Kent School - Kent Yearbook (Kent, CT)

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S1-holastically, we were usually at the bottom of the school. despite thc gallant efforts of Merrill Bailey, Nick joukovsky, and lice lioring to keep the form av- erage up. inevitably, there would be weeping and wail- ing in thc second form section of job assembly when the indicator grades were given out. It is hard to con- ceive- of a more conglonicrated microcosm of society than thc Class of 1957 at that time. Hur individual size alone ranged from liharlie Watson at a scant ninety pounds to ,loc Chalmers, who at six-foot-two weighed almost two hundred. Fall tcrni passed rapidly with such a busy schedule. Big .lint Draper guided us through Presler john and 14077111 lhwm' with his inspiring tales of paratrooping and football. Mr. Barton. in the process of teaching us l.atin. amazed us with his knowledge of Sanskrit and his prowess at inhaling half a cigarette in one drag and exhaling the smoke some twenty words later. A few treasure the memory of Happy Harry Hoyle, math- ematician supreme, who once announced that he had given us the wrong answers after we had all reported one hundreds on our homework for the day. Thanksgiving afforded us our first taste of free- dom in twelve weeks, but we all returned slightly de- pressed by its brevity. However, after three weeks, in which we started winter sports, we again paraded happily across the bridge to eagerly await the cattle cars of the Berkshire Bullet. Twenty days later, we returned refreshed to face winter term and midyear exams. The early weeks of January were spent cramming for our first exams. They did not prove too difficult, although Jerry Baird and ff E t yu . 3. 1 Bob Fuller seemed to have trouble the second time around. Soon' we were afflicted with the winter term slump, and the form assumed a negative attitude of massive proportions. For those of us who had aspired to play hockey, a great shock awaited us. We seriously considered changing the name of the sport to club swimming or club snow shovelling. A few of us landed from time to time in the Hatch where we found that one nurse was fanatically obsessed 9 with hypodermic needles. For this reason, we all re- covered from our maladies with amazing speed. By this time, all of us had experienced the hazards of the laundry and had ruined a few ties in the man- gling process of Kent dry cleaning.

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On Thursday, after four days of gruelling indoc- trination, we learned that Kent was made up of over three hundred students, and that most of them were older and bigger than we. We soon found ourselves the despised rabble, object of derisive comments from all old boys, who acted as if the admissions department had made a ghastly mistake. We were a bit awed by the complexity of the system as Kent life unfolded before us, especially since we found ourselves so small a part of it. We soon learned through experience about the Hour Board. Many of us labored under the threatening forebear- ance of a dominating southerner for whom we had ac- quired no small measure of respect. Rusty Dodsworth, Sam Robinson, and Nick Joukovsky had their names engraved on the board. Like every form, we found that we too had wheels. Mike Hegeler and Bill Estabrook were elected to lead our form, with the able assistance of Jerry Baird, who had gained previous experience as a second former the year before. As the sports schedule got under way, the majority of our class found openings on the club teams. Dick Baker and Cliff Conway won starting assignments on Ralph Ritchie's undefeated, un-scored-upon junior Hoosie football team. Paul White won laurels for the form by playing on the first soccer squad. As a whole, the form mustered great spirit to boost the first foot- ball team to victory on Saturdays. For those who were interested, extra-curricular activities offered enjoyment. Pete Fairchild, Ralph Pedersen, and Palmer Schweppe joined the Glee Club, while Bill Estabrook, Paul White, Frank Niepold, and Nick Joukovsky plied their talents in the Art Club. 101' For most of us, rooming with another boy was a novel experience. As a result many interesting com- binations occurred. Frank Niepold was all but com- pletely subdued by Bar-Bar White, a sturdy lad who exibited feats of strength at the snap of a finger. How often we in the North Dorm would be lying in our beds at night when suddenly the patch of moonlight on the floor would be obliterated by an ape-like shadow. Paul would swing in the window, and the room would shud- der as he hit the floor. The silence would then be broken by a hoarse whisper, Whose turn is it to scratch my back? Bill Estabrook had many strange and intriguing tales to tell about Rusty Dodsworth who, in a fit of wrath, smashed his guitar to splinters on a bedpost, barely missing Bill's neatly combed head. Study hall was a scandal most of the time. Hans Kalinka used brute strength to keep us in check, but Don Bald Eaglew Kress found our harassing not much to his enjoyment. All of us, at one time or another, found ourselves polishing shoes or brass for our mis- deeds. During the football season we all contributed our precious nickles to the raffle, and once in a while one of our lucky formmates would win an incredible two dollars in nickles. One morning we were irked to learn that Joe Chalmers had borrowed all our ink bottles and smashed them against the wall outside study hall. Occasionally, when the noise became unbearable, the door would burst open, and in would stride Mr. Armstrong, letting fly a torrent of abuse, with eyes glaring and teeth bared. Within seconds absolute sil- ence would prevail. The cold war between Paul White and Hans Kalinka was finally won by Paul when he learned to sleep with his eyes open.

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Winter term passed slowly. during whieh time Paul White's strength was put to use on the seeond wrestling team. Led by Ron Tooman, the basketball team had a terrifie year, winning the Tri-State league title and gaining our admiration and support. .M midyears we ehanged roommates and moved froln one part of the sehool to another. Most of us found the ehange an enjoyable one. as we got to know a new group of friends. By this time. the form had gained some degree of seeurity, and manifested this in numerous haeks. most of whieh oeeurred on the see- ond south hallway of the Library. Rooms were flooded, beds were du m ped. and various other spirited deeds were aeeomplished. By this point, we were eonvineed that we possessed two budding organists in Sant Robinson and Cliff Con- way. Thus we were assured of good organ musie for the next fix e years. l.ee ltoring. Diek Baker. and Merrill Bailey be- eame our offieers for the seeond half of the year and represented our form on the liouneil. By the second week in Mareh. we were about ready to he ernshed by our negative attitudes. However. vaeation eame. and onee again we abandoned the Happy Valley. Spring term eame. and our numbers were slightly depleted. Rusty Dodsworth. Charlie Viatson. .loe tlhalmers. and ,lerry Baird had left our ranks in seareh of greener pastures elsewhere. Those of us who aspired to be musele men and glory hounds went out for erew. with high hopes that we might someday row on the first eight. However. our egos were slightly dampened when we wound up on the fourth and fifth elub boats. Dan U'Brien took up the muskrat trade and gave quite a few of us heart failure as he displayed the s fated animals on his window sill. The hoekey rinks were a maze of traps, and U.B. was the only one who knew how to get out of the area alive. Much to our amazement. Kent onee again beeame beautiful. as Algo ehanged from brown to green and the river banks were lined with heavy foliage. Yve had almost forgotten that Kent was onee alive. All of us were happy to learn that the erew was going to Henley again. and that elevated the tin gods even more in our eyes. Prize Day soon rolled around. and we were swept up in the rush of aetivity. We helped the sixth form paek and elean up. and we eonsidered this an honor. The eeremonies were exeiting. and we wondered if the day of our own graduation would ever eome. After exams, we were off for vaeation, having experieneed a profitable first year at Kent.