Mount Vernon Seminary - Cupola Yearbook (Washington, DC)

Page 8 text:

Message to the Class of 1964 Thornton XfVilder, that wise and compassionate artist, wrote in a recent novel: There is only one Way to know what one knows, and that is to risk onc's convictions in an act, to connnit them to a responsibility . . . Ons- does not know what one knows, or even wishes to know, until one is chal- lenged and must lay down a stake. During your years at Mount Vernon, you have been challenged in many ways, Your convictions, particularly in the past year, have been forged and tempered by the increased responsibilities which you have had not only to this community but also to the larger community of Man. As members of the senior class, yours has been the responsibility of both academic and extracurricular leadership, and you have come to learn-and earn-a sense of stewardship. In the years to come, I hope that your actions will always reHect your convictions and that your com- mitment to the process of learning will develop not only out of a sense of challenge but also out of a con- tinued awareness of your responsibility to others as well as to yourselves. In the past, you have indicated your ability to share in the stewardship of Blount Vernong be equally Willing, therefore, to accept the opportunity you have to lay down a stake in the future. The challenge is yours, meet it eagerly, courageously and with conviction. -Pfam

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Dedication MRS. XVILLIABI T. CI-IAPLIAN Two years ago Mount Vernon welcomed a new member to its faculty. In those two short years this person has come to be known and loved by her students both as a teacher and as a friend. For her qualities of wisdom and understanding we would like to express our most sincere gratitude to Mrs. XVilliam Chapman. Before coming to Mount Vernon Mrs. Chapman received a sound background at YVells College which prepared her for her present work in Mount Ver- nonis English department. After graduating from XVells where she earned her B.A., Mrs. Chapman spent three years teaching at Ashley Hall. She is presently working to obtain her M.A. at George NVashington University. At Mount Vernon her spirit and enthusiasm have given her students incentive and pleasure in their work. XVith an original, fresh, and unbiased view on everything ranging from Byron to the Beatles, Mrs. Chapman will always be remembered for this very impartiality that encourages us to our own way of thinking. Neither shall we forget the library conference room where she may so often be found, always willing to discuss even the slightest prob- lems of her students. XV ith her devoted interest in English and its many aspects, we must also express our gratitude for her ability to share this interest with us and to arouse our own individual thoughts. Her class has never lacked variety, humor, depth, or her familiar phrase, Isn,t this funtw The vitality of her young and active mind has endeared her to all her students and added a spice to learning which has made it always a pleasure. For these reasons we dedicate the 1964 Cupola to Mrs. XVilliam Chapman.

Page 9 text:

Foreword Success has been most appropriately defined as fruit which grows from seeds of patient work and thoughts and deedsf, These attributes have laid the foundation for a successful year at Mount Vernon. Looking back one can see that determination has overcome difliculties and given way to the pride of achievement. Although another year ap- proaches, the joys and sorrows of the past will not soon be forgotten. The coming year will bring new faces as the old ones depart, and each new year will bring its members closer to their final goal, graduation and a diploma. To each person who possesses it, a diploma is not only the symbol of hard work and meaningful associations, but it is also an unspoken farewell. Though time moves steadily onward and dims memories, we hope that this yearbook will serve as a permanent record and succeed in depicting enough of the yearis story to keep vivid our recollections of the whole. Yet this story reaches far beyond the gates of Mount Vernon. It includes the events, both national and interna- tional, which have set this year apart from all others and affected the lives of us all. We shall never forget the school day which ended with the news of the assassination of our President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and the sorrowful Weekend which followed. Each individual will remember the period of mourning and its effect on both our school and on our nation. May we always continue to hold these things in memory, as well as the friends and experiences, the ideals and realiza- tions, the hardships and achievements, which have made the Worst worthwhile and the best a cherished memory.