Midwood High School - Epilog Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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PULL FACTS Graduation Day! The guest speakers rise and address the grad- uates. Perhaps his theme is You-The citizens of tomorrow. 'AThe future of our democracy rests in your hands might well be his final words. Are you prepared? Have our years in the City of Midwood helped you to understand the machinery of government? It is said we learn by doing. Well, we Midwoodites in our final term have taken part in elections for four years. We mixed the excitement and fanfare of electioneering for our pals with the seri- ous talks and solemn campaign promises. We'1l all remember how the dream of a football team evolved from the campaign pledge of generations of candidates for mayor, to finally become a reality. Perhaps, before our kid brothers and sisters graduate, construction will have begun in the lot across the street.', And maybe, in the atomic future we'll even have soap and towels in our washrooms. But let's try to recall the exciting moments of the past elec- tions, during our Midwood years. Remember when We were just ignorant freshies, coming into school for the first time? The old party system was still in effect, and one of our first homeroom ac- tivities was to sign up for the Blue or the New Deal Party. That was the term that Harvey I-lonig beat Will Boughton for mayor. And Mickey Smith Cremember himj beat Jerry Ambro and Neil Underberg for President of our freshman year. It's funny how We recall old candidates, who since have dropped out of Midwood. 8

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For the third time, plans were made for a football team. We signed pledges and prayed., We topped our S100,000 quota for the Sixth War Loan drive. In Jan of 1945, Barbara Negus graduated as Class Everything, the Community Center opened, a new Service League was started, and Midwoodites became very excited at the thought of a snow plow leveling the immortal lot across the street . Making the V.C, a branch of the City of Midwood highlighted February. Not many of us will ever forget April 1945, when, on the twelfth, F.D.R. died. We were rather dazed. Our president was gone. The Dramatic Society successfully presented its first play, The Trysting Place on May 18. Lenny Singer, former basketball star, was killed in Germany. The term ended with a record graduation class of 535. Mayor LaGuardia made the music department happy by phoning congratu- lations after their performance over station W.N.Y.C. A September came, and we were lower seniors. Plans for the F.D.R. memorial award were announced. We returned to the old split sessions. The Baedeker,' was published. Several hundred stu- dents chanted No Sports, No Schoolu, as the city's kids protested the resignation of team coaches. The Harvest Moon Ball graced October, and the swimming team sank. With the seniors supervising, boys and girls met once more in the cafeteria. Helen DeBiasi reigned supreme in B71. Henry Gunty Aldrich in What A Life was presented in December by Mr. Hirsch and his play-production class. Midwood celebrated its Hfth birthday. It was February. We were seniors, with all the involved ex- penses and importance. We elected Everett Dulit senior president, and Dave Werman vice president. We voted as citizens of Midwood for the last time. julian Ginguld became mayor. We whizzed through the Football Varieties, the awarding of the first F.D.R. memorial to Frank Sinatra, school and senior outings, the last issues of the Argus. We proudly wore senior hats and jewelry, and especially enjoyed our special class day and night. As we struggled with college applications, we kept thinking of the wonderful time we had had at the prom. And before we knew it, this day arrived. We lean back in our seats and fleetingly recall our high school days. We take a long breath, swallow hard, and remember. Then suddenly, we sit forward and listen hard. Midwood days are finished, but we'll never forget them, the future is ahead--our future. We rise and sing our Alma Mater as we've never sung it before. qThe words are strong and clearg their meaning is imprinted in our memories forever. BOBBEE WEINBACH

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Then the next term Handsome Les Ritter beat Harvey Auer- bach and Dick Groberg. How we used to look in sweat at the faces of the candidates in office. They were big shots, sixth or seventh termers. They towered over us and looked old enough to be our fathers, or at least our big brothers. Third term-This was our last term as downtrodden P.M.'ers. Barbara Negus, Midwood's first girl mayor, beat Shep Ginandes and Jack Abrams. Jack promised us the Brooklyn College swimming pool. Next term most of us will probably get it, after waiting three years. Then, we became A.M.'ers. The election that term was the most exciting but also the most dangerous of our high school career. Lenny Lehman beat Jack Armin and Lenny Leff. That was the term that somebody started a rumor that religious issues were de- ciding the election. The rumor spread as only rumors can, and party lines were forgotten. However, we were all ashamed of the way we had acted and vowed it would not happen again. The course we took out of our difficulties, right or wrong, was to abolish the party system. Fifth term saw our first non-party elec- tion, in which Gordon Clarke defeated Dick Mattuck. In this election, one of the first in which we were promised a skyscraper in the lot across the street, the antagonisms of the past election were forgotten. Then sixth term-For the first time, We saw the candidates not as beings on a higher scale, nor as big-shots, but as members of our own group. Bert Rothkopf ran and beat Neil Underberg. The can- didates had changed from the mighty giants to whom we were afraid to talk in the first term to fellow-students with whom we had worked for three years. And then last term there were Helen DeBiasi, Mac Russell, Johnny Rosenberg. Again our term was the controlling interest in the school. We were the big-shots now. Those freshies bowed low when they saw us and our candidates. This term's election assemblies . . . our last term in Midwood. Who are the candidates? Ginguld, Lieberman, Moscowitz. Why those candidates are just kids. From Harvey Honig to julian Ginguld, Were the candidates growing smaller? No. We were growing up. Growing up with our own experiment in democracy, the City of Midwood. Growing up under the guidance of Mr. Dobren and Mrs. Emil. In three or four years we will be voting for City, State, and National officers. What better preparation than four? years voting and fighting for our school candidates? BEA GAMRIN BOB LEVINE 9 7,,,,