Putnam High School - Clipper Yearbook (Putnam, CT)

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Members of the Faculty, beloved Parents, and Friends of Putnam High School: It is my privilege as president of the class of 1948 to welcome you to our Senior Class Day exercises. Our graduation this year is some- thing more than the usual round of Com- mencement activities. This year Putnam High School is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding. We of the class of 1948, whose good fortune it is to be the Diamond Jubilee Class, take special pride in the fact that we are an integral part of a tradition that goes back for three quarters of a century, profound- ly affecting the communities among which it was begun. Youthful and inexperienced though we are, we realize that we live in a critical period of our nation's historyg that the future ahead of us lies shrouded in the mists of uncertainty. We are comforted by the thought that today We are the inheritors from self-sacrificing teachers, of seventy-five years of inspiration and scholarshipg that we have behind us a tradition of seventy-five years of hopeful striv- ing on the part of all the graduates who have gone before. The past has been given to us: the present is ours. God grant that it may be our happy lot to build as constructively for the honor of our Alma Mater as did all previous class-es who have graduated at Putnam High School since 1876. PAUL MEDBURY AIJIJHICSS Ol NVlil,CUMli by PAUL R. MEDBURY, 1948 Class President

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Norimm Elliott Whittemore Smiley is one of the quiet members of the class, but he is liked by everyone. Most of his after school time is Pllt into working at home. Ho is another photography bug and likes swimming also, IJancing 11 Highway Safety 23 Prom Committee 33 Final llonors,

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CLASS HISTORY Our Freshman Year Over a hundred frightened but hopeful boys and girls marked September 6, 1944 as their eventful start to four years at Putnam High. Great excitement prevailed, but under the leadership of our class advisers, Miss Keith, Miss Johnson, and Miss McCulloch, we gradu- ally became accustomed to our new schedule and all the activities it entailed. The first few weeks saw new friendships made, and at our first formal class meeting Charles Ayers was chosen to lead our class as President. Clarence Whittemore was to serve as Vice-President and Georgiana Proulx was selected to keep our records as Secretary. In Stanley Sheldon we found an able chairman of our Ways and Means Committee. The sale of wax paper was our big project of the year to raise money to send us off to a good financial start. Our chief salesmen were Thomas Currier, June Page, Theresa Wallen, and Elvira McGovern. We all worked hard and our profits were 316750. This was certainly a huge success as our first business venture. Although we were green as a class, two of our Freshman members were outstanding that year in the field of sports. Both Charlie Ayers and Walter Plantier were even then recognized as promising athletes. June was upon us in an incredibly short time, and we realized we had won the privilege of being called Sophomores. Sophomore Year Fully acquainted with Putnam High School customs, we returned in September to begin our second year of hard work. At our first class meeting we elected Ronald Hattin, Presidentg William Buck, Vice-Presidentg Rhinehard Born, Treasurer, and secretary, Georgianna Proulx. Our class advisers were Miss Johnson and Miss McCulloch. Among other projects and activities, two representatives of the sophomore class parti- cipated in a Latin Competition examination at Willimantic. Fifteen sophomores were active in sports. Members of the football squad included Peter Serafin, Jean Bonin, Walter Plantier, Ronald Hatttin, Leon Gothreau, Stanley Sheldon, Er- nest Laurion, Joseph Grassel, Ray Harris, William Buck, and Charles Ayers. The basket- ball representatives were Russell Burgess, Ro- nald Hattin, Donald Sherman, Peter Serafin, Charles Ayers, Stanley Sheldon, Richard Beaudet, Walter Plantier, and Bartley Blasetti. Our baseball stars were Stanley Sheldon, Jean Bonin, Charles Ayers, Russell Burgess, Ronald Hattin, and Richard Beaudet. June 1946 was the half-'way mark of our high school education. Junior In September, 1946, we returned to P.H.S. with joy, because now we were upper-class- men. Our class advisers were Miss Segerberg and Mr. Pedley, and our home rooms were five and two. There was a change in the attitude of the new Juniors, as all buckled down to the new and harder work. Year We elected class officers and they were as follows: President: Ronald Hattin Vice-President: Gertrude Baker Secretary: Claire Rousseau Treasurer: Jean Bonin Our most important project of this year was