Samuel Gompers Vocational Technical High School - Artisan Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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As we have written before all of these remarkable feats were accomplished through te primary efforts of the first five members of the track team who knew what they wanted and just wouldn't take no for an answer. We are proud that Gompers should have such fine spirited fellows. As this goes to press Mr. Fisher. tl1e little fellow who really deserves the laurels to hear the members tell it. is busy preparing the 70 track squad members to do their part in upholding the Gompers tradition of being in the selected winners' circle. As we write linis to this bit ol' track info we want Mr. Fisher to know that even when tl1e breaks are against us as they are bound to be some time the boys of Gompers are with him all the way. For this team has learned what it means to come up tl1e hard way. Of the five pioneers in Gompers track history when we began our initial in- door track season which proved very successful only Wilburn, Turrell Sl Raiti were left. Around this nucleus, Mr. Fisher, the new track team coach, built a sur- prisingly strong team. Strong, in that it placed third in both the cross-country championship tournaments and in the Vocational High School Finals held in Mad- ison Square Garden.

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Tracking 1 , v . the Track Team Gonipers is not a school, only for the training of fellows interested in learning the electrical or automobile industry, at least not judging from its athletic reports. Ever since the establishment of Gompers back in 1936 every athletic team has made for itself a place at or near the top of its particular sport, ln May 1940 when the first Gompers track team was formed with practically no financial support, unequipped as it was, the eligibles brought Gompers track fame. This fame came to he when with only five entrants to make points, Gompers finished fourth in the city-wide high school championship tournament. Many will long remember the famed Glenn Cunningham kick reproduced by Joseph Raiti to bring him up to second place in the tedious mile run. This term's graduate Eddy Turrell also found a place in the Gompers track fans' heart when after strenuous weeks of training, fighting his way to a chance in the Garden he was beaten by inches by the favorite, a much more experienced lad. Of course no event entered by the wearers of the blue and gray was 'ever complete without some record or other being broken and Robert Wilburn carried on the tradition. He not only won his event fthe high jumpj BUT he broke the all time Vocational High School rec- ord. The speed was most ably displayed by Guy King the husky Jesse Gwens of Compers. And finally but, by far, not the least we come to George Straty the gent who with the aforementioned Guy King made Compers recognized in the 100 yard dash. However, time travels on, and with last graduation went our W mile run and high jump stars Wilburn 81 Raiti. We also lost Turrel. The veterans now were those of the indoor track season chiefiy, Wilson, your co-editor of this column, Mar- ciano, Bolger and Pezzino.

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Batter Uh! Oli! Fellows. Hold everything! Here comes Coach Landes with a few words for our book. 'ln my opinion. explained our genial coach, uthe reason why our teams did so well in the P.S.A.L. league was because ofthe boys' splendid res- ponse in attending each and every practice session and because of their outstanding school spirit. They play as, one big nucleus and above all, they have real native ability. I recall a little incident which will prove my point about school spirit. In the championship game against Brooklyn automotive we had many a tense moment. With the score tied flve to five going into the beginning of the seventh Brooklyn scored four runs to put themselves out in front. Our team felt downcast., but did not give up, because it had a lot of that fine school spirit in its blood. We came to bat in the last half, banged out a pair of doubles and with the aid of three walks and a timely single. managed to tie the score. At this point the game was called on account of darknescs by the three umpires in charge of Vocational activities, and both schools were declared co-champions of the Vocational League. Vocational students can never be ball players. 'fhat was the taunt which our opponents usually cried. but Gonipers standing for what it does. made them swallow their words. 'l'hc first year we put out a softball team we ran away with all ho11ors by cap- turing not only the Bronx and Manhattan championship, but also the Vocational City championship in a final play off with Queens Vocational by a score of 9 to -1. 'l'hat year we turned out one of the best softball pitchers in the Vocational League. This hurler not only pitched five shutouts, but allowed an average of only 1.3 runs per game. We refer to the long to be remembered Aureama. Playing alongside were the slugging stars Orlando and Larken whose dangerous and consistent hit- ting really brought the bacon home to Gompers. Gompers scored again for the second straight year with another crackerjack tcam composed of veterans. We learnt what it means to lose the first game of the