St Johns High School - Blue Devil Yearbook (Darlington, SC)

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GRACE ELIZABETH VAUGHAN Basketball ’23-’24-'25; Critic Lanier Literary So- ciety; Member St. John’s Literary Society; Or- chestra ’23- 24; Literary Editor Junior Edition; Editor-in-Chief Senior Edition; Class Play; Salu- tatoriam Surely a host of kind fairies hovered over the cradle of this little maid, showering gifts upon her bonnie head. Good looks they gave her, and grace (to match her name) and attractiveness of personality. Brains they gave her, ambition, and strength of character. St. John’s, too, is sharer in these fairy gifts; for through them Grace has not only won honor and distinction for herself, but has laid fresh laurels at the feet of her Alma Mater. SALLY WINN Basketball ’24-’25; Captain Team '25; President St. John’s Literary Society; Local Editor Bulletin '24; Class Play; Advertising Editor Senior Edition. “Of all the girls I’ve ever known, There’s none quite like our Sally.” As a friend, she is loyal and trustworthy, big- hearted and faithful. When literary, social, athletic or scholastic duties call, Sally never fails. In addition to these rare qualities, Sally’s good common sense and ready smile have made for her a wide circle of friends. Twenty.Seven

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JAMES FREDERICK SUMNER Basketball 24; Football 24; Censor Hayne Liter- ary Society; Vice-President Coker Literary Society; Secretary and Treasurer Class 21. Fred is a shy and handsome lad, a good athlete, true comrade and man, friendly, obliging and kindly to all, describe him better; if you can. % j xKjJ $ lRIE EVELYN TAYLOR Member Si. John's Literary Society. Dutiful, earnest, unassuming—Marie has pursued the quiet tenor of her ways through Junior and Senior years, and has won the respect and con- fidence of teachers and classmates alike. May life be good to her is our earnest wish! CLAUDE ABRAM VAUGHAN Baseball 24-'25; Class Basketball '24-'25; Critic Hayne Literary Society; Critic Coker Literary So- ciety; Orchestra ’24'25; Athletic Editor Bulletin 24; Class Play; Class Lawyer. Every day in chapel we hear Claude’s little horn, Music we shall sadly miss when he and his sax have gone, Every day he greets us with a smile unon his face. And lends a helping hand with an easy, kindly grace. Twenty-Six

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The City Beautiful Citizens of Darlington and future citizens of Darlington; 1 had, I admit, you in my thoughts and Darlington in my heart when I chose my subject for this afternoon—“The City Beautiful.” This is said to be a mechanical age; this land a birth place of a multitude of servants, which perform silently their labor at the push of an electric button and tend to hurry modern existence along at a jazz-like pace. However, this age is not making Americans a race of soulless ones, lost to the appreciation of the finer things of life; but our artistic natures are being stimulated and we are learning more and more how to appreciate to the fullest the beauties of nature, art and character. How lovely is the setting of this stage! The trees in the background, the sun slowly sinking in the west casting its lengthening shadows; the birds twittering in the trees all nature attuned in harmony. This stage itself, the gift of one who wished to conribute toward the cultivation of the beautiful in the hearts and minds of St. John’s pupils, will ever be a memorial to him. and an inspiration to us. and those who come after us. Development is going on all around us. Instead of the one-story frame, building for the public school, with its limited number of teachers, we have two handsome brick buildings situated on a campus unexcelled in the state, and a corps of teachers, the equal of. if not the superior of any school the size of this. Many of the old neglected buildings have been remodelled or torn down to give way to beautiful architectural structures and modern bungalows. Instead of the old dusty, dirty streets, we have splendid paved ones; instead of water polluted by germs, artesian water. These improvements which add so much to the health and beauty of our city are largely due to the efforts.of our “City Fathers.” On the square, the lawn surrounding the court house is lovely with its grass and flower» thanks to our Civic League! Our city is famed for its trees. The custom to plant trees annually to replace those blown down or removed is a worthy one and it should give us pleasure to make this contribution to posterity. Some people say they do not care to plant flowers and shrubbery at a place when they are there only temporarily, for others to enjoy. How selfish! It is probable that children from those homes are the ones we sometimes see breaking down the little trees planted with loving care and with the desire to add beauty to the lawns and streets. For these children the poor as well as the rich, a park, the natural site of which is nearby, would prove a blessing and they would be taught to appreciate and admire the flowers. Tourists and persons seeking homes are attracted by Darlington, since it is a beautiful, well- kept town, and naturally associate the character of the people with the appearance of the town. Where there is beauty and cleanliness there is less vice, sordidness, cheap music and cheap literature; and so from an economic standpoint it pays to have a beautiful city. Outwardly, all of these signs may seem to some people only the result of prosperity, but the change is not only on the surface, it is underlying and has a far deeper significance. We are learning to appreciate the beauty as well as the utility of things. Our aesthetic senses are be- coming keener. Some writer has said, “What is true. What is good, and What is beautiful are all the same.” So let it be known far and near that our own City Beautiful” is both true and good, as well as beautiful. -GRACE VAUGHAN. Salutatorian. Twenty-Eight