Old Town High School - Ye Olde Towne Crier Yearbook (Winston Salem, NC)

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SONNET TO THE CLOCK Oh, Clock, that stands upon the mantel shelf, How many souls have sought eternity, While you sat ticking softly to yourself, Concerned no whit about their destiny! You’ve sat unmoved throughout unnumbered years : And nothing felt but the endlessness of time. The laughter of men, their sorrows, and need- less fears Have never delayed the striking of one chime. The years recorded by your time-aged face Have held full measure of happiness and pain; But you remain a stoic, without a trace Of any memories you might retain. If only you to speech, I might compel, Oh, what a wondrous story you could tell! Nancy Petree

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HIGHLIGHIStOL ei iE GUASS mist GRY Looking backard down the long vista of time to that far off year, 1938, I remember how a brand new crop of little boys and girls made their eager, or reluctant, entrance into school life in the first grade at Old Town. Our apples were polished to an extra high gloss, our pinafores and new suits stiff with starch were arranged with loving care! With a nostalgic pang or two, and a wistful regret for dreams that have perished along the way, I look upon that proud group crowding my memory and proclaim aloud that we were really something to see! It was to be an eventful year under the leadership of Mrs. Flynt and Mrs. Trivette. For commencement, the second grade and we combined our talents in a play, “Snow White.” Between acts, Anna Hudgins and Jerry Cook sang a duet, and Nancy Petree delivered a fifteen minute oration entitled, ‘““Mother’s Clubs,” which she had borrowed from the repertoire of her high school sister. Coming events really do cast their shadows before them! Up the stairsteps of second, third, and fourth grades we went toward education and adulthood. I remember the fourth grade particularly because of the operetta in which we were allowed to take part. Not much of a part, to be sure, but at least we had pretty costumes that decorated the least important sections of the stage. Can you picture Herman Shamel in a cute little brownie suit, and Richard Hauser as a dear littlesusny rabbit wich a white cotton tail? Oh, yes, that was also the year Nancy Petree got spanked for not knowing her spelling. Time is an alchemist whose powers are indeed beyond belief! In Mrs. Sisell’s room when we were in the fifth grade, we used to play a game called “Come sit with me.” Friz Lawson was the cutest little girl, with long curls and pretty dresses. In our games all the boys wanted to sit with her and Fritz wet bitterly everytime one of them came near! Oh, change! That year we presented “The Sleeping Beauty.” Thurmond Lakey was Prince Charming and Herman Shamel was the king. Poor little Herman found his crown and robes very tiresome so -he cried from curtain to curtain. Thurmond bent over to kiss Mary Jane Hines, the sleeping beauty. It proved too much for him, and he fell flat on his face! At the end of our sixth grade the chill finger of death reached out and touched one of our playmates, Gloria Law- son. It was an experience new to us and I can never forget the sense of shock and loss which Gloria’s death left on our young minds. I remember exactly how she looked when she was queen in our fifth grade operetta. We were very happy to reach the eighth grade. We knew we weren't really in high school, but we went to chapel with the high school, and—peak of all joys—we changed classes! No more sitting in the same room all day; no more childish routine of recesses and restrictions! We felt that we had at last arrived. As the ninth grade was really our first year of high school, we didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it. Remember the field trips Mr. Smith took us on, Jane, Wilma, and Jean? Too bad the water was so deep, Jane. Miss Ivey was our home- reom teacher. Just before we returned to school for our junior year, ancther great sorrow came to us—Hubert Hyers died as the result of injuries received in an accident. He had been one of our most popular members, and his loss cast a gloom over the entire year. We can never forget him, nor grow accustomed to his absence. For us, his step still echoes in the halls, and his merry laughter rings out above the campus sou7d . In our junior year, we elected either the college preparatory course or the commercial course. Our class officers weze Porter Allen, Peggy Conrad, Jane Fulk, and Jean Belton, and our sponsors were Mrs. Mickey and Mrs. Helms. The highlight of that year, and indeed one of the bright moments of our high school life, was the Junior-Senior banquet. It was a beautiful party, so we felt repaid for the hard work required in preparing it. And now—now we are Seniors. Just a few more days and this phase of our life will be ended. We are happy and proud to be graduating, but our pleasure is, of course, tinged with regret. What a year it has been—harder than we ever knew before but a lot of fun too. Junior-Senior was all we could desire in such an affair. We wi'l never forget. it. Chicken pie supper meant fun as well as work, and the senior play brought realization to the dreams of some of our best actors and actresses. Porter Allen led the class as president, and Mrs. Newman was our class sponsor. We are grateful to her for helping us to develop both mentally and morally and for helping us aspire to bigger and better things. As these twelve years of learning now end, our classmates will go in different directions. Some will go to college, and some will approach the business world, while others will enter the holy state of matrimony. As we go our several ways into the future, we shall take with us cherished memories of happy days and lasting friendships. JEAN BELTON, Historian.

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LASIO WILE AND: TES TAMENG We, the 1950 Senior Class of Old Town High School, being—despite opinion to the contrary—of sound mind, do here- with will and bequeath our most characteristic and prized possessions to such underclassmen and other persons as we deem most able to profit by our bequests. ARTICLE 1. SECTION 1. We leave Mr. McNew and to the faculty our deep gratitude, our sincere admiration, and our lasting affection. These gifts which we bestow from those sections of our hearts and minds which are never touched by the levity that appears to govern all our ways. SECTION 2. To the juniors we leave that dark and musty robe called “Senior Dignity.’ We have seldom worn it, so a good brushing should make it immediately unable. To the sophomores we leave our extra book reports. To the freshmen we leave the fun we have had in growing up, as well as the attendant miseries called “growing pains.” ARTIGEE 2: SEcTION 1. Individual bequests: 1. Porter Allen wills his tactful way with the women to Guy Carswell. 2. Jean Belton and Helen Atwood leave their sore throats and stiff joints to Betty Pfaff and Faye Wolff. (Of course, Betty and Faye, you'll have some of your own if you go out for cheerleading next year!) To Jane Chadwick, Betty Lou Cline wills her slightly used plans for a bungalow over Lewisville way. Peggy Conrad wishes to leave her interest in the basketball team to Barbara Blakely. (Carry on, Barbara!) Charles Fearrington wills his winning smile to Betty Robertson. (Itll take you places, Betty.) “Shakey” Fox leaves his acting ability to Gene Doub. Broadway is really going to be crowded in later years. To Dicie Jones, Jane Fulk leaves her ability to keep the situation well in hand when the Marines arrive. Connie Hancock and Ruby Jean Shore will their tricky defense—you know, the new one they haven’t used yet—— to the girls’ basketball teams’of the future. 9. Richard Hauser wills his wit to Kyle Fulk. (Jus: say anything, Kyle, theyll laugh everytime.) 10. Mary Jane Hines leaves the rain checks of all her opera tickets to Peggy Sue Riddle. 11. Anna Hudgins wishes to leave her well groomed looks to Eleanor Butner. 12. Mary Lou Blevins leaves her startling, blue eyes to Phyllis Hemrick. (Just roll them with care, Phyllis.) 13. C. T. Long wills his innocent appearance and his wolf whistle to Reggie Luper. 14. Jean Seagraves leaves her willowy figure to Jean Jefferson. 15. Wilma Deal wills her knee guards to Dotty Phillips. (They should serve to make Dotty a complete succes on the team next year.) 16. Hunter James leaves his red hair to Carolyn Yow. (The price of peroxide should fall!) 17. Nancy Petree wills her executive ability to Ryland Vaughan. 18. Thurmond Lakey wills to Bobby Young, the ah’s and uh’s that were so useful when Thurmond couldn’t remember all his poetry. 19. Ben Shore leaves a stack of all his extra book reports to Max Butner in memory of the day Ben was going to make a book’ report on one of Zane Gray’s books and found Mrs. Newman of a different mind. 20. “Friz” Lawson leaves her curls to Jerry Livengood. (That should save you a lot of time, Jerry.) 21. Georgie Swink leaves her lovely voice to the mocking bird which has become a permanent fixture just outside the office window. 22. Jean Jennings wills Ned Conrad to Billie Russell. 23. Buddy Belton leaves his cure-all vitamin pills to the future seniors. (If those pills effect other grades the way they did Buddy’s, I recommend strychnine instead.) We, the Seniors of Old Town High School, in the year of our Lord 1950, do declare the articles as given above to be our last will and testament, and hereunto affix our our sign and seal, this twenty-second day of May, nineteen hundred and fifty. JOAN WOOD, Testator. Witnesses: The Wild Goose znd the Chattanoga Shoe Shine Boy.