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Golden
Memories
1887-1937
50th Anniversary Toition
-1-
Published by The Alumni Association of THE ST. JOHN HIGH SCHOOL
50
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014
https://archive.org/details/goldenmemories1800hahn
எஸ்
Golden
Emtories
1887-1937
50th Anniversary Edition
--
Published by The Alumni Association of THE ST. JOHN HIGH SCHOOL
4
GOLDEN MEMORIES
PREFACE
'Tis our Alma Mater's Golden Jubilee We've made it so-both you and me. In 1887 our association just begun, An Alumnus we had not even one. And for fifty years we've been given graduates Until now we are scattered through all the states.
Here in 1937-May twenty-eighth With festivities we will celebrate; Come with memories and a hearty greeting A hand clasp at the joy of meeting. Friends, young, old, tried and true Many are coming, we want you. LEONA HEARN HALBECK '99.
5
GOLDEN MEMORIES
GREETINGS
-
There are other signs of Spring besides housecleaning, kites and new hats-ask members of the St. John Alumni-they will tell you that the first warm breath of air will blow into their mail-boxes "Golden Memories" from Alma Mater, beseeching each to return to the haunts of their High School days for a reunion at com- mencement time.
Whether or not you accept these invitations, the sight of them is certain to start for every alumnus a chain of reminiscences, both happy and sad.
I send my personal greetings to you, and hope that the tug of reminiscences may be so strong that those who live away may be drawn back and those who live here be so interested that we will pull together for a wonderful day.
VIOLET HAHN,
President S. J. H. S. Alumni, Permanent Historical Secretary.
6
GOLDEN MEMORIES
-1-
From the first class by its surviving mem- ber, Greeting:
These were but three of us and our com- mencement exercises were staged in the Metho- dist Church. The telephone had not arrived in St. John, maybe there was a phonograph of sorts, no electric lights, the postoffice stood in the middle of the square, stores opened at six in the morning and stayed open until ten at night. Paul Nagle was an outstanding young athlete. Six-shooters still barked occasionally and horses filled much of man-creature talk.
It is better now and will be better still when you of the latest class shall hear the alumni centennial dinner bell.
E. R. SHEPHERD, 1888.
7
GOLDEN MEMORIES
BIG FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY DAY MAY 28TH, 1937
-I- MORNING
Registration of all Alumni-
Alumni-in-laws,
Former teachers,
Former students, though not graduates.
Each class display of pictures and relics. Bring, or send, relics and pictures.
Memorial Hour.
Reception and visiting.
NOON
Class and group luncheons.
Write to your class representative for particulars.
AFTERNOON
1:30 or 2:00-Band Concert, or impromptu program by Old Alumni, Graduates and Professors.
300-Grand March of all graduating classes, around square.
EVENING
6:30-Banquet.
Plates $1.00.
Send for reservations now.
10:15-Dance. Gene Hammitt, sponsor.
COMMENCEMENT WEEK ACTIVITIES
Baccalaureate service on Sunday, May 23rd.
Class Night on Tuesday, May 25th.
Commencement on Thursday, May 27th.
Chancellor Lindley of the University of Kansas is the commencement speaker.
Fiftieth Anniversary Reunion program, on Friday, May 28th.
8
GOLDEN MEMORIES
CLASS PLANS
-1-
Several of the classes are planning to have a class get-together at the noon hour, May 28th. Some a covered-dish luncheon, some a light lunch, some plan to have a, church or restaurant serve, each paying for their own plate, some are planning a picnic. Some plan to have the whole family and former teachers, others their class only. Some classes have not yet turned in their plans. Most classes are planning luncheons. Write to your Class representative for more details.
1888 to 1900, Inc .- Mrs. S. W. Henderson. Noon luncheon at her home. 1902 to 1906, Inc .- Noon luncheon at Bert Baseman home.
1908-Noon, P. O. Seevers home.
1909-Plans are being made.
1910-Luncheon at Martha Ring home.
1911-Noon luncheon at Leslie Mater home.
1914-A Get-together some time in the Park.
1915-Noon luncheon at Wm. Davison home.
1917-Noon luncheon at either R. S. Shank home or E. J. Hahn home. The E. J. Hahn home will be open to members of this class for resting and dressing privileges.
1918-Covered-dish luncheon. Place not definitely decided.
1919-Noon luncheon at the Paul R. Nagle home, Mildred Colglazier, hostess. The H. J. Cornwell and the Kenneth Sidman homes open to members of this class for resting and dressing privileges.
1921-Picnic in Park or Ruth Blake home.
1922-Noon luncheon. Sue Clowers, with Edwina Lickiss assisting.
1924-Picnic lunch at noon.
1926-Noon luncheon. -
1927-Picnic lunch.
1928-Picnic luncheon.
1929-Noon luncheon at the J. H. Hammitt home.
1932-Bertrude Baseman, chairman luncheon committee.
1934-Place and time not yet decided. James Barber chairman. 1936-Picnic in Park.
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GOLDEN MEMORIES
CLASS REPRESENTATIVES
-II-
Who have secured the addresses and information for this book and who are to be the group representatives for the reunion: 1887-1898, Rena Glasscock Hoagland (Mrs. Doc)
1899, Leona Hearn Halbeck (Mrs. O. O.)
1900,
Nellie Shepherd and Blanche Henderson (Mrs. S. W.)
1901-1903, L. E. Copeland
1904-1905, Pearl Unruh 1906-1907, Pearl O'Connor (Mrs. Blaine)
Pearl Gaut and P. O. Seevers
Rosa Stewart (Mrs. J. D.)
Martha Ring (Mrs. Wayne)
1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, Leslie Mater 1912, Ray Harter 1913, Ida Frazee 1914, 1915, John Kendall
Caroline Welch (Mrs. Inah)
Edna Beswick and Roy Clowers
Kenneth Sidman
Naomi Cornwell (Mrs. Courtney)
Veva Sidman (Mrs. Kenneth) and Evart Garvin
Harvey Blake and Gertrude Bartle
Ruth Blake (Mrs. Harvey)
Edwina Lickiss and Mrs. Sue Clowers (Mrs. Jack)
Laura Prather (Mrs. Thos.) and Wes Wise Erma Abbott and Louise Carrier (Mrs. Vic) Bill Roohms and George Lill
Edna Baker (Mrs. Milton) and Oliver Selfridge Ann Roohms (Mrs. Bill) and Wiley Mock
Glenn Boyd, Jack Copeland and Marjorie Way (Mrs. Herbert) Natalie Hammitt, Clo Ellen Ahnert (Mrs. Louis)
Eloise Seevers and Imogene Strobel (Mrs. Russell) Eleanor Hahn and Rex Kay
1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, Junior Lickiss 1934, 1935, Ruth Fennessey
Winifred McCoy
Norma Hoskin, Ruth Shaler and Harvey Robinson
1936, Mary Dean Starke
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GOLDEN MEMORIES
HISTORY OF ALUMNAL ASSOCIATION OF ST. JOHN HIGH SCHOOL
-11-
On August 26th, 1899, at four o'clock P. M., the graduates of the St. John High School, whose names follow, met and organized the associa- tion. Those present were Misses Rilla Harris, Mabel Irwin, Anna Shaler, Kathryn Lill, Mae Hilmes, Iva Harrison, Leona Hearn, Bessie Lill and Elizabeth Gillmore, and Messrs Alton Wilcox, Harry Aitken, and Harry Davis. Mr. U. S. Guyer, Principal of St. John High School, presided and Miss Bessie Lill acted as temporary secretary.
The following constitution was adopted:
CONSTITUTION
ART. I.
The association shall be called the Alumnal Association of the St. John High School.
ART. II.
The objects of the association are the cultivation and perpetuation of feeling of attachment and unity among its members, of interest in the high school and the transaction of business connected with annual meeting's, banquets or other entertainments determined upon by the association.
ART. III.
All regular graduates of the St. John High School are members of the association.
ART. IV.
The officers of the association shall be a president, three vice-presi- dents, a recording secretary, a treasurer, and an historical secretary, to be elected annually.
ART. V.
The president, vice-presidents, recording secretary and treasurer shall perform the usual duties devolving upon such office.
ART. VI.
The historical secretary shall keep in connection with the names of the members, in a book to be preserved, an account, of their occupations and residences and chief events of their lives, so that he can quickly pre- pare full and suitable memoirs. He shall also keep, in an album furnished by the association, the photograph of the members. He shall also keep a record of leading events in the high school.
ART. VII.
The association shall meet in annual business session at 2:30 o'clock on the afternoon previous to commencement day.
ART. VIII.
Seven members shall constitute a quorum. (Note: We have a hard time getting that many sometimes).
2 ART. IX.
The constitution may be changed or amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular session.
ART. X.
The annual membership fee shall be 25 cents.
ART. XI.
The Principal of the High School shall be a member ex-officio of the association.
11
GOLDEN MEMORIES
The association then proceeded to elect officers with the following results :
President Harry Aitken
Vice-President (1st)
Anna Shaler
(2nd)
Kathryn Lill
(3rd)
Rilla Harris
Treasurer
Mae Hilmes
Recording Secretary
Roscoe Miller
Historical Secretary Elizabeth Osborne
On motion it was decided to have a banquet just before commence- ment 1900 and the president appointed the following committee on ar- rangements, Rena Glasscock, Mary Mace, Iva Harrison, Harry Davis and Roscoe Miller.
On motion association adjourned, subject to call of president. U. S. GUYER, (Acting Chairman) BESSIE LILL, (Temporary Secretary)
The above is copied from the Historical Secretary book. Some of the constitution has not been carried out; such as keeping a photograph of each one of you. No doubt that it would have been very interesting had we done so. Parts have been changed, such as Article Ten. We do not collect dues any more and charge enough on the banquets to pay for the Seniors' plates.
To those few who struggled in the early days of the Alumni As- sociation, we are indeed indebted. They had to entertain the ever increas- ing graduating classes; they kept our organization going by food sales and ice cream socials, until there were enough alumni members to carry on a successful banquet for each succeeding graduating class.
Many and varied have been the alumni banquets.
The first one was held in the old opera house which stood just north of where the City Bakery now stands. Some one remembers that oyster soup was served as part of the menu.
Several have been held in the then vacant Fifth Avenue Hotel. One, where the Postoffice is now located. One banquet was given by the Ladies of the Cemetery Association in the Old High School Study Hall, the Spring before it was remodeled into two classrooms.
During the War years, 1917-1918-1919, a banquet was not given, but a reception in the present High School auditorium.
1937 OFFICERS
Officers of the 1937 Alumni Association are:
Violet Holmes-Hahn (Mrs. E. J.), '17 President
1st Vice-President
Jack Copeland, '28
2nd Vice-President
Roy Risley, '35 Secretary Gertrude Bartle, '20 Treasurer Louise Nagle-Carrier (Mrs. Vic), '24
Financial and Budget Committee: L. E. Copeland, Chairman, 1903; Ruth Blake (Mrs. Harvey), 1921; P. O. Seevers, 1908; Pearl O'Connor (Mrs. Blaine), 1907; Rex Kay, 1931; Ann Fergus Roohms (Mrs. Bill), 1927. Roster Committee: Rena Glasscock Hoagland (Mrs. Doc), Chair- man; Pearl Grandy Gaut, George Lill, Natalie Hammitt, L. E. Copeland.
12
GOLDEN MEMORIES
SCENES OF EARLY SCHOOLS
-1-
A beautiful plot in the Buffalo prairie was selected for the location of the first school building in St. John. It was a frame structure and stood North and across Broadway West from the present grade school, about the site of the Harry Ross residence. This was built soon after District 45 was formed, December 11, 1879; the first district meeting held January 1, 1880, and organization perfected two weeks later, with school officers: Wm. H. C. Glasscock, Director; William Dixon, Clerk; and Henry Rohr, Treasurer.
The new school building was an outstanding object of pride in the community, and there was satisfaction in the feeling that school room re- quirements had now been provided for a long time.
The time was not so long, for the grade school, a proud wonder in its early years, bears the builders date of 1887. This was preceded by a two- story, two-room, brick, which stood south of the 1887 building, with south front on Fifth Avenue. It, too, was a grand improvement over the original frame building.
To provide for school room requirements in the interim when the old structures gave place to the new, there was school as usual, various buildings in the city being used. The original frame schoolhouse is, in part at least, still in the city, having been moved out and returned. In February, 1882, it was first used as a residence by F. B. Gillmore, who, with his wife and three small children, were moving in from Sandago, and there being nothing else available, were permitted its use until another residence could be provided. The building was later sold to the Our Carter district and moved to a site East of the present Our Carter location to which it was later moved, and stood there until purchased by Levi Odle and moved back to St. John for use as a residence, and underwent some changes. It is the present residence of Morris Garvin, and stands but a short distance from the original site.
In early days Prof. Blake had a private school in St. John, known as Blake's Academy, patronized mostly by pupils advanced beyond the grades and by teachers. The Academy building was a frame structure of commodious dimensions for that time, and stood on West Street, the sec- tion line, in the Northwest part of town, or three blocks west from the first public school.
When the pupils became too numerous for the first brick school house, the Blake Academy had been closed, and the building was used for the needed room. Among other places that supplied extra school room at various times might be mentioned the old court house that stood on the present site of Convention Hall, the upper story of the present postoffice building, and the the Episcopal Church building which stood at corner of Fifth Avenue and Main Street.
So much for the early buildings. The High School dates from 1887, a two-year course. In 1901 another year was added, and in 1905 began the four-year course.
In keeping pace with our growing school, facilities have grown to their present state. We dream of a new building in keeping with the trend of modern times.
JOHN W. LILL, 1895.
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GOLDEN MEMORIES
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN-
Instead of a commencement speaker each graduate had to give an oration?
The St. John High School had two literary societies-Belle Letters and Literati?
The whole High School consisted of one or two instructors and some classes were held in the Grade School basement?
The Senior Class of 1908 presented the play "Ulysses", and the one who could bend the bow would win the fair lady, and when Claude Gould bent the bow the night of the performance it broke in two; that in a whis- per, not meant for the audience he said, "The darn thing was only mul- berry anyway."?
"Skete" Cadman played-not jazz or swing music-but honest to goodness ragtime?
The dust storm in the Spring of 1935 when it got so dark that school was dismissed?
The business men of the town gave the football boys a banquet?
Do you remember your Class Motto?
The present High School building was built?
The whole High School walked out the Friday following the Turkey Day victory with Stafford?
Bill Davison climbed the air pipes to take the Senior pennant down? We had color fights?
The hobo day originated?
The High School Song was adopted?
The High School colors were changed from Red and White to Blue and White?
The present High School Band was organized?
AND DO YOU REMEMBER any of the Thanksgiving days when the following scores were made:
1906-St. John 17; Stafford 0 1925-St. John
20; Stafford 0
1907-St. John
0;
Stafford
0 1926-St. John
0;
Stafford 34
1911-St. John 0; Stafford 15 1927-St. John
0; Stafford 13
1912-St. John 7; Stafford 9 1928-St. John
0; Stafford 6
1913-St. John 7; Stafford
0 1929-St. John
12;
Stafford
18
1914-St. John 41;
Stafford
0 1930-St. John
0;
Stafford
19
1915-St. John
0; Stafford
7 1931-St. John
0; Stafford
6
1916-St. John 3; Stafford
0 1932-St. John
6; Stafford
24
1917-St. John
14;
Stafford 0 1933-St. John
0; Stafford
19
1921-St. John
0; Stafford
3 1934-St. John
6; Stafford
19
1922-St. John
0; Stafford
21 1935-St. John
7; Stafford
13
1923-St. John
0; Stafford
34 1936-St. John
0; Stafford
13
1924-St. John
19; Stafford 0
IF YOU DO-then you are dated.
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GOLDEN MEMORIES
1
IN MEMORIAM
--- To the Alumni members who have passed on.
"THEIR PASSING."
And life is all the sweeter that they lived, And all of love more sacred for their sake, And death is all the brighter that they died, And Heaven is all the happier that they are there.
15
GOLDEN MEMORIES
DO YOU KNOW THAT-
The main building of the grade the Echo; 1916, Gold and Brown; school was built in 1887; the annex 1917, "El Ano"; 1920, "El Ano"; in 1906? 1921, "ReEcho"; 1926, "Whirlwind"; The main building of the high school was built in 1910; the south wing in 1916? 1929, "Tiger"; 1930, Blue and White; 1937, a 50th Anniversary Edition .- And perhaps a number of others.
Mrs. Maggie Benton Asher (1900) was the first graduate to have a child graduate, Miss Ida Asher grad- uating in 1920. With the child graduating this year, Mrs. Asher will have had six children graduate from St. John High School.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ring, both graduates, will have had five chil- dren graduate with the child graduat- ing with this year's graduating class.
There have been thirty-one grad- uates who have had children grad- uate from St. John High School.
At least six members of the Senior Class have one parent and one senior has both parents who are former graduates.
Only forty of the one thousand graduates have passed away.
The unlucky class was the Class of 1913-it had 13 members.
The Class of 1924 had $360.00 when they graduated. $350.00 was paid on the Athletic Debt, leaving a balance of $10.00, which, together with interest, has been turned over
After many years the grounds of both the grade and high school have been landscaped.
An old warrant to G. L. Garrigues, dated March 3, 1895, for teaching designated-Out of what fund as- ANY.
Classes of 1924 and 1934 had 54 members-the largest classes.
Class of 1901 had one graduate,
Mr. Lill (1895) will have had Harry Davis, and he had graduated seven children graduate, with the once before. child graduating with this year's class.
The St. John High School chose the Tiger for their athletic insignia.
The Journalism class of 1929 pub- lished a weekly paper, The Blue and White.
The High School colors were changed from red and white to blue and white, so that it would not be confused with the Stafford colors.
All the members of the present school board are former St. John High School graduates-Director, Harvey Blake, 1920; Treasurer, P. 0. Seevers, 1908; and Clerk, Elmer Hahn, 1917.
The Class of 1900 was all girls, called "Naughty Fifteen."
Our big Fortieth Home-coming
held on the night that Lindbergh made his lone flight across the At- lantic.
to the Alumni Association for the Alumni banquet, ten years ago, was Fiftieth Celebration.
Some of the classes who have pub- lished annuals are Echo, during Guy- er's or Hilleary's administration or The first High School banquet was both; a weekly paper, 1911, called given by the Class of 1904 in honor
16
GOLDEN MEMORIES
of the Seniors of 1902. Prof. Guyer was back and gave a toast.
The First Alumni banquet was given for the class of 1900.
Some of the gifts presented to the High School by the classes are: System of time clocks, 1919; trophy case, 1923; French color etching, the farm. Class of 1918 graduated in April.
Class of 1902 helped earn money for the first High School piano.
Many Alumni have been back dur- ing the past year:
Jessie Nagle Holland (1911) here years ago. during the summer.
Orva Ruth Welch (1936) won
Mary and Suwarrow Kendall Kansas State typing contest and a (1916) and family of Chicago, visit- scholarship in Gregg Business School, ed in August, 1936. Chicago.
Harry and Mina (Dot) Vedder (1909), Indianapolis, Indiana, were called here at the death of Mr. Fred Vedder, Harry's father.
Marie Courtney Castel (1916) and family of two boys, were here on a furlough from the Philippine Islands.
Mary Nagle Gray (1909), Jack- sonville, Florida, visited home folks this summer.
Junior Welsh (1930) now station- ed in Louisiana, and his brother, Holmes Welsh (1932) of Buffalo, New York, were called home by the death of their father, Roe Welsh, in November.
Herbert Maxwell (1917) and wife of Gary, Indiana, drove through St. John last September on their way to Arizona.
In 1918, during the War, school was held Saturday mornings so that school would let out earlier in the Spring enabling the boys to work on
1931; other trophy case, 1930.
Merrill Jay Ream, beloved teacher and class sponsor of Class of 1917, made an over-night stop in St. John February 28, 1937, looking as young and peppy as when he left twenty
1913 was the first class to wear caps and gowns for graduation.
There is some talk of having all St. John High School Alumni who live in Wichita, have a pre-reunion meeting.
There are so many former stu- dents in Calfornia they should char- ter a bus or special train and all come back to the reunion.
Lena Holmes Waite (1905) never missed a day of school or was not tardy, during her 8 years grade and 4 years high school.
The high school yell "Harum, Mr. Lill (1895) has a son, Frank, scare 'em, rip 'em, tear 'em," etc., (1932) graduating on May 28th from was composed by some high school Central Teachers College, Edmond, girls in the early days of football Oklahoma. (Our Celebration Day and should be preserved as our ori- and Frank's own birthday). ginial high school yell.
17
GOLDEN MEMORIES
(The following four pages is a letter Congress- man U. S. Guyer sent to all his former St. John High School pupils in memory of the 40th anniversary of his coming to St. John. He has kindly permitted us to use it for our Golden Memory Book.)
DOWN
THE ROAD
TO YESTERDAY --
Oh! a wonderful stream is the River Time, As it runs through the realm of tears, With a faultless rhythm, a musical rhyme, And a broader sweep and a surge sublime, As it blends with the ocean of years.
How the Winters are drifting like flakes of snow, And the Summers, like birds between, And the years in the sheaf-so they come and they go, On the river's breast, with its ebb and its flow, As it glides in the shadow and sheen.
There's a magical isle up the River Time, Where the softest of airs are playing; There's a cloudless sky and a tropical clime, And a song as sweet as a vesper chime, And the Junes with the roses are straying.
And the name of this isle is the Long Ago, And we bury our treasures there; There are brows of beauty, and bosoms of snow; There are heaps of dust-oh, we loved them so! There are trinkets and tresses of hair. -Taylor.
18
GOLDEN MEMORIES
COLLEGE
UNIVERSITY
PEDAGOGUE A LA POMPADOUR
DREAMS
January 18, 1897-January 18, 1937 To My Dearest Friends, My Former Pupils :
Forty years! Impossible! To me as fresh in memory as the evening chimes of yesterday. The busy, crowded intervening years have hur- ried along with incredible swiftness.
It was Monday, the 18th, as it is this year, that I drove old "Coaly" seven miles into the teeth of a sting- ing northwest wind and drifting snow that hissed through the prairie grass. Never was happier interlude prefaced with more forbidding intro- duction. Interlude? I was principal and teacher at the St. John High School by accident and against my will and inclination like so many of life's happy experiences. What would I not give to live it all over again !
I have bordered this letter with
19
GOLDEN MEMORIES
H. S. PRINCIPAL
some engravures which I had so you will have no difficulty in retaining some impression of me at least from the cradle to Congress, which may also interest your children. I need no such reminders of you (much as I would like to possess them), for I shall always remember each of you as you were that winter morning long ago.
I have watched your careers and mingled my tears in your sorrows and tragedies and rejoiced in your successes and happiness. This I shall continue as long as I live, for the memory of our associations has been a constant benediction to me. My love and prayers shall follow you al- ways and the memory of you will be, as it has been for many years, aur- eoled in all but celestial light.
I beg you to believe me very sin- cerely and truly,
U. S. GUYER.
M. C.
MEMORIES
20
GOLDEN MEMORIES
THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE
-I-
The old schoolhouse is altered some; The benches are replaced
By new ones very like the same Our jackknives had defaced. But the same old bricks are in the wall, The bell swings to and fro;
Its music's just the same, dear Tom, 'Twas forty years ago.
-McGuffey's Reader.
-11-
Transportation Department Saturday with "Coaly" on the farm
21
GOLDEN MEMORIES
AWARDS
-11-
LIONS
In 1926 the St. John Lions Club first awarded a trophy to the most outstanding boy in the graduating class of the St. John high school. A point system recognizing achievements in four fields-scholarship, school activi- ties, citizenship and church activities-was worked out and has been used with some modification since that time. The plan has attracted consider- able attention and has been copied in various forms in many localities in Kansas.
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