Phillips Exeter Academy - PEAN Yearbook (Exeter, NH)

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N if My A1552 'Y rpg Q IK' AL, 'A' v 1 l il .ifitfaz L gn 1-1 if , '59 1 i ' ae if 1 ls , I ,M W ' Q, xi . ,W OO 99 1... 4, 4. Tr ,. 1 7 Fraternities were abolished in 1943. I V1 eg ,-,.l if I' From 1947 to 1951, Peam' were very nmch alike, too much alike. They can all be characterized by splashes of color, use of bold type, catchy subtitles, large numbers of photographs, which were usually superb, and a relatively small number of ads. VVhile the art work was, in general, not very inspired. the writing was better. Not sophisticated, it was often very realistic. There was one great change. With the '48 edition the Supplement became a permanent feature. Before this innovation spring sports stories of one year had to be included in the Perm of the following year. The Supplement eliminated a rather absurd situation. Although these five Peam' were much alike, they reflected a great many interesting things about the Academy. ln 1948 the faculty announced that with the beginning of the next year, there would be no Latin requirement. ln the same year an electric-power failure resulted in a mass riot and Fxonians caused many dollars damage to town property. For this riot the movies and the Spring Dance were cancelled. In 1946, William G. Saltonstall was appointed to succeed Principal Lewis Perry. Wrote the editors of the '49 l'ea1e1, But who would be his successor? When Mr. Saltonstall was named, some of us thought that he had been kidnapped from the United States Senate to fill this position. The impressions of the '52, '53, and '54 P00715 are still in our minds. And they are very different impressions. The 1952 annual was an example of a book that was technically and mechanically perfect. The layout was rigid, conserva- tive, the writing was not particularly original. Only the photography reflected something out of the ordinary. And yet the finished product was a very respect- able, dignified, and complete annual. Nothing can be said in favor of the '53 Perm, it was one of the worst. The offset was very poorly done, even the binding was HOC acceptable. On the other hand, a great deal can he said for the '54 Perm, and particularly for the original art work which was unquestionably the most striking feature. The class editorial began Let this be a success story. The class of '54 was a suecessg the '54 Perm was also a success. And both left a firm imprint on their successors. And that brings us to 1955. It has been a long seventy-five years since an anonymous group of Exonians instigated the Perm. During those years the Academy has changed immensely, both tangibly and intangibly. The enrollment has increased from less than three hundred students in 1880 to over seven If Qtbi

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A new Council and a new constitution was the result of a reaction against what had come to be a mere steak-eating clique of boys. Un- fortunately it does not seem that the reaction was very successful. Since the dormitories had become more im- portant in lilxeter life, an article on each one was included in the '43 Penn. This gave the editors an opportunity to display their Hare for creative writing. For example the Abbot story- Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of modern times is that Sigmund Freud was unable to observe any of the activities in Abbot Hall during the last year. One is inclined to feel that in this red-brick asylum, replete with every imaginable type of mental disorder, Sigmund would have found his ideal workshop. Higher labor costs, the tremendously in- creased prices of both copper and paper, sky- rocketing printing and engraving bills, the scarcity of photo materials, the discontinu- ance of advertising companies who have Govern- ment war contracts and no longer need to advertise, and the VVPB IWW paper consumption cut have all contributed toward making the issu- ance of publications in wartime a far more difficult task than in peacetime. Perhaps that is why the '44 Penn was not a very good one. Despite the relatively unartistic appearance of the '45 Penn it was in some respects quite excel- lent. The photography showed care in choosing subject matter, and the writing was often realistic and to the point. VVe would like to quote from the class memoirs of '45 certain interesting and significant passages. One morn- ing in the winter term, the Dean rose in chapel to explain the asthmatic tone of that morning's bell. Evidently the impossible had been accom- plished. The bell had been robbed of its clapper, and the chapel was being held by the grace of the ingenious ianitor who was wielding a sledge hammer on the bell. Dean Kerr pleaded elo- quently for the return of the clapper, tacitly admitting that the deed was a daring one. Then he blushed bright red and announced that no questions would be asked of the boy returning the clapper. The 1946 Perm was characterized by boldness in art, writing, and in photography. There was also a considerable element of wit and frivolity. Soon the class of '46 will be spread across the country, like the japanese beetle, through as- sorted colleges. The A. P. will be in the Army. To the faculty, we will be just another class- not good, not bad. But blessed by four years of an Exeter education, our well-trained intelli- gence must tell Us that we are the best class yet. Mr. Kesler leads a paper drive during VVorld War II. This gymnasium was replaced by the Thompson Gymnasium.

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The chapel in the Third Acad- emy Building was not a great deal different from today. The present Academy tower is perhaps the greatest trademark of Exeter. hundred in 1955. The faculty has increased from six to over ninety. Buildings have been constructed, and there have been many other physical advances. In the four years that the members of the class of 1955 have been at Exeter the old Alumni Hall, once used as a dining hall, has been redecorated and converted into the Lamont Art Gallery. In response to a long demand and with the help of alumni contributions an artificial hockey rink was constructed and first used in 195 3. And even now there is talk, speculation. and planning for a new building for the music department, a building which would also contain space for an auditorium which the school so badly needs. Since the last years of the nineteenth century Exeter life has undergone some rather fundamental changes. Today there is much less emphasis on athletics than there was in 1880 or the early years of the twentieth century. Many more activities-or diversions as they are sometimes classified-are open to the Exonians of today, although school regulations are in general stricter. With the application of the Harkness Plan teaching methods and techniques have been altered and improved. Consid- erably more attention can be given to the Exeter student than was the case before the Harkness Plan. This fact becomes increas- ingly significant when one remembers that college enrollments are soaring while neither the facilities nor the teaching profession can effectively take the added strain. The more students the less