McClain High School - Dragon Yearbook (Greenfield, OH)

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MAIN ENTRANCE EDWARD LEE MCCLAIN HIGH SCHOOL

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4+ 6 333 5 E gh! yvffl I 9 : g et ?- 103 A00 Tree Planting Address FELLOW STUDENTS of McClain high school, members of the faculty, and friends. We gather here this afternoon to dedicate a living monument to a great man-a tribute enduring and straight growing, which will be as evergreen as is the memory of George Washington in the hearts of the people of the nation he established. This is not to be a monolith of marble, not a statue of static stone or dun-colored copper and parchment, but a growing thing, alive with a life emblematical of the living nation which the first President guided into being. What could be more significant than a tree dedicated to the Father of Our Country. Washington himself ,must have loved trees, for his writings contain repeated references to their value and care, and he chose a spot for his home where beauty is unexcelled. Along the shaded path that leads to his final resting place, two columns of trim straight larches stand like sentinels, his constant companions, along with those thousands of Americans who come to pay him reverence during the daylight hours. He must have loved the regal beauty of a tree. In the symbolism of a tree can Washington be re- membered preeminently. Deep-rooted in the ground, a tree is like a man, coming up out of the earth, but lifting its branches to the sky. And as it grows in usefulness, so it grows in beauty. It may outlast the ages. It offers its shade to all alike, and its disinterested ministries succour a thirsty countryside and provide for its physical and aesthetic necessities. So a tree bespeaks the spirit of Washington. He was democratic in his services, regal in his leadership, commanding in his principles, while he extended a brotherly hand to a new and independent people struggling for fuller freedom. Yes, Washington must have loved trees. We can forget the part they played in the exalted drama of his matchless career. Often and aHection- ately he writes of trees in his diary and his home, Mount Vernon was sur- rounded by trees that are loving symbols of the majesty and beauty of the life of the Father of His Country. As a young man on the march in hostile territory he sought the shelter of mighty trees and when he formally un- sheathed his sword as commander-in-chief of the glorious Continental Army he stood beneath the spreading branches of a tree that has long since become immortal as Washington's Elm. Is it not therefore peculiarly fitting that we as representatives of McClain High School should this day plant a tree in memory of him who vindicated the rights of humanity and laid the foundation of our great republic? Fitting it is indeed that we should commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth by planting this elm-offspring, perchance, of that elm beneath the sheltering boughs of which our great chieftain took command of the army that was destined to conquer in the cause of liberty. Long may this tree which we plant today grow and flourish and thus keep fresh the memory of Washington-first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen! DONALD TOWNSEND. ftFTU'T'ft rr rr rr rr rl' ri' p 9 ,-,- U-17 II fr , l I . WNW sums tt. ---v--2:1 i 5 W T .l ' F . . ii. fifwlg.. , ff 4EK

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FORMAL ENGLISH GARDEN FOUNTAIN IN GARDEN