Kenton High School - Echo Yearbook (Kenton, OH)

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Friends, Romans and Countrymen, lend me your ears. We are here not to condemn our class, but to praise it. Four (not four score) years ago, we ascended the steps of Ye Olde High Schoole with high spirits, not knowing what fate awaited us beyond the beckoning door. As we passed into the inner sanctum (front hall) some of the more enterprising members of the senior class tried to sell us season tickets to the elevator at a discount of fifty cents; if we also bought tickets to get into our home rooms (back hall, up stairs), they offered to give us a discount of one doliari ! But you've heard the old saying, you can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. We knew there wasn't an elevator in the school. During the next fortnight, we, the Rupubli- crats, were busy campaigning for our officers. We managed to get ourselves in debt right off the bat because we had to borrow the fabulous sum of $.02 from the office for the purpose of paying off the various debts incurred through campaigning. We finally managed, by hook or by crook, to get Russell Blue elected president, Anne Daniels vice-president, and C. C. Dick secretary-treasurer. Elections over with, we settled down to two weeks of intense study, but since all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, we decided to have a straw ride which began with a ceremonial bonfire at Chief Milk-in-the-Pail's Farm (Daniel's dairy farm). As the fire died down into embers, we all departed to our wigwams to scrub off the war paint. During the next few months, we were busy going to ball games. Three of the freshman girls (Lois Norton, Winnie Katterheinrich, and Lois Fitzpatrick) were elected reserve cheerleaders. Therefore, we had to yell mighty loud to show our school spirit. Last, but not least, in our young lives was the Sadie Hawkins Dance. Since we were the babies of the school, this was about the only dance which we were allowed to attend. There were many Daisy Mae's who shyly drug their Li I' Abners in with a rope. Sho'nuff the big gym looked like that thar buddin' city of Dogpatch. After a rolicking time at the dance, we were about due for our summer vacation—so we took it! 11 With a very eventful summer behind us, we returned to school under the leadership of President Alvin Johnson, Vice-President Margaret Comer, and Secretary, Gene Pifer. As Sophomores, we were the wise ones; we found our that classes actually were held. This was an unforgettable year for most of the students of K.H.S. Our football team won the Western Buckeye League Championship with the unbelievable record of nine wins, no losses and no ties (9-0-0). It was quite an honor to our class to have Gene Pifer, Gene Osbun, Chuck Smith, Fred Barrett, Dick Jones, and Duane Deardorff on the team and Leonard Gossard as one of the managers. This was the year that the music department presented the operetta Naughty Marietta under the direction of Mrs. Mills. Our class did all right in this field too, for outof thirteen principals, six were sophomores: Roberta Kinsey, Winnie Katterheinrich, Owen Leigh, Gov. Robert Gemmell, Ah-da Lois Fitzpatrick, and our own funny man, Fred Barrett. The Homecoming game was one of the high spots of the season. Pat Fox was the queen that year, and Margaret Comer was our first class member to become an attendant. Fore! Everybody duck! Here comes our newly organized golf team swinging woods and irons. The golf team was under the sponsorship of Mr. Rompers Griffith. Robert Gemmell, Mack FI inn and Mary Lou Breidenbach all won their letters in this sport. This was the year that we were allowed to join clubs. Girls joined the F.H.A. and the Y- teens. The boys joined the F.F.A. and the Hi-Y. The lucky boys from our class qualified to join the Varsity-K were Fred Barrett, Gene Osbun, Gene Pifer, Dick Sharp and Chuck Smith. Again we were due for another vacation; but before we knew it, our vacation had come and gone and we had returned as lower-upper classmen. It was nice to know that we didn't have to be afraid of every turn of the hall anymore. We were now coming to the more serious portions of our high school career. We took this into consideration when we elected Duane Dear- dorff, Mack Flinn, and Robert Gemmell as our class officers. Compliments of STURGIS MARKET Meats, Groceries Vegetables 23

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TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Fred Barren. Stanley Corfinan, Duane Deardorff. SECOND ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: AnneDaniels, Lois Fitzpatrick, Mack F linn. THIRD ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Robert Gemme 11, Alvin Johnson, Carol Neal, Lois Norton. FOURTH ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Marcella Parrott, Robert Reid, Sally Wachalec, Robert Wil- leke (member at Dunkirk High School in 1950). Students tapped for N.H.S. are in the top-third of their class in scholastic standing and they have accepted responsibilities in the affairs of the school and the community. They are adjudged superior by their fellow scholars by the persons of the faculty, and so affirmed by the administration. The Chapter was instituted in K.H.S. in 1938. 22

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Slightly different from last year's record, the football team's ratio was 0-0-9. (No wins, no ties and nine losses). Oh, well, you can't be on top alI the time. We did a little better during the basketball season, by having eight wins and nine losses, not counting the tournament, which we lost. This was the season in which Ada, our oldest rival, beat us in an overtime with a score of 50-51. Talk about heart-breaking games, that's one of them! I Aside from the pretty bad showing of our other sports, the boys' golf team won all their games. We at least had something that year to hold our heads up about. To be or not to be, that rs the questioni What could be a better lead-up to the Junior play of 1950?? Every Junior and every other student too, I'm sure, was proud of our play that year. The play, Mother Is A Freshman, was about the biggest sensation of our Junior career. Modest and unassuming tho' we are, we say with pride that we broke the box office record. There were a few tense moments like the time when Jessie Ward adlibed so beautifully and Charlie Brount lost his shoes. To add romance to the play we had Van Johnson and Loretta Young straight from Hollywood in the person of Robert Gemmell and Lois Fitzpatrick. What most people do not know is that there was a real life drama behind the scenes. It was called, among the cast members, The Stirring Saga of the Second Act Kiss, which completely changed the life of one Mack FI inn. With the help of Mary Lou Breidenbach, Mr. Belvedere Griffith changed this shy and blushing young man to a reasonable facsimile of the “Kissing Bandit. Speaking of dramatics, the Thespian Society was organized for the first time in the history of Ye Olde High Schoole under the direction of Miss Isabel Sloan. Juniors qualified for this Society were Duane Deardorff, Fred Barrett, Lois Norton, Winnie Katterheinrich, Jessie Ward and Lois Fitzpatrick. The Kenton Chapter of the Thespiar Society presented the play, The Shadow of A Dream, at the district drama festival in Bowling Green. They received superior comments. In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, but not we Juniors; we had the prom to think of. (UGH) After maxi- mum work and minimum expense, we transformed the gym into a riot of color, carrying out the theme of Mexican Fiesta. About every member of our class has memories of making flowers, hanging decorations, and the other feverish acti- vities connected with decorating for the prom. Finally the big night was herel I As the couples entered, the sight of a beautiful wishing well bedecked with roses caught their eyes. By the time the evening was ended, even the Seniors admitted that we had set a new goal for succeeding classes to live up to. Before we knew it, vacation had again arrived and most of the future Senior class got jobs and began saving for their wants and needs of the coming year. For the final time we ascended the steps of Ye Olde High Schoole. Although we had planned to loaf and have a good time this year, we were surprised to discover that even Seniors have such things as book reports, homework, and term papers. With one last sigh for our broken dreams, we settled down to writing CIVICS reports, CIVICS reports, and then again there were CIVICS reports. There were a few lighter moments as there had always been, for basketball and football. We learned the very impressive cheer CHARGE which was suggested by Coach White. This was a special cheer used oniy when our team was ad- vancing down the field. It must have helped a little, because we won a couple games. The choral department presented the lively opera Martha. The scenery was painted by the art department. Miss Helen Terrill made helpful suggestions about the costuming. Martha proved to be a delightful production and was enjoyed by all who saw it. Hidden among all the SDorts dramatics, and studies, were the UNFORGET ABLE Senior parties! 111 What a time we had as wt square danced, ate, and ate some more. At the time we were only concerned with having a good time. But at Christmas time we took time out to go to sing carols at the County Hospital and at the Marling Rest Home and the Scott Rest Home. Seniors had not done that for a long, long time, we were told. Before we knew it, everyone was talking and thinking of graduation. We chose our class motto, song, colors, flower, and we were measured for our caps and gowns. In a few weeks the great day we have been waiting for for the last twelve years will be here —HALLELUJAHl 11 MARY MUSTAIN ROBERTA KINSEY GENE PIFER Compliments of PHILIPS AND DAVIES, INC. 24