Page 28 - 1965

The sixth grade introduced us to "feuding at the A new teacher greeted us in the eighth grade; his
top levels.” Mrs. Cullen, our English teacher, had
told us that we could not go out for sports because
we had been bad little boys. But Mr. Spicer was put
in charge of us for the afternoon, was not told of
our punishment, and let us go out. For once the
punches were thrown at someone besides us! That
was the year of the yo-yos, the pea-shooters, and
Mr. Allen’s ' Pennies from Heaven,” a game which
won for the superior baseball players free awful-
awfuls. Dick Richardson ran for the office of class
president and decided to call himself Fidel Castro.
Immediately posters were posted al lover the room
declaring Fidel a boon to mankind. The signs had
to be taken down; but Dick was elected anyway.
Mr. Sprague ushered us into Middle School in
1959. That was the year that the mystic magic marker
made his mark, every day in a new place. The culprit
is still at large. Mr. Sprague was a severe disciplinar­
ian; his demerit system made many students work
on Saturday mornings! Our science classes were
sparked by a pyromaniac named Mr. Nash, whose
favorite experiment resulted in burning his finger­ are still red! And who can forget Frank Fulton’s
nails. Mr. Coutts once tied up Sedge Watson’s hands;
and we do not yet know why. Perhaps it was because
of examinations.
name was Mr. Sipp. We also got a taste of the "big
name” teachers—F)r. Odell taught us French, and Mr.
Fuller taught us Fatin. Nevertheless, our most im­
portant teachers were "Frisbee” Conners, who once
got caught in a wire booby trap set by some of his
more imaginative brats, and Mr. Adams, the Mr.
Wizard who will always be remembered for blowing
up the science lab and breaking a desk at which an
unsuspecting student had been sitting. The worst
experience for us eighth graders was giving chapel
talks in the morning without even using notes. We
started having parties for relief . . .
In 1961 we walked into the storybook land of
Upper School. Mr. Johnson’s Bible classes put us in
the proper frame of mind for Mr. Meserve’s group
therapy; but it all went out the window in Jo Jo
Fadd’s math class, in which Tucky Gilbane used to
declare as he walked out the door, "This is goin’
right to the top!” It was unfortunate that that the
"top” was down on us, though; for Mr. Cunningham
never quite got over our hissing in chapel. His ears
green handkerchief, which he flourished constantly
in study hall? That was the year that Doc started his
kingly track empire, that John Bartlett made high
honors (my, that was long ago!), and that "Common
Man” Medoff almost took over the hierarchy of the
class.
Mr. Sulloway introduced us to elementary law by
way of Salem in the tenth grade. That was also the
year of a new sport at Moses Brown—witch hunting.
Spit fights kept the classes lively; and some noses
began to change color. In art class Mr. Wang sup­
plemented the physical fitness program with Chinese
exercises; and, to the distress of student proctors,
"Uncle Jack’s dearies” rolled noisly down the aisles
of study hall. Mr. Owers fattened many an average;
hence Darrell Ross’s immortal exclamation, "I’m so
fat!” The high point of the year undoubtedly was
the glee club’s trip to Yale. We took a bus down but
easily could have floated back! The year came to a
crashing end when Jim Bulman, clad in his infamous
plaid jacket, delivered the resounding "Boomlay, boom-
lay, boomlay, boom!’