Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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26 FIRST LOVE Mary Noble, 8B JOHNNY JONES was just an ordinary boy who loved the sea. He lived in a sleepy little New England coastal town which had a small harbor into which fishing and lobster boats came each day. Every day Johnny used to go down to the pier and watch these boats come in. He took every opportunity to go on these boats and learn all he could about them. He thought that maybe some day he would own one of his own. When he was still quite young, his father gave him a skiff and then when he was older, a dory. Still Johnny dreamed of having a big boat of his own some day. One day when he was thirteen years old, he told his father he wanted to save his money so that when he was older he could get a boat. His father said that when he Avas eighteen years old he could have one. The years went by and he saved his money, always dreaming of and hoping for the boat. It was the year 1941 and Johnny was just seventeen, but would be eighteen the beginning of the next year. He was all set to get the long- hoped-for boat when December 7. 1941 and war with Japan burst upon the United States. Johnny put all the money he had been saving into war bonds, and as soon as he was eighteen he joined the navy. He got along extremely well in the navy because of his knowledge of ships and ships ' engines. When he had finished his training, he was put on a destroyer and sent to the South Pacific to fight the Japs. He saw a lot of action and was wounded. As the battle was raging. Johnny learned that the captain and another man were trapped below decks in a burning room. He dashed into the smoke-filled room and rescued the captain. Then he went back down again after the other man. By this time the smoke was very thick and it was extremely hard for him to breathe. When he reached the deck, he collapsed. As two men were carrying him to a doctor, another shell struck and he was hit in the back by shrapnel. The navy doctors fixed him up and sent him home. He was given a medal for the rescue. The doctors told him he would never be able to go to sea again because the smoke from the fire had injured his lungs and the shrapnel wound had left its mark on his physical condition. Sad and bitter, Johnny returned home. As soon as he reached home, he went down to the pier where he saw Coast Guard ships as they went in and out. That made him feel all the worse because he wanted to go back to sea with the navy and he knew he couldn ' t. When the war was over, he took his money out of war bonds and went on a long vacation to California where he went to the beach every day and spent long hours lying in the sun. He ran up and down as much as he could and soon he was well enough to go in the water for a swim. For two )ears he took body-building and health courses. At the end of the training period he went to a navy recruiting office to join the navy. He had done what the doctors said couldn ' t be done. He had built himself up so that he passed the navy physical. He went back to his first and only love, the sea, on a brand new destroyer, a far cry from the boat for which he had always longed. MORE LIMERICKS There was a young lady of Wales And how she loved all the males! Every boy was her beau Her own Romeo So thought the young lady of Wales. Ralph Brown, 7 A There was a young man named Fitts, Who was caught in a London blitz, When up a bomb blew, His nose went off too, And that was the fate of young Fitts. Paul Avery, 8 A There was a young lady of Wales, Who wore her black hair in two tails, She went out in boats To sing Mairzy Doats And was finally caught in the gales. Roger McLean, SB There lived an old frog in the river In his foot he had a big sliver He jumped at a flea But got stung by a bee So now he stays right in the river. William Callahan, 8A

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25 A TREASURE HUNT IN 1960 Roger McLean, 8B One time we were asked lo clean our attic as a fire prevention measure. Of course we didn ' t expect to have a fire because we liad automatic fire extinguishers planted all over the house. To get back to the stor . I was going through an old trunk that had been handed down through my family. I came to some letters with a string around them. Among them was a piece of folded parchment on which was a picture of the Solo- mon Islands. 1 had heard of the islands relative to the war which we had won from the Japanese. l ear the middle of the group of islands was a big, black X. I took it upon myself to believe that it indicated buried treasure. I immediately shot up into the air in my heli- copter. In ten hours I had reached my desti- nation as cool and calm as a cucumber. During the big war I remembered reading how the Marines, as the rocket-men were called in those days, had to hack their way through dense tropi- cal jungles and swamps. When I arrived. I saw, instead of jungles, nice, flat pieces of land that looked as though they had been used as air- ports. Then I recalled that there were some brave men in the World Massacre called Seabees. The had used little land-ships called jeeps and bull-dozers to level the land. After a lot of figur- ing on my little instrument called the spot-finder. I found just the place to dig. Incidentally, this little gadget worked by finding the latitude and longitude and then it showed when you were over the exact spot. When I had arrived there, I pulled out my automatic digger, an implement which looked like an automatic drill only it was run by air currents. In short order I reached an iron chest, which I got out quickly enough. Upon opening it. I found it full of jewels, money, and three containers of radium. There was enough there to make me the most talked-about man in the ivorld. Oh, you want to know why I ' m not that today? Well, I ' ll tell you. Everybody agrees that there are and always will be some cruel and wicked people in this world. It was just my luck to strike one of those persons and his gang on the way home. I had been in the atmosphere only two hours when they drifted along. A fierce battle raged. It ended with their having the treasure and I the helicopter. Out of a secret compartment I quickly pulled my faithful exter- minator and shot them. They immediately dis- appeared. Then I realized that the chest went with them. Now you know my whole story. All I ha e left is the memory. LIMERICKS There once was a iTiati bought a tru(;k When speeding along, he got stuck He tried to get out But he was loo stout So he stuck right there in the truck. Brooke Durant, 8 A There was a marine on Tarawa Whose name was Danny O ' Hara Jap bombers he shot Until he was caught In a trap on bloody Tarawa. Manuel Spinola, Jr., 8A There was a )oung lady of Wales Who wore her black hair in two tails, She got into jail And couldn ' t raise bail So now she sits there and wails. Harry Richards 1 here was a fine laddie named Jack Who winked at a cute little WAC He took her to dine At quarter of nine And that ' s the story of Jack. John Savage, 88 There was a young lady of Spain, Who cried out loud when it rained, Oh ain ' t it a shame, But I ' m not to blame. If it does do nothing but rain. Leland Towle, 8B There was a young lad named Benny Who couldn ' t save even a penny To the poorhouse he went On the first day of Lent Oh that foolish young lad named Benny! Nancy Gilley, 7B There was a young lady named Helen, Whose favorite subject was spellin ' , But, spelling her name, Did not win her fame, For she couldn ' t spell the name Helen. Barbara Anne Best, 7 A There was a )oung man named Austin Who went on a trip to Boston When he got there, His gas tank was bare. So he had to slay right in Boston. Jolin Fresina, 8 A

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27 SCHOOL NOTES Carole Dunphy, ' 46 ACTIVITIES have been many this year be- cause the long-suffering A cards were no longer subject to the l)an on pleasure driving. Danci s and games vvcrc more frequent and were enjoyed by all who atlended ihem. In all our fun. tiiough, we didn ' t forget that we were fight- ing a war. Our stamp and bond sales reached new heights. The sale of T. B. seals was almost a hundred per cent. At Christmas time each class filled two boxes containing small gifts for the Junior Red Cross. The girls really starred this year in sports. They were champions in hockey as well as bas- ketball. The boys had many tough breaks, but everything considered, did well. The football games provided exciting entertainment on Satur- days in the fall. They were very good and showed many promising stars for future teams. Many service men attended to cheer for their old Alma Mater. At the end of the football season the cheerleaders gave the football players a banquet and invited the first team hockey girls as guests. The cheerleaders were especially good this )ear, and added to the excitement of the games. Crowds of enthusiastic spectators atlended all the night basketball games to yell themselves blue for the home team. An added attraction was the selling of snappy programs, which were donated by the Coca-Cola company. Jokes, com- ments and news appeared in the programs as well as excellent sketches and cartoons of the teams and coaches, which were drawn by Pau- line Hardwick, Paul James and George O ' Neil of the art classes. The dances were all a great success. Each attracted a large crowd, even though transpor- lation was uncertain. The Sport Dance given by the Freshman and Sophomore classes after the basketball game with Cohasset was especially successful. It had many surprise dances and an auction of cakes. The Junior Social given at Christmas time was something to shout about. The future Senior Class deserves a great deal of credit. Thev pro- ided everything from a Santa Claus and sleigh lo a reproduction of Blind Date ; even a for- tune teller and a Christmas tree. The gym was gayly decorated on this occasion. The Senior Social was a grand affair. This dance also had many surjjrise features. All in all we had a swell lime. Mel Edd . his trum- pel and his orchestra las it was advertised) lent musical charm to all the dances. The Fr(;shmen sponsored a very original dance in March. It was a Leap Year affair, in which the girls footed all the bills. Some vegetable corsages were seen, although many girls bought carnations for their dates. At the door the girls were (|ueslioned about their weight. Each girl had to pay a cent a pound for every pound over a hundred. This party drew a large and gay crowd. A very good Christmas program was given this year under the supervision of Mr. William Smith of our music department. It included songs by both Junior and Senior Glee Clubs. Mr. Smith played a few light and several serious selections for us. At the conclusion the whole student body and faculty joined in singing popular Christmas carols. It was a most enjoy- able program. Another good assembly was given by the Boy Scouts. We had two good speakers, movies, and the presentation of the life saving medal to Thomas Macy of the Junior class for saving a companion from drowning. Both boys are mem- bers of the local Boy Scout organization. An Army sergeant gave a very good talk at one of our assemblies. He was very interesting. Although he talked chiefly for the boys, the girls got a lot out of it too. A Navy man talked to the boys alone at a later date. At an assembly in February the football squad and the victorious hockey team were given their letters. The cheerleaders also received letters. Recognition was given to the large group of underclassmen who went out for sports even though they didn ' t make the teams. We shall regret the loss of senior players next year, but there appear to be many eligible youngsters to fill their places. Coach Vines and Coach Stewart received gifts of appreciation for their grand coaching. Dick Bresnahan, the roving reporter, also received a small gift. Movies were shown to complete the assembly. Since the arrival of our new sound projector, we have had movies about every Thursday morn- ing. It was certainly worth waiting for. The movies on the whole have been very good. We have enjoyed the sports, historic and especially the musical films. Throughout the year the senior boys and girls lia e been taking immerous tests. They have laken achievement and aptitude tests, as well as tests for the Army and Navy, and they are crammed with questions and belated answers.