Westerly High School - Westlyan Yearbook (Westerly, RI)

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The Senior Year Book — 1941 (Clans flraplu'qi (Stage is bare except for a huge sign reading: “Reunion of Class of 1941 to be held today.” Normand Andrews comes out in swallow-tail coat, black tie, and striped trousers, looks nervously around, fingers his tie, looks about with a worried air, shrugs his shoulders, and goes off. Voices are heard off-stage as the curtains are pulled so that only enough space remains for one person to be seen.) JIMMY—Say, Norm, aren’t you going to give your speech now? It’s way past time for the reunion exercises. NORM—Yes, I suppose so. (Walks in and is seen right in center of curtain with back to audience.) NORM — Friends, and fellow-classmates, it gives me great pleasure, as the president of the Class of ’41, to welcome you back to our Alma Mater, Westerly High School. Since we parted ten years ago, many things have happened. Why, just yesterday I read about Bob Logan’s fight with Joe Louis. Er—Bob was unable to be present today. (At this time there is a horrible explosion. Normand jumps.) NORM (composing himself)—It’s all right folks, Bob Young got into the Chem Lab again. You’d think he’d get enough of chemistry teaching it every day up here. We have quite a crop of our graduates up here teaching, haven’t we? There is Louis Rosso—rolling his R’s around teaching Italian (he has recently been made head of the department), to say nothing of “Kit” Cayer, who is having a grand time showing the kiddies how to play games in the gym; then there is Marion Pendleton, who is patiently wrestling with English verbs and pronouns; and Bert LaPere tossing x’s and y’s around in the Algebra class; Jo Vuono is over at Elm Street (not as a student you understand), and since the growth of our high school, we have instituted a course in horse-back riding, ably taught by Mary Jo Fiddes. This year a championship basketball team was coached by Hal Miner, and Stonington High lassies have Marie Edmonds for their gvm instructor. Now, dear classmates, that I have welcomed you back to good old Westerly High, you can get together and talk over old times. (Curtain opens wide. There are several rows of seats, but only one person is seen in back, who proves to be Jimmy Pignataro.) JIM—When do we eat? NORM—Now that I have finished my speech, Jimmy, perhaps you can tell me what happened to the rest of the class? JIM—Well, let’s see. (He looks out the window.) Ah! There’s Nick Vuono mowing the lawn, looking as if he were enjoying himself immensely riding around in a power lawn-mower. Sal Trebisacci has been detained, as he has just been promoted to director of foreign translations at the Curtiss Publishing Company. GEORGE (swaggers onto the stage)— Well, here I am, folks. (Applause by Jimmy.) JIM—How’s the election coming along, “Smut?” GEORGE—Swell! Have a cigar. You can brag to your grandchildren about knowing Shannock’s first-rate dog catcher. My mother always said I’d be President or hold some similar office some day. And here I am running for a third term. (Proudly struts across the stage.) BOBBY (enters)—You better tend to your business, “Smut.” (Dog runs across stage. George leaps after him.) JIM—Where is the rest of the class? BOBBY — They’re coming eventually. They were lured into Vars’ by Eggie Ec-cleston who was going to town on a quart of ice cream, since the manager was out. Eileen Spencer, who is a waitress there now, was doing the urging. Then, over at the Coffee Shop, Becky Curtis, Minnie Bliven, and Connie Durfee were wearing out shoe leather waiting on customers who demanded the famous buns made by this trio. Lucy Leonetti is the cashier for the Coffee Shop and threatens to go on strike if they don’t allow her all the coffee and buns she can carry home. Lois Johnson, who is now a beautician at Doris Rathbone’s Cinderella Beauty —•Sf io }s —

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The Senior Year Book — 1941 pectedly with his mother and father, Priscilla Holman and Edward Burdick. The haughty Kirbys realize—due to Grandpa, Robert Young — that money isn’t the only thing in the world and that “You Can’t Take It With You.” Penny Sycamore, played by Hope Smith, writes plays because of the fact that a typewriter was delivered to the house by mistake eight years before. Her husband, Paul, played by Kenneth Astill, is a producer of fireworks, and is assisted by Mr. DePinna, played by Eugene Ferraro. Amusement is derived from Essie, Harriet Babcock, who is supposed to be a ballet dancer, but is really more of a farce than an artist. She interprets her art to her husband, Ed, played by Patsy Cappuccio, who in turn is an interpreter of Beethoven on the xylophone. Boris Kolenkhov, Stanley Gould, who is a typical Russian in opinion and speech, is Essie’s instructor. He is adept at wrestling as Mr. Kirby finds to his sorrow. Royalty is introduced when Olga Katrina, Duchess of Russia, played by Barbara Lownds, comes to dinner and surprises the family when she asks to be permitted to cook Russian blintzes. The two colored servants, Jane Robinson and Michael Spezzano, contribute additional hilarity. The three G-men, Ralph Nardone, Lome MacLean, and Herbert Strong, interpret their comical measures of the long arm of the law when they appear in the second act. Altogether, the play was as much enjoyed by the audience as it was by the actors who took great pains to follow the directions of David Crockett, our director. The business management class certainly proved their mastery of the course—witn Ralph Nardone as General Manager, assisted by William Borsay and Margaret Turco; thomas Reilly as Sales Manager, Lome MacLean as Publicity Manager, Walter Palmer and Clinton Lanphere as Accountants. These people made this play a financial success. Applause is also due the two super-sales students, Marion Anderson and Robert Hyde, who sold a combined total of over 170 tickets. The Senior Class of 1941 has a larger percentage of members in the Rhode Island Honor Society than has been attained by any preceding class. The following Seniors made the roll: Normand Andrews, Kenneth Astill, Mary Baird, Walter Bres-sette, Phyllis Brown, Edward Burdick, Hannah Clapham, Helen Coy, Rebecca Curtis, Edith Dinwoodie, Richard Donati, Fred Ennis, Angeline Falcone, Eugene Ferraro, Stanley Gould, Douglas Graham, Anastasia Grossomanides, Adolph Jursa, Anne Murano, Eleanor Neville, Roma Palmer, Marion Pendleton, James Pignataro, Doris Rathbone. Louis Rosso, Hope Smith, Herbert Strong, Margaret Turco, Josephine Vuono, and James Wilson. We have received both profit and enjoyment from our three years in Westerly High, and it is with regret that we bring to a close our last year as students here. Historians HELEN COY HARRIET BABCOCK RALPH NARDONE 49 - THE LIBRARY

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The Senior Year Book — 1941 Salon, is the trio’s best customer—much to the disgust of her scales. JIM—What are you doing now, Bobby? BOBBY—I knit in the sports shop at Best’s. Remember Hetsy Babcock? She’s chief buyer at Lord and Taylor’s and is going to Paris next week to see what they have new. While there, she plans to visit the world-famous costume designer—our own Betty Langworthy. Evelyn Langworthy, Hetsy’s assistant at Lord and Taylor’s, will carry on for her while she is away. JIM—Here come the two old buddies —Journalist Spezzano and Lawyer Cap-puccio. PAT—Well, hello, Jimmy. You’re a sight for sore eyes. What are you doing with yourself? JIM—Well, I have a very difficult job right now. I’m constructing my largest bridge yet over Anguilla River. MIKE—That’s some task! (Enter Bill Borsay) BILL—Hiya, folks! Would you like some free samples of Snookies, the new wheat cereal? Snookies contain all the vitamins from A to Z, besides being tasty, tangy, and— BOBBY—For heaven sakes, Bill! I always thought you’d turn out to be a salesman, but I never thought you’d come to this! BILL (indignant)—How dare you! I’ll have you know that I am the Sampson Cereal Company’s star salesman. Just for that, I’ll take the samples back. (Starts to collect.) JIM—Oh, Bill, Bobby didn’t mean anything. It’s all right. Tell us some of your adventures. BILL (somewhat mollified)—We—11, I just came from The Sun Office where I distributed some samples. Ken Astill s the editor now, you know. I also saw Doug Graham jumping around emptying waste baskets and sharpening pencils. He’s Ken’s office boy. Ken has quite a staff. While I was there, Ruth Rose and Eleanor Delicato planned scoops; one of them being that Eleanor Neville had just won the Pulitzer Prize for her latest play. Hope Smith and Dot Stoppello are now playing in her last play and expect it to break the run rec- ord of Broadway. Walter Palmer is business manager naturally, and I glimpsed Ed Burdick and Jim Dipollina rushing in and out with pictures. Ike Smith, who is the chief sport editor, with John D. Capalbo, Walt Bressette, and Ben Servideo as his assistants, had his hands full of W. H. S. writeups. Art Hannuksela has just been made football coach at Princeton, and Frances Prizito’s girls’ basketball team is the champion group of Washington County. Ralph Spargo, Bob Hyde, and Bob Kenyon, our glamour boys who cover the society angle, were also there. NORM—That’s quite a staff. Bill. Say! Do these old eyes deceive me, or is that Jane Robinson and Connie Harvey coming up the walk? (Enter Jane in chef’s cap and apron; Connie is wearing an evening gown and a crown of flowers on her head.) JANE—Hiya, folks! We’re a little late but we bumped into Gene Ferraro on the way, and he insisted on showing us his new dentist’s office. He wasn’t satisfied with that, but had to exhibit his prowess by pulling a tooth. He used as a victim Stan Gould, whose protests that his tooth was perfectly all right did no good. Marion Hill and Mary Baird, Gene’s dental hygienists, however, looked on sympathetically. CONNIE—Poor Stan! To think he just dropped in at Gene’s office to say hello and that’s what befell him. Stan came to town to speak at the public library. He’s a famous pediatrician now, you know. CHORUS—What? GEORGE—Children’s doctor to you, illiterates. JIM—1 saw you looking at that dictionary, George Dohring, so don’t pretend to be so smart. GEORGE—I did not. JIM—You did, too. GEORGE—I did not. JIM—Oh, nave it your way, then. What have you that get-up on for, Connie? CONNIE—Ah, I’m cherry blossom queen, you know. I dashed back in such a hurry I didn’t have time to change. JIM—Explain your outfit, Janie! Have you decided to come back here for Home Ec. after all these years? -4 11