Lancaster Mennonite High School - Laurel Wreath Yearbook (Lancaster, PA)

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ed a short while, and then went to visit the owners of the greenhouses, who, the girls told us, were Ralph Weaver and .l-larry Lefever. They were raising many carnations and other things in partnership. Much as we hated to go, we felt we had to be going on, so we decided to visit L.M.S. yet before lunch. Here we found Esther Stoltzfus in the infnrmary, not as a patient, but as the nurse. VVhile we talked, in walked Martha Lutz, who was teaching some of the commercial courses there, and Doris Good, who had charge of the girls' health classes, and was also teaching the art classes and conducting the Stylus group. Here we were told that Helen Shenk was teaching in one of our Christian elementary day schools, but Anna Ruth Hess, who had traveled farthest in our class, was teaching in the girls' school in Africa. We hated to leave the scene of our school days, but we felt we must be moving along, and as it was almost noon, we decided to stop at a restaurant and eat. Mfe soon came to a neat- looking restaurant and here we found Harold Rohrer the proprietor, and Mabel Weaver and Marian Leaman the waitresses. After a most enjoyable lunch hour during which we spent the time recalling our school days, we had to leave. VVe went to visit John Henry Kraybill, who was farming a large farm near by. We were very much surprised to Hnd that Charles Shenk, who was living on the next farm, had volunteered for mission work in New York, and was selling the farm to Warren Shenk, who had been his hired man. When we talked with Charles, he told us that Esther Sanderson and Dorothy Reifsnyder were going to New York also as mission workers. Charles told us of some more classmates we wouldn't see. Ellen Petre and Naomi Burk- holder were both at E.M.C. finishing an extensive course in Bible. However, he said we could easily see some othersg Miriam Groff and Joyce Miller were living on near-by farms. From them we learned that the Brubaker girls were also living close by, as was Romaine Shenk. Here too we learned that Janet Leaman had continued her study in music, and was now giving piano lessons when she was not busy in her own home. On the way home we stopped at Mellinger's Church, where a large crowd of people had gathered to hear Shirley Kauffman give a talk on mission work in the mountains of Kentucky. Ruth Westenberger conducted a children's meeting and, though we were not little children any more, I am sure we all enjoyed i't. Also we were glad to see so many of our former class- mates present. Lena Histand told us she was now a busy farmer's wife. Robert Zehr, who was farming in Delaware, was also there. His friends told us he had won state recognition of his farm which was equipped with every electrical labor-saving device practical. V70 also talked to Eunice Martin, who, as you might expect, was keeping books for Martin's Meat Packing Co. However, she was going to start housekeeping soon also. How we former classmates hated to leave! So many of our class were present, but all had to go. Nevertheless, we made arrangements for a reunion later, which we would all want to attend. As I took Donald and Ray home, none of us said much, but each of us was thinking plenty. Regardless of how tired we might have been, none of us complained of that. Hadn't we seen or found out what all our classmates were doing? I know the trip was worth any trouble it might have caused. -Donald Gehman Seventy-five

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Class History Do you remember when the school year of 1945-46 opened at L.M.S. on September ll? Prob-a-bly you don't, but to about 28 of us, or half of the graduating class, that marked the beginning of our L.M.S. career. The freshman class was large, as always, with 74 members, with the rest of the class dropping out somewhere along the way to graduatio-n. A varied group it was with one from Florida, another from Maryland, and the rest from our native state. Brother Mahlon Hess, a former L.M.S. teacher, had the opening address and two days later we learned to know our classmates and school at a get-acquainted social. The fa-ll revival meetings were in charge of Brother J. Irvin Lehman and the spring meetings were held by Brother Martin Kraybill. On November 27, we had our annual Thanksgiving Program and social along with open house. Before we knew it the year was over and our sophomore year had begun on September 10 with 35 of the present seniors in the class of 46 sophomores. Brother Ira Landis delivered to us the opening address with the theme, I would not have you ignorant, brethren. Brother Milton Brackbill conducted the fall revival meetings and Brother Harvey E. Shank was the evangelist in the spring. During our sophomore year the junior business training class visited the Paradise State Bank and its vault with the ven-tilating system and burglar alarm. In biol- ogy we dissected craylish and sponges midst the odor of formaldehyde. Mrs. Nelson Kauffman was present for conjoint prayer circle one evening and held our attention with her life-testi- mony and storytelling. Norman Shirk had a close call when he was hit by a car while -walking along the Lincoln Highway at night. After a few days in the hospital he was with us again. We enjoyed a talfy pull on February ll very much. . The next year our junior year began with Brother Harold Breneman giving the opening address on Making Use of Our Time. After a get-acquainted social we found ten more persons had joined our class and with a few leaving we numbered 49 with only four of them not with us now to graduate. IVe found our junior year probably the easiest as far as lessons were concerned because each year we were getting more skillful with our lessons and we had not yet taken up the activities of seniors. Our revival meetings were held by Brother Jacob Rittenhouse in the fall and Brother Amos Weaver in the spring. A trip to the Franklin In- stitute at Philadelphia on March 6 was a feature of the physics class besides building toy electric motors. On April 2 the American history class visited Wheatland near Lancaster, the home of the only president from Pennsylvania, Buchanan. After entertaining the seniors as our guests at the annual junior-senior outing we left school to rest for the last and biggest year. During the summer we had a class reunion at Charles Shenk's home. When school began for the last time for us as seniors, we welcomed seven new students. Among them is Leota Brunk representing California. With the addition of two Bible students, another joining us in the middle of the year, and three more to receive their diplomas with us we became the largest graduating class of L.M.S. so far, fifty-nine. Early in the year we started preparing for graduation. We finally decided upon the election of the Laurel Wreath staff. We became accustomed to many dinnertime class meetings as that was our only time available. On December 9 and 10 we tested our intelligence by the Iowa Educational Test. We had a class party at the home of Glenn and Clarence Rutt on November 13 and another on March 12 at the home of Irene Stoltzfus. A trip to the state capitol at Harrisburg was part of our P.O.D. class. As a class we spent a day in Washington visiting the many places of interest there. The Mother-Daughter social came and went as did the Father-Son social. The fall revival meetings were in charge of Brother AI. Irvin Lehman and the spring meetings were held by Brother Raymond Charles. These ac-tivities as well as many others are among the many pleasant memories we have of L.M.S. All this is interesting, but is the past where We center our attention? No, youth lives in the future. Lead On, O King Eternal! -Clarence Rutt Seventy-six

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I Class Prophecy That is the second truck I saw with that name, I said to Ray as we were coming home from Philadelphia, where I had gone with him to see how the things Ray raises in his green- houses sold at market. Hartz and VVCZIVCY, Long Distance Hauling, who is that, Ray? That's Paul Hartz and Victor YVeaver., Victor supervises the bookkeeping, while Paul sees to the trucks. Martha Kurtz and Irene Stoltzfus are the 'office force.' Before he went into the greenhouse business himself, Harry Lefever was one o-f his best drivers, answered Ray. Do you remember the time in English Class when Paul Hartz applied for a job as truck driver? You know we all had to apply for some job to give us experience for doing it in earnest later. He certainly illustrated the wrong way very aptly. Why, he didn't even have his driver's license with him! I wonder just what the other members of our class are doing. That accounts for several, but what about the rest? I asked. y lNhy don't we try to see or find some definite inlformation about the l'CSt tomorrow? Do you have time, Ray? I'l1 take time for that, he replied. I Fine, I'll be around early then, and with this in mind I went home to wait for to- morrow, more eagerly than usual. Early the next morning, I called for Ray. WVe didn't have too far to go to talk to some of our old classmates. Lawrence King, Galen Buekwalter, and Donald Mast were all living on adjoining farms. Lawrence was raising potatoes, which Hartz and Weaver were hauling to Philadelphia for him every winter. Galen had a large dairy, and was supplying milk to all neighboring towns. Donald raised wheat and also many peas. He had built a large pea huller and was supplying many of the peas for the near-by cannery. I'Vhen they found out what we were going to do, they all would have liked to go along but Donald was the only one who felt he could spare the time. His peas were already -harvest- ed. As we drove along Donald told us that Hartz and Weaver also hauled most of O-liver Mast's large crop of potatoes, and, what may have been more surprising, Clarence Rutt's sprayers were spraying both Oliver's and Lawrence's potatoes. VVe came to a large implement shop, and when we saw David Harnish's name, we stopped right away. David was selling farm machinery and Farmall tractors for the 'International Harvester Company. Vllhen we told him of our interest in locating old classmates he led the way into the office, where Norma Metzler was bookkeeper and Rrut-h Ranck the stenographer. While we were talking, in walked Eugene Peifer. After some necessary explaining was over, it turned out that Eugene was a salesman for Glenn Rutt, who owned the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile garage in New Holland. Eugene, we found, had come to talk to Norman Shirk, who was shop foreman in Harnish's shop. He had just bought a 1960 new Chevie, and Eugene wanted to make sure Norman was satisfied. Eugene told us that Erma Sensenig and Arlene Hollinger had worked for Glenn, but were now keeping house in their own homes. Ruth told us some of our classmates were too far away to see. Leota Brunk was living in California, a very good state, W-hile Jeanette I-Iostetter and Mabel Horst were nurses at our Mennonite Hospital at La Junta, Colorado. However, it seems that Gladys Swartz didn't Want to go that far from home, for she, with Carolyn Swartzentruber, was a nurse at Lancaster Gen- eral Hospital. .Iohn Fisher was a prominent heart specialist in Lancaster also. l'Ve coruldn't stay here longg so after exchanging information, we set out again. Soon, in the distance we saw many large greenhouses. VVe stopped at a near-by store, where books and mottoes and other things which make up a well-equipped gift shop were sold. Here we found Martha Denlinger to be the owner and Alma Stoltzfus and Nyla Ebersole the clerks. We talk- Seventy-four