Oak Hill High School - Belles Memoires (Morganton, NC)

Page 16 text:

CLASS HISTORY The long awaited time has finally arrived. Soon the class of ’5 3 will have ended their high school studies and will go out to seek whatever fortune awaits them. But first let us go back to the year ’49 when we, the present dignified” Seniors, made our debut as green” Freshmen with Mr. R. C. Russell as principal. Soon our excitement had subsided and we began to get into the swing of high school life under the watchful eye of Mr. O. D. Rowe. We elected our class officers, with Iris Chester, president; Lawrence Harris, vice-president; James Saulmon, secretary; and Bobby Stephens, treasurer. We entered our Sophomore year with a little more confidence and had Mrs. Helen Curry as our homeroom teacher. Throughout our Sophomore year we had many difficulties, but we had overcome our timidity. We elected the following students that year as our class officers: Iris Chester, president; James Saulmon, vice-president; Margaret Benfield, secretary; Nancy Ramseur, treasurer. In the fall of ’51 we became sophisticated” Juniors. This year brought new activities. Our Junior-Senior Banquet was a great success — so the Seniors said. We took them on an imaginary trip to Fairy Land” with Mrs. Helen Curry as our sponsor. Our class officers were Nancy Ramseur, president; James Saulmon, vice-president; Katherine Lingafelt, secretary; Ethel Powell, treasurer. During the early part of that year. Iris Chester changed her name to Iris Fox. Our marshals for the graduation exercises were Nancy Ramseur, Iris Chester Fox, Charles Henson, and James Saulmon. Now, at last, the great year that we have been waiting for is here, and as dignified” Seniors we are fulfilling our dreams at Oak Hill High School with Mr. W. F. Brown, Jr. as principal. Again one of our classmates, Alice Fox, changed her name during the summer vacation to Alice Lail. Shirley Sheehan Carswell joined our class from Waynes- ville High School giving us then three married classmates. We chose as our Senior officers: Charles Henson, president; Alice Fox Lail, vice-president; Katherine L ingafelt, secre- tary; Ethel Powell, treasurer; and Margaret Benfield, reporter. Our Senior play, Trouble in Paradise,” came off with great success. Now we are planning our trip to Florida along with the Juniors. Out of this class of sixty some four years ago, twenty-three of us are looking forward eagerly to the future with open hearts for new and better opportunities. The years have been happy ones and may the years to come hold in our hearts tender memories for the years spent at Oak Hill. Now that you have the important facts about our past, I shall leave the future to the Class Prophet. Margaret Benfield, Historian

Page 15 text:

SUPERLATIVES Mary Jane Michaels and Charles Henson . . . Most Intelligent. Loretta Sims and Dewey Fox . . . Wittiest. Shirley Orders and Bobby Stephens . . . Neatest. Ethel Powell and Bobby Stephens . . . Most Athletic. Ruth Saunders and Ronnie Cobb . . . Biggest Flirts. Irene Whisnant and Dewey Fox . . . Friendliest. Evelyn Patton and Jimmy Saulmon . . . Quietest. Margaret Benfield and Ronnie Cobb . . . Cutest. n

Page 17 text:

CLASS PROPHECY I, Madam Foresee All, am alone today in my little fortunetelling shop on Fifth Avenue in New York. Looking at my calendar, 1 see that it is June 1, 1963. Fleavens! C an it be possible? At exactly this time ten years ago, I was bowing low over my dear old principal’s hand accepting that long-coveted high school diploma. Oh, well, no wonder I feel so melancholy and homesick. Dearie me — oh! dearie me! Why don’t I have a customer? Well, bless me, here comes one now! Of all people, an old classmate, Irene Whisnant! Are you feeling a little homesick for dear old Oak Flill High School? Let me see your palm, and perhaps we can use our occult powers to contact some of the others who were in our class. By the way, Irene, I see you are now Mrs. Powell and the mother of six red-haired boys — two sets of twins, haven’t you? Look! Here I see someone whom I recognize as Mary Jane Michaels, a nurse at Grace Hospital. And there’s Ruth Saunders, a telephone operator. Ah! What’s this I see? Why, it’s a sign that reads, Carswell’s Flower Shop.’’ And there’s Shirley Carswell and her husband, who are the owners of the shop. I see Alice Lail, a beautician. There’s our other classmate who was married. It’s Iris Fox, who’s working as a secretary in an office, along with Margaret Benfield, Ethel Powell, and Charles Henson. The palm now reveals that some of the girls have gotten married since our gradua- tion. They include Katherine Lingafelt, who is still giving piano lessons, and Edith Stroupe, who has become a famous seamstress. Jean Clay got married soon after we graduated, and her husband is now in the Navy. Where are some of the boys from our class? Oh yes, I see Dewey Fox. He’s been in the Navy for the past ten years. Johnny Clark and Ronnie Cobb — the lucky guys — are vacationing in Florida at the present time. Three of our class members are in Washington now. Shirley Orders, with her small, trim, streamlined figure is teaching kindergarten there. Nancy Ramseur is a medical secretary, and Evelyn Patton is visiting relatives in Washington. Well, bless me! There’s our dear old Alma Mater, and seated behind the principal’s desk is none other than Professor James Saulmon. Jane Bost is one of the teachers, and two of the male members of our class are employed in the school. They are Gene Cobb, football coach, and Bobby Stephens, basketball coach. Well, I’m satisfied now that I’ve seen that all my dear old classmates are doing well. And me? There’s not much to say about myself — except that I feel a lot like I did when we walked away from Oak Hill School with my precious diploma grasfsed safely in my hand. Now it’s time for me to push these memories of my high school days from my mind and lock up my little fortunetelling shop on Fifth Avenue. Loretta Sims, Class Prophet