Saint Marks School - Lion Yearbook (Southborough, MA)

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tales of the rough-'11-ready exploits of Chuck, who pushed anywhere between five and a dozen liianhattan flatfeet into back-alley gutters. This same lad later was rewarded with a smelly', by a sensitive room inspector who found the aroma of Chuck's cage too overpower- ing to allow entry. After two inferior Groton teams were routed to serve as encouragement, the class of '56 looked ahead to the Third Form and its first hints of responsibility. Brantwood store was destined to set a record for profits and broken bottles, while the proponent of perfect pronunci- ation and a bashful blond from Boston were headed for a proxy battle, and also a successful year, for the Blue and Wh-ite. As the slowly maturing cubs straggled back to the beckoning walls of the school, they repeatedly stumbled over throngs of new Third Formers, who, after a little sifting, were eventually to make the form what it is. We found ourselves divided between Dorms B and E, which formed a perfect contrast. The former was governed by the dearly beloved doctor, while Dorm E was still a British protectorate. The inmates of B resorted to planned revo- lution, which was culminated by Squam- toi' VVooten, a misplaced Briton who was convinced that popcorn, if planted on the Sabbath at dawn, would grow from the floor. Any uprising was squelched by the prefects, better known as Gourmands, with a little assistance from Doc Begg. Dorm E, on the other hand, was well satisfied to lead a life of peaceful co- existence under the iron rule of their formidable prefects. Athletically, we were still nothing to brag about, but Jerry outperformed us all on his improvised trampoline, until one day the undercarriage gave way. All that was left of this popular indoor sport was a damage bill for one straw pallet and a set of bedsprings. The footballers shone under lilessrs. Trefry and Coe, and what few of us snubbed bodily Contact took to soccer with hir. Harrington, who was so discouraged by our attitude on the Held, and elsewhere, that he packed his sweaters and left these hallowed walls for greener prairies. From our point of view the year was dominated by the Philly clique, led by Kink, which was never to renounce its firm convictions or decrease its ranks. These boys developed the aristocratic set of the form, with their cultured tastes in music and sausage. They soon began to run the form, opposed only by the Rocks, who maintained a sort of guerrilla warfare against the angelic hosts of Dorm E. They were later to be recognized as the Redcaps. not to be confused with the railroad porters. . . .and before we had much of a chance even to look forward to it, we rolled into the upper school. Upon our return we found five distinguished new boys, who soon added! their character, intelligence, and athletic ability to a then mediocre class. Dave did only enough work to lead the school every yearg Bob confined his talents to music, athletics, and studiesg the Wvorm added a calming infiuence to our raucus lower school waysg and Jainks gave us a southern flavor. Vasco

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Only Harry forsook football for the glories of soccer. A faint glimmer of talent was shown by Dave in the nets for the Third Squad hockey team. But at times even Dave's goal tending powers were shaky, to say the least, and he found that certain equipment Cwhich shall remain undefinedj, necessary for the art of goal tending, can be embarrassing. As the end of the year approached, our main thoughts were centered around getting out and becoming old boys when we returned in the fall of '51. VVe found to our dismay upon returning that our ranks had been diminished by the absence of some old familiar faces. Two youths, however, joined our number as repeatersg Luddy and Louie could not bear to leave the cozy comfort of the Second Form. Although most of the form was new, the word got around swiftly that dorm raids were in fashion, our adventurous spirit was, however, quickly stifled by a word to the wise from the British Sea Lord. As the year progressed this advice did not always prove suffi- cient. We spent one week-end learning to live togetherv before we finally hit our stumbling stride. Before the year had fairly started, Lonely Loren prepared to leave for sunny California late one night, suitcase and all, only to be confronted at the door by one of Dorm C's stabilizing influences, hir. Hall. After pleasantly inquiring after Blaster VVhite's health, the genial housemaster asked the lad where he was bound. VVhen no specific reply was received, VVanderlust VVhite was advised to return to his cell. He unfortunately departed permanently a few days later, having unwisely depleted Holland's sup- ply of thumbtacks without increasing their store of hard cash. Athletics played a decidedly insig- nificant part in our life, as t.he once mighty Midgets giggled through a de- feated season. Shinny was the accepted winter pastime, 'though a few cold- blooded souls kept to the confines of the court. Most of us tried our hand at club baseball, but the majority ended up too calloused to appreciate the fine coaching that started a select few on the trail to glory on the diamond. Crew was blessed by a slight waif of a cox, who usually answered to the name of Teddy Guy. A modest lad with the name of Jackson began a sheet called the Blue Bull, which was intended to provide competition for the Blue and White. The tabloid's hard working editor got nothing out of his two efforts at printing but a tidy sum, weasled from a few unsuspecting com- mercial men in town who were led to believe that they were renewing their ads in the St. Blarker. The year of physical growth was livened by a duel to the death with brooms between a none-too-bright English stu- dent and that long-remembered Third Squad hockey goalie. Neither of the participants sustained severe injuries, however, thanks to our dictatorial pre- fects, one christened Lana because he resembled his filmland namesake in no way whatsoever, and the other tagged Digger for reasons never divulged. During the year we were constantly exposed to

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rounded the Florida Keys from Jamaica to tread upon both the stage and our egos. We were spread all over the third floor, and managed to stay in trouble most of the time. In our stunning suites on Yvest and North 3 we were controlled by Bishops', Trefry and Adams, who did their best to suppress the usual budding Fourth Formitis. Fingers Brewster, whose continued presence in our ranks remained something of a mystery, was unchallenged as public menace No. 1 on his new stamping grounds along North 3. Our new history master and all-around coach instigated a revolutionary idea: essay questions. His offer at the beginning of the year looked loaded, but, as it turned out, a complimentary 60 and un- limited cuts was a proposition some could well have afforded to take. Crocker C., our golden boy from the beaches of California and Florida, found an A to his liking in Mr. Saunder's jometry class, while Crocker D., referred to in the familiar as Darvoo, sunk to the sixties in the confusion. Darv and his roommate Cartie were a quiet pair in their immacu- late West 3 hideaway, and this little section of the world soon became famous for the studious perfection of its inhabi- tants. Gus and Jerry discovered their forte on the football field that year, and in the winter Rod and lileegie garnered numerals in hockey. The chill weather was not infrequently given warmth by a pair of guitars, neatly handled by Jer and Jax. With Russ on the gourds, Caravan became nearly identifiable, and on oc- casion Brooksie added his uninvited and questionable vocal talents. In general, 'though, little worthy of lnore than incidental note was accom- plished that year. Talent in music and athletics was shown in places, and a well- selected cast made a hit out of hir. VViseman's French Play, in which the ham was served well-done. But most of us had our sights set on the Fifth Form, where we would reach the stage of privilege and authority. It was very doubtful whether we met qualifications! Upon our return in the fall of '54-, some faces were not unexpectedly missing, but we all hated to see boys like Dink, Jake, and Nick leave us. We shrugged off such thoughts, however, and turned to more important considerations. The craze of power stunned some long enough to keep Room A well filled after supper for a while, but the novelty wore off in most cases, and after the Black List Club inaugurated proceedings with nearly a dozen charter members for the first month, we realized that there was work to be done. Toward the end of the fall term, the darkest chapter in our history, the roof fell in. Although the exodus of nine left us perplexed at first, we soon saw everything in the right light, and we were sufficiently impressed to realize that this disaster would prove the solution to many problems. Athletically, we tripled our represen- tation on the football squad, and had a big hand in soccer's league-leading record of 10-1. George, returning from Paris, led our delegates on the soccer line, while Chip and Louie starred among the backs.