Western Military Academy - Recall Yearbook (Alton, IL)

Page 22 text:

NOW LET ' S GO SCHOOL T O School Coil’s Gone. On Monday, September 14th, we started the nine-month grind of learning. It was the most rapid beginning this school had seen in many a year. Major Persing, our Headmaster and principal, bore down on the instructors, who in turn bore down on us. To the old men it was like old times; the plebes were somewhat awed by the stiff schedule they were going to have to follow. But everyone seemed ready to work. We started the new school year with a change in schedule, having six academic periods a day instead of seven. There were three academic periods of fifty minutes each and a military period before lunch, with three academic periods in the after- noon. These periods were the meat of the seniors ' four years in high school. Yes, Major Persing was really bearing down on the academic work. We found that out when the first grades were issued at the end of two weeks. These progress grades did not go home to our parents, merci a Dieu, so we had another two weeks in which to redeem ourselves. The progress- Concentration camp, Western style — new Biology lab. — 18 —

Page 21 text:

MAGEE, Major Gray M.; Secretary-Treasurer 3rd Year Dartmouth MOORE, Major Charles H.; Adjutant and P.M.S. and T. 23rd Year Washington University NACHTMANN, Captain Francis; French, English, Dramatics 5th Year St. Louis University, Harvard, University of Gren- oble, France, Middlebury PERSING, Major Chester L.; Headmaster 4th Year Colgate, Yale, Northwestern PIGG, Staff Sergeant Warren F.; Tactical Officer 5th Year U. S. Army SCHRANTZ, Captain F. G.; Science 12th Year Central Wesleyan College, University of Wiscon- sin, University of Iowa SUHRE, Major Henry E.; Commercial Branches 23rd Year Brown ' s Business College Lieut. Andres Lieut. Holman TEAL, Captain Glenn M.; Social Studies I Oth Year University of South Dakota, Illinois State Normal University, Washington University TARTAR, Sergeant Cecil N.; Tactical Officer 1st Year U. S. Army WILKINSON, Major Robert E.; Mathematics 38th Year University of Missouri WILLIAMS, Captain Newell F.; French and Spanish I Ith Year Iowa State Teachers College, University of Iowa WILLIAMS, Mrs. Newell F.; Yearbook Adviser I Ith Year University of Iowa Miss Kramer Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Bentley and Miss Mullin. — 17 —

Page 23 text:

grades and home-grades periods alternated through- out the school year. The campus was a site of many moods when grades came out; some of us were exceedingly happy, some were mad, and then there were a few who wished they had not had fall, winter or spring fever. As time went on, there were certain holidays on which we were excused fro m school work. They were few and far between, but oh, were they welcome! Christmas vacation came, and so did misfortune. Because of the army draft, Captain Teal, our stellar social science instructor, was taken from us to be placed in charge of the various public high school R. O. T. C. units in Chicago. During his nine years at Western, Captain Teal had taught everything in the high school social sciences, giving special emphasis to United States History. He was also one of the mainstays of the athletics department. From Christmas furlough until the end of the first semester, Dr. S. C. Beard, of the University of Illinois, came to take the place of the missing pillar. In the short time of one month that Dr. Beard was with us, he not only filled his position as instructor magnificently, but also won for himself the deepest respect and admiration of the cadet corps. Dr. Beard taught U. S. History in a college manner. Instead of having daily assignments, the cadets listened to lectures given by Dr. Beard, and kept notes on them. At the end of the semes- ter, each cadet wrote a two thousand word theme on a subject of his own choice from the notes that he had taken. Dr. Beard made a talk before the Major Persing confers with Hamilton, F. Haisley, Vog- ler and Endsley about College Board examinations. entire battalion summarizing his previous lectures and his impressions of Western, on one of his few remaining days here. Every last man was sorry that he would no longer be with us. This speech and the semester exams concluded the first half of the ' 40- ' 4l school year. Speaking of exams, they were really tough this year. Just ask any of the victims! They took place on the last two days of January, and because of their difficulty, a short vacation of a day and a half was given to us. It was a wonderful relaxation and One of the new classrooms — Glass bricks and Captain Hin- ton cast a new light on the subject. — I? —