Mendota High School - Atodnem Yearbook (Mendota, IL)

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We cannot close this record of our Junior year without mention of the irreparable loss to our class of our well-loved president, Albert Henry, who died Oct. 12th, 1918. Although he could not be with us to finish our High School course his memory is ever present, and his example has been our in- spiration throughout all our class activities. Now, we are on our last year of High School life, the year that most Seniors Wish they were infant Freshmen againg the year when they discover that there are things much, much worse than attending school, and the year when they realize that high school is just about the best time in their lives after all. VVe feel that the editing of our annual is the most important thing that we have accomplished this year, although our class was represented in the declamatory contest, and we also staged our class play, Green Stockings. This year we have tried to keep up the high school spirit and to do such things as will leave the High School with a good opinion of the Class of '20, and we think and sincerely hope that We have succeeded, if in only a small part, in carrying out this ideal. ' Prophecy I was sitting in my office one day, thinking of the times I used to have when I was a Senior in tligh School. I had not seen any of my schoolmates for te11 years. As I was dreaming, my office boy came in and said that a man wished to see me. When he entered I discovered that it was my old school- mate, Dean O'Neil. I asked him what he was doing and he said that he was engaged in the manufacture of powder puffs. I was not surprised at this as he was quite a 1ady's man i11 his school days. We talked for quite a while and finally he asked me if I woud like to take a trip with him. Of course I accepted his offer. He said that I should be ready to start in two days from that time. This trip was to be taken in an aeroplane, as Mr. 0'Neil was intending to buy one. So thc day came to start. I met him at the field from which We were to start. The fi: st place we landed was in a small town of about eight hundred peo- ple. There was quite a bit of excitement among the people. We asked a fellow, who was sitting in front of a store, what was going on. He told us that there was a divorce case being tried at the court house. As we would not leave un- til the next morning, we thought that it would be a good place to spend the afternoon, so over we went. Twenty-two

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Wal .taht 1 V sursroizv , l' . '-viii' l y llilxillmlm n . ff' ,. 1 rg -swim A ?LAiA,. On a dreary, rainy day in September, 1916, the Class of '20 made its debut into the halls of learning at old Blackstone lligh School. We did not allow this gloomy beginning to depress us long and were soon happily launched on our first high school year. During our first year we followed the usual course of study and remained very timid and meek, perhaps a little over-awed by the knowledge which is so frequently displayed by the upper classes. We succeeded in placing our class eolors in the assembly hall at Blackstone after a short struggle and even went so far as to help the Sophomores in displaying their colors although they were rather loath to admit that they needed the help of Freshmen, though they objected not at all to profiting by it. However, in our second year, being now located in the new Township High School, we became more lively and began to establish ourselves as a class with a great deal of enthusiasm and pep. This year we saw three of our classmen winning honors on the football field and one on the basket ball team. Silas Marner, the first play to be given in the High School Auditorium was staged by the Sophomore English Ulasses. Although this was only an amateur theatrieal, it was here that we began to diseover the dramatic ability in our class. The High School also made use of our talent in the minstrel show that was given by the students during this year. When we became Juniors, our class was again well represented in ath- letics. This year there were five of our men on the football team and three on thc basket ball team, needless to say they added to the laurels won by our class in former years. In the first deelamatory contest which took place in our third year, three of our members participated, each sharing part of the honors. As our Junior year was drawing to a close we found that we did not have sufficient funds with which to entertain the Seniors so with our usual prompt- ness and enthusiasm we gave our class play, For One Night Only , which enabled us to take the Seniors to Starved Rock and later to a banquet, held in their honor, at Hotel Kaskaskia. T went y-one

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What was our surprise to see sitting in the Judge 's chair, Julius Schaller. We noticed that he was a little gray haired. He told us afterwards that it was caused by listening and presiding over so many divorce cases. When the plaintiff appeared, 0'Neil and myself nearly fell out of our seats, for who should it be but Robert Cummings. I wondered what was the matter with him and his wife, formerly Jaunita Reeder. As I looked around the court room to see where the plaintiff's lawwer was, I noticed my old school friend Herman Kntter. I motioned for him to come over, and asked him what the matter was. He said that Bob 's wife wanted to be a dancer, but when Bob wouldn't let her she stuck him with a hat pin. Herman Kutter certainly was some lawyer, he spoke with such force that the jury granted Bob his divorce. His wife went to the city and started dancing. XVe said good-bye to all the old school friends, and the next day continued our trip. We were tiying across the country and a good trip was assured when something happened to our motor, so we had to come down. The machine was looked over by the mechanic who found that it was overheated because we had run out of water. We saw a farm house a little way off so we went there for some water. We knocked at the door and it was opened by none other than Roland Bates. He was a successful farmer in that part of the country. We asked him for some water. He invited us to stay there over night, but as we had to make the trip in a certain time, we had to decline. The mechanic had the motor running, when we got back, so we got in and started on the trip again. We were flying over a city and looking down. We could see a lot of auto- mobiles collected in one place, so we thought that there must. be something interesting going on. We came down and were told that there was an auto race taking place, which was for Fords only. We came to the track and found the race was already on. It was very exciting and there was especially one driver who was very reckless and he was the one who won the race. We went up to see what he was like and the shock was so great that I nearly fainted for who should this driver be but Elbridge McIntyre. He was then the Champion of the Ford Racing world. There was to be another race at this place between motorcycles. We, of course, stayed for this and were very glad to get a chance to see it. When the motorcycles lined up with their drivers, I saw that one of them was some one I knew. I looked more closely and recognized Edmund Blei. He was the driver of No. 23. The race soon started and on the last half, it was reported that No. 23 was wrecked. We hurried over, but were too late to see Edmund. We went to the Hospital to which they took him. VVhen I came into the room I was surprised to see that Viola Anschieks was his nurse. They told me at the Hospital that she was the best trained nurse in the country, and that Edmund would soon be well again, as his injuries were not serious. Twenty-three