Reading Memorial High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Reading, MA)

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CHRISTMAS 19 3 9 Caesar; “Royal Road to Romance”—Cupid; “Kidnap¬ ped”—Prosirpina; “Gone with the Wind”—Mercury; “All this and Heaven Too”—Jupiter; “The Wanderer” —Aeneas; “Alone”—Penelope; “With Malice Towards Some”—Juno; and “Full Harvest”—Ceres. Well, at least you classical linguists will get the point! We’ve almost come to the conclusion that some of the “girls” at this school don’t employ kiss proof lip¬ stick. How else are we going to account for that tell¬ tale red smooch on Coach Holgerson’s cheek at the Tramp Dance? Will Robert Perry’s innate hatred of the opposite sex melt before the hypnotic gaze of one of our sopho¬ more charmers? Bob’s a member of the 0. F. F. Club so we guess that they will have to install a new vice- president sometime in the not too distant future. Who is the sophomore girl that is noted for her parties and unique refreshments? Will this get us an invitation, Martha? Well, we’ve held our style show, otherwise known as the Tramp Dance. Pupils who acted as models pre¬ viewed what the well dressed tramp of 1940 will wear. The main event at the Tramp Dance was a mock wed¬ ding. The part of the blushing bride was portrayed by Grace Bowers. The groom was played by Irving Hol¬ comb; the minister, by Clark Nyman; the best man, by “B. F.” Tucker; the shot gun-bearing father of the bride, by Tom Connelly; the bridesmaid, by Betty Dal¬ ton; and the groom’s other wife and family, by Doris Steele. The lovely flower girls were Robert Story and Kenneth Gray. Prizes for the best costumes were award¬ ed to Janet Lawson, Vivian Hook, and Alexander Dis- sel. You missed something if you weren’t there—the bang-up dance of the season. The cross-country team placed eleventh in the B. U. Invitation meet. Mr. Spencer, cross-country coach, placed first with a certain young lady who he still claims is his sister. But we think her name isn’t Spencer— yet. Walter Hilton runs up a lot of mileage in those frequent trips to Malden. We wonder what the attrac¬ tion is down there—or is it a double feature, Walt? School spirit, which some few assert has been dor¬ mant for so long, came to life at the Lexington game. If you don’t believe so, you should ha e been there! A great display of courage is shown by “Professor Bates, not only on the football field, hut in wearing those horn-rimmed spectacles. What is it about “Bunten s’ that makes a girl feel domestic? We noticed that on se eral occasions Bets has avidly engaged in wiping off the tops of tables. Looks like she’s surelx practising. Bill Jaques may not he fast on his feet hut he can certainly jump. On a recent trip to Stoneham he wa- spotted by seven or eight of the fairer sex, who ga e chase. For a while it looked as if they might catch the 1 fleeing Bill, but he hurdled a high stonewall and thus made his escape. Yes, Bill is one of the few members of a certain well known organization who live up to its rules. We notice among other things that Emily Hanley was all but walked off her feet at the Tramp Dance. Her average partner danced about six steps with her before he was cut in on by a new aspirant. Who was the lone football enthusiast who fell down the bleachers during the Punchard game? We’re cer¬ tain that the team appreciates your support, Gracie. The dance for “Speed”, known as “Speed’s Ball”, was a great success financially and socially. The only thing that detracted from the affair was the fact that “Speed” couldn’t be out there on the floor dancing. We can see that sitting out every dance has its points, how¬ ever. We are glad to see that he has thrown away his crutches and is again able to walk around on both of his pedal extremities. The most loyal supporters of our embattled foot¬ ball team were Headmaster Sussmann, Chairman of the School Committee Tanner, and Superintendent of Schools Grover. Day after day these three were seen in the otherwise deserted grandstand silently watching practice. They were at the games, too. Flash!!! This isn ' t exactly a news item, and we certainly do dare to print it; in fact, we would shout it from the house-tops if there were a convenient housetop around. The members of the staff are not the only people who work on the Pioneer. Some of the hardest workers are Eleanor Pestana, Marjorie Wentworth, Margit Courossi, Kay Witham, Virginia 0 Brien, Louise Pattison, Betty Blaikie, Muriel Arthur, and Jean Sar¬ gent. They type the material for the Pioneer from the original manuscripts, and one look at those original manuscripts would make anyone appreciate their efforts. Carleton Adams Ruth Pomeroy ALUMNI NEWS Last June there were one hundred and forty-nine graduates of the class of 1939 released from Reading High School into a waiting world. Through the sum¬ mer months the old home town saw few of the hundred and forty-nine. Now and then word crept through that Linda Twornbly was in Alaska; that our silent factotum, “Dick” Stratton, had been accepted at Maine; that our vice president, “Ruthie” Pol 1 itz, had gone south; that “she” was waiting on table; and that “he”, of all people, was washing dishes in “Cow - ' Hampshire. Well, Sep¬ tember rolled round again and found the follow ing back for a session as post graduates: Louise Clark, Helen Connelly, Claire Delong, “Dottie Doucette, Marion Goodridge, Marion Gray, Ruth Jewett, Doris Kelly, Lois T wenty-seven

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THE PIONEER this devilment, refreshments were served and the new and old limped home soon after. It was all in fun, and we think that the candidates enjoyed it as much as we did. Or did they? Well, that brings us up to date. However, here’s a word for the future. We are planning the usual Wed¬ nesday evening swims at the University Club; a dance, a sleigh ride, and a ski party are planned when the snow sets in. These, together with an imposing list of good speakers, are all potentialities up the program commit¬ tee’s sleeve. Oh, yes, one more thing. At a recent meeting it was announced that Miss Nichols is seriously planning a similar girls club. Well, you can imagine the enthusiasm that was displayed at this news! Miss Nichols shall never lack support as long as there is one Hi-Yer breathing. The Hi-Y would like to thank both our adviser, Mr. Sussmann, and the school for helpful co-operation with our club and our subsidiary, the Service Squad, which boasts a full complement of Hi-Y men. Tom Connelly RIFLE CLUB A new organization in the High School this year, and one which we feel deserves publicity, is the Rifle Club under the leadership of Mr. Taylor. The group has been meeting every Thursday night at eight o’clock in the American Legion House. Their president is Les¬ lie Kittridge, who was awarded the post when it was vacated by Bill Campbell. Bill was the moving spirit in the organizing of the club, but he had to drop out of it because of increased activity in connection with his National Guard membership. The rules governing the club are set up by the Junior Division of the National Rifle Association of America, of which the Reading Club is a charter mem¬ ber. The object of the Junior Program of the N. R. A. is to develop those qualities of sportsmanship, fair play, manliness, self control, and co-operation which are so essential to success in life. The code which follows is that of the National Rifle Association and should be carried out by every person who picks up a rifle, re¬ gardless of whether he is a member of the N. R. A. or not: (1) I will never allow the muzzle of my gun to point at anything which I do not intend to shoot; (2) 1 will never load my gun when the muzzle is pointed at any part of my body or at any person, nor stand in front of anybody who is loading a gun; (3) I will never cock my gun and pull the trigger for fun; (4) I will never shoot directly at a flat, hard surface, a bottle or similar object, as the bullet is certain to ricochet (glance) from it; (5) I will never handle a gun with¬ out first opening the breech to be sure the gun is empty and looking through the bore to see that it is clean; (6) 1 will never carry my gun loaded except when hunting and will then be sure that it is locked in the “safe” po¬ sition; (7) I will never shoot at a song-bird or harmless animal for the sport and will always be sure that no wounded game is left to suffer; (8) I will remember that a .22 caliber bullet will travel three-quarters of a mile, or through nine inches of ordinary board, and will ricochet a long way across water; (9) I will always put my gun muzzle first through a fence before I climb the fence and will climb over between the next two fence posts; (10) I will always give my gun a thorough clean¬ ing as soon as I am through firing. The first meet was at Beverly with the Beverly High School crack shooting team of girls. The results were excellent for Beverly! The scoring was done on this basis: out of ten shooting for each side the scores of the five highest were counted. The scores for the Bev¬ erly girls speak for themselves. Out of a possible 100, their first shooter got 99; their second entrant, 98; their third, fourth, and fifth shooters tied with 97. The boys have hopes in connection with some of their other meets, however, which are in prospect with Malden, Melrose, Norwood, Braintree, Quincy, and Haverhill. Due to the lightness of their own rifles, which are the only ones they have had for use, the boys have had much difficulty in making good scores so far. This reason for lack of accomplishment will be reme¬ died in the future by the fact that the Reading Post of the American Legion will lend the club their heavier rifles for practice and meets. As the enthusiasm is high, we feel that we shall hear a lot of the Rifle Club in the future. We send them our heartiest wishes for a suc¬ cessful opening season. David St. Hilaire ALL THE NEWS WE DARE TO PRINT Let’s get some support for the 0. F. F. Club! We still believe its aim to be a worthy one and some day we fervently hope that it will receive the recognition due it. The fate of its officers might have something to do with its decline. First President Gunn resigned, Second President Adams was removed from office, and the third president, Andy McLaughlin, was nearly as¬ sassinated in a futile attempt by some females to end the club activities for good. We have news of a law suit: “The Coffee Cup” vs. Mr. Joseph Fitzgerald. Charge—One broken drinking glass, unpaid for. Result—Case settled out of .court. Mr. Fitzgerald, due to the urgings of his friends, paid “The Coffee Cup” management one nickle. What romantic young couple can be seen wending their amorous way home from school every afternoon? We can say, however, that Russell is training her cor¬ rectly. He makes her walk home with him. Who is the cute little blonde whose picture adorns Mr. Dixon’s desk? We know, do you? What two gridiron stars used two lockers apiece? There’s nothing like having plenty of room is there? The things we see on blackboards are many and varied! Mr. Spencer’s fertile brain has matched the titles of modern books with the names of mythical char¬ acters. . We hope that we are not infringing on any copyright by quoting Mr. Spencer’s “original” list: “If I had four Apples”—Atalanta; “The Conqueror”— T wenty-six

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THE PIONEER Knapp, “Marga” Lane, Janet Lawson, Jean Marstaller, Helen O’Dowd, “Boris” Coombs, Guy Ellison, Carl Gil¬ man, “Larry” Goodwin, Kenyon Hicks, “J. D.” Hilchey, “Andy” MacLaughlin, Earl Sargent, and your scribe. How long we old faithfuls will stay is, of course, a mat¬ ter that rests in the well-known lap of the gods. The bravest, and perchance the brightest, of our original crew are at it again, studying behind more formidable walls than those of R. H. S. “Ruthie” Pol- litz came north again and entered the portals of B. U. She says that so far—compared with R. H. S.—“it’s bor¬ ing and dull,” but she adds, among other things, that she’s “still looking for a man!” Our class treasurer, Marjorie Crosby, after turning over the class funds start¬ ed in at Sargent and is making no comments as yet. . . . “Dick” Stratton is wearing green for Maine and playing- on the freshman football team. . . . The second of the “Three Musketeers”, “Richie” Austin, is at Vermont Academy, where he is playing football. What brought this out? . . . “Barchy” Greenlaw is at B. C. and from all accounts doing well in both school and football. In¬ cidentally, he’s still selling those Xmas cards in his spare time. . . . Marjorie “Windy” Gale is fast riding above the rank and file at Kathleen Dell, where she is learning to become some fortunate doctor’s surgical nurse. . . . Phyllis Downs and Claire Brigham are at Bryant and Stratton; “Bea” O’Connell is struggling through Burdett; Effie Wildon is pounding the keys at Malden Commercial. . . . “Brownie” is sailing through Burdett toward his goal, becoming a public accountant. We wonder if his dog is still his best friend. . . . “Scratch” Abbott pals around at Mass. State with our ex-baseball captain, Frank Weeks. They’re both still drowning their sorrows in coca-cola. . . . Norma Charles is literally slaving away at Cambridge Prep and when queried had no time for idle comment. . . . Irene Sztucinski accompanies Barbara Marshall into Mass. Art where, for the time being at least, they must bow to upperclassmen, design and wear their own hats, and stand while eating! . . . Betty Merrill is also studying art. She says, “Art school is fun-—and how interest¬ ing! ’ . . . Linda Twombly is at Penn Hall and must be very busy, one way or another, for no one seems to have heard from her. . . . Our “Little Red Russian”, Jane Tan¬ ner, is at La Salle and everything is going smoothly ex¬ cept for one complaint: “If only I didn’t have to get up so early!’ . . . Polly “Hot Foot Stembridge is watching new buildings arise at Bradford Junior College. She’s still boosting Benny Goodman. She recently made the rotogravure section as the best part of a group study munching that presidential treat (hot dogs) at the Senior-Freshman Spread. ... At Mt. Hermon, “Gary” Beaudry and “Hoppy” Hopkins, we suppose, are both harboring their private ambitions of being a pilot and a machine gunner, respectively . . . “Loie” Newhouse is still running her jalopy around town and is now at Bishop Lee Dramatic School. We have high hopes ol applauding her from Row C, orchestra, in the not too distant future . . . Jean Nichols has deserted us for a P. G. at Wakefield High. What have they got that we haven’t? A lucky few of the class of ’39 are drawing a week¬ ly pittance, probably in advance, bless their hearts, ii they can get it! The invincible “Austie” Bennett is applying his artistic touch to the fine art of painting— barns . . . Our erstwhile Pioneer editor, Dick ’ Childs, has started his career at the Christian Science Monitor, where as copy boy he delights in reading history in the making . . . “Junie” Blaisdell, the first Musketeer, is working in a radio shop in Malden, but refuses to com¬ ment, saying, “If the boss reads it, I’ll get canned!” . . . The Clarke twins are working Saturdays for Wool worth, where Helen Westcott also holds forth . . . “Jimmy” Heselton is working at McKesson and Robbins and is going to Mass. Art at night . . . “Edie” Brown is now employed at Reading Inn and hasn’t, as yet, seen that “first opera” . . . “Boss” Snyder is slinging a mean hash at Austin’s Lunch, where he may be seen hanging out the window talking with the rest of the mob . . . Alma Putnam is the girl behind that bright smile at White’s Lunch, where she is learning to boil water without burn¬ ing it . . . “Phil” Sears is a free lance photographer and has already had pictures accepted by the Globe . . . “Ed” Beaudry is out west learning to take airplanes apart and, incidentally, put them back together again. Some members not mentioned above may be found either at Torre’s or on the library wall. There are as we go to press no reports of marriages, births, deaths, or overnight successes. No news is good news, we al¬ ways say! Richard Knudson THE DECISION Continued from page 19 again, from staring at the water. If she were to re¬ main at home with her mother, she would have to get back before her parents awoke. It seemed to Harriet that the faster she tried to row the boat back toward the shore the slower she moved, and with each second the sky became lighter, announcing the approaching of day. Her back ached, and she was too busy to brush away the tears that welled into her eyes. With her feet once again on solid ground, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her—past ihe schoolhouse, the village shops, the common, the grave¬ yard, and the church—back to her little room under the eaves. She gave not even a backward glance at the harbor or the fishing schooner that was so soon to sail away from the little fishing village without her. Sleep came with the knowledge that a girl’s life isn’t so bad after all, and besides mother would need someone to look after her! Shirley Field T uenty-eight