North Carolina School for the Deaf - Clock Tower Yearbook (Morganton, NC)

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Class Prophecy By EpirH WILLIAMSON Ht W HO is it that does not respond to the enchantment of the fortune teller’s tent, with its weird shadows and magic mirror? I felt this went I attended the State Fair in Raleigh and it was with a feeling of intense excitement that I stepped within the curtained erclosure and seated myself before the wonderful mirror that was about to disclose what the future holds for me and for those with whom I have worked and studied so long. As I gazed breathlessly, the image of a trim bungalow with green-shuttered. windows and a rose garden slowly formed. A tall woman wearing a ruffled apron was arranging flowers in a bowl near an open window and an even taller man was busy with pruning scissors in the garden. The appearance of the house and the condition of the well-kept grounds gave evidence of excellent taste and the contentnient on the face of the house wife proved that:life had gone well with her. Then I. knew: that::Helen Hege’s . fondest dream had materialized. The gardner I recog- nized as the bachelor brother whom she so. ido- lized and they were living happily together with his roses: and her cat. The scene was replaced by one of a more striking nature. An expensive automobile stop- ped before a substantial city dwelling and a broad-shouldered man wearing the uniform of a Boy Scout executive alighted, walking hur- riedly up the steps he was admitted by a. uni- formed butter. Something about the pre-occu- pied expression and the elevated nose of the. man seemed familiar. My mind went back to the race track at N. C. S. D., with Russell, Herring speeding along keeping himself ‘so miraculously balanced with his nose pointed heavenward. A second glance convinced me that it really was Russell, and for an instant I saw reflected in the background a sweet-faced, golden-haired lady that I knew must be his wife. I saw that Russell had prospered and was happy in his work as a leader of the Scouts. The picture faded and another took its place. This time it was a dark-haired man puffing a cigar in an easy chair before an open fire with a dog at his feet. Small wonder that Lyon Dick- son has been so successful with all his ambition and taste for business. The scene shifts for an instant to the interior of a large newspaper office with our Mr. Dickson behind the manager’s desk, giving orders to his numerous employees. From what I saw I knew he was owner and manager of a large printing establishment. All this faded and Hoyle Wright appeared, walking rapidly along the street with head bare and hands covered with printer’s ink. His wavy hair was somewhat thinner than in school days and I saw some gray along the temples, but the years have not robbed him of that care-free look or the splendid physique that brought such laurels to him as an athlete. Presently I saw him arrive at the door of a small stone house, where a plump lady and a tiny blue-eyed girl await his coming, And all this time we have thought that tall, slender girls were Hoyle’s weakness! Before I could reflect further on the fickleness of human nature, the stone house had given place to a beautiful country home with a wide lawn where several children romped and a handsome - woman was reading in a hammock. Wide fields of growing cotton and tobacco stretched away into the distance. A spacious barn housing all the up-to-date machinery an ambitious farmer could wish stood at one side. In a vegetable garden near by, I saw somebody under a straw hat plying a spade with vigor. Could this ruddy- taced, strong-limbed man be the slender boy whom we knew as “Slim Jim?” But he glanced up and the piercing blue eyes and the smile that still was full of mischief, left no doubt that

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been improving in lip-reading since I got my glasses, but still have bad sight. I have attended school regularly for thirteen years and have been working in the carpenter shop for six years. I hope what I have learned about carpentry will be useful to me. Reading is my favorite past time. Baseball and swimming are my favorite sports. I play haseball at home. I want to be a farmer when I finish school. HES BOBBIE PRUITT 1 was born in Jonesville, Surry County, N. C., October 23, 1913. I became deaf when I was about one or two months old. The cause of my deafness is unknown. My father didn’t know where this school was. The father of one of the deaf boys, McCree Gentry, who lived about three blocks from my home, heard about me and came to see my mother and told her about his son and where he went to school. My parents brought me here in the fall of 1922. I cried very hard because I thought that I would never see my parents again. I soon found out that I was in a school and had come here to get an education. My first teacher was Miss Scott. She was a Canadian and a fine teacher. She is now teaching in Philadelphia. Clonnie Baucom and Helen Hege were in my class and have been my classmates ever since. In 1923 I had diphtheria and had to go home. In this way I missed a year and had to enter a lower grade. I entered Main Building tn 1927 and have been in school regularly since then. Football and baseball are my favorite sports. I like to read some magazines. Liberty is my favorite magazine. I have been working in the tailor shop for eight years and I want to be a tailor when I finish school, CLONNIE BAUCOM I was born on November 25, 1913 in Marsh- ville, Union County, North Carolina. It is thought that I was born deaf. I have no deaf relatives. I did not come to school till I was almost nine years old as my father did not know where the institution for the deaf was. Some one told him that there was a school for the deaf in Morganton and they brought me to Goodwin Hall where small pupils are taught. My first teacher was Mrs. Clodfelter. When I entered Main Building in 1927, I was in the third grade. Another year found me in the third grade again. The next year I was in the fourth, grade and in the same year I was promo- ted to the fifth grade and I am in the Senior Class now. : My favorite sports are football and baseball. { worked in the Manual Arts shop for three years and I have worked on the farm for four years. My father has a farm in Union County and I hope to be a farmer when I have finished my education.

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the prosperous farmer was Forrest Smith, and his progress, at least, is no surprise, for we al- ways knew that his industry would bring him success. Suddenly the vision was gone and I saw Clon- nie leaning on a plow, thinking, no doubt, of a riddle to spring on the next person he met. The mule standing with ears drooping forward at the other end of the plow seemed also to be having a dream all its own. There was no diffi- culty in recognizing Clonnie, for time had caused very little change in his appearance. I gathered that the small farm he was tending was his own and that the woman with red hair and rolled up sleeves churning butter on the porch of the house by a creek was his wife. The interior of the house came into view and I saw a large living room comfortably furnished, with built in book cases filled with books. The wordly possessions of the couple were not very great, seeming to consist only of the house with its books, the small farm, the mule, five children, a pig and a dog, but they appeared to be very contented. From the energetic movements of the woman, I judged that she was the business head of the family. Again the scene suddenly changed. A short, little man with a pointed beard stitched away in the light of a window overlooking the business street of a small town. It was with difficulty that I made out the features of Bobbie Pruitt, the town’s leading tailor. His shoulders were droop- ing from constantly bending over the sewing machine and there was a bald spot on the top of his head, but he still wore that funny little “smile that won’t come off.” Back of the tailor shop were his living quarters, which showed no touch of a woman’s hand but were cheery and bright nevertheless. In one corner stood an easel hold- ing a partly finished painting of a landscape. On the floor was a large pallet, and a paint- spattered smock lay across a chair. Evidently Bobbie still possessed his artistic temperament. My heart beats grew faster as I realized that the only one remaining of the class of ’35 was myself. I closed my eyes for a moment, almost fearing to see what was in store for me. When I looked again, it was to see a short, stout, little person in blue standing before a class of fidgety youngsters. I could hardly suppress a giggle at | the comical appearance she presented, with the huge horn-rimmed spectacles that seemed to cover half her round face. As she went about her task of trying to instill knowledge into stub- born little heads, I could see that it was the posi- tion which she was meant to fill and it was plain that she would not willingly change it for any other. So this was Edith, the school ma’am. And let’s hope that she remembers her own young days when one of her small charges forgets where he left his history of his ink bottle. Very, very slowly I arose and walked out into the light. If the future is indeed to bring to us such happy fulfillment of our ambitions and realization. of cherished dreams, we have no rea- son to look with fear toward the years to come. And who can tell but that the magic mirror really has the powe r to foretell the future! Senior Superlatives PREULIE SERA 5 171 area cleo os a Helen Hege BeStALOO RING 5.0 yigumen tans te Hoyle Wright Most Athletic Boy Russell Herring Most Athletic Girl Helen Hege Most Studious Boy Lyon Dickson WostaStudious- Gis) nem ee Edith Williamson SEF OM PEST 0) nae eae Clonnie Baucom DPE GRuest -BOvigane Se Bobbie Pruitt Palbest Boy ta tte Tees Hoyle Wright DALLESE® GAP bo aaee oak ocala ee Helen Hege Most Amiable Boy Forrest Smith Shortest Boy sos see Forrest Smith Most Industrious Boy -. Russell Herring Most Popular Boy .---. Russell Herring Most Popular Gute ee Edith Williamson Most Industrious Girl . Helen Hege