Lowell Technological Institute - Pickout Yearbook (Lowell, MA)

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THE PICKOUT 1924 of men who will be a distinct credit to the school in the days ahead. This was in- deed nattering, but it gave us added courage and inspiration. Our first act of hostility against the oppressors was conducted under the shades of night. Upon Textile Rock, a large stone which juts up from the middle of the river bed below the bridge, had been painted the numerals 1923, intended to perpetuate the fame of that illustrious class. One morning it was discovered that the last digit of the number had been changed to a 4. The rock was now dedicated to the fame of 1924. Several times the digit was changed back to a 3, but only to be altered again within twenty -four hours. Affairs reached a crisis when a daring Soph was waylaid in the river bed one night and punished for his audacity. The result was the rise of the terrible Thirteen Club within the Sophomore class. The first act of this mysterious organization was to parade several Freshmen down Merrimack Street one evening, clad in pink pajamas. The worst sufferer that night, however, was the City of Lowell, as the city hall was sold by the victims for fifteen dollars. It was now apparent to us that there had been enough of this secret, under- handed warfare, so we set about to show our superiority in an open and conclusive manner. At Textile Night we carried off all of the class honors, although the Sophs succeeded in defeating us at basketball. The inter-class football series was our next opportunity to make ourselves known. Already we had defeated the Sophs and under the guidance of Jeff Moore we had tied the Seniors. On December 13, we met the Seniors again in a game that made us champions. By this time we had chosen our class officers for the year. Phil Brown was elected president; Charlie Field, vice-president; Jeff Moore, secretary; and Al Mitchell, representative to the Executive Council. Due to their able super- vision the class banquet was put over under the very noses of the Sophs. It was held December 17, in Grafton Hall, and will long be remembered. Flaggie was the toastmaster, and the class prophecy was given by Rollins. Mr. Winkfield was one of our honored speakers. The banquet was followed by a triumphal pro- cession to Merrimack Square where we disbanded. Soon the dreaded midyears descended relentlessly upon us and, like many another plague, claimed many of our number. The majority of us survived, how- ever, and our first term was over. In the early part of our second term the annual Textile Show took place, and many of our number had leading roles. These men were Ham Brigham, Kew- pie Hall, Jim Savery, Ev Skinner, Flaggie, and Newt Hardie. On Upstream Day we won the tug-of-war which proved to be our last contest with the Sophs. Newt Hardie was injured in one of the contests, but was right on the job again before the day was over. We hit the final exams with a bang and ended our first year in a glorious manner. 24

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I ' ll E PICK OUT 19 24 Class $tStorj , 1924 Freshman Days: Our class was enrolled at Lowell Textile School September 27, 1920. To most of us it seems almost inconceivable that four full years have passed since we first entered the gates of the school and with a feeling of pride we look back upon those years as being the ones which will be of most value in our careers. When we assembled for the first time we were indeed a motley group of fellows. Our ranks were filled with men from every part of the globe, but we were all in- stilled with a glowing spirit of enthusiasm and a firm desire to make the most of our course at Textile. After we had registered we collected in the assembly hall, where President Eames delivered a speech of welcome. He outlined what four years at L. T. S. would mean to us and thoroughly convinced us that our path would certainly not be one of roses. A very serious and austere Senior next spoke to us, and said that we were expected to co-operate to our utmost with the upper classmen, who would in turn do their best to help us with any of our work and problems. He touched upon football, its prospects for the coming season, and urged every new man to try out for the team. Our next speaker was an illustrious Sophomore, and he seemed to be thoroughly convinced that the class of 1923 was the one and only class that had ever entered Textile. He read a set of rules describing the way in which we were supposed to conduct ourselves on, or about, the campus, and informed us that we would be compelled to wear the prescribed frosh bonnet at all times. This later proved to be an idle threat, because the bonnets were not given us, and we were allowed to use our own discretion in the choice of headgear. After this speech he told us that we were about to be set upon by a fiendish tribe of barbarians, thirsting for blood. Disorganized and encamped on unfamiliar ground as we then were, we had to surrender to a force much our inferior in num- bers. We laughed as we took off our shoes, rolled up our trousers and turned our coats inside-out. We still looked pleasant as we trotted around the pebbly driveway and out onto Moody Street. At the bridge some of us, following the advice of upper- classmen, broke ranks and fled. The attempt was not concerted, so it failed; but it was the first show of spirit from the class. The remainder of the tour was con- ducted at the Sophomores ' pleasure. At Merrimack Square, Rollins, who was des- tined to become our president, was made to crawl up onto Page ' s clock and deliver an oration. This was too much for our oppressors, so they called it a day and let us go. That day was the last appreciable triumph of the Sophomores. We quickly organized and the first issue of the Text spoke of us in this manner — The upper classmen have been very favorably impressed by the entering class. It is made up 23

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THE PIGKOUT 10 24 Sophomore Days: When we returned in the fall we felt, that we had certainly earned our new and higher position of esteem among our fellow students. This year it was our turn to do the honors, and we certainly made ourselves awe-inspiring and overwhelming Sophomores. We opened wide the doors of L. T. S. for the Freshmen and gave them the best possible welcome to this, their Alma Mater. They appeared to be an extraordinarily, green group of individuals, so we took upon ourselves the task of conducting them about Lowell, as they should be conducted. We gave our orders quickly, and soon they stood before us arrayed in their small caps and with their wide webbs and full-f ashioned hosiery in full view. After a couple of turns around the courtyard we took them to Merrimack Square, without trouble or in- terruption of any kind. A few weeks later a battle royal took place between the Frosh and members of our far-famed class. One dark night they conceived the idea of capturing our president and inflicting some sort of punishment upon him, but their little plan was intercepted, and we met them hand-to-hand in the open field opposite the school. They were quickly subdued and in the process many of their number were horribly maimed and disfigured. The interclass football games next claimed our attention, and here again we upheld our prestige as warriors bold. Time and time again our men plunged through the Freshman line for touchdowns and when the final whistle had blown we were the victors by a score of 4-t-O. We were not given an opportunity to meet any of the other classes upon the gridiron, so we rightfully claimed the cham- pionship of the school. Kewpie Hall was deprived of a few valuable teeth in that particular game, so the personal appearance of our team was somewhat marred. As the days grew shorter, and the leaves began to fall from the trees, our fellows settled down to real work. Eight-weekers were a new experience to be sure, but we did very well in all of them, and our morale was greatly strengthened. It was now that we realized that Steam, T. C. and D. and the rest of the dreaded Sophomore subjects were not the awful ordeals that the upper classmen had told us about. Billeted, the 1922 Textile Show, was presented at the Colonial Theatre on the evening of February 21. We were well represented in this production and the following of our classmates participated: Hardie, Rollins, Brigham, Feldstein and Flagg. By this time we had chosen our class officers for the year. Rollins was chosen president; Lewis, vice-president; Rivers, secretary; and Brigham, representative to the Executive Council. Soon we were again exposed to the terrors of mid-years, but they passed quietly, and we came through unscathed. 25