Oxford High School - Ravelins Yearbook (Oxford, MA)

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THE RAVELIN'S,1936 27 CLASS PROPHECY By Helen Daley. Oh dear! Here it is December 31, 1956, and another year has passed away. I am very lonely tonight. I wish I had something inter- esting to do. Oh! I know! That salesman who came to the door with magic glasses said all I had to do was to put them on and wish for something and I would get what I wished for. I'll put them on now and wish to see all the members of my class of Oxford High School-the Class of '36. My goodness! Twenty long years have passed since then. I wonder what roads my classmates chose to travel on. Now let me get these glasses adjusted and I'll make my wish. Let's see what happens. Why-why-I really do believe this is a courtroom scene. Yes, it surely is. There is the judge seated at his desk. Say-his face cer- tainly does look familiar! He looks like-yes, it is! It's none other than Gordon Dimock! So Gordon finally became a judge. Imagine that! He has grown much stouter than when he graduated from Oxford High! But outside of that he looks the same. He seems to be very much interested in the case before him. Those two people who seem to be both speaking at once have familiar faces. Goodness! Every- one seems to be interested in the case by the way they are leaning forward in their seats. Oh! the judge is speaking. He says: The court grants damages to you, Olive Wood, from James Zarr, on the grounds of taking away trade. Why for heavens sake! That can't be Jimmy Zarr and Olive Wood can it? But it is! It seems Jimmy had set up a lunch cart in competition to the suppers Olive was giving. Olive is looking very well. I guess the court is adjourned for the peo- ple are all filing out of the court room. The lawyer of the case seems to be very friendly with Olive. I wonder who it is. Goodnight! it is Ceceilia Degnan! A lawyer at last. And look at that nice looking officer. He has a very familiar face. Let me see. Who can he pos- siblv be? Why it is Elwood Jackson! He cer- tainly makes a fine looking officer, to say the least. Oh! my! These glasses are getting rather blurred. I guess I had better wipe them. There! Now! I can see better. Say-this is a different scene. It is backstage of a very big moving picture stadium. Look at all those pretty chorus girls! They are very much in- terested in their director who is looking them over to see if their measurements are correct. They seem so engrossed in him I think he must be something special. I wish he would turn around so I can see him. Well, well. It is John Connor! 'Can you imagine? And I always thought he was bashful. According to this, he isn't. These glasses certainly do some queer things! The scene has changed right before my very eyes! It is on a big steamer which is just arriving in Hawaii. Hawaii! What a beau- tiful place. I always did want to go there. Look at that young couple on board the liner. They are honeymooners who are coming to spend their honeymoon in Hawaii. They cer- tainly do seem engrossed in each other. Hold everything! It's Lois Stone and Robert Allen! Can you imagine that! And I thought that the man Lois would marry would be a certain Bob from Southbridge. But here she goes and marries a Bob from her own class! Some strange things do happen! The boat has an- chored and they are just descending from the liner. Look at those pretty Hawaiian girls. And what is this? A Spanish Senorita is step- ping from the ship also. She certainly is get- ting quite a welcome. Now she is dancing and singing for the visitors of Hawaii. That girl is dressed like a Senorita and she has dark hair and eyes. but how like an American girl she looks. Why she is an American girl! and she is posing as a Spanish Senorita. It's a class- mate! I know it is! It is Rita Lyman! Well, I never thought Rita would end in Hawaii as a Spanish Senorita. Owooo! The scene has changed again. I can't tell just where I am, but I see a huge field with two airplanes surrounded by people. Oh! Now I see what it is all about. These are two passenger planes which are about to take pas- sengers on a trip. There are the pilots. Gra- cious now! One of them is Kenneth Chaffee! Who is the tiny girl standing near him? She must be the hostess, from the way she is dressed I guess she is. She seems too thin to be Esther Clementson, but I guess it is. Sure! that's who it is. It's Esther! My, how thin she is. I hardly recognized her. Now let me see. What does that sign say? Bar X Ranch. What is this? My glasses must have changed scenes again because here I am

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26 THE RAVE LIN'S, 1936 ness managers were Matthew Sands and Eu- gene Schofield. They deserve a great deal of praise for a fine piece of work. February 18, Midyears started, and did we study? On Feb- ruary 21 they ended and we all heard a sigh of relief, but we did not feel so good after see- ing our reports. The baseball team enioyed a very successful season under Mr. Chaffee, the coach. Haig Aroian was the only one from our class who was on the team- this year. School closed June 28 much to our delight. September 9, 1935, we started the last leg of our journey with our ranks now reduced to 36. Now we are dignified Seniors-maybe. We elected Eugene Schofield, President, John Con- nor, Vice-President, Secretary, Dorothy Brown, Treasurer, Dorothy Taft. Twenty sen- iors were on the Ravelin's Board this year. The Senior class took over the magazine drive and it was a howling success. Thanks for the help, underclassmen. The Red Cross drive was giv- en over by the town to Mr. Sannella, so 'chalk up another victory for O. H. S. The Student Council members were Matthew Sands, Presi- dent, Vincent Gill, Vice-President, Sarah Law- son, Secretary, Eugene Schofield, and Robert Cheney. November 8, 1935, the high school presented the play Adventure Bound. The members of our class taking part were: Dorothy Brown, Cathryn Christian, Marguerite Cameron, Rita Lyman, Esther Clementson, Matthew Sands, and Vincent Gill. The play was a success as our plays always are. Miss Winter deserves the credit for the success of the dramatic part of it. Eugene Schofield and his helpers, Marguerite Hale and Russell Proctor, deserve much credit for the financial part of it. Won- der of all wonders, Oxford High goes on the air! Seniors get first chance before the mike. The first play put on by Oxford High at W.O.R.C. was called The Hamilton-Burr Duel, with Haig Aroian as Uncle Dan , Dor- othy Taft, Anna May , Eugene Schofield as Billie , Barbara Smith, Mrs. Hamilton , Gor- don Dimock, Van Ness , Elwood Jackson, Pendleton , Kenneth Chaffee, Joe, the ser- vant, John Connor, Doctor Hosack, and Vin- cent Gill, Alexander Hamilton. The cast worked well with Miss Winter and both de- serve a great deal of credit. Our star athletes have been Allen, Aroian, and Miss Vitkus. There were several other radio plays during the year, other. classes getting a chance to ap- pear before the mike We had many inter- esting assemblies, some of them being held in the town hall. Our years at O. H. S. are near- ly over, but we hope to have a glorious end to four short years. May 21, 1936, the Senior Class of Oxford High School presented the three-act play, Af- ter You, I'm Next. The cast included: George, Gordon Dimock, Marie Delmon, Mary Browning, but due to an accident the part was later taken by Esther Clementson, Paul Delmon, Vincent Gill, Mary Jones, Gertrude LaPlante, Henry Jones, Matthew Sands, Pansy Delbor, Rita Lyman, Phil Young, Haig Aroian, Pat, Eugene Schofield, Kate O'Reilly, Olive Wood, Camille, Mar- guerite Cameron, Peaches, Dorothy Brown, Mrs. C. U. Later, Catherine Christian. The Stage Managers were: Kenneth Chaffee and John Connor. The Business Managers were: Eugene Schofield and Robert Cheney. Miss Winter, the coach, deserves a great deal nf credit for working so hard to put over a good performance. It was a great success too. The whole senior class cooperated and the entire play was one of the high lights of the year.

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28 THE RAVELIN'S, 1936 out West on one of the wide open ranges. Look at those horses! Look at those cow girls. Now if that girl on the big black horse would only slow up for a second maybe I could get a look at her. Presto! Chango! I know her face is familiar. Who is it? It is Marie Berard! She is walking into the house which must be oc- cupied by the owner of this ranch. Look at all those children! One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six! Don't tell me they belong to Marie! Sure enough! They are calling her Mama so they must be hers. Well, will you look at them jump on their ponies and ride. They sure do know how anyway. Look at that big fat man. He must weigh three hundred! Marie is talking very crossly to him and her fist is being shaken at him. Did she call him Vincent? Why- why-it's Vincent Gill! He and Marie must have married and moved out west to raise a family and conduct a ranch. Here I see a funny little man with a big black beard! Isn't he comical? Are my eyes deceiving me? He is actually taking his beard off! Oh-oh-my, it is only a false one! He is Il thief who is hiding from the law! He is run- ning as fast as he can! But look! a tall fellow, exceptionally tall, with fiery red hair, is run- ning after him. Can it be possible that is Eu- gene Schofield? It is! The tall fellow is Eu- gene. How could anyone possibly grow so tall? What did you do to yourself to grow so tall, Schofield? Well, anyway, Eugene will cer- tainly get a reward for catching that thief! The scene has changed again. What's this? a broadcasting studio. Let me see. Who is the girl standing in front of the microphone? And the other four girls there. One is playing the piano, two play guitars and the other one must he the singer. Let me look closer. Per- haps I'll recognize one of my classmates out of that crowd. Well, low and behold! The singer is Helen Donovan. How well she sings. And the piano player is-now let me see-oh, I know-Dorothv Taft! Yes! Yes! it's they- Paulena Chickering and Katherine Chapman playing guitars. Now isn't that lovely? They all teamed together and look at the job they found. Now I find myself looking in on a scene at a newspaper plant. There are two girls there who are busily typing. They seem to be girls whom I have seen before. Yes, I must have seen them before because they are Eleanor Thompson and Antoinette Vitkus. And who is that man who seems to be very busy doing bookkeeping? Blond hair, tall, blue eyes,- there were very few blond fellows in my class, it must be-oh, yes. it is! Robert Cheney! He always was a star bookkeeper back in Oxford High! My but these glasses do change scenes quick- ly. Here I am looking around in a hospital. I wonder if I will find any of my classmates here. Whoops! A collision. A nurse and doc- tor iust bumped into each other. They are laughing and talking. Well, call me a taxi! Why should they be angry at each other! It's Haig Aroian and Sarah Lawson. It seems Haig is a specialist and Sarah is his head nurse. Good work! What's this? It looks like a woman's meet- ing. There is one woman who has succeeded in getting all the other women to listen to her, so she must be good. Oh, I see what this is. It is a woman's club which is choosing a girl to represent Miss Personality, and The Tallest Girl in the State. They have selected both. Miss Personality looks a bit old to me, but I guess there are no young girls allowed in this club meeting. Miss Personality must be at least 37 and goodness she certainly is younger looking than than. Oh, there is the woman who is the head speaker. Her features are familiar but she seems exceedingly stout. Well, can you imagine! It is Rosemary Herbert! And look who Miss Personality is! It's Dorothy Brown! And the tallest girl in the state is, oh, give me some water quick! It's none other than Gertrude LaPlante! Gert, how did you do it? Well, from the looks of this scene I must be in Italy. What's this? The foreign minister to Italy is talking to an artist! I never knew the foreign minister had to come all the way to Italy to speak to an artist. Aren't there enough in the United States? But look, he seems very friendly with her. Maybe he knows her. Whoa! The foreign minister to Italy is Matthew Sands! And the artist is Mary Browning! Some of my classmates certainly did travel a long way. The scene is changed again. Here I am in New York. A sensational murder has been committed and there are two women detect- ives in the case. There they go into the police headquarters now. Let me see. It's Doris Lapan and Catherine Christian! They certain-