Saint Marks School - Lion Yearbook (Southborough, MA)

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Instead it was kind of musical culture period. When he wasn’t practicing for an aria in the chapel, B. Carooster Hall would accompany his voice with an ac- cordion in the headmaster’s study. Of course, Averell was indispensable at the piano, playing all the hits, including “Of Thee I, Of Thee, Of Thee I sing, BABY.” Also it was time now to begin thinking of the sixth-form dance—and everyone did, except Jiggy, naturally. The major com- plications on the weekend included: Gus getting Weatherbee Aiken’s girl, Hutch- ins getting Hall’s girl, nobody getting Shaw’s girl, Van getting no girl, every- body wanting Richie’s girl, Ballande get- ting his girl, and most of the rest of the form getting townies. I'll say just one more word on the weekend— Maribeth. Though Mr. Badger got sick as a dog one week before the opening night of the musical, Doe Shep and President Lou- don pushed everyone, and on production night the boys were practically sitting in their laps. College Boards, the annual bore, was the final event of the eventful term which also included the form’s first drastic discipline measure. Four fourth-formers were paraded before a barrage of “sirs’’ and silly questions. (Example—Concern- ing the discovery of taboo coke bottles in his room, the boy was asked “Why?” “I don’t know, SIR.” Neilsen: “Is your thirst any greater than mine?”) On the first day of vacation after Mike had taken off for the land of Oranges, Indians and Judy, and almost everyone else had head- ed home, a group of six gathered in Provi- dence where Doctor Sears, Sober Andy, and Sherry Shaw displayed their teen- icide talents. Aprit 1953. Dear Diary, It’s spring. It’s in the air. It’s in the boys. They’re anxious. So am I. I keep thinking of the future and its events. I 13 imagine I can see Bevo kissing all the babies in the country (especially around Jimmy Ryan’s) in his effort to sit in Congress, and Boomy Coon asking for lower wages in the Senate. And there’s Randy playing halfback for the Detroit Lions, and Charlie Steedman buying a sports arena after he’s made his first million, Gus running all the banks in Mexico, Fred Harvey bankrupting the restaurant business, Willy making up crossword puzzles for the New York Times, Buzzy as an usher at the Met, Averell as a father, Denny following the sun, Bob “Hilton”? Armstrong buying the Virgin Islands, Gordon as the president of Hahrvard, and Morrell as the capitalist who cleaned up by selling vodka when the Russians invaded America. All this might be true. I wonder. And I’m tired. May 30, 1953. Dear Diary, The only trouble this term arose when Mr. Barber decided that big boys, in- cluding monitors, ought to act like big boys. I don’t think all the trouble was their fault, however; it might have been something higher than that—and I don’t need to mention a name; it’s all in the record. Still there is no denying that the form

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childish things. I guess these boys just don’t read the Bible. Although that say- ing should be quite familiar anyway. I suspect they'll end the year the same way they started it. With a wham. Naturally I was pleased with the way Randy and a few of the big boys—hefty John Shaw, slender Tim Sherwood, lanky Gordon Douglas, and racy Andy Rankin —led the football team to a snowy 27-12 smear over Groton. And likewise with Denny’s footsters, including massive Boomy, rapid Tim, speedy Ave, fleet Morrell, and ah-Lee in the goal. But there was also the Wheeler dance discus- sions. Here’s what happened: The day before the dance somebody got the idea that it would be nice if we all staved cn the dance floor during the dance. This immediately brought up the question, “Why?” Just before the big de- bate an exhibition of Indian warfare was put up in the sixth-form room to give everyone some background data on the cease. Actually the discussion got no re- sults and most of the boys came away with the idea that it would be even neces- sary to show a draft card to get punch at the dance. Of course, to the few who had shown foresight two years previously, the draft ecard was no worry. And speaking of girls, there was the time when Nip enticed Richie and Van to seek relief in rural affairs. Luckily Badge stopped these gentlemen before anything had a chance to develop; nevertheless it didn’t help their discipline records, and when the firebug (“‘Let’s toss matches at each other’) episode exploded, I thought I had seen the last of at least one of them. However, the final outcome of this was only that the smoking team had to cancel the rest of its games. Meanwhile Lion Films, Inec., was busy shooting the final scenes of its movie The Sheik of Apocalyse starring Valentino Berthelsen, directed by Buzzooks, and Alex, and produced by J. P. Scudder. The rest of the boys were either munching cheese, working out crossword puzzles, or studying history problems. When the term finally ended with the usual dorm feasts, one extended vacation, and a discriminating Brucemas party (next one in 1957), almost everyone ran to New York and grew a year older. I thought I had best follow. Marcu 1953. Dear Dtary, Vacations can even be more fun than the school terms. After a 2-1 victory over Ronnie’s Lawrenceville team everyone began to celebrate the New Year at Randy’s. S. Woods was there with every- one and everything, and L. Jackson was there with herself and Shaw. No need in saying what Bevo was there with, though he wasn’t the only one. When I got back to school, I knew I was in for a very spe- cial term. The first event was getting a Walnut Hill concert called off, which was —too bad. Then for a change, Mr. Barber made the form think a little of college and he asked an admissions director of one of the east’s discriminating metropolitan colleges to visit. Parlor was no longer a smoker now because of the sports season.

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started off the term on the wrong foot, tripped, and then crawled around until June. Gilly and Mike began things by selling imported water guns at (naturally) black-market prices. Then everyone, in- cluding Fred, tore a hole in their Brooks Bros. suit pockets for their guns, just to ‘‘be ready.”’ Gae ended all this very soon, however, with a little lecture after morning prayers. Then, except for making tape recordings of the Thursday night lectures and a “mild” coke and ginger ale (et al) party in Framingham, there was almost nothing to do. Once the boys might rush out two St. Markers a day, or someone might try to hunt up a back copy of the V index (he never found it), and the Cercle (their motto, ‘‘all that glitters is not gold,’’) even displayed shining performances on French Night—but there was actually nothing to do. So it happened. In spite of the four monitors present and the nature of the ceremony they were about to perform, I could not help but feel that the whole atmosphere on that May night was very unofficial and very secular. Immediately after Hutch was bent up and “baptized” (complete im- mersion, including clothes), the “evange- listic’’ spirit seized everyone and before the services were over for the night (and the week), approximately thirty boys, one corridor, and one ceiling (Maxyvoy and Biff missed by minutes) had been aquatically acquainted. When the mist had cleared and the Fire had cooled, a seventh form with a new head mo emerged, the school’s most “influential form” controlling every school organiza- tion except the Blue and White and the Stationery store. Then, just two weeks later, the form’s second win over Groton united everyone again (with an occa- sional exception) and made them realize that, regardless, a diploma is a diploma. I should say more, though, about the Groton baseball game. With mad Buzzy gone, there was a frantic search for some- one to hex the Grotties. All doubts were dispelled when Dwight D. drove up for the week-end, equipped with everything a boy needs for popularity. After proper