Lyman Hall High school - Singer Chronicle Yearbook (Wallingford, CT)

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8 THE CHRONICLE M iss Earhart’s Lecture at Woolsey Hall On November 11, 1936, I attended a lecture given by Amelia Earhart at Woolsey Hall in New Haven. I can truthfully say I have never listened to a more interesting and charming speaker than Amelia Earhart. She is a true American, I can assure you. For the most part Miss Earhart spoke of her trip from Hawaii to the United States in January, 1935. It was the first solo flight of this kind ever attempted. On the day of her take-ofl' it was raining hard, and the field was consequently very muddy. Although the officers and mechanics told her not to start her flight, she was determined to do so. Despite the weather Miss Earhart had a fifty-fifty chance, because she was travelling over a somewhat southerly route and all during the night of her flight there were seven ocean liners within call. She had been well equipped with a pneumatic boat, paddles, life preservers, and rockets. She regularly communicated with radio stations, and on one occasion she sent a message saying, “I am getting tired of this fog.” The message received merely recorded, ”1 am getting tired. This caused great excitement, for the public feared Miss Earhart would not arrive safely. The manner in which she described the stars, the clouds, the moon, and the water is indescribable. They really must have been beautiful. When she neared the end of her flight, she said she often thought she saw land ahead of her, but it was only clouds. Finally after eighteen hours and fifteen minutes of flying, she landed in California. Her diet had consisted of hot chocolate and one hard-boiled egg. One kind admirer gave her a sandwich before she left, but it was left untouched. On the trip she made from Newfoundland to Londonderry. Ireland, she maintains that she had one out of ten chances, mainly because she had no equipment in case of disaster, was farther away from the ocean liner routes, and because of the ice that could very easily have formed on the plane’s wings. She also says that if a person wishes to fly an airplane, he must stop his worrying at least two months in advance: however, lie should not forget the dangers and hazards of flying. He must estimate and prepare to meet them. She also mentioned the safety of air travel. She says that probably no phase of aviation has been more discussed or more in the public mind than that of safety in the air. Many accounts of accidents have appeared in the daily press, and an impression prevails that flying is one of the most hazardous of all enterprises. Statistics show that this is not true. The chief obstacle of flying is the weather, but today mechanics are working on an instrument that will enable the pilot to fly through fog without sight of ground. There have been all types of records of speed, distance, altitude, and endurance, but Miss Amelia Earhart, “Rider of the Air,” will always be remembered as the first woman to fly across both the Atlantic Ocean (1932) and the Pacific Ocean (1935). Frieda Buza. ’37

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THE CHRONICLE Horace Mann The year 1937 is being celebrated as the centennial of Horace Mann's valuable work in the field of education in Massachusetts. His influence in improving educational conditions spread to all the other states. In 1837 he became secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, an office he held for twelve years; and it was during this period that he accomplished the many things for which we are nowr honoring him. Because he found conditions in the Massachusetts public schools so very poor, he started at once to arouse public interest in the purpose, value, and needs of a public education. In every county he organized conventions for teachers, school officials, and the general public, and spoke at these meetings, himself. Through his efforts state normal schools were established, school buildings and equipment improved, school terms lengthened, and free public secondary schools were opened. For ten years he edited a magazine for bringing about a better understanding of the public schools. The work of Horace Mann was not, however, confined to the public schools, for he served as president of Antioch College in Ohio from 1853 to 1859, where he did much to promote advanced ideas in education. His last public words spoken at a commencement at Antioch were “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” Barbara Hall, ’39

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THE CHRONICLE 9 Richard Halliburton On Friday evening, November 20, about one thousand persons — men, women, and high-school pupils - - crowded our auditorium to over-capacity to hear a delightful and captivating lecture by Richard Halliburton, famous adventurer, traveler, writer, and lecturer. It could hardly be called a lecture, as Mr. Halliburton himself said, “A lecture is generally thought of as concerning religion, politics, or ethics. My talk was none of these, but only a story to see how far from Wallingford I could take you in an hour and a half.” Mr. Halliburton succeeded very well in his objective, for everyone present was fascinated and pleased at his forceful presentation, which subtly enlivened by humor expressed in a unique way his trip across the Alps on an elephant and his jaunt to Persia in his “Flying Carpet.” First we went to school with him. He hated arithmetic, he told us; his pet subject was history, and he all but ate his history books. He once read about a man named Hannibal. Hannibal, it seems, did the astounding feat of crossing the Alps on the back of an elephant. This man, who was then a mere youth, said to himself, “Why can’t I cross the Alps on the back of an elephant?” And so he did. Mr. Halliburton told the audience about the hardships, the dangers, and the problems of such a deed. The ease with which he related his tales was most pleasing. Later Mr. Halliburton read somewhere about a magic carpet on which rode a beautiful Persian princess. Even here, he was undaunted. He bought an airplane, painted it in gaudy colors, and named it “The Flying Carpet.” With it he set out for Persia in search of a beautiful princess, a most beautiful Persian princess. The thrilling accounts of his experiences with his “magic carpet” were all absorbed by his attentive audience. Interesting sidelights on this speaker may be told by Edward Pautenis, one of the freshman editors of the Afternoon News. Pautenis was the fortunate reporter who was delegated to interview Halliburton for the News and to whom the speaker gave generously of his time after the lecture. To the Ladies' Library and Reading Room Association, who sponsored Mr. Halliburton's coming to us, we give our thanks for a thoroughly delightful evening. Stanley Rellows, ’37