Western Military Academy - Recall Yearbook (Alton, IL)

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Keyhole Inspection Sleep Is So Much Sweeter During Class Hours at once, as all cadets try to look wise. In Capt. Schrantz ' s laboratory, we encounter a medley of smells, and we hear his interesting discussion, with friendly banter mixed in with the chemical fumes. That barbarous chant, like some pagan ceremonial, is Capt. Buck and his class, intoning the Latin con- jugations, while Capt. Gage echoes from his room in liquid rhythmic Spanish. Capt. Marchand ' s eyes twinkle behind his shiny glasses as he probes the mysteries of higher mathe- matics, while Capt. Geddes saws away at history, past and present. Major Suhre keeps a watchful eye over the top of his spectacles upon his busy typists, while from the English building comes the polished phrases and cultured tones of Capt. Nel- son pounding away on grammar and speech. Classes change, cadets swarm the campus like bees, and then the school settles down again as Capt. Savage, Capt. Green, Capt. Alter, and Lieut. Schubert snatch the scholastic baton and carry on the academic relay throughout the busy class day. One should not leave academics without men- tioning Maj. Persing, Headmaster and nerve cen- ter of the teaching system. He sits in his office, checks reports, keeps tab on progress, confers with instructors and students, cocks one ear at the study hall, slants one eye out on tho campus to observe any lates, and is as busy as a one-man orchestra with twenty-five instruments. He keeps things hum- ming in Western ' s important activity — education. Western ' s grade system requires each cadet to reach his P. A. (po- tential average). He has a stand- ard to meet in keeping with his ability, and if he falls below, he will lose privileges and find him- self in the study hall, a condition not to be envied. A cadet mak- ing a perfect 4.00 average is eli- gible for the Club 400 or the Na- tional Honor Society. An average of 3.00 ( G ' s in all subjects) is sufficient for the honor roll. This year Western ' s curriculum was broadened to meet war-time demands. Special classes are of- fered in war-time mathematics, war-time science. Credit toward graduation is given in these classes. They fill a real need and are an indication that Western ' s academic program is meeting the challenge of the day. This year, too, an unusually large number of Seniors prepared for the College Board examinations and the en- trance exams to West Point and Annapolis. Ladees and Gentlemen! Allen, Conley, and Laux, in Parliamentary Pose — 18 —

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SCHOLASTIC ACES— THE CLUB 400 Bock Row — Yoder, Greene, Russell, Gregg, Wrisley. Zellinger, Himmel, Gould, Multm, Evans, Douglas. Lewis. Middle Row — Sherman. Axelrood, Porter, Davey, Vanocur, Tarnow J., Zimmer. Braner, Weeke. Ross, Hartmann, A., Hill, Warner, Colburn. Front Row— Stuhler. J„ Lou , Rudolph, Crouch, Barker (Pres.), Heiser, May, J., Regan, Quilligan, E„ Eberle. ACADEMIC PREPARATION— WE VISIT THE CLASSROOMS At 6:15 every mcrning, life officially begins at Western. First call shatters the air and ca- dets roll out of bed. If the bugle call should fail to drive away sleep, a dash of cold water or a persuasive hand will help the lazy to rise and shine. This may seem to have nothing to do with the academic side of life, but one must get up and dress and eat before he can go to classes. Now, one and all, we are rarin to go. In spire of the war-time pressure of military training and the time demanded by Western ' s rich, varied activity and athletic program, aca- demics still occupy the biggest space in the school routine. The average day is divided into seven, 45-minute periods, five in the morning and two in the afternoon. Evening study hall last s one hour and a half. The better students do their studying during vacant periods and at night in their quarters, while others must report to the library to work under the supervision of the Officer in Charge. Now on with school! The school call sounds at 7:45, and five minutes later 300 cadets have assembled in the various classrooms. Let ' s take a look. Capt. Hinton ' s English Lit. class gets off to a flying start as Dutch Dahlin, permanent secre- tary by acclamation, comments upon life and literature in general, after the manner of Addi- son and Doc Sam Johnson, in his witty minutes which have won a great reputation on the cam- pus. Whisk! And we are in Capt. Gould ' s so- cial science class, which is a little more informal, yet the Captain starts his ominous questioning (Continued on page 18) Sweat and Tears — Final Exams In Field House

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WAR CLASS OF SENIOR CLASS OFFICERS Boltom row — Barker, president; Block, vice-president; Albiez, secretary. Top row — Raith, treasurer; Giloson, historian; Dahlin, sergeant-at-arms. We of the Class of 1943 have been presented with a challenge — a challenge of WAR. As we leave the familiar Western campus, the scene of our triumphs, our struggles, our friendships, our character development, our training, we cannot count on choosing the usual career in college, in business, or in the professions which so many graduates before us have followed. When farewells are spoken at the Memorial Gate on Commencement Day, we know that the next meeting of comrades may be in Alas- ka, in the Pacific Islands, in Africa, or in Europe. Some of us are stepping from prep school life directly into the service of our country. Today, when every agency of our govern- ment and industry is bending every sinew to- ward the common goal of winning the war, it was fitting and necessary that we prepare at Western for the great responsibilities ahead of us after graduation. We are a ware that there lies underneath this so-called practical world still deeper and more fundamental truths. There must be knowledge of all kinds, and courage, and character, and faith in God in order to achieve the highest, common good. Those things are worth preserving, worth fighting for. Western has given us this preparation. War correspondents call it morale. We call it edu- 19 4 3 cation — learning to be kind, good, alert, pre- pared, strong, and DETERMINED. It has often been said that the youth of America is its oldest tradition. Youth and young ideas constitute today, as never before, the strength and hope of this great nation, of which we are so much a part. But the youth of America is an asset only if it is trained to take part and play the role well. We, as Seniors, stepping into tomorrow, pledge ourselves to carry the torch and pass on its light and fire to succeeding generations. Our way of life must be preserved. We who have been trained here at Western will help preserve it. We are the War Class of 1943 so that other classes which follow us may belong to an era of peace, free to plan and live their lives unhampered by the outlaw dictatorships who seek to enslave the world. G.J. M„ II. — 19 —