McClenaghan High School - Florentine Yearbook (Florence, SC)

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History of the Class of 1950 Fellow classmates, the hour is fast approach- ing when we must take our last fond farewell of the Alma Mater which we hold in such high regard. It is therefore with a feeling of great nostalgia that I commence this, the history of the class of 1950. It was a cool, crisp September morn in 1938. The early morning sun shone bright and clear upon a new generation about to embark upon the stormy sea of life. It becomes increasingly difficult to realize as the years roll on that the poised, self-confident Seniors of today are the same frightened youngsters who but twelve years ago stepped trembingly across the thresh- olds of Park and Circle schools to begin the acquirement of the first rudiments of an educa- tion. The six years which we spent within the walls of these institutions of learning shall remain engraved forever in the hearts and minds of all of us, a symbol of the long gone carefree days of childhood. The most memorable of these years was, perhaps, 1942, which saw the white elementary schools undergo a change in name. Circle School was renamed Florence McKenzie in honor of a one-time principal of that school, who had devoted virtually her entire life to the education of young people. Park School became Harllee School in recognition of the many services rendered by Miss Margaret Harllee, beloved teacher, in the city schools of Florence. At length the time came when, at least in our opinion, one teacher could teach us no more. No longer would we spend the day strug- gling manfully to master the intricacies of the multiplication table or absorbing the funda- mentals of English grammar. At least so we thought, for we were about to attain the goal for which we had been striving these many years, an entrance into Junior High School. Harry Gall, Historian Who is there among us who will ever forget his first day in that institution? For weeks we had been tormented by rumors of horrible tortures practiced by diabolically clever eighth graders upon those poor unsuspect- ing beings who were so unfortunate as to be entering upon the mysteries of the first year in Junior High. These hideous rumors, alas, proved only too true. Bruised and battered, we, of the seventh grade resolved, amid the groans and curses occasioned by aching limbs and wounded pride, to take sweet revenge upon next year's unfortunate victims. To add to our host of worries, we were forced to accustom ourselves to a new method of class room procedure which at first occasioned us much difficulty, but to the hardship of which we rapidly became inured. Causing still further confusion was a new and radically different report card, the complicated notations of which we were unable at first either to comprehend or to explain to our bewildered parents. 15

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 History of the Class of 1950 Despite the above enumerated trials and tribu- lations, our seventh year of scholastic endeavor passed without serious mishap, bringing with it a sense of comradeship and animated well- being which we had never known before. Upon entering the eighth grade in the fall of 1945, we fulfilled the solemn promise which we had made to ourselves the year before. The life of each and every member of the rising seventh grade became a never ending nightmare of pranks and bruises. This, however, was a comparatively unim- portant, though amusing, side issue. Other events of much greater impact were occurring. This was the year which marked the first important venture of the Class of 1950 into politics. In a hotly contested battle Herny Dickman defeated Karl Albert and Harry Parker in a memorable race for president of the student body, while Blanche Coleman defeated her opponent in a spirited race for the vice- p residency. Much time must pass before we can forget the hour long flood of oratory, interspersed by wild cheering of each candidate. Nor are we likely to let slip from our remembrance the flood of campaign posters which seemed sud- denly to emerge from nowhere and engulf the entire building with their various and sundry appeals for votes. With such activities as these continually in the limelight, it is not to be wondered at that this, the eighth year of our scholastic en- deavors, fled all too swiftly by. As the final days of our sixteenth semester in the city schools of Florence began to ap- proach, an air of fond hope and eager ex- pectancy seemed to pervade the atmosphere. A mighty epoch in our lives had at last been drawn irresistably to a final termination, to be replaced by a still more vivid and stunning chapter in the mystic book of life. The gates of McClenaghan High School, the epitome of all our hopes and dreams, were about to swing open to admit their thirtieth graduating class. Now ancient friendships and connections were to be ripped asunder and new ones erected upon the shattered foundations of the old. The last few fetters of tender childhood must pres- ently be cast aside, for four glorious years of happiness and contentment lay just over the golden horizon. Among our first transactions upon entering the consecrated walls of this beloved institution was the selection of class officers. Pinckney Sims was elected President, David Harwell, Vice- President, Blanche Coleman, Secretary, and Betty Jewel Turner, Treasurer. Under the able sponsorship of these class officers and the extremely capable sponsorship of Miss Louise Baxley, we were able to steer a safe course through the tempestuous sea of hardship and travail common to all Freshmen classes and Freshmen years. Forced to accustom ourselves to a new environment and feeling deeply our own lack of importance, it was only with the greatest of difficulty that we were en- abled to reconcile our previous concept of grave and dignified upperclassmen with the realities of the situation as we found it, which showed these personages at times to be neither grave nor dignified. One event of this year stands out like a shining beacon on a storm-tossed sea of dark- ness. This was the annual May Day observance. To add to the glamour of this gala occasion, the class of '50 chose from among its fairest three charming young ladies, Bobby Gene Allen, Blanche Coleman, and Barbara Corley to repre- sent it in the May Court. It was with mixed emotions that we saw the last semester of our first year in high school 16