Tekonsha High School - Indian Yearbook (Tekonsha, MI)

Page 18 text:

Kathy Brown Faculty, parents, classmates, and friends: When Mrs. Warwick told me that I was to give the salutatorian speech at graduation I didn’t quite know how to begin. After pondering the question for a while 1 decided to look up the word salutatory in the dictionary to see what Mr. Webster had to say about it. I found that the word has several meanings. It means: a welcome; a greeting; a wish for good health; a sign of respect. With all of these in mind, on behalf of the class of 1965 I bid you welcome and wish to say how glad we are that you have come to help us celebrate our achievement. We will get diplomas tonight. This means a different thing to each of us. But to all of us it does mean that we will not be returning to study at Tekonsha High School again. Some of us will go on to school and study to become teachers, doctors, lawyers, secretaries, nurses, or workers of another of the many professions. Some of us will immediately seek jobs in industry. Each is determined to make a success in whatever he decides to do. Each will seek to fulfill his own destiny. This is a free country, where we have the privilege of choosing what we want to do and are capable of doing. Some of us are sure right now what we want to do in life. Others are not. This seems to be natural, for certainly people are different. Each wishes to find the proper place in life. Often this is accomplished by trial and error. After all, how is one to find the suitable occupation for himself if he doesn't experience a sample of the others? The French writer, Jules Verne, sat in the red brick tower over his home and wrote fantastic stories. Almost a hundred years ago this man visualized things which are only in recent years becoming realities. His stories were so fantastic that publishers said they were too ridiculous to publish. The first such story he wrote was, Five Weeks in a Balloon, which he wrote as though he had actually done it. He sent the story to fifteen different publishers, all of whom rejected it saying it was just too fantastic. When the story was returned from the fifteenth publisher he became discouraged, threw it in the fire place, and decided writing was not a career for him. His wife recovered it from the fire place and sent it to a sixteenth publisher who accepted it and published it. It became a best seller and was translated into every written language in the world. This story, which had at first been rejected so many times, made him a famous man at the age of thirty-four. Jules Verne was born about the time Napolean died and yet his flights into fantasy have kept engineers, mathematicians, and scientists busy ever since. They still are not through working out things which he put in writing. He had TV working a half a century ahead of its reality. He had helicopters before the Wright Brothers ever flew. He had airplanes, neon lights, moving sidewalks, air conditioning, guided missiles, and even a trip to the moon planned out in his imagination. You can easily say that modern scientific progress has been putting into reality the things envisioned by this great man of the past. He lived to see many of his ideas worked out. About it all he just said, What man can imagine, another man can do. It is worthy of noting that before Jules Verne found the real work of his life he tried several other kinds of work. It the first place his father wanted him to be a lawyer, and he prepared himself for that under the encouragement of his father. Instead of tending to his law he would often sit and write poetry or plays. He did well at this. For some reason he was taken with the idea of an imaginary trip of several weeks in a balloon. He started writing it and the story of what followed has already been told. Ftom this perhaps we should draw the conclusion that a young person may not be sure at first just what career would be best for him. Perhaps some of us would do better to postpone for a while a definite decision on just what our careers should be. Also some young people might start out along a definite line and soon decide they should change to something else. Interest and success may come to us in a career which we might get into unexpectedly. But whatever our careers in life, it might be wise to keep in mind that in someone's imagination today are the fantastic realities to come. Maybe there is such a person in our class and he or she has not yet been discovered. Somewhere in the world today are a few such persons who are to sit thoughtfully and crank out ideas. Some of the most fantastic of their ideas may be the ones which will point the way to progress. Thank you for coming to our graduation. We are thrilled to be graduating and are grateful to you, our parents, teachers, and friends for providing our high school education. I am sure that whatever we do in life it will always be a happy thought when our minds wander back to our high school days at Tekonsha. 14

Page 17 text:

Pam Main Valedictory Parents and friends, classmates and teachers: Saying farewell for the Senior Class of 1966 involves a mixture of pleasure and sadness. We are pleased that so many have come to our graduation exercises. Yet we realize that we are saying goodbye to friends and experiences we will always treasure. You in the audience and we on the stage have looked forward to this occasion together. We are thrilled to be graduating and feel sure that you share the feeling with us. Graduation marks the end of one important period in our lives and the beginning of another. Each letter of the word graduation has a special meaning to me. G stands for goals; first of all the goals of our childhood. These were minor goals: friends and happiness from day to day. Next we became junior high or high school students, and probably the most important goal for most of us was graduating from high school. Now we have reached that point and must strive for the goals of adulthood. Each of us will have a different goal as we go our separate ways: perhaps college, job or marriage; and with work and determination we will each achieve our goal in our own way. ”R , to me, means responsibilities. In school our responsibilities have been few. We were responsible to our teachers and to our parents for doing our best. Now, even though we still have some parental guidance, we are primarily responsible to ourselves. Suddenly, we face the responsibilities of adulthood, of making our own decisions, and shaping our own future. A represents both past and present achievement. Thus far, our greatest achievement has been this graduation. Now that we are leaving high school and the group behind, our achievements will be as individuals. We must achieve the goals and ideals of adulthood. D means development; development spiritually, mentally, and physically. Now that we are graduating, we must develop to the point where we can accept the challenge that we are facing at this point in our lives. What to do with our lives is now up to us, and we must develop the maturity to decide wisely. U stands for understanding. The understanding of our purpose in life and the understanding of our fellow man. Our generation will soon be helping to work out the problems that now plague man and the world. Perhaps this better understanding will someday dissolve the cause of many of the problems between nations and races. A represents ambition; the ambition to push ahead and become successful in our chosen field. I think that ambition and ability go hand in hand. Both are important in life because without one, the other is not worth much. We must want to do something or have the ambition to do it as well as have the ability. T means trust. In past years we have trusted in our parents and friends and teachers. Now we will trust in ourselves, our fellow man, and God. This trust in our ability to succeed helps us through rough spots in life as much as anything else, and it will help us to triumph in the end. I means interest; interest in the world around us, interest in our job, interest in each other. Our years in school have done must to develop our interest in other people, nations, and our own United States. As we leave school, we should continue to further these interests to give variety and meaning to our lives. O stands for optimism. As we leave high school behind, we are all probably optimistic about our futures. Of course, we are leaving cherished memories and friends behind, but the future is bright and has unlimited possibilities for all of us. With determination and work we can do almost anything; nothing is impossible. Where there is a will, there is a way. The last letter of graduation, N , should stand for new horizons. Tonight we will go forth from die familiar into the unknown and untried. Our horizons are unlimited and challenging. This graduation should not be a sad occasion, but a happy one. We have reached the turning point that we have been striving for, for 13 years and can face the future unafraid. In this closing hour of our years in high school we are grateful to you for making our education possible. Today is the high point in an important period in our lives. Whatever we decide that we can do in life you can be sure that our thoughts will return many times to our days in this school and to our graduation day. In behalf of the class of 1965, thank you for coming to our graduation. 13

Page 19 text:

CLASS PROPHESY Faculty, Parents, Classmates, Friends Twenty years from now you will have noticed many changes that have taken place; not only to the Seniors sitting here tonight but also to yourself and the person sitting beside you. Scientists say they will have a man on the moon by 1970, so twenty years from now some of us will probably be living on the moon permanently. Cars will probably be wheelless and motivated by either the sun's rays or a stream of air. Tonight it is my job to prophesy what these Seniors will be doing in twenty years. Let's begin with Andrea Althaver and Bob Copeland. Andrea has become a registered nurse and Bob is an M.D. Tune in every Thursday night at 8:30 on channel 10 and you will see Andrea assisting Dr. Kildaire in the operating room. Bob has taken Dr. Gillespie's place. Kathy Brown-and Kandy Kowalski, who both majored in elementary education, have opened a nursery school. Mike Bowling who said he hardly ever studied his Senior year has written a book entitled How to Study in Your Senior Year Without Opening a Book, Taking Notes, or Listening to the Teacher.” Steve Cavinder, who always got riled quickly, has won the Quick Temper Award of 1985. Edith LaMee who always liked to take roll in study hall and help the teachers, has become principal of T.H.S. Kathryn McFadden who always liked horses has started her own horse ranch. Gary Davis who enjoyed smoking, found it to be rather expensive so he decided to buy out the Pall Mall cigarette factory so he would have an unlimited supply. Nancy Doolittle who always hated to make speeches is now campaigning for the presidency of the U.S. Vickie Dyer who always liked the short skirt styles is rebelling against the coverall space suits. John Goheen who thought everyone should have red hair the color of his, has become the head of Clairol and has started a new slogan - Only your hairdresser knows if you are a John Goheen redhead. Larry Lloyd has become the first minister on the moon. Pam Main who always got straight A's in school couldn't bear to part from school and has become a professional student at Michigan State. Jerry Martinson who successfully sent up 3 rockets in Physics, let it go to his head, and now he is hanging around Cape Kennedy trying to tell the scientists how to get a rocket to the sun. Alice Mellville has become a beautician and she buys all her hair coloring from John Goheen and trys them out on Donna Davis who changes her hair coloring every once in awhile. Ron Pierce who has a gift of gab has taken over Johnny Carson's job on die Tonight show. Mary Olds has written and illustrated a book on 30 Tipis on how to Occupy 15 Kids in a Spaceship on the Way to the Moon. Sharon Rarick who always liked to use big words in her stories has become a word consultant for Webster's Dictionary Staff. Sharon Selby has become the draw bridge tender since the river was widened and deepened so the big ships passing down the St. Joseph River could pass through Tekonsha. Janice Sanford has opened a dance studio. As you remember she always was the first to learn the new dance crazes, especially the jerk. Sandy Mahrle who could never decide upon any one thing to do after finishing school has opened a jack of all trades shop. Kathy Millard, who always enjoyed being a secretary up at Wolverine, has opened a secretarial training school and her specialty is - How not to flirt with the male workers and keep them from their work. Glenn Sweet is still in the brig for talking back to his air force commander when he wouldn't let Glenn fly a jet home for the weekend. Kenneth Thorton has taken over his Dad's lawn mower business and is patiently waiting for his customers to come back to earth, instead of living on the moon, so he can continue his business. Ross Walker who used to wear an aerospace patch on his varsity jacket is to be the first man to go into training for a flight to die sun. Patty Potter has become a newspaper reporter for the Detroit News. Pat Palmatier who became coach and Math teacher has become the coach of the first outer space football team on the moon. Linda Reese who always had a bug for mechanics has opened her own body shop. Earl McFadden is running a florist shop that was willed to him by his fiancee's grandmother. Larry Putnam who could always manage to get his truck stuck in the least amount of snow has become the driver’s training teacher at T.H.S. As for myself, well, you know they say anything can happen in twenty years. So ends my speech tonight. With all the ups and downs of life only the future will tell if my predictions will come true. 15