Murdock High School - Tower Yearbook (Winchendon, MA)

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MURDOCK HIGH SCHOOL, WINC-HENDON, MASS. trip to New York which we had been planning since we entered Murdock on that memorable day in 1943. The only disturbing element was the fact that we had a goal of 352000 to reach in order to finance our trip and our gradua- tion expenses. l-Iow could we make S1700 in one year when it took us three years to build our treasury up to 3300? We sincerely hope' that something will be done in the future to ease the task of the Senior Class so that their last school days may be spent in that happiness that comes from peace of mind when their work is nearly completed. Our annual picnic this year was held at Stone Farm with Helen Hart and Bill Properzio again accompanying Miss Carbone as our chaperons. This time, however, we rode to the foot of the hill-hiking no longer appealed to us. The climb to the top of the hill seemed even rougher than we remembered it as Sophomores. What terrific appetites our boys hadl Malc, how many hot dogs did you nnally get away with? We stopped counting after the sixth! On Sunday. October 27. some of our members and Miss Carbone took their lunch and climbed Mount Monadnock. Many of us had already made the climb. and we thought it a good idea for those who had not to do so-we don't think a person should graduate from Murdock without climbing the Mountain at least once-it is what we call a must Well, the weather man sent us a beautiful day. and we had a grand time. Want to try it again some- time, Dorann. and see if you can get yourself to school the next day? From the first of October until Christmas vacation time we were as busy as the famous bee. We sponsored three record dances which netted our treasury a neat little sum-our poverty dance alone made us 3550-remember how happy we were that night? Bobby Jones and Elsie Till received the prize- for the A'poorest custumes. and Chet Priest and Elaine Brow took the honors for the most humorous costumes. Our Senior Supper was held in November in the Streeter Cafeteria after very careful preparation by Miss Maloney and Mrs. Holm. The place was packed, and the only comment we heard from everyone was, Oh, I ate too much! Once more we thank Miss Maloney and Mrs. Holm for our success. By the way. Jimmy, did you really get dish-pan hands from doing all those dishes? In December we presented Young April. our Senior Class Play, starring Pauly Dionne, Priscilla Morlock. Dick Damon. and Edward Knotts. Smaller parts, but no less important, were taken by Virginia Sawyer, Mary Adams, Eleanor Holmes, Olive Greene, Beverley Catanese, Ruth Johnson, Shirley Homon, Frank Murray, Paul Herr, Clifford Harmon, Buddy Bateman, Charles Johnson, and a number of extra boys. The play was a great success-everyone did a wonder- ful jobl Poor Edward. he just can't seem to get away from financial worries: even in a play they go right along with him! Well, as one might expect, we made money hand-over-fist that night. To Miss Shattuck we will always give our undying thanks for coaching our play so ably and so willingly. We know how much time and work she put in and we certainly appreciate it. To Miss Maloney, we also give our thanks for supervising the making of those grand lollipops. During the winter we sold greeting cards of all kinds, stationery, and wrap- ping paper: we had a magazine drive during which we learnled that some of our bashful members were really excellent salesmen: and two more record dances to swell the total in our treasury. In March we were given the privilege of selling candy bars-they sell like hot-cakes-we only wish we might have sold them all year! Our last dance was an old-fashioned square dance with Ross Hornbeck's Orchestra furnishing the music-we all got worn out. but we had such a good time. Dick Damon. where did you ever learn to swing like that? Also, we l27l

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CLASS OF NINETEEN FORTY-SEVEN In March we held our first record dance. It seemed so effortless to have a dance without spending weeks in advance making decorations. However, we were very careful to plan for an entertaining evening with games, prizes, and carefully arranged dance sets. Cliff, remember how you danced with the short- est girl in school as a result of the John Paul Jones number and sent everyone there into gales of laughter? You certainly were a good sport! When the prize waltz came up, we were very much surprised to find that Paul Herr and his sister were the only ones on the floor who could waltz. Our contribution to the Tournament Plays this year was, Squaring It With the Boss featuring Dick Damon, Cliff Harmon, Mary Adams, Eleanor Ouel- lette, Eleanor Holmes, and Frances Reynolds, and was coached by Miss Porter. To this day we thank Dick from the bottom of our hearts for coming to our rescue and taking the lead four days before the play was scheduled to go on when Edward Knotts suddenly became afflicted with the mumps, Once again we were given third prize, but we didn't mind too much for we knew we had done our best. ln May came the Junior Prom, the highlight of our social career. For most of us. it was our first formal dance-how lovely the girls looked in their long gowns, and how worldly the boys seemed to be in their tuxedos! Since this was one of the very important affairs in our career, we were allowed to dance until 12, and at that the evening ended all too soon, On Murdock Night we presented the Murdock Baby Show as our stunt. You didn't know we had so many cute babies in our class, did you? They were all shapes, sizes, and ages, and just what you would expect to see at any ideal baby show. Dick Damon was master of ceremonies: Buddy and Cliff were the judges. Wasn't Cliff typical as Ima Old Maid though? And wasn't Charlie Johnson just the perfect children's nurse? Once again we didn't get the tin cup, but we still think we deserved it. Then June and Class Day were at hand again. This year we really had loads of work to do, for the entire responsibility of decorating for commencement is on the shoulders of the Junior Class. No sooner had the Junior Prom become a yesterday, then we began immediately on Senior Reception and Class Day decorations. Now we can understand and appreciate what any Junior Class has to go through to get the Seniors graduated! This year, because it was impos- sible to secure rust-colored crepe paper, we voted to change our class colors and selected purple and white as replacements. Reta and Chester Priest again be- came our marshal and cheer leader. Mary Adams, Pauline Dionne, Olive Greene. Buddy Bateman, Dick Damon. and Jimmy Whitney were chosen as Junior Ushers-remember how lovely they looked and how proud we were as they escorted the Seniors through their last happy activities at Murdock? And so with commencement over, our third year at Murdock was brought to a close. The summer vacation flew by between the close of our Junior year and the beginning of our Senior year. It seemed very strange to be embarking on the last lap of our journey and stranger still to think that we would soon have to make definite plans for the future. Shortly after school reopened in September, 1946, we elected our officers for this last year. Cliff Harmon again took over the presidency: Albert Barbadora became his right-hand man: Mary Adams was chosen recorder of notes: and Edward Knotts once more became taker and keeper of our money. This year we decided our class officers needed some help. so we gave them an Executive Board of three members: Yvonne Morin, Dick Damon, and Paul Herr, to help ease their burdens. Miss Carbone again con- sented to be our Class Adviser, for that we were very glad, but we wondered if she knew what she was getting into. ' There was just one thing uppermost in our minds at this time-the class l26l

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CLASS OF NINETEEN FORTY-SEVEN were very much surprised to see that the chaperons enjoyed dancing just as much as we did! Since we are writing this history in March, there isn't much more we can tell you. Our contribution to the Tournament Plays is l'Not Tonight, coached by Mr. Cialbraith, and with Frank Murray. Dick Damon, Pauly Dionne, Eleanor Holmes, and Frances Reynolds in the cast. We know Frank will make a hit as the sea-faring admiral. This much we can tell you about our commencement, however. Our Junior Ushers will be Janet Streeter, Joan Diamond, Gloria Lafortune. William Rus- chioni, Richard I-lildreth, and William Stoddard, with Newell Whitaker and Robert Jones to assist at Senior Reception so that we won't have to stand too long. Wasn't it nice of Mr. Staples to be so considerate of us? Russ Cole and his orchestra will play for our Senior Reception-we have wanted him since he played at our Sophomore Hop when we were still quite young. lt's going to seem very funny being on our own after this year-no one looking out for us and bawling us out. Remember those bawling outs we used to get practically every time Miss Carbone was headed for Room 5? Was it something we didn't do that we should have done, or was it something we did that we shouldn't have done? Can't you still see Clifford Harmon towering over her as she laid him out in lavender? Well, those pictures like many others will become memories for the future. So, with our Class Trip and our Commencement Exercises still before us, We close this history of the Class of 1947. By :- BARBARA BRADY PAUL HERR l28l