1959 HHS Fall Drama Playbill for INHERIT THE WIND

We had an active drama group at Hamilton High during those years, with teacher Lee Yopp directing and many other teachers guiding large numbers of us in all aspects of these elaborate productions. 

They usually featured large casts in major shows, including broadway musicals--lots of work and more fun.

Here is the playbill from Inherit the Wind, a serious drama about a science teacher on trial for teaching evolution in the classroom.                      We might see more of this these days.

 Louis John Dezseran provided the playbill to me for posting.

Our 1952 Student Patrol at Rowan School

This is a very early photo of some of us who were selected for the Safety Patrol at Rowan. 

We were in fourth grade and divided into levels of achievement: 

"A" students when to Mrs. Curtiss, "B" to Mrs; Blair, "C" to Mrs. Cutts and "D" to Miss Logan.

We look pretty happy here--we're serving others, you know.

I remember older boys bending my metal badge in half.

Our Fall 1952 5th Grade Class at DeCou School

This iconic photo reveals our pre-conscious faces. This is how I remember many of us.

 I wrote all our names on the back of the original photo (in case anyone wants to know). 

We had Mrs. McCracken for our teacher.

Those who were not transferred to the new McGalliard School for 6th grade stayed at DeCou. 

I surmise that the dividing line was S. Broad Street. Your 6th grade class picture can be found on Tom Glovers' blog http://glover320.blogspot.com/search/label/DECOU%20SCHOOL.

Those of us who went to the new McGalliard for 6th can be seen in the photo below on this blog. 

We were merged with other students there.

(You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.)

Lalor School, Hamilton Township, Class of 1956

Here is a companion photo from Lalor School's 1956 Class to the 1956 Class of Maple Shade School--both 8th grade.

                                                         John Wilkes sent this to us; he's third from left, second row, I think.
                                                                           Now, how many of these can you name?

Yearly Dates of Each of Our Grade Levels

                          On our way to being 1960 Graduates 

                             of Hamilton High School
Have you ever wondered what year it was when you were in the 5th grade and how old you were? 

If you started school between four-and-a-half and five years old and were promoted each year,
then the chart below will give you the years, in Fall and Spring semesters, for each of our grade levels. Note in which semester your birthday takes place and determine your age by adding a year to Fall or Spring of Reception Grade (not Kindergarten for us) for each new grade.

This means the photos posted below were taken in the Fall of 1953 in 6th grade, and in Spring 1956 in 8th.

Many of us were shuffled around from one school to another. I list my schools and my age when attending them.       

I started Reception Grade at 4-and-a half and had my 5th birthday in November, 1947.
Man were we young!

                                                            Fall  -- Spring Semesters                  My school and (Age)

                                                        1959-1960 12^th Grade Graduation       HHS (17)

                                                        1958–1959 11^th Grade                        HHS  (16)

                                                        1957-1958 10^th Grade                         HHS  (15)

                                                        1956-1957   9^th Grade                         Steinert  (14)

                                                        1955-1956   8^th Grade                         Maple Shade (13)

                                                        1954-1955   7^th Grade                         Maple Shade (12)

                                                        1953-1954   6^th Grade                         McGalliard  (11)

                                                        1952-1953   5^th Grade                         DeCou (10)

                                                        1951-1952  4^th Grade                          Rowan  (9)

                                                        1950-1951   3^rd Grade                         DeCou  (8)

                                                        1949-1950   2^nd Grade                         DeCou  (7)

                                                         1948-1949   1^st Grade                        DeCou  (6)

                                                         1947-1948   Reception Grade             DeCou  (5)

The 1956 Class at Maple Shade School--8th Grade

Our expanded 8th grade class at old Maple Shade School on White Horse Avenue in 1956.

Maple Shade is now demolished (as are DeCou and Rowan); my father went there (1920?) and had our Principal Ms. Zapf as a teacher. Our delightful teachers signed the photo on the bottom border, and we signed the back, some with nicknames.

Maple Shade's floors and stairs were wood and squeaky, and the basement where we had the cafeteria and our dances had an interior cave part that was whitewashed. Some how we had gym in that area on rainy days. The play yard had an iron and chain Giant Stride that could have easily killed you and a deep field for baseball, hockey, and soccer. Mr. Ricardi would compliment any student when you let a bad pitch pass: "Good Eye!" he would shout, as if the point of baseball was to notice where the pitches were. 

 Some of the girls think they look nerdy--we boys loved you all--but there are intimations of our growing awareness of the coming storm of adolescence. Can you spot two bow ties--what could they mean? We're all dressed up with suits and dresses and no wild hair, or nose rings. We are aspiring members of the Post WWII middle class, with a future as bright as we could make it, particularly for the boys. We are not Baby Boomers--we were born during the war and so we are called "war babies" and later the "silent generation" or the Eisenhower generation. We are 38 million strong and represent 14% of US population, approximately half the number of Baby Boomers. We're now retired seniors (most of us) and represent the big clients of Social Security and Medicare.

Who woulda thought?

Premier Post--our 6th Grade McGalliard School 1953 Class photo

Our 1953 6th Grade Class Photo at the newly opened McGalliard School


We were the first students at this newly opened building. It serviced mainly kids from White Horse. It was a fancy place compared to our old De Cou School on Broad Street, or Rowan where we were bussed to for fourth grade. Green "black" boards, a phone system, one floor with two perpendicular wings, no more creaky wood floors and stairs, and all windows on one side of the room made it a bright and happy place. However, our surrounding woods got partially sacrificed, with a nice little creek that eventually became a bog at the top of Park Avenue. It soon too got developed as Bradford Avenue got connected to Arena Drive. 

Our teacher Mrs. Stackhouse was a real disciplinarian, and had her hands full with the likes of me at that point--we boys were 11 and real rapscallions. Our new school play yard was an asphalted piece of our old woods after all, and nothing turns the hearts of young boys toward romping about but the lure of the woods--kick ball couldn't compete.

Mrs. Stackhouse was a diligent teacher, and read aloud to us everyday after our wild recesses--from Dr. Doolittle, which I remember to this day, nearly 50 years later. I became an English prof, and want to encourage school teachers to read aloud to students with the kind of animated inflections that bring a story alive. I can say that severe Mrs. Stackhouse seemed transformed into a motherly presence by reading that story.

This group of us eventually joined other groups until 280 of us were graduated from Hamilton High in 1960. As an educator, I am willing to admit that we went to school during the so called "golden age" of public schooling. But contrary to some feelings today, I think we will revive public education, which benefits everyone.