Roodhouse Community High School - Railroader Yearbook (Roodhouse, IL)

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7 x D f K QW 2 ?zf,?q4k N 9 9 0 n Q n, 'rant It is with deep gratitude that we proudly dedicate the 1945 Rail- roader to the first annual staff of the Legende. Only those who have had the experience of publishing a school yearbook realize the difficulties and problems that arise. It was even more difficult for the first Legende staff to publish a book, for they had had no previous experience in such work. These students have set a standard and tradition for those following to carry on. The original staff consisted of the following: Editor-in-Chief ......,....... . .....,....,.............. William C. Hamm Business Manager ......... ............ W alter Giller Art Editor ...........,............. ....... J acob Rawlings Assistant Art Editor ,,....... ........ W ilfred Fraley Circulation ........l................ ............ C lyde Spencer Advertising .,................... ....... R ichard Hopkins Assistant ........ ........ W Vilfred Fraley Humor ............ , .... .......... E drie Wells Athletics ,.,.,........... ......... J ames Phillips Literary Editor ...,... ..........,.. L ecie Marsh Literary Editor ....... ............... V ivian Ruyle Juniors .,,..,.,,,,,,., ......... E lizabeth Griffith Sophomores ....... .................... O lena Cole Freshmen ,,.,.,,,.....,.,,.,,.......,....l.,.......,....,.... Virginia MCGFGW We, the staff of '45, wish to extend our heartiest and most sincere thanks to you, our predecessors, for originating a yearbook which has become such a definite part of R.C.H.S. 6353 Lui ig 5 'S :lib J qlui 72:21:81 1 x L.'?l of ' 1.32: Q J, Throc

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gil, dZet1w.4p.ecL A little more than 20 years ago the members of the Senior Class of 1924 of the Roodhoiuse Community High School met together to make plans for the publishing of a year book. It was a project which immediately won the support of faculty, students, and parents. True, such a year book had never been published before, and there were those who feared the cost would be prohibitive. Our faculty advisers, Mrs. Virgil Rawlins and Miss Esther Duncan, steered us through the pre- liminary discussions so that we had a sound busi- ness plan which assured its success. The biggest obstacles we had to face were the handicaps We WH-'-'AN C- HAWV' had to overcome in pioneering. We had no prece- dents. The mysteries of engraving and printing were forced upon a staff which had to learn and learn fast. The mistakes made were due to our inexperience. Talent scouts found writers, artists, photographers, and poets in the school. The Legende was the medium of their expression. A contest was held in which scores of names were suggested for the year book. The class finally chose Legende, because it carried with its meaning the picturesque background out of which our school grew. The early legends of Illinois were those of the pioneers and the Indians. This gave us a name and a theme. Hence the Indian theme was carried in the art work throughout the book. The part the advertisers played in assuring the financial stability of the book was a real one. In every case the merchants were pleased to participate in this new venture. It brought them good will, for the school appreciated their help and gave them increased patronage. There was a ready sale of books to faculty and students. It took much hard work on the part of the staff and the advisers, Mrs. Rawlins and Miss Duncan. But teamwork prevailed, and the book was finally published. On behalf of the Legende Staff of 1924 I send greetings to the Railr0ader's Staff of 1945. We rejoice that others have carried on this splendid custom started when the first Legende of 1924 was published for the Roodhouse Community High School. WILLIAM C. HAMM. Detroit, Michigan, 1945. Two

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Jiahtozuf. 48.535, and the If we could glide backward to the year of 1880, our school building would present quite a different picture. The building which was then used is the one now located west of the Y.M.C.A. Although small, it easily accommodated the graduating class of 1884, which consisted of one graduate, Miss Jessie Shield. The school in its first years was under the leadership of Superintendent Dan Starkey. In 1885 the new Washington High School was erected by Mr. J. E. Walker, a pioneer contractor of Roodhouse. During that time the building was classed as one of the best in this section of the country. The total expenditures in building the new school amounted to 86,000 The first principal of the new high school was N. M. McCullough. Several changes were made in the high scshool building in 1914, giving us the building as it stands today. In 1920 the people voted to call our district school the Rood- house Community High School. . A high school representative from the University of Illinois listed our high school as a fully accredited one in 1923. In 1935 additional improvements were made. A room for commercial subjects was constructed on the west side of the building and equipped with desks and type- writers. Venetian blinds were installed and three huge flood lamps were placed on the south side of the building. The building was also given a new roof and painted on the outside. As we travel onward through the years, improvements are constantly being made. In the fall of 1923 the idea of a yearbook in Roodhouse was originated. It was then decided to call the yearbook the Legende and use the Indian theme. The first staff was selected by the faculty. Much credit should be given to the first staff, for they had no precedents to guide them. They had to depend on their ini- tiative and originality. The Legende was issued annually until 1929. That year the senior class decided that a yearbook every year was more than the students cared to purchase, so no book was published. A In 1932, the seniors, under the lead- ership of Mrs. Wilkinson, decided to publish another Legende. Billy Bat- tershell was the editor, and the annual gave the events for the past four years. In 1940 the name Railroader was adopted for the athletic teams, so the staff that year decided to issue the Railroader edition of the Legende : but somewhere in the printing the Legende became the Railroader and the name has continued to the present time. Even during the depression the year- book was still published. We are proud to add our edition to the growing vol- umes of the Railroader.