Robert E Lee High School - Leeway / Record Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

Page 33 text:

Delivered By Shirley Smith L ADIES and gentlemen, the most of you have been coming here to this same school year in and year out, some of you for a genera¬ tion, to see graduating classes do their bit upon graduation night. We are glad to welcome you tonight and shall try to present a program which you will thoroughly enjoy. Now, I know some of you have wondered what the question marks represent. And the term Quo Vadis” is not, perhaps, familiar to all. These two words, and these question marks set the theme for our pro¬ gram tonight. They ask a question, a question that has been in your minds as well as in the minds of the Class of 193 5. And in plain English that question is Whither goest thou,” or in slang Where do we go from here?” The question is a disturbing one, and we face it honestly. This nation, and this old world itself, has reached a crisis in its ex¬ istence, and what course it will choose to take rests in the future. It may be that we, the members of this year’s graduating class, will have a large part in determining the final solution. Finally, the class has asked me to say that it has voted to dedicate this program to the mothers and fathers of the members of the class graduating tonight. To our mothers who washed behind our ears so conscientiously each morning for years it seemed, getting us ready for school; to our mothers who fixed so many hundreds of lunches—so many times when there was nothing to prepare them with—; to our mothers who sewed so many stitches in our clothes which she had tastefully de¬ signed, only to have us tear them so hopelessly in our youthful scrambles at school. And to our dads who worked to send us here in order that we might have a better chance than they ever had; to our dads who took us to the shed when we failed to follow the rules laid down by our teach¬ er; to our lovable, rough old dads who often worked our arithmetic prob¬ lems and gave us the wrong answer so that we had to stay in at school. To them we dedicate our efforts .tonight. For we are what we are because of them. Only because of them were we able to secure all the benefits of this splendid school which is the creation of every taxpayer in this audience tonight. We hope you like our efforts, then, for they are given in a spirit of thankfulness, and appreciation. Class of ’3 5, I salute you and on your behalf again extend a warm welcome to our friends gathered here tonight.

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By Annie Lee Fauver W E, THE Class of ’3 5, are together this evening for almost the last time. After years of close companionship, we must part and go our separate ways. I would pause here to express, on behalf of the class, a deep and grateful appreciation to the teachers who have so kindly and patiently guided us during the years we have spent here. Now, that we have accomplished graduation, in what shall we engage? Some will choose one vocation; some another. In order to understand what is expected of us, it may be well to view the age in which we live. Briefly, I shall picture to you, as I see them, the conditions and problems that we must face and share. We are living in an age of experimentation and activity. Intelligent people are no longer content to accept the unproved theories of others but must study and ex¬ periment until they have reached a conclusion that is satisfactory to their mental curiosity. This age is an embodiment of Bacon’s plea for experimentation and pro¬ motion of knowledge. Modern scientists begin at the first step, prove to the minutest detail and then present the results as gifts to mankind. This accounts for our great scientific progress. So many realms of matter are being explored and so thoroughly, that we wonder if our knowledge will not some day be complete. This age of activity and ceaseless energy is not unlike that of long ago when Sir Francis Bacon said, I take all knowledge to be my province.” No roads are too rough, no obstacles too great if the travelers can view in the distance their goals—some¬ thing that will make their names remembered and the world’s knowledge greater because of them. So many praiseworthy feats are performed in so many different fields that this age does not lack excitement. There is a freshness and joy in living which makes life sweet and profitable. Many people have a wrong conception of great men. They think that their accomplishments are the result of a genius without labor— this is incorrect. These men had to suffer many a. hardship before they became great. This is also an age of good will, of greater equality of opportunity among mankind. Democracy now has not only a, political but also a humane meaning. Various move¬ ments are on foot to lessen the hardships of the lowly and depressed. Better living con¬ ditions, more freedom and greater means of self expression are b eing provided. These movements and activities are the results of unselfish efforts to increase the happiness of others and to make this world a finer and better place in which to live. What part are we going to play in the life of today? We are challenged by an age that calls for the highest aims and the finest workmanship that the world has yet known. Shall we through our thoughtlessness and carelessness arrest the progress of society or shall we face the challenge squarely and each do his part nobly and well? This, my fellow classmates, is the thought I leave with you, with the earnest plea that we forget not the high and noble ideals which have been presented to us here. Class of ’3 5, Farewell.

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Dear Friend, While looking through an old book of clippings the other day, I came across these columns from Clyde Bailey s Gossip columns. I think they will help you a, lot in your search for news about the class of 193 5. Thinks I Never Knew ’Til Now: That Hugh Neel McClure, whose orchestra is the chief reason for the continued success of the Chez Pierre, collects drums of all sizes and conditions . . . and always wears knickers when he is at home. . . . that Katherine Moffett, the artist, has received the commission to do the murals for the new Times” building, now in construction by the owners of that sheet, Earl Wymer and Hugh Stephens. . . . that George Weston, recently appointed minister to Spain, is well known as a poet and novelist, under another name. . . . that James Painter has just been appoint¬ ed sales manager for the Aldine Wilkerson Shoe Company, Inc., which is one of the largest shoe concerns in the country, under the able leadership of Aldine Wilkerson. . . . that Betty Harris, head of the Biology department at Vassar, collects cobras! . . . that James Knopp, ace announcer for the NBC chain, has just been awarded the diction medal for the clearest enunciation on the air. . . . that the sensational trial in Judge Robert Moffett’s court in Staunton, Virginia, which was the biggest scoop of last year, has been reopened, and now his honor” can again talk at great length and say much less than he did last year. Memos From A Columnist’s Girl Friday: McChesney Goodall, the matinee idol, was in . . . he’s leaving for Hollywood soon, he tells me . . . Virginia Keller, the musician, called. She said that she was singing at Town Hall, Thursday night, in¬ stead of Friday, as you said. . . . Shuey Burton, at Carnegie Hall last night, was in fine voice . . . He will go far in the musical world. ... so will his accompanist, Mar¬ guerite Brooks. . . . Dorothy Nininger was in . . . Her movie column has just been started in fifteen new papers. . . . Those new toothpaste ads, done by Frances Bear, are swell . . . her exhibition of serious work at the Modern Galleries is worth seeing too. . . . Cecil McIntosh has just been made national secretary for the Y. M. C. A. Portrait of a Man Talking to Himself: . . . one of the most attractive places in town is Ralph Lightner’s, the famous chemist, apartment, which was decorated by that master of color combinations, Neal Goodloe. I met Neal there the other day, at one of Dr. Lightner’s delightful parties. . . . among the other guests were Shirley Smith, the novelist, who wore a lovely dress designed by the Hull sisters, Helen and Kathleen, who have just opened a new shop on Lexington Avenue. . . . Another guest was William