Thomas Jefferson High School - Aurora Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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Moi' thee we sing Fellow GraduaTes: Cur high school lease has expired. fXTTer Tour years oT com- TorT and happiness in our resTive world, we musT Tind new shelTer, someThing more signiTicanT Than The addiTion oT meaninqless rooms. We are on The Threshold oT liTe on a Tull Time basis. As we enTer our new aparTmenT we are Taced by a long corridor wiTh closed doors on eiTher sideg some oT The doors closed because oT The world's hares and preiudices. Some oT The doors musT be opened cauTiously, some musT be opened wiTh deTerminaTion and some musT be Thrown down. We musT build a ramparT oT reason and iusTice. The conTlicTs and shorTcomings oT our Time loom insurmounlrable in our eyes, buT so did similar problems seem To Those who builT This qreaT ediTice oT democracy. Vxfhen These oThers leTT, They may have leTT a Tew Things awry, buT on The whole The house oT democracy has been cared Tor raTher well. Now we Tind ourselves in The posiTion oT human engineers. We musT devise, we musT build and we musT demolish. BuT more Than anyThing we musT perTecT our house in These diTTiculT Times. We musT eradicaTe any discriminaTion Towards The TenanTs, Tor They all helped To build and musT share in our co-operaTive. We musT uprooT The elemenTs ThaT inevi- Tably lead To war. Above all we musT show our neiqhbors, The world, ThaT our aparTmenT is a good one. We will have aTTained our goal when The peoples oT The world Try To dup- licaTe our way oT liTe. Only Then can we aTTord To siT ouT on The baclc lawn and baslc securely in our glory-. LeT us apply our Tools oT educaTion, reason, and conscience To The Taslc. ii? A. Very sincerely, Rhoda l-limmel MARTIN WACHTEL Vice Presidenf HELEN GLUCK Class SecreTary i l i 1 i s s T RHODA HIMMEL Class PresidenT IRMA BOXER Class Treasurer

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To The GraduaTes of The Class of January I947: IT is wiTh graTiTude and humiliTy ThaT I address These words To you. I am graTeful for your appreciafion of a Teacher's efforT To guide and befriend his sTudenTs. I feel humble before The Taslc which has been alloTTed To me. To giveyou guidance-To send To you The greeTings of The faculTy. We. your Teachers, represenTaTives of a world ThaT is confused, ThaT has been mismanaged-we place our hopes in you, poTenTiaI leaders of a beTTer world. We have seen whaT The forces of evil-forces of greed. selTishness and haTe, have done To our world. lvlan againsT man. naTion againsf naTion, ideology againsf ideology,-These have ThreaTened our securiTy and are again menacing our hope for peace. We ask you To consecraTe yourselves- To insure Iasfing peace in The world. True peace can be secured only by observing The fundamenfal TruThs in life-The forces of good. We Teachers have Tried To inculcafe in you The ideals of selflessness. service and self-effacemenf. Too offen have These qualifies been overwhelmed by The selfishness and greed of individuals and of naTions. Men have disTrusTed each oTher, men have enslaved each oTher, men have killed each oTher because of Their greed and Their selfishness. There should be inscribed in your hearTs and in your souls These TruThs which are noT clearly self-evidenT : we all have The same righTs, The same responsibilifies. No man is greaTer Than his neighbor. No man is beTTer Than his broTher. We are all human beings, wishing To live in peace and in securiTy. LeT us demand peace and securiTy for all men, regardless of race, of color, or creed. We believe in a True broTherhood of man. 1 I These TruThs are The basic philosophy of True democracy and True ' . democracy means real peace and securiTy for The world. On behalf of your Teachers, who were your guides and are your friends, I wish you all God-speed and happiness in whaTever you may under- Take. May your sTay in Thomas Jefferson be one of your fondesf memories. and may we counT upon you To regard us always as your friends. . T ' Sincerely. Max Canfor