Page 50 - 1940

THIRD FORM Cate's and “Whit’s” discourses on the
history of France, we managed to pick up
The colorful woodlands and falling leaves enough of the language to pass for the year.
again foretold autumn and the approach of We are also grateful to Mr. Meserve, under
another season of school. As we trooped whom we began a two-year preparation for
into Study Hall, we were greeted by a pas­ Paxton and Fifth Form English. However,
sive handshake from “Jit” and assigned to all the amusement this year wasn’t pre­
desks. Our new positions in the center of sented in the classrooms. There were presen­
Study Hall gave us a feeling of pride. No tations in Alumni Hall that we shall long
longer were we humble freshmen, ignored remember, and teams that we played on
by all the higher forms: we were sopho­ and shall never forget.
mores, privileged in our turn to command During the long winter period, we often
the respect of the First and Second Form­ trooped over to the Hall, thinking of the
ers. test (or study period) we were missing, and
This year our number was considerably anticipating an hour of enjoyment, whether
swelled by Bacon, Lillibridge, Bartlett, it was an illustrated lecture or a program
Nevin, McConnell, Vennerbeck, Waldron, of songs by the Hampton Singers, who are
the McFarland brothers, Peck, Hedges, always enjoyed and warmly received.
and Hobbs. With these added to our ranks Among the many lecturers with whom we
to fill the places left vacant, we were pre­ traveled the world were Mike Dorizas and
pared to blaze through the Third Form Major James Sawders. Clubs took our
without any trouble. However, before the minds off work during the long grind. Mr.
first term was finished, we learned that, Gardner instituted a Mathematics Club,
although we were sophomores, we were not which found Peck, McConnell, and Coffin
indomitable; school, as usual, meant work. striving to keep up with the progress of the
“Jack” Adkins and Mr. Gardner, a rooky older members. Waldron added his mellow
teacher at Moses Brown, soon had us en­ voice to the Glee Club, and Jackvony and
joying our wanderings through quadratic Bob Martin helped the orchestra present
equations and graphic calculations. Our its programs between the acts of the school
first lesson in butchery came in “Speed’s” plays. Our rising comedian Scovil added
Biology lab. Although squeamish at first, much jest to the Christmas Plays in his por­
encouraged by the leadership of Mr. Mer­ trayal of an alluring secretary and to the
ritt and spurred on by his quick wit, we spring plays as a nervous elderly man.
learned to dissect malodorous crickets and Walder also acted with the Proscenium
Crustacea astacidae. And many of us were Club, and Spicer, Dunbar, the two Earles,
(with great toil) carried back “to the and Driscoll helped behind the scenes.
grandeur that was Rome” under “Coach” The boys in our class spent much time in
Waughtel and Mr. Walz. Again Catiline the gymnasium and its vicinity, and we
felt the shame of denouncement, and were well represented on some of the school
Ariovistus was driven back across the teams. While Baldwin and Post were trying
Rhine, even to the farthest margins of the to outdo their opponents in soccer, Sanford,
blackboard. Dunbar, Bellows, Clark, Bacon, and Oakes
We are grateful to Mr. McIntyre, another were splashing around in the pool, prepar­
newcomer, who led us through a labyrinth ing for the season that would begin after
of German sentences and deciphered the the Christmas vacation. Once the team be­
maze of heretofore illegible script. Behind gan doing its stuff, Dunbar represented our
the closed doors of rooms five and six we class on the freestyle relay team. In track
encountered le francais; and, between Mr. Burton, Driscoll, and Sanford kept in the