Upper Darby High School - Oak Yearbook (Upper Darby, PA)

Page 9 text:

It is undoubtedly true that the war has not affected Upper Darby as drastically as it has some of our compatriots, but its effects are ever-present in our life. Ra- tioning, scrap drives, and war jobs have acted as a constant reminder of the task confronting us. However, our jobs on the home front seem minor indeed in comparison with those of our servicemen. Already seven- ty-two members of the class of 1945 have entered the service of their country. Eighty-three other Upper Darbians have given their lives for that cause. It is our duty to see that their sacrifices shall not have been in vain. During our days at Up- per Darby we have been preparing our- selves for the future in many ways. We have learned to work and to build, to dream and to materialize our dreams. We must use this skill to transform the chaotic world of the past into a greater world of the future,—a future in which our free- dom should not be taken for granted, but rather we must exert ourselves to find freedom’s full scope,—a future where all men can build and trade in harmony,— a future of hope. In compiling this Oak of 1945 many problems have arisen as to its contents. In all of these problems we have tried to do what we thought would be of interest to the greatest number of people. It is our sincerest hope that in the process we have not slighted any person or organ- ization. Five

Page 8 text:

Voreuuorcl HEN we examine the situation on foreign soil, our own position be- comes self-evident. A tragic era in the history of Upper Darby is slowly draw- ing to a close. We feel, therefore, that this yearbook assumes an even greater importance and significance. The Oak of 1944 should serve not only as a rec- ord of the past but as a prophecy for the future. Four

Page 10 text:

IleJiciitittn J N THE armed forces are a number of our classmates of 1945 who arc de- fending the American Way of Living,— classmates with whom we played football, ate lunch, gobbled malteds, or perhaps cut study. Although their departure has brought the realities of war closer to us, we still have not had it first hand. We have not lived on K-rations, slept in foxholes, or stood watch against a salty cold wind. We have not yet tasted, as they have, the bitterness of defeat or the sweetness of victory. We all hope and pray for their speedy return wherever they may be,—from the compact snows of Iceland to the mos- quito and Jap infested South Pacific Islands. In our small way, we, the class of 1945, dedicate our yearbook to THE BOYS OF OUR CLASS IN SERVICE Six