Redford High School - Redford Yearbook (Detroit, MI)

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Never in all the time Pve been at Red ord have I seen this school co- , f 99 operate so completely as in the scrap drive. This statement made by Miss Menard, manager of our 1942 unforgettable scrap drive and referring to only one phase of the Husky war effort, might well describe the zeal with which Redford has carried out the many war projects of this semester. Heading the list, stands the school's achievement of oveL56 tons of scrap metal collected, the greatest amount assembled by any Detroit high school. On the opposite page are pictured only a few of the more publicized activi- ties that students have taken part in to further the progress of the war. In the top photo on the left is shown the bustling machine shop class for 12A's. This newly inaugurated industrial train- ing course met daily the last six weeks of the term from 4 to 7, especially for seniors. Slightly below and to the right is pictured one of the two new aeronautics classes, in this case studying the effect of air pressure on a plane in Hight. So popular were aero classes with prospective fliers that enough students have en- rolled to assure at least five next semester. At the extreme right a corps of camp cookers flaunt their skill in a class designed to give boys fundamental knowledge of cooking. Although 29 enrollees received interesting and valuable instruction, the experiment will not be continued next semester because of the increase in required subjects for pre-induction training. The first picture in the center row shows Audrey Book, an advanced Latin student, explaining the intricacies of Roman declension to a Latin C11 class. Audrey was one of many nstudent tcachcrsn who aided in the war-occasioned shortage of teacher substitutes, especially when regular instructors were handling gasoline rationing. Next, a familiar shot of our own man made mountainn of scrap, which will not soon be forgotten by the hundreds of Redford students who built it, of just about every derelict of metal you can think of. Miss Menard and a War Council Committee, and the Hi-Y clubs labored strenuously both Satur- days and weekdays for two weeks locating and hauling in the community's contributions. Bouquets go also to the Girl Reserves, who stood guard at the pile for two weeks. In the final picture of this row, a group of former gentle- men of leisure unlimber a few unused muscles as part of Uncle Sam's physical fitness campaign. Introduced this year for all 12A's and planned next year to include all boys and as many girls as willing, the program consists of calisthenics, commando training, and organized athletics. The bottom row of photographs starts out with a line of record room salesmen waiting, on a typical morning, to cash in Redford,s weekly orders for U. S. Savings stamps. Up to December 21, 11,069 dollars had gone through the school's turnstiles, 2,116 dollars of which were sold on December 7. In addition, partly through the school's efforts, over 56,850 dollars of bonds were sold at the Northwest Detroit War Coun- cil's rally on November 24 in the auditorium. Adjacent is a shot of 20-odd students who carried canisters for Student Council's collection for the War Chest. Paced by a 100-dollar donation from the Music Department, Redford organizations pledged 500 dollars. With the canister collec- tions and teachers, pledges, the school's contributions totaled over 2,200 dollars. And the last picture shows Mrs. Barron and Mr. Earl Smith hard at work filing a few of the 3,000 ration cards a com- mittee of 15 teachers processed during fuel rationing regis- tration. Part of an impressive patriotic assembly honoring American Education Week was the Victory tableau shown in the right hand photograph at the foot of this page. Education for Free Men was carried out in ceremony, pantomime, and speeches by collaboration of the dramatics, ROTC, social science, and music departments. Composed of a special committee selected by Miss Menard, co-ordinator, from Student Council members, the War Coun- cil directs student activities for the war effort and meets once a month for conference with an advisory board of faculty and parents. Pictured at the left below are Norman General, Harriet Stephens, Gwen Switze1', and George Rutenbar talking over War Council plans. A particular activity fostered by the Council is the Speakers' Bureau, whose members stand ready to serve whenever requested by talking on topics im- portant to the War. These pictures at best are only a sample of all that was accomplished during the past term. Both this semester and last, every club' and department in the school heartily pitched in and contributed to whatever projects it was able to help, by building model airplanes, for instance, knitting for the Red Cross, planting Victory gardens or learning First Aid. Not forgetting all-important .morale either, the OUTPOST pub- licized and explained-the war program besides printing a special edition on the wartime curriculum. Radio classes also spent many extra hours preparing programs explaining and encouraging the war effort. Every Redford student is automatically a member of the Junior Red Cross because of the school's hearty support of such drives as the seeds for Russia drive and kits for service- men campaign. Representatives of all the clubs carry on such business through the school's Junior Red Cross Council, headed by Miss Clark. Beyond student activities, Mr. Comer is in charge of all arrangements and equipment for aid raid and safety precau- tions. Another committee of faculty stands ready in case the school is used as a disaster center. Uver all organizations, student and faculty, Mr. Homer Clark is general director. During December, the War Council and Junior Red Cross, with the help of art students, began assembling a Schools at War scrap book which will report to the Federal Govern- ment what Redford has done and is doing in the war effort.

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In many ways the January, 1943, class graduates into the world of cold reality with more practical advantages than its predecessors. While a few of the campus frivolities have had to be dispensed with, many Redford students have been able to gain a fuller education because of the presence of the war, than they would have otherwise. About half of the student body helped out at local stores and in the Post Office during the Holiday season. Many also have taken on full time regular jobs as war workers after school hours. Any list of the diferent positions held by Redford students would of necessity be too lengthy for publication, but a representative cross section of 12A's was taken and the examples given below are typical. Loma Sink, shown in the top left photo, has complete charge of a woman war worker's household. Her duties include manag- ing two young children, buying and preparing the meals plus all the rest of managing a household. The second photo shows Delbert Juracek busy with the complexities of a shaper, which he learned to operate in our machine shop. His experience served him in such good stead that he now operates the same type of machine at a local industrial plant. Industrial design is a field usually thought of as needing advanced training, but 12A Russell Vaillancourt C3rd picture, top row, stepped right into an important position on the strength of his study in Redford mechanical drawing classes. Starting the bottom row, the camera picks out three of the school's Civil Aeronautics Patrol members, Calvin Sandburg, Roger Maguire and Andrew Bloetscher Cstandingl struggling with some of the navigation problems given to students in the government's huge national progranl. The next picture is of Bob Watts, an advanced pupil in commercial subjects here, who now spends his extra hours in typing for the Union Equipment Company. The final, lower right hand photo shows Helen Cook enter- ing the Detroit Bell Telephone Company, where she is em- ployed as an operator. So strict are the company's rules that no one is admitted to the vital departments of the building without complete identification, which might give some idea of the seriousness of Helen's job. w-1-wwmw I-ww-V .- .W-M mums W .We ,.