Nitro High School - Nitronian Yearbook (Nitro, WV)

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Thelma Parsons fresh from Spy Glass experience has brought herself fame and fortune as a sports writer for the New York Daily News. Isn’t it a miracle how some people never change? There’s Dickie and Janet Jones, the couple who always were together. They now have their own paper business with all the little Joneses taking separate routes. Clyde Harris is now married to Marie and settled down tc a quiet life on Fortieth Street. Doctor Fred Cooley is now a famous bone special- ist—carries his own dice. Sue Burdette and Bob Ingram have been working day and night on their TV program “TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.” Most people do the latter. We hear from Paul Taylor, who always had a strong policy against work, that he has taken it up for a career. He has taken Lee Melton’s place on the ten-cent store steps. The only difference is the store’s new manager, Freida Taylor. Jack Moore is head janitor. Jack says he doesn’t mind cleaning the rest of the store but that Paul is getting so fussy about his steps. From across the street, is heard the complaints of Reba Gillispie. Doris Milam and Pauline Raynes. They are the ones who fought so hard for a new high school. So the judge is keeping them in jail to cool their desire to burn the old building to the ground. Bob Draper, the one-man orchestra, was down on his luck until he finally was hired by Gilbert’s restaurant. The highlight of the week is on Satur- day night when Rena Matheny does her famed dance. Just two weeks ago, some Nitro residents complained so that Rena had to add another string of beads to her act. (Her neck was too bare.) Juanita Burford and Faith Baldwin were unable to attend because of having accepted an offer to become New York models which was their ambition. Two others, Wanda Love joy and Freda Morris, are missionaries in darkest Africa. Willie Lovejoy gave up baby-sitting on Twenty-first Street to become a swimming instructor at Cape Cod. Peggy and Danny Dawson have their own filling station now. Helping out is Danny, Jr. Business troubles have kept Jack Woodall busy. He was doing all right at the super market until he hired Myrtle Phelps as his assistant manager. She union- ized his employees and now makes more than he does. Tom Meadors and Royce Turner finally outgrew .the Boy Scouts and joined the National Guard where Clarence Raynes is their CO. Tommy, naturally, is doing reforestation work for the Kanawha Valley- Authority on the side. It seems the Love Twins tried to stick together but couldn’t. Zoe, an ex- school teacher at Sattes hooked Harry Sands and moved to North Carolina where Harry went from star player to coach. Zanna went along, but missed the stop at Chapel Hill and ended up as an orange picker in Florida. Charles Diehl, Bobby Ranson and Billy W'estfall follow their old interests—girls and hound dogs. Emogene Holley has just discarded her ninth hus- band. Don Raynes left his service station to be a lawyer. We think he planned all along to get Carole Jeffers for his secretary. Loretta McDougal and Sally McGrew are iiving on a little farm in Hurri- cane now raising cain. Charles Milam, Eugene Casto and Herman Lewis have combined talents to write a thesis on “The Will to Work.’ While they are at it they are living on unemployment compensation. The rest of the alumni banquet ran smoothly to the point where the “Bouncing Babes” trooped in. They were Susie Turley, Barbara Keener, and Anna Tidd. The joint really rocked. Principal Walter F. Snyder, old in body but young in spirit, is now wheeled in to make the closing address. Memories fill alumni heads and tears are hard to hold back as Nitro’s “Grand Old Man” ends the meeting with a final word of praise for the class of ’51. Given under my hand this 28th day of May, 1961. Lois Ferrari. Witnesseth: Richard Schowen, N. P. My com- mission expires May 28. 1965. J. Rob Ingram, Wit- ness. 23

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On a cool, bright day of November, 1961, the town of Nitro pulses in the throes of uninhibited cele- bration. There is dancing in the streets, confetti fills the air and the population is wild with joy. Those heroes of the class of ’51 whose astounding achievements have put Nitro on the map, are at this moment trooping to the fine six-story school building to hold an Alumni Banquet in celebration of Coach Dan Owsley’s striking accomplishment of urging his Wildcats on to the State “A” Champion- ship Finals, which they won, 46-0. As the notables pass in review one’s eye is caught by blond, handsome Austin Hudson, RKO leading man whose salary is so high he can boast that the government has built three dams and two bridges with his income taxes. Then comes what looks like a perambulator ex- hibition but it’s only those production geniuses, Donna Pryor, Sue Lett, Dorothy Hood, and Marg Withrow. Recording this world-shaking event for posterity is Jurl “Flashbulb” Cogar, news-photog- rapher for “Life.” Gerald LaRue, Nitro’s most suc- cessful mayor, proudly marches along the new La- Rue Boulevard (old 21st street) followed by City Recorder Jeannine Deem who is frantically taking notes. Gene Clark, nationally known Editor-in-Chief of the Kanawha Valley Leader, is in New York arrang- ing (rumor has it) a merger with the New York Times (a less widely read journal published in New York for quite some time). Nancy Holman and Anne Lewis, high socialites and women’s fashion arbiters, are still conspicuous in their Paris orig- inals. Two shining black eyes approach followed by the rest of Heavyweight Champ Bill (Dark Eyes) Mar- tin, Nitro’s gift to the fight world. Ila Owens, the old home town’s answer to Toots Shor, took time off from her position as New York’s leading res- tauranteur to appear at the festivities. The Rev. Kermit Berry, ably filling the shoes of Harry Emerson Fosdick, is slated for the evening’s main address. Jim Deeter, whose interest in bas- ketball can be blamed for his implication in the recent player bribing scandal between C. C. N. (City College Nitro) and C. I. U. (Carbide Island University), was unable to attend for the same reason as Richard Schowen whose adeptness at picking up other people’s handwriting finally got him into trouble when he tried to buy the Taj Mahal with a bad check. They send their regrets and this short autobiography: “High Chair, High School, Hi Warden!” Now here comes the food carried in by some more classmates, Ethel Hively, Ruby Steele, and Doris Allen. Delores Kinder, famous opera singer, has taken Helen Trauble’s place, but is much prettier. Bettye Mattox and Lou Ann Norris, those shy babes while in high school, have become popular wrestlers. Buddy McKinney, John Joplin, and Alvin Ingram really took music to heart. Their vocal talent wasn’t discovered until the Senior Voice Class, then they refused to stop. They are now featured on Arthur Godfrey’s show as replacements for the mariners. Well, well, here’s Evelyn Hudnall, the girl whose motto was “Smile, smile, smile.” Evelyn is now modeling for the Ipana Toothpaste Company. Among the crowd tonight are Tom Pring, Arlen Bailey, Eddie Martin, and Roger Magaw, the heroes in the Midget Auto Races, owned and operated by Marg Dent. Paul and June Cooper have opened their own little business. The name is “Paul’s Diaper Service.” Neither last nor least is Caroline Cole, known the whole country over for her three-ring circus. Also, in the circus are other classmates. Kitty Lyons, the girl who, while in high school, always tried to reduce, is featured as “Thin Lady.” Fuzzy Sayre is starred as “Fat Man” (remember the football banquet?). 22

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V: Herman Miss Hart Daher and Deem Sue and Jim Lois, Mary Jo, and Rena Paul Jurl and Sue Doris Ralph