Waterford High School - Fordian Yearbook (Waterford, NY)

Page 8 text:

Our Victory We of the Class of 1942 are stepping out into a world far different from that of the preceding classes of twenty years. Around us beats the tempo of total war which is affecting both our current and future life. Thus, we are immediately faced with two questions: “What shall we do now?” and What will happen to the careers we had planned?” Some of us have surrendered our aspirations and ambitions with perhaps too realistic an outlook on the present situation. Of course, we must now devote ourselves fully to winning both this war and the ensuing peace, but this strife must end some day. When it does, we will all eventually be forced to seek some normal, peace time position in our economic and social patterns of life. In some manner, then, we must look through today’s maelstrom and make plans for our eventual peace time lives, without slacking up on our current efforts to gain that peace. Most of us had planned our future as we wanted it. and we had also decided just what steps, college or vocational training, we would take to insure that future. On the other hand, it is also apparent to us just what steps we must take to give our all-out aid in the present crisis, such as making those small sacrifices to buy one more war bond, taking over the essential work of those taken into the armed forces, and even joining those forces ourselves, as will soon be the case with many of us. How then,” we ask, “can we do both of these duties?” We must prepare ourselves for useful lives in order to be an asset to our nation, as well as fighting to keep it intact. All in all, it is a question of working out some sort of com- promise between the present and the future. Individual cases and situations will differ, of course, but some general theme must first be designed. With this fundamental plan, these cases can be solved individually, if necessary. Already there seems to be any number of partial solutions to this problem, such as going to college in later life, taking special vocational courses, or even getting a job now and making a career of it. Here again, individuality enters the picture, with each person drawing his own proposed diagram of life. How- ever, if past examples of American initiative and private enterprise run true to form, we need not worry too much about the acuteness of this situation. In any case, we should face the future, confident that we will take the right path, even though a certain percentage of us may not realize our ambitions. In closing, it is fitting to state on behalf of the Class of 1942, that we all sincerely hope that future classes of Waterford High School will step into a world all the better for what we contribute to it. Total victory will certainly bring about improved conditions, but we should also plan this victory as an intermediate step in our march to the achievement of true Utopian principles of world neighborliness and harmony. Thus, our greatest achievement will be to train ourselves to become integral parts of this future world of free people. —Edward L. Hayden 6 ►-

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Senior Class Margaret Y. Haggerty, Advisor President ..................................................... Donald Smith Y'icc-President ........................................... Warren Brundige Secretary ..................................................... Marion Bryk Treasurer...................................................Elizabeth Gaunt Senators ............................................................ Edward Hayden Muriel Tague Dorothy Gero Philip Marino I t r r [ r t t r [ r t t t r. r i i f -4 8 )s-