Pontiac Senior High School - Quiver Yearbook (Pontiac, MI)

Page 9 text:

The 1941 Quive r The School Board, which has jurisdiction over the financial and other matters of P.H.S., is pictured above. The School Board is made up of private citizens of Pontiac and includes (left to right) top row—W. Archie Parker, president; H. L. Black¬ wood, and Louis Schimmel. Bottom row: Joseph Moon, F. N. Thief els, Milo D. McLintock, secretary; and Erwin O. Slater, vice-president. Robert B. French, at the right, is superintendent of all Pontiac schools and has charge of any matter concerning them. Pontiac Alumni Gain Fame by Peggy Fisher Pontiac high school can be justly prourl of itself in the matter of alumni, for it has fostered many distinguished sons and daughters, some of them world-famed. From the first graduating class of 1867, in which there were five girls and two boys, to the graduating class of June, 1940, students of the school later became famous. From that first graduating class, Charles Chandler and Richard Hudson became university professors, one a dean of professors at the University of Michigan and the other a professor at the University of Chicago. From the 1940 group came Archolose Godoshian, winner of the Hopwood Literature Prize for Poetry in her freshman year at the University of Michigan. A great many of the Pontiac teachers and professional and business men are graduates of Pontiac High. An in¬ teresting side-light is the fact that at one time alumnae were teaching at Pontiac who represented three generations in the school s history—Miss Derragon, teaching English, who had received her instruction in that subject from Miss Avery, also teaching it at that time, and Miss Mc- Carroll who was still supervising students. Michigan’s Governor, Murray D. VanWagoner, g radu¬ ated from Pontiac High, as did Mrs. VanWagoner and Charles Porritt, his secretary. Dr. Ferris Smith, a world-known plastic surgeon, studied at Pontiac High School and later at the University of Michigan and at Vienna and Berlin. He had held the position of plastic surgeon at Queen’s Hospital in England and at the International Clinic in Paris; at the present lime he is a surgeon at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids. Poetry, fiction, industrial writer . . . proficient in all these fields, Arthur Pound is an alumnus. He was born in Pontiac in 1884 on the present site of the post office and was taught by Sarah McCarroll. He wrote editorials for the Pontiac daily paper when he was 18, was managing editor of the Akron, Ohio, Beacon Journal in 1913 and 1914 and from 1914 to 1917 was the chief editorial writer of the Grand Rapids Press. He joined the United States Navy in 1918. He occupied a post as an editorial writer on the New York Evening Post from 1922-23 and on the New Lork Herald from 1923-1924, he held the position When the rest of us are doing our school work and worrying about exams, we often forget about our busy office girls. Pictured from left to right are: Marguerite Houghton, Louise Sutton, Betty Everett, and Fannie Newton. Page five

Page 8 text:

Mr. John J. Thors, Jr. has been principal of Pontiac Senior High School for the past eleven years. He was a former teacher of history from September, 1921 to June, 1925. Mr. Thors was made assistant principal in September, 1925, and held this position for approximately five years. At the end of this time matters concerning Pontiac schools and is always looking for means of improving our school system and keeping our standards high on the reduced budget with which he must work. Mr. French makes any suggestions that he may have to the school board, comprising Mr. Harold L. Blackwood, Mr. Joseph H. Moon, Mr. W. Archie Parker, Mr. Erwin Mr. Frank DuFrain came to Pontiac High School in 1921 as principal of the school. He continued in this capacity until 1931, when he took over the position that he still holds, that of Assistant Superintendent of Schools. he took over the duties of principal. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Mr. James C. Covert came into our ranks eleven years ago, in 1930. Before taking up his present duties, he attended the Michigan College of Mining Technology at Houghton, Michigan; State Normal College at Ypsilanti, and the University of Michigan. O. Slater, Mr. Milo D. McLintock, Mr. Ferdinand N. Thiefels, and Mr. Louis H. Schimmel. The members of the board then act on his suggestions or any others that may be made. Governor Murray D. VanWagoner and State Super¬ intendent of Education, Dr. Eugene Elliot, both alumni of Pontiac Senior High, help greatly to improve Michigan schools and to keep the standards of our school at the high point they are today. Keeping the files of Pontiac High School in order, issuing lockers, book cards, and giving out information are duties of Mrs. Marguerite Houghton, Miss Fannie Newton, and Miss Marietta Beach. As to the maintenance of our building, Pontiac High is kept warm, clean, and orderly by a janitorial staff which includes Alec Aitken, George Provan, Robert Sanders, Thomas Hyde, Henry Hagerman, Harold Bowmaster, C. A. Plumb, Rose Schultz, Grace Jackson, and Alice Birrell. In our cafeteria we have Mrs. Ferris, director of all the cafeterias in the Pontiac school system, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. LaClear, Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. Amidon, and Mrs. Mogg who plan the thousands of student lunches to give the most appetizing and nutritious meals at the lowest cost. These many people keep Pontiac Senior High School running, and are responsible for its well-being. They are the ones to whom we owe our thanks. Therefore, we of the Quiver Staff, representing the students of Pontiac High School, dedicate our hook to them with the hope that they will continue their work, making industrious, dear-thinking, clear-headed, intelligent citizens out of the students who have been placed in their hands. Page four

Page 10 text:

T H K 19 4 1 Q U I V E K S utice 9i ' tUei’i Motto- Pontiac High has a staff of ten janitors headed by Alec Aitken. These janitors are always on hand to keep our school clean and orderly. In the picture they are: Top row—George Provan, of editor of the Atlantic Monthly Press. Many of his articles have been printed by the Atlantic Monthly and the Literary Digest. He has had published several books on industry, fiction and has written a volume of poetry. Stuart Beach, editor of Theatre Magazine, managing editor of the Independent Magazine, editor of House Beau¬ tiful, also graduated from Pontiac. An assembly at which Major Donald Bailey spoke last winter interested many students. A Pontiac alumnus, Major Bailey later graduated from West Point and served in the army since then. He has been stationed at Panama since the outbreak of the war, and is in charge of an anti¬ aircraft regiment there. Pontiac’s Harry McBride has recently been accorded a great honor, for President Roosevelt appointed him head of the splendid new art institute in Washington and Esther Carheart, an alumna, is now teaching in Bulgaria. Among other interesting alumni we find Morrison Ryder, Robert Sanders, Harold Bowmaster, Henry Hagerman; Bottom row: Mrs. Grace Jackson, Rose Schultz, Alice Birrell, and Alec Aitken; Absent are Thomas Hyde, C. A. Plumb. a Negro violin teacher; Grace Lute, who has worked with Irving Berlin in writing songs; Goodloe Rogers, advisor to former Governor Dickinson; Donald White, a Negro architect who received his Master’s Degree from the Uni¬ versity of Michigan. There are Joseph Ripley, an engineer in the United States and China; Eva Chandler, a professor of Mathematics at Wellesley; Ruth Quine McBride, wife of Harry McBride who has written articles for National Geographic; Jeanne McPherson, who has written movie scripts for the DeMille studios and who was chosen to travel to Italy and write for Mussolini; Eugene Eliott, Superintendent of Public Instruction in Michigan. The list of outstanding alumni of Pontiac High School is imposing indeed, but an article of this sort would not be complete without a tribute to the alumni who, although their names may not be remembered, have done a good job of being a mother, a father, or a friend to the youths of their community. Looking from the top of the building, one sees a small portion of Pontiac ' s campus, including the teacher’s parking circle. On Opposite Page We can’t think of a pastime that is less profitable than bubble-blowing, usually, but just look at what Elizabeth Robbins has dreamed up. Does this mean that our faculty is no more dependable than a bubble? Never! Practically a school tradition, much-admired Mr. Dudley faces the camera with all the poise of a professional model for perhaps the last time before his retirement. We’ll all miss those oft- quoted quips, (center picture). Mr. Forsman (upper left) seems puzzled as to whether a third team is in the offing; he was snapped at the elections held last fall at Pontiac High. Seen at Pontiac’s airport, Mr. Vezzani poses willingly. Mr. and Mrs. Viola (upper right) appear to be enjoying them¬ selves hugely at the J-Hop held last fall, while Mr. Fisler surveys the crowd with interest. The other pictures (from top to bottom) are: Mr. Covert takes time from his other duties to devote to the endless task of signing absence slips. Excused, Not Excused, Truant ” The Christmas party which the faculty all attended, really produced many amazing sights. Not the least amusing of these was the vision of Santa Hartman, shown distributing gifts. All we remember of our Latin is Hie, haec, hoc; huius, huius, huius, but we’ll wager that the students at whom Mr. Kuethe is orating will remember every word; although it seems that his grin belies his stern attitude. Mr. Thors was caught by the camera at the faculty Christmas party just after receiving a gift from Santa. The popular new art teacher, Miss Carr, looked up with her ready smile just as our cameraman clicked the shutter. Page six