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

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Class Prophecy QCOOHDQOQOSE By James DoLLARD One day I came home exhausted after a hard day’s work in my office as contractor for “Dol- lard Construction Company”. I sat down and rested a while before I had my supper. After sup- per my wife talked me into going to the movies with her. She wanted to see Margaret O’ Brien’s latest picture, ““The Life of a College Freshman”’. We went to a very modernistic theatre. Each person had a deep cushioned chair with a foot and head rest. I knew when I went that I would probably have a hard time keeping awake, but my wife kept punching me from time to time. We saw a good news reel and a funny animated cartoon. When the feature started, starring lovely grown up Margaret O’Brien, I settled down to enjoy it. Suddenly I saw Billy and John Weaver on the screen. “That’s funny,” I thought, “I did not know they were movie stars’. And, ‘‘Where is Margaret O’Brien”?, I remember asking my- self. John and Billy were on a street corner. They were dressed up in fine clothes, with expensive diamond pins sticking in white silk scarfs around their necks. You could tell they were millionaires. As they walked alone, I recognized familar scenes and realized that they were in Charlotte. Everybody stopped and spoke to them. Finally they walked into a very modernistic looking building. Just before the scene changed, I saw a big sign over the door which read ““The Weaver Dairy Co.” Then I knew that Billy and John had made a wonderful success of their father’s dairy business. Suddenly right before my eyes sat Emily Gray Sexton. I couldn’t be mistaken, She was smiling as usual and sitting on a spacious lawn in front of a beautiful stone house playing with two cute little children. I knew they were Emily’s children because they looked so much like her. Emily’s face was full of happiness. There were palm trees and beautiful flame vines everywhere and I knew that Emily was happily married and living in the land of her dreams, Florida. The scene switched suddenly to a six-story brick building which proudly displayed a neon sign that read, ““Home of the New Orleans Daily Herald”’, and whom should I see walking into the big revolving doors but my old classmate Carl Bunch. The scene followed him in and I knew immediately that Carl had accomplished his highest ambition. He was a linotype operator on the staff of one of the biggest newspapers in the South. The scene changed so swiftly that I was breath- less. Cactus and sand and wide open places made me realize that I was now in Texas. The scene followed a lone cowboy on a beautiful white horse, driving a fine herd of cattle across the plains. His destination was a very prosper- ous looking home surrounded by fine looking barns. A sweet faced wife and twin daughters came out to greet the cowboy and when he jumped from his horse, I realized that I had been watching my friend, Claude Barlow. It was won- derful to know that he was the owner of a fine ranch in Texas. The most interesting place that flashed be- fore me was the beautiful School for the Deaf in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The campus scene were beautiful. The children I saw were so well be- haved. Inside one of the beautiful old buildings I saw a group of boys standing around a man who was seated at a big desk. I thought the man looked familiar and when the scene came closer I realized it was Lorenzo Taylor. A neat looking desk sign told me that he was the suc- cessful and popular ‘Dean of Boys’ in that Sch- ool.The looks on the boy’s faces told me that they respected him very much. The next thing I knew I was looking at a beautiful swimming pool in the hills of sunny California. Crowds of people were gathered a- round watching a lovely girl who was swim- ming and diving. As the scene came closer I recognized the champion swimmer and diver as

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had when he was five years old. His hobby is collecting negatives. His favorite subjects are Algebra and Sciences. Basketball, softball and footbali are his favorite sports. His ambition is to be a postal accountant when he leaves school. Billy Weaver was born totally deaf in Bess- emer City on May 10, 1924. He entered school in 1932. His favorite studies are History and Geography. His hobby is collecting interesting letters from ‘pen pals” in other Schools for the Deaf. Basketball and volley ball are his favorite sports. He hopes to be a dairyman when he leaves school. John Weaver comes from Bessemer City where he was born totally deaf on February 18, 1926. He and Billy are brothers. He entered school in 1934. Science and Arithmetic are his favorite studies. He is very much interested in Scouting. He is an Eagle Scout. His hobby is collecting stamps. Football, track, and softball are his favorite sports. His ambition is to go into the dairy business with his father.

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S— my classmate, Gladys Hodges. ‘On the ae of the pool was a beautiful trophy that she had -just . . won for the most perfect diving in all of Califor- nia. I felt like rushing up and congratulating her on her wonderful achievement. The scene shifted northward into Oregon along the Columbia River. One big canning plant attracted my attention. A sign over a’ frame building read, “The Reynolds: Salmon House”. I was so glad when ‘the scene paused long enough for me to see and recognize my old friend and classmate, Irving Reynolds. His face was rosy from the cold sea breezes. I knew in a minute that he had become a successful fish- erman. Such a look of contentment you ‘never . saw on anybody’s face! to-date tailor and dry cleaning establishment.” The sign outside the building told me that=Bert was the proprietor, and several deaf men were working for him. Just from glimpsing. him, I knew he was completely happy. The next successful business man I saw was Dan Autrey in a mountain section of Kentucky. He was standing in the yard of a neat looking little place: In the foot hills: bellow was a big | “rambling furniture factory. I knew immediately that Dan was happily married and was working where he had always wanted to work ii. a big furniture factory. The next scene I saw was in Akron, Ohio, at . the world’s largest airport. L.saw a very impor- tant looking mechanic. He seemed to.be supervis- ing the check that was being made on a big Pan American liner..He was overseeing'the job well. Imagine my. surprise when: I recognized the mechanic. ,,as,,none-other than Leroy: Binkley. I remembered how hard Leroy worked in Mr. Oxford’s machine.;shop -during our: good» old school days and I knew that he hadi.made a success of ,jhis chosen.. vocation. | I was thinking. that. | had never. oer a ,movie more than I was, enjoying this, onevwhen In Wyoming I saw Bert Dee Ruity Ae Re - suddenly I felt myse’f being very. rudely shaken. vy dhen slowly .the.truth dawned on me ‘and I realized that I had been asleep. I had slept through the entire feature picture but-my.drcam was so.vivid and so gripping that. I decided to check on it. On reaching home I wrote :to.each of, my former classmates. Their replies..proved my vision to be a true,one rather. than a. mere » dream, and I wondered if, it could: have-been that “heavenly hash” had for SUDpeES sop te