New Hanover High School - Hanoverian Yearbook (Wilmington, NC)

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History of the Senior Class of 21 Listen, my children, and you shall hear, Not of the ride of Paul Revere, But of the Class of ' 21 And the wonderful, wonderful things they have done. ADIES and gentlemen and others, lend me your ears. This is a true history of the trials and tribulations, the perils and escapes, the joys and the sorrows, the victories and the defeats of the Class of ’21. All ye who are, or are going to be freshmen, sophs, juniors and seniors, listen and learn! For truly this is a wonderful class. (Mr. Little will attest to that.) Well: This batch of future presidents, professors, orators, statesmen, et cetera, et cetera, entered the sacred precincts of the W. H. S. on the morning of the first of October, 1917. They were very confident in themselves, but that was about as far as it went. They cer¬ tainly did not have any confidence in anyone else. For hadn’t they heard of the terrors of Mr. Little, and were they not going to have five teachers instead of one? One was bad enough, but five! Did they enter in fear and great trembling? Let me pause to inform you, dear listeners, that they most certainly did. After classes were arranged it was worse. For were not the Hemenway and Union students mixed up together? And wasn’t it widely known that a chronic state of warfare existed between these two domi¬ ciles of learning? Yea, it was known but not heeded. What did our worthy (?) prin¬ cipal or our five also worthy (?) teachers care? Not a ghost of a whiff! Nay, less than that, nothing at all! But it must be as it was. So they buried the hatchet and buried it deep, with grim ceremonies, and all sang a hymn of friendship instead of a hymn of hate. (“And a pleasant time was had by all.”) So passed freshman. And for the benefit of future generations let me inform my hearers that this was also the year (A. D., 1917) that the ears of the feminine animal, commonly known as woman, dis¬ appeared from the earth. During sophomore everyone was so occupied in looking wise and solemn (some even adopted horn-rimmed spectacles for this purpose) and in showing off their fine airs that there was no time for anything else. So this was a rather uneventful year. But along about the first of May they caught the rumor of the junior-senior banquet. Knowing that the following year they would have to prepare one (perhaps), they hung around and peeked at the juniors to see what they were doing, but were unceremoniously told to move on, and I need not say they did. Vowing vengeance for this, they passed sophomore. Now came that much desired goal—junior! This year they would give a wonderful banquet, and would tell the lesser lights (meaning by this, the sophs and freshies) to move on, even as they had been told. So nothing was done during junior but plan for this delight which it seemed was to rival the feasts of Alexander in gorgeousness. At last Page tu enl))-eight

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r lenior Cl ass Victor E. Zoeller College Prep.; Football ball Team (3), (4); SandficUUer. They always lal!( Team (3). (4); Base- Photographic Editor who never lhinl(. Wallace E. Hopkins Postgraduate Course. He bears the manner and mien of a student. Reginald E. Blomme Ex-Cadet TJ. S. Military Academy; Director of Setting-up Exercises. Page tpent )-seyen iiiiuiuiiniiniininniinnHinnHiniiiinHiiiiiiiHiirnl

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it came. Everyone was in a flurry of excitement. Finally the day came to an end without rain. (Wonder of wonders!) The juniors and seniors gathered in the upper hall and at 8:30 p. m. the doors opened and they entered mto a land of enchantment. Oh, it was the most wonderful feast (to them) that ever had or ever would be “pulled off” in the history of the W. H. S. This happiness lasted during the remainder of junior. Now the class straightens. They are seniors. During the summer all the girls have “put up” their hair (mostly on curlers, some in knots). It was wonderful to see how their hair had grown. Some girls had such an abundance that it was feared Moses would have to enlarge the entrances. And the majority of the boys had adopted long trousers. They had always longed for the much coveted privilege of coming in the front door. Now they had that and also the senior “dignity.” It may be said (and noted) in passing that one and all took on this dignity, some consciously, others unconsciously. Senior was a wonderful year. They reveled in class meetings and other badges of seniority. They decided to publish an annual, this class being the second class to attempt one. The junior-senior banquet was a great event in their lives. It was a splendid banquet. It was the next best banquet ever. (Ours being the best.) Toward the end of the year the class was divided into two groups. One group hated to leave school, and the old familiar scenes they had enjoyed for four years. But others, I am sorry to say, took an unholy delight in counting the days and hours until the night when they would receive a diploma and be “free.” It must be said that some studied about this so much that their lessons were neglected. But everyone managed to get through somehow, and on the night of the seventeenth of June, Wilmington saw the finest and largest class in the history of the school pass out into the school of life. Some might fail, but most of them were destined for great things. Nida Packer. Page Iwenty-nine