1939: That class had class
By Bob Kaprielian/ Guest Commentary
Watertown TAB & Press, MA
Nov 12 2004
A few months ago my daughters, Rachel and Myra, were strolling my
grandson, Will, down Marion Road, where they came upon a discarded
Watertown High School yearbook from 1939. Knowing of my inventory of
WHS athletic histories, they thought it might be useful to add to my
collection.
Upon receipt, I immediately went to the section of arguably the
best baseball team ever to play at Watertown High. This 1939 team,
coached by Dan Sullivan and captained by Oscar Khederian, went on to
be inducted into the Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
This truly great team had five Hall of Famers: Mike Calden, Bill
Shannon, George Yankowski, Bill Kearns and Khederian.
Reflecting upon this discarded annual, I wondered about the
owner. The book was in pristine condition after 65 years, but
contained no indication as to who the owner was. My speculation is
that the owner was deceased, with no progeny to treasure this legacy.
My curiosity made me read this book of memories from cover to cover,
and to think about the teenagers pictured therein in the flower of
their youth.
Little did that generation realize that in mere months, Europe
would be at war and America would enter World War II in a year and a
half. This group of graduates had just lived through the Great
Depression which was beginning to abate. Roosevelt’s New Deal was
showing success with programs such as the Works Progress
Administration. The Daughters of the American Revolution refused to
allow singer Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall in
Washington. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for the 37-year-old
Anderson to sing at the Lincoln Memorial. Dying Lou Gehrig gave his
“luckiest man alive” speech at Yankee Stadium. The World’s Fair
opened in New York. “Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” were
released that year.
The 1939 graduates would be now celebrating their 83rd or 84th
birthdays this year. There were about 400 Watertown High graduates in
1939. The principal was Herbert Archibald.
The aspirations for many of the female graduates typically
seemed to be for entering the business world, like Helen Avtgis of
Pleasant Street, who wanted to be a buyer. Dora Palladino, also of
Pleasant Street, wanted to go to business school. Phyllis Danner of
Common Street had her sights set on Wheaton College, and Betty Davis
of Oliver Street wanted to go to Lasell Junior College.
Stuart Newell, president of the class, was interested in going
to college. Varoujian “Juicy” Samuelian of Dexter Avenue went to
Harvard and later became the longtime editor of the Armenian Mirror
Spectator.
The Glee Club had 76 members. The band and the orchestra had
approximately 60 members each. Another sizable club was the Knitting
Club, advised by Miss Sweet. Each member was expected to complete two
sweaters or the equivalent during the year.
The girls basketball team was undefeated in its five-game
schedule, beating Winchester, 50-12, and Newton, 27-6. Their coach,
Sally Biggane, looked the same when I saw her 15 years after her
yearbook photo.
All these lives would change after Dec. 7, 1941, with America’s
entry into World War II. Bill Kearns would find himself in the Navy
through the war, and was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo
Bay in 1945. George Yankowski would be in the U.S. Army infantry, and
he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was a sniper. Bill
Shannon was a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima, where he would receive
the highest decoration a Marine can receive, the Navy Cross.
These 1939 graduates faced the greatest of challenges in the
20th century: living through the Depression; fighting and winning in
the largest conflict in world history; and building America into the
greatest country in the world into the 21st century. These are the
reasons that these graduates are part of what is called “the Greatest
Generation.” Their deeds and accomplishments are truly remarkable. I
believe recent and current graduating classes can look to the 1939
graduates with admiration and resolve to follow their legacy of honor
and excellence.
Bob Kaprielian is the director of the Watertown High School
Athletic Hall of Fame and a local cable television host, among other
things. He lives on Mount Auburn Street.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress