Rensselaer High School - Crest and Shield Yearbook (Rensselaer, NY)

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THE CLASS OF 1929: A FOUR PART SCENARIO priate intermissions. From the very beginning of the first part, up to the end, it was truly dramatic in that it was, throughout, a struggle of purpose on one side striving to overcome innumerable obstacles 011 the other. Fortunately for us, and in the line of the traditions of popular drama, the production has terminated with a happy ending. As no motion pictures were made of the various scenes, I shall try to give you as vividly as I can the continuity of the scenario. I must explain also that the whole thing is based on a book called Curriculum, An Outline of the Course of Studyf' composed and pub- lished by the educational authorities, although at many points the members of the cast worked in material far removed from the text of the book. The lyrics were not by any one person, but were selected at random from the various textbooks on mathematics, languages, sciences and other prescribed subjects, the actors reciting whatever stray lines they happened to remember. The musical numbers were by our teachers, who, on occasions, played such lively tunes that we could hardly keep up with them. - The cast assembled one September morning in 1925. We were taking the part of Freshmen in that sce11e, and, I must confess, we were rather green actors. However, after adjusting ourselves to the new work, we bega11 to learn our lines and act our parts well enough to satisfy our stage director, Mr. Clark. VVe had been on the lot about three weeks when it was announced that the actors who were doing the Senior act at that time were to give us a reception. Of course we were almost overcome with joy at this news, but our joy turned to grief when we heard that this reception was really an initiation into the actors' society. Many reports became noised around about the ter- rible way the new members of the society had been treated in past years and of the awful things that were in store for us.at the reception. This dampened our ardor somewhat, but when we went to this event we were agreeablysurprised in more ways than one. Then we went back to a short period of work, and soon an intermission was called. This consisted of the Christmas and New Year's vacation, and we were grateful for this short breathing space. When we returned we were told to pay more attention to our parts tha11 ever, to provide a strong finish to the first or Freshman scene, as it was called in the book, and this we were told was absolutely essential to lay the groundwork for the scene that was to follow. We were almost breathless, I can tell you, when the time came for intermission in June. l25l

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CLASS PRCPHECY Instead of each member of my family giving me an individual present on my birthday in 1939, at my suggestion they pooled their money and bought me a single seated biplane with which I could travel from planet to planet. I also was given a planetary telescope with which the smallest objects on Mars and other heavenly bodies could be distinctly seen. Needless to say, I was pleasedg more pleased perhaps than a young fellow back in 1929 would be pleased with a high-powered roadster. The day of my birthday I decided on a trip to Mars. I picked out a favorable spot with my telescope, set my directional indicators, and started. When I landed I made myself most comfortable under some trees of coral-like formation, and idly began to scan the earth with my telescope. I first looked toward the United States. On a sign outside a theatre in New York I saw two vaguely familiar names. The sign read, Sam Blakeman and Ray Greene in 'Songs of Broadway'. I placed them immediately as two former classmates who had made a hit in musical comedy on the Great White Way. My curiosity was aroused, and I decided to pick out others of the old crowd. I scanned cities, villages and countrysides, and my search turned out to be very successful. I found Ben Gauzch holding a high executive position in General Motors, a concern for which he was salesman during his high school days. Ken Moore and Bus Neville were still together. They had taken up polo after Ken had inherited a substantial for- tune from a rich uncle. They had become members of the United States polo team and had proved themselves invaluable in several in- ternational matches. Both of them had always been interestedlin sports when they were in school and college, and it seemed only natural that they should continue. In California, Frank Prior had become the owner of the finest orange grove in the country, which he had developed by scientific methods studied in school. Frank's two assistants, Fred Willis and Joe Bonafacio, had proved very instrumental in making the grove a success. Hollywood had claimed Franklin Sanderson. Al- though not an actor, he is famous for the construction of dialogue, especially in comedy scenes. Now he can spring his wisecracks and get paid for it. He is wealthy and popular, and his pink stucco villa is the pride of the movie colony. The first girls I encountered were Elizabeth Felt and Kathleen Millis. They had become co-authors and had written several success- ful novels and plays. Ray Moore, the fisherman of the class, had l21l

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THE ORACLE In September, 1926, we assembled again, ready to enact the second or Sophomore scene. We were much more sophisticated by that time, and we knew how to manage. The stage director and the musicians, who were known to us as the Faculty Orchestra, no longer terrified us, for we had come to learn that although often stern of visage, they were kind and warm at heart. The Sophomore scene we found to be heavy work. The lines we had used in the previous scene would not do at all. Every one of us had to master new specialties. It was quite a nuisance, you may be sure, for by this time we had all acquired a great many outside interests. Early in the year we met to elect those who should represent us as a group during the year. For president of the class we chose Catherine Poole, for vice-president, Ida Wixsomg for secretary, Anna Bleakley, and for treasurer, Frank Krauss. After we had organized we set to work in earnest. This soon be- came tiresome, but by constant urging of our directors we managed to keep up until the Christmas and New Year interval, for which we had planned far ahead. It was about this time that the other members of the company began to notice us. VVhy shouldn't they? We had en- tered a basketball tournament with the other three groups who were filming scenes on the lot, and had come off victorious. After this we settled down again to steady work, and almost before we knew it, June had come once more and the Sophomore scene was at an end. The stage director told us we might report again in September for the third or Junior scene, and this we did on the day set. Without preliminaries, the faculty musicians began playing the score, and im- mediately our work was under way. Before doing much in this line, however, we decided to organize. To lead us we chose Charles Neville. His assistant was Fred Ham. Kenneth Moore had charge of our cor- respondence, and Harold Palmatier of the treasury. The text books from which we were to learn our parts were much more intricate now, and we were expected at this time to work out some of the intricacies ourselves. The usual Christmas a11d New Year's interval came and went, but there was no noticeable let-up in work. June found us still in a whirl of work and eager for the respite of intermission. It was with some trepidation that we approached the final or Senior scene in September, 1928. Upon our work in this scene depended the achievement of the much-to-be-desired happy ending. The parts, the lines, the text-books, were much more difficult than we had ever experi- enced. We saw that we could not afford any slips or 'tlet downs in this final scene: it would be too easy to lose track of the swift and l26l