Midwood High School - Epilog Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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' THE OF One of the things which makes mountain climb- ing such an ever-popular activity is the fact that once you have reached the peak, there is always the mag- nificent view of the low-lying regions to look back on. Inlthis panorama are all the obstacles you had to sur- mount,'.'and Timmy of the small ridges which passed unnoticed when you crossed them are now clearly visible' in the distance. In the past four years at Mid- vvoodgwe too have been doing a little mountain climb- ing. Now that weive reached the top, let's pause a moment, catch our breath, and admire the view. . In the foothills below us, the trials and tribula- tions of our freshmen year appear in perspective. We had just left elementary school then, the idea of being X-N a big shot still felt good. That didnit last long, how- ever. We soon learned that as freshmen, we ranked below the lowest of the low in the eyes of all the other Midwood inhabitants. The first day at school was strange fthey didn't put all your classmates in the same roomj, and it took some time to get used to the many strange faces. We were handed pieces of pink cardboard, and given brief instructions in deciphering the hieroglyphics they were covered with. We went through the process of class elections Qthis had to be done twice, the first time everyone was nominated and got one votej. . ' That first week We managed to get ourselves from class to class without too much trouble, but no one ever found that swimming pool on the fifth floor the Seniors told us about. There 'were the freshmen orientation tours which gave us all sorts of valuable infor- mation QMidwood is shaped like an H j. The teachers warned us not to buy anything from upper-classmen, but there was always the nagging voice, But what if you are left out? We got our gym spots without paying a cent, but we did look a little out of place in clean gym suits and new sneakers. After that things began to slip behind us a little faster. With a little effort most of us made it over the first mid-term exams. Marks were just beginning to take on a peculiar significance. 4 On our climb up through Midwood, we started on a series of scenic detoursg extra- currics were beckoning, football games, the Sadie Hawkins dance Qwhich most of us were still too fearful to -attend anywayj. The first Midwood-Madison game gave us the shock of our lives. Those big, gigantic upper-classmen on the football team weren't invinc- ible. It was fun, though. The school expanded across the street into a nice, new athletic field, first covered with bloody cinders but later with sticky tar. They left the tree standing, and the place still retained a rural atmosphere. FDR elections came, and Eddie Cantor Six

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EDITORIAL On June 24, 1952, 560 Nfidwood Seniors will cease'to beaapart of Midwood, officially at least. And when, with the playing of the recessional, the blue and white Hguresrise and begin marching up the center aisle of the Patio theater, there will be a few amongithem whom the festivity of the occasion has not taken full possession, who will cast their mind's eye in the direction of the red brick building on Bedford Avenue which has served its a second home to them for four years, and feel deep regret that their high school days are now but happy memories. A' I ' T' In that instant, forgotten are the frustrations and the liiijuries lb pride you may have suffered, the minor failures, the temporary anxiety over tests, College Boards, College ac-I ceptance, the minor problems which arose every now and then andseemed at once so vital, yet which soon vanished as a new interest or idea caught hold of you and carried you along on its crest until the next time you were spilled in the trough of depressiongukemem- bered are all the good times you had in that building-the lively discussions in SS classes over monopoly capitalism, or in English over the ramifications of a I-Iamlet, the '.y2 extra- curricular activities you participated in, the football and basketball games where ylliwlyelled your head off for your team, the Saturday night dates, the parties and dances you and those walking with you now shared a few hours of fun together, the life your Senior term, and most of all, the lasting friendships you formed here. And in remember- ing these things, you remember that part of your experience which you not only took most pleasure in, but which played the major role in making you the person you are today. E So the inevitable has come at last, we leave Midwood, say our final goodbyes, shake hands with people we may never see again, shed an honest tear or else pretend that some malicious particle has lodged itself in both eyes, and then let the blue and white doors close on a chapter of our lives that's written and in the record. The present and future demand our attention now. Thereis a whole book yet to be finished. ' So You leave Midwood, taking with you what may I ask? With knowledge of the Law of Cosines, Bernoulli's Principle, Avogadro's Hypothesis, the Code Napoleon, Wilson's Fourteen Points, and other odd bits of information safely stowed in your brains? Fine! I'm sure the faculty will be pleased. But I sincerely hope that you're not going to try to live your life by rote. It takes a little more on the part of the individual to live a full, worthwhile, satisfying life, an awareness of many things not found in texts, or lectures, or other inculcated matter. In the art of living, only life and experience can teach you what you need to know. There are a few fundamental concepts I would like to get across here though, a few observations I've made concerning this question of the full, worthwhile, satisfying life.', To begin with, I believe it requires an understanding of oneis self-one's capacities, faults, and needs-together with an understanding of that self's position and purpose in this social, material, and spiritual world. It requires the realization of your own personal insignificance in the general scheme of things while still retaining a high regard for the dignity of the human spirit found in each one of us. It requires philosophy, a philosophy of life, with a solid foundation in knowledge and experience, with a Hexibility that allows for growth and change when added knowledge and experience seem to merit it. It requires self-respect, the type which makes the self, the conscience if you will, its own deterrent from acts morally and ethically corrupt. It requires that you judge people solely for what they are, and prove themselves to be in regard to you. It requires the submergence of the ego in deference to the needs, welfare, and happiness of other people. It requires that you set your standard of success in life only by the degree of fulfillment of your own capacities and potential. It requires that the individual be an ever growing and expanding concern, open-minded, ever maturing, ever broadening his outlook on life, ever learning, never stagnant. Then may life be worth living. What's your formula? BOB ANDERSON

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won our applause, both in the award, and the spontaneous kind, for his songs which many of us had to hear over loudspeakers because we couldn't squeeze into the assembly. The first report cards came, many marks were high, but the cry of Wait 'til next termv rang through the school. ' The hills of the first year were slipping away from us now. We voted in B-71 elections and worked at our subjects. Some of us took time off to attend the Spring Concert, though few got into the act. This was the time of the Pyramid Climb Rage-remember? ' The S.B.I. fascinated us. How could anything so closely resembling human speech, and so'LOUD, be so indecipherable? We did hear Dr. Ross wish us a happy vacation as we sped away, leaving the school in the possession of upper-term Regents-takers. We had finished a year at Midwood! ' Y Looking down from the heights, we see the hills begin to get a little steeper and much rockier. We were right in the middle of everything. As a matter of fact we were the new M session. In the beginning, it seeemed that Mn stood for Muddle. There was a mad dash for lockers, but we carried most of our stuff with us all day. We had a lunch period on our program card, so we entered the cafeteria with shining eyes, and so began our long contact with chow mein, MHS style. Some of our classes had an Hn after them. Did this mean we could get into Harvard? Sing came, and everyone began to do-re-mi ito 'make sure his voice was in top shape. Where were the boys? We stayed late and worked hard, and, come Sing night, everyone was well wound up. If we had wanted to win any harder, Midwood would have needed a new roof. We didnit win though. But we still had time ahead of us. Dances came and went. Sometimes we went too, but not too often. Alumni day came, and we all gaped at the super- human creatures who were even above seniors. They had graduated. It was also the last day before Winter vacationg the pleasant sound of Christmas Carols echoed through the halls. Midwood, the show-school of the city, was getting visitors from all over the world. They, were all amazed by the student-teacher relationship and 'our perpetual pmo- tion. We felt just a little proud. - A I .V FDR time came again, and this time the laurels went l I ' . ge' J eh: . this' 1 . , . , fy ,M to Iackie Robinson. He gave us a talk on tolerance that I ' , started us thinking. ii Qfy ..xj.,:. Midwood was showing some athletic prowess, too. The City Rifle Championship sure looked good: However, '- r' just as we were getting organized, theiuphill climb be- came almost vertical. The extra-curriculanstoppage de- scended on us, and we were all a littlelost in the fog. , , i Meetings, speeches, outbursts were the order of the day. 3 Then the doldrums came. What to do?V School became a rl greyish sort of place. Regents were soon upon us, and preparation took our ' minds off other things for a while. A three hour -test! We V Y i came to school loaded for bear. Some.. of us could have li ' i ' stocked a large stationery SIOIC. Reports cards came, and I - 1 with them, the summer. We had reached the mid-point in 5' f gn' ' . our ascension under pretty strange circumstances. , , ' - Seven