Winchester High School - Aberjona Yearbook (Winchester, MA)

Page 16 text:

countries of Europe and England was totter¬ ing under intense bombings. Pearl Harbor! Before we knew it, we were at war. It seemed like a dream as we sat in the assembly hall and listened to the President ask for war. To us fighting was unreal and far away, but the Japs had struck us between the eyes and we soon awakened. Our principal, teachers, and schoolmates shortly answered the call to the colors. Air raid drills, dimout rules, paper conservation and the scarcity of prod¬ ucts brought the battles home to us. War, however, did not hamper the activities of an ambitious and energetic sophomore class. We campaigned for a school band, bolstered a championship baseball team, saw Bert Moore and Gordon McGovern star on the second team hoopsters who lost only their last game in sev¬ enteen; watched Dick Callahan and Bud Ma¬ honey win first team suits in baseball; and danced to the strains of ‘White Cliffs of Dover”, “Chattanooga Choo-Choo”, and “El¬ mer’s Tune”. We won’t forget our contribu¬ tions to the Vaudeville, either; Bert Moore’s violin. Bud Mahoney’s monologue, Bill Ev¬ erett’s and Earle Spencer’s “Air Raid”, Patsy Leonard’s “Maudie”, and a host of girls that brightened up the choruses. Our junior year was one of sunshine and glory. After two years of “getting ready”, we were now prepared to take our place as upper¬ classmen. Class officials for this memorable year were Steve Greene, Ken Harvey, Barbarie Harm- er, and Herbert Mahoney. We bolstered our claim to greatness during the ensuing football season which saw the team climax an unbeaten season with the Class C Championship. Our first team letter winners were Ken Harvey, Doug Cromwell, Angelo Amico, Fred Hicks, and Tom Derro. In all other sports we were tops! Our basket¬ ball team, bolstered by Juniors, was invited to the Tech Tournament. Saraco, Swymer, Calla¬ han,McGovern, and Clarke were diamond aces, while DiMambro and Ottiano ran wild on the cinder paths. In girls’ sports new faces ap¬ peared — Anne Richardson in hockey, Peggy Ware in tennis. Ken Harvey was announced captain-elect of the football team; Anne Richardson, hockey; “Edie” Dover, basketball: Anne Penniman, tennis; Tony Saraco, baseball; while John Ot¬ tiano and Frank DiMambro shared the track honors. Of course the records will never let us forget our illustrious two-year, three-sport manager, Alan Bugbee. Juniors monoplized the “Red and Black” and lifted the paper to its proper place in school affairs; Jean Freygang headed the Red Cross with Bill Eaton as Vice-President; Jim Kim¬ ball was Vice-President of the Thrift Associa¬ tion; B. J. Smith was Secretary of three organi¬ zations; Steve Greene held the second highest position in Student Council; George Gould presided over the Camera Club. The class play, “Seven Keys to Baldpate”, couldn’t have been a success without the stellar performances turned in by Joan Mullan, Her¬ bert Clement, Larry Smith, Earle Spencer, and Virginia Terhune. Bob Johnston was the in¬ dividual star of the Vaudeville — while over fifty other classmates directly contributed to its success. During this year Bert Moore engineered the sale of War Stamps, introduced the Honor So¬ ciety; and the Student Council sponsored our first Vocational Day. Will we ever forget the dances held in the gym to the tune of “I’ve Heard that Song Before” and “Sleepy Lagoon”, climaxed with the pomp, color, and gaiety we combined into a wonderful Prom . For three years we had slaved and suffered until this Fall we reached the top — Seniors at last! It was high time now to put away our yo-yos and buckle down to the task of better¬ ing the records left by other graduating classes. In no time the A. A. boasted of a 100% school membership for the first time in history; the Student Council introduced traffic squad re¬ vision; our girls’ basketball team sported a rec¬ ord second to none in the annals of the school; we flew the minuteman flag for the first time; the chorus broadcast over the radio; we held the first town meeting discussion; and we founded new hockey and indoor track squads. Countless other unsurpassable records will be left behind us as a result of our efforts. Joe Foley was elected as chief executive, with Frank DiMambro second in command; Mary Power, Secretary; and Larry Norton was left

Page 15 text:

A. A. Executives; Minute Man Flag; Dance Decorators; Cup Winners; The Gang”; Fourth Period Gym.

Page 17 text:

to balance the budget. Bob Lynch beaded the Student Council; Dick Fenno governed the Athletic Association: and Bert Moore piloted the “Red and Black”, Red Cross, and “The Aberjona”. B. J. Smith ruled over the Dra¬ matic Society; Virginia Terhune was at the helm of the Thrift Association; Gordon Mc¬ Govern controlled the Traffic Squad; Kay Simonetta guided the Library Club: and Her¬ bert Mahoney led the Science Club. No his¬ tory could be complete without mention of that gallant group of trigger men who have taught underclassmen to tremble at the names, Derro, Mahoney, Callahan, Muehlig, Nihan, and Twombly. To live up to the record of last year’s champ¬ ionship football team was too great a task for us, but we emerged with a good gridiron record of six wins, three losses, and one tie, including a heart-breaking one-point loss to our arch rival, Woburn. First team letter winners were: Captain Ken Harvey, Tom Derro, “Shiney Amico, Ralph Muehlig, Fred Hicks, Carmen Tofuri; Frank DiMambro, Tony Saraco, Phil O’Rourke, Steve Greene, and Dick Nihan; with Mike Penta capturing a second team award. Girls’ Field Hockey letter winners were: Anne Richardson, Edith Dover, B. J. Smith, and Ruth Tapley. At the A. A. All Sports Banquet we saw Ed¬ ith Dover and Alan Bugbee receive the Mans¬ field-Wheeler Sportmanship Cups. Our basket¬ ball team finished in third place in the League under the leadership of high scorer and Captain Gordon McGovern. Bert Moore, Dick Coon, Dick Callahan, Ted Atkinson, and Tony Sa¬ raco formed the nucleus of the first team, while Bud Mahoney, Ralph Muehlig, Phil O’Rourke, and Dick Fenno received second team letters. The greatest sport performance of the year was the spotless slate turned in by the all-senior girls ' basketball team. Paced by Edie Dover, who compiled an average of well over fifteen points per game, the girls set down all oppo¬ sition. Members of this winning combination were: Anne Richardson, Anne Penniman, Vir¬ ginia Wallace, B. A. Smith, Ruth Tapley, and Muriel Howard. “Edie” Dover also headed the the never-to-be-forgotten cheer leaders, Shirley Carroll, Virginia Terhune, Marilyn Drake, Vir¬ ginia Nelson, and Anne Richardson. Letter winners of the first-year hockey team included: Captain Tom Derro, Larry Norton, Bill McGrail, Dick Nihan, Deane Tolman and Bob Tucker; while Ken Harvey and Gene Clen- r.on received awards for track supremacy. Cap¬ tain Tony Saraco and “Zeke” Swymer headed a winning baseball team and Seniors monopo¬ lized the successful track season. Both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams came up with their usual top notch records to top the best in this dis¬ trict. “June Mad’’ saw B. J. Smith and “Herbie” Clement sharing top honors, ably supported by Virginia Terhune, Bob Johnston, Larry Smith, Phil Slocum, and John Ottiano. Memories of a top-ranking Vaudeville will always include Bob Johnston’s voice, Ma Carey’s trumpet, Herbert Clement’s ingenuity, the jazz band, Mr. Hayward’s skits, the Senior Octet har¬ mony, the fairyland dances, and the pony cho¬ rus. Our final splashes together were a merry¬ making Class Night, complete with a delicious Banquet; and a Prom which compared with the best in history. Remember the hours of practice we put into graduation rehearsal in preparation for our final release? Well, we are Seniors now — yes — in a short while we will be Alumni; but we’re not so sure that we want to graduate. As the coming months go by we’re going to miss the days of “Mairzy Doats” and “Pistol Packin’ Mama . We may have disliked the studies, but never again can we relive or replace the friendships and the good times that have filled our high school years. Now we are turning to the fu¬ ture — a future that, perhaps, will hold in store a delightful reunion for the Class of 1944. Dick Fenno, Class Historian