Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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Class Oration We, the closs of 1945, ore on unusuol closs in thot our entire high school troining hos been completed during wor yeors. We live in extroordinory days. At first wor touched us lightly and perhaps inconvenient- ly in restrictions, scarcities, ond rationing. War come even closer when our brothers and our other relatives ond our friends went off to fight. Finally come the full realization of war when we sow our clossmotes leove in increasing numbers to join those already gone. What of the rest of us? We ore here now, but when the time comes, we shall go os others hove before us. We know what we ore fighting for. The task before us is not easy! Our lives will be disrupted. For a time we must put aside our plans ond dreams. To put aside is not to obandon. For now we appreciate even more the opportunities ond advantages that would normally be ours in peacetime. We know very clearly how important ore training and education. This information comes to us from oil sides. We osk, Whot ore our prospects of education? Are we to be allowed compensa- tion for this interruption in our lives? Yes, o provident government owore of the welfare of its citizens hos provided for us. For a true democracy must be concerned with the welfare of all its citizens. When it became necessary to draft 18 yeor-olds, the President stated thot by low the educotion of young men should be guaranteed. This low we speok of is the G. I.'s Bill ond its provisions should be o hope and o promise for our future lives. We ore offered opportunities for college ond vocotionol training commensurate with our abilities and our interests. We shall be older than the usuol college and technical school students. Even so, we sholl be more moture. The time intervening will not have been lost. We shall have learned vhe value of discipline, the need of teamwork, the sobering influence of fatigue of mind ond soul and muscle. We shall come to our studies with a finer sense of the need of refreshment for our minds ond heorts. For some of us, the wor may develop o realization of our latent talents ond our skills thot o grateful government will be happy to develop for our welfare. The op- portunities ore here. That is the important thing. They will provide us with the tools for our future accomplishments. More than that they should provide us with the knowledge and the understanding thot will moke us useful citizens. We must be intelligent voters aware of problems thot foce us. We must feel o responsibility in our duties os citizens. We must be ever vigilant thot the wor will not hove been fought in vain. We must be willing to work os hard to maintoin peace as we were to end the wor. Finally we must reolize that these goals con be achieved chiefly by educotion. The op- portunity for educotion awaits us. Let us welcome the opportunity, enjoy its advantages, ond accept its responsibilities thot once more the dignity of the humon spirit may be acknowledged before free men. George Oberbeck

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Row I: Beryl Wortman, Ann MePhee. Row 2: Jock Lourendeou, John Regon, Bob Allen. Senior Night Senior Night! A golo event, in the already exciting existence of every Senior, wos held much earlier than usuol this year on January 19. Red and white, our class colors, predominated in the carefully planned decorations. Old- fashioned silhouettes gliding across the walls, stars glit- tering brightly, and goy streamers converted our gym into o beautiful yet spacious bollroom. The committee: Chairman Robert Allen, John Lourendeou, John Regan, Ann MacPhee, Beryl Wort- man, and Miss Helen O'Brien, odvisor, worked ond plonned to make this prom the success it was. There wos much speculation and suspense about the choice for Prom Queen. From the many lovely nominated, Virginia O'Keefe won the coveted honor and was crowned by Mr. Seors amid the applause of her classmates. The smooth music, the soft shadowy lights, and ;omy atmosphere will long linger in the memory of Senior.

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Row 1: Jeon Barr, Moric Maguire. Row 2: John MocCollum, Howord Whitmon, Vernon Welch. Class Day Eorly in the yeor Jeon Barr, Marie Maguire, Vernon Welch, Howord Whitmon, and John MacCollum were cleced to serve on the Closs Day Committee. They hod charge of the traditionol exercises thot climax the Senior Yeor. At their first meeting, the committee selected Howard Whitmon os choirmon. On Moy 31 os in years gone by, the Senior Closs marched into the familiar old audi- torium for the lost time. George Oberbeck then gove the Closs Oration and the Closs Poem was recited by Florence Celoto. The Groduotes sang in perfect harmony the Closs Ode, written by Lorroine Crescio. Mr. Sears accepted in beholf of the closs the gift, o check towords the monument which will be built when the war is won. When these stirring ceremonies were over, the closs filed to the campus where, occording to the long established custom, the ivy was planted and the spad£ was presented to the president of the Junior Closs. The Groduotes then gave some rousing cheers for the Foculty, and rushed obout greeting their parents and having their Yearbooks utogrophed.