Malden High School - Maldonian Yearbook (Malden, MA)

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MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FUND Cynthia L. Barahona June M. Berardi Janice Burke Harvey S. Caras Ilene L. Fine . Ruth A. Greenstein . Maureen G. Greenwood Gloria C. Hirsh Richard Klayman Mary Ellen Kapralos Charles R. MacKay . Patricia E. Mayhew Steven H. Mesnick Mary E. Phinney Martha A. Raimondi Marsha L. Sazin Joel A. Sonenshein Nancy M. Schneiderman Donna E. Superior James W. Tuxbury Daniel R. Verrengia Christine C. Vito Marcia L. Weiner Susan E. Woods $300 $400 $300 $400 $200 $400 $500 $200 $400 $300 $250 $200 $400 $250 $250 $200 $300 $200 $300 $400 $300 $200 $500 $250 HEADMASTER F. Champlin Webster, Jr., officiating at the graduation exercises, introduces each speaker. MR. LAFIONATIS presents the Yoke certificates. MRS. MARGUERITE HOLLAND speaks to the class. 21

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Joyce Perkins Delivers Class Oration THE UNEXAMINED LIFE The unexamined life is not worth living.” Writing these words two thousand years ago, Socrates reflected his belief that each man must find his own personality, must make explorations into himself, must become himself. Otherwise, he will find only frustration and unhappiness, a meaningless existence, a day-to-day life with occasiona l high points (a night on the town, a promotion, a European vacation), but without the satisfaction or richness which is necessary for a healthy spirit. The self-knowledge which must be gained is the discovery of one’s identity. Identity itself is the set of moral values and the self-commitment which a man has made for him¬ self. It must be not static, but ever-changing, developing as the man develops, growing to allow for the growth of the man. A person must make decisions concerning his beliefs in a God, his existence, and the purpose of his life. These decisions entail a great deal of responsibility, a burden which causes many to take a simpler road in which society makes all the choices, and society dominates the man rather than man dominating the society. A man must be free from dependence on a state, because an organized state places restrictions on the spirit of a man. In his desire for material success, he finds himself offered conformity, and he accepts it because it is easy. In a short time he may find himself choked by the sameness, but he is not willing to exert the effort needed to break the force, and his personality is smothered. The process by which a personality is stifled is described by Eric Hoffer: He must cease to be George, Ivan, Hans, or Tadao—a human atom with an existence bounded by birth and death. The most drastic way to achieve this end is by the complete assimilation of the individual into a collective body. The fully assimilated individual does not see bimself and others as human beings. When asked who he is, his automatic response is that he is a German, a Russian, a Chinese, a Moslem, a member of a Joyce Perkins—Orator certain tribe or family. He has no purpose, worth or destiny apart from his collective body. It is a frightening idea that man can lose his identity so utterly. The loss of the confidence gained by a knowl¬ edge of one’s identity signals the end of a personality, and consequently the end of a man. It is therefore vital that a person make the effort to become himself and not his neighbor. I should not stress, however, that this exploration is only a chore; it is also a thrilling and satisfying venture. When one thinks of the wonderful experience that self-discovery is, Henry David Thoreau automatically comes to mind. In his retreat to the Concord woods, he found himself. He wanted to avoid leading what he called a life of quiet desperation.” He wrote: I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. At Walden Pond, he came upon that awakening of him¬ self that he felt to be the essence of living. Self-examination is therefore to be eagerly sought after. The only way for a person to become completely content and able to have satisfying relationships with others is to have worked at knowing himself. The joy which comes with self-discovery is described by Emily Dickinson: One is the population Numerous enough This ecstatic nation Seek—it is yourself. JOYCE PERKINS receives the D.A.R. Good Citizenship Award from Headmaster F. Champlin Webster, Jr. 20

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Mixed Emotions Characterize Malden % w ' % CAPTURED IN A MOMENT OF INTROSPECTION, Beverly Ameral seems to personify the reflections of a senior who leaves the things of childhood behind, and wonders what the future will bring. VICE-PRESIDENT DOROTHY DANCA leads her class onto the field. PARENTS and grads mingle at front gate. IS IT REALLY THERE?’ Gerald Peavey asks. DR. HERBERT SILVERMAN directs the MHS Band accompanying the graduates as they join in the chorus of the class song, I Like It Here.” 22