Middleborough High School - Timaron Yearbook (Middleborough, MA)

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24 f e m o r i a 1 High School 1943 History of the Class of 1943 WILLIAM SULLIVAN On September 1, 1939, World War II broke out in Europe. Five days later the Class of ' 43 broke into Memorial High. At the time the latter event seemed much more im- portant. In the presence of our learned teachers and dignified superiors, the upper classmen, we felt rather timid. We were aptly described by a former class historian as scared rabbits. It was not long, however, before we be- came sufficiently sure of ourselves to elect class officers: Norman Andrews, president; Jeannttte Atkins, vice-president; Patsy lam- pietro, secretary; and Walter Alger, treas- urer. Further indication of our ability to adapt ourselves to the new surroundings was the absence of an acquaintance social, which, as its name implies, is designed to acquaint the Freshmen with the upper classmen and each other. The class got off to a good financial start by selling ice cream and candy at the foot- ball and basketball games. The plan proved so successful that it has been continued by the incoming Freshmen ever since. One of the less pleasant occurrences of the year was the advent of Midyears, which came down upon our innocent heads like a wolf on the fold. Happily the bark of the wolf proved much worse than his bite. In the fall of 1940 we returned to school feeling quite mature. We were now Sopho- mores. Our officers were Robert Gross, president; William MacMahon, vice-presi- dent; Roberta Gross, secretary; and Donald Quagan, treasurer. Our principal social event that year was the Sophomore social, which was held in February, in a patriotic setting. It was the first afternoon social, and there were some misgivings as to how it would go over. Thanks to the efforts of the committee in charge and the class adviser, Miss O ' Neil, it was a real hit; we made a lot of money, and Stuart met Lillian. The athletic facilities of the school were enhanced by an addition to the locker room, which Mr. Battis had built during the sum- mer. Of further interest in athletic circles that year was the excellent record of the baseball team, which lost only one game all the season and had one of the best defensive in-fields in the state. By June there were many new members of the faculty. Of these, Miss Merrill, Mrs. Ring, and Mr. Sturtevant are still with us. The next September, as Juniors now, we chose the following class officers: Donald Quagan, president; William MacMahon, vice- president; Constance Draghetti, secretary; and Walter Alger, treasurer. An important event early in the year was the dedication of the new football field to Mr. Battis in recognition of the time and effort which he had expended in completing it, almost singlehanded. The grandstand has a large seating capacity, and it is now pos- sible to charge admission and thereby greatly increase the income from football games. The death of our submaster, Mr. Tillson, in November was a loss to the whole com- munity; but it was felt most acutely in High School, where his devotion to his work and his sincere friendliness had endeared him to everyone. When he passed, something irreplaceable passed with him. After Christ- mas there were new additions to the teaching staff. Among these were Mr. Ashworth, the Senior English teacher, and Mr. Whitmore, who teaches Chemistry and Physics. The winter social season was climaxed by the Junior Prom, which was a triumph, measured by standards of either pleasure or profit. The year ended in a burst of activity. The occasion was the election of the Student Body president. Following a colorful nom- inating assembly and an exciting campaign, Robert The-Pupils ' -Choice Gross was elected to the office. His opponent, Eugene Sav- ard, became vice-president. Last autumn, after a vacation in which many of us worked to help relieve the in- creasing manpower shortage, we resumed our studies as Seniors. We were of course en- tirely familiar with dear old M. H. S., and perhaps our only new impression was a real- ization of what little creatures Freshmen are. Getting down to business quickly, we elected Malcolm Person, Donald Bowles, Constance Draghetti, and Roberta Gross, class officers.