West Philadelphia High School - Record Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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,if-f'Z'xi ll ff? Fx P-ii my Z,-j sf ,wQ, , T 4 ,,,',W I fu .1 . if E ,q,W , H I sro R ARLY in September, 1919, our class first gathered together as students of West Philly. Strange as it may now seem to us, we all were freshmen, and though we may view the present first year class with a feeling of great superiority and even disdain, we must remember that a little less than four years ago we came to school in short pants and looked upon upper classmen with awe. Fortunately, at the time of our entrance the freshmen attended classes during the same hours as the other fellows, consequently they fitted more harmoniously into the workings of our great institution. At the start of our sophomore year the class began to find itself, and those of us so inclined, feeling the call of various school activities, re- sponded nobly. While gaining in prestige, however, we began, as classes do, to dimin- ish in numbers. Nevertheless, in spite of this, our class is, by a wide margin, the largest that has graduated from West Philly. This is partly due to the number of boys who found it possible to work hard and grad- uate in three and a half years. At the beginning of our Junior year we came together in order to organize into a united body. Heretofore we had been a class only in the sense of our grade at school. Now we became a single group in spirit and desire. The election of officers for the Junior year was as follows: A. Wal- ters, Presidentg Parke, Vice-President, Shoemaker, Secretary, and Saxon Treasurer. The Council consisted of McLaughlin, First, Briddes, Gray, and Jenkins. Later Burroughs replaced Jenkins on account of ineligi- bility. 7 21

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I' NJ.. -X . 1 1 -9 M! s -7,3 AJ fi f-N Q, N ll :E Q , '- , ?-?:?f: ...-. .527-'1'1? 'W X 'f 31 film- 'W' ' ' N' ' 5 5' ' i-wth aff ' X 1 1 uk Q ' ', N lyjvna preparation for complete living, the training which we received here is all the more valuable to us. Mr. Heyl, and Members of the Faculty, We can only thank you in our most candid manner for your great patience and sacrifice in our behalf, we are and will be always most grateful for your guidance and teaching, and for the lofty examples you have set us as scholars and as gentlemen. Classmates, let us not suppose that upon graduation we are just enter- ing upon life, We have already seen a good deal of life right here in this building. Rather let us think that now we shall have the opportunity to show what stuff we are made of, and by how much we have profited from the instruction of the past four years, for now we are about to enter that portion of life which shall mean unceasing and independent endeavor. Let us always' keep before us our ideals and the heroes whose lives have embodied those ideals, not blindly dreaming of them, but distinctly visualiz- ing them 3 and remember, in the great fight upward and onward, that man was made that he might walk forward, not backward. Finally, in saying Vale for the last time, keep in mind with gratitude and reverence our great debt for the privilege of having been graduates of the West Phila- delphia High School. JOHN STOKES ADAMS, JR. Delivered at Commencement by Joseph First. 20

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,H wbf .41 ef' lf ' 5 K 1 ' Q .- . rx rs 3 ' 1 . M '- l 'ai' ' 1 J 1 13- . 'WN N K S ,,' 44435 .41-mgfqf' , Q R- 1 X ni. if-'14, 4 .. ,.,.- N, 5. vi .Mn I A z f 41. 46. V B 1 na r 1 ' ' . 451 The necessities now were a faculty advisor to guide us, and a class ring. Mr. Donahue was asked to serve as advisor, and a Ring Committee was appointed. made up of Dinsmore, Chairman: Hamilton, Kilpatrick, Jenkins, and Hauser. Thanks to the work of the committee, we received the rings early in our C term. The very important matter of class dues was discussed and finally settled. We believe that we rank well among the classes who loyally sup- port their treasurers. In September we found ourselves at the opening of our Senior year. The officers elected were: Parke, Presidentg Walters, Vice-President, First, Secretary, and Saxon, Treasurer. Lauck, Kremer, Culp, Gray, and Grimwade were made Councilmen, and Diller, First, and Saxon, Senators- at-Large. A The big social event in the history of every class is its Senior Play and Dance. The committee from our class was elected as follows: Lauck, Chairman, Sumption, Walters, Trowbridge, First, and Parke. In collabor- ation with the class of February, 1923, the affair was planned and held at New Mercantile Hall on January 12th. The play was made up of talent from the two classes, and it was given in fine style. The dance, too, of course, was a great success. In January, at a very important Council meeting, the RECORD Staff of the Western was elected as follows: Sumption-Editor-in-Chief. Lauck-Business Manager. First-Literary Editor. Walters-Athletic Editor. Shoemaker-Art Editor. ' Saxon-Ass't Business Manger. Parke-Ass't Literary Editor. Walsh-Ass't Athletic Editor. A little later Liggett, Hamilton, First, Lauck, and Burroughs were elected Senators-at-Large for our A term. Several members of the class suggested that we hold an A Class Dance. It seemed a good idea, so a committee of Lauck, Chairman, Bur- roughs, Buell, Grimwade, Jenkins, and Silver was appointed. The dance 22