Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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campaign speeches were over, we settled down to business. The Senate and the House of Representatives, to which I was elected, passed bills making college tuition tax de- ductible. Although the week was filled by elections and state business, we had many interesting speakers. Among them were judges, lawyers, teachers, nurses, senators, representatives, Peace Corps workers, aviators, officials of states, cities and towns, and many others. When not involved in a heated campaign or listening to lectures, our time was spent working on the paper, singing in the glee club, or swimming in the pool. Although there was always plenty to do, we had time to make new friends from every corner of the state. The best time to talk with girls was after the lights were sup- posed to be out and you were supposedly in bed. This time was also used for the studying that was to have been done hours before. Sneaking down to the recreation room to get Cokes and cookies at 12:30 without waking the counselors was one feat that everyone tried but without much success. Friday morning we were presented with diplomas and the girls who would represent Massachusetts at Girls’ Nation were chosen. Awards were presented, then it was time to say good by. The only bad features are that more girls can’t attend and that the week was over too soon after it began. OPINIONS ON THE NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR Nancy Wiswall ’65 In the newspapers and magazines this past year, there has been a lot of material about the 1964-1965 World's Fair in Flushing, New York. Many of the articles have criti- cized the Fair, as have many people whom I have discussed it with. I spent four days this past July at the Fair, and I found very little to criticize and very much to praise. First I admired the tremendous job that Robert Moses, creator of the Fair, and his associates did. After Mr. Moses had been elected to serve as head of the project, he learned that the Fair Planning Committee had decided to erect only one huge circular building in which the various entrants would rent a section. How very glad I am that Mr. Moses persuaded them to do otherwise! The Fair was laid out as a well-planned city. Seen from the sky, it presented an exotic pattern of circular greens, fountains, and streets, several of the streets leading to the center of attraction, the Unisphere. Critics have disparaged the architecture of the Fair, saying it is just a mumble-jumble of buildings representing no specific culture. It wasn’t supposed to. Each pavilion repre- sents something distinct. Architectural unity was not intended. Why should it be! The buildings, many of them ultra-modern, have a grandeur and beauty of their own. The Fourteen

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BOYS’ STATE —1964 Benjamin N. Levy ’65 Massachusetts Boys’ State of 196-4 was held from Friday, June 19, to Saturday, June 27. Its purpose, as stated in the Americanism Manual of The American Legion, was “to educate our youth in the duties, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship.” To effect this end, the local American Legion posts sponsored Salvatore Trapani, Gerard Cavanaugh, Kent Solberg, and Benjamin Levy to attend this 18th session at the Am- herst campus of the University of Massachu- setts. We were struck upon our arrival in Am- herst by the massiveness of the campus, so big and so green. And in the week to come this huge size impressed us even more as we hiked all over it in the oppressive 100 heat. This did not deter us, however, from gaining much knowledge about the law and govern- ment in the Commonwealth. On the first evening, Senator and former Secretary of State Joseph Ward administered the pledge to the Boys’ Staters. On subse- quent evenings we heard then Department Commander of the A. L., Thomas Abely; State Commissioner cf Education, Owen B. Kiernan; Chairman of the Auburn School Committee, Robert LeBaire; the late State Auditor, Thomas Buckley; Tufts University Dean Richard A. Kelley; a West Point cadet; and then Registrar of Motor Vehicles, James Lawton. All the fellows were divided into cities or towns and counties. The quartet from S.H.S. found themselves in Eisenhower and Mac- Arthur Counties and the Cities of Aisne, Bel- leau, and Normandy. The first order of busi- ness was a division of the entire group into two political parties, the Federalists and the Nationalists. Then came the election of city officials, followed by the formation of the county and state governments. Emotion reached a i cak at the party nominating con- ventions, which were held coincidentally on the same day as the Massachusetts Demo- cratic Convention in Pittsfield, a short dis- tance away. Somerville did fine,with Sal’s be- coming a Governor’s Councillor, Gerry’s elec- tion as Mayor of Belleau, Kent’s nomination as city party chairman, and Ben’s becoming layout editor of the daily Boys’ State news- paper. High point of the week was the visit of the Governor of Girls’ State, which had been held the week before. Our governor pinned a corsage on her, as a gift from all the boys. She received a standing ovation and gave us a very informative talk on patriotism. This event occasioned much preparation, includ- ing the washing of several hundred Boys' State T-shirts!! The 1964 Boys’ State was an excellent opportunity for us to learn much about our state and local governments and about our privileges under the law and responsibilities as citizens. It is really too bad that more bays could not have attended. We would like to thank the Legion posts who sponsored us and express our hope that they will be able to send many more boys in the future. MASSACHUSETTS GIRLS’ STATE Dianne Clark ’65 Massachusetts Girls’ State is sponsored annually by The American Legion Auxiliary. A high school junior from each city or town is sent by the local Auxiliary Unit. It is held each year at the campus of Bridgewater Teachers’ College for one week in June. “Learn by Doing” is the motto and the girls certainly had a busy schedule of things to do. Governments were formed on the town or city, county, and state levels. Each girl was assigned a city, a county, and as a member of one of the parties. I was assigned to the City of Tolerance, County of Understanding and I was a member of the Federal Party. In the city elections held the second day I was de- feated for the office of Mayor, but appointed the Chief of Police by a very gracious op- ponent. After that election was over, we had t) elect party officials. Then we had to elect our state officials. Judy Broder of South- bridge was elected governor in a campaign that the Republicans and Democrats would have had to try hard to beat. When rallies and Thirteen

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United States Pavilion is a fine example of this. It is a large rectangular building of blue- green glass raised from the ground and sup- ported from the center by four great columns. A majestic piece indeed! The exhibits themselves manifest great creativeness. There are all types of esca- lators, running ramps, moving stages, and seats to propel the audience from stage to stage during the shows many of the indus- trial companies offer. The exhibits of General Motors, Chrysler, Bell Telephone, and Du Pont, to mention a few, are just as fine as was anticipated. Walt Disney had a large share in such exhibits as Ford, General Electric, and Pepsi-Cola, which features a show for UNICEF with a musical presentation of chil- dren’s dances from many lands. That was one of my favorites. Part of the Coca-Cola exhibit is a ham radio station bearing the special call sign K2US. Radio Hams from all over the world congregated there to operate one of the three sets and sign their names to the guest book. Radio Hams tend to be friendly, but those at the World’s Fair were especially so. There were many productions that particu- larly interested me and I would like to speak of a few more of these. Though not a Catho- lic, I felt tremendous awe at the Vatican Pavilion as I rode through and saw the im- mortal “Pieta” of Michaelangelo. During a rainstorm one afternoon, I spent a restful and rewarding hour in the Mormon Pavilion, a replica of the famous Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Exhibits such as IBM were able to impart knowledge without seeming stuffy. The Thailand Pavilion in- trigued me, especially when I heard it had been constructed in Thailand, taken apart, and brought over here to be reconstructed. It was a shame that some of the exhibits ran into financial difficulties. One example was the Belgian Village with cobblestone streets and whitewashed stores and houses. Since its cost had been underestimated it still was not finished when I was there. One could enjoy spectacular overall views of the Fair by a Monorail trip, a Swiss Sky ride, or an ascent to the top of the 220’ New York Observation Towers. Numerous persons complained about the long lines in front of many exhibits. It is true that you sometime had to wait forty- five minutes to get in. What do you expect when there are 200,00 passing through every day? Everything was done for your comfort; the lines were arranged so that you were able to move up every few minutes, and shade and seats were provided for many. People, even little children, seemed to sense this, and no one complained or nushed. T o the impression that even with so manv nam- ing through the exhibits, you wew r ofo with courtesy and were mode to «1 authorities were happv that everv-r « o »»«• had come. The ground-? nn'i — immaculately kept. Seldom w«« — one distracting piece of pane» anv -o There were rest rooms, food cen+e™ phone booths, and numerous 1 attractively and strategically ar-n- - Fair. And loudspeakers played soft mnd a1’ day and night until the Fair closed at M d- night. As far as money was concerned, you could spend a little or a lot. Prices varied: the in- dustrial exhibits were free. I came preoared to spend freely and found that I spent less than I had intended! It is a Fair of a lifetime, and I felt that it was not wasting monev to spend enough to do all that I had time for. What impressed me most was the atmos- phere and the people themselves. It was a festive atmosphere, and this festive attitude did not wear off as the Fair went on. Nothin seemed tired or worn. All was continually new and exciting, and even those who worked there everyday seemed to look alive. Per- haps they were refreshed by the people them- selves. For the majority of people came with a sense of wonder and happiness at being there. They saw the magnificent buildings everywhere for many, many acres, and they were visibly impressed. I have heard several people say, “I have no interest in seeing the World’s Fair.” I pity those people. Thev must have lost a sense of adventure and win- der in their lives. As for me, the World’s Fair was one of my greatest thrills. Fifteen