j J . _
By .
Prof, M, L, Turner
There is rather a scarcity of Sporting News this month
so Mr, Turner has written an interesting article about
the Graduation Class - We feel sure you will enjoy it
lots.
This yearss Senior claas at Piedmont was the largest in the
past fifteen jrears. There were twenty-seven graduates in the class
of 194A, of whom ten were hoys and seventeen were ^irls. This
year*s class was just the reverse, as there were eleven girls and
nineteen boys. First we might give you the nemes of those who re-'
ceived diplomas oh the night of May 28th, They were: Edgar Bo^vmani
V, - ^ Harvey Bowen, Myles Bridges, Delmar Champion, Lamar Chairpion, J, F,
Cline,■ Bobby^stner, Jack Eskridge, Hugh.Gantt, Rush Gold, Fobert Grigg, Franklin
Jeffers, Sam’ Jones, Hal Queen, Hugh Towery, B. C; Turner, Ray Wesson, Bobby V/ray,.
Vangie Beheler, Mildred Brackett, Dcssie Chapman, Sue Cline, Vivian Eaker, Myrtle Mae
Grigg, Ruby Hoyle, Melba Laughlin, Luenoll Richard, Wilma Toney, and Mabel Toney,
The class of 1945 has had the reputation of being a good class throughout the en
tire eleven years spent in the elementary and high school. To bo a little personal,
1 should like to say, that as principal of the school,•I have a feeling of peculiar
attachment to this class. For these thirty boys and girls entdred the first grade the
year that I became pri-nbipal. That \vas back in' the 1934# Then again, during
the four years they spent' in high school, I was the only home room teacher they ever
knew, I have never had that experience with any other class. Because of the many
changes in teacher personnel sinco the beginning of the war it just worked out‘that
way. This swift changing of teachers has also meant changes in other respects, V/hat
I mean is’that the principal has been forced to try to teach more different subjects
during the past four years than had been the case previously. For instance, I tried
to tcach the members of the class of *45 mathematics during their first two years in
high school,, This was enjoyed very much. Then came the third year. At this time 1
switched to history. And in the fourth year, believe it o^ not, I attempted to handle
those subjects related to the mother tongue* It v;as in tl
English class th?.t an effort was made to imbue the seniors'
wj.th the idea that "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
For these ahd various other rciisons, even though I was glad
that they had stuck to the end. I, in a v/ay, hated to see
them go,
shall now get back'to the class members themselves.
This v;as truly a war class,. 'For it v;as while this group of
students was in its first half of its first year in hi^ scho^
that the followers of the Rising'Sun made the cowardly attack \
on.Pparl HarJ^pr, These'students, assembled in chapel v/ith a
radio installed therein, heard President Roosevelt speak to Con-"''
gross on a certain December afternoon, A few minutes after the
conclusion of the president*s speech. Congress declared war on Japan^
It was tha,t same week that Germany dec3.ared war *on the United States,
So you see this v/as a bona fide war'^class. And here is something elso,|
Just a fovi days before i^hc cl?.ss of *45 graduated the war vjith Germany
c^?me to an end. It was a member of the senior class who brought the hapj
nowjj to the other seniors, v;ho in turn bi*oadcast to' the teachers and the
rest of the school the radio soinouncement concemixig the cessation of hos-^
tilities on the Western Front, The duration of World War II, so far as Europe was
(Continued on next page)