Kingswood Oxford High School - Retrospect Yearbook (West Hartford, CT)

Page 20 text:

Burnham Sylvester Gould Burnie “Burnic” came to Kingswood in the fall of 1945 as a Second Former. He immediately became a member of the York soccer squad and won his white “chicken”; he also was a basket- ball player. He advanced to the senior school, and for the past two seasons has played soccer under Mr. Jacobus. Burnie was starting fullback on this year’s highly successful team. When spring brings its “Ah, it’s great to be alive feeling”, Burnic will probably be found in some trap or rough, wondering who picked up his golf ball. He has been for two years a member of the golf squad. Burnham has shone forth as one of the top scholars in the class. He is always on the C-list, with an occasional surge upward to the honor roll. His crowning achievement came in geometry class; he received 100% for the month, something seemingly impossible. Burnic, interested in geometry, went out with other classmates and studied surveying under Mr. Jacobus. He finished a highly successful Fifth Form year with a high ranking in the class. Burnic is also quite active in the extra-curricular activities. He is the person who keeps us in touch with the outside world in the News with his article “Who’s News”. He is one of the boys who drives around and is told that budgets are cut; no more ads for the Wyvern. Burnham is up with the times inasmuch as he is the Kingswood's representative on the Student board of the Foreign Policy Association. This board meets on a school night, and no assignments in history arc given to Burnic. Burnic’s activities arc not limited to foreign affairs, however. He is President of a Sunday night gathering, the Asylum Hill Youth Fellow- ship, a meeting where the Kingswood boys do their English. We know that Burnic will be successful in his future undertakings, and we all wish him well. 16

Page 19 text:

Frederick Walter Gilbert Fearless When the class of ’50 met for the first time in 1947, among its members was Fred Gilbert. He asserted himself as a worthy scholar and was placed in the Upper Fourth Form and showed promise of being a regular guy. He immediately went out for soccer and won his numerals as a member of the second team. When soccer was over, Fred proved he was rough and tough by going out for morning basketball. It was here in his Fourth Form year that “Fearless” Fred learned that Kingswood boys do not chew gum in school. “Poor” Fred or perhaps “Lucky” Fred is the only person now in Kingswood ever to have been caught chewing gum three times in one day by the same teacher and still be in school. Next year “Our Boy” seemed to have swung into the ways of Kingswood boys and had decided to give the newest member of the faculty a “ride”. One instance occurred three weeks after Fred and members of the physics class had finished the section on work problems. “Just what”, Fred asked, “is work? in the most naive way. —Came silence — Came titters — Came Roar — Poor “Duck . This Fifth Form year Fred again went out for soccer and made the varsity. In the spring, a glutton for punishment, he went out for lacrosse and emerged quite intact, miraculously. The Sixth Form year has been a success from the start, for Fred won his letter as a member of the first soccer team, as a forward. This winter, Fred played morning basketball again. One day, romping up and down the floor, Fred felt that he was getting a “raw deal” from Horace; so “Fearless” Fred took a swing at him. Fred was lucky in that Horace did not see the blow, because even though it didn’t land, Horace would have slugged him one. Fred says, though, “He was afraid of me”, and rests on his laurels. Fred finished his Sixth Form year by winning his letter in lacrosse. During his three years Freddy has been on the “C” list a considerable amount of the time. With his good spirit and earnestness Fred is bound to be a success in his college years. 15

Page 21 text:

Phillip Howard Griggs Phil Philsy joined the ranks of the illustrious Class of 1950 during his Fourth Form year, as a gift from Sedgwick junior High School. As a sophomore Phil played soccer under Mr. Root, joined the notorious morning basket- ball group, from which he received numerous cuts and bruises, and became a confirmed mem- ber of the Three-Thirty Club. He soon adjusted himself scholastically to Kingswood and for the entire three years, has been receiving honor roll and C-list grades. Mr. Greene’s soccer group acquired “Fee” as one of its members for a short time during his junior year, but it also left him with a broken ankle for the better part of the season. Although climbing the stairs for a class in the lecture room was one of the disadvantages of a broken ankle, it had its advantages also, for it enabled Phil to spend more time in his weather bureau. The West Hartford Weather Bureau with Phil as meteorologist-in-chargc, records temperature, pressure, dew point, relative humidity, and wind speed. It also issues a daily- forecast which is usually fairly accurate. To keep these records he has such instruments as a sling psychromctcr, a pluriomctcr (rain gauge), an anemometer, a thermograph, and a barograph. During his Senior year, Fee played on “Chick’s” soccer team and joined the Dramatic Club, Outing Club, and Camera Club. One of his most embarrassing moments came because of entering Mrs. Harrington’s Winter Assembly. There he met a cute southern belle, and he was supposed to escort her to one of the dances. To his great surprise “Doc” walked in the house while Phil was waling for the young lady. This coincidence necessitated sime explanation but so completely surprised was “Doc”, that Mr. Griggs escaped without serious injury. Phil’s prowess as a meteorologist is known to everyone and tested by many. Not to Ik out- smarted he usually issues a forecast somewhat like the following: “If it doesn't rain, it might become cold and snow, but on the other hand, the sun might break through and give us temperatures in the seventies.” 17