Dedicated to Young People Just Starting Out 50 Years of Life Experience 231 people graduated from Burlington High School in Vermont in 1957. Now we have been out of high school for fifty years. Each of us has had experiences that are useful and fun for others our own age and for young people to read. By reading about our work, our adventures, our good times and bad, what we learned and how we accomplished what we did, young folks might pick up a few things that could help them as they go out into the world. Burlington High School Class of 1957 50th Reunion in 2007 B U R L I N G T O N , V E R M O N T , A U G U S T 1 8, 2 0 0 7 3 This book is also dedicated to the memory of a worthy man of the world who walked the streets of Burlington, Vt., in the mid 1800s: George Perkins Marsh He was the author of “Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action,” the first great book, in 1864, about environmental problems caused by humans. In a speech at Union College in 1847, as David Lowenthal tell us, Marsh urged that “history in a democracy should be about the people themselves, historians should inquire into the fortunes of the mass, their opinions, their characters, their leading impulses, their ruling hopes and fears, their arts and industry and commerce; we must see them at their daily occupations in the field, the workshop, and the market.” - we hope you like our effort, George. 4 The Book of Years Vermonters tell stories from their lives 50 years after graduating from high school C O N T R I B U T O R S I N C L U D E Clare Adams Whitney, Bob Badger, Sandra Bassett Richards, Joyce Beaulieu Stannard, Carl Benvenuto, Stephen Berry, Jim Bicknell, Steven Bradish, Bradley Butler, Deborah Butterfield Galbraith, Gail Charron Gilmore, Georgia Buzzell Foltz, Sargent Cathrall, William Chittenden, M. Robert Ciardelli, Phyllis Clark Turner, Lynn Coburn Nack, Sam Conant, Gerritt Crowley, Lynn Dawson Shay, Charles Eldred, Claire English Rae, Tim Fay, Theresa Fortin Moore, Eric Foster, Toni Franceschi Esteban, Lou Garcia, Tom Hackett, Jim Hale, Margo Hathaway Thomas, Lillian Hauke Venner, Jack Hedman, Ruth Khoury Rothenberger, Dorothy Knight Barrios, Joyce Labelle Meade, Carl Loveday, Louise Magram Weiner, Robert McBride, James McCarthy, Susan Minotti Ladue, Ellen Morris Goodhue, Ida O’Neil Doran, Joan Papin Bisaillon, Nancy Patrick Crowley, Susan Pearlberg Weinstein, Ray Pecor, Gordon Perlmutter, Ruth Pine Bonner, Layne Prebor, Betsy Samuelson Greer, Bob Stannard, Rose Samuelson Hirsch, Louise Schimmelpfennig Marsh, James Viele, Joyce Wagner Carlin, Barbara Willard McDonough, Charlene Yandow Jones, Tom Whitney, Editor, & 5 This linoleum block print was created by Dave Whitney, Contents B.H.S. Class of 1960. Introduction - extra-ordinary history: Four Years in the Vermonters talking about their lives . viii South Pacific . .123 Reunions – thanks to those who helped . x The Class Picture – with names . xi Entrepreneurship. .129 In Memoriam – those who have passed.. xvi We have Worked Hell is Empty and a Few Jobs . .. .137 All the Devils are Here... 19 Job-Seeking & Getting Fired. 165 Who Our Parents & Ancestors Were. .23 What It was Like in Tales of Love. .167 the 1940s & ‘50s . 45 Learning about the Life-Threatening Moments. .185 World in School. 65 Parenthood & We are having the High School Years . 77 fun, yet . 195 Tenacity. • Jim Hale’s fascinating story. 79 Surviving a Flood. 213 Tales of Adventure . .217 Sports . 95 How We Importance of College – or Not – Have Dealt in Shaping Our Lives.. .101 with Hardships. .229 Serving Giving Our Country . .109 Back. 235 This book is Copyright © 2007 by Tom Whitney, Published by Dolphin Press, 137 Kuakolu Place, who is editor, designer and a member of the Hilo, Hawaii 96720 • ISBN 978-0-9654288-6-6 Class of 1957, Burlington High School, Library of Congress Control Number: 2007904631 whose memories created this book. www.dolphinpress.biz. See page 281. 2 Heroes.. 247 Religious Views Changed?. 311 Favorite Books & Authors . 249 Growing Older. 325 Movies . 254 Basic Values. 333 Music. 257 Our Families.. .339 Politics and Things Some Don’t Like. .349 the Class of 1957. 259 If We were Philanthropists. 351 Advice for a Young Person Just Starting Out. 267 Culture & Ethnicity. 353 Words to the Wise School Paper Bankrupt . .357 Tricks of Some Trades . 273 Individuals’ Files On the CD you can click We are proud of things we have a person’s name and see everything they contrib- uted to the book in one place. Here is Lillian done at various stages of our lives. 283 Hauke Venner’s file to give you an idea. 359 Vermont Attitude Letters to Classmates & Questions. .367 & Appreciation. .291 Afterword – the story of this book Vermont Miscellaney.. 297 is included on the CD Compact Disc Contents • All chapters in print version See list on page 335. See Ruth Khoury Rothenberger’s great example on page 337. \ The compact disc for the book holds• The all theOread information in the print versionThe first with hundred pictures pages in up to the ads are Scanned and included here. color, a different version of the same information• The in Register the chapters The rearran schoolged paper to from 1957 be accessible has also by eachbeen scanned.person’s name, and and a a copy Reunion of the class Book yearbook for 1957, the Oread. See next page for CD contents. 3 v Compact Disc Contents • All chapters in print version as shown on the pages iv and v. Edited by Tom Whitney. • Access what each person wrote by clicking their name – for those who participated in the “Book of Years.” See an example of an individual file in Lillian Hauke Note: To obtain the compact disc with the Venner’s story on page 375 contents of the entire book in color, plus • The Oread everything else, please send $10 to Tom The first one hundred and three pages of our Whitney, 137 Kuakolu Place, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. He will be happy to send you a CD. 1957 yearbook up to the ads are scanned and included. Edited by Brianne Eastman Chase. We could not find a company that would publish the book and the CD on a print-on- demand basis What experiences have these bright-looking young people been through during their lives? They are the elders now. They share the highlights of fifty years of life experience. Clare Adams Bob Badger Sandy Bassett Joyce Beaulieu Steve Berry Jim Bicknell Steve Bradish Bradley Butler Deb Galbraith Georgia Buzzell Sargent Cathrall Bill Chittenden Robert Ciardelli Phyllis Clark Lynn Coburn Sam Conant Gerritt Crowley Lynn Dawson Chuck Eldred Claire English Tim Fay Theresa Fortin Eric Foster Lou Garcia Toni Franceschi Tom Hackett Jim Hale Margo Hathaway Lillian Hauke Jack Hedman Ruth Khoury Dorothy Knight vi2 Joyce Labelle Carl Loveday Louise Magram Bob McBride Jim McCarthy Sue Minotti Ellen Morris Ida O’Neil Joan Papin Nancy Patrick Susan Pearlberg Ray Pecor Gordon Perlmutter Ruth Pine Layne Prebor Betsy Samuelson Rose Samuelson Louise Bob Stannard Jim Viele SJoyce Wagner Tom Whitney Barbara Willard Charlene Yandow Schimmelpfennig Carl Benvenuto’s photograph was not included in the Oread but his comments are on the CD and in the book. For those who may have misplaced their copies throughout a lifetime of moves like I did, our yearbook, the Oread, is on the CD. Toni Franceschi Esteban took the picture of an open Oread. – Tom Whitney vii3 vii Extra-ordinary history: Vermonters talking about their lives e were 231 high school graduates from Burlington High School in Vermont in June 1957. Our average life expectancy when we were born was 64.9 years. Then it W was likely that there would be 116 of us left in 2007, Gordon Perlmutter calculated. The good news is that 188 of us still live and breathe at 67 and 68 years old. “It must be due to our good upbringing and the clean Vermont air,” he suggested. We had a few stories to share when we gathered for our 50th reunion on August 18, 2007. We looked back on our lives then and here in our book. We tell about our loves and our labors, our parents and ancestors. What were our life-threatening moments, proud accomplishments, adventures, politics, religion and basic values? We tell how we have dealt with the hardships in our lives and what lessons we have learned. We have a few swords to the wise and tricks of some trades. We are having fun, yet, if moving more slowly. Many are giving back in one way or another. We have a lot to be thankful for. Our parents were hard-working, thrifty, good and unpretentious people. They gave us some solid Golden Rule values. There was relatively little in the way of overt expressions of racism, class, political or religious prejudice around Burlington besides the outrageous cakewalk at the university. Every family was doing something as their part in pulling together to win the Second World War. As young people we were tending Victory Gardens, jumping on tin cans to flatten them, becoming uextra alert when the scary air raid sirens would go off and we had to turn the lights out. We grew up with a work ethic. We grew up more when we went to big Burlington High. Some classmates had relatives on the Mayflower, and one of our classmates’ ancestors was a major mover of that effort to seek religious freedom in this land.