Lowell Technological Institute - Pickout Yearbook (Lowell, MA)

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THE PICKOUT 1917 3 to was the score! How sweet did it sound to the ears of us sohpo- mores, and oh what bitter, bitter medicine it was for the freshmen! Poor, disillusioned dupes! To think they could have beaten 1917! And then the flag-rush! With unholy glee did we trample them, push them, and pull them, as they sought in vain to reach our flag. When the whistle blew, the flag of 1917 waved triumphantly o ' er the field, and one by one the vanquished freshmen stole silently away. What a day for 1917! Mid year ' s again! How quick the time flies! Is it possible that a year and a half have elapsed since the class of 1917 first saw the light of day? Yes, indeed, a year and a half have gone by and the half way mark has been reached; how many of us will be left when the final milestone has been passed ? Ah, who knows ? But let us continue with our story. With characteristic energy old ' 17 turned out for the Textile Show, and many of the leading parts were taken by our men. Possibly it would be well here to mention the good work done by Pal Moore, who played a comedy role exceptionally well, and Ted Shine, Hen Rooney, and Al Zimmermann, who all deserve the highest commendation possible. After the Show we all settled down to a few weeks of hard study. Upstream Day came as a welcome break in the monotonous grind, and needless to say our colors again triumphed. All too soon the finals were upon us, and after a few short days we all bade farewell to school, and classmates, for another summer; some to work, some to play, and some to a mixture of both. €f)irt tear September again, the twenty -fifth in fact, and a Monday too! Surely Heaven and Earth must be in tune on this day of days! Why? Cannot you guess? Is it possible you cannot conceive the reason for this glorious day? Well, then, I shall tell you, for today the Senior class returns to Textile! Joy shone from every brick in the dear old school when at last the Seniors, one by one, and in groups of twos and threes, began to arrive. Who can these dignified young men be who seem so earnest, so independent, so thoroughly capable? Can they be the same young fellows that romped so joyously just four short months ago? Indeed they are ! But now they have begun to realize a little the seri- ousness of life, the things that lie before them, and the tasks that must be completed ere another June goes by. Yes ! old ' 17 is back again, every man a veteran, and every man fit for the year ' s work. Forty strong we left that spring, and thirty-three came back; 80% still with us! Plainly the class of 1917 is made up of stickers ! 24

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THE PICKOUT 191? such a banquet, such eats, such sport with the sophomore waiters? Never! Up-Stream Day that year was one grand lark for the freshmen. We almost won the baseball game with the sophs; in fact most auth- orities believe we did, as the score keeper got mixed up a little when trying to add up the runs made by the sophs. At dinner we nobly upheld our reputation and did full justice to the wholesome food served by the Page Catering Company. Finally came May with the customary ordeal of final exams. And then we were free for four long months. £econt) Hear The long summer passed, and while the last few days of September still lingered, as if loath to depart, the class of 1917 returned to Textile. Originally consisting of 46 members, we are proud to relate that only seven men dropped out, which shows that 86% of the class returned. Is that not a record to boast of? It was with memories of that day just one short year before, when as freshmen we had entered Textile for the first time, that we gathered near the library door to renew acquaintances and to inspect the newly arrived freshmen. What a timid, shrinking lot they were! No sooner had they matriculated than off to the locker room we took them. Off with their shoes and stockings, was the cry ! Coats inside out ! Hats and caps in the wheelbarrow! Before long the freshmen were thoroughly cowed. Soon we tired of the pleasant diversion of walking them around the room in their stocking feet, and as the majority of them seemed to want some fresh air, we allowed them to file out on the lawn. Arrived there, several wrestling matches were staged, and on the whole a most enjoyable morning was spent. Thus ended the first day of our second year at Textile ; but oh, how different this day had been from that of the previous year ! While being comparatively active in athletics during our freshman year, we, not deeming this sufficient, started in the fall of 1915 by plac- ing several of our men in coveted positions on the football team. Again, in the following spring, a goodly number of men held up the honor of 1917 in the baseball team. What more could a class do for athletics? Soon came November with its chill winds and its frequent light snowstorms. ' Twas on just such a chill day as that in which we as fresh- men had entered together into Textile, that we as sophomores held the annual Freshman-Sophomore football game, and flag-rush. The fresh- men, over confident of victory, fell down before the valiant men of 1917. 23

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THE PICKOUT 1917 Gone are the prankish days of our freshmen year, gone are the haz- ing days of our sophomore year, but in their place comes a deeper interest in athletics, in various other school activities, and most of all in our studies. October, November and December passed with only occasional lapses from study. The Christmas vacation refreshed and rejuvenated us for the mid year exams. As usual, 1917 upheld her share of the minstrel show which was given this year instead of a musical comedy. The outlook for this year ' s baseball team is unusually good, thanks to our excellent coach, Mr. Morey, and to the efforts of Manager Morris in arranging a fine schedule of games. Many of the veteran players will be 1917 men. It is with pardonable pride that we look back over the record of our class. From that day in 1914 to this, the class of 1917 has gone on majestically, unswervingly toward its goal. It has achieved results both in the athletic world, and in the scholastic world, which will long be remembered in the annals of the Textile School. Our men have spirit, the real genuine sort of spirit, the kind that never dies, but burns and smolders deep down in their hearts, ready to burst into flame at a mo- ment ' s notice. For instance, they were men from old ' 17 who had the enterprise and ability to launch the campaign to change the name of Lowell Textile School, to one more worthy of being applied to an in- stitution such as ours. Is not this an indication of true school spirit? Most emphatically, yes ! Oh! class of 1917, we believe in you, each and every one; we believe that in the years to come our Alma Mater will point proudly to us and say, That urns a Class! May each and every one of us bring honor to himself and to the dear old school. You men of ' 17, as you go out to take your places in the world, we bid you farewell. In years to come, when you pause a moment in your busy toil, let your mind wander back to those pleasant days. By the rugged banks of the Merrimack, All honor to the class of nineteen-seventeen ! Quite close to the flowing tide Our standards are lifted high, Where stands the Lowell Textile School As we leave at last the Textile School In its beauty and its pride,. With friendships pledged, that ne ' er will die. Three years within its spacious walls Not like the river that rushes on We have passed the happy days In its swift course to the sea In class-room, lab, and lecture halls, And is plunged at last in the whirling deep, ' Til now we part our ways. Where is lost its identity. But, as each brick in our dear old school, Works out the builder ' s plan; May we find our niche in the scale of life — ■ Proud to be a Textile man! Raymond Russell Stevens