Western Military Academy - Recall Yearbook (Alton, IL)

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ably seated in our attractive dining hall. Be- fore the meal is well under way, Mrs. Murphy, the school dietician, begins her usual visit to each table. She has learned a great deal Mrs. Dora C. Murphy: Did you order a cake? about our wants and needs through her long experience and from her two sons, who are graduates of Western. During her career here she has planned approximately 10,800 meals. Another of her interests is the school canteen where, in the afternoons, tired and weary, we go for refreshments. Oh, oh! The Major ' s up. Battalion, ’TENTION! RISE! Right and left FACE! Forward — MARCH! The last face we see when we leave the mess hall is that of the smiling Mrs. Murphy. The next half hour is free time — yea, free to clean our rooms. At eight the bugler always reminds us that it ' s time for school. We dash up the stairs and breathlessly throw ourselves into our seats before As- sembly blows. If I had a small town newspaper . . . Yes, it ' s the jolly Captain Hinton, sitting on the edge of his table, his pet spot. During his four years at Western, this well- qualified instructor has taught the life, works and characteristics of the English writers. As he is the sponsor of the Shrapnel, our school paper, he is seldom found with leisure time. It is on account of this paper that we look forward to the Thursday evening dinners, when we may read the news of the current week while gulping our accompany- ing dish of ice cream. Captain William M. Hinton: Now, that reminds me . . . We spend second call in the schoolroom, studying — if not sleeping — trying to make up for the weekend of scholastic inactivity. During the next fifty minutes, we vainly attempt to bull through Captain Gould ' s Commercial Law class. However, we meet Captain F. V. Gould: Case problems. with little success, in this attempt, since his understanding of human nature reveals our foolish motives. It was partly because of this understanding that he was chosen as head of the social studies department here. This characteristic has also aided him to produce five athletic championship teams of the eight he has coached since he came to Western three years ago. Don’t you wish you could boast of a bafting average equal to this? Great Day! Shortly after noon mess we stroll leisurely — 26 -

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As we lie under the shade of the old apple tree thinking of Western, we can hardly be- lieve that the 6028 hours of our senior year have already ended. It hardly seems fair that this year, to which we looked forward for so long, should have passed so rapidly. As we think back on the crowded weeks, we can easily see what little time we had to stop and think of the flying hours. Strange as it may seem, our new grading system has bee n one of the chief reasons that the time seemed to pass so rapidly. Now we receive grades in alternate four and five-week periods, instead of the six-week periods we had had heretofore. This is just one of the many changes that Major Pers- ing, our new principal, has brought into our school year. As he is one of the leaders in progressive education, it is only natural that he introduce new ideas to the cadets and faculty. Major Chester L. Persing: Come in! Those cadets who expect to go to col- lege had better be getting their applica- tions in for the college they hope to attend. At the soonest possible date! We seniors have heard this speech many times and are ever grateful for the help he has given us in choosing a college in which we could be both happy and successful. His earnest en- thusiasm is not confined to helping the sen- iors, but extends to the underclassmen as well. One of his most helpful suggestions was the evening conference about vocations between successful business men and us cadets. Let ' s see, what else has he done? There is so much that I can ' t name everything . . . guess I ' ll just lie here and rest a little longer. Of course that — $t — bugle is bound to blow now! And me only half dressed. As I dash down the front steps, tucking in my shirt tail, I keep a watchful eye on Captain Thomas, only to discover that he is watch- ing me equally as close. With these same Captain Carl A. Thomas, friend of all cadets keen eyes he has watched the development of B Company, which has been under his supervision for many years. Throughout his fifteen years as tactical officer at Western he has instructed every military class offered by Western. According to our crude calcu- lations, he has corrected 6,600 military test papers. Nice job, eh? However, it is not wholly on account of his military work that we remember him, but we also think of him as the quiet, unassuming friend of all cadets. After the report, Captain Thomas in his sharp voice orders, Two steps backward — MARCH! and Squads right — MARCH! In a few moments we find ourselves comfort- — 25 —

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down to the science rooms in the basement of E barrack. As we lug our books to the bottom of the stairs, we — Look out! you ' ll step on Butch! No, it ' s not dwarfs, that ' s just one of Captain Schrantz ' s pet guinea pigs. Now that we ' re here, it won ' t take long for Captain to corner them. Call goes, class begins, and Captain Schrantz starts the discussion with, Well, today we ' ll take up ... His congenial Captain George F. Schrantz: Well, it ' s this way . . and interesting methods of instruction offer a real incentive for his students to work. Although he asks over 18,500 questions a year, he reserves ample time to explain each subject adequately. His interest in the cadets extends beyond the classroom. We seldom attend an athletic contest without noticing the familiar figure of Captain Schrantz on the sidelines. He is and always will be a favorite with the cadets and faculty. At 3:20 it is with great relief that we lay aside our school work and hurry out for two full hours of baseball practice — sigh! sigh! After this strenuous exercise, and after a hard evening of studying, we are ready to hit the hay at 9:30. What ' s this? Why is mess call going so early? It ' s only twenty to seven . . . Oh, yes, it ' s time for dear old calisthenics. Well, we ' re out on time today, and look, Captai n — er, er, we mean Major — Moore notices it. Keep forgetting that well- deserved promotion this spring! Major Moore, who received his first military train- Major Charles H. Moore: Hold it down, there! ing as a cadet at Western, is assistant com- mandant. And doesn ' t the sight of this ener- getic man bring back the memory of the science classroom when, around I 1 :20, we heard the familiar, It ' s a fact, you ' ll find a turtle in every class . . . , and we knew that it was the tactical officer of C Company instructing the junior military class? His knowledge of weapons is not limited to the classroom, as is shown by his efficient spon- sorship of all outdoor shooting. Subtle humor and genuine enthusiasm are his dominant characteristics. From formation on the company street, we march onto the upper field, where we all indulge in early morning set ups . When mess call goes, a few minutes later, we are ready to devour everything in sight. At eight o’clock we reluctantly climb the three flights of stairs to the music room in C barrack. We hesitate before entering, for we know how sour our playing will sound, as we have not touched a key since our last lesson. Gathering up courage, we throw open the door. Soon we are put at ease, for Mrs. Porter, with her characteristic smile, assures us that just this once she will take into consideration the busy weekend which we have had. We receive individual instruc- tion in music from this proficient lady, who also devotes many of her evenings to the direction of the school orchestra. In this she kills two birds with one stone, for she — 27 —