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

Page 7 text:

EDITORIAL THE FUTURE Ahead of us, over a tantalizing horizon, lies the future—a future that is garbed in mystery, a hazy future which for twelve long years we have been laboring to reach. Now that it is here, now that the time has come when we must go into the world to shift for ourselves, we are not so anxious as once we were. “If I were only a sophomore again!” seems to be the universal sigh. We cannot turn back time and unfortunately we cannot turn it ahead, but it is safe to suppose that ten years from today the universal wail will be, “If I were only one day out of high school again!” If we make the most of our opportunities, there should be no need for such vain wishing. Contrary to the words of a popular song, wishing will not “make it so” and you get out of life exactly what you put into it. On every side, we hear that we are to go out into world where there is no opportunity for young people to get ahead. This is nothing but deadening propaganda. The opportunity is still there, but has the youth of today the courage and caliber necessary to seize it? During our twelve years of school, we have been given a good general education. Someone has always been beside us to help us to do our best. From now on it is up to us. The future of which we are going to become a part is a specialized future and those who are specialized in some particular field of endeavour are the ones who are going to get ahead. There are oppor¬ tunities for employment in every field if you have the skill needed to do the work. Ability is not acquired by wishing—it is the reward of hard work. The next years are to he the turning points in our lives. Try to whitewash it as we will, the future in many respects is dark. On all sides of us war is raging. War is a terrible thing. It must be a terrible sensation to see your father and big brother shoulder guns and march toward the front. It is then and only then perhaps that you can realize the tortures of war. But don’t let us be fooled. It will be we, the youth of America, who will fight the next war. It is up to us to see that there is not another 1918 and that no more American blood stains the soils of foreign land unless it is absolutely necessary. If the time comes when we must fight to preserve our ideals, then we will and must fight with every iota of our strength and courage to defeat the powers that seek to destroy all that is dear to us. But let’s look away from the austere side of the future! Let’s look at the sunny side. Among our little band of seniors may be a future president, author, radio star, banker, big business man or woman, aviator, movie star, manufacturer, or even a G-man. Why can’t we look forward right now to a tenth reunion? Why can’t we be of benefit to ourselves as a group? What if we should all pull together and, whenever possible, help each other? If any of us is ever in a position to help another member of our class, it is up to him to do it. Some of us may be employers. Wouldn ' t it he nice if every such employer should hire only Class of 1940 Reading High School graduates? For instance, if ten years in the future, Richard Avery, president of the Chew-More Chewing Gum Company, Inc., should be passing a ditch and see yours truly hard at work with a pick, then Dick should stop, and if he finds that I’m married and have six children (remember—this is just an example) he should make me a vice-president or something. Seriously, if we, the Class of 1940. all trv to help each other we shall help ourselves. In this way, success and happiness will find the greatest number of our class. Carleton Adams Three

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The Pioneer Board Editor-in-Chief Carleton Adams Write-ups Staff Ruth Shumaker J r Chairmen Stanley Stembridge ) Horace Jones Wallace Haselton Sherman Poland Evelyn Comey Kathryn Conron Katherine Witham Dorothy Barstow Rae Amback Doris Steele William Jaques Barbara Currie Shirley Field May Melanson Charles Sullivan Literary Editor Mary Maling News Editor David St. Hilaire Business Staff Gilbert Camp, Manager Betsy Foxcroft, Advertising Donald Hills, Circulation David McGee Donald Whitford Lucille Gonnam Athletic Editors Alice Goodwin Gregg Brewer Exchange Editor Dorothy Babcock Art Editor Eleanor Pestana Photographic Editor Richard Fellows Official Typist Jean Sargent Staff Secretary Erdine Farwell Faculty Advisers Miss Mary Devaney — Literary Miss Elizabeth MacIver — Typing Mr. Luke Halpin — Business Mr. Reginald Kibbee — Art Dedication In appreciation of her friendship, her patience and guidance, her time so freely given, and her gentle but wise counsel, we of the Class of 1940 dedicate this our year booh issue of the “Pioneer’ ' to Miss Ernst, our class adviser.

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The Pioneer 19 40 SENIOR CLASS OFFICERS Jeanette Davis President If you see a dilap¬ idated beachwagon coming at you with apparently no one in it, look out, because Jeanette, the dimin¬ utive president of the Class of 1940, is behind that wheel somewhere! She claims that her bro¬ ther inherited the brains of the family, but she must have acquired gray-matter from somewhere since she has done a beautiful job as president of our class for three years. She also serves on the Student Council and belongs to Junior Woman’s Club. No, that isn’t all. Jeanette goes in for sports in a big way and has played especially well on the field hockey and basket¬ ball teams. She is going to Connecticut College for Women next year and hopes ultimately to marry a rich man so she can hire a maid. Tough luck, fellas! Barbara Gonnam Vice-President “B. G.” is a pal of everybody at R. H. S., including the tea¬ chers, It is seldom that we find anyone who can take or dish out more kidding than “Barb”, our vice-president. She has done a grand job, considering her other activities in the Student Council, hockey, basketball, and Junior Woman’s Club. Those who have not been in the German II Class can’t really appre¬ ciate Barbara. Often we don’t know what to make of her brief “fits”, but she seems to recover in the best of condition. Her desire to become a dietition is a splendid one, providing she doesn’t meet her fate riding in Jeanette’s beach wagon before she can fulfill it. We only hope that “B. G.” won’t be the victim of too much teasing in college—there’s something about the gal that provokes it! Eleanor Pestana Secretary Glamorous “Elly”, alias “Julie” of the Senior Play, “June Mad”, has her inter¬ est divided between art and stenography, and appropriately so, because she is both our class secretary and the capable art editor of the “Pio¬ neer”’. Her hobby is sketching and col¬ lecting pictures of interior decorating. One day she wants to be a buyer in a large department store, or perhaps a model. She likes fried clams and chocolate sundaes at “Tedd’s”, comfortable chairs in the parlor, and boys who are not two-timers. It would seem that she’s found one of the latter in a certain blonde ath¬ lete! At Reading High she enjoyed most, we quote “dances, football games, and periods between classes.” Richard Fellows Treasurer Not so fast there ! Traffic-officer “Dick” is also secretary of Hi-Y, not to men¬ tion being class trea¬ surer. His hobby is swiftly swooping over a snow-clad slope, and he’s an adept at it. He ex¬ perienced his great¬ est thrill, he says, as he flew through the air in his first ski jump. After high school “Dick” plans to enter Wentworth Institute to study machine construc¬ tion and tool design. Well, strip our gears and call us shiftless, if his favorite hangout isn’t “Pappy’s car . “Dick’s” ambition is to succeed, and with Rockfeller as his ideal, he’s bound to make good. “Dick”, we wish that you may always find firm snow on a sound base, and a tow for the more arduous climbs. V Four