Ronda High School - Echo Yearbook (Ronda, NC)

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Class History On August 19, 1946, the Class of ’50, thirty-one strong, started its journey through high school. On the first day the entire student body assembled in the gymnasium for Mr. Spruili’s welccming speech. After this we filed back to the administration build¬ ing and met with our new homeroom teacher, Mrs. May B. Pardue. At the end of the day we learned that we had a new princi¬ pal, Mr. Robert O. Poplin, Jr. We soon became accustomed to the new order of things and settled down to work. The routine was broken when we had a lively election campaign and Bobby Golliher was elected president of our class; Shirley Blackburn, vice-president; Mary Belle Howell, secretary; and Jocelyn Walls, treasurer. During the year three more boys and nine more girls entered our class, making a total of twelve boys and thirty-one girls, a grand total of forty-three. In the spring of ’47, a day was set aside on which the entire school went on picnics. Our class, in the back of a truck, went to Cumberland Knob Park, on the Scenic Highway. Before lunch we hiked around a five mile trail, called the Boone Trail. We had bought food and prepared it before we left school, and we roasted hot dogs and made ice cream after we arrived. On the way home we stopped at the Fish Hatchery, watched the fish for a while, and made pictures. When we arrived home, we were tired, but happy. After vacationing for three months, thirty-nine members, twelve boys and twenty-seven girls, returned on August 25, 1947, as sophomores. At our first meeting we learned that our principal, Mr. R. O. Poplin, Jr., was to be our homeroom teacher. How¬ ever, Mr. Poplin rarely had time to be with us, and Mrs. Ethel Moore, the school secretary, really served as our homeroom teacher. Early in the fall, after some electioneering, we elected Peggy Petree president of our class; Shirley Blackburn, vice-president; Mary Belle Howell, secretary; and Jocelyn Walls, treasurer. During the year, Shirley moved away, and Bobby Golliher was elected to fill her post. Before Christmas, members of the class and other invited guests enjoyed a class party, held at the home of Ivadine and Geral¬ dine Cockerham. Came the annual picnic day in the spring of ’48, and one sunny morning we climbed in the back of Tommy McCann’s truck and started on our adventure. What disappointment! Before we were off the school ground, we discovered the truck had a broken axle and we could not go to the mountains as we had planned. Determined that our fun would not be spoiled, we hopped aboard a passenger train in Ronda and went to Smoot Park in North Wilkesboro. We enjoyed the day despite our great disappointment. Near the close of school, Mr. Poplin and Mrs. Moore gave us a weiner roast on the island below the bridge in the Yadkin River. Some of the boys in Ronda that owned motor boats took us over to the island. Twenty-three of the original class, six boys and seventeen girls, returned as juniors in ’48. This year, Mr. Henry Pepper was our homeroom teacher. After giving the matter due consideration, we again elected Peggy Petree, class president; Warren White, vice-president; Mary Belle Howell, secretary; and Melvorine Pardue, treasurer. In the spring we gave a banquet at the Carolina Restaurant honoring the departing seniors. Other guests included our County Superintendent and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Eller; our Principal and his wife, and the high school faculty. Warren White served as master-of-ceremonies, and Wardie White gave the welcoming speech. Our guest speaker was Mr. John Wesley Clay. The Dutch motif was accentuated through the use of crepe paper, balloons, and tulips. Songs were sung by members of the Junior Class. Near the close of school, we had a weiner roast at Smoot Park. Besides members of the Junior Class, our homeroom teacher and other invited guests were there. Later our report cards showed that all of us could come back as seniors. Seniors at last! On September 5, 1949, twenty-two of us came back to finish our high school education. Our new hcmerocm teacher was Miss Elvira Wood. A few weeks after the opening of school, we elected our class officers as follows: John Hoots, president; Bobby Sizemore, vice-president; Peggy Petree, secretary; and Mary Belle Howell, treasurer. After some lively voting, Wardie White, member of our Senior Class, was crowned Queen of our annual Halloween Carnival. At Halloween, Mrs. O. P. Walls gave us a party at her home. Everyone came dressed in anything they could find, except those things in which they looked presentable. All had a wonderful time and behaved really good. Under the supervision of Mr. Poplin and our faculty adviser, Miss Wood, we prepared our annual, The Ronda Echo, for pub¬ lication. In April, the juniors gave us a banquet at the Wilkes Hotel. Also in April we presented our class play entitled Bolts and Nuts. At last came the long-awaited main event of our high school careers—graduation. Our Baccalaureate Sermon was preached on Sunday, May 21, 1950, in the Ronda Methodist Church. Then our high school careers came to a glorious end on the evening of Friday, May 26, 1950, in the Ronda Gymnasium.

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SENIORS Ethelene Bauguess Rose Lee Poplin Dixie Blackburn Melvorine Pardue John Sparks Nettie Dimmette R. E. Felts Grace Swaim Minnie Mastin Tommy McCann Betty Hager

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Class Prophecy Yesterday, on my way home from school, I decided to take a stroll down by the river. It was very warm and I, suffering with spring fever, was very lazy and drowsy. In a grove of willows I found a large bed of moss and, being able to resist everything but temptation, I lay down. In a few seconds, I found myself riding on a fleecy cloud. Find¬ ing that my cloud would start, stop, and turn when I wished it too, I took off into the “wild blue yonder.” My first stop was Richmond, Virginia. Here I visited Wardie White, who was now singing and dancing with the Metropolitan Opera. After seeing Wardie perform, I felt a yearning for the wide open spaces. I put my cloud in high gear and soon found myself drifting over Charleston, West Virginia. Stopping here I found that Bobby Size¬ more had given up the idea of becoming a farmer and had signed up with the Yankees and was taking Joe Dimaggio’s place at centerfield. My cloud and I presently drifted on to Washington, D. C. Here I visited two old friends, the first of whom was Melvorine Pardue, now a stenographer. Melvorine and I dropped in to see Warren White, now a prominent citizen of Washington, D. C. He was in charge of the “Rogue’s Gallery,” and was having a time keeping up with all the rogues from Wilkes and the surrounding counties. The next town I drifted to was Philadelphia. Here I was welcomed by Peggy Petree. Peggy was all excited over a football game which she carried me to see. Of course the star player was “Choo Choo.” While in Philadelphia I stayed in Hotel Swank, the swankiest hotel in the state. You can imagine my surprise and pleasure, when upon regis¬ tering, I found Carniemell Wall acting as desk clerk. I now decided I must go see my friends in the world’s largest city, and soon I was on my way to New York. Here I first visited one of my old friends, Grace Swaim. I met her future husband. He runs a safety pin factory and is stuck. While in New York, I really had an exciting time visiting with Grace Swaim, John Hoots, Mary Belle Howell, Tommy McCann, and John Sparks. John Hoots, now a lawyer, was trying to get Mary Belle Howell a divorce from her husband. I got to talk to Tom¬ my McCann, now the heavyweight champion of the world, for only a few minutes, as he was so busy preparing for a 15-round bout with John Sparks in Madison Square Garden. As I started my cloud once again, I turned my radio on and heard a familiar voice. As I kept listening I found that it was the voice of R. E. Felts. He told all about his new job and just how he had become owner of a radio station in Brooklyn. I kept listening until the news of the world came on. I heard that Miss Geraldine Cockerham, a great pianist, was scheduled to play for Vaughn Monroe in Hollywood on Saturday night. My cloud now turned south and carried me to Winston-Salem. Here Ethelene Bauguess greeted me. She was now a famous beautician. On the day I visited her she was giving manicures and pedicures to Rose Lee Poplin and Nettie Dimmette, who were preparing for a screen test. Ethelene told me that she had planned to employ Minnie Mastin and Betty Hager as assistant beauticians. On the last leg of my return trip home I stopped in Elkin to see Dorothy Money. I was surprised indeed to find that Parks Money had finally returned and that he and Dorothy had moved into their new home. Only a few more miles and then—sweet home. I brought my cloud down close to the ground ready for a landing. Swoosh! Who? What? Oh! - just Dixie Blackburn and Avery Pardue in a new Cadillac convertible, covered with streamers and signs bearing, “just married.” Suddenly the cloud on which I was riding began parting and I found myself falling down, down, down. Where am I? Oh! Now I remember it was only a dream. Class Prophet, Ivadine C. Walls I 10 )