Kent School - Kent Yearbook (Kent, CT)

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A s. . THIRD FORM YEAR lt was heartening to return with the rest of the old hoys in the fall of 1953. Four members ofthe 1-lass, ,loek Fleteher, Billy Zantzinger, Palmer Sehweppe, and Ralph Pedersen were no longer with us to enjoy our new position as third formers. But they were replaeed hy thirty new memhers whom we got to know and like. lt' wasnit long hefore we were molded into a unified grllllp. Vi e launehed ourselves wholeheartedly into the sports program. Paul White, Jerry Turnbull, Peter Kuhn, Sandy Allen. and llrax Williams played for the first soeeer team. and in them we plaeed high hopes fora first 4-lass team our ssxth form year. lt was a fine I I ,vw year for the first foothall squad whieh ended with a five-and-one season. Two members of our form. Bruee Tarbox and Mike Tooman. made the team, and the form was proud of them. Few of us will forget the sereen pass that 'lloomie threw in the Taft game. That was a moment of glory for the Class of 1957. Sehool spirit was high during the fall term. This year a new league. the in'termediates. was inserted in elulm football between the juniors and the seniors. and many of us played in the intermediates. The administration of l95Al- was doing a good job under Eddie llughes. This year lrrougllt uupreeedented interest in extra- eurrieular aetiyities. We were well represented in the Glee Cluh. witll five memhers of the forln partiei- pating. and Mike 'l'ooman sang seeond hass in the Baker's Dozen. XX e also had various form mates in the Music' Appreeiation Soeiety and in the Art Club. Wvhen the first indieators eame out. we were pleased lo find out that not only had our form average risen substantially. hut that Carl Taube had led the sehool. Un the other extreme. Mike 'llooman and Bruee Tarbox. along with others of our numlner. were in- itiated into regular membership in the 5: I5 Cluh for the first time.

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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.

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As the term progressed, various new members of the form became renowned throughout the school for their individualistic traits. We had not been in school long before we became aware that we had inherited a most eccentric export from the Mid-west, George Gage. Most of us gazed in awe at this long-haired lad with the thick horn-rim med glasses. Once, during supper, George demonstrated that the can-can could be performed on top of a serving table, much to the amusement of the school and to the displeasure of the Senior Prefect. Dave Cnrtiss was soon tagged with the nickname of Dog , and showed his prowess on the guitar while playing with the Kentones. We were pleased with our new masters. Rugged Ralph Ritchie drilled us on the finer points of grammar and tried to instill in us the fact that Lester day was gravy day. Mr. Smith, after much haranguing, finally got ns to realize that it was absolutely worthless if we didn't get the given in the proof. It was a unique experience to have Bear Brown for Latin, and all of us turned in prairie papers Qwith wide open spacesj at one time or another. Bob Fuller never ceased to amaze Mr. Humphreys as he reported a score of ninety per cent or better on all of his denominator tests, while scoring in the low twenties on his indicator tests. As the year progressed the form showed more and more stability and cohesiveness. The first north hallway of the library showed perhaps the most spirit. Speedy Howell, the hapless inspector of the hallway, was con- tinually hailed with derisive comment. Owing to this, he stung our formmates more hours than any three other sixth formers. Nort Gage will never forget the time he was hid- ing behind his door, waiting to jump the next person to enter. When the door opened Nort placed a well- aimed foot in a strategic area of his victim, only to find that it was, of all people, Father Pat. Over in the North Dorm, Sandy Allen, Rumba Harriss, Whitey Mauldin, and Don Porter wielded power. Sandy could be found any time lying on his bed, scan- tily clad, reading one of his unparalleled collection of paper-backs. Once in the Club Norge, fifth former King McCreery stumbled into an unfortunate incident. Feeling his coming power a little prematurely and having threatened Bruce Tarbox and Whitey Mauldin with a cold shower if they were late to bed, he found himself being roughly and briskly borne into said shower room where he was thoroughly drenched, clothes and all.