Walnut High School - Walnut Tree Yearbook (Walnut, IL)

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aaggig SR CLASS PROPHECY MEMOIRS OF RALPH KOFOED It was on a quiet and sunshiny day in that beautiful summer of 1953 that I walked leisurely along in the shade of Clayton’s Grove. I had my “OT Marier” with me, and carried her with all the pride and affection of Solomon Binkus. Folks often wondered at my peculiar actions for, since that memorable accident in the Walnut High School laboratory back in ’26, 1 had perhaps become odd; 1 was truly a dreamer, a lover of solitude, a Rip Van Winkle sort of person who seemingly lived in another world of beauty and leisure. As I was saying before, the day was pleasant with a peculiar lazy influence hovering in the air that settled upon a person whenever he stopped. My nose (for that was what I was following) led me to a great and beautiful Walnut Tree, standing on the edge of Walnut creek. Desiring a little rest, I placed my gun against the tree and, seating myself, soon fell into a doze. The thing that makes this day important is the dream that flashed through my flightly brain as I drifted in sl’umberland. I see it today as plainly as ever. The nuts on the tree ripened and Fate, a squirrel, played carelessly upon a branch marked ’26. The shaking of the branch caused a nut to fall. Immediately it began to grow. Yes; not into its own kind, but rather into a beautiful red aster. As I looked into the flower, what did I see? It was the face of my dearest friend, Clarence Ganschow, who was the first to explore Mars. Another nut fell, grew, and bloomed into an American Beauty Rose in which 1 could distinctly see the face of Gretta Livey, twice chosen Miss America. The squirrel frisked lively about upon the branch, shaking off more and more nuts. Each of these grew into a different kind of flower, and in each flower 1 could see the face of one of my old classmates back in Walnut High School. Beside me appeared Marvin Winger in the form of a golden rod. He had gone into the clothing business, and had gained a pile of gold buillion as high as his head, but not his ideals). A vine grew up and wound itself about my gun. This vine bloomed into a morning glory and as quickly faded just as Clifton Whitver had faded from his brilliant career in the profession of law. The next flower to attract my attention was a pretty little buttercup; in it I saw Fannie Mae Strouss making and selling the finest butter ever placed on the market. A little'v iolet sprang up on the bank of the creek, and immediately brought to my mind the era of good feeling in Illinois; Iva Fordham had been its successful governor for eight years. A little jack-in-the-pulpit stood before me proclaiming the beauty of God just as Wilbur Hopkins did on Sunday morning at church. One walnut had dropped in the edge of the creek. It quickly sprang up into a wild iris which represented Wilford Bradley’s lawless and belligerent actions due, no doubt, to his Irish blood. I saw in a bachelors button the trials of Irvin Hasenyager ' Page twenty-three

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M ft? SENIOR CLASS WILL We, the Senior Class of the Walnut Community High School, Township of Walnut, County of Bureau, and State of Illinois, being in a very sound mind, do hereby declare our last will and testament. SECTION ONE—BEQUESTS TO THE FACULTY 1. To our dearly beloved faculty we do bequeath a calm student body, free from all vices. 2. To Mr. Wells we do bequeath an intelligent physics class, that always puts laboratory apparatus where it belongs. 3. To Miss Kamm we do bequeath a laughless English class. 4. To Mrs. Glassburn we do bequeath a history class that is very fond of coloring maps. 5. To Miss Carley we do bequeath an assembly, wherein, laughing and all other vices are unknown. SECTION TWO—BEQUESTS TO THE CLASSES 1. To the Freshman class we do bequeath our straight row of A’s. 2. To the Sophomore class we do bequeath our ambition and desire to get ahead. 3. To the Junior class we do bequeath our dignity, worldly knowledge, deportment grades, and ability as publishers of the Walnut Tree. 1. I, Gebertz. 2. I, 3. 1, 4. I, Gonigam. 5. I. 6. I, Fisher. 7. I. 8. 1, 9. I, 10. 1. 11. 1. 12. 1. 13. I, 14. I, 15. I. 16. 1. 17. I. 18. 1, Craigin. 19. I. 20. I, 21. I. Dimmig. 22. 1. Rudiger. 23. I, SECTION THREE—INDIVIDUAL BEQUESTS Wilford Bradley, do bequeath my sheik like ways to Ormond George Fisher, do bequeath my oratorical ability to Floyd Espel. Mary Edson, do bequeath my curly hair to Imogene Ross. Iva Fordham, do bequeath my solid geometry grades to Cyrus Mary Fritz, do bequeath my love affairs to Wilda Turnow. Clarence Ganschow, do bequeath my deportment grades to Gretta Irvin Hasenyager, do bequeath my height to Ward Fisher. Clark Hasenyager, do bequeath my fair blushes to Mr. Wells. Wilbur Hopkins, do bequeath my good deeds to Charles Stone. Eleanor loder, do bequeath my pianistic ability to Miss Carley. Eleanor Keigwin, do bequeath my sweet voice to Floyd Gustafson. Ruth I wig, do bequeath my Sunday nite dates to Mary Carter. Ralph Kofoed, do bequeath my dignity to Clayton Guither. Gretta Livey, do bequeath my vampish ways to Ruth Forney. Arthur Kruse, do bequeath my stature to Max Brokaw. Lucille Montgomery, do bequeath my ambition to Herbert Whitver. Orville Plum, do bequeath my general knowledge to Clyde Conley. Carlyle Morton, do bequeath my sense of humor to Dorothy Ruth Schuyf. do bequeath my quietness to Audrey Kiser. Mildred Stone, do bequeath my vocal talent to Will Odha. Fannie Mae Strouss, do bequeath my permanent wave to Viola Clifton Whitver. do bequeath my graceful dancing to Harold Marvin Winger, do bequeath my athletic ability to Loren Hoge. Page twenty-two

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•nj ini 3 10 0 335-10 8 8 8 3$ mending' his clothes. It is to be regretted that (iod denied him a better half. Orville Plum, famous dairy farmer, and his gold medals made a conspicuous appearance in the shape of a yellow cow-slip. A fern with its outstretched and orderly branches showed the power of Clark Hasenyager who is president of the Ferndall Products Company. A fox glove of rare size attested the success of George Fisher who sold gloves made of genuine fox hide (so he says). Perhaps strangest of all. is Carlyle Morton’s invention which I saw in the harebell. This device is epoch making; it consists of an especially designed diving bell to be used in pasturing rabbits on sea weeds. Mary Edson was represented by a water lily which grew by the water's edge. It is a part of history that she swam the English Channel in record time, besides performing other marvelous aquatic feats. A mourning bride which grew in front of me brought with it distracting recollections of Mary Fritz’s unhappy marriage. A tall sun flower attracted my attention to the fact that Lucile Montgomery had become a victim of tuberculosis. She was then spending her time in the sunshine of Arizona. While 1 sat gasping in the wonder and mystery of these flowers, 1 felt something from behind touch my arm. I immediately looked around to see what is was. To my surprise I saw the quiet married life of Eleanor Keigwin embodied in the form.-of a forget-me-not. Beside it, half concealed stood a bleeding heart. In it 1 saw the secluded life that Ruth Schuyf has been leading since her disappointment in love. Arthur Kruse’s pleasant smile shone from a little poppy. He was manufacturing a new grade of pop guaranteed to replace all strong drinks that the eighteenth amendment abolished. Ruth I wig appeared before me next in the form of a sweet william. She had. indeed, been Williams, sweet since their marriage in 1930. A four o’clock opened its flowers, and revealed the face of Mildred Stone. She had been putting on vocal concerts over the radio at four A. M., each morning. Last but not least of this varied collection I saw a beautiful daisy. It brought before me the image of Eleanor Ioder who has been living a useful and consecrated life as nurse in one of Chicago’s largest hospitals. I looked in vain for more flowers, but finally discovered that the squirrel had just left branch number ’26 and was climbing toward one marked ’27. Casting my glance again toward the flowers, 1 was so overwhelmed and lost by the realization that I now saw all my classmates assembled before me that I made a sudden motion as if to draw back. The ultimate result was an even more surprised awakening caused by the falling of my gun upon my head. I opened my eyes to look upon the true world again, but 1 have never yet been able to dismiss from my mind this vision of the class of 1926. Vane twenty-four