Rustburg High School - Owl Yearbook (Rustburg, VA)

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LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT Ladies and Gentlemen, Board of Education, Superintendent, Teachers and Friends: On behalf of my client, the class of 1949, of Rustburg High School, of the County of Campbell, State of Virginia, U. S. A., I have called you together upon this solemn and serious occasion, to listen to her last will and testament, and to receive from her dying hand the few gifts she has to bestow in her last moments. Cutting so rapidly loose from life, and finding so many things of such gigantic proportion to attend to before the end should come upon her realizing at the same time that she had no longer any time left to spend in cultivation of her own virtues, she did, collectively, and individually, deem it best to distribute these virtues with her own hand to those friends to whose needs they seemed best fit- ted. But she had tried to be just as generous and impartial, and distrib- bute wisely unto those who will make the most of such gifts as she has in her power to bestow, the talents that have served her most faith- fully these four years. These are her decisions as at last arrived at through very deliberate consideration. Owing to her flighty state of mind, and the unusual disturbance of its gray matter, she begs me to state for her that she may quite possibly have been mistaken in her inventory; but such things as she thinks she has, she hereby gives into your possession, praying that you will accept them as a sacred trust from one who has gone before. Listen then, one and all, while I read the document, as duly drawn up and sworn to: We, the class of 1949, being about to pass this sphere of education in full possession of a crammed mind, well trained memory, and almost superhuman understanding, do make public and declare this to be our last will and testament, hereby revoking all wills or promises hereto- fore made. The Senior Class leaves to the oncoming Juniors all the broken pencils, notes, books, initials carved on desks and a cold room. To our beloved teachers we leave all the chewing gum stuck un- der the desks and on the banister leading to the office. To the faculty we leave our deep appreciation and gratitude for their utmost efforts to guide us through our years of high school. Because many of her pupils are graduating this year, we leave Mrs. Blankinship a note of remembrance, a little notebook with undetachable leaves in which to keep the names of her pupils. Ronald Moon wills his way of passing time backstage while prac- ticing the Senior play to Billy Lawrence. Allie Wooldrid,e has agreed to leave her b ottle of peroxide to certain Junior girls. Need we name them? To Arvin Moorefield Jack Jones wills his ability to crumple at the oddest times. Lorene Lerner wills her formula for having secret beaux to Betty Ann McDermott. Gordon Wright leaves his-wave set to Tom Martin Goff. He hopes it has at last accomplished its purpose. To Mary Coleman Alma Dodson wills her laugh. ; Beverly Millner wills his ‘‘wind-up'’ to Maynard Foster. Please practice it every afternoon for thirty-five minutes. Joyce Cheatham wills her appetite to Norma Jean Fitch. (She hopes it will not take quite as much effect, though). Earl Calohan, Jr. wills to Bobby Upshaw his interest in the W oold- ridge Florist. To Juanita Waller Martha Kabler leaves her dramatic talents. A. P. Coleman wills to Mildred Lindsay his ‘‘12 o'clock’’ bedtime. (because of studying.) (continued)

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— CLASS HISTORY In September 1944 a noisy group of boys and girls banged up the stairs to a new life -- high school. In the confusion were erasers, bits of songs, smears of lipstick and several baseballs, and combs. A stern gentleman walked in....silence. From the silence came A. P- Coleman as class president, our motto ‘'The foundation of life is built with the bricks of character’’ and the colors of silver and gold were chosen for our class colors. Mr. Stone, our home room teacher, would com sole us with his ballads. Amid continued battles of brains and era- sers we were Sophomores. Our fueds became fiercer, as our young arms grew stronger and the erasers went swifter and harder. Lester Tanner was our class presi- dent and seams in home ec. began to worry us. Martha Kabler dis- tinguished herself in poetry reading. Miss Jean Perrow was home room teacher. Poor George Washington suffered a blow from 4 football -- understand that he has since been relieved of his agony and taken down off the wall. Then we were Juniors with Curtis Millner as our president. This year we really began to have fun with a variety of activities in which to participate -- going to Charlottesville to a football game and seeing Monticello, lots of parties, Mother-Daughter and Father -Son Banquets, ushering for the Senior play, going on a fine trip to entertainment. How the time flew by and how happy we were! For the first time our school had a May Festival. We did a Spanish dance and Allie and Joyce were in the court. At last we were Seniors. Richard Scott was our class president. Our year began with a round of parties and dances, including a formal given by the F. H. A. girls! Again we made a trip to the University of Virginia to see a football game. In November after lively campaigning, a mock presidential election was held. This was sponsored by the Senior Civics class. The whole school put on a Christmas pageant, ‘‘Why The Chimes Rang, ’ with almost everyone participating in some way. We had a lot of fun putting on our Senior play called ‘‘One Mad Night.’’ The Juniors worked as a committee ushering, and fixing re- served seat tickets with our class colors, red and white, and flower, the carnation, worked skilifully jin. Soon afterwards the Juniors put ona hilarious play called ‘'Cleaned and Pressed.’’ Joyce Cheatham was Queen of the May Festival and from our room in the court were Nancy Wooldridge and Doris Jones. Our class represented the Pilgrims' in the festival. The Juniors planned a nice Junior-Senior Banquet for us. A group of us again went to Washington to see many places and things of historical value. The county track meet was revived and held at our school. Then came thelong-anticipatedclass day and graduation exercises, and with their simple beauty our history is closed. Martha Kabler Class Historian

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oe. ei CLASS PROPHECY Today was a very important day of my life. I had just been accepted to fill the position of airline hostess on the huge Constellation which was at that moment being loaded out on the runway. As my instructor took me out to the plane, I got the surprise of my life, for there in the pilot's cockpit sat Beverly Millner, one of my old school chums of R. H. S. Very shakily, I climbed into the plane and upward we climbed. It was a cloudless day. The engines of the plane hummed as we zoome- ed into the blue. This was my first trip back east in ten years. | was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to stay very long. After seeing that my passengers were comfortable, I stepped into the cockpit to see that everything was under control. Glancing over my pilot's shoulder | noticed in the altimeter that we were suddenty dropping and fast. Beverly gave me a warning nod and | hurried back to my passengers. Giving them as much reassurance as | could, I man- aged to warn them very calmly of the coming danger. We dropped lower and lower and then suddenly it happened: a crash, and then stillness. Slowly I opened my eyes and managed to pull my- self out of the wreckage. Upon inquiry I learned that no one was hurt seriously. Looking around I decided that the place looked vaguely familiar. I was then told that we had landed near Rustburg. ‘‘No, it couldn't be true,’’ I kept telling myself, but it was; for across the field came Earl Calohan, of all people, to help us. He was happily settled on a pros- perous turkey farm not far away. He offered us lodging for the night, but of course all the passengers could not be accommodated; so the pilot radioed for another plane, which soon came to our assistance. | was so tired and upset and longing to hear news of the other seventeen of my classmates, | decided to remain a few days. After a delicious supper, I eagerly began asking questions about the rest of the ‘‘gang'’. | was then told that several of them had settled down right around Rustburg. A. P. Coleman was now a prominent principal at Rustburg High and had added to his faculty Doris Jones and Lorene Lerner, just out of college. Joyce Cheatham had inherited a large sum of money which she had used in res- toring her beloved Gravel Ridge School; and was now in the midst of her teaching career. Alma Lee Dedson, | learned, had just graduated {rom nurses’ school and now held a position at Virginia Baptist Hospital. I can seeher now under that white starched cap. I'm sure she hasn't lost any of that sweetness she used to possess. Elizabeth Stone had taken a sudden interest in a dancing career and was now teaching at Floyd Ward's School of Dancing. Richard Scott, after delivering many inspiring sermons, had ac- cepted the cail as pastor of his childhood church, Whites Methodist. Gordon Wrigh., I was informed, had married a very wealthy Eng- lish girl and had gone to England where he was already retired as a gen- tleman of distinction. Louise Driskill, after having been discovered by a leading stove company as ‘‘one cook in a million,'’ is now. enjoying a successful car- eer as a traveling demonstrator. Lester Tanner was now fulfilling his school daydream. After taking a correspondence course on ‘How to Become a Detective in Ten Easy Lessons,’’ he was now employed by the F. B. I. in Washington. Martha Kabler, having been discovered by Arthur Godfrey on his famous ‘ ‘Talent Scouts ’ program, had reached great success on her own radio program, ‘‘The Scream in the Night. ’ AEE