Pekin High School - Pekinian Yearbook (Pekin, IL)

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Cfje ebinian, 1020 Class ropfjecp By Ruth Black- SCENE—Washington. D. C. The pretentious office of Miss Julia E. Scrimger. Federal Supervisor of Country Schools. Discovered Miss Scrimger and Miss Black engaged in earnest conversation. Miss Black speaks ' Well, how are you Julia? It has been a long time since I last saw you! Why. it must be ten years, for you went out west the year we graduated. Let me see—today is the tenth aniversary of our Graduation Day. How we have all grown! 1 just arrived yesterday from Chicago. I knew your address and came right up to have a good talk with you. Did you know that the famous evangelist of Chicago. Dr. Smith, is none other than Herman, our old classmate? I was quite surprised when he gave up his large class in ball-room dancing to enter the ministry. And so Hermine is your assistant? She investigates the large rural schools and works out a plan of study? Well, she certainly has succeeded as a country school teacher. So you have been attending the sessions of Congress? And one of the Senators from i exas is a Miss Behrends? You don’t mean Althea, our old classmate? And. Julia. I just heard that the speaker of the House is the Honorable W. R. Sipfle—Reginald, our Civics star in old Pekin High School! A few weeks ago I attended our class reunion at 'Illinois' and several of our old P. H. S. classmates were there. Charles Young is an assistant mathematic teacher and Florence Leitner. an assistant in Commercial Law. She said that she had finally mastered the principles of it. and now she enjoys her work very much. Eugene Derrick was there. He studied Electrical Engineering and now he has a fine position in Chicago. I asked him about some of our classmates and he told me that Elizabeth is a graduate nurse at Proctor Hospital, Peoria. And Marguerite Ehrhardt is teaching Public Speaking at ‘Illinois’. Don't you remember what good oral themes she gave in English VIII? He also told me that Florence Kriegman while on a lecture tour through France had met the President of France. He has recently placed her in charge of the National Bureau of Art in that country. So you are going to the concert to-night too. Well Norma certainly has wonderful musical ability. And she is to be assisted by Prof. Schneider, the famous violinist. I met him about a year ago and he is just as quiet and unassuming as he was when he was Editor-in-chief of our Pekinian Staff, ten years ago. The Schneiders are well-known in America, aren’t they? You know Ruth is considered one of the few. really good motion picture actresses. I read that she was playing opposite William Liescheidt—Would you believe it? And so Marie has been studying Dramatic Art and has become quite well known as a reader in Washington? Well, you know she liked that sort of work when she was in High School. Have you read Miss Morris'latest poem? It is splendid! I don't believe we really appreciated Thelma when she was in High School. Her poem came out in the April ‘Outlook.’ After reading it I glanced through the magazine and found an article on the wonderful missionary service which is being done in India, by Miss Schrock—Julia! It couldn’t possibly be Marjorie, our classmate? It is? And you received a letter from her several months ago? Oh. do let me read it! And so you are giving lectures at Normal. 111., on ‘The Ideal Rural School. You have surely made a success of your work. Are Dorothy and Edwardean Kreager both teaching there? Edwardean teaching Latin? And Dorothy physical culture? You know 1 didn’t think Edwardean would specialize in Latin, but Dorothy always liked sports and athletics. Page Twenty-secen

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£fje $cktntan, 1020 Class instorp By Ruth Black, and Marguerite Ehrhardl January 23, 1916! A red-letter day when sixty-five eager little Eighth Graders became proud, self-conscious Freshmen. Yes. we were now Freshmen, and. as we walked down Court Street to buy those wonderful books, whose titles were the mysterious words—-“Latin,” Algebra.” Physiography,” we felt that everyone who saw us could not but know that we were High School Students! We were such an intelligent bunch of youngsters that it took us only a week to learn when and where to present ourselves to the various classes. This knowledge saved us no little embarrassmen t. After a few weeks of High School life, we were prepared to choose our class officers and advisor. This accomplished, we considered ourselves full-fledged Freshmen, and at once we set to work in earnest. Soon pleasure beckoned to us and we gayly skipped from the Road of Toil and became Japanese folk in the P. H. S. Carnival. Again it is January and the earnest little “Freshies” who have so bravely withstood the ridicule and jests of the upper classmen are now supercilious Sophomores. What fun we had at our birthday party. We were all infants at one time as was proven by the baby pictures” which we produced, but as Sophomores we had “put away childish things. That year we enjoyed a hike” (in cars) to a little bungalow in the woods. The “eats” roasted over the coals were delicious. Everyone had a jolly time except several who took home rather painful memories of the occasion, due to the accidental disturbance of a yellow-jacket's nest. Our sister class, the Freshmen, who started upon their four year journey on September I I, 1916, had one advantage. They had the opportunity of immediately entering the new high school building. Their first year was spent mostly in study, although they greatly enjoyed a party celebrating the birthday of the First President.” The first year was over and September 10, 1917 dawned clear and bright, especially for the Beginning Sophomores, who anticipated a year full of study and fun. It was not very long until fun presented itself in the shape of a picnic at the park. This picnic was honored by the presence of all the members of the faculty, and occasional outsiders who stood gazing, when the ice cream was served. There was one contest that year; a prize was to be given to the class in High School, which sold the most tickets for the Art Exhibit. It was only natural that there should be competition between two bright classes such as the Beginning and Advanced Sophomores; and there was! Possibly this accounted for the fact that our two classes were congenial and got along remarkably well together when we united in September 1918, as the Class of 1920. The first social event of the combined classes was a “Costume Party”, the memory of which brings a smile to our faces as we see again those quaint and ridiculous costumes and mischievious eyes glancing from the queer masks. In the spring, two great events occupied our minds (and monopolized our study periods'—the Junior Class Play and the County Meet. Eventually the great days so eagerly anticipated, arrived and passed, and we again picked up our books and began to study (for exams.) With the renewal of school in September 1919, we entered upon our last year as students of Pekin High School. We were older, now. more serious and thoughtful, more closely united for we had shared a common sorrow had lost a loved classmate—yet we rejoiced that he, even though leaving his books, had gone on to follow the Great Teacher. Even though Seniors are sometimes called proud and haughty , they are usually rather hard-working as well; and, as we furiously work through these last few weeks we think, with a little sigh, of our Freshmen days—yet our hearts beat a little faster as each day brings us a little nearer to our Graduation Day—Commencement! And as each starts out alone on the Road of Life he turns and looks back, a little wistfully, perhaps, upon his happy, carefree, joyous High School days. Page Twenty-six

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{Tfje $cbtntan, 1920 Class 3topl)cSj»—Continued It is surprising how many of our old classmates are living in Chicago. I have been located there for the last year and one day 1 stopped at Sackenreuther’s Florist Shop to get some violets. The name seemed familiar and when I stepped inside who should be sitting at a large desk, but— Arthur! I was greatly surprised to see him there but you know how well he liked flowers. We talked of High School days and he asked if I had visited the Waldmeier Dancing Academy. He said that Mary Waldmeier. our former classmate, was the instructor and Walter Grossweiler was the pianist. Walter, he said, had heard his Sophomore friend play the piano so often that one night he arose in his sleep, went to the piano, and duplicated his friend s best music. Since then he has been earning fifty dollars an evening at Waldmeier’s. He said the place was considered one of the best academies in the city. He told me he had received a letter from Albert Hillman. He is quite wealthy; owns a large cattle ranch in Texas. You know he married Esther a year after we graduated. Arthur said that Bill Helfenstein was in the Air-mail Service. He likes it and he told Arthur he couldn't run anybody down when he was up in the air. One day I was in Marshall Field’s and a very well-dressed woman came up to me and said Hello Ruth!” It was Theola! I must have looked blank, for she laughed and said that I hadn't changed a bit. She told me that she came to Chicago six years ago to take a position as private secretary to Mr. John Smith, the oil magnate. She is now Mrs. John Smith. Of course. Julia, you are acquainted with the famous cartoonist. Mr. Brooks Watson. Do you remember how he illustrated The Pekinian,” our High School Annual? I called at his office one day to get some posters that he had made for our Anti-Cigarette campaign and who do you suppose is his stenographer? Miss Mabel Soady! He said she was very proficient. But. Julia, the biggest surprise came when I called to see the President of the Chicago Settlement Workers’ Association and found Edith Sipfle in charge! She is a very enthuiastic worker and has aided greatly in improving conditions in the Foreign Quarter of Chicago. You say you received a letter from Gladys? She is married and her husband is manager of the Woolworth Store of Pekin? And Walter Kreager owns a shoe store in our home town. Did you know that J ustin Kern owns an aeroplane station north of the city and he calls it 'The Fly Inn.? And Lela Garlish and Florence Goodwin are both married and live on farms south of Pekin? Really? So Sylvia is Nurse Superior at the Pekin Hospital? I do truly wish her great success. Oh! Is Cornelius in the U. S. Patent Office here? No, I hadn’t read of Edward’s latest invention. Some sort of a wingless aeroplane? Oh! I see. Are there any good hair dressing establishments here? Stephens and Sarff. Not Doris and Ona! Well. I will certainly go there while I am in the city. “Pardon me. but that painting—the girl’s face looks familiar to me. Lucille Ropp? And she is an artist’s model now? I am surprised! You say Charles Hough called last night? He lives here? Owns a barber shop! Well, if he has owned it very long he must be a millionaire now! Julia. what good beauty parlor can you recommend? Madam Rust’s? You don't mean Kate Rust? You say she is very good? Oh! That is a fine likeness of Fink, isn’t it? When was it taken? 1925? (Reads) 'Hazel Voll, Photographer’ Hazel, our classmate? Don’t you remember back in the old High School days how she enjoyed taking pictures? You say Fink is athletic coach of Pekin High School? Is he there now? You don't know? Well, perhaps he has gone out west. You know he used to visit out there. Really. I can’t go home with you to dinner, thank you. for I have an appointment at seven. I have enjoyed the afternoon so much recalling school memories and renewing old acquaintances. Indeed, my interest in the lives and achievments of our classmates of old P. H. S. will never die. Page Twenty-eight