football. The dissenters, such l o as Jimmy franc, .lock Lafferty, .lim Vhild, who studied the science of touch football as a scientist does astronomy, J. S. Boyd, and the ever lethar- .lusr I'i,,us .lm gic Brandy Brandreth, who was dubbed Harmon by the scotfers, played for Gilliarn's Vommandos. Wallis, Hooper, Howe and Peake were snapped up by the first team. The residue went to the second team, and some, including Little Budd Ogden, sifted down to the juniors. It was a good football season, culminating in a trip to Taft, which, although the game was lost, gave most of the fifth form a chance to cadge rides in genuine automobiles, while the proletariat rode in busses. Sunday, December 7, 1941, was a gray, dirty day, and we sat about the buildings moping, slinging hull in a bored way, or sleeping. During the afternoon, Hose 1Vallis came down the hall, and said, Well, boys, the .laps are bombing Pearl Harbor. Sure, Rosie, we said, that's a hot one. It was a hot one all right, as we soon found out, and realized to the fullest the next morning when we gathered in job as- sembly to hear President ltoosevelt's speech. At first, great excitement swept over us, but we soon calmed down, and became quiet and angry. All of a sudden, the cryptic little notices in the paper about men lost in battles over Europe, and the warnings of our English classmates came back to us. Within the next few weeks, the swift changes in the country and the confusion in lvashington, might have fazed us completely if it were not for the help and understanding of Father Vhalmers, who made us realize that our job was at Kent until the government told us where to go. 1Ye began to see the job that faced us then, and the job ahead in sixth form year. 1Yhcn we came back for the winter term. after a vacation spent in admiring female charm, we fell to producing an epic drama. The Girl From India, a product of Pater's active mind. We were particularly honored in being allowed to produce this play, as usually they come but once every three years. and the class of 1941 had given a renowned exhibition only two years before. With Pater's scheme, and willing hands, the tale of love among the Himalayas was given on the auditorium stage. Joe l.ewis played the part of a middle aged secretary to a high-pressure business- Inan, with bird feathers for hair, and an awful Bronx accent. Vutler, attired in a sheet and his imagination. was Gandhi. Sabu 3 bumps and a grind that'll shake the second balcony franc was the heroine, and Fido Phelan gave an amazing im- personation of Tinny lfakah, the hater of cold, Drum whose watch word was lt's cold as a balm in here. We had a racy chorus line, with Earlius 1Yilson. ltame Harris. Dick Jones. and Frere Blair as the babes dressed in costumes thought E, . .I ERE

Page 27 text:

Ravlxo DAY raid' all the way to the bottom, and walked back up the rock unscathed. Uthers were struck with vertigo and inched away after the slightest ven- ture out onto the trembling log. Ajax Jones, as a 4, I i f 'ff 4 ll ii Q 'Q i 'Q M lil lil' last gesture, brought along hammer and chisel, ,xq-'rg.ggDAyCpg IX THE D, intending to immortalize himself in stone. The project fell through, as the chisel was dull. Everybody but Wallis and a few of the faithful took their turn, and slipped away to attack the ice tea in the study, but at last the job was done, and a few remembrances collected, these being the time-honored snippets of rope, daubed with paint. The balance of the rope was, on Blr. Titus' advice, saved for next year's fifth form as an economy measure. W'hen night came, W'allis was booted up as senior prefect, Howe as second prefect, Dickson as third pre- fect and Peake was elected sixth form council member. Jack Lafferty headed the News, and Symington the year book. We put the lower formers to bed in a rosy glow. We were in! The enterprising boys immediately began to pester Father fhalmers for ice tea every day in the Study. They had fallen in love with the stuff after the morning on the rock. May rolled away quickly into June. The form crew, with Lewis at stroke, Shaffer anywhere between four and six by way of ballast, and many others, including Nevill Sniythe, Monty Harris, ltame Harris. Jambone Peckham, lovers of the foaming brine all, set up light housekeeping by the dam, under the tutelage of Larry Filson. Some of the more inept brothers were so mad to row in any boat, that they took over the Barry and Finn , and stroked the third thirds. Jerry Howe made a great record as pitcher for the ball team. Balloon Atkin and Pat Humphreys were on the tennis team, as was Frereo Blair. Uaf W'illiamson, a new comer with spring, com- bination bear rug and Vlark Gable, lent his towering build to the first crew. Monkey Dickson and Windy Wierum were on the second crew, Monkey as stroke and Captain. The'l ifth Form crew was king of the river. a far cry from the old days. and we were very proud. ,Ks the term exams came, we took them without qualm. Fido Phelan flashed through to lead the form, and Wierum copped the history prize. Swansdown Silvers flitted away into summer clutching the chemistry prize. After short vacations, most of us settled down to summer jobs, both for pocket money, and the realization that we could do our bit to help the war effort by taking any job available. With the middle of the summer of 19-I-Q, there came a letter from Father fhalmers. asking to write our letters of sponsorship. W'e remembered those letters that had come to us iz Ilsmu' .lnmoxrz so long ago. and how they looked so grown up. W'e wondered if our missives would look the same to their recipients.