Schuylerville Central School - Schuyler Yearbook (Schuylerville, NY)

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In December, we were happily rolling along when we were suddenly plunged into the excitement of choosing our junior rings. It was a red letter day in the class as the ring samples were looked over and chosen. Our ring committee gave us a good selection, and the vote was almost unanimous. They certainly do look “swell.” As ever, basketball season arrived, and we were back at our favorite pastime. We had the usual interclass games, together with the intramurals. We staged a healthy comeback, but we only avenged the defeat we suffered before. Our membership suffered a little as Catherine Kelly, Wayne Lang, and Elnora Pratt found work out of school, and Rose Sherman moved away. Wayne is now in the Army. Next came our Junior Play, and as usual Herbert DeGarmo and Dick Elwell were active. With its amusing plot, “Pa’s New Housekeeper” was quite a success, as all the players carried their parts through admirably. Miss Myers directed it, and it was largely through her eu'orts that we won second place in the contest. Our Junior Prom was, we think, one of the best. Our committee consisted of Martin Munson, Mary Alice Harris, Hazel Garnsey, and Joe Cartwright. Everybody worked together to decide on decorations, music, tickets, and invitations. With music by Chet Morre, and the tickets taken care of, we moved into the final stages of production. Ours was a distinct inno ation. We had lawn chairs instead of the regular chairs and in the middle, our reserved table. Reserved for whom, you may ask; well ask Les Stiles or Earl Derby! Finally the great night arrived, and as we walked under a blue and gold canopy, we started a very enjoyable evening for all. With all our fun over, we again had to return to the books if we were to be- come seniors, as most of us fortunately did. September 1944, saw the class of ’45 enter the last struggling year to the final phases of our school life. We were seniors, and it was a w’onderful feeling. Our friendly and much liked principal, Mr. Stanton, was to be our home room teacher. Right away w'e started to think ahead, of our caps and gowns, invitations and the other details of graduation. Just after this, thoughts of our Senior Trip came, and again the ever present problem of money. We started right away, because the amount that should be raised was large. Food sales, dances and then a bond raffle held the limelight. Many contributed to their success writh Bob O’Brien and Gene Periard especially active as President and Treasurer respectively of the Senior Trip Club. When officers were chosen, Herbert DeGarmo w'as elected as president of the Senior Class and Robert O’Brien, president of the Senior High Student body. Other class officers were: Vice-president, Lester Stiles; Secretary, Eileen Nevins; Treasurer, Richard Elwell; Student Council Representatives, Arthur Charron, Eileen Nevins, Herbert DeGarmo, Jack McCarty, and Mary Alice Harris. 23

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FLASHBACK In September 1941, when we first wandered into our respective home rooms, we were greeted by a flock of new faces. The new members of our class, the non- residents, had arrived and we were busily getting acquainted with them and with our new home room teachers, Miss McCall for room 11 and Miss Shannahan for room 10. Early in the season the following class presidents were elected: John Riordan for room 10 and Ruth Willette for room 11. e enjoyed quite a few activities in our Freshman year. Our Freshman Five won both the senior and the junior games. Our members participated in quite a few activities, and really ‘“crammed” so that we could enter our high school. After the exams we all watched the bulletin board like a hawk to find out who passed and were ready to climb higher on the ladder. We were sorry to see Miss McCall leave us. but our Junior High graduation was very interesting. At the start of our sophomore year we were again in high spirits. Because of our large size we were divided again into two groups: Room 16 under Miss Ter- pemng and Room 9 with Mrs. Elwell and Mr. Yaple. Room 9 really outdid itself with the banquet for the faculty, the girls doing most of the work. The “battle of the sexes was evened up, however, when Beryl “Fitzie” Fitzgerald and “Rollie” Haley romped all over the seniors, in a highly popular basketball “scrap ” and then proceeded to leave us for the Navy. «i i 1» ft301? is time that we recei ed from Saratoga Springs High, Dick Inky Elwell, the live wire of our class. Nevertheless our class steadily dwindled as we lost Stewart Wendell, Edith Hayes, Marie Sherman and Isabel Brummagyn. our class president of Room 16. This office was quickly filled by Mary Alice Harris, and Harry Duket held sway over Room 10. As sophomores, we held our own during the scrap drive, and Room 16 went over the top in securing honors for the highest contribution. We disliked leaving our sophomore classes, but for the first time the class of '45 was entirely united in its junior year, in Room 12 under Mrs. Elwell. We were oc- cupying the traditional senior room, but we felt we had a good right, since we had been sp.it up so long. Bob “Obie” O'Brien was elected to hold the presidency of tii0 class. Everything went fine, until our cla’smute, Howard Hespelt, passed away with spinal meningitis. He was a real friend of everybody and was greatly missed hv the whole class.

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Making money seemed to be a repeatedly necessary project for us. By three one-act plays, successfully produced, we earned money for graduation, honor to ourselves, and incidentally, a lot of fun at practices. For the proposed New York trip, where we seniors would be “educated” in the big city, a War Bond raffle was staged with John McCarty becoming the lucky winner. Starting the second semester, we welcomed those of us who had been left behind in our advance to seniority. Formalities about who had been doing what during the Christmas vacation were soon over, and we again settled down to serious study so we might be among those who would enter the portals of the stage in June. Also an important activity of the year, our year book, had been started and we began our respective duties. The result of our work you can now see. Our long awaited New York trip at last was realized. April 1st dawned a beautiful day, and about three that afternoon our senior trip started with 20 mem- bers. ably chaperoned by Mr. and Mrs. T. J. O’Brien, boarding “The Laurentian.” From it we piled out, pushed through Grand Central, and into the taxis to the “Taft,” where various groups of us were established on the 3rd, 6th, 11th and 15th floors. After getting settled, we journeyed to the C. B. S. studios and saw “Crime Doctor.” The rest of the night was spent quietly (sleeping). Next morning Radio City was our objective. We saw the special Easter pageant with the Rockettes. Monday afternoon was our time to take in the Chester- field Supper Club with Perry Como, Mary Ashworth, Ted Steele, and his orchestra. Tuesday morning we visited the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown and the Bowery. That afternoon we visited the N. B. C. broadcasting and Television studios. Tuesday night, we visited the smash musical, “Oklahoma”; then we joined New York’s society at Billy Rose’s Diamond Horseshoe. We hope that Mr. Rose has some of his diamonds left. Station WOR was the next point of invasion, as six of the class went to “Can You Top This.” Maybe Dick Elwell could have substituted with some of his “very fertile corn.” We next assembled at the “Stars on Ice” show and thoroughly en- joyed it. Then it was back to the Taft and a party. Thursday, tired, maybe a little bit sleepy but still jovial, we turned our backs on the “Big City,” but were reluctant to leave. Ours had been a very successful trip, and we enjoyed every minute of it. However, we still had to graduate and bid good-bye to our school. In the future, although some of us may be scattered far and wide, through dif- ferent reasons, we will all think back about how we were taught, befriended, and helped along by the enterprising ‘ gang” and faculty of S. H. S. —Joseph Cartwright ’45 21