Maumee Valley Country Day High School - Weather Vane Yearbook (Toledo, OH)

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No. 1346 . . . No. 1345 . . . No. 1347 . . . Ah, yesl 'The Dawn painted by Miss Alice Rathbun, awarded second prize in the national showing of nature paintings' Alice Rathbun! Could it be? 'l2ZO VVest Park, Greenwich Village, New Yorkf 1 knocked on the door and a. dour old landlady let me in. I asked for a Miss Rathbun and was informed that she was down in Rockefeller Center, skating. I-low like dear Alice! I was shown her studio and told to wait. I knew that I should have to wait a long time, for Alice is X X obsessed with a wild passion for the ice. I wandered about My , p her studio looking at her pictures. Behind one of them, to QW' ,V my amusement, I found a tennis racket, a swimming suit, and QRS various other outlets for Alice's sport-mindedness. Since she ,' X is a versatile person, there were also books and doodling pads. I 1 spied underneath one of the books a greyish leather-bound 'I p manuscript. I chuckled to myself to find that Alice still writes stories of Chinese castles, happy leaves, and eyeless dolls. Beneath this manuscript behold the Ufeaflzcr IYUJIE of 1941. Alice Rathbun, Editor-in-Chief, Alice Rathbun, Captain of the Brown Team, Alice Rathbun, strewing the book with her whimsical little drawings, Alice Rathbun. . . A noise of dropped skates and munched carrots turned my eyes to Alice. Hig eyes wide with surprise, hair flying, a grin emerging, she rushed at me and threw her arms around my neck in a big bear hug. That very same day 1 happened to stop in at a ladies' dress shop to look over the stock, and there I saw one of the former senior girls modeling clothes. 'No. chin higher. Not your head-your chin, Miss Hiett. Let's try on the blue chiffon now. Remember not to look down.' Rather astounding for a stranger like me to be thrust into the midst of f a modeling school. Then she came in again. blond hair thick A ii over her forehead, deep blue eyes trying not to look down, her beautiful complexion set off by the blue evening dress. It is , patterned almost identically like the white one that she wore the june afternoon when she was graduated from Maumee Valley in 1942. NVell, class is over for the day and Dottie takes her leave, but I am seeing familiar sights, for there are at least eight men coming in to escort her home. That smile that appeased even the most wrathful teacher flashes across her face as she takes the arm of that man with the Yale pipe. But to my surprise, I see a blue convertible Ford zoom out of a parking place leaving me behind rememb-ering the days when Hiett just didn't have room for ten people, but took them anyway. I-. er 7 Last year I went to Detroit to see the president of a large banking concern. 1 was amazed to see, when I entered Mr. Nash's office, one of the class of '42 typing efliciently behind a little wooden railing. She gave me .Kai a cheery smile and rang the buzzer to inform Mr. Nash of my presence. I told Mr. Nash that I knew his little secretary, and , 7 he brightened immediately, eager to tell me all her good qualities. lf ,,, I., 'She is exacting,.quick, and has a charming personality. u g She has executive ability-in fact, I am thinking of turning 'T ' ,,,,gi, over to her the management of this whole departmentf Those were his very words. After our business was finished. 1 stopped to talk to my friend. I discovered that she was also teaching swimming and was fast becoming known in Detroit for her skill in teaching other sports. VVell, you remember my telling you that she was captain of the llrowns her senior year at Maumee Valley. She also had a job teaching Sunday School. Managing in general and children in particular seemed to be her 22

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that she was the champ of the lake and that she could show me a shining array of trophies won from different parts of V ,irlf , the country. Then he told me her name, and I was astounded 'X' Q ' V' to learn that she was one of my nine seniors. Sailing seemed 92' 'S I to me a suitable occupation for this girl, who is so sociable, -.fl , mischievous. and gay-skimming over the water by sail-boat in swift, quiet grace, or dashing by speedboat in throbbing beauty. She is a person who makes quick decisions, always sees the humorous side of the situation, and if people were snakes, she would become famous for charming them. Her eyes truly smile and as a slightly pouting mouth parts, these eyes turn into curved lines. I often wonder how many people who have crossed Gerry's path have gone on with new zest for life. Ah, here comes Muff with the water--and cookies tool Now take it easy, Ruff-there are enough for all of us. Umm! That water feels good-my talking apparatus was all dried up! Now, where were we? Oh, yes. Last year i11 june, there was some outstanding front page news. One of the class of '42 had been at the head of an expedition which unearthed, down in Mexico, a whole city dating back to the Aztec Indians. just think, Cubs, a whole city-undreamed of! I had heard before of her great prowess as an archeologist-bringing old records into the light. This girl has a quiet curiosity that surprises you because you are so unaware of its presence. Her sense of humor has no limit and that giggle-infectious V is the word for it. If she went down the street, you would recognize her because of that saucy walk if not by the unusual f hue of that shock of hair. If you should ever stroll out to A I 4 I, the stables-you've guessed it, Puff. She rides very well K Q., and that is stating it mildly. The results of her prowess are pinned on a large board-yellow, white. red and blue ribbons, blues predominating. How she can sail over those jumps- horse and all! VVithin the next few years, I don't suppose she will ever touch a horse's back, for there is some talk that she is planning to make a trip to Australia for excavation-Marian, the great archeologist. 'i it l f 'GQ ,. fvlxx ' Ruff, do you remember that book that I showed to you last week-the one written by one of the seniors I am telling you about on new discoveries in science? just yesterday I went out to see the author at her home. Her face alight, both hands outstretched, she squealed a greeting in that familiar voice. We talked over old times, and I discovered V, that she had made quite a few contributions to the world of 15 science and that they were mentioned in her book. During -A our chat. I could faintly hear children's voices, thumpings and A occasional crashes. My hostess sat calm through these slight disturbances-quite a contrast to her former days when she x ' was a live wire. No, she has not extinguished the flame: she ,V now uses up the excess energy in her full life instead of in continual activity and speech, as she was wont to do. She has started a business of breeding horses and hunting dogs and she is beginning to be known for her fine stock. Besides she entertains a great deal fsihe is an ideal hostess-so sincerely sociablej, reads many books, indulges in sports, and' cares for five children-Louise, the modern mother. Let us go inside, 1ny cubsg the mosquitoes are biting. You take the pillows, Puff, and you take the tray and glasses, Muff, please. Ahhh! This is much better-no longer will we be fed upon. Now, where were we? . . . That's right, I have told you about four of them and there are five more to come. I rem-ember one day when I was at an art exhibition in New York City. 21

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specialty. Maybe she intends to make it a lifetime job, for I saw in the paper two months ago that she was engaged to a gentleman from Seattle, Wlashington. The littlest of the nine, Gordie, will not bark her shins on life's obstacles- not with those sparks of determination, domination, and dauntlessness. Look, Puff, will you please bring me the album that is in that table drawer? That's a good cub, thank you. Ahhh. now we can see the objects of our con- versation. These pictures were taken during their years at Maumee Valley. NVell! VVill you look at this one! lt was evidently taken on the roof- looks rather dangerous. VVho is that? Oh, let me tell you about her. W'hen l was in the great metropolis of Detroit last week . . . 'Cut l' shouted the director in my ear. I looked out across W- the stage at one of the former seniors who used to tweak my My-h ears and toss me into the air. Now she was carrying on an 'Kw ik animated conversation with the director, making those familiar gesticulations. Here was another play in the making which would create a sensation all over the United States. The HM nation had gone wild over this young star. She is climbing fast to the top. But she does not push other people down so that she may rise: she pulls them up with her. Over the air and on the stage echoes the voice, wit, and charm of this talented girl whom we nicknamed 'Life of the Partyf Later on, I managed to have a chat with her director and he said that she also teaches dancing besides learning her script, entertaining, indulging in social life, and insuring the happiness of her husband and children. VVherever she dances, before long, the people step aside to watch this graceful animated figure execute such complicated steps. Remember that old, old, song, Blues in the Night? She could never sit still while that piece was playing. If you were to ask her though, you would learn that Marie Louise is happiest when acting. There goes the nine o'c1ock gong! Wliat attentive listeners I have with me this evening-not one yawn from any of you! There you go, Ruff! I guess I spoke too soon. Let's see that picture, Muff. That looks coy, I must say. I can actually hear that laugh. It gurgles like the solutions that she mixes. . . Bubbling, foamy mixtures in long shiny glass test tubes, bronson burners, arrays of bottled chemicals, and experimenting tables constitute Georgia's sur- roundings. ln the Chicago Institute, Georgia is known for her prowess as a laboratory technician. She was said to have discovered and ,. developed the fifth principle of this new element called radio- 1. xhydrogenpht. If you donyt know what that is, Puff, you uf J should browse through the medical magazines once in a while. , lVith her hand ready to select the correct bottle from hundreds, ,Aff A this conscientious girl works hard and steadily. In the evening I . she retires to her home to prepare a dinner of the best caliber for her husband and two children. The spare time that she finds is spent in drawing advertisements for a millinery shop near her home. I remember a sketch that she did of her father. It was very good. What was that, Ruff? Oh, yes, you are right, my boy. Georgia Brackett is the girl who gave such a remarkable skiing exhibition at Sun Valley, two years ago. My yes, that was wonderful to see. I think she received a medal of some sort. Now we shall leave Georgia in the dim light of her laboratory on whose east wall is the shadow of a Grecian profile. And there I have told you the present occupations of those nine senior girls who graduated from Maumee Valley in 1942. I wonder what their ambitions were when they were seniors and whether they have been realized. Who knows? Off to bed we go. Scamper now, and if you hurry, Papa Rufus will bring you each some biscuits and honey. Z3