Stoneham High School - Wildlife Yearbook (Stoneham, MA)

Page 33 text:

Winter Carnival Ball fully made up for our disappointment. Remember the pageant the officers of the dramatic club helped plan with Miss Cross? King Gordon Worthen and Queen Marilyn Jelley presided over the carnival court with a regal air as the court entertainers performed. Remember Dave Trenholm’s and my singing of Must a Little Fond Affection, Sal ’ The ceremony was climaxed by the grand march led hv Fred- die Austin as old King Winter.” “In February we found our class pres- ident, Rill Rears, was to leave us to join the Navy. The night before he left a party was held for him in the gym, and he was pre- sented with a silver identification bracelet from the class.” “Didn’t we have a swell senior play, Sal ‘? The title ‘Out of the Frying Pan’ — and into the lire — was typical of our class. After see- ing the play we realized that we had some real talent in our class. Wasn’t Jo English a panic as the landlady? And Frannie Leary was a riot ! Nobody could have been as dumb as Dumb Dottie; the way Alma Wer- re played that part was amazing!” “I’ll bet Dwight Crow liked his part! And how could Smitty have been so cruel to poor little Alma? Gracie Tauro should get a medal for her tine performance under the handicap she had.” SAaduatian AdcfoeAl “Let us reckon upon the future. A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which nullifies our powers which creates new products — which diffuses comfort and happiness among the great mass of people shall occupy in the general estimation of mankind that rank which rea- son and common sense now assign to it.” So reads a well-known quotation. We, the graduating class of 1!)1(5, are stepping out into a world strengthened by the past and disrupted by the present a world look- ing forward to a future which will offer something better than has been offered by either the past or the present. The fate of the world is the problem facing us today. In our hands are placed the weapons of de- struction and the instruments of peace. Our use of them will determine our route, down- ward to despair and destruction or upward to prosperity and peace. “In April the class assembly was held to announce the class honors. None of us was surprised when Mr. Nadeau announced the winners of the MacDonald Medals as Ken- neth Sanford, Ruth Gile, and Mary Valente, and Ruth Ruck as the one to give the grad- uation address. It was at this class meeting that we realized we were almost at the end of our high school years.” “Our class, I remember, Mona, was the first to have a spring concert. It was held in April and featured the junior high band, (lie orchestra, and the combined Roys’ and Girls’ Glee Clubs.” “Remember, Sal, how we waited and planned for the prom, the class banquet, and the many other class events that ended only too soon before June 13, 1946, that night of nights graduation! We were to be separated and each go his different way. Some were to go on to college; others, out into the business world. We all wondered if we would fulfill tbe ambitions we had on that night.” “Mona, we’ve been talking a long time, and I haven’t any information about your career for the paper. Well, never mind! I’ll come tomorrow and interview you. It’s been wonderful recalling our high school years. They certainly were great!” SALLY LAWSON Where do we, as graduates, stand in re- lation to the world and the problems con- fronting it? The second great war of this century has just been brought to an end. World War I was fought “to make the world safe for democracy.” World War II was to be tbe war “to end all wars.” Are we going to let the peace for which our fathers and brothers yes, even some of our schoolmates -fought, be lost? If not, we must start building now towards the one world of the future. Our country has felt, to some extent, the disastrous effects of war; but this country was not invaded, not conquered, not subju- gated. Because of that, we are in a position to set the pace for the peaceful progress of tbe world. Our natural resources and eco- nomic stability put our country in a position of international leadership in this period of reconversion and reconstruction. Already we have taken the preliminary steps by OFR RESPONSIBILITIES TODAY

Page 32 text:

ting ready for it with cheers, costumes, and those rip-roaring songs.” “June! Then the Class of ' ll graduated and we were juniors! What happened of importance that year, Mona?” “When the class election returns were counted, Sal, we found our new executive oflicers were Tony Coletta, president; Gor- don Lister, vice-president; Joanne English, treasurer. You were chairman of the social committee; and June Berry was to serve her third successive year as class secretary.” “It seems to me that as I recall it, Mona, that the football season was a great success that year with Stoneham winning six games out of eight. Lettermen were Baxter Little, Dave Trenholm, A1 MacHenry and Tony Spadafora. The cheerleaders from our class were Alma Werre, Marilyn Jelley and Bar- bara Morin.” “Remember the after-school s essions with Mr. Davis, Sal? Tonic and pop was the or- der of the day. The algebra tests somehow seemed easier with some energy afforded us by refreshments. It was fun!” “Another interesting junior subject was chemistry with the lab periods on Wednes- day. It’s still a miracle to me that we never blew anybody sky high !” “Our class was well represented on the field hockey team with Bea Turner, Laura Livingstone, Ruth Buck, Joanne Cockerille and I all receiving our letters.” “The basketball team was handicapped by the loss of many outstanding players to the service, hut the hoys carried on with a great spirit. I recall Johnnie Winton and Tony Coletta as the outstanding players from our class, Mona.” “And what fun we had going to the hock- ey games in the Boston Garden on the ‘Yel- low Peril.’ We had a wonderful time cele- brating our victories; and victories they were, for that year Stoneham won the G.B.I. Hockey League Championship.” “The next big event was the Winter Car- nival, Mona. It was at the ball that the com- bined Boys’ and Girls’ Glee Clubs first sang together. They were a big hit!” I guess it was just about this time in the year, Sal, that our class started losing hoys to the service. Two I remember were John- ny Melkonian and Boh Dorrie.” “Did we have a prom, Mona?” “I 11 say we did, Sal, and a good one too, with Ken Reeves and his orchestra playing.” “Next came graduation. How lovely and poised were Marilyn Jelley and Gordon Worthcn as the junior marshals. After the evening was finished we realized that we were seniors. “After a wonderful summer vacation, Sal, hack to school we went to start on what was to be the most important of all our school years. We were seniors, the Class of ’46!” “In September we started the year off ' right with the A. A. Dance. The football season came and went, and though our scores weren’t the best, Mona, the games were nevertheless very exciting. The sea- son started with a victory when we beat Ip- swich. Charlie Layman, Dave Trenholm, and Co-Captains A1 MacHenry and Tony Spadafora all did well in the games.” “Remember the football team put on a dance and the cheerleaders led some cheers, Sal! They certainly were snappy in their blue and white uniforms. Cheerleaders from our class were Alma Werre, captain of the squad, Marilyn Jelley, Barbara Morin, Ruth Buck, Shirley Knight and Shirley Thomp- son. They were something to he proud of.” “The girls’ field hockey team tied Win- chester ()-(), beat Malden 6-0, and was beat- en by a new rival, Swampscott 1-0. You were a co-captain, weren’t you, Mona? And Joanne Cockerille was the other. With the help of Miss Hannant, we put on a banquet for ourselves, and it certainly was fun. Our brilliant idea of having paper plates so that we wouldn’t have to do dishes was a brain- storm !” “The senior class elections were held, and Bill Bears became our president; Tony Co- letta, vice-president; Bucky, secretary; Lynn, treasurer; and Alma Werre, chair- man of the social committee.” “The basketball team captained by John- nie Winton and Tony Coletta and coached by Mr. Buono was among the best. Bill Bears, Lefty D’Annolfo, Pat Vacca, George Proodian, Charlie Layman and Tony Spad- afora made up the seniors on the team. “The Winter Carnival was the next event of importance, Sal. The races went off well, hut we were disappointed in the hockey game. Every day we set to play Rindge, the G.B.I. Champions, the weather was bad. We were disappointed, hid the wonderful

Page 34 text:

sponsoring ' and taking part in international conferences, the San Francisco Peace Con- ference representing the highest achieve- ment so far in that direction. We are lend- ing our support to the United Nations which, in spite of temporary stalemates, have accomplished much for world unity. Hut even a strong nation such as ours can- not undertake these fulfillments unless its citizens assume their individual responsibil- ities. The individual who works to make a better home, a better community, a better nation, is the citizen who will finally make a better world. The kind of world we have in the future will he the kind of world we start building today. This is our challenge! “To every man there openeth A way, and ways, and a way, And the high soul climbs the high way And the low soul gropes the low, And in between on the misty flats The rest drift to and fro. Hut to every man there openeth A high way and a low And every man decideth The way his soul shall go.” What kind of world do we live in? First of all it must contain those four freedoms of the Atlantic Charter freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, freedom from fear. Of these four, the first two are already almost universal. Even the countries recently under Axis control are experiencing a foretaste of democracy. The recent elections in Japan are a good ex- ample. Churches have been reopened in liberated countries, and their people can now worship as they please. The other two freedoms are a larger problem. Probably the greatest fear of the small nations has been the fear of invasion and of the viola- tion of their sovereign rights by some lar- ger power. If the United Nations are strong enough within their organization they can guarantee freedom from this fear. Freedom from want is a responsibility which strikes nearer home. In our country, most of our people can obtain a living wage and a de- cent home. This is not true in other coun- tries. It must he true if we are to have the kind of world we want. We must find some way to ensure all people the right to make a living wage, to have enough to cat and enough to wear, to live in a decent home, and to hope for a higher standard of living and education. There must he opportun- ities for every man to advance as far as his individual means will allow him without de- priving his fellow citizen of the same op- portunities. How can we prepare ourselves for the task of making a better world? We must begin with individual general education. The education we gain in our public schools is the foundation. To this must he added specialized training in such fields as econo- mics, engineering, agriculture, and medi- cine. The average citizen of 1946 has more education than the average citizen of any preceding generation. As the level of edu- cation rises, society demands a higher stan- dard of living. Education, then, is the first step toward a higher standard of living for ourselves and for other people throughout the world. In addition to the general education which is our foundation and the specialized train- ing which guarantees a decent living, we need other kinds of education. Since the beginning of history cultural education has been a crown on the head of man. Art, lit- erature, and music are all part of this edu- cation which promotes understanding am- ong nations. It was Albert Einstein who said, “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” The literature of any country gives us the finest thoughts of its people. The work of any great artist is a portrayal of character. A line piece of music needs no translation from one language to another. The style and rhythm may show national charcteris- tics, hut all over the world the music can be interpreted by men of other countries and played as the composer himself wished it. Goethe, Shakespeare, and Homer in the field of literature; Handel, Beethoven, and Mozart in music; Leonardo da Vinci, Mich- ealangelo, and Rendu andt in art do not be- long to any one country hut to the world. Through their works we gain a better un- derstanding of their countrymen and devel- op a greater tolerance toward those whose traditions and backgrounds differ from ours. Knowledge and understanding of the great works of the past help us to under- stand and appreciate the cultural gifts which have been brought to this country in more recent times by persons of other na- tionalities who have come here as immi- grants. Another kind of education which we must have is education in world citizenship. “If a man be gracious and courteous to