It was September, 1952 when we first apprehensively and anxiously entered Columbia High for the first time. Harry Truman was our President and it cost .03 postage to send a first class letter. "The Greatest Show on Earth" won the Academy Award that year. We listened to Johnnie Ray sing "Cry"; Kay Starr "Wheel of Fortune"; Rosemary Clooney "Half as Much" and Jo Stafford's "You Belong to Me".
Our Sophomore class officers were Jerry Reed, President; Tom Tracy, Vice President; Mary Winston, Secretary and Tony Duran, Treasurer. Homecoming Princesses representing our class were Sharon Templeman and Bev Menefee. The game with Pasco was a 12-12 tie, and the bonfire and snake dance were great fun.
Sophomore's who were part of the Tolo court were Jerry Reed and Pete Hollick. There was the Prom and Sno-Ball dance, the Pep Club's Vaudeville show and the Senior Carnival. "Mr. Barry's Etchings" and "Curse of an Aching Heart" as well as the musical "Good News" were theatrical endeavors of the year. There were football, basketball and baseball games to attend and track and field events to participate in or watch. Paul McDonald, Carol Sitler and Loretta Ostboe won first, second, and third prizes respectively in the "I speak for democracy" contest. So much to do, but we found time to study also because we had lots of required and college prep classes to complete before graduation. That seemed like a long time off though.
In September, 1953 we were beginning our Junior Year and Dwight Eisenhower had replaced Truman as President. Some of our favorite songs were : The Ames Brothers "You, You, You"; Nat King Cole "Pretend"; Eddie Fisher "O Mein Papa"; and Frankie Laine "I Believe". "From Here to Eternity", "Stalag 17" and "Roman Holiday" were the big movies. Junior Class officers were Tom Tracy, President; Pete Hollick, Vice President;, Ginger Rose, Secretary and Tom Graham, Treasurer. Sharon Templeman and Mary Winston were Junior Princesses of the Homecoming Court. No tie this year. The Bombers prevailed over the Kennewick Lions with a score of 32-6. Later in the school year, Chuck Curtis and Tom Tracy represented the Junior Class as part of the Tolo Court. There was a play, "And Then There Were None"; as well as a March of Dimes Talent Show. The Pep Club's Vaudeville Show was about a couple Honeymooning in New York.
September 1954 and we are Seniors at last. We are listening to the Chordettes, "Mr. Sandman"; Rosemary Clooney, "Hey, There"; Doris Day, "Secret Love"; Eddie Fisher, "I Need you Now"; and Jo Stafford, "Make Love to Me". The big movie was "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando and the TV version of "Father Knows Best" premiered in October.
Kevin Burke is our class President, and Tom Tracy is back as Vice President, Mary Winston serves as Secretary and Ginger Rose is our Treasurer. The theme of the Homecoming celebration this year was "Col-Hi Memories, Past and Present" and we again enjoyed the Parade, snake dance and bonfire. And our football team topped off the celebration by beating Pasco 32-19. Sharon Templeman was Queen of Homecoming with Sue Bridges and Janice Berg as Senior Princesses. Other dances included the Thanksgiving Formal in November and Tolo in March with Lonnie Whitner as King and Chuck Curtis and Tom Tracy the Senior members of his Court. Prom King and Queen were Jerry Reed and Ginger Rose. Class Valedictorian is Helen Henry. The other top four students are Jane Volpentest, Gretchen Heldt, Don Cole and Beverly Menefee.
And then suddenly it was June 1955 and we are hearing the McGuire Sisters, "Sincerely"; Pat Boone, "Ain't That a Shame"; Les Baxter, "Unchained Melody"; and Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons". Bill Haley's "Rock around the Clock" will hit the top of the charts in July, more than a year after it was first recorded.
| Created September 27, 2006 |
Email Comments & Feedback on this site to: |
|
| Updated January, 2014 | Ginny Anderson Suelzle |