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

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Class Prophecy By CALTON JAMES The other night while trying to work an un- usually hard problem in algebra my mental sys- tem cracked under the strain. My book began to grow hazy and I found myself suddenly endowed with wonderful power of foresight. Pushing ‘‘Father Time” up ten years ahead of schedule I found myself teaching school in New York. Walking along Fifth Avenue one day whom should I bump into but Violet Yerton! She stared at me a minute and then recognizing me burst into one of those becoming smiles that I so well remember. She is the same old Violet, with just a few added pounds. I was greatly surprised to find out that she had not married, but it seems, that as is the case with many pretty girls, she had so many beaux that she couldn’t decide which one to marry. We strolled into a nearby drug store and I soon found out that she still liked ice cream as well as ever. Violet informed me that she was a model in one of New York’s ritzy dress shops, but that she was considering returning to Con- cord to open a shop of her own. After making a date for Saturday night I bade her a reluctant farewell. Strolling on down the avenue I came to an abrupt halt when I saw a familiar tall figure. To my amazement it was none other than my old classmate, Clark Smith. After a rather hi- larious greeting we began asking each other a multitude of questions at the same time. Clark was a linotype operator on the “Times”. He had an attractive apartment up on W. 96th St. To my surprise he had married—, well I think I'll just let you wait ten years and find out for yourself! I had supper that evening with Clark and his pretty blonde wife. After Clark had helped put his two little boys to bed, we sat down for a long chat, and began talking about our old classmates. I told him that Margaret Revels had been married for almost six years, and that her husband had become sports editor and part owner of a Rocky Mount newspaper. They had a lovely home on the outskirts of Rocky Mount, and in the back yard on sunny winter afternoons you could see a little boy and a little girl practicing basketball. I asked Clark if he had heard from Ray Cowan recently, and he told me that he had visited Ray in Hender- sonville the summer before while on his vacation. It seems that Ray had moved from Glen Alpine to Hendersonville where he had gone into the trucking business for himself. He had built a neat little cottage out toward Blue Ridge school near his mother-in-law’s home. After leaving Clark’s I decided to walk a few blocks along Riverside Drive before catching the subway back to my apartment. A short distance away I saw a lonely figure sitting on a bench. Something about the back of her head recalled memories of days gone by. As I drew nearer I discreetly coughed and the slender girl on the bench looked around. Would wonders never cease? It was little “Fussbox”, my old friend Elsie Mae Robinson. She did not recognize me at first. I saw that she had been crying. Jumping up in surprise Elsie began hastily wip- ing the tears away. In a few minutes we were sit- ting on the bench and quizzing each other for all we were worth. I found that Elsie had come to New York with her husband, a prominent man in the textile industry, who frequently came from North on business. He and Elsie had had a fuss that night and she had lost her temper and walked out to cool off. I asked Elsie what her husband would do. She said, ‘Oh, he’ll come looking for me after awhile, and ask me to forgive him—then we'll have fun making up again!”

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Class History By Ray Cowan The present graduating class was organized in the autumn of 1940 with Mr. John Alexander as teacher. The original class was composed of twelve students, but since that time several have left to secure employment. The present number stands at six. Ray Cowan, the vice-president, was born in Marion, N. C., on November 15, 1923. At the age of four he became deaf following an illness with spinal meningitis. He entered school in 1929. He has taken great interest in wood- working and cabinet-making. Algebra and history are his favorite subjects. He is interested in getting a position as weaver at Ross Fabrics, Incoporated, Morganton. Calton James, the class secretary and treasurer, came from a farm near Ayden. He observed his nineteeth birthday on April 23, 1942. He attended public school until he became deaf at the age of thirteen because of spinal menin- gitis. He entered this school in 1937. His favo- rite pastime is reading; he has learned rapidly and made many friends here in school. His favorite subjects are algebra and literature. He has taken no active part in sports, but is among the school’s best fans. He played softball in the spring. His ambition is to enter Gallaudet College next fall, and to be a teacher of the deaf upon graduation. Margaret Revels saw her first light in Rock Hill, S. C., June 29, 1920. She attended the school for the deaf at Cedar Springs for four months before coming to Morganton at the age of nine. She is an all-round athlete, specializing in basketball and swimming. She hopes to secure a position as a typist in some government office. Elsie Mae Robinson was born near Fayet- teville, N. C., June 17, 1920, and entered this school in September, 1929. The cause of her deafness is unknown. Elsie Mae’s hobby is col- lecting clippings and pasting them in her scrap- book. She has taken no active part in athletics, but she enjoys softball and swimming. She aspires to be a typist after she graduates. Clark Smith hails from Guilford College, where he was born on June 5, 1921. He was the mainstay on our basketball team for several years, and did a large part in winning the 1942 Western Conference championship. His favorite subject is algebra. His hobby is collecting photo- graphs of famous athletes. He has taken train- ing in linotype operation, and hopes some day to secure a position as a linotypist in Greensboro. Violet Mae Yerton, the class president, entered this school in 1930 from Concord, N. C., where she was born on August 1, 1923. She and Ray Cowan have been classmates from the first day they entered school. Violet has been on the var- sity basketball team for the last two years, and showed the spirit and ability of her brother, Luther Yerton, who was one of N. C. S. D.’s outstanding athletes. English is her favorite subject. She spends most of her leisure time reading. She has had training in typing, and hopes some day to land a job as typist or copyist in some government office. With deep regret and a deep feeling of gratitude for all that has been done for them, the class of 1942 bids an affectionate farewell to their Alma Mater.

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Memories By MARGARET REVELS We have many happy memories of our school days which are now nearly over. Some of them might not have been exactly to our liking at the time they happened, but as we look back now we recall with pleasure each of them. One night Elsie Mae couldn’t sleep, so she passed the time away gazing through the window at the countless stars. She saw something black moving on the window sill near her bed. Fright- ened half out of her wits, Elsie began to yell ior help. Someone put on the lights, and a big rat jumped from the window sill to Elsie’s bed. Needless to say, Elsie vacated “the premises” as promptly as possible. The next night Elsie took a big stick to bed with her. After a while the “enemy” appeared again and Elsie brought the stick down with a bang, but in her ex- citement she missed the rat and only succeeded in falling out of bed. On the third night, after study hall, the big rat appeared again. A merry chase began. The onlookers were unable to de- cide whether the girls were chasing the rat, or the rat chasing the girls. Anyway, the “enemy” was slain and Elsie went to bed to get some needed rest. One night at supper Clark Smith devoured too many hot dogs and rolls. About midnight he began roaming around in his sleep. He wandered into Mr. Ralph Crutchfild’s room, opened the window and was about to step out from the third floor when Mr. Crutchfield awoke and pul- led the sleep-walker back into the room. A short time later Clark still sound asleep, got up and went on a tour of the dormitory. Mr. Alexander and the night watch trailed him into the study hall and managed to get him back to bed. The next morning Clark knew nothing of what had happened. When Violet Yerton was about eight years old, she and some of her friends at the primary school went for a long walk over to the State Hospital one afternoon. On the way back Violet found a ten-dollar bill. She was quite elated, but being an honest little girl, she gave the money to a supervisor. A few days later a man phoned Miss Joiner and asked her if any of the children had found a ten-dollar bill near the bridge on the highway. She told him that Vio'et had found it. The man was so grateful that he gave Violet one dollar as a reward. One February afternoon in 1938 while I was dressing for basketball practice, one of the girls ran into my room yelling, “Fire! Fire!” At first I thought sh e was trying to tease me, but I soon found out that there was a fire indeed! Our school building was on fire. It was a heart- breaking sight. Tears swelled into our eyes as we stood there and watched the old building we loved so well reduced to ashes. When Calton James first came to school there was nothing he more eagerly looked forward to than receiving packages from home. On every occasion when he was lucky enough to receive a package he would hasten up to his bedroom to open it up. This was before Main Building was fire-proofed, and he slept in a little room with Billy Weaver and Gilmer Lentz. One day Billy and Gilmer saved the wrapping from one of Calton’s boxes. The next Tuesday they careful- ly prepared Calton a “‘box from home’, and got Mrs. Barron to put it in the post office. As usual Calton got his box and rushed up to his room. He was much excited because the box was so heavy. Tearing off the wrapping Calton found a nice, big, sweet brickbats!