Mansfield High School - Hornet / Green Years Yearbook (Mansfield, MA)

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MH bo GAR “BOOK Oh yes, Alice Dunne; and Al Sankey was treasurer. There is little wonder that we had a most successful year with those officers. At another meeting we voted to have this Year Book, and wise we were to do so. Then our principal announced the honor students: Lois Griswold was valedictorian, Carl Garofano was salutatorian, and Jack Bennett was historian.” “Finally came the climax of it all, graduation night,” said the banker. ‘How soberly we sat up there on the stage, and how mechanically we walked up for our diplomas!” “Yes, but it wasn’t mechanically that we walked up to get our numer- ous prizes,’ commented the first man. For hours they sat there, chatting about old times, away from the strife and bustle of the big city—far, far away from that dear little town where they had spent so many happy days in their youth. The sun was slowly sinking to rest behind the city skyline, and the warmth of the afternoon had given way to the crisp coolness of evening. If one had been in Central Park on that spring evening in 1970, he might have seen two men strolling out of that public beauty spot together. Yes, two long-lost friends who had found each other walked along, arm in arm, past the large band pavilion, just as they had walked past the band stand on South Common many, many years ago—two high-school boys. ERROR ELEGY by Eleanor M. Tillotson On the morning of January 6, 1944, I received a cablegram from the American ambassador to Sweden, John Connor, informing me that the wedding of one of my former classmates was to take place in Stockholm in June. This message inspired me to start on an airship cruise around the world, with Sweden as my final objective. ‘Therefore, on January 31, with Peter Rodrick as pilot, I began my trip. Our first landing was in Chicago, where the Farmers’ Convention was in progress. Here Louis Silvi could be heard ballyhooing for an instrument supposed to stop roosters from crowing in the morning and to make hens lay at night. Also, we found at the fair Jennie Repucci, demonstrating what the perfectly dressed farm girl of 1945 will wear in her garden. From Chicago we took off for Hollywood to see the latest movie stars. Whom do you think we visited first? Virginia Briggs. Of course, you know who she is—the successor to Katherine Hepburn. Her latest picture is [31 ]

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VEAP Leake DOO and that’s Alfred Doerfler—and Joe Julian—and Bill Lucy and Joe Faria—and Howard Strang—and johnny Moresco—and Walter Smolisky—and Walter Streeter—and Huck and the great Warren Mackinlay. What athletes! We certainly turned out some good ones, didn’t we?” “Yes, I'd give anything to see them play again. Do you know that it | had all the trophies they won and could pawn them, I’d be a wealthier there's Al Sankey and Amando Amici Shaw man than you?” ‘Thus they conversed, each name mentioned bringing back sweet mem- ories. “Chey recalled their junior year. “They read about Joseph Julian, who became class president that year, and Ginesio Ginesi, who was vice- president. “They perused the pages until they found the other two officials of the year—Secretary Alice Dunne and Treasurer Viola Cataloni. Once again, with fair classmates, they danced to the strains of an old waltz; once more they made merry in the High School gym at the junior social. What a grand time everyone had at that party! And then they pictured again the reception that they, as juniors, gave the seniors. It was a gala event, indeed. The Town Hall was crowded to capacity on that beautiful summer evening, and everyone, dressed in finest raiment, was gay of heart as under- graduates and townspeople paid honor to the departing seniors. The old Town Hall—what memories it brought back—the speaking contests, in which Dorothy Stearns, Doris Smith, and Lloyd Williams ably upheld the prestige of dear old M. H. S.; the basketball games; the class play. The two old graduates looked at the picture of the cast of that play, “Good Morning Glory.” ‘There were Lloyd Williams and Gertrude Wil- lard, the leading characters; and Leland Orcutt and Jack Bennett, the riotous comedians, standing beside their respective loves, Dorothy Stearns and Eleanor Tillotson. ‘They saw Virginia Briggs, who played the part of Mrs. N. G. Fleepepper, the haughty society matron; and Ina Pritchard, who was her proud daughter, Florabelle. In the corner of the picture was Alice Dunne, who was cast as Mother Tony, proprietor of Tony’s Tavern; and beside her, Ruth Archibald, who was Clare, a poor working girl, the victim of the bold villain—Ginesio Ginesi. Said the banker: ‘I was in that play, and of all the experiences I’ve been through, that little play was by far the most exciting to me. When I, who was wont to become stagestruck, heard that it was a sellout, I thought that I was doomed.” “Throughout all these years,” the once-sad man continued, “what I’ve remembered best are the senior class meetings. The first one saw the elec- tion of the class officers. Let’s look at them in the book. ‘This boy, John Connor, became class president; and this little girl on the next page, Lois Griswold, was elected vice-president. Let’s see, now, who was secretary? [30 ]

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V2 Br YEAR BOOK “T Gave My Husband Gray Hair.” ‘The night of our arrival in Hollywood we attended a party, given by the once famous actor, Clark Gable, in honor of Leland Orcutt, the Beau Brummell of Hollywood. Among the guests we met Ruth Archibald, who is now the Zasu Pitts of the screen. ‘The only important member of Screenland who was not present at this party was Gino Amati, who has followed in the footsteps of Bing Crosby. The next morning we visited the General Electric Film Studio, where Madeline Doyle was making the new picture “Congress of 1944.” This picture tells of the activities of the new Congresswoman, Doris Smith, who argues for her rights—or wrongs—and gets them! She is now working on a bill which provides that a woman may demand a salary for keeping house for her husband. On February 10 we again took to the air, heading our ship toward Alaska. In Nome we found Joe Julian training Eskimos to be football coaches and prize fighters. In this cold land Annie Chippola successfully conducts a beauty parlor for débutantes of the snow region. When I visited her famous salon, I discovered a suffering patient undergoing cruel ministrations of creams and mud packs. ‘The sufferer proved to be Ina Pritchard. Ina—cream, mud, and all—was delighted to see me. She told me that she was in Alaska for her health, since she was recuperating from her last season as a model for the House of Patou. She also told me of a gum-chewing marathon held in Philadelphia. Helen Ciriella and Viola Cataloni were the only contestants. “They chewed for nine consecutive weeks, using four thousand packages of gum. Helen was the winner. Viola is now trying to invent a type of gum which has no odor. (This will make it impossible for some of our former high school teachers to detect gum-chewers. ) After taking leave of our friends, we crossed to Japan. No sooner had we landed at Tokio than our eyes rested on a magnificent electric sign read- ing ‘““Hamburg Dog Biscuits.” Our curiosity aroused by this advertisement, we visited the factory where these canine delicacies were manufactured. To our surprise, we found that the biscuit company had been founded by Mae Westhaver. She had as her partner Mabel Goyea. In this factory Alfred Doerfler was the head bookkeeper; Francis Shaw, the sales manager; Earl Greany, the office boy; Joseph Faria, the French translator; and Helen Capek, the Spanish translator. Ginesio Ginesi was in charge of the labora- tory, in which six dogs, known as the professional tasters, sampled all bis- cuits produced by the company. From Tokio we flew to China. It had always been one of my am- bitions to see a Chinese school. Now I was to realize that desire. First we visited the primary department, where Betty Davidson was teaching small children to read books backwards. Virginia Ellis was explaining short- hand to a class of Chinese high school students. I noticed that she was