Westerly High School - Westlyan Yearbook (Westerly, RI)

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Thf. Sfnior Year Book — 1945 coiled his trusty right arm and heaved a simply divine pass! Goose Gentile nabbed it: scampered down the outside line midst a horde of frantic bears; hit pay dirt to sew up the game! Nice work, fellas. . . . And later in the game our own Joe Sis dashed fifty long yards for a touchdown only to have the play called back. The fans went wild, surged out onto the field. Some fun! If you thought jhat was fun, you should have been in on our Senior Prom fireworks! We had Achilles’ heel trouble again, but definitely, and in both heels. We had class meetings and more class meetings. Joe Keegan warned us of impending danger, then he begged us, then C’orinne Palm (Minister of the Exchequer) threatened us, and then Mr. Mason threatened us. It seems we had gone right ahead with our plans and had engaged a $65 orchestra with something like $17 in the treasury. Everything worked out very nicely, though, and “the Prom was a huge success.” (Where have I heard that before?) Next on the slate of hysterical historical happenings was a Sadie Hawkins Dance, introduced for the first time by the East-West Club. It was an informal affair, and everyone had loads of fun. We trust that in years to come our school will be brightened by many more. A four-star award should go to the East-West Club for their splendid work. The dance was new and different, carefully planned, and very well carried out. The evening was highlighted by the election of “Miss Sadie Hawkins of Westerly High.” Marilyn Frechette was our lucky and lovely Sadie for '44 and ’45. Honorary mention should go to the decorating committee which spent many a sleepless night worrying about rain, corn stalks, corn borers, autumn leaves, the shortage of crepe paper, Lathrop’s beachwagon, and the mysterious disappearance of their precious red ears of corn. In spite of everything, the committee did a marvelous job. Before Christmas, plans were already underway for the presentation of an operetta, and after the holidays we dug in, hammer and tongs. Marilyn Frechette, Mary Ferendo, and Alec Houston played the leads in our “Waltz Dream.” For a few short weeks, school was in a state of chaos with mighty comings and goings, and make mine chocolate, but the operetta was an A-one production. It delighted the people of Westerly and played before capacity crowds both nights! We cleared expenses, too! Now, while discussing finances and success, is an ideal moment to pay tribute to Miss Endicott and her “S” Club. The membership of the club is restricted to girls of the Senior Salesmanship class, and a hard-working lot they are, too, with their president, Mary Geary; vice president, Janet House, and secretary, Rose Gencarella. To them fell the distasteful task of making school functions not merely an artistic and a social success, but equally as important, a financial success. Just to illustrate the calibre of their work, the members of the “S” Club sold fifteen hundred tickets to the operetta, saving our costly “Waltz Dream” from being one big, beautiful, financial flop. And it is these same girls who, each Wednesday morning, have pleaded and prodded and begged us to dig down and buy a war stamp. Not because of, but rather, in spite of us, they have come through our various bond and stamp drives victorious. Miss Endicott, we salute you and the members of your “S” Club. Our ’44-’45 basketball season ended on a solemn note. For the third straight year we marched triumphantly through our season’s schedule, and emerged undefeated ! We overpowered a twice beaten, but still dangerous St. Raphael five for the Class B championship; slapped down our classy South Kingstown friends, champs of Class C; and went on up the narrow winding path toward the state title. And we do mean NARROW, WINDING path! Sports writers called the Westerly-East Providence state championship fray “the most exciting game in the history of this series”! We lost (50-48) in a heads or tails, “sudden death” ruling. Heartbreaking as it was, we couldn’t have lost to a finer lot of fellows. They were ball players, every last one of them, and - 11 )►-

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The Senior Year Book — 1945 a happy medium; a state of equilibrium. The Sophomores respect you and the Seniors, with a little effort, accept you. More members were added to the Senior Board. Sally Briggs was made assistant editor. Gene Cercena, Joe Siciliano, Francis Nardone, and Jack Fox were first string football players. Stonington beat us soundly 14-0 and 13-0, but we don’t talk about that. After a year’s omittance, prize speaking was held once again. More glory for the Class of ’45. Doris Bradshaw was awarded first prize; Marilyn Frechette, second, and Elinor Gray, Corinne Palm, and the school cat (who strolled dramatically across the stage at various intervals) were given honorary mention. Under the supervision of Miss Dorothy Hanson the East-West Club was organized. The purpose of the club is to learn about and to promote better understanding between the United States and our Oriental and Latin-American neighbors. In its first year of existence the East-West Club brought Gayetri Devi to our members and to the people of Westerly. We are graduating this year leaving among other things, our young, but growing clun, and we hope that our successors will keep up the good work. It’s a marvelous idea and worthy of perpetuation. Well, mighty as he was, Achilles had his vulnerable heel, and so, too, have we a weakness. Financial entanglements! In attempting a Junior Prom, we suffered severely from the pangs of impecuniosity. It was embarrassing indeed—the deplorable condition of our exchequer—but we managed somehow, and the Prom was a huge success. (That’s what they always say.) Our basketball team with “C. T.” Barber, Bob Ulles, and Joe Siciliano was just simply super—swish. We enjoyed an undefeated season; won the Class B championship; and lost the State championship by one heartbreaking point. 'Twas a sad, sad day, indeed! But if our basketball team was superswish, then our baseball team with Joe Siciliano, Don Barber, Bob' Ulles, and Johnny Grossomanides was just plain out of this world, because we not only enjoyed an undefeated season, but also enjoyed (immensely) the State championship. Oh, those big, strong, wonderful boys! Hustle and excitement of finals and then another year was over! September, 1944—A little martial music, maestro, if you please, for yonder cometh the mighty Seniors. . . . The whole school rises, in a gesture of respect, as the Seniors march into the auditorium. Our class marshal, Robert Beattie, has joined the Navy, so Don Barber (the exalted Mayor of Potter Hill) leads the procession. Somewhere in the ranks will be Joe Keegan, class president; Dot Harman, vice president; Mary Geary, secretary, and Corinne Palm, treasurer. This year, in the absence of Mr. Mudge, football duties were turned over to Coach Federico, and in typical Federico-fashion the boys were drilled and drilled and DRILLED, until we had a team with a capital “T.” In recent years we haven’t been extremely successful on the gridiron, but this year the tide changed. Games won 6; games lost 2; games tied 2. Let us pass hastily over the West-erly-Stonington Armistice Day game (18-0 trouncing. Remember?) and linger a while over the Thanksgiving Day game. Ah, ’twas a victory far greater even than the Battle of Bunker Hill. Although the skirmish ended in a 6-6 deadlock, there was mighty jubilation in Westerly camps that night. Our gallant boys stood firm in the face of overwhelming odds, and repulsed drive after drive of a rough ’n’ ready Stonington eleven. Capt. Tom Piccolo, Jack Fox, Bob Beattie, and Buba Urso (with the able assistance of some underclassmen) held down the line, while Joe Siciliano (with the able, assistance of some underclassmen) did a little cutting up in the backfield. Reluctant as we may be about mentioning undergraduates in our own personal history, we simply cannot overlook a marvelous maneuver by a couple of Juniors. . .. Stonington was leading 6-0; Westerly’s ball; Irving Panciera took the ball from center; calmly, but hastily, looked over the situation; enemies charged him from all directions but Irving io fr-

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CLASS OFFICERS IN 1943 As You Were . . . The Class of 1945 photographed when they were Sophomores shows many faces of classmates who have gone into service. The Class of 1945 as they appeared as Sophomores