The Class of 1947 in Retrospect
Hampton Academy & High School
By John M. Holman, Class Marshal
1947 - 50th Class Reunion - 1997
It all started in September 1935, when we had to put away our toys and dolls and go to a special building called HAMPTON CENTRE SCHOOL where we would enter the first grade.
Our first teacher was ADELINE COPELAND MARSTON whom we addressed as "MISS MARSTON". Of course, this being our first experience in school, we were all shined and polished to impress the teacher. One girl I knew had a very pretty plaid dress and all the kids admired it. In fact, they admired it so much, that the following year in second grade, her mother went out and bought another plaid dress for her, similar, but not exactly like it. As I remember it, the kids admired that one, too!
In 1st grade, we learned colors, numbers, letters they called "The Alphabet" and how to apply proper social skills. On the playground, the boys were on the east side of the school and the girls on the west side, separated by an imaginary line, and woe to whoever steps across this line ... To the Principal Sears’ office post-haste! There were 39 of us in 1st Grade.
The first year went fairly quickly and before we knew it, it was June of 1936 and if we were lucky, we would be promoted to 2nd Grade, where more surprises awaited us. In September of 1936, 31 smiling faces all shined and polished, greeted "Miss Philbrick". Her name, we were told, was EVELYN PHILBRICK, (later Mrs. Squire) and her friends and family could call her Evelyn, but we could call her "MISS PHILBRICK". We found out early that she was an understanding and caring teacher. I was taught to tie my shoe laces much neater and tighter than I had accomplished in 1st grade. One of the girls caught my eye and became my very first girl friend. Must have been the new plaid dress! (or it could have been the new pencil sharpener she gave me for my birthday or Christmas. I can’t remember which. Believe it or not, it still works today as good as new!)
With 3rd grade, came MISS THELMA NORTON (later Mrs. Cummings) with 30 pupils on the roster. Now we had more things to learn and another great teacher to lead us through to June of 1938.
Another year passed quickly and soon it was September of 1938 and we entered into the fourth grade with MISS ADA PERKINS (later Mrs. Simmons) as our devoted education leader. We found out soon that she too was a very caring and patient teacher and we had more and more things to learn about life in general, in addition to the basic education we all yearned for.
Anne Penniman presented her THIRD ANNUAL DANCE REVUE on Friday evening, June 2, 1939 in the Hampton Town Hall. PHYLLIS BLAKE, NANCY WRIGHT, CARLENE WISE and BARBARA GARLAND participated in the dance program.
Moving upstairs to the second story of Centre School, we entered the 5th grade under the tutorship of MISS PAULINE WHITNEY in September of 1939. Here we were exposed to exciting class trips, such as Canobie Lake, The Hampton Falls Chapel, Applecrest Farms, the new construction of the Hampton Academy & High School, guided by Mr. Leo Haggerty, superintendent of construction and father of one of our classmates, NANCY HAGGERTY, who had a brother named Tom.
SALLY SEARS was our reporter for Hampton Union and covered the news from our class very professionally. A flower show was held in the fifth grade class room and the following pupils received ribbons for their entries: BARBARA GARLAND, NANCY HAGGERTY, CARLENE WISE, LOIS ALLEN, ETHEL MAGRATH, PHYLLIS BLAKE, MARILYN MORSE, JOHN HOLMAN, NANCY HOYT, ISABEL SHAW, DOROTHY HENDERSON and BRUCE MacLAUGHLIN.
A hobby show was also held during the year, and one of the outstanding features of the show was a string of beads forty-three feet, five inches long, exhibited by BARBARA GARLAND!
One of the highlights of the year was the raising of the submarine USS Squalus [SS 192] on September 13, 1939 and we listened to the raising operations off the coast of Portsmouth on a radio brought in by Miss Whitney.
32 pupils comprised our class as we moved across the hall to sixth grade in September 1940 with MISS ELSIE BARTLETT at the helm. She was firm, but fair and we soon took a liking to her.
BARBARA GARLAND (WOODS)’ autograph book contained some intriguing bits of witticism such as:
"I thought, I thought, I thought in vain; at last I thought I’d write my name."
-- NANCY HAGGERTY - 12/30/40.
"Yours 'til Australia gets Hungary and fries Turkey in Greece."
-- MERWYN THOMPSON - 3/21/41.
"I hope you’ll never have a day, the color of this page." (blue) --
NANCY WRIGHT, Beach Road, Hampton, NH.
"Dear Barbara; I hope you will continue to help and inspire others, as you have me, with your cheerful readiness and 'wideawakeness’
-- Your friend, ELSIE BARTLETT (6th grade teacher) March 19, 1941. (I guess we know who the "Teacher’s Pet" was THAT year!)
"By hook or by crook, You’ll NOT be the last to write in this book!"
-- BETTY LOU FREEMAN - Grade 6 - 1941 - Good Luck!
Dorothy Bondi’s Piano Recitals produced more talent from the 6th grade including NANCY HAGGERTY, MARY & MARIE KUNTZ and BARBARA GARLAND in both 1940 and 1941. And speaking of music, who can forget the "Music Appreciation" with Walter Damrosch in the school auditorium??
A Memorial Day program was presented on May 29, 1941 in the Centre School Auditorium, which included the Invocation by the Rev. Lloyd Perrigo, followed by the Salute to the Flag and the 1st and 4th stanzas of "America" by "everybody". A playlet based on the poem "The Name of Old Glory" by James Whitcomb Riley, written and presented by the sixth Grade. The poem was read by WILLIAM DAVIDSON. The song "National Hymn" was sung by the entire sixth grade. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was given by JOHN HOLMAN, with an introduction by FREDERICK RUSSELL. An address was given by Mr. Simonds with the closing song, "God Bless America" by the entire student body. DAVID THIRSK was the Master of Ceremonies.
At the graduation ceremonies from 6th grade to 7th grade Junior High, the Class Prophecy was given by BARBARA GARLAND on June 12, 1941. Graduation "diplomas" were presented by MISS ELSIE BARTLETT with appropriate ceremonies.
VELNA G. ADAMS (later Evans) greeted us as we found our seats in 7th grade. It wasn’t hard to settle in with this young, red-haired teacher who really seemed to care about us. However, she was still called "MISS ADAMS" as a mark of respect. After we were introduced to Miss Adams, we were introduced to 16 new students from the 6th grade in Hampton Falls, who would be our new classmates for 6 more years. Based on Forrest Brown's memory, they were as follows: AUDREY BATCHELDER, DORIS BINNETTE, FORREST BROWN, NANCY DAVIS, RUTH EDGERLY, ALICE MAY ELTON, MADELINE HAWKINS, EUGENE HEAL, NATALIE MEYER, RICHARD PERKINS, BURTON BOND, LOUISE RUNNELLS, JOANNE RUGH, EVELYN YOUNG, JOHN TRUMBULL and EVERETT THOMPSON. When the Honor Roll came out on November 7, 1941, the following names appeared on the list: WILLIAM DAVIDSON, RUTH EDGERLY, BARBARA GARLAND, DOROTHY HENDERSON, JOHN HOLMAN, MARY KUNTZ, FREDERICK RUSSELL, DAVID THIRSK and NANCY WRIGHT.
The following month, on December 19, 1941, the Honor Roll produced these names: BETTY LOU FREEMAN, NANCY HAGGERTY, BRUCE MACLAUGHLIN, MARILYN MORSE, BURTON POND, WILLIAM DAVIDSON, RUTH EDGERLY, BARBARA GARLAND, FREDERICK RUSSELL, NANCY WRIGHT, JOHN HOLMAN and DOROTHY HENDERSON.
Moving into 8th grade with 46 members, we again were fortunate to retain MISS ADAMS, who directed us with 2 one-act plays, entitled ELMER AND THE LOVE BUG and PRETTY GIRL WANTED, with the cast and helpers numbering 30.
It doesn’t seem possible that 8 years are coming to a close and now we must prepare for graduation from 8th grade to High School. Miss Adams was instrumental in organizing our graduation with a program as follows:
Bible Reading by JOHN HOLMAN; Flag Salute & Singing of "America" by everyone standing; Class History given by FREDERICK RUSSELL; BARBARA GARLAND presented the Class Prophesy (which she wrote herself); the Class Will was read by DOROTHY HENDERSON; and the Class Gifts were presented by MARY KUNTZ and GERTRUDE GAURON.
FREDERICK RUSSELL presented the Class Gift to the school and MR. CLIFFORD EASTMAN presented the Athletic Awards. The American Legion Awards were presented by MR. DEAN MERRILL, representing the American Legion Post #35 of the Hamptons. The guest speaker was MRS. WAYNE P. BRYER a member of the School Board, with music for the exercises provided by the entire 8th grade class. The program closed with the singing of the National Anthem by the entire student body.
September of 1943 arrived and off to the Hampton Academy & High School with 44 pupils in the Freshman class -- 21 in room 2 and 23 in room 3. Our home room teachers were MRS. RUTH DURANT and MRS. ARLENE RAYNOR. SHIRLEY GILMORE joins our class from Amesbury, Massachusetts and brings our class total to 45.
The Freshman year finished in June 1944 and most of the class looked forward to the summer vacation and then back to school in September as Sophomores. Quoting from the Fall 1944 issue of HA SCRIPT, "Seeing is believing, as the saying goes, and in order to believe this, you have to see for yourself. I speak of HOWARD NOYES (new member of the class from Andover, New Hampshire), the "pride and joy" of the Sophomore Class. Whenever mischief is brewing, you’ll always find innocent, little Howie! He has more corny jokes up his sleeve than Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, but they’re always good for a laugh or two. That is just one of the features of the Sophomore "Pride and Joy".
We all looked forward to the representative of the L.G. Balfour Company coming to show us samples of Class rings. A class trip to the House of Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts was eagerly awaited also.
"Teachers’ are people
Perpetually yearning
To meet one small boy or girl
NOT allergic to learning!"
Entering the Junior Class in September 1945, we turned to the dramatic side of life in attempting to present a Thanksgiving play for assembly on November 21, 1945 with the following cast members: NANCY WRIGHT, ETHEL MAGRATH, JOHN HOLMAN, ROBERT JERALDS, HOWARD NOYES, PHILIP JOHANNESSON, EUGENE HEAL and BARBARA GARLAND.
Under the watchful eye of MISS HINGSTON, commercial teacher, the commercial students started writing shorthand for the first time. It looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics at first, but it was bound to improve with practice.
"There is a certain question that most all the teachers keep asking themselves. Nobody can answer it. That question is, 'Can Harry Dowling keep his mouth closed for five minutes?’"
The Junior Class Play "POLISHING PAPA" was presented on April 12, 1946 in the school Auditorium under the direction of Mrs. Ruth Durant. Cast members included ETHEL MAGRATH, BARBARA GARLAND, ROBERT JERALDS, HOWARD NOYES, FRED RUSSELL, MARILYN MORSE, JOHN HOLMAN, PHYLLIS BLAKE, WILLIAM CUSHING, MERWYN THOMPSON and DOROTHY HENDERSON as prompter. Many other students participated behind the scenes as Ushers, Ticket Sales, Posters, Scenery and Staging. We thanked Mrs. Durant for her efforts in making the play a success.
Finally, in the Fall of 1946, we started our last year at dear old Hampton Academy as Seniors and welcomed three new members and welcomed back two old members. The three new members were BOB WING, CARL NELSON and KEN WOODS. Back from the Service came DICK HOBBS and BILL POWERS.
"MR. ROOT once said in American History class that Balboa was lucky he landed at Panama and not Brooklyn, because he only had a twenty-mile walk to the Pacific. You have heard the old story that Balboa went across Panama hidden in a barrel. Well, HARRY (DOWLING) said that if he had landed at Brooklyn, it would have been quite a journey across the country in a barrel."
"We find the 'gene theory’ in Sociology quite interesting. But, I doubt if Miss Peterson enjoys explaining it almost every day."
"Three selected Senior boys took part in Miss Tinkham’s recent assembly. GEORGE PAUL (known to us in 1947 as LEROY) as the office boy and PETER REDDY as the most efficient boss were two of the players while the Junior commercial class supplied the rest of the cast. JOHN HOLMAN announced the program.
The Senior Play, "THE FIGHTING LITTLES" was presented in the high school auditorium on December 13, 1946. The play had an unusually large cast, and everyone in the cast enjoyed working to make the play a success. Mrs. Annie K. Slaney, who coached the play, deserves much credit for helping to make the production successful.
The cast included MARY KUNTZ, NANCY WRIGHT, PETER REDDY, FRED RUSSELL, BOB JERALDS, PHYLLIS BLAKE, BARBARA GARLAND, DOROTHY HENDERSON, LOIS ALLEN, SELENA ENOS, RUTH McGAW, JOHN HOLMAN, LEROY PAUL, MERWYN THOMPSON, RUTH EDGERLY, with CARLENE WISE as prompter and HARRY DOWLING as stage manager.
"MR. ROOT to a bevy of girls in History class, 'Dont’t forget you’ve got a date with me tonight?’ It seems that the girls had a detention engagement to make up a test in History. He was just reminding them, but it did cause quite an uproar."
We left Hampton on April 20, 1947 for our Class Trip to New York and Washington, D.C. and returned on April 25th. A good time was had by all. Chaperones were Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Russell and Mr. and Mrs. John Peterson. (Where did all those water balloons come from???)
Caps and gowns were donned on June 13, 1947 at 8 pm in the High School Auditorium as we marched down the isle to the music of Pomp and Circumstance under the guidance of JOHN HOLMAN, class marshal. After 12 years, it was time to move on with our lives and say Good Bye to Hampton High.
Class motto: "STRENGTH THROUGH KNOWLEDGE"
HAMPTON ACADEMY SCHOOL SONG:
"HERE’S TO THE ACADEMY OF HAMPTON"
[Tune: "Our Director"]
1. So here’s to the Academy of Hampton, We love so true,Here’s to our schoolmates, and our teachers too.
Here’s to all alumni, where 'er they be.
As we sing this song for our Academy.
2. So here's to the Academy of Hampton, We love so true,
Here’s to our banner of the White and Blue;
Here’s to all alumni, where 'er they be,
As we sing this song for our Academy.
(Written by Marion E. Berry '18)