Leavitt Area High School - Angelus Yearbook (Turner, ME)

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LEAVITT ANGELUS 13 HONOR ESSAY AVIATION For many years the human mind has tried to find means of flight. For a long time the birds have teased man with their ability to fly, and man's de- sire to imitate birds has increased so much that he has tried to copy them. Many men have tried to imitate the birds by making flapping wings and attaching them to the body. They be- lieved that they would fly like birds, but every eziperiment has been a fail- ure. The first successful flight made by means of man-made wings was in the year 1891. The contraption used was the glider. The forward speed of the glider was caused by gravitation, as motors at that tirne were not available for that purpose. The next great step in the improve- ment of aircraft was the constructing of light engines to drive the glider along faster and more evenly. The glory for this improvement goes to the Wright brothers. ' Manufacturing plants began to open, and soon various governments began purchasing airplanes from them. The interest in aviation grew so rapidly that by the year 1912 nearly all coun- tries had established their first aviation units. The next era of aviation came with the beginning of the World War. Many millions of dollars were spent in per- fecting planes that would be valuable in both the offensive and defensive warfares of the various nations. Air- planes did not prove themselves capa- ble of causing considerable damage until the year 1916. All planes cons- tructed at that time were made mostly of wood and contained very little metal. Steel planes were not used until the war was nearly over. The ending of the World War found thousands of war planes idle. But it wasn't long before many of them were put into operation to carry mail. How- ever, it was found that these war planes were not efficient for this purpose so better airplanes were necessary. The government began spending money to build better planes, air terminals, lighted airways, and schools where aviators could learn better flying tech- nique. Perhaps the greatest improve- ment in airplanes are the instruments that have been developed during the last few years. Today, they are the nervous system of every plane. One of the greatest instruments that has been installed in modern airplanes is the radio. lts use has contributed to- ward greater'safety in the flight of the airplane. 'Can we get along today without means of flying? No, we cannot. Why can't we? Because the principal thing this world is looking for today is speed, speed in every sense, and the airplanes posses this quality. We can mail a letter by airmail in Boston and less than twenty hours later it will be in San Francisco. Flying will be a deciding factor in the next world conflict. One war plane with two men can do more damage than a thousand soldiers can on a bat- tle field. ln a few years everyone will own and operate his own -flying machine. We shall be able to take off and land in our own back yards. We can take a pleasant trip to some of the planets for a day's excursion. It may all seem a dream, but watch this dream come true. Stanley Warren Staples TOAST TO BOYS Due to the fact that l am a mere girl, l shall find it extremely difficult to toast the loyal boys of the class of '38. Of course, these marvelous species of humanity have such long brilliant records that l could never hope to re- late successfully all of their noteworthy

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Literary SALUTATORY Trustees, Members of the Executive Board, Teachers, Parents, Alumni, Friends, and Schoolmates: The class of I 938 extends to you a cordial welcome to its graduation exercises. Another year has rolled away, and at last, look- ing with eager anticipation into the future, we stand upon the threshold of Leavitt. Now that the moment has ar- rived we find it hard to realize that we are about to leave the scenes of our happiest days. We are eager to go out into the world and meet the future face to faceg yet, with our hearts full of gra- titude for what Leavitt has done for us, we find it hard to break the ties which bind us so closely to our school. This is commencement, the begin- ning of our journey into life. ln start- ing upon this journey, we should have a definite idea as to our destinationsg otherwise, we shall drift hither and yon, aimlessly, like a ship upon the ocean, without chart or compass, or even a pilot, driven before every wind, and wrecked at last upon some unknown, barren rock. Why is it that so many fail, while Opportunities are so great, and possi- bilities so vast? The answer is obvious. Men are not willing to pay the price of success, they ignore the lessons of ex- perience, and, with eyes wide open, head their coursewstraight for the reef where thousands have gone down. Failure is the result of disregarding na- tural laws. Nature is not run on theory, or guess work, but is in accordance with inva- riable facts. When our lives are mold- ed in harmony with natural laws, suc- cess is certain. Nature does not exist in vain. The universe is not a stupendous blunder. Sometime, somewhere, God gives everyone a chance to win and wear a crown of Victory. We do not all desire the same things, nor all Wish to do the same kind of work. Thus nature secures. a variety of laborers for her various fields of toil. ln order to be successful one should early take an account of his stock in hand. For what is he naturally fitted? By this is not meant simply what one desires to do, but what one can do. For what has he an aptitude? Wishes, longings, impulses, however good, are not always the indications of genius, nor are they invariably a forecast of an adaptation for a special pursuit in life. If mere wishes could make men great, or rich, there would not be a poor or insignifi- cant person on earth. We must be our- selves. We have our own special place and work. We must find itg then, fill it. Let us do our work well. The world is in need of faithful, loyal workers. If our position is humble and lowly, let us strive for a higher plane. Larger posi- tions await us as soon as we are prepar- ed to fill them. After we attain a high- er place in our work we should still keep the qualities which brought us there. Life is full of opportunities. They are fairly hurled upon us. Look about you. This is an age of specialization,-in agriculture, in mechanics, in science, and in a thousand other fields. We can- not do all, but we can do one thing well. We can surely find the place and the work for which we are adapted, and, having found it, stick to it. Life is far too short to be spent in roaming. Friends, may you not be ashamed of the foundations which you have so carefully helped us to build. May we show our appreciation of your loyal guidance by holding high the banner of dear old Leavitt. May the structure that we raise upon this foundation spell usuccessn. Again, we welcome you to this last gathering of the class of l938. Lottie Lemain Gould

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14 LEAVITT feats. However, allow me to introduce them individually to the best of my ability. Theron Poland- Theron has certainly been a loyal member of our class, and has accovm- panied us on many class trips. He sets us a good examlple as he is such a stu- dious lad. May luck always follow you, The- ron. William Nickerson- Nick is a star alibi artist as well as a star sportsman. He has majored in basketball, baseball, and track dur- ing his entire four years. He was select- ed as captain of the squad this year. He acted as Treasurer of the F.F.A. in his Sophomore year. Nick has cer- tainly made a hit among the girls Cas well as the boys, in Leavitt. We all will remember him as a lively' member of our class. Robert Beedy- Bobby as been an indispensable as- set to our class, serving as our presid- ent all four years. He was our star basketball player during his first 3 years: but because of ill health, Bobby has been unable to participate in our athletic activities this past year. He has served as manager of basketball, cross country, and track. During these four years he has been Secretary and President of the F. F. A.g a member of the Student Council, and Commercial Club: and this year was President of the Students' Activities Association. As an actor, Bobby has taken part in the One Act Play given by the students of the Commercial Club, Junior and Senior Dramas, Senior Minstrel Show, and the Operetta this year. He has also developed a speaker's reputation in Freshman and Sophomore Prize Speak- ing Contests and in Junior Declafma- tions. Today he will distribute gifts to the girls. ANGELUS Allan Prince- Priends, just glance at the Seniors' Marcellecl Nlagnificentn. With those Shirley Temple locks, it's no Wonder that Bill was selected as our iibest looking boy . He was in our Junior and Senior Dramas, the Class Minstrel Show, and the S.A.A. Drama. He has played baseball all four years, and has been on the track and basketball tearns for three years. Bill ran in the cross- country team during his Junior and Senior years. ln his Junior year he was a member of the Student Council and this year he has been Vice-President of the S. S. A. Today Bill has the pro- phecy for girls. Cealand Witham- E Cealand is one of our class come- dians. He has taken part in the Fresh- man and Sophomore Prize Speaking Contest, and in both the S. A. A. and Senior Minstrel Shows. Then, too, the Senior Drama was upeppecl upi' by his hilarious actions. He has been on the cross country and track teams and has taken part in interclass basketball. He was manager for the baseball team this vear. He has been a member of the F. P. A. and Vice-President of the Commercial Club. May the best of everything be yours, Cealand. Gerald Austin- Cy has been on the baseball squad for four years andhe has caught the balls, too, when they calme somewhere near him. We appreciated his good work in the interclass basketball and track contests. He took part in the Senior Minstrel Show. I believe Cy has the reputation of being a woman hater. Good luck, Cy . Eugene Jordan- Jorclan has been in our class only one short year but he has proven his worth. He has attended class meetings faithfully and has accompanied us on quite a.few class trips. We all wish you success, Gene.