Walstonburg High School - Talisman Yearbook (Walstonburg, NC)

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Most Original MARY RUTH COBB - WILLIAM GALLOWAY Most Athletic GRACE COX - JAMES HARRELL Most Friendly BARBARA JEAN CRAFT - WILLIAM GALLOWAY

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Class History Mr. Hood stood up and began. As he talked, I realized that he was talking to me, to all of us. We were gradua- ting! Tonight, we would get our diplomas, and then high school would be just a memory of years past. As he talked, my mind slid back over the years. It stopped the year we entered high school. How well I remem- ber those first few days, our class at last entering high school! Why, that was something we had dreamed about ever since we were old enough to dream. And at last our dream had come true. To help us through our freshman year we first had Mr. Frank Cerruzzi as our homeroom teacher. Later on in the year Mr. Donald Smith took over. We were rather shy that year. Remember how the boys sat on one side of the room and the girls sat on the other? We had a few boys who found out that girls weren ' t half as bad as they had imagined them to be. Our president that year was Philip Beaman. He proved to be a very capable person. The gay times in that year are ones that will never be forgotten; our sad ones we have forgotten already. Right along then, Mr. Summer decided to take over for a little while, and our freshman year in high school ended and vacation time started. The summer passed quickly and in no time at all, we were back in school. This time as Sophomores. We were really someone now. As our homeroom teacher we were very lucky in having Mrs. Peeler. She is truly a wonderful person. Again the parties started, hayrides and weiner roast. ' Member when the boys had those chicken barbecued suppers and didn ' t invite the girls? Robert Cox was at the helm that year as our president; with him at the head, the ship sailed smoothly. We had our good times that year, but we also had our headaches, even though they were small. Some how I just can ' t remember much about the Sophomore year. It just slips through my mind. I guess its making way for our Junior year. Our Junior year. Those words seem to have a magic ring to them. They bring back memories. To guide us through our Junior year, we had Mrs. Shirley and to help her, we elected Robert Cox as our president. During the second week of school that year, we ordered our class rings. Some time later, when we received them, we felt that those years of waiting had been worth it. The big thrill of that year was our Junior-Senior Banquet. We worked hard on it, together with Mrs. Shirley. And on the night of March 20, 1952, in the Cherry Hotel at Wilson, we had our Junior-Senior Banquet. To Mrs. Shirley, we owe a lot, because, had it not been for her, our Junior year would not have been such a success. Soon, May came around again, which means graduation. We helped with the commencement exercises by mak- ing the arch for the Seniors. We were sorry to see them leave, but we were glad to know that when we came back next year, we would be taking their places. Returning for our final year in September, under the guiding hand of Mrs. Taylor, we were fully aware that this would be our last year at Walstonburg and also the one dearest to us. We started off the year by electing Ed Jones as our president. Then we started to work raising money to publish our annual, The Talisman. First, we sold magazines. We did real well with them. Next, we sold ads. Remember how tired and worn out the annual staff looked when we got back that first day? But we finally covered all of our territory and did real good. When we finished selling we had enough money to pay for our annual. Then came the real work. We started making up the annual. The photographer came and we made individual pictures and later on we made group pictures. Remember how happy we were when the pictures came back and we found that they were the best ones that had ever been made at Walstonburg? Soon the annual was completed and we sent it to press. Then, before we knew it, Christmas was here. Our last Christmas at school. It was really something to remember, wasn’t it. We had a small Christmas tree sitting on a table in the comer of the room, with presents all around it. After Christmas, we settled back down to work, this time on our Senior Play. We gave Seventeenth Summer. Re- member the big crowd we had? Later on in the Spring, some of us went to the Beta Club Convention in Ashville. Didn ' t we have a grand time, though. After we got back from Beta Convention, the Juniors took us to Washington. The times we had on that bus going and coming and while we were up there are ones that will never be forgotten. I sometimes wonder who had the best time, the teachers that went with us or the students. When we got back from Washington, we had a surprise waiting for us, remember. The annuals came back. I can still see us, gathering around them in bunches, trying to get a look at them. They were beautiful, especially the thick padded white covers with the open book on the front trimmed in blue. It was the biggest annual that had ever been published at Walstonburg and we were really proud of it. Finally, May came again. We had our class night and the rest of the graduating exercises. Time seemed to fly. In just a few days it was time for us to say good-bye to Walstonburg. To Mrs. Taylor, our Senior teacher, we will forever be grateful for her undying friendship, help, and guidance throughout the year. Mrs. Taylor was truly an inspiration for us that year. We, as Seniors of 1954, will forever be grateful to our parents and teachers for helping us to gain this education that we received at Walstonburg. When we receive our diplomas, our class history ends. From then on, each member will write his own history as he walks along the streets of life. Gerald Hinnant Historian

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Class Poem That year ’bout nine in the morning, We gathered at the ninth grade door. Scared, silent, timid, Wondering what was the score. We heard in the class rooms about us, Happy voices, laughter, gay songs. But we quietly took our places, Apart and afraid of the throng. There was Math, Civics, and History, We thought we’d never make the grade, But Spring found us surer-more confident, The foundation had been laid. Came the fall- we were Sophomores, Wise, intelligent, we knew it all. We laughed at the poor green freshmen- They were so childish that fall! It was spring, we were older, Not quite so SURE we knew it all. And queer how THOSE FRESHMEN, Had changed so much from the fall! That fall we were juniors, A big year for us all , Our class rings, our banquet, Our boys had all grown tall. We slipped up town without permission, We walked on the campus in the rain. We laughed, we cried, we loved, We learned to appreciate the little things. Seniors, we could hardly believe it! We had waited so long for this day. We stood quietly, unbelieving, That we now had so short a stay. We elected superlatives, class officers, Worked on the Annual day and night, Went to Washington and Beta Convention, Reveled in all the sights. Came the spring, ' twas almost over, We treasured each moment as the last. Our teachers, our friends, our classmates. And now. Our High School Days are past. Class Poet Mary Ruth Cobb