Roosevelt High School - Rough Rider Yearbook (Kent, OH)

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OVERTURE T0 THE SPIRIT OF THE FORTY-NINERS 1849 With old Zac Taylor in command Of our struggling ship of state, There was talk of slavery o'er the land, Our future seemed far from great. Back a hundred years or more When life was simple and staid, There was upon our western shore A great discovery made. At Sutter's Fort, it seems, one day ln eighteen forty-eight, Gold was found, in some chance way, To change a nation's fate. Men came by horse, men came by ship To find this shining quest, They rode, they walked to make the trip, Their only thought - the West. And thousands came and thousands died, From hunger, arrow, and cold, But still they came with steady stride, To reach the distant gold. Their spirit undaunted, blazed a trail Through beating rain and sun, But still they sought and seldom failed To L'Find a way or make one. 'I949 This is a fast and furious life, Most things seem changed and new. The world is torn with pain and strife, lts only hope now, is you. For a hundred years the time has rolled, Now we're starting out once more. This time not in search of gold, But of peace, an end to war. May weihave the forty-niner creed To never give up the fight, Then our old world may soon be freed From the sting of nations, might. Youth is the hope of men today, God grant us strength to win! Our job is peace in some strange way, Oh, how can we begin? But from the past a voice we hear, A memory from the West: f'lVIove on, as we did, without fear And you will gain your quest. Gordon Lease

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PROGRAMME Come open these pages and you will see This -- our product of sweat and misery. The F orty-Niner grew from days of work, Yet never was anyone known to shirk His duty, to think, and write, and revise, The result, we hope, you will always prize, As a reminder of the happiest days in your life, When all was so rosy and free from strife. A Gay Nineties Theater is our chosen theme, A theater that today would seem like a dream, With its gaslights, and frolic, and roaring glee, It was a wondrous sight for all to see. Victor Herbert's music, and Lillian Russell's song, Filled the eager ears of the gathered throng. This was a sport-loving, turbulent age, so gay, With John L. Sullivan, baseball, and lawn croquet. There were box socials, immigrants, and loud reformers, Camp meetings, patent medicines, and quack performers Yes, the Gay Nineties shone with glitter and gleam, That's Why they make such a wonderful theme. But now let's sit down and go through the book, To the printing and pictures give an eager look. The reader is familiar with each scene and act, For you are the subject, and the story is fact. The Seniors are the actors, so proud and so quick, An underclassman takes over when a Senior gets sick. The halls and homerooms of our school are the stage, With teachers directing each movement and page. The Board of Education is producing the play, And during intermissions athletics hold sway. The many organizations and clubs are backstage, And it's here actors' tempers are likely to rage. To top the whole thing, in just the right Way, The finale of advertisements marks the end of our play. But now the lights dim, all is ready to start, The actors are in place with story and part. Our conductor's in the pit, a long stick in hand, The orchestra waiting for his starting command. Everyone is expectant, therels a stir in the air, As the overture starts with soft, gentle care. Backstage, directors and actors in a nervous state, For on this they're staking reputation and fate. 4'The seats are nearly filled, someone faintly said, That,s quite a surprise, at two-fifty a head. But suddenly it's quiet, all know it is time, As the curtain slowly rises, on Yearbook' 49. Gordon Lease

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Settle back in your seats while we shoot you some brief scenes from uThe Forty-Niners,'l or L'Life at Teddy's Manor House. Scene I is set in Teddy's kitchen, where the Roosevelt lassies turn out all types of luscious food Kitchen l 'SA N. Drawing Room r N Hobby Room fWOOIi Shopj ON from toast to full-course dinners. Nice going, gals!! Meanwhile, let's take a look-see next door . . . Whirr-rr! These electric sewing machines are real- ly nice things to have around . . . and the seam- stresses' finished products look as if they just stepped out of the pages of L'Seventeen. Yes, the R. H. S. femmes really do master the arts of cooking and sewing amid beautiful modern equipment. Someday they'll make wonderful house- wives for some lucky men! Scene ll: The Drawing Room. Here future Rembrandts and Da Vincis are created. Art stu- dents do everything imaginable . . . keep the halls and show cases beautifully decorated with displays of original genius . . . work on stage settings . . . and meanwhile still find time to work in class on pencil sketching, chalk work, ink, oils, water colors, and posters. Keep up the good work! May your skillful and creative hands carry you far! Scene Ill: The Hobby Room. UGO to it, fellows! Zzzz-zzz-zz! Grr-rr-ind . . . Ca-runch!!! 'GSomebody tell me when the bell rings!! Boys make everything from knick-knack shelves to desks . . . Roosevelt has a wood shop very well equipped with every kind of modern machinery. To some, the work is a fascinat- ing and interesting hobby . . . to others, it will be their vocation in life. Scene IV is set in the trophy room, where we find all the stuffed animals . . . refugees from Teddy's hunting trips. Some of them look almost alive. Let's take a look . . . a lot of them have green pieces of paper which work magic. Some are going into the Library . . . there's a fellow over there trying to smuggle an 8x10 comic book behind a 5x7 history . . . good trick, if you can do it Others are amusing themselves by writing notes and gazing abstractly out the window. And believe it or not, some people actually manage to get studying done in here! Trophy Room CfStudy I-Iallyl