Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

Page 136 text:

HENRY D. WILSON, JR., B.C.E. Beta Sigma; Knights of Divine Child; Track 1, Varsity 2; Cross-Country 1, Varsity 2; Manhattan Engineers 2, 3, 4; American Society of Civil En- gineers 2, . 4; A. A. F. VINCENT J. ZAPPOLLO, B.C.E. Swimming 1; hitramurals 2, 3; Manhattan Engi- neers 1, 2, 3, 4; American Society of Ci il En- gineers 2, Treasurer 3, 4; Nary. 132

Page 138 text:

SENIOR CLASS HISTORY JUNE 10 and G mmencementl What a roundabout, windint; road it has been for the majority I ' t Manhattan men of the Class of 1947. For some, it has been a decade from the green cap and tie to the sheepskin, but all of us final iy stand on the threshold of gradu- ation. From the rosters of the classes of 1941 and ' 42, ' 43, and ' -I4, ' a and ' 46 we come, ready at last to step out mto the not-so- strange, not-st)-cold, world. It certainly has been a lontr time comintr. But what memories and experiences we ha e gathered from the day we matriculated as freshmen! From Ri erdale to the Rhine- land and from Jasper ille to Japan: that is the road many of us ha e detoured upon m our quest for education, the American way. That IS the road that changed us from gan- gling, timorous frosh to mature, world-wise veterans, ready as no class has ever been before to face the hardships of the life we are about to enter. And as we stand and w.iit for the exercises to betrin, our minds wander. We try to imat;- ine Alma Mater as she first appeared to us . . . the long rickety wooden stairw ay in front of Cardinal Hayes Library . . . the crowds in O ' Brien ' s, Doc Bartner ' s and Peterman ' s every day . . . the fe er of football m the Fall . . . the hazing and the pledge session. They are all gime now as we knew them, and with them many uf our chissmates who helped make those memories so dear. They are gone, to be sure, but they will always live in the haze of day-dreams and the chat- ter of class reunions. Somehnw, DLir whole i.ollegiate careers are tied in with the war and as we muse, what becomes more natural for the subject of our retrospect than the weekend of Pearl Harbor. Two days before the catastrophe, we re eled at the Class of 1944 ' s Green Formal in the Astor. And the ery afternot)n of the attack we gamboled and ignored its dismal portent at a Westchester Club tea dance in the Li- brary. Little did many of us realize then what the day ' s grim announcements would mean to us later. After we were plunged into the war, e ery- thing seemed to fall apart. The draft cut big holes in our numbers and many left volun- tarily to ser e their country. Great numbers joined one reserve or another to sta e off the forces of General Hershey as long as possible. There were dances, but they didn ' t seem quite the same. The Classes of 1944 and 1945 combined to throw a formal Pre-Induc- tion Prom in the Waldorf featuring the Mil- lionaire-for-a-Night, but something was defi- nitely lacking. Pen and Sword mo ed up its tapping ceremonies to select those men who deserved the honor group ' s tapping but who might not be around for the usual ceremonies in May. From that time until our return, things are fairly confused in a haze of drills, raids and death. From our Nissen huts, our tiny islands, and our muddy foxholes all o er the world, we heard news of an Army Specialized Train- ing LInit at Ri erdale ... a new president succeeding Brother ' Victor . . . and the deaths of two favorites m all schools. Brothers Paul Fdward and Patrick. At times, those days seem to ha e been eons ayo; at other times. 134