Nokomis High School - Old Nokomis Yearbook (Nokomis, IL)

Page 30 text:

1924 Smith Hospital North Shore Drive Chicago, Illinois My Dear Elberta: I April 7. 193-l Since the terrible fire that wiped out part of one suburb, I never know when I'n1 to be called on to extra duty to care for some fire victim, who has only been dug from the debris and has slight chance for recovery. If it had not been for the negligence of the fire chief, hloseph Gourlay, probably the fire would not have wrought such vast destruction. Evidently Ioe received some of his training in the old Nokomis fire department' I haven't been out of this hospital for ages, I am constantly being called to quiet some afflicted child who is crying for Mother and probably that mother lost her life in trying to save her children. I want to go to Chicago so badly to see the newest movie star, Howard Pendleton, who, being the Shiek of Movie-land, is taking the part of the Deserted Lover in the recent play, Tears of Love. The come-hither look in his eyes certainly causes many a young girl's heart to flutter. l don't suppose that you see any of the movie magazines, but the latest ones are full of the comments about Movie Director at Hollywood, namely Er- nest Reisner. All of the movie stars fall in love with him at first sight and they make every year a leap yearg although he is at home with them, he will not listen to their entreaties. He is evidently all business, but still I am wondering how he has ever overcome his bashfulness enough to get out before a crowd of actors and direct them into a successful movie. lt's bc- yond me. Medical journals are packed with write-ups on the radical advance of the Denver specialist, Dr. Rupert Herron. 'He took his medical training in a shorter time than was ever believed possible. Iile went over to Rus- sia to experiment on some poor peasants Che won't tell how many diedj, then returned to Denver, opened up an office there and is taking the coun- try by storm. There are no windows or doors in his office and guards have to be stationed there to keep the suffering beggars from flocking in. I-Ie is a nerve specialist, removing nerves and amputating people's arms. without giving any anestheticsg all this he accomplishes while they wait and then the patients walk ,out new men. Clarence Staples is stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Camp. They say he is a wonderful swimmer. Wfhen the Flappers are told not to go too far out they reply, Oh never mind, just send for that good-look- ing Life Guard. Evidently Stapes is still the old pal we knew in 'Z-l. Vlfhenever I do get an entire day off I must run down to the poor farm and cheer up Florence. Remember how we had always supposed that the name of Miller would be emblazoned in historical magazines, lauding her research work on foreign relations? Instead she has only fulfilled the M-R-S and OLD N OKOMIS

Page 29 text:

1924 G-reendale, Florida March 30, l934 Dear Bernice: NVhy didn't some of us think of the new idea of letter-writing long ago? l might as well be in the jungles and put up with their inconveniences as to be down here in Florida near this swampy place and away from civiliza- tion. Nobody knows how l welcome those letters from the outside world. Evidently the world thinks that Florida has the perpetual Fountain of Youth, but l've failed to find it yet. Alfred is constantly writing new poetry and he is truly in his ele- ment for we are living close to nature. Not even a flivver for Alfred. l'm in constant dread that we will be landed in the ditch by some speedist. Our old horse, Molly, is nearly blind and she takes just one leap for the ditch when a threshing machine looms up and l have to laugh to see Alfred suddenly wake up and begin to think about his precious poetry notes. Doesn't that sound like a typical ,-'Xlfred Green? l've been trying to persuade Alfred to send for Harold Kettelkamp to come down from Mobile, Alabama. It is reported that people have asked Cotton why he doesn't marry, and he replies that he has no use for a wife since everything in his home is run by electricity, and if he had a wife he would never know where she was. tlixcept, not at home.j l'm in hopes that Cotton will be able to persuade Alfred to introduce some of those electrical labor saving devices into our home if Alfred is going to want to reside here for fifty Years. Alfred took Julius Caesar up to St. Augustine last month to a circus. Julius Caesar came home so greatly excited over the fact that his father knew a midget in the circus. His father states that it was Anton Gerigk. Some of my friends in Miami write that the tourists are going wild over a classical toe-dancer, and since l hear that she is lllildred Ramsey. I am threatening to escape from here and join the visitors at Miami and admire our old classmate. too. Peggy has had an intermittent toothache all spring and l can't prevail upon her father to let me take her up to Tallahassee to see the dentist, Dr. james Griffin. Alfred once went over to visit Jimmie and Jimmie used some hypnotic powers over him, and Alfred never did know when he lost his tooth. v Orie Barnstable writes that she may come down to see us in june, pro- vided that llenry Ford gives her leave. She is making some chemical ex- periments in fertilizers at llluscle Shoals for Henry Ford. She likes her work but some of her chemical terms are like Greek to me. Now'don't pity me too much, for l'm exceedingly proud of my poet husband and he sends off his third volume of verse this week. Sincerely, May Roberts Green. OLD NOKOMIS A

Page 31 text:

1924 is quietly running that poor farm and looking after George, his pet dog and cat and- Rest hour is over-I could just wring that fire-chief's neck, if it would do any good. Hurriedly, Bernice Cook. J! .El .53 Rafi, Urbangi-Shari, Africa May 1, 1934 Dear Velma: Your letters from America are putting renewed effort into me, so that I can add something accomplished to the class role of 1924 and for N. T. H. S. I expect always to remain in the missionary field. This is an elementary school and there are no others for a hundred miles. Some Americans think that foreigners would be afraid of the natives here in the interior, but we try to prove ourselves friends to the natives and they never cause us any trouble. It is indeed wonderful that some of the American lyceum companies are sending out entertainers abroad. Mary Sperry is to appear in some mus- ical programs in British South Africa. Since she will be in the dark conti- nent, 1 see no reason why we can't get her to come up here and give the natives a rare musical treat. VVe need music here so badly. VVhen you leave America again. do get NVilson Briegel to procure your passports for you. He is practising law in NVashington, D. C. He saw the head 'of the State Department in person for me and avoided much needless red-tape. Poor Luella Reincke is broken-hearted over her ill-fated love affair. Her letters are pitiful. If ever anybody was dead in love, Luella was, and then to think he went back on her. The sad thing is that she would still marry him at any minute. She ought to be thankful that she has 'escaped such a worthless piece of humanity. She is teaching at her old home school. I would think it better policy for her to get entirely away from Nokomis and make new friends and thus forget that man. l would dearly love to visit Annetta Reincke's kindergarten for negro children in Memphis, Tennessee. That is a wonderful work. XIVC can't un- dertake kmdergartens here but we believe that our dreams will materialize some time. Quite a number of our class became teachers and I don't suppose that any of us are surprised that Katherine Iachino is in Normal, Illinois. pounding Latin conjugations and declensions into teaching aspirants. Let her pound away for it wonit hurt them and Katherine is just passing on to them what was given to her in N. T. Trl. S. OLD NOKOMIS