Washington County Post: August 1955
Class of 1948
Has Reunion
Recently at Brick Hotel
Are you ready? Do you have the dates circled on your
calendar? The CCS Alumni Reunion Weekend is July 18-20 this year.
Below is an article to start getting you in the mood. It
was originally printed in the Washington County Post on August 11, 1955 when
the class of 1948 reunited for a 7-year anniversary. This year they’ll be
gathering to celebrate their 60th anniversary
Class of 1948 Has Reunion
Recently at Brick Hotel
Twenty-one Members Attend – Enjoy Steak Dinner – Renew
Acquaintances
Saturday evening, July 23, 1955, the class of 1948 held
its first reunion at the Brick Hotel with 21 persons in attendance. Donald
Bates led in Grace, which was followed by a delicious steak dinner. Robert
Tuttle acted as toastmaster and started an informal “Round the Table”
introduction of each person.
The class history with accompanying annual pictures
compiled by Mrs. Hanna (McKernon) Alexander was read by Mrs. Alice
(MacArthur) Geelan and Mrs. Janice (Hillman) Alexander. Mrs. Joyce (Royal)
Bentley presented a “Remember When” feature. Mrs. Ida (Furfuro) Hayes read
the future plans of the class of ’48.
The reunion was enjoyed by all and renewed contacts and
memories. The class history is as follows:
Editor’s Note: The Red Brick Hotel was built on the
southwest corner of Park Street and Main Street in 1842. It was demolished in
November 1965. Over the yeas it was also known as Comstock’s, Fenton House,
and Irving House. Cumberland Farms now occupies the spot.
History of the Class of 1948
Nineteen years ago this September began the good old
school days for many of us. Miss Eva Carpenter, who had previously greeted a
good many first grades, was on hand to give us a sweet smile and a few words
of encouragement also. Since then, however, that well-known and much loved
teacher has passed away but I’m sure she’ll never be forgotten.
The small people that she took in and guided in that year
of 1936 included: Ruth Thompson, Norma Arnold, Barbara Butts, Harvey Hahn,
Larry Coulter, Ruth Marra, Alice Marra, Joyce Royal, Donald Coulter, Pauline
Motsiff, Larry Wyman, Howard Montgomery, Eugene Nixon, Janice Hillman, Mary
Lee Wright, Jack Ross, Lorraine McLenithan, Barbara Holcomb, Edith Watkins,
Bobby Peabody, Paul Welch, Ernest Weber, Franklin Thompson, Leah Knapp,
Hanna McKernon, Charles Vickers, Orson Spurr (in those days), Caroline
Mullen, and James Mulligan. From that beginning class of 29 pupils only 5 of
the original members were in the graduating class of 1948. They were Janice
Hillman, Joyce Royal, Hanna McKernon, Charles Vickers, and Kirk Spurr.
As we remember our days in first grade we will probably
think of the play house the girls especially enjoyed and the little weather
dolls Miss Carpenter would display on the window sill as the weather changed
from day to day.
Everyone seemed to have passed on
to the second grade the next year with Miss Charletine Ostrander as our
teacher. Alice Mulligan, Howard Granger, Louis and Edward Holcomb, Wesley
Brown and a boy by the name of Burdick joined us. In our second year of
school we felt quite important to be going to the
Methodist
Church where we all
made friends with the janitor, Mr. Church, who never seemed to tire of our
endless questions and constant chatter.
Third grade with Mrs. Janey Coulter, I’m sure we’ll
remember for a while because of our field trip outings. Hastings Meat
Market, the Cambridge Bakery, Mr. Arnott’s dairy farm, and Fisher’s and
Pemrick’s Dairy Plants were all on the agenda. Last, but not least, was our
picnic at the end of the year down at Rockside where we all went swimming in
our BVD’s. That year Joe Herrington, Carl Granger, Jerry Robertson, and
Arthur Jordan joined us.
Passing on into fourth grade we met tall, dark, and
prim-looking Miss Rebecca Bell, Fred Hover, Harry Clark, Pat Gibbons,
Charles Haynes, Wilma Green, and Kathleen Deegan. From the windows of grade
four we could easily see the diamond and watch different classes taking gym,
for this we often got scolded. Another couple of remembrances of the fourth
grade are the many drawings and paintings we always had on display around
the room and a noon-hour in which Charles Vickers was greeting everyone in
the cloak room.
Of course over a period of a few years, some people moved
away and others were left behind, but because we don’t have an accurate
account of these, we are not naming them.
In grade five there was no class picture so we don’t have
the names of those who came in that year. Our teacher was Miss Ethel Carey.
By now we also had a separate teacher for art, which was taught to us by
Miss Record. During our fourth and fifth years of school we started having
our first so called “gripes”. In one or the other of the grades ahead of us
had been taking a trip to the capital of NYS each year but when we came
along the trips stopped because the board said they couldn’t afford it any
longer.
By now we had worked ourselves from room to room up and
down the same corridor until we came to grade six and the end, with blonde,
blue-eyed Miss Button who had to put up with us for a year. Into this class
with us came Don Decker, Don Bates, Douglas Edleston, Diana Coomber, Blanche
Mullen, Floyd Granger, Darwin Woodcock, Frances Kyser, Jane Shields, Bessie
Danio, and Charles Smith. By now we had become pretty fair gum chewers, note
passers, and eraser throwers. How the dust did fly in that little room with
the big globe.
Seventh grade, the place of hushed silences and long
speeches, Phil DeMarco, Agnes Rogers, Bob Catellier, Ida Furforo, Hazel
Loveland, Alice MacArthur, Ruth McLenithan, Bob Small, and Jack Faulkenbury
joined the rest of us that year in going up “fools hill”. How long did it
take us to get it anyhow? Miss Marguerite Lansing tried her utmost to make
ladies and gentlemen out of us that year. We felt quite grownup anyway to be
changing into the eighth grade room for some of our classes. T did give us a
break – a break to pass more notes and slug erasers faster and farther. In
grade seven we also held our first election of class officers. But as we
write this none of us can remember them.
Most of us escaped into the eighth grade to Mrs. Olive
Noteman. One of the highlights during the winter of 1943 was a Christmas
operetta, “The Magi’s Gift” in which the seventh and eighth grader
participated.
After all our exhausting regents we were quite anxious to
begin high school. Thus we began our freshman year with Miss Margaret
Hotaling as our advisor; Donald Decker, pres; Donald bates, vice-pres; Diana
Coomber, sec; Ruth Faile, treas; Charles Vickers and Ida Furforo as student
council representatives. The class of 1945 put us through a freshman
initiation and what a day! Not only did we have to fetch and carry for the
upper classmen but we also had to dress to please them. We probably looked
like wrecks but we sure had a lot of fun!
In our freshman year we also had a
party which was our one allotted activity of the year. After postponing it a
couple of times we finally had it on April 13th at the recreation
center with Miss Van Duzer and Miss Hotaling as chaperones. Charles Vickers
and Hanna McKernon planned the games and refreshments for the group of
thirty-five and we guess everyone had a good time. Also that year most of us
had the thrill of appearing in our first Spring Concert. It was another
first for many of us to be found in the annual popularity contest which
always caused a little excitement. Coming to the end of our first year of
high school the headlines read – Thirty Students to Graduate form Jr. High,
June 22. The salutatorian, Kirk Spurr, greeted the audience by presenting
some problems of “The Peace Citizens”. The valedictorian, Charles Vickers,
based his speech on the class motto: “Labor Omnia
Vincit” (toil conquers all). After Rev. James Hunt, the
guest speaker, gave his address the board of education presented diplomas
to: Donald Bates, Wesley Brown, Bessie Danio, Donald Decker, Philip DeMarco,
Alice Dumal, Ruth Faile, Ida Furforo, Marilyn Harrington, Janice Hillman,
Hazel Loveland, Alice MacArthur, Hanna McKernon, Ruth McLenithan, Stanley
McLenithan, Ruth Marra, Margaret ulligan, William Nolan, Jerome Robertson,
Joyce Royal, Jane Shields, Orson Spurr, Frank Thompson, Edward Tollison,
Robert Tuttle, and Charles Vickers.
Our sophomore year came along next
under the leadership of Mr. Kenneth Wilbur and class officers as follows:
Jerry Robertson, pres; Bob Tuttle, vice pres; Jane Shields, sec; Pat Poole,
treas; Kirk Spurr and Ruth Faile as student council representatives. The new
additions to our class were Irene Lunos from Long Island and Pat Poole from
New Jersey, and also Bill Mason from
Manlius
School. That year we
also bought our class pins. In May we had one of our money making projects
which was a treasure hunt and dance. If you recall the treasure was finally
found near St. Patrick’s Cemetery.
Our junior year under the guidance
of Miss Ruth Weir seemed to be a fairly busy one. The only new addition was
Ward Sherman, who came back to finish school after being in the Navy. Bob
Tuttle was elected president, Hanna McKernon vice president; Irene Lunos,
secretary; Ruth Faile, treasurer; Ida Furforo and Don Decker, student
council representatives. Our long-awaited rings came in February and of
course everyone got all excited over them, even though some didn’t keep them
very long. If you’ll remember we sold candy and soda at basketball games and
noon hours. We also had a food sale and a white elephant sale that year. On
May 9th in 1947 we had a dance at
Lake
Lauderdale
which proved to be quite successful. Chaperones for the occasion were: Miss
Weir, Mr. and Mrs. Nash and Mr. and Mrs. Gallup.
Bess Wurm’s orchestra furnished the music. In
June we would up the year with a picnic at
Hedges
Lake.
The girls went up in the afternoon to make preparations for the supper while
the fellows had baseball practice. Everyone stuffed themselves as usual and
Kirk Spurr gave us all a ride in his motor boat. Later in the evening roller
skating was enjoyed by those who stayed on their feet. Thus ended one year
packed with work and fun.
During the summer of 1947 our famous old school suddenly
caught fire and quickly burned. The opening of school in September was
postponed a few days until the board could find room for every class. Every
available church hall and building including the old school annex were put
into use that fall.
When we started our senior year we
found ourselves going to the seed house office with a few classes in the
annex. In this, our last year, Mrs. Thomas Shiland was the adviser with
Hanna McKernon, pres; Ida Furforo, vice pres; Janice Hillman, sec; Alice
MacArthur, treas; Ruth McLenithan and Jerry Robertson student council
representatives. Only one new member came to us in this year and that was Al
Campbell who came from New Jersey.
Of course, our last year was the very best with so much going on. Besides
all the food sales we had a St
patrick’s Day Dance
at the grange hall. At this was featured a cake walk ad music was furnished
by Doc’s Band. Winners of the cakes were Rogers Gorman, Warren Skellie, and
Wendall Walker. Our chaperones were Miss Holden and Mr. Wallace. Although we
didn’t make any money on that deal we did have a lot of fun. Finally came
our Easter vacation and the trip to the big city of New York which we had been eagerly looking
forward to for many years. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Shiland our chaperones and
the Van Zile Tour Co, we all had the time of our lives. After that, in May
we had a very nice combination Jr and Sr Banquet and Dance, the first of its
kind to be held in place of the usual Jr Prom, which didn’t seem to go over
well in our school.
However, since the new school has been in operation the
situation has greatly improved. The report on this year’s Prom is that it
was a great success. Our last important act took place Monday June 28th
8 o’clock at the United Presbyterian Church, our commencement. Charles
Vickers had the honor of being our valedictorian and Kirk Spurr had the
honor of being the salutatorian. The remainder of the graduates were: Hanna
McKernon, Ida Furforo, Janice Hillman, Alice MacArthur, Ruth McLenithan,
Jerome Robertson, Donald bates, Alfred Campbell, Philip DeMarco, Alice Dumal,
Ruth Faile, Betty Guile, Bill Mason, Margaret Mulligan, Donald Decker,
Patricia Poole, Joyce Royal, Jane Shields, Edward Tollison, ad Robert
Tuttle. Thus ends our grade school and high school memoirs.
However, one sad note in our past was the tragic and
sudden death of Bill Mason at the end of the summer of 1948. I’m sure Bill
will always be remembered be us all.
In these last seven years some of us have gone on to
school, been in the service of our country, gotten married or held various
jobs. We are gathered here tonight to catch up on these things, to renew old
acquaintances, and to make new ones. So let’s live it up a little! Carl
Rissland took group photos after the dinner.
