Lafayette High School - Oracle Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

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M ORACLE YEARBOOK 15 We of the graduating class of l938 are indeed happy to have you with us this evening. This is an occasion for which we have planned and worked long, and it is with eagerness that we present for your enjoyment this long-awaited program, when for the first time we come together as a class. It is our hope that our plans and preparations will have enabled us to spend with you a most pleasant and enjoyable evening. I During this last year at Lafayette, we have become increasingly con- scious of the turmoil and struggle which prevail throughout the civil- ized world today. Foreign political upheavals, constant war-threats, important domestic problems, are constantly kept before our minds in flaring newspaper headlines and radio talks. With these and other equally momentous occurrences taking place about us, we have felt it a primary duty to keep ourselves well informed in all these matters. Yet it cannot rightly be said that we are unprepared to face these problems. Our four years at Lafayette, spent in constant acquisition of knowledge in various subjects under the remarkably patient super- vision of Mr. Gott and our teachers, has instilled firmly within us that rare ability to see and think clearly in everything, to weigh carefully both sides of every question before drawing a final opinion. We are more grateful than we can express for all that has been done for us, and can only hope that in time we shall be able to justify if not exceed the confidence and faith in us expressed by our faculty. From this all-important pathway of our lives, our courses will begin to take more definite form, branching out in countless directions. We shall no longer be a united class, progressing together as a unit in all we do. We shall have to accustom ourselves to take our places as self- dependent individuals in the world. For some of us fate and oppor- tunity have decreed still higher education, through which we may broaden our limited knowledge and open the way for greater success in our undertakings. Still there are numerous others, destined for im- mediate entrance into the world of affairs and the well-known school of hard knocks who must take it upon themselves to be more quickly assimilated into adult life. No matter how diversified our paths may become, regardless of what may be our ultimate destination, we shall always be united by the common bond of Lafayette tradition, so deeply imprinted in our minds during our brief stay here. In our fields of life, irrespective of their type, we may be proud and more than slightly thankful for the extensiveness of our high-school training. Traditions become outmoded eventually and must give place to new ones. We can say only that we sincerely hope that the classes who follow us will continue to uphold and cherish the splendid ideals of Loyalty, Honor and Service which have for so long been a tradition at Lafayette and which are our common heritage. ln our separate, we, the class of 1938, will in all circumstances endeavor to hold in mind these principles, and hope that by this observance, we may be- come better citizens and be able to give better service to our fellow for

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14 THE LAFAYETTE 72- Me Four years ago you and l began our careers in Lafayette High School as freshmen. Inexperienced in a new situation, we had much to learn. From repeated contacts and sharing of problems we profited greatly. Now, after four years of climbing, let us pause to look down on the way we have come. Sometimes the path was steep and filled with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, at other times few difficulties presented themselves. In the beginning we knew little of each other and encountered a maze of daily situations which required much time simply for adjust- ment. By developing the ability to carry on independently, we learned a new lesson of self-reliance so essential in the right use of our newly- found freedom and broader opportunities. The end of the first year brought us to a plateau of victory. A warm feeling of satisfaction pervaded our thoughts in the attainment of many seemingly remote objectives. We were becoming accustomed' to climbing and ready to scale new heights. Through discovery of ways, to help each other up the grade our spirit of cooperation deep- ene . More difficult tasks loomed in the next year, we realized that our mettle was receiving its first acid test and that we must really fight to win. Success carried us up the hill to the half-way house, where, over a summer, we paused to rest. What had previously seemed so un- attainable, now appeared infinitely less difficult. A closer and happier acquaintance, a class solidarity, and a com- mon bond with fellow climbers developed when we were luniors. A team, united as Lafayetters with the ropes of Loyalty, Honor and Service, was pulling upward. We pressed on with new vigor and courage. Seriousness of purpose has marked the present year. Determination to reach our high goal is increasingly evident. We, as friends, with sympathetic understanding, proceed to the fulfillment of all those bright hopes which have continually spurred us on our way. Thus we reach the top, only to discover that our climbing has been in the easier foothills and the mountains still challenge our ambitions. But we have acquired a strength, a confidence, and an ability to meet the approaching ascents, which nothing can daunt. Your way leads to the mountains, mine again to the foothills to share, if I may, in the successes and problems of a new generation of students. But spiritually l shall always be with you as you explore the trails that beckon. .Qnic-U of X938

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16 THE LAFAYETTE HI Ann Cloak In September of the year 1934, our favorite freshmen were welcomed for the first time by Mr. Gott into his Plant. Conspicuously new, long pants, loud shirts, suit coats, bright colored make-up, and nervous thumb-twiddling children were to be seen throughout the large horseshoe-shaped assembly. M. Boland was there as was R. Spear. S. Birzon was seen passing notes to l. Davis. E. Wort- ham's, W. lardine's, and A. Clamp's STGRY OF THE COLORFUL hair was the cause of much comment. C. Lumsden, F. Ciccarelli, and A. Haley were comparing their new bill folds. M. Gram had already started worry- ing about her senior exams. After l5 minutes of dazzled searching, D. Carestio and P. Dellinger finally found Cto their dismayj, that Rm. 32 was situated in the basement. B. Cole and M. Feinsinger startled Lafayette audiences with their extraordinary talents in the school mu- sical. lune exams ended our initial year at Lafayette. ln the fall of l935, the sophisticated sophomores returned. Having stumbled through Algebra, Biology, and Latin, they were now headed for course No. 2, which contained Caesar, Geometry, and the annals of Ancient History. C. lacobs glid- ed through the halls quoting Caesar, while Cf. Allen, S. Fuller, and C. Brown were in a corner in Rm. 3 trying to prove two triangles congruent by S. A. S. Teachers were in a guandary as to what to do about A. L. Smith and A. O. Smith, F. Cleary and R. Cleary. From the school of prac- tice came M. Cfrabau, C. Cfeorgi, E. Thom and A. White. Also F. Breese, D. Beyer, C. lmpelliter, and E. Burley. W. Dahlke, M. Staley, H. lanis, and l. Battles played on the hockey team. M. R. Lavin's hair was speculated upon and there were Some of the girls in 1934.