Utica Free Academy - Academician Yearbook (Utica, NY)

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imf in ar Although these words were first spoken ot' the l ather of our Vonntry, they apply appropriately to the Vlass of ISM-ti. Hy historie eoineidenee. we were the first to enter the .Xeademy after Pearl llarlior. and the entranee of the I'nited States into XYorld War II. From our desks. we watehed the destrnetion wrought hy rnthless Japanese militarism. Uur prineipal responsihility was the mono- tonous routine of sehool and lessons, and our part in the aetnal winning of the war seemed remote. The maps we studied were long sinee outdated and our history hooks were ineomplete without aeeonnts of llataan and Forre- gidor. However the empty seats ot' those who had left, for the hattlefield served as grim reminders that our nation was engaged in the greatest lint most horrible eonfliet in history. Yes, we were first in war and with every shot tired. with every hloody vietory won, onr responsibility lneeame greater. New we are ahout to leave the Aeademy. We have lxeen together four years. .Xlthough they have been over- shadowed hy war and its sadness, we shall always remem- her them as the happiest in our lives. The school danr-es, the many vietories over Proc-tor and the friends we have made, have all eontrihuted toward making them years we shall always eherish. .Ks we speak of our friends, we eannot help hut rememher the many who entered the 2

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1946 ACADEMICIAN UTICA FREE ACADEMY Ut N Y k Pfeffellfellgy THE SENIOR CLASS ica, ew or

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.girrif in eace :loors of l'. F. X. with us, hut, who left its portals long liefore IIS. .Xll we hope is that we have tlone as fine a jolm as they have. We, who were ahle to remain at the ,Kr-arlemy, have been given the invaluable opportunity to fletermiuc the irleals whieh will insure an enrluring peaee. What this privilege has meant to us ean he evaluatefl only in thc realization of international peaee anfl freeflom. Wie are the first elass to leave ti. F. X. sinee the rlefeat of' Japan. First in peaeef 'llow fitting these worrls seem! But they eontain a ehallenge whieh we must aeeept. .Xll ol' us know that it is our rluty anfl our ohligation to formu- late and maintain the organization whieh will insure the worltl against another l'earl llarlmor, another Iwo .lima or Okinawa and most assureflly against another Hiroshima. Now as we leave our high sehool :lays lmehinfl us anal take our plaees in the worlel, we must meet the responsi- hility of maintaining the peaee whieh was won at so high a eost to mankinrl. YYe have lieen equippecl with the finest known implements for the aeeomplishment of this aim -- knowlemlge. toleranee ancl lllltl0I'St2iHfllllQ. In appreciation to those who macle our years together at tv. F. .X. possilile ff those who were in front of' us in the elassroom autl those who were in front of us on the lmattlefielel, we of' thet' lass of 1916 make this pledge: YYe .who were first in war, now fletlieate ourselves to first rf-peaeel tu ul