1956 8th Grade Yardville School Graduates

This is the panorama of the 1956 8th Grade Graduates from Yardville School, most of whom comprise the cast in the Playlet (below).

1956 Yardville School, NJ 8th Grade Graduation Playlet

                                          (Possible title “The Past and the Future”)

Dee: Parents, teachers, and friends: I represent the graduating class of 1956. Upon me has fallen the duty of being the narrator of this program. Do not be surprised that what you see or at what you hear. Remember! Anything can happen!

Don: Hey! Wait for me. This is my 1st year in Yardville and I almost missed my own graduation. You know, I've had a grand time this year. Have all of you had as good a time as I have had? What good time did you have in the other grades? Tell me what I missed!

Suzi: oh, yes I remember. We thought we were big shots, finally going to school like our older brothers and sisters. But then, all our pride was taken away when the 1st graders sang: “kindergarten baby, stick your head in gravy.”

Barbara W: do you remember the tomato juice we used to have in kindergarten? I certainly do, and it was awful! I don't think there was one who liked it, even if they did, they wouldn't dare to say so.

Suzi: and do you remember what we did with it?

Don: don't keep me in suspense. What did you do with it?

Danny: we used pretend we had to go to the lavatory so we could pour it down the drain.

Jean N: we did many childish things when we were young.

Ed C: oh! We weren't so childish. At least we thought we were growing up.

Ken: Oooh! I remember the time that Billy Kurst fainted.

Cathy: what happened?

Bev: how come?

Betty: I sat next to Billy Kurst when we were in the 1st grade. Everyone was quietly at work when suddenly I heard a scream. When I turned around Billy lay on the floor.

Carol F: did he hurt himself?

Pat K: why did he faint?

Betty: we don't know. We never found out.

Jody: well, Betty, you didn't do so well yourself. I remember that you cried because you didn't want to go to school.

Kathy V: yes, I remember Betty's father sitting in the hall trying to coax her into the classroom.

Trina: how about the time Arleen was playing jacks and the ball hit the teacher on the head. You are lucky you didn't get punished.

                                                                                                            2

Carol H: then came the time when some of us became unruly.

Carol F: like Carol, when she bit the teacher. But I'm not saying anything which Carol…

Carol H: oh! Don't tell me.

Louie: we won't, but how about the arguments the girls used to have about their dolls? They couldn't tell which was the prettiest. How stupid!

Sara: oh, Louie! you wouldn't know. You're a boy! All you know about are tadpoles, frogs, and things like that.

Bob H: I remember the time when Billy and I were supposed to clean the fish bowl. We poured the tadpoles into the sink and down the drain they went.

Dick T: yes! Bob! You should talk. How about the time you kissed Kathy during reading class?

Bob H: aw! You don't have to bring that up.

Kathy N: one day some of us were helping the teacher after school and she had to go to the store for some painting supplies. Betty and I were left behind to continue painting the orange crates. We started fooling and spilled all whole quart of turpentine, but we didn't know how to clean it up. It started out a tragedy and ended with all of us laughing.

Karen: that reminds me about the 7th grade Christmas party.

Leota: Barbie, you were there. Tell us about it.

Barbie W: there was a group of girls fixing punch and getting the cookies ready while the rest of the class were down watching movies. The teacher told us that she should mix the punch because we might spill it. After we had it in the gallon jug she started to shake it. It slipped out of her hands and fell on the floor. It went all over us and all over everything.

Susan S: I remember how worried I was because somebody got it on me.

Gerry: finally we cleaned up everything and the party was a big success.

Barb R: at the end of the year we went to Holiday Lake. And did we have a good time!

Lurene: everyone came back sunburned and tired. Many a time we heard, “ouch! Don't slap me on the back.”

Carolyn: I wish I could have been there.

Tim: you certainly did miss a lot of fun. I wish I could have had the same experiences over again.

Marvin: tomorrow is near. That's our big day.

Lynn W: at last we reached 8th grade. We thought we were very important, the same as when we entered kindergarten.

                                                                                                            3

Ann S: this year we have look forward to, so much.

Colin: I joined you this year and I have liked it very much. I made new friends as well as kept the old ones in Massachusetts.

Barb Bei: is it true that you were awarded the title of Golden Voice of new Hampton?

Colin: y-e-s.

Class: come on, Colin, sing for us.

                                                                        Colin Sings

M. Knott: now we know why you were given the title of “Golden Voice.”

Carol S: oh! Kathy, I heard you were taking piano lessons. Show us what you can do.

Kathy S: really, I can't play. I've been taking lessons for only 8 weeks. How could you expect me to play a solo? My piano teacher plays very well. I brought her here to see our program. I would like to introduce to you Miss Jean Newbold.

                                                                        Jean plays

Kathy S: that was wonderful, Jean. I hope someday I can play as well.

Barry W: that Norwegian concerto reminds me of a story Bob told us in English class.

Don N: we've had long-haired music so let's have a short haired story.

Bob A: story.

Leona H: say Joyce! Didn't we have a grand trip to Valley Forge?

Joyce M: couldn't we see far the top of that tower? About 40 miles.

Billy K: maybe farther.

Frank: how nice the bus driver and guides were to us. They were swell follows. I hope we have the same bus drivers when we go to Seaside.

Ruth P: after all these months and years this night has finally arrived.

Class: ah! Oh! Whee!

Schroeder: ALLAH!

Carol A: graduation night, at last. Why may we not have our diplomas now? We've earned them.

Gary G: Mr. Hancock. Paging Mr. Hancock. Oh! There you are.

                      Mr. Hancock introduces class to Board member. Diplomas are distributed.

Barry M: say, Mr. Hancock, haven't you forgotten something?

                                                                                          4

Ginny: weren't we, some of us, supposed to receive something extra special?

                         Mr. Hancock ---pins etc.

Joan B: I wonder what is going to happen in the future?

Arlene: Boy! I can't wait until tomorrow.

Tom H: why?

Arlene: tomorrow we take our Seaside trip. This will be our last trip together.

Jacquelyn: Friday is the last day of school.

Lynn B: then they can play ball and go swimming all we want.

Cathy: most of us are going on vacations.

Don: maybe I'll go to Tennessee.

Barb B: I am going to Ohio

Eleanor: I'm going to the shore.

                                    Me, too.  So am I.

Ed A: just think, when vacation is over we are going to Steinert.

Joyce R: I hope we will like it.

Ruth L: I heard that in Steinert there are many activities. I am quite sure we will like it. At least, I hope so.

Jody: a few years from now we will be graduating from high school.

Dee: I wonder what the future has in store for us. Beverly, what are you going to be when you grow up?

Bev: I hope I'm going to be a singer.

Dee: Will you sing for us?

Bev: Sing? Me? Now?

Dee: certainly! Why not?

Bev: I'll try.

                                                                        Beverly sings

Dee: that was wonderful, Beverly. The next thing we know you will be on Ed Sullivan's program.

          

                                                                                  5

Ed Cacase: I hear that Bruce wants to be an electronic engineer.

Dan: Bruce, how about fixing my radio for me. It's been on the fritz for weeks.

Bruce: I'll try. You know I fixed one of the teacher’s. I think, perhaps I can do something for you.

Dee: I think we have quite a bit of talent among us. It is anyone planning to go in for sports?

Gary F: I’d like to play professional baseball and be a shortstop for the Dodgers.

Bob A: so would I. Maybe you and I can make it together. We've been pals. Let's remain pals.

                  Added? (The girls are good in sports too.  Our team won the baseball championship.)

Dee: Don, I always thought you were going to be a musician.

Don: I like music, but I think I'll join the Navy first and then study music. Maybe I can get some music training there. Ed, I hear you play well; let's have it tune.

                                                                        Ed trumpet solo

Ruth S: some of us are going in training for other jobs and professions. I'd like this to be a . . .

Ann S: I'd like to go to business school.

Ed C: I'd like to join the Air Force.

Vin K. I'd like to go in for medical research.

Diane: I'd like to be an interior decorator or a fashion designer.

Donnell: I haven't made up my mind what I want to be, yet. Maybe I better get busy.

Carl T: chemistry for me.

Ed SZ: I wish I could make up my mind what to do.

.

Dee: we have had a grand time talking over the past and what we expect to do in the future. Let's end our discussion by singing our class song. Do you remember how we composed it in English class one day? Let's try that.

                                                                       Class song

                                                                     THE END

                                                           The Cast

 Almost all the students participated in the performance.   Here is the cast of student characters in order of appearance—as best we can determine it—with each speaker listed only the first time he or she speaks.

Page 1 Dee Totten Don Casella Suzy Pollack Barbara Waln Danny Wilkins Jean Newbold  Edward Carwile   Ken Brower Cathy Cardinal  Beverly Peterson Betty Ann Ezzo Carol Frech Patricia Krolikowski 
Jody (Josephine) Vizzini Kathy Volk Trina Moldovan

Page 2 Carol Heaton Lewis Cizmadia Sarah Hendrickson Bob Hollowell Dick Tantum Kathy Nutt Karen Sloan Leota Mushinski Susan Stearns Gerry Henderson  Barbara Reiss Lurene Senf Carolyn Teeple Tim Jones Marvin Matlack Lynne Wood

 Page  Ann Spisak Colin Baird Barbara Beideman Michael Knott  Carol Spence Kathy Stracka Barry Wright Bob Applegate Leona Heft Joyce Marks  Billy Kurst Frank Higgins  Ruth Parsons Ed Schroeder Carol Arnold Gary Giberson Barry Middleton

Page 4 Ginny Maul Joan Bendy Arleen Rubino Tom Hendrickson Jacqueline Gudeski Lynn Boltz Eleanor Goldy  Ed Applegate Joyce Rigby Ruth Lawton Bruce Kurtz Gary Frese Ruth Sprague

Page 5 Ed Cacase  Vincent Karasko Diane Lanning Charles Donnell  Carl Terraski

Hot Parties in the cool basements of the 50's

 Carol Heaton Brown, who was in our class but dropped out to raise a family and graduted years later in 1980, sends this photo of Peggy Devenny's 15th birthday party. Carol is in the middle with Bill Carpenter. Frank Higgins is next to him, and Peggy at the right end. Can you name others? Below is a 1950's photo of our alma mater.

1956 Steinert High School Freshman Football Team and more

Here we are guys, all suited up in the latest high tech gear for a season of razzle dazzle football.

Our names appear in the paper below. It reports we won 5 of what looks like a 6-game season, and beat Ewing (52-6) !, Princeton (19-6), Trenton Catholic (12-7), Peddie (18-6), Hamilton High's Junior Varsity (12-0) and lost to Lambertville's Junior Varsity. Please take note of our coaches! When we moved on to Hamilton High the following year, our records suffered--a bit.

Again thanks to Eleanor Goldy Guear for this fine memorabilia.

And here is my humble contribution to those days on the footballl field in the 1950's:

                            Football in the 50’s

                                                            By Robert Louis Chianese

                    Teenage Titans,

                    Eisenhower boys of the Silent Generation,

                    slipping through Normandy past Viet Nam—

                    loving the clash of camaraderie.

                    I couldn’t bash our crosstown rivals:

                    our fathers strut in the same Mummer’s Band.

                    When Jack charged carrying the ball,

                    I tackled then lifted him—“Hi Jack!”

                    (our dads worked at GM)—

                    a vaulting embrace but no slam.

                    Coach yelled, “Thataway Turk, get mad.

                    Tear his leg off and beat him with it.”

                    Yeah right,

                    though Coach came to the house when I got bruised,

                    recommended “Maiden Water,” a jokey put down

                    it took an hour to figure out.

                    He’d scream, “You’re nicotine-ing in your pants!”

                    That much he knew.

                    It would snow—we’d frolic on white, a sliding derby,

                    holidays near, no threat,

                    cleats pocking the snow with silent prints,

                    crisp air biting smoke-cleared lungs.

                    And so we charged,

                    with the force of snowflakes.

Babe Ruth Baseball All Stars ca. 1957

Eleanor Goldy Guear dug this photo out of her treasured collection. It's a bit crinkled, but not the memories.

These are Babe Ruth League All Star baseball players from various teams around Hamilton Township, probably in 1957?                             Many were graduated with our HHS class in 1960. 

Their team names are on their uniforms, but can you name the players?

1953 DeCou School Safety Patrol-with three classes of students

Here are we students in three classes--4th,  5th, and 6th grades-- from the DeCou Village, Fairview, and White Horse areas in Spring 1953.  We would have to move on to Hamilton High in 1959 before we were all together again.

1959 Spring HHS Playbill for Carousel

                                                                                                  cllck  to enlarge

This may have been one of the most stunning shows by any high school of that time, our staging of Rogers' and Hammerstein's Carousel. It took students from all three high school classes then at HHS-W: the 1960 seniors, we 1959 juniors, and the 1958 sophomores.  The orchestra, the two choruses, the individual singers, the two dance groups, the actors, the stage crew, the sets were all over the top as were the various support groups--usherettes, make-up people, stage and costume designers, and box office people. With 13 production numbers in Act I and 10 in Act II , it was nothing short of professional. And look at the Teacher and Student Staffs in support as well.
               Once again, Louis John Dezseran designed the playbill in the first place and supplied it for our blog.