Martin Van Buren High School - Futura Yearbook (Queens Village, NY)

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cause of scientific advances. The atomic era had begun in the previous decade, but it was in the Fifties that it began to come of age. The force that had made the Korean War so ominous now metamorphosed itself into more productive forms. ln Shipping- port, Pennsylvania, the first reactor to be used for the production of commercial elec- tricity was built. The atomic reactor also proved to be the ideal unit for powering ships both above and below the surface of the sea. The great destructive power of the atom was recognized not only in the form of a blast but in invisible fallout, and efforts were made to curtail the testingof atomic weapons. However, not all the advances in technology were confined to the military. lndustry took giant strides in automation, and civilian electronics came to the fore. We began what may well be called a second industrial revolution. Another revolution occurred in the field of consumer goods. There was increased mechanization in the kitchen, a car and a television set for every five people, and air conditioning in many homes. The burden of the housewife was lightened with the introduction of new methods of packaging and the increased use of frozen foods. Maior breakthroughs also occurred in the field of medicine with the development of the vaccine against infantile paralysis and the discovery of more powerful antibiotics. Encouraging progress was made in the field of atomic medicine in approaching a cure for cancer. The Fifties were a decade of economic prosperity and expansion. Industry grew rapidly as indicated by the increase in national income from S277 billion in 1950 to over S360 billion in 1958. A large measure of this growth was due to a rapid increase in population from 150 million people in 1950 to 175 million in 1958. This increase of 25 million in eight years compares with one of 9 million in the decade 1930 to 1940. The labor force grew from 40 million in 1950 to 66 million in 1958, because of large population gains in the Forties. The nation grew rapidly and an atmosphere of optimism was generated, as indicated by the increasing birthrate. This feeling of optimism was further strengthened when the economic growth trend proved strong enough to easily overcome two minor recessions which occurred in 1953-1954 and 1957-1958. ln essence, in this decade the world was vastly different from that which had con- fronted returning veterans after World War ll. It was a time of rapid industrial develop- ment and of an upsurge in economic optimism. There was an atmosphere of vigor and of looking toward the future with confidence. It was a decade of great scientific achievement, both pure and applied. Man learned new means of lessening the burdens of life and of eliminating life completely. Perhaps these scientific achievements created more problems than they overcame, for if this decade lacked, it lacked in the social and political areas. It lacked in not being able to find solutions for the problems it posed, it did not teach man to live in peace with himself. Such was the decade in which the class of '59 obtained its education. The full influence that the Fifties have had on our lives is as yet indeterminate. Future decades will tell the story, a story whose recurrent motif will be- The Fabulous Fifties. STEVEN RINNER

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LE X 'elses 1. ., .A ls! ' ' Q5 if - my flaluu 'uiiiftiz ,luis A ' WW! ' 111111 1 ll WI 0 , F' 1 'li ill K 1 ...-if f 1 i - . ' ,L -s lil 1 s :si F my 'll g' itil . M - 1 . nf- 75- t V I V X shi? . ll' lf l EE l I-'twig .-gasatiss'-Wg n u n ' ll' Ill' E'-5 't5I 25 gn gs 'mmm I-1 , Q-,. ill' 1'- ggll!,,n.n:'jn' H l D535 , fl QQ , Nw' gf 14 U16 Erucible The students who will graduate from Martin Van Buren in 1959 are largely products of the Fifties. lt is in this decade that we will have spent most of our formative years. The trends, the events, the character of the times have made an indelible imprint upon us. lt was in this decade that we started and completed the bedrock of our formal education. When the decade began we were children, as it ends, we cross the threshold of adulthood. What this decade has given us, and what we have taken from it, will profoundly influ- ence our lives. The international political events of the Fifties were ominous in portent. This was a decade marked by the emergence of two armed camps-one despotic, one democratic-each pressing to establish its own political phi- losohpy. lt saw the continuance of a strong tide of nationalism which had begun in 1776 and was now storming the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In some areas of the globe, old empires disintegrated, some of the fragments to be engulfed by the newly constituted Communist imperialism. This decade began under the shadow of war as had the previous one. Only this was a different kind of war-a war small in size but fought against a background of weapons that could make the world uninhabitable. The Korean war was a contained conflict, a iet of flame bursting forth at a point where the cold war had grown hot. lt was a testing ground and a time of calculation, of miscalculation, of brinkmanship, resulting in large shifts in the balance of power in Indo-China and the Middle East. ln 1952, for the first time in twenty years, a Republican became President. ln Dwight D. Eisenhower the G.O.P. had found a leader whose popularity approached that of Franklin Roosevelt. With General Eisenhower as their leader, the Republican Party gained control of both houses of Congress. How- ever, the sentiment of the nation remained predominantly Democratic as evi- denced by the regaining of Congressional control by the Democrats in 1954. Another significant political change was wrought by the third branch of the government when, in 1954, the Supreme Court declared segregation in the public schools unlawful. To the South this meant a maior social upheaval, an upheaval that is still continuing on political, social, and economic levels. Little Rock took its place among the historical symbols that are created when the old order changeth, yielding place to the new. Many of the political developments in the Fifties gained significance be-

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zz 5 00 Saou 517146 Hy. . . x xdvgmf s,,f,- ,,,, ' 3? ,' 4 T ' Q5 X aft' nav lv V l - Y if lll ' lf ,Q l lb is tow CB X xqsg X Cv, w x he Xxx - , . yo C f t ', X BE rj , g 1 Q I 'ffpiifiilsfbf QM :,,'::f X ,Xb N X w .e F Q11 X X me i f IA7 I, an ,X Q y X M, H il. - Y,,.. 16 Here it is-1959! We are nearing the end of the Fabulous Fifties--ten years which repre- sent a decade of outstanding achievement and world progress. To the gradu- ates of '59, however, the latter part of the Fifties has an additional sig- nificance-the fond memory of our years spent at Van Buren High. We remember our consternation at the immensity of Van Buren as we entered for the first time-its spacious halls, modern classrooms and labora- tories, its tremendous auditorium and gym. Could we ever forget the irrita- tion at constantly finding ourselves on the stairway leading to the roof instead of to the third floor? Reminiscences of our first few days in Van Buren bring to mind the warm smile and friendly greeting extended to us by Mr. Hopkins, our principal. Those of us who entered Van Buren as freshmen will recall the first G.O. elections. How small and inadequate we felt then, looking up with envy at the candidates sitting on the stage, never dreaming that one day we ourselves, or perhaps our friends, would have the same opportunity, yet it never seemed quite the same once we were up there. Familiarity dulled the glamor some- what, but, slowly, something of more intrinsic value began to form-a sense of leadership and responsibility. Then come the birth of the G.O. We'll always remember the wonderful iob done by Mr. Weissenberg, our first G.O. adviser. He was succeeded by Mr. Radwin who has carried on in the spirited Van Buren tradition. Soon the many committees were formed-Elections, Turkey Mountain, Publicity, Enter- tainment, Ticket Sales, Art, and Social Service, the student body turned out in large numbers-and we were in business. Could we ever forget the honors bestowed upon our school, our own BeeLine winning a Columbia Press Conference Award, the city baseball championship, the cross-country awards, and honorable mention in the contest sponsored by Parents Magazine for our Creedmoor Toy Drive? We will never forget Marty, our typical Van Burenite, who brought tears of laughter to our eyes with each new issue of the BeeLine, nor will we forget celebrating Martin Van Buren's birthday every year on December 5. June 1957! That was the date Futura, our first yearbook, made its debut. Mid-terms, finals, Regents-these were strange new words that we were soon to become accustomed to. Then, one day, we heard about Arista and found ourselves diligently doing our school work and rushing around trying to get service credit.