Stoneham High School - Wildlife Yearbook (Stoneham, MA)

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CLASS HISTORY By Marilyn Johnson Time — Spring of 1952 Place — Stoneham Scene — Dedication of new Stoneham High School (So illustrious was the Class of 1942 that their history has been immortalized in the murals decorating the walls. The class members have returned for the event and are chatting over old times as they admire the murals. These bits of conversation caught here and there may be of interest to you The numbers refer to the figures in the panels.) Irma Landers — Why hello, Blois Thomas, How are you? Isn ' t the new high school wonderful? Blois — It certainly is. Hurry, let ' s go inside. Oh look! The first mural is all about our social affairs in school. There is Mike Rolli (1) leading the first freshmen dance. Weren ' t we excited and thrilled. . . . Say, there ' s Ruth Dewhurst waving to us. I believe she was treasurer that year. Here ' s our Henry Aldrich (2). Didn ' t Bob Alward portray the part well in What a Life ? Irma — And wasn ' t Cassidy funny with her one speech, ' Good morning ' , striding across the stage in bloomers down around her knees. Blois — The next year Speed Cook, Irwin Gar- finkle, and Dick French had their chance in ' Smilin ' Thru ' . I didn ' t attend but I heard ever so many comments on how lovely it was. Irma — ' Captain Applejack ' was the play in our senior year when Kenneth Roberts turned pirate and Helen Adzigian became an alluring spy. Blois — I see Helen McLaughlin ahead. . .ex- cuse me, I ' m going to run up and speak to her a minute. Irma — Certainly. Well, if it isn ' t Dorothy Lena! How are you? Dot — Just fine. You know it ' s beginning to feel like old times, I ' ve met so many of our classmates. I just went into the auditorum. How modern the stage looks, but I doubt that they ' ll have any more fun than we did when we remodeled the old assembly hall. With Dick French at the head, the Dramatic Club did much to sponsor the venture. I ' m so glad he received the club award. Irma — Here is. . why it ' s Isabel Jaques (3) from the orchestra. Did you attend the concert in the Town Hall when the orchestra, under Mr. Tapley ' s direction, surprised all of Stoneham with its excellent music? Dot — Yes, I did. What wonders he ac- complished with the group and how they admire him. Irma — And what have we here? 5 One of our graceful, petit ballerinas (4). A star of ' 41 Fiesta ' . From a robust football player to a dainty toe dancer. . who would have believed it? Oh, look, a king and a queen are crowned, our charming Helen Adzigian and our ever popular Guy Wallace (5) at the gala Winter Carnival. That affair was sponsored by the Blue and White Club when it was still young. Dot — Yes, I believe it was. That was a worthy organization with its ideals in sports- manship and scholarship. Irma — Isn ' t that Willie Freeman in the front of that sports muraP Hello, Willie! Don ' t you wish you were back in school! 5 Willie — Oh. . no. I ' d just like to be playing baseball with the old crowd. Dot — Say, Willie, will you ever forget that memorable day in April when our Blue and White nine made league history? Willie — Sure, we were defeated 32 to 22 at Reading (6) despite our talented shortstop, Don Dillion. Speaking of defeat didn ' t the senior girls basketball team get sadly beaten by the Juniors! 5 Irma- — I ' d rather we didn ' t mention that. Anyway we couldn ' t help it, Mrs. Lawson said that old age was creeping on. Willie — Look, girls, a basketball player (7). Didn ' t Speed Cook and Johnny Maghakian display good basketball sense when they helped to win the second place cup ot the Lower Merrimac Valley Tournament? Dot — There ' s Margie Sission (8) defending our field-hockey squad. No one could equal her as full back. Irma — I wonder if Coach Harold Poole still carries that quizzical look on his face, wondering what happened to his team when the underdog Stoneham skated off with a 3 to 2 victory. Poor Melrose (9)! Dot — In our senior year didn ' t our hockey squad finish second highest in the league?

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CLASS HISTORY (Continued) Willie — Yes, and Co-Captain, Guy Wallace was the League ' s highest scorer. The other honors were taken by All-Scholastics Bad Man, Bill All i n, All-Scholastic Co-captain Hot Dog Rielly and All-Scholastic Squeaky Junior Kerrigan. Irma — Football — now tha s what I call a sport. I was so nervous wondering if Bud Hodson (10) would catch the bullet pass thrown by that studious student, Bill Jeffer- son. Dot — He caught it all right and we won the Thanksgiving Classic 6 to 0. Willie — Bob English was a spirited player, especially in the Johnson High Game when he sprinted down the field to score the touch down. Irma — Willie, tell us about the snake dance they had in the square after the Reading- Stoneham football game. . .why Dot, Willie seems to have disappeared! Oh. .oh, I understand this next mural is entitled ' Scholastic attainment ' , a tribute to our deligent students (11). Dot — How often we chided them for their long hours of study and yet how we admired them. Irma — Ha Ha! Has ' Hamlet ' got Bus Par- ons (11) down, by any chance? Or is it Irene Geremonte crying, ' I can ' t. I can ' t, I can ' t! ' Dot — Hello, Betty Sweet. How ' s the business world treating you? Betty — Fine thanks. Irma — That pin you ' re wearing, didn ' t the Commercial Club sell them when we were seniors? Betty — Yes, and I ' ve kept it all these years. I wonder if Miss Regish collected all the money from the poor innocent students who, some how or other, chewed gum in class? Dot — Isn ' t that Franny LeBrun (12) typing? Betty — Ugh-uh. She and Joe Carroll were the first students to find positions in the busi- ness field. Pardon me, I ' m going to run along. Irma — For goodness sakes, they ' ve preserved good old ' Muzzy ' (13). How hard we labored to pass those history exams. I bet Mr. Thibodeau is still with the ' fighting minority ' . Dot — French, (13), we just didn ' t mix. Every time Miss Spinney started to explain a conditional verb she ' d decide to bang the eraser against the ventilator, upsetting all thoughts of knowledge. Irma — Hello, Edna buinvan, i iow good to see you. Do you remember how furiously Mr. Miller shook the yard stick at our front row of girls? Edna — He always had his hand out to collect money for broken flasks and test tubes. Irma — Our first chemistry class was really quite terrifying with Mr. Miller simply glaring at the whole lot of us. Dot — Sugar and gasoline rationing, re- member? Edna — Yes, we had most a week of extra va- cation (14) while the teachers struggled from morn till night. Irma — I wonder if there are any more murals? Certainly there ' s one dedicated to Gradua- tion. Oh. . . what a lovely reception room. Dot — Over there is the Graduation week mural! The senior song birds (15). . we finally opened our mouths and gave forth with quite a volume. Irma — I distinctly remember how happy we were about practicing during a Biology and an English period. That ' s adolescence for you. Edna — Donald Towse, Isabel Jaques and Lois Waterhouse were announced as the Mac- Donald Medal winners. Didn ' t we feel proud of them, . .yes, and even a bit envi- ous. Irma — Gloria Baxter and Ray Anderson were the two juniors who led our class to receive diplomas. Dot — When we were juniors, Dora Kenney ond Richard Cook were marshalls. Irma — It ' s Douglas Seymour (16) giving the President ' s address of Welcome. Didn ' t he make a nice president? Dot — He certainly did! Irma — Our class orator, Kenneth Roberts, made a lasting impression with his gradua- tion address. Edna — I can still remember the strange sad- ness that stole into our hearts as we gathered together as a class for the last time. We were faced with a fighting world, diseased by hatred and grasping power. As we looked into the future (17) we firmly resolved to help restore peace and harmony to a war-torn world.