Marshall High School - Marshallite Yearbook (Marshall, VA)

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Class History icontinuedl To facilitate the use of films for educational purposes the School Board gave the curtains for darkening the auditorium windows. The Sophs. thought some good movies would take the place of a few classes, but they were doomed to disappointment. There were no pictures more exciting than those on Incendiary Bombs and Synthetic Rubber. All stories must have a climax. and the high point of interest in my story was reached in 1941 when the Marshall High School saw its first football team go out upon the field proudly wearing the blue a11d gold. In September 1942 the Juniors found themselves in a land of oppor- tunities for getting by with a lot, and by now they were oh. so wise in the ways of the school. There were about 90 Freshmen to one teacher. and she Was a new oneg there were 52 Sophs. to one teacher and 42 Juniors, but their teachers were by no means new and inexperienced. llater Miss Brewer, Miss Robertson. Mr. Oorder and Miss Howdershell came to take over and skipping became more difficult. The clouds of war began to hover over the class more darkly and the first casulty was reported. In the spring, a service flag-at that time. standing as a memorial to 150 boys in the service- was dedicated. Responding to their country's call for stronger men and women, the Juniors fell into the old routine of forward, march, one, two, three, four. down, up. touch the floor that had not been popular since the last war. The gas shortage practically made the Junior-Senior Prom a.n impos- sibility. but whether it was pleasure driving to go for their best girls and bring them to the party was a question only the Junior and Senior boys could answer. and so far it's still a deep dark secret. School closed June 10 and soon thereafter five of the characters in my story were drafted. They were James Bell. Kenneth Embrey. Philip Kirk, Norman Kirk and Franklin Woodward Three of these are now in New Guinea. During that summer more sadness came into the lives of these class mates. for one of the Juniors was called into the Great Beyond. and a tragic theme entered my story: Katherine Allen was loved and mourned by her friends.

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Class History Classmates. I have a story to tell. Once upon a time there were fifty-four young' boys and girls. Some were tall and beginning to show promise of being handsomeg others were short and dumpy with the ages 13 and 14 showing in their faces. All of them were scared for a while. but later on the newness of high school wore off: and they became as noisy as other high school people who were never known to keep a secret. My story begins in September 1940 when the Senior class of 1944 entered the Marshall High School. Things were so different from the ele- mentary school: there were such classes as Latin, algebra. science. history and lllnglish. The only thing my characters were sure of, when questioned by Mr. Russell and Miss liubank as to the courses they proposed to fol- low. was that they didn't know. In some way the sheep and goats were separated and all the boys were together in one section and all the girls in another. Now do not ask your narrator which was which. but let it be sufficient to say that a few sheep finally got in with the goats and vice VHTBQI. Soon the Freshmen were told to elect representatives to the newly organized S. C. A , and a constitution was read to them -much to their amazement: for they thought a constitution was something in small print added in the back ol' the civics book to make it heavier to carry home on those rare occasions when a little study became necessary. Under the very popular Miss Eubank. a music class was added to the curriculiun. and many ol' the characters of my story learned the meaning ol' opera and symphony in place of boogie-woogie and jazz. In spite of failures, marriages, and jobs. thirty-seven F-ophomores were recruited on September 5, 1941 in Miss Partlowls home room. Uncle Sam had called two of his nephews. Mr. Russell and Mr. Gwin. into the army and they were replaced by Mr. Werth and Miss Martin. On December 7 there occurred the world shaking event that was to change the destinies of all my characters in some way. The slogan Re- member Pearl I-Iarbor was the watchword of allg so great an effect did it have that several boys joined the Navy and returned in their suits of Navy blue to give the girls thrills and heart-throbs.

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Class History fcontinuedi September 1943 found a very attractive blond, Ileaua Kines, among the 28 Seniors. However, there were not 225 for long: Uncle Sam was in need of another soldier and sailor. Then the Seniors. distressed at losing two such fine boys, entertained for each in turn and sent them away well and happy. To provide their classmates with the jeeps they might be needing, the Seniors purchased and christened Susie during the jeep campaign in which the school bought eight of the tough little buggies. After more than a year of patient and impatient waiting, the Senior class rings arrived, and my characters found themselves pledged to keep a date with a diploma on May 31. The setting of my story was greatly improved physically during 1944. The library was redecorated. the P. T. A. presented cabinets to the girls for their physical education equipment and gym clothes. a commu- nity canning project was approved for Marshall and the S.C.A. purchased a speaker's stand for the auditorium stage. Then too, the school paper was printed for the first time and free copies were sent to the boys in the service. Now for the conclusion of my story, the Seniors presented a three act play Saved by the Belle on April 14. The hero was a shy fellow, Francis Triplett, alias Jackie Clark and his heroine was Frances Beach, alias Rita Powers. As Slugger O'Day, RO. was a captivating trainer. and Mrs. Fish. Rosa Rector, practically stole the showf, And so ends the story of the Senior class of 1944. May they live happily ever after. Iii JSA RECTOH .IEANNE SINCLAIR