Kent School - Kent Yearbook (Kent, CT)

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.

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 28 text:

Fino Some of us calne back early for the opening of the term. Uthers came the day before the ,sk deluge, as per instructions. Un one train that day , were Jones and Figgis. lt was hot and dry. and BILL Figgis swore that he had a thirst that was con- suming him. What he would not drink in Dan- bury was not fit for camels. Danbury appeared around the bend. and the thirsty lads leaped off the train. The bartender of the local bistro said tothe handful hardy enough to enter, Hey, boys, where's all yer friends? Figgis and liegs Kerr quietly drank a quart bottle of orange pop. Arriving at Kent. we hastened over to Aunt I'Illen's fora steak repast, and imitated Artie Nicolai with eclat. We were glad to be back. We crossed the bridge to school, received our instructions on how to handle brats, and waited. On the morrow they came, three for every one of us with what seemed legions of twins. We showed them about, and retired to our large rooms, replete with arm- chairs and Hoor-lamps. to consider the situation. Once settled, we looked about us and took stock. Lucian Baldwin was not with us. He had forsaken us for college and cashmere coats. Balsam had disappeared. Bevo Hasbrouck, with a satchelfnl of slide rules, had gone to Yale. Ajax, man of mystery, had disappeared no one knew where. Never more would he wear his seer- sucker suits in the dead of winter, and flaunt his ringing, But Sir, in the face of authority. Harry lNIcKinlay, the galloping one, and his roommate Van Yoast, co- founders of the ADQV, and Algo Uuting Association. were no longer in evidence. Whitely. the long suffering Englishman. was at Williams. Earlius W'ilson, origi- nator of nncounted plots, was at cram school. Our only acquisition had been our new Uaf, W'illiamson. The form was hardly big enough to fill the study, and we found ourselves huddled around the pool of light over the C'hief's desk of an evening, like campers in the Wild West, afraid of the dark region about the magazine table, where only the semi distinct forms of Shaffer, Warren, Vollier. Kerr and Vonnolly could be seen, nnnnbling the rituals of bridge. Nevertheless, our strange form spirit, composed mostly of rampant individualism. and a dislike of doing anything en masse, gave nearly all of us a desire to do our jobs as sixth formers right, even though we were spread thin. Uccasionally however, Bill Nadal would have to get up and point out that to his certain knowledge, the door mats of the Main Building had not been swept fora month. Also. 0. G. Derr was forced to invent worse and worse penalties for lateness to Assembly, and Frere Blair thereby became Kent's own Bulova, and every morning announced the correct time. Biunor: Our immediate hopes lay in some sort of a football season. Athletics were favored with all the old standbys, and some new addicts. includ-