Here
in Bryn Athyn - where we have an elementary school, high school, junior
college, senior college and theological school (with it's wonderful masters
program open to one & all) - the end of May and early June seems swamped
with graduations. Today was 8th Grade graduation and tomorrow will be high
school commencement. College graduation
was over Memorial Day weekend, I believe.
I
missed out on an elementary school graduation.
Garrett Heights School went up to 9th grade and I was transferred after
8th grade to Eastern High School along with other "academic" students
- they only kept the "business" students for 9th grade. We was gypped!
My
one & only graduation was from the Academy of the New Church, which I
attended for junior and senior years.
The Class of 1928. My mother, who
was living in Baltimore, sent me a beautiful dress for the Senior Dance - a
short dress (remember, this was the era of the flapper and short dresses were
the rage) of blue crepe de chine, with cream-colored chiffon sleeves. That was when I discovered blue was my
color! I have been wracking my brain as
to whether John Frazier or Phillip Odhner took me to the dance and I just
cannot remember for the life of me.
My
graduation dress was a similar style - white, of course, and as straight as
possible falling just below the knee, with a deep hem of tiny pleats. I had lost a lot of weight the previous
summer, so I looked practically fashionable.
Anita Synnestvedt (Woodard) and Beryl Caldwell (Odhner) were the fashion
setters in our class. I can still see
their outfits – sharp looking suits with unshaped jackets that brushed the tops
of their legs over straight white skirts.
I remember that Beryl's was a beautiful light brocade, which gave it
extra interest. Anita and Beryl had
classic taste and were what I like to call "the genuine article."
What
did the boys wear? I have no
recollection, but knowing who they were, they had to look pretty sharp - Dick
Gladish, John Schoenberger, John Frazier, Oliver Powell and Graham Gurney are
just some of my fellow graduates.
Our
banner - all ANC classes have banners - was done in silver threads on a black
velvet background, with the motto, "Semper Perge" - "always
forward." Our class ring reflected
the banner, a gold ship on a black enameled background. As I recall, it set me back around $10.00.
The
Assembly Hall was not built at that time and the Asplundh Field House was many,
many decades down the pike. We graduated
in the DeCharms Hall auditorium, which was on the top floor at that time. The graduating girls' families would present
them with flowers. My parents were not
able to be at the ceremony, so I did not expect to have a bouquet. Peggy Cowley (Schiffer), who was all of
around 12 years old, was very sad that I would not have a bouquet, so the dear
wonderful girl made me a bouquet of roses out of her family's garden. No other bouquet could have been carried with
more pride or happiness.
I
remember the music as we, the graduating class, marched in – Edward Elgar's
"Land of Hope & Glory." I
felt like nobility walking into that. As
the senior girls were seated for the graduation ceremony, the junior girls came
up and stood behind us and entwined our hair with a wreath of ribbons and
flowers. I kept that wreath for a long
time.
Back
then, and in fact until a few years ago, all the upper schools – the high
school, the two colleges and the theological school - graduated at the same
time. I received my degree from the
Girls School headmistress, Dorothy Davis.
Elsa asked me to describe "Dodo" - she was Clara Davis
Pitcairn's twin sister and, like her sister, Miss Dorothy could be very abrupt
and direct, never one to pull her punches.
She was not out to win a popularity contest; her eye was always on the prize of making
sure "the girls" got a top notch New Church education.
Elsa
asked me what I would say to the graduating Class of 1928 or 2000, for that
matter, if I had the chance. I would
tell them what my father always said, "When you stop learning, you are
dead." I would tell them to
continue their education, whether in college or not. Some of the "brightest and best"
people with degrees and advanced degrees know squat compared to less
"highly educated" folks with a good sense of people and common
sense. That they should welcome
change. To not give themselves airs, to
take themselves lightly. In short,
remember "Semper Perge" - -"always forward."
Nite-nite
and God bless, with special love to Kelly, Carl, Meg and any other graduates
who are dear to my heart that I might be leaving out. - - The Gramster
No comments:
Post a Comment