Westerly High School - Westlyan Yearbook (Westerly, RI)

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Tin-: Senior Year Book — 1950 Four junior girls stepped into cheerleading roles and did a fine job in their new posts. A good length of film is devoted to the junior prom, depicting the committee meetings, the decorating, and finally the big night. It certainly is one of the highlights of the entire production, and a tribute to the people who were responsible for the prom’s success. The action continues fast and furious, and among other scenes there can be seen Rosalind Murray being awarded third prize in the Martha C. Babcock Essay Contest; Kenyon, Strong, and Jursa trying to annoy the school by emitting strange noises and odors from the chemistry laboratory; Joe Silvestri being critically injured in an automobile crash; and the juniors reviving the “Barker” by publishing a June issue. Such was the junior year with all its joys and thrills, and thus ends the second portion of “The Fleeting Years.” It’s the homestretch, as some people would say, and our film turns to the final year in Ward High for the Class of '50. Larry Bailey plays a leading role in this section of the film as he is elected class president after two years of service as class treasurer. Captain Pat Cimalore, Joe Morrone, Butch” Geyer, Ernie Sposato, and Frank Urso appear as the core of the football team which conquers Stonington twice for the first time in many years. Crowding (that’s putting it mildly) the boys for honors is the new coach, John DiGangi, whom the class can never forget. Still in the midst of the football season, the senior prom takes the screen. What a spectacular scene with the largest crowd ever to attend a school prom in attendance! The camera then shifts to basketball and we see Captain Sal Reale, Ed Morenzoni, and Lev Andrews doing their part in bringing about another class B championship to Westerly. As the second semester rolls around, we near the climax of the film which now presents the yearbook staff engrossed in their publication, the baseball, track, and golf teams in action, the announcement of awards and prizes, and the final hectic week before graduation. In baseball. Captain Bill Gingerella, “Butch” Geyer, and Ronnie Gardiner are the standouts, while in golf Vic Grasso and Ed Morenzoni were the senior participants. The D. A. R. good citizenship award was won by Nancy Capalbo. The highly successful senior play, “Dear Ruth,” is featured at this time also. Following this we see those wonderful times at the class picnic, the banquet, and the senior reception. And then the grand finale, the night of graduation. Thus ends “The Fleeting Years,” the story of the Class of 1950. It is not an exceptional film, it will not win any outstanding awards, but it is an interesting, entertaining production, and there is an undercurrent of class spirit and pride which the viewer cannot fail to discover. While only the highlights of the class history are shown, it is not difficult to imagine the joys, experiences, and memories which the class will never forget. Whether any of the cast go on to fame and great success only time can tell. The true worth of the actors as a group is hidden in the future. The minor, unnoticed acts which they shall perform in the hazy future will be the result of the experience they gained in “The Fleeting Years.” In closing, may I suggest that the undergraduates of Ward High take time to study “The Fleeting Years.” Where the Class of '50 has succeeded, may you follow in its footsteps; where it has failed, may you profit from its mistakes, and from the Class of 1950, “Ave atque Vale!” RONALD JURSA RONALD JURSA Valedictorian — 1— ROBERTA WILCOX Salutatorian

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The Senior Year Book — 1950 “PASSING IN REVIEW” (The movie review from the “Quiggsville Times”) The current attraction at the Bijou is that long awaited production The Fleeting Years” which is the graphic portrayal of the events and activities of the Class of 1950 of Ward Senior High School. Produced by Mr. Charles Mason and directed by Mrs. Kathryn Moore, it presents a lucid, interesting picture of the three years of “blood, sweat, and tears” experienced by the most recent graduates from Westerly. The story opens in September of 1947 with fanfare, glamour, and pageantry as nigh on to two hundred hopeful, eager, but somewhat timid faces climb the front steps of Ward High for the first of numerous times. This group presents somewhat of a parodox, since by sheer number they exhibit apparent confidence, but behind this display of assurance lies that ever present sophomore inferiority complex. The film wisely avoids those first few days of doubt and confusion, which all new classes experience, and passes on to show us this same group, now fully oriented, engaging in the daily grind of school plus the extra curricula joys. As the camera shifts to Craig Field, we see Mark Sullivan, Frank Urso, Pat Cimalore, Bill Reynolds, Joe Morrone, and Stan Laing among the sophomores taking part in the football activities. With the days rapidly passing by, politics enter the act as class elections arrive. Ronald Jursa, John Patton, Nancy Capalbo, and Lawrence Bailey emerge as class president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer respectively. The film then speeds up showing only flashbacks of the class, representatives in the band, glee clubs, and school paper. We do catch a glimpse of Sal Reale, John Patton, and Mark Sullivan, performing in the shadow of the basketball squad which took the state championship. With a few scenes devoted to baseball and golf, ths first portion of “The Fleeting Years” comes to a close. The scene is once again the front steps of Ward High. The characters, with a few minor exceptions, are the same, yet the group looks infinitely wiser and more experienced, perhaps even a little cynical, for now the Class of 1950 are juniors. This portion of the film thoroughly enthralls the viewer, for it is filled with familiar faces taking part in the sundry phases of life at Ward High. We see Sal Reale, John Patton, Nancy Capalbo, and Larry Bailey the class officers, approximately twenty juniors in our fine band, seven juniors in the twirling corps, and the numerous 1950’ers in the chorus and glee clubs. In sports, Sullivan, Silvestri, Morrone, and Urso played leading roles on the gridiron; Reale, Morenzoni, and Andrews starred in basketball.

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The Senior Year Book — 1950 It’s June 13th, 1963, and Tish Woodworth and Angela Cozzolino, loyal members of Westerly High’s Class of ’50, are attending an open-air vaudeville show and sitting in our atom-mobile. It is our pleasure to find many of our old classmates taking part in the review. Even the ticket sellers are old pals . . . Angie Ventry and Helen Edwards. The ticket collectors are Evelyn Tar-box and Shirley Dionne. We notice Priscilla Sampson, the tax collector for South County, keeping tabs on the sales. Mark Sullivan has finally found himself a job as master of ceremonies. It looks as if he is having trouble with his stage managers, Tony Giordano and Dick Hilton. They don’t agree on the appropriateness of the scenery designed very ably by Butch Geyer and Betty Priore. They favor the set prepared by Cecile Nardone and Bill Reynolds. We notice a slight delay in the curtain call. Bill Urso seems to be tangled up in the ropes. This makes little difference to Ronnie Gardiner and his Jumpin’ Jivers who begin the evening with a Prelude written by the famed maestro, Richard Bryant. Upon hearing a strange noise, we turn to find Lou Gaccione pulling up in his jet-propelled motorbike and if it isn’t Eileen Spino sitting placidly in the side car! Here comes our M. C. announcing the arrival of the prominent Lawrence Bailey, president of International Uranium Co., then he announces the first group of performers. Looking at the program put out by the renowned Jursa Publishing Company (successors to The Utter Co.) we find that Bob Toscano, Eddie Liguori, and John Fusaro will harmonize in “We’re Marching Down the Field.” During the hearty applause we see Norma Woodward arriving on her musical horse, and upon hearing a muffled argument we turn to notice Carolyn Ca-palbo and Renata Ruisi debating on Bop vs. Beethoven. And look, there’s our old head cheerleader, Nancy Capalbo, with Ellen Lamb and Eleanor Pucci, jumping up and down and applauding the arrival of members of the All-American football team ... Pat Cimalore, Billy Gingerella, Ernie Sposato, Frank Urso, and Joe Morrone. Mark calms the girls and announces the next performance to be a number by the famed quartet with Gillette Kenyon, Lowell Hawkins, Steve Cheilis, and Mickey Lynch, accompanying John Kenyon who will sing “Blues of the Bulldogs.” After John’s solo we see Margie James, Adelaide Crandall, Dot Brown, and Glenna Dixon, nurses from the Kenneth Strong Central Hospital, rushing around trying to revive the swooning girls in the audience. From our seats we see Ann Marie Brucker, Barbara Ann Lallo, Claire Carey, and Barbara DeSimone receiving first aid treatment. Next on the agenda is to be the “One and Only Bill Ironside” and his sax playing “Sneezing My Way Back Home.” During the intermission we notice the ushers - 1