West Deer High School - Coalagra Yearbook (Russellton, PA)

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1963-64-The School Year in Review The United States flag unfurling sorrowfully at half mast. As we think back over the school year T963-64, that probably will be brought back to mind more than anything else. For this was the year of the great human trage- dy, the senseless assassination of President John F. Kennedy, an act that made an entire world weep. Even with this infamous incident marring the year, a review of events concerning West Deer students showed life going on with its usual rou- tine, its usual ironic twists, its usual newsworthy happenings. ANOTHER ENROLLMENT RECORD School commenced this year on August 28, the usual one week before any other school in the area. The first surprise for the record-breaking l,O78 students was when they approached the main door which was painted a modernistic pink pas- tel color, another WD first! Everyone will remember the intense dry spell during the first two months when this district went without any rain for 44 days. It was quite a sight to see the band marching down the football field with a huge cloud of dust trailing. lt became so unbearable that the field had to be watered-down by the local fire department before each athletic event. This was quite a contrast to the weather we re- ceived a few months later. A heavy snowfall be- gan on January 18, accumulating to such an ex- tent that classes had to be cancelled for three days. TOWNSHIP IS ON THE MOVE There was plenty to talk about in West Deer Township this year. We celebrated the opening of our very own shopping center in Russellton. Also, we saw the termination of the Culmerville Bus Company, which had a history of some 50 years in our community. The line was taken over by the County Port Authority, and a new re-vitalized system of mass transit was being planned. Work was begun on the new county park be- hind Russellton. Long range plans were being made for some great times coming up in the way of outdoor sports and family outings in this natural, scenic park.

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Table of Contents END SHEETS One of the first full color photographs ever to appear in The Coalagra., THE YEAR IN REVIEW a.aaa,,,,aaa 4-5 A quick once-over of what concerned us mainly in the T963-64 school year. INTRODUCTORY PAGES ,, ..,oooooooooosooooooo 6-I 7 A pictorial essay of what we will remem- ber. JOHN F. KENNEDY TRIBUTE s,,sso,o,-,- I8-I9 The great impact his 'life and death had on the students of West Deer High School. ADMINISTRATION-TEACHERS ,,c.oooo,-,- 20-27 More and more students . . . more and more papers to correct . . . it was another of those more and more years for the faculty. THE STUDENT BODY .,.A.............,.., 28-69 See the distinguished seniors on pages 28-24 . . . iubilant iuniors, 46-5l . . . sunny sophomores, 52-57 ,... fabulous freshmen, 58-63 . . . able eighth graders, 64-66 . . . and serene I?l seventh graders, 67-69. CURRICULUM .. .............,,........... ,..... 7 O-85 How we measure up with the imperative needs of youth as outlined by the Second- ary Principals Association. ACTIVITIES ......... . .......c...c.co.... - ..,o. .. 92-lO7 Able leaders reiuvenated school groups into one of the most active years. ATHLETICS . ............ . .................... I IO-I23 We broke plenty of records and scared 'em a bit . . . but we iust didn't win enough games. SENIOR ACTIVITIES ......... . .......... T24-l3I From the dinner dance to the New York World's Fair, it was just one big, happy year for the Class of '64, PROM ........,.......o.... . .c............... .- T32-737 The social season spectacular . . . and Coalagra cameramen were right there to record the whole story. GRADUATION ,....,,-....c.........,..... T38-T43 We'll remember it because it was the 20th graduating class . . . and because it was so darn cold that night! . This We Remember

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VIETNAM CREATES ANXIETIES Current events in history classes included al- most constant reports on the situation in South Vietnam, where once again the United States shouldered the full load in an attempt to contain communism. And to add more woes Cnot really, thought, the postal department this year introduced a new mailing device, the zip code. lt joined the never- ending list of numbers to memorize: phone, social security, area code, locker, etc., etc., etc., etc. 8TH GRADERS BECOME TV STARS The world of television saw the emergence of new celebrities, the WD 8th graders-not to men- tion their parents and friends in the audience who did the all-important applauding. Coached by Mr. Graff, the 8th graders par- ticipated in the Channel 4 Junior High Quiz. They did very well, advancing to the semi-finals. ERA OF THE BEATLES! ln the music realm, hootenannies were quite popular, although WD kids weren't enthused by them. lnstead, with the rest of the world, we went wild over the Beatles fno explanation needed if you were around in 1963-64lJ. Indeed, Beatlemania was pretty difficult to avoid and it wasn't too long before you found yourself singing and girating to l Wanna' Hold Your Hand, or l Saw Her Standing There, or She Loves You, Yea, Yea. ln fact, the entertainment world was booming in all phases. TOM JONES received the award as the best movie of the year, with Patricia Neal and Sidney Poitier receiving top acting awards. WE WERE AT THE FAIR The New York World's Fair, the biggest and most impressive ever, opened this spring. A group of some 50 WD seniors and their friends have plenty to tell of their trip to the Big City and the Fair. Well, those were some of the things we talked about in 1963-64. This we remember . . . wmsmrssmmssgz L-,rss