Ypsilanti High School - Ypsi Dixit Yearbook (Ypsilanti, MI)

Page 31 text:

Ka-zik-ka-la, and end with Rip-zip-naught-four without a break, we considered ourselves fairly established as members in good standing. The proverbial armful of books to gloat over was ours and also the envy of seeing the wise Seniors go by with one book over which they were making strange mutterings. As Sophomores I find we were put in verse thus: “Strutting proudly like a peacock, Brimming full of pride, Looking down and shunning All the Freshmen tribe.” Our motto, ““Numquam Retrorsum”—‘‘Never Backward” — had been lived up to admirably. We were well represented in the athletic department and our members helped to swell the number of the Sigma Gamma Kappa and the Beta Nu Sororities and the Estabrook Fraternity. We were still the greatest numerically and were making great strides along social and literary lines. 3 Our Junior year found us ready to boast, for one of our num- ber had actually heard one of the Faculty say, in confidence to a friend, that the Class of ’04 was the brightest class in school and the readiest to grasp a situation. The floating of our class colors, the purple and white, over the Seniors of the Class of 03 bore testimony to the same. During this year many changes were made in the school faculty, due largely to the death of Superintendent Austin George, in whose death the school met with a blow which for a time made it stagger in its onward course. The reins of govern- ment were however very ably taken up by William B. Arbaugh, who was our principal at the time of the death of Prot. George. The name of DeForrest Ross, who has been with us during the entire four years, will be borne away with a feeling of sacred- ness by the Class of 1904, and especially by the members of it who have the pleasure of calling themselves E'stabrooks.

Page 30 text:

History of Class ’O4. WILLIAM N. BRALEY. Every history has a beginning and every beginning a history. So with the Class of 1904. ‘Though we are beginning to take ip life in its entirety, still we have a history, meager though it be, which belongs to our High School life. Strange as it may seem, four years ago we entered as Fresh- men and infants of the High School and our attention, like that of all infants, was first attracted by colors and we have stuck to the color business making a specialty of class colors ever since. We were the largest class ever admitted into the honors of the Ypsilanti High School and at the time of our entrance, | believe that something like this appeared in the school paper: “And what is space?” the teacher asked, The Freshman trembling said, “T-eant think just at present, sir; But I have it in my head.” The Seniors to-day show that something more than space has found place in their heads during the four years of training under such excellent tutorage as the High School affords. The reception given us was somewhat startling to the uniniti- ated and was the cause of considerabie brain expansion at the start, and wishing to lend encouragement to this fact Miss Bower and Miss Kelly tendered to us a banquet at the end of the year. The class yell was another step to greatness and when it was rehearsed often enough so each member could take it up with

Page 32 text:

We find that the members of our class owe much of their womanliness and manliness to the teachings of Prof. DeForrest Ross. Rumor has from time to time married off the Misses of our faculty, but all has been disannointment except in the case of Miss Margaret Gilbert. The rest of the maiden instructors have given us the benefit of their maiden speeches, which I hope and trust will bear golden fruit in the future. Miss Lindquist, our devoted Preceptress, having no desires along the matrimonial line has decided to go abroad, leaving with the students a pleasant memory of school life. The memory of each and every instructor will be cherished as a part of our better selves with each returning thought of the Alma Mater. With the purple and white floating above us, emblems of things good, true and pure, we stand ready to go forth to life’s battle, the motto on our standard ever being ‘‘Numquam Retror- sum’’— Never Backward.”