Wheeler High School - Wheelerite Yearbook (North Stonington, CT)

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Class Prophecy After twenty years of marriage and working all around the world in the Civil Service, I, Ellen Tough, returned to old North Stonington for a long needed visit. Upon arriving I noticed a few big changes had been made to disguise the little town. Across the street from the Town Hall stood the prosperous Beauty Salon, I knew someday Barbara McGowan would have her own Beauty Salon, and the sign read, Barbara’s House of Beauty. I stopped in for a manicure and we talked about old times. The last thing I expected to see, Barbara Banning as her assistant, had reached my eyes. Getting ready to speak to her, I was interrupted by their bookkeeper, Barbara Hoxie. To my surprise, none of them had changed the least bit. I later learned that Barbara Umphlett and Wilfred Robert, Jr. had been married for eighteen years and had ten children. Wilfred had joined the ranks of The Welders' Union of America. Raymond Gould had captured three mountain lions and was still out roaming the woods for a giant bear that had killed 24 menl I left the girls and headed for the Westerly Hospital to visit my brother. Upon arriving at the hospital, I saw Joan Clark sitting behind the little Information” sign. Little did I know that she would become a telephone operator. She informed me that she was also a housewife and mother of three grown children. It was time for the 3-11 shift to come, and more familiar faces would appear. Down in the Pediatrics department I saw Susan Murphey giving a little boy some pills. She waved to me and I waved back happy to see her again. On the men's floor was none other than Sandra Foster getting all her medicines ready for distribution. We spoke and had a lovely conversation, but I had to leave. I ambled upstairs to visit Kathleen Hill who had just had her sixth boy. The nurse on duty happened to be Gayle Coats. Gayle asked me to look down the corridor, and when I did, 1 saw Gloria Main, R.N., checking all her charts. Dr. Lucinda Palmer was in the Delivery Room, and when I heard a lusty yell, I knew one more person had been added to the population. Ruth Walley had become the Psychologist and had her own office on the ground floor. Everyone had become someone. Peter Devaney and John Edmond were specializing in horticulture and forestry. Nancy Chesbro was with them as a secretary. They opened for business 15 years ago. Right across from my mother's house stood a modern and beautiful farm owned by Danny Bill. He had certainly done a wonderful job on it. Fred Joiner had a used car lot with Carol Maine as his secretary. Lorraine Leaycraft was an English teacher. Bob MacNeil was a Science Professor at Yale. Ralph Lechner was prosperous in his restaurant chain. Indeed, all my former classmates had come a long way.