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Vol.  57  No.  t    Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,    Mass.    May,   1953 

Entered  Naveittber  3,  1903  at  Boston.  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  Jrhfi.  U74 


The  Annual  Band  Concert 

An  enthusiastic  audience  of  several 
hundred  fathered  in  Faneuil  Hall>  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  April  26,  for  the 
annual  spring  concert  of  the  Band.  It  was 
an  amazingly  good  turnout,  for  the  day 
was  dark  and  dismal,  with  li#)t  rain 
falling  almost  continuously.  Although 
most  of  those  present  were  parents  and 
friends  of  the  boys,  there  were  also  many 
graduates  and  friends  of  the  school, 
toiiether  with  several  prominent  musicians 
who  were  interested  in  what  our  boys 
were  doin^  with  instrumental  music. 

Our  Bandmaster,  Frank  L.  Warren, 
was  at  his  genial  best  and  kept  the  program 
moving  smoothly.  The  concert  began 
promptly  at  two  o'clock  with  the  playing 
of  the  perennial  favorite,  "Show  Roy 
March."  Various  types  of  selections 
followed  one  another  for  almost  two 
hours,  and  all  were  well  received. 

Six  of  our  boys  were  featured  as 
soloists  and  all  did  a  marvelous  job.  The 
band  accompaniments,  too,  helped  much 
to  set  off  these  individual  solos.  The 
selections  played  by  quartets,  one  of 
cornets  and  another  of  trombones,  were 
very  well  received. 

Howard  B.  Ellis,  '98,  our  former 
bandmaster,  was  present  and  directed  the 
boys  in  the  playing  of  a  spirited  march. 
He  used  the  baton  which  was  formerly 
used  by  John  R.  Morse,  founder  of  the 


band.  One  of  the  band's  ardent  boosters, 
Mr,  Ellis  has  been  present  at  each  of  our 
concerts  at  Faneuil  Hall,  and  it  is  a 
pleasure  indeed,  and  a  privilege,  to  have 
him  with  us. 

John  Corley,  director  of  music  at  M. 
I.  T.  and  Brookline  High  School,  was 
also  present  and  after  complimenting  the 
band  he  led  the  boys  in  a  march  called 
"Little  Champ."  Mr.  Corley  is  very 
active  in  the  New  England  School  Music 
Festival  Association,  and  we  were  pleased 
that  he  could  be  with  us  at  this  occasion. 

Sousa's  "King  Cotton"  was  led  by 
W.  Marshall  Hall,  '27,  and  this  National 
Guard  bandmaster  had  the  boys  on  the 
alert  as  he  brought  forth  the  snap,  pep  and 
vitality  which  this  famous  composition 
demands. 

C.  Robbins  Emery,  '12,  "Big  Brother" 
of  radio  and  television,  was  on  hand  and 
spoke  briefly.  This  was  a  real  treat,  and 
to  some  a  sentimental  one,  for  in  the 
audience  were  some  former  members  of 
the  Big  Brother  Club.  Mr.  Emery  spoke 
of  plans  he  is  formulating  for  producing 
films  of  activities  at  our  school  for  television 
shows.  He  is  a  pioneer  in  radio  and 
television,  having  been  in  these  fields  for 
more  than  three  decades. 

Space  does  not  permit  the  naming  of 
many  others  present.  School  music  di- 
rectors, professional  musicians  and  lovers 
of  band  music  were  in  the  audience.  Their 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND   BEACON 


interest  is  indeed  very  much  appreciated. 

Although  most  of  the  music  played 
was  of  standard  band  works,  there  were 
lighter  compositions  interpolated  in  the 
program  so  as  to  give  a  nice  balance.  The 
"Hunting  Scene"  of  Bucallosi  and  the 
"Farm  and  Trades  School  Has  a  Band," 
the  boys'  own  novelty,  were  both  very 
well  liked  by  the  audience. 

The  concert  was  a  tribute  to  the  boys 
who  have  worked  hard  during  the  winter 
months  in  preparing  the  music  for  this 
occasion.  After  the  concert  they  were 
heartily  congratulated  for  their  very  fine 
performance.  The  generous  praise  and 
hearty  applause  is  just  the  tonic  the  boys 
need  to  spur  them  onward. 

The  program  played,  and  the  roster 
of  the  band  follows: 

PROGRAM 

March— Show  Boy  Huff 

Overture— Trapelo  Fulton 

Clarinet  Solo— Delecta  RolUnson 

Robert  Fabello 
Trombone  Solo— Wanderer      Harlow 

Bruce  A.  Graham 
Selection— Victor  Herbert  Favorites 

Trumpet  Solo— A  Trumpeter's  Lullaby 
Donald  E.  Richardson 

Euphonium  Solo— Steve's  Delight 

William  F.  Sonier 
Cornet  Quartette— Finlandia  Theme 
Teyet  Ramar,  II      Frederick  E.  Harding 

Loren  E.  Cain       David  E.  LeVeille 
Trombone  Quartette— 

I  Love  You  Truly  Bond 

Richard  A.  Ostrander      Edward  J.  White 

David  A.  Pulsifer    William  H.  Dillon 

Patrol— Something  About  a  Soldier 

Drum  solos  by  David  W.  Howard 

Tuba  Solo— My  Tuba  Solo      Southwell 

Thomas  Angelos 


Selection  -Manage  aux  Lantemes 

Descriptive— Hunting  Scene     Bucallosi 

Overture— Day  of  Youth  Fulton 

Polka— Pizzicato  Straus 

Novelty— 

Farm  and  Trades  School  Has  a  Band 

March — Salutation  Seitz 

Star  Spangled  Banner 

Roster  of  the  Band 

Mr.  Frank  L.  Warren,  Director 
Mr.   Clifton  E,   Albee,  Assistant 


Clar^et§ 

Robert  O.   Cain 
Daniel  W,  Dockham 
Robert  Fabello 
Barry  R,  Fuller 
Larry  E.  Garside 
Frederick  L,   Krueger 
Arnold  M.  Sutterlin 
Alan  C.  Waldron 

Cornets 

Loren  E.  Cain 
Albert  K,  Ellis 
Frederick  E.  Harding 
David  E,  LeVeille 
Teyet  Ramar  II 
Donald  E.  Richardson 
Carroll  E.  Young 

Basses 

Thomas  Angelos 
William  F,  James 


Alto  Horns 

S.  NeWGomb  Graham 
Robert  A,  Kidder 
Norman  W,  Sellevaag 
Carleton  G.  Skinner,  Jr. 

Drums 

Gerald  L.  Briggs 
David  W,  Howard 
Alexander  D.  Marinakis 
Arthur  A.  Sprague 

Baritones 
Paul  E.  Parker 
William  F.  Sonier 

Trombones 
William  H.  Dillon 
Bruce  A.  Graham 
Richard  A,  Ostrander 
David  A.  Pulsifer 
Edward  J.  White 


Planning  the  Class  Banquet 

A  class  meeting  is  the  first  step  taken 
by  the  sophomore  class  on  preparations 
for  the  annual  class  banquet.  At  this 
meeting  the  class  decides  on  the  tentative 
date,  menu,  hour  and  who  should  be 
waiters.  The  seating  arrangement  is  also 
planned,  for  the  upper  two  classes  and 
the  instructors  attend.  With  the  help  of 
Mr.  Meacham  and  Mr.  Jakeman  these 
matters  are  settled. 

The  class  has  two  ways  of  raising 
money  to  pay  for  the  banquet.  One  is 
by    class    dues,     and    the    other    is    the 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


proceeds  of  an  auction,  held  especially 
for  that  purpose. 

Invitations  are  prepared  in  the  school 
printing  office,  and  the  sophomores  send 
these  to  each  invited  guest.  Small  table 
place  cards  are  also  printed. 

The  banquet  is  held  in  the  school 
dining  room  in  Bowditch  House.  The 
tables  are  arranged  in  a  horseshoe  shape, 
banquet  fashion.  An  important  part  of 
the  banquet  are  the  speeches,  which  are 
given  by  several  instructors  and  students. 

Year  after  year  the  class  banquet  is  a 
big  feature.  The  class  does  all  it  can,  but 
the  success  of  the  banquet  depends  much 
upon  the  help  it  gets  from  the  instructors. 
The  office  staff  orders  the  food,  the 
kitchen  instructors  prepare  it  and  the 
dining  room  people  cooperate.  In  fact, 
it  is  everyone's  cooperation  that  makes 
the  annual  banquet  so  enjoyable. 

William  F.  Sonier 

A  Band  Trip 

The  music  festival  trips  are  all-day 
oufiniJs  and  the  procedure  is  much  the 
same  for  each  trip.  We  get  dressed  in 
our  uniforms  before  breakfast,  and  after 
the  meal  we  assemble  at  the  Old  Elm. 
When  all  are  present  we  head  for  the 
boat.  Here  we  are  given  advice  which  is 
always  the  same,  namely  watch  our  instru- 
ments and  not  get  soaked  by  the  salt  water. 
We  dock  at  the  Public  Landing  and  in 
no  time  at  all  have  our  instruments  stored 
away  and  are  comfortably  seated.  If  we 
were  successful  in  the  rush  we  are  seated 
next  to  a  window. 

Upon  arriving  at  our  festival  desti- 
nation we  take  our  instruments  and  head 
for  the  audition  hall.  We  set  up  on  the 
stage  and  make  sure  everything  is  all  right. 
When  the  judges  are  ready  we  are  brought 
to  attention  and  watch  for  the  downbeat 
from  Major  Warren. 


In  the  afternoon,  around  two  o'clock, 
it  is  time  for  the  parade  to  start.  Each 
band  is  in  line  waiting  for  the  first  band 
to  step  off.  The  parade  covers  the  princi- 
pal streets  of  the  town  and  ends  in  the 
hi^h  school  stadium,  where  a  concert  of 
all  the  bands  in  massed  formation  is  held. 
While  waiting  for  the  bands  to  get  in  line 
one  makes  many  friends  with  members  of 
the  other  bands.  This  massed  band 
concert  is  led  by  several  conductors,  each 
one  leading  one  of  the  pieces. 

The  massed  band  concert  ends  the 
festival  program,  unless  there  is  marching 
drill,  in  which  case  we  take  part.  After 
this  we  find  our  bus,  pack  away  our 
instruments  and  are  ready  for  the  return 
trip.  We  are  spending  our  time  talking 
with  those  in  other  bands,  for  the  streets 
are  crowded  with  school  musicians. 

After  the  bus  gets  on  the  main  highway 
we  sing  a  few  songs,  and  settle  back  for  a 
pleasant  ride  back  to  school  where  we  end 
a  perfect  day. 

Donald  E.   Richardson 

First  Guernsey  Cattle  in  America 
The  first  Guernsey  cattle  imported  to 
this  country  were  one  bull  and  two  heifers 
which  arrived  at  Boston  in  1831  and  were 
taken  to  the  farm  of  General  Moody 
Adams  Pillsbury  on  Guernsey  Island  at 
Lake  Winnepesaukee,  New  Hampshire. 
The  original  Pillsbury  Mill  has  been 
renewed  and  serves  as  a  museum  for  the 
American  Guernsey  Cattle  Club. 

The   Magna  Carta 

The  Magna  Carta— a  guarantee  of 
civil  rights  and  liberties  to  all  people — was 
signed  with  great  reluctance  by  England's 
King  John  on  June  15, 1215.  The  Magna 
Carta  is  one  of  the  most  important  docu- 
ments in  world  history,  and  to  it  we  owe 
the  basis  of  the  privileges  and  benefits  of 
free  men. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Cl)oinp$oii'$  Island  Beacon 

Published     Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompson's  Island,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL     FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY   ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


Vol.  57    No.  2 


May    1953 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 

Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.  Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malm,     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,  Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expires  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.    Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.   Adams 

Term  Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.   Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall  » 

Moses  Williams 
William   M.    Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advisory    Commiitee 
N.    Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.   Place,   M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


Editorial 

"I  can  never  fully  express  my  ap- 
preciation and  gratitude  for  all  you  and 
the  School  have  done  for  both  my  sons. 
They  have  learned  how  to  live  with 
others  in  such  a  way  that  when  the  time 
comes  for  them  to  break  away  from  home 
and  go  out  to  face  the  world  they  can  do 
so  confidently. 

"You  would  have  to  be  proud  of 
them,  as  I  was,  last  Friday.  I  took  them 
to  the  High  School  to  pick  up  their  sister 
and  while  waiting  for  her  the  Principal 
came  over  to  us.  The  boys  were  so 
mannerly  and  displayed  such  poise  that 
my  heart  nearly  burst  with  pride.  It 
would  have  made  you  proud,  too,  to 
hear  them  answering  the  Principal's  ques- 
tions about  The  Farm  and  Trades  School. 
You  could  tell  that  they  loved  and  were 
proud  of  their  school.  All  I  can  say  is 
'God  Bless  you  all  and  please  make  it 
possible  for  other  boys  to  receive  the 
benefits  which  my  sons  have  had.'  " 

This  excerpt  from  a  recent  letter  of 
the  mother  of  two  of  our  boys  speaks 
volumes.  These  brothers  have  the  quali- 
ties and  the  character  of  outstanding 
citizens.  The  School  has  helped  them  to 
develop  their  talents  and  round  out  their 
personalities.  As  adults  they  will  be 
leaders  in  their  community. 

Every  one  of  our  boys  has  these 
potential  qualities.  They  need  to  be  fully 
developed  and  expanded.  Every  lad 
who  graduates  from  the  School  can  be 
counted  on  to  do  his  part  in  our  American 
way  of  life. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Topics  in  Brief 

The  freshman  class  presented  a  very 
unusual  and  entertaining  program  on  April 
20,  the  day  on  which  we  observed  the 
Patriot's  Day  holiday.  In  their  show,  the 
class  members  combined  reading,  singing, 
and  pantomime  to  produce  a  clever  bur- 
lesque of  an  old-time  melodrama.  The 
costumes,  songs  and  settings  were  good. 
It  was  good  holiday  entertainment. 

The  principal  event  of  the  month 
was  the  Annual  Spring  Concert,  given  by 
the  Band  in  Faneuil  Hall  on  April  26. 
The  concert  was  fine  in  every  way,  and 
the  1953  Band  may  well  be  proud  of  an 
outstanding  achievement.  Truly  the  boys 
maintained  the  high  standard  of  musical 
excellence  which  has  stamped  our  bands 
annually  over  a  period  of  many  years. 
This  was  the  seventeenth  annual  concert 
played  in  town,  and  all  of  them  from  the 
stage  of  historic  Faneuil  Hall. 

It  has  been  a  rather  cold,  wet  spring, 
and  the  boys  have  been  impatient  to  get 
down  to  the  business  of  baseball,  softball, 
tennis  and  other  spring  sports.  Before 
this  issue  reaches  our  readers  league 
schedules  and  tournaments  in  these  sports 
will  be  well  underway.  Games  will  be 
played  as  often  as  possible,  so  as  to  make 
up  for  time  lost  because  of  unfavorable 
weather. 

The  first  visiting  day  of  the  year  took 
place  on  May  15.  It  was  far  from  an  ideal 
day,  jet  a  large  number  was  present.  The 
next  visiting  day  will  be  on  June  4,  when 
the  annual  graduation  exercises  will  be 
held. 

The  spring  week  of  vacation  began 
on  April  6.  Fourteen  of  the  boys,  who 
had  the  highest  rating  in  effort  and  con- 
duct, were  home  for  this  period.  The 
new  term  commenced  on  April  13. 


On  April  10  fifteen  of  the  boys  acted 
as  waiters  for  the  Annual  Sugar  Party  of 
The  Vermont  Association  of  Boston.  The 
boys  did  a  fine  job  and  afterwards  enjoyed 
the  superb  treat  of  maple  syrup  on  snow, 
doughnuts,  sandwiches,  pickles  and  the 
other  treats  of  the  traditional  sugar  party 
menu. 

The  boys  arrived  in  town  early,  so 
took  time  to  visit  the  news  room  of  station 
WCOP  and  were  interested  in  watching 
the  teletypers.  Then  they  were  shown  the 
turntables  which  were  at  the  time  playing 
transcriptions  of  the  popular  "Hayloft 
Jamboree"  program  with  Nelson  Bragg. 

On  Friday,  April  10,  half  of  the  boys 
were  in  town  with  their  parents,  and  on 
the  following  day  the  rest  of  the  boys 
enjoyed  a  similar  holiday.  The  first 
visiting  day  of  this  spring  at  the  school 
will  be  May  15. 

Fishing  has  been  a  popular  sport 
during  the  early  days  of  spring.  There 
have  been  some  good  catches  of  flounder 
taken,  one  of  the  boys  having  a  string  of 
seven.  A  few  eels  have  been  taken.  We 
understand  that  mackerel  are  being  caught, 
in  our  vicinity,  but  as  yet  our  boys  have 
not  caught  any. 

Our  cornet  quartette  appeared  on 
WBZ-TV  on  Saturday,  May  2,  the  boys 
having  been  invited  to  take  part  by  "Big 
Brother"  Bob  Emery.  It  was  quite  an 
experience  for  the  boys  and  they  enjoyed 
it  very  much.  They  did  a  fine  job  playing 
the  theme  from  Sibelius'  "Finlandia." 
Mr.  Emery  has  stated  that  he  will  make 
it  possible  for  others  from  our  student  body 
to  take  part  on  one  of  his  popular  television 
programs. 

The  annual  banquet  of  the  graduating 
class  was  held  April  30  in  Bo<vditch  House. 
A  steak  dinner  was  enjoyed.  Several 
members  of  the  faculty,  and  some  students 
spoke  at  the  gala  class  function. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


A  Stunt  Flight 

Today  we  are  going  to  witness  the 
premier  flight  of  the  first  stunt  plane  to 
appear  on  Thompson's  Island.  To  begin 
we'll  need  a  few  items  to  start  the  motor. 
They  are:  a  battery,  a  can  of  fuel,  an  eye- 
dropper,  and  a  fuel  pump.  We'll  need 
flying  lines  also.  These  are  hitched  to 
the  leadouts  on  the  plane. 

Now  we'll  start  the  engine.  First  we 
pump  the  balloon  tank  with  fuel  and  then 
attach  it  to  the  engine.  Then  we  open 
the  needle  valve  and  connect  the  battery 
to  the  glow  plug.  Next  we  prime  the 
engine  by  putting  one  or  two  drops  of 
fuel  into  the  exhaust  port.  A  whirl  and 
the  engine  starts.  Pow!  Now  we  adjust 
the  needle  valve.  Man,  we've  got  that 
Wasp  roaring  now. 

We  hand  the  plane  to  the  launcher 
and  dash  to  the  center  of  the  circle.  (The 
plane  travels  a  circular  path  and  is  con- 
trolled by  two  thin  wires.  The  area  within 
its  path  is  called  the  circle.)  We  take  up 
the  control  handle  and  test.  Ah!  Perfect! 
We  give  the  launcher  the  signal. 

We  fly  a  few  level  laps  to  gain  con- 
fidence. Well,  now,  let's  try  a  wingover. 
Gulp!  Phew!  We  were  lucky  that  time. 
Let's  push  our  luck  and  do  a  loon.  Say! 
This  is  all  riiht!  Now  a  fiendish  thought! 
Let's  buzz  the  spectactors.  Wow!  Laid 
'em  flat. 

Oops,  out  of  fuel,  the  engine  cut. 
Well,  We'll  try  to  land.  1  he  plane  is  too 
high.  Wait  a  minute!  It  is  noscheavy. 
Don't  bring  it  in  so  sharply! 

"Hey  Sam!    I    just    looped!    Look!" 

The  old  sorehead!  Sam  just  stomped 
in  and  picked  up  the  pieces.  Hmph! 
Peeved,  just  beca'  se  it  was  his  engine  and 
his  last  prop. 

Robert  A.   Kidder 

(Ed.  Note:  Sam  Griswold  woefully 
watched  this  crackup;  he  has  s'nce  brought 


his  equipment  to  top  shape  and  efficiency. 
We  note,  though,  that  at  the  exhibitions 
we've  seen,  that  Sam  alone  handles  the 
controls.  'Tis  the  best  way  to  retain  full 
control  of  plane  and  temper.) 


Strawberry  Culture 

Care  of  a  strawberry  patch  begins 
with  the  preparing  of  the  soil,  which 
should  be  plowed,  harrowed  and  fertilized 
during  the  last  two  weeks  of  August  or  the 
first  two  weeks  of  September.  Strawberries 
do  well  on  soil  that  is  not  too  rocky,  but 
a  bit  on  the  sandy  side.  A  level  stretch 
makes  it  easy  to  mark  off  the  rows  and 
care  for  the  plants.  The  depth  to  plant 
should  be  six  inches,  so  that  the  roots 
will  be  able  to  spread  in  a  fan  shape. 

The  best  way  to  cultivate  is  by  hand, 
taking  out  the  weeds  and  loosening  the 
soil  around  the  plants.  A  faster  way  is  to 
use  a  tractor.  This  loosens  the  soil  all 
right,  but  doesn't  clean  the  weeds  so  well. 
The  strawberry  bed  should  be  mulched 
after  cultivation  with  three  to  four  inches 
of  sawdust.  This  mulch  can  be  left  on  for 
the  following  season,  for  it  will  help 
retain  moisture  and  keep  down  weeds, 
and  is  a  help  to  the  harvester. 

During  the  first  two  weeks  of  July  the 
fruit  chansies  from  a  green  to  red  color, 
and  this  is  the  time  to  pick.  Strawberries 
don't  keep  very  long  in  hot  weather,  so 
they  are  preserved  by  freezing.  Although 
this  is  done  in  many  ways,  here  we  hull 
and  clean  the  fruit  and  pack  in  small 
cardboard  tubs  which  are  put  in  the  deep 
freezer. 

The  results  of  the  work  on  the  straw- 
berry patch  are  enjoyed  all  year  long. 
Luscious  berries  are  served  with  cereal  for 
breakfast,  on  shortcake  for  dinner,  and  in 
pie  for  supper.  Icecream  specialties  made 
with  strawberries  are  served  often. 

Robert  O.  Cain 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


The  Day  New  Boys  Gome 

The  day  after  Labor  Day  is  the  day 
the  new  boys  arrive  annually  at  The  Farm 
and  Trades  School.  They  are  met  at  the 
wharf  by  other  boys  who  help  with  the 


Additional  Alumni  Notes 
LiNwooD  L.  Meacham,   '41.   of  9 
Talbot  Road,  Hingham,  has  been  intro- 
duced to  folks  in  th:it  community   by   a 


luggage, 'and  take  them  to  the  recreation     ^plendidly  written  article  which  appeared 

in  a  recent  issue  of  the  local  paper.  We 
take  the  liberty  of  quoting  several  para- 
graphs of  this  newspaper  account,  which 
was  written  by  Wm.  Eugene  Hays,  Gen- 
eral Agent.  Boston,  of  the  New  England 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company. 

"Lin  started  his  career  with  us  right 
after  getting  his  degree  from  Middlebury 
College  in  1950.  He  already  numbers 
among  his  clients  prominent  business 
men  considerably  his  senior.  How  come? 
Well,  he'll  study  a  profiram  until  nine 
times  out  of  ten,  he's  found  a  way  to 
improve  it.  He's  made  a  specialty  of 
reducing  tax  commitments  and  protecting 
business  interests  through  life  insurance. 

"You  see,  Lin  Meacham  has  realized 
early  the  opportunities  in  providing  a 
truly  professional  service  approach  to  life 
underwriting.  He  has  completed  both 
Career  and  Advanced  Underwriting 
courses,  and  is  now  working  toward  his 
C.  L.  U.  (Chartered  Life  Underwriter) 
degree. 

"Lin  also  has  musical  interests  which 
have  associated  him  with  various  social 
activities.  Playing,  as  the  occasion  war- 
ranted, either  the  bass  viol,  clarinet  or 
drums,  he  was  a  member  of  his  college 
orchestra  and  band,  and  led  'The  Black 
Panthers',  a  14  piece  dance  band,  in 
professional  engagements  all  over  New 
England.  In  addition,  he  was  Director 
of  Middlebury 's  famed  'Mid-Time  Var- 
ieties' and  President  of  his  college  flying 
club.  Yes,  you'll  find  Lin  Meacham  has 
a  lot  to  ofTer,  and  he's  looking  forward 
eagerly  to  taking  an  active  part  in  his  new 


room  in  A  House.  Here  ihey  have  a  short 
interview  with  Mr.  Albee  and  are  soon 
on  their  way  to  their  assigned  dormitory 
rooms. 

At  approximately  one  o'clock  they  go 
on  their  first  beach  walk,  along  with 
many  of  the  older  boys.  On  this  beach 
walk  they  are  told  a  brief  history  of  the 
islands  around  us.  For  example,  the 
story  of  Moon  Head  and  the  new  bridge 
to  Long  Island.  Also  how  Spectacle 
Island  has  been  filled  in  so  that  it  no 
longer  looks  like  a  pair  of  spectacles.  They 
are  also  told  about  the  engineering  job 
that  removed  Governor's  Island,  and 
about  Fort  Independence  on  Castle  Island. 
They  will  also  hear  of  Indian  graves  found 
on  our  Island,  and  go  for  a  swim  at  the 
north  end  beach. 

This  beach  walk  will  take  up  most  of 
the  afternoon.  At  night  there  is  usually  a 
movie  show,  or  assembly,  and  at  nine 
o'clock  the  new  boys  are  tired  and  ready 
for  bed. 

Another  article  could  be  written  on 
pranks  played  on  the  new  boys,  but  these 
don't  take  place  the  first  day.  New  boys 
can  expect,  after  a  few  days,  to  be  sent 
for  a  pail  of  steam,  or  the  key  to  the 
sunshine  box,  or  a  cows  false  tooth,  or 
any  number  of  things  including  a  hundred 
yards  of  shore  line. 

It  takes  only  a  few  days  for  the  new 
boys  to  become  fast  friends  with  one  an- 
other, and  with  the  older  boys  in  school. 
Time  passes  quickly,  and  they  will  be 
ready  to  greet  the  incoming  new  boys 
when  "the  day  the  new  boys  come"  once 
more  arrives. 

Bruce  A.  Graham 


community. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


Che  Jllumni  Association  of  Che  farm  and  Crades  School 


John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 
W.  Medford,  Mass. 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President 

Newton,  Mass. 
Donald  S.MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 

WoUaston,   Mass.  

The  Alumni  Meeting 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Alumni 
Association  was  held  at  a  Boston  restaur- 
ant on  Wednesday,  May  13.  The  Field 
Day,  one  of  the  big  events  held  by  the 
Association,  was  the  main  subject,  and 
the  Committee  was  given  much  construc- 
tive help  by  the  members  which  will  aid 
in  planning  for  this  day  which  will  be  held 
on  June  13. 

This  season  of  the  year  is  filled  with 
importvint  activities  for  the  School  Band, 
and  the  director,  Major  Frank  L.  Warren, 
was  called  upon  to  tell  of  the  band's  recent 
participation  in  several  concerts  andschool 
music  festivals.  All  were  glad  to  hear  of 
the  fine  record   made  by  the  1953  Band. 

Other  speakers  helped  make  the 
evening  pleasant.  It  was  informally  noted 
that  the  turnout  of  our  younger  members 
at  Association  afifairs  could  be  increased. 
If  you  are  a  member  of  the  past  two  or 
three  classes  please  be  sure  that  you  are 
most  welcome  to  join  in  all  Alumni  events. 
Come  to  all  our  events  and  bring  a  class- 
mate! 1   r>-   ij 

Notice  of  the  coming  Annual  Field 
Day  will  be  mailed  to  all  members  soon. 
Please  be  sure  to  return  the  attendance 
card  and  thus  help  your  secretary. 

Lawrence  J.  MacManus  writes  from 
the  Samson  Air  Force  Base,  at  Geneva, 
New  York.  He  has  been  in  the  air  force 
since  March  17  and  has  high  hopes  of 
studying  to  be  an  aerial  photographer  and 
aerial  radio  operator.  He  writes  rather 
humorously  of  many  of  his  experiences. 
We  expect  that  shortly  he  will  have  a 
different  service  address  and  will  print  it 
on  this  page  at  that  time. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretarj 

No.  Wiiralngton,  Mass. 
Q,  George  Larsson,  "17,  Historiao 
Hyde  Park. Mass. 


A  rather  interesting  note  appeared  in 
the  local  press  recently  relative  to  Corn- 
elius Conway  Felton,  Headmaster  of  our 
School  in  1839.  A  historical  sign  which 
pointed  out  the  birthplace  of  Mr.  Felton 
in  West  Newbury  disappeared  more  than 
20  years  ago  and  on  April  22  of  this  year 
it  mysteriously  reappeared.  Our  graduates 
who  live  in  that  area  might  like  to  look 
up  this  sign. 

Mr.  Felton  was  president  of  Harvard 
College  from  1860  to  1862.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  a  one  room  school- 
house.  He  achieved  international  fame 
and  distinction  during  his  later  years  as  a 
foremost  authority  on  classical  Greek 
grammar,  and  that  country's  art  and 
literature. 

John  R.  Mason,  '51,  writes  from 
Cannes,  France  and  tells  of  a  rather  rough 
passage  from  Algeria  to  France  when  15 
days  were  spent  at  sea.  He  has  been  in 
many  major  European  ports  during  his 
Navy  tenure  and  has  a  fine  collection  of 
photos  and  curios  which  he  has  gathered. 
His  address  is:  John  Mason  QMSN,  USS 
Cascade  AD16,  care  of  Fleet  P.  O.,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Thomas  C.  Kenvin,  '38,  visited  our 
band  as  the  boys  took  part  in  a  school 
music  festival  in  Maiden.  He  will  be  re- 
membered as  a  star  drum  major,  here,  in 
high  school  and  then  with  a  top-notch 
army  band  with  which  he  saw  service 
during  World  War  II  in  this  country,  in 
the  far  East,  and  in  Australia.  He  has  re- 
cently been  an  agricultural  school  teacher, 
but  is  not  engaged  in  this  work  at  present. 
He  now  makes  his  home  in  Swampscott. 


Vol.57  No.JLPrinted  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,    Mass.    June,    1953 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  lJ-74 


The  Music  Festivals 

A  common  question  at  this  time  of 
year  askei  by  all  graduates  is  "How  were 
the  music  festivals?  What  did  the  Band 
do?"  The  band  attended  three  festivals, 
and  in  brief  summary,  here  is  an  account 
of  the  happenings. 

The  first  festival  we  attended  was  at 
Maiden,  when  schools  from  northeastern 
Massachusetts  gathered  for  a  gala  musical 
event.  Unfortunately,  weather  interfered 
with  all  outdoor  parts  of  the  festival,  and 
they  were  cancelled.  Our  boys  played  in 
an  auditorium  in  Maiden  High  School 
and  the  judge's  report  was  very  favorable, 
one  of  his  comments  being  "An  amaz- 
ingly fine  band." 

One  week  later  we  participated  in  the 
southeastern  Massachusetts  school  music 
festival,  held  on  May  9.  Fine  weather 
made  the  day  a  complete  success.  In  the 
morning  our  boys  played  in  the  Norwood 
Theatre,  and  it  seemed  to  those  in  the 
audience  who  heard  the  band  previously, 
that  it  was  here  that  our  group  did  its  best 
work.  Again  the  judge  for  this  event 
gave  our  boys  a  most  commendable  report, 
adding  praise  to  our  conductor's  efforts  in 
good  fundamental  instrumental  music 
teaching. 

At  this  festival,  in  the  afternoon,  there 
was  a  parade  through  the  principal  streets 
of  the  city.  For  the  first  time  in  the  long 
history   of  the   festivals   our    boys    were 


chosen  to  lead  the  parade,  and  they  did 
tliemselves  proud.  At  the  Norwood 
athletic  field  a  concert  was  given  by  the 
bands  en  masse,  and  several  marches 
were  played,  all  to  the  great  satisfaction 
of  hundreds  who  had  gathered  to  hear 
the  concert. 

On  May  23  our  Band  went  to  Storrs, 
Conn,,  the  campus  town  of  the  University 
of  Connecticut,  to  take  part  in  the  New 
England  School  Music  Festival.  Here 
outstanding  groups  from  New  England 
schools  were  on  hand  in  a  day-long 
schedule  of  audition  and  marching  dem- 
onstrations. Our  boys  this  time  played 
before  a  committee  of  three  judges,  each 
one  distinguished  in  the  field  of  school 
music.  The  report  from  each  judge  was 
indeed  favorable  to  our  boys,  the  chair- 
man of  the  group  adding  the  note  that 
our  performance  was  even  an  improvement 
over  last  year.  In  the  afternoon  we  entered 
the  drilling  and  marching  exhibition  and 
our  band  stepped  off  in  fine  shape,  doing 
a  precision  drill  with  scarcely  a  discernible 
error  on  anyone's  part.  The  judges  in 
this  event  concurred  in  the  evaluation  of 
our  efforts  in  grading  the  band  as  Division 
I,  comparable  to  a  mark  of  95-100  on  a 
basis  of  100. 

The  overall  grade  for  concert  per- 
formance by  all  the  judges  at  all  of  the 
festivals  was  a  Division  II  rating,  equal  to 
a  mark  of  from  90-95,  on  a  basis  of  100. 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND   BEACON 


The  boys  certainly  did  a  fine  job,  and  all 
of  us  are  proud  of  the  result  achieved  by 
Major  Warren,  the  director,  and  each 
member  of  the  Band. 

The  purpose  of  the  festivals,  of  course, 
is  to  continually  raise  the  standards  of 
school  music,  and  the  judges  critically 
note  all  factors  in  the  results  achieved  by 
each  participating  group.  The  judges  all 
agreed  that  we  would  do  well  to  add  to 
our  instrumentation,  suggesting  more  clar- 
inets, an  oboe,  bassoon,  and  flute.  We 
shall  certainly  aim  towards  the  goal  of 
more  perfect  instrumentation. 

Up  in  the  Air 
Man's  first  ascent  by  balloon  was  made 
in  1783  by  two  Frenchmen.  Pilatre  de 
Rozier  and  the  Marquis  d'Orlandes.  From 
that  time  on,  until  the  age  of  the  airplane, 
many  ascents  were  made,  and  all  of  them 
were  very  thrilling.  Sadly  enough,  in 
making  some,  lives  were  lost.  In  this 
country  Francois  Blanchard  made  the  first 
ascent,  in  New  York  City,  in  1896.  We 
have  come  a  long  way  from  these  balloon 
ascensions  to  jet  propelled  aircraft.  Who 
can  tell  what  will  come  next? 

Howard  E.  Murphy  11 

Basketball 

I  like  basketball  very  much,  and  now 
that  we  have  an  outdoor  court  it  is  a  sport 
we  play  the  year  around.  Last  winter  I 
played  on  the  Sears  league  and  had  a  lot 
of  fun  playing  with  boys  my  own  size,  and 
some  who  were  bigger  than  me.  I  hope 
next  winter  I  can  be  on  the  winning  team. 
We  haven't  had  any  games  this  summer 
yet  on  our  outdoor  court,  but  the  boys 
have  been  practicing  shooting.  Right  now 
almost  everyone  wants  to  play  baseball, 
or  Softball,  and  already  we  have  had 
many  good  games  in  these  sports. 

Daniel  W.  Dockham 


Paint  Shop  Work 

I  have  been  working  in  the  paintshop 
for  quite  a  while  now,  and  I  like  the  work 
very  much.  I  never  did  much  in  this  line 
before,  and  already  I  know  I  have  learned 
a  great  deal.  In  fact,  I  have  helped  to 
paint  two  apartments,  and  several  dormi- 
tory rooms.  Every  so  often  I  help  on  the 
boat,  which  I  like  to  do.  Also,  I  have 
learned  to  set  glass  and  to  make  minor 
repairs  which  are  expected  of  a  painter. 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Movies 

We  all  look  forward  to  the  movies 
every  Saturday  night.  The  show  starts  at 
seven-thirty  and  lasts  about  two  hours. 
Usually  the  first  picture  is  a  short  one 
with  an  orchestra,  or  perhaps  a  cartoon. 
The  main  picture  always  has  good  actors 
and  a  good  story.  We  have  had  sports, 
comedy,  westerns  and  war  films  this 
year  so  far  and  enjoyed  them  all. 

Our  last  movie  was  "Jim  Thorpe  All- 
American." 

David  W.  Howard 

Making  a  Maze 

One  of  my  friends  has  a  game  named 
"Tilt"  which  he  and  I  like  to  play  very 
much.  The  object  of  the  game  is  to 
control  a  steel  ball  and  make  it  follow  a 
confusing  system  of  networks  and  paths 
until  the  goal  is  reached.  After  awhile 
we  got  tired  of  the  board  we  were  using 
and  we  decided  to  make  a  new  one,  using 
our  own  original  design,  which  was  quite 
different  from  the  original  one. 

We  went  to  the  sloyd  room  and  asked 
Mr.  Kihlstrom  about  it.  He  suggested 
using  beaver  board,  and  gave  us  the  ma- 
terials we  needed.  First  the  board  was 
sawed  to  the  correct  size,  and  then  several 
small  strips  were  cut  for  the  bunkers  and 
sides.  The  path  the  ball  was  to  follow  was 
was  sketched,  figured,  and  drawn  on  the 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


board,  and  then  we  drilled  holes  for  pit- 
falls along  this  path.  The  sides  were  glued 
on,  and  the  bunkers  glued  about  the  drilled 
holes.  After  much  patient  work  our  new 
board  was  made. 

Now  the  game  is  like  a  new  one,  and 
later  on  we  are  going  to  design  and  build 
more  original  maze  boards. 

Arnold    M.  Sutterlin 

Taking  Pictures 
Yesterday  I  went  to  the  barn  with  a 
friend  to  get  some  pictures.  We  took 
some  of  the  barns  and  then  tried  to  coax 
a  steer  to  pose  for  us.  He  kept  doing 
everything  he  could  to  prevent  us  from 
getting  the  picture,  so  we  gave  up  and 
went  to  the  poultry  house.  Here  we  got 
a  real  good  picture  of  the  hens,  who  were 
not  as  stubborn  as  the  steer.  We  got  some 
good  pictures  for  our  albums. 

Alexander  D.   Marinakis 

Memorial  Sunday  Service 

The  annual  Memorial  Sunday  services 
were  held  at  our  little  cemetery  at  the 
south  end  of  the  Island  on  May  24.  The 
exercises  were  simple  and  sacred,  most 
fitting  for  the  occasion.  The  weather  was 
ideal,  and  the  service  held  in  the  beauti- 
ful outdoor  setting  was  most  impressive. 

William  Sonier,  president  of  the 
graduating  class,  was  in  charge  and 
announced  the  program.  The  meaning 
of  this  Memorial  service,  from  its  origin 
after  the  Civil  War  up  to  the  present,  was 
related  by  Mr.  Meacham.  Sometimes  the 
true  significance  of  the  day  becomes 
obscured,  especially  among  younger 
people,  or  is  not  known,  and  it  is  well 
that  the  special  import  of  this  religous 
service  is  known. 

Music  for  the  service  was  furnished 
by  a  brass  quintet,  and  the  boys  played 
the  accompaniments  for  the  singing,  as  well 
as  special  numbers.      The  quintet  played 


excellently,  and  added  much  to  the 
observance. 

Beautiful  bouquets  of  flowers  were 
prepared  earlier  in  the  morning,  and 
these,  with  American  flags,  were  used  for 
the  decoration  of  each  grave. 

The  program  was  as  follows: 

PROGRAM 
Hymn — America 

School 

Invocation 

Mr.    Bartram 

Poem— In  Flanders  Fields 

Bruce  A.  Graham 
Pledge  of  Allegiance 
William  F.  Sonier,  Frederick  E.  Harding 

Reading — The  Meaning  of  Memorial  Day 
Teyet  Ramar  II 

Hymn— America  the  Beautiful 
School 

Poem — I  Have  a  Rendezvous  with  Death 
Edward  J.  Darr 

Hymn — God  of  Our  Fathers 
School 


Remarks 


Mr.  Meacham 


Rolling  of  Drums 

David  W.  Howard 


Taps 


Teyet  Ramar  II 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Donald  E.  Richardson 


History  of  the  Graves 

William  F.  Sonier 

Hymn — Nearer  My  God  to  Thee 
School 


Benediction 


Mr.   Bartram 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Cbompson's  island  Beacon 

Published    Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompson's  Island,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL    FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


Vol.  57     No.  3 


June    1953 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 

Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.  Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malm.     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,   Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expires  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.   Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.   Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.   Adams 

Terra  Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.   Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William   M.    Meachem 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advisory    Committee 
N.    Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.   Place,   M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


Our  band  is  making  six  public  ap- 
pearances and  giving  shorter  concerts  at 
the  School  during  this  early  summer 
period  and  we  are  reminded  of  the  great 
values  in  this  part  of  the  training  and 
experience  of  our  boys.  To  the  casual 
observer  it  might  appear  to  be  simply  a 
matter  of  a  boy  picking  up  a  horn  and 
tooting  for  the  want  of  something  more 
interesting  to  do. 

America's  first  boys'  band  was  organ- 
ized here  at  our  school  in  1857  and  in 
another  four  years  we  will  be  celebrating 
100  years  of  continuous  Band  activity. 
At  that  time  we  should  remind  the  Nation 
that  our  tiny  community  in  historic  Boston 
Harbor  quietly  pioneered  this  important 
activity  which  has  now  developed  into 
recognition  throughout  the  Conntry. 

We  are  often  asked  where  we  get  all 
of  our  boy  musicians.  People  cannot 
understand  how  such  superb  bands  can  be 
developed  here  year  after  year,  winning 
first  prizes,  99%  ratings,  and  in  compe- 
tition with  large  city  high  school  bands  so 
often  come  out  in  top  place  and  they  hear 
about  our  graduates  who  have  become 
Band  Leaders,  Boston  Symphony  mem- 
bers, almost  a  score  of  bands  where  our 
graduates  predominate  and  many  indi- 
viduals who  achieve  success  and  fame  in 
the  field  of  music,  and  our  friends  say, 
"How  do  you  do  it?" 

Space  does  not  permit  detailed  ex- 
planations of  all  the  factors.  It  is  not  that 
simple.  In  the  first  place,  we  definitely 
do  not  seek  nor  select  boys  for  admission 
to  the  School  with  any  regard  to  their 
musical  abilities.  Almost  never  does  a  boy 
entering  the  School  have  previous  musical 
experience  or  training.  Practically  every 
normal  boy  (and  girl)  has  the  basic  latent 
talents  which  can  be  developed  and  almost 
every  boy  at  our  school  elects  to  learn  to 
play  one  or  more  musical  instruments  and 
learns  to  read  music. 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


To  be  a  member  of  the  Band  a  boy 
must  have  the  initiative  to  select  an  instru- 
ment and  start  toward  the  goal  which  he 
determines  to  reach.  He  must  have  the 
"drive"  which  constantly  spurs  him  on  to 
achieve  his  ambition  by  dint  of  daily 
practice  and  study.  He  must  have  the 
courage  to  devote  time  which  might  other- 
wise be  used  to  fly  model  airplanes,  pitch 
horse  shoes,  go  fishing  or  watch  television, 
and  so  organize  his  time  that  he  can  do 
those  things  also  in  his  spare  time.  He 
must  develop  the  power  of  concentration. 
He  must  have  the  strength  of  character  to 
not  be  diverted  by  wasted  time  efforts  of 
little  consequence.  A  boy  must  be  responsi- 
ble for  his  own  success  and  he  must  learn 
to  work  with  others  in  the  team,  his  Band. 
His  success  in  the  band  depends  upon  his 
diligence  in  these  qualities  and,  of  course, 
he  must  be  friendly  to  his  associates,  courte- 
ous to  his  leaders,  punctual  to  his  practice 
periods,  particular  in  his  appearance,  and 
precise  in  every  note  coming  forth  from 
his  musical  instrument.  There  are  in  fact 
few,  if  any  ideal  qualities  of  basic  success 
in  life  not  found  in  the  development  of  a 
boy  band  member,  especially  as  conducted 
here  where  excellence  in  results  is  the 
pride  and  satisfaction  of  every  boy. 

Other  important  factors  include  equip- 
m  e  n  t ,  planning,  tradition,  financing, 
support  and  encouragement  of  friends, 
and,  of  course,  the  leadership  and  di- 
rection of  such  a  combination  as  we  have 
in  Boston's  Dean  of  Band  Masters,  Major 
Frank  L.  Warren,  thirty  years  our  Band 
Director,  and  his  capable  assistant,  who 
can  play  every  instrument  and  composes 
some  of  the  numbers,  Mr.  Clifton  E.  Albee, 
in  his  twenty-seventh  year  here. 

Topics  in  Brief 

The  boys  in  Dormitory  C  are  very 
happy  with  their  new  television  set,  the 


purchase  of  which  was  made  possible  by 
the  boys'  parents,  with  the  cooperation  of 
our  supervisor,  Mr.  Thomas.  The  new 
television  sets  are  a  great  improvement 
over  models  only  a  year  or  two  old,  and 
the  sound  and  picture  of  this  new  set  is 
remarkably  fine. 

The  recreation  of  the  boys  has  been 
centered  pretty  much  on  softball  and 
baseball  during  the  month.  Shuffleboard 
and  tennis  have  their  devotees  also,  and, 
of  course,  there  are  many  who  like  nothing 
better  than  fishing  from  our  wharf.  After 
experiencing  a  winter  and  spring,  when 
outdoor  sports  were  almost  negligible,  the 
many  summertime  activities  are  even  more 
desirable  and  pleasant. 

Due  to  adverse  weather,  the  parade 
and  other  outdoor  events  at  the  North- 
eastern Massachusetts  school  music  festival 
on  May  2  were  cancelled.  This  left  our 
Band  with  nothing  scheduled  for  the 
afternoon  and  with  the  fine  cooperation 
of  Clyde  W.  Albee,  '33,  of  the  Boston 
Museum  of  Science  stafT,  a  trip  to  Science 
Park  was  immediately  arranged.  The 
staff  at  Science  Park  was  particularly  kind 
in  making  this  visit  worth  while  in  every 
respect  and  our  boys  enjoyed  the  many 
wonderful  and  thrilling  exhibits,  and 
special  science  shows.  Boston  and  New 
England  may  well  be  proud  of  their  new 
Museum  of  Science. 

A  sport  quiz  of  a  different  type  was 
given  by  Division  B  of  the  eighth  grade 
on  May  4.  A  panel  of  instructors  was 
chosen  which  competed  with  a  panel  of 
the  boys,  as  the  members  of  the  class 
pantomined  the  action  in  a  great  number 
of  sports  and  athletic  events.  The  final 
tally  showed  the  instructors  the  winners 
but  by  a  very  close  margin. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


Through  the  courtesy  of  Col.  Nelse 
M.  Duncan  of  the  Sunset  Club  of  Boston, 
which  is  sponsored  by  the  Volunteers  of 
America,  our  Band  took  part  in  the 
Annual  Day  of  Remembrance  of  the  Club 
at  the  Hotel  Bradford  on  Sunday,  May 
10.  The  boys  played  several  compositions 
and  received  high  praise.  Speaker  of  the 
eveningwastheHon.SumnerG.  Whittier, 
Lieut.  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth, 
who  delivered  a  stirring  and  inspired 
address. 

The  Quincy  Patriot  Ledger,  in  its  e- 
dition  of  May  5,  carried  a  fine  article 
about  our  school,  illustrated  with  three 
fine  pictures.  We  are  grateful  indeed  for 
the  publication  of  this  account,  which  is 
extremely  well  written  by  Richard  T. 
LeBrecque.  The  publisher.  G,  Prescott 
Low,  kindly  loaned  us  the  stereotyped 
plate  of  the  editorial  page  upon  which  this 
article  appeared,  and  we  have  reprinted 
2100  copies  in  our  school  printing  office 
for  distribution  to  our  friends. 

We  enjoyed  a  fine  entertainment 
given  by  the  seventh  graders  on  May  11. 
The  program  was  made  up  of  three  one 
act  plays,  which  the  boys  performed  most 
creditably.  The  stage  settings  were  es- 
pecially fine.  All  of  the  boys  in  the  class 
took  part. 

A  Fire 
One  of  the  exciting  events  which  we 
will  not  forget  soon  was  that  of  a  fire  in 
the  harbor.  One  weekday,  while  we 
were  at  dinner,  one  of  the  boys  saw  a 
large  barge  afire  near  our  north  end.  We 
went  to  watch  and  soon  saw  two  coast 
guard  boats  racing  to  the  scene,  to  give 
assistance  to  the  tug  which  was  towing  the 
burning  barge.  In  a  few  minutes  a  police 
boat  and  fire  boat  were  at  the  scene.  The 
fire  boat  soon  had  the  fire  under  control. 


and  it  looked  as  though  all  the  hoses  were 
in  use.  After  awhile  the  fire  died  down 
and  the  barge  was  towed  to  Spectacle 
Island  where  the  fire  was  put  out  com- 
pletely. We  learned  later  that  the  barge 
was  so  thoroughly  burned  that  it  was  taken 
to  sea  and  sunk. 

Teyet  Ramar  II 

Our  Assembly  Program 

I  think  the  assembly  program  our 
class  had  was  about  the  best  ever.  We 
were  all  in  costume  as  the  wives  of  cabinet 
members.  As  we  were  introduced  we 
told  of  all  the  things  our  "husbands"  did 
and  the  audience,  as  well  as  we,  learned 
much  about  the  leaders  of  our  government. 
Every  member  of  the  class  had  a  part  in 
the  program  and  our  teacher,  MissBaird, 
worked  very  hard  in  preparing  costumes 
and  making  the  stage  setting  for  us.  After- 
wards she  took  pictures  of  us  in  costume. 

Ronald  G.  Hermann 

Spring 

Winter  has  gone  and  we  are  enjoying 
the  beautiful  days  ofthe  spring  season.  No 
matter  in  what  direction  one  looks  he  can 
see  the  wonderful  rich  green  of  the  lawns 
and  trees.  The  sky  is  clear  and  blue  and 
the  buildings  at  Squantum  Naval  Base 
stand  out  clearly.  To  the  west,  the  skyline 
of  Boston,  with  the  many  tall  buildings  is 
an  inspiring  sight.  The  many  garden  beds 
have  tulips  of  many  hues  in  full  bloom, 
and  the  lilac  bushes  add  much  to  the  spring 
season.  No  matter  where  one  looks,  he 
can  be  sure  of  seeing  Mother  Nature  at 
her  best.  There  is  no  place  as  beautiful 
as  Thompson's  Island  in  the  springtime. 

Stanton  H.  Pearson 

Looking  Ahead 

Soon  Alumni  Day  will  be  with  us, 
and  this  is  a  big  day  for  the  Alumni,  as 
well  as  for  the  boys  in  school.      Tables, 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


chairs  and  benches,  and  the  public  address 
system,  are  set  up  on  the  lawn.  The 
alumni  first  assemble  here  and  are  greeted 
by  Mr.  Meacham.  Then  the  schedule  of 
events  for  the  day  begins.  This  includes 
ball  games,  picnic  races  and  lunch  served 
out-of-doors.  The  boys  at  the  school  take 
part  in  all  the  events  and  enjoy  the  day. 
All  of  the  graduates  take  time  to  roam 
about  the  grounds  and  think  about  the 
years  they  spent  at  the  school.  It  is  a 
happy  day. 

Edward  J.   Darr 

Additional  Alumni  Notes 
William  G.  Beadle,  '12,  has  long 
been  much  interested  in  our  band.  This 
year,  just  before  the  concert  at  Faneuil 
Hall,  he  made  a  gift  to  the  Band  of 
selected  reeds  for  the  clarinet  players.  He 
has  been  employed  by  the  Cundy-Bettoney 
instrument  manufacturing  company  for 
many  years.  His  home  address  is  219 
Grove  Street.  Randolph,  Mass. 

Daniel  E.  Smith,  '20,  has  made  a 
fine  start  in  the  woodworking  business,  he 
having  opened  his  own  shop  a  year  ago. 
He  has  spent  many  years  in  this  business 
and  we  know  that  further  success  will 
meet  his  every  effort.  He  lives  in 
Arlington,  at  11  Park  Street. 

Rev.  Clifford  H.  Taylor,  '15, 
recently  had  the  opportunity  to  do  a 
service  for  Mark  C.  Baird,  our  head  farm 
instructor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baird  were 
touring  in  Maine  and  sought  road  di- 
rections. Talking  with  a  resident  of 
Corinth,  Maine,  they  not  only  secured 
the  information  they  desired,  but  also 
learned  that  their  informant  was  an  F.  T. 
S.  graduate,  now  doing  a  fine  work  as 
pastor  of  a  church  in  East  Corinth,  Maine. 
A  pleasant  conversation  resulted,  and  new 
friendships  formed. 


Honor  Roll  —  Spring  Term 

The  highest  academic  avcrafies  in  each  clasi  tfroup 
Junior  Class 

Frederick  E.  Harding 

Sophomore  Class 

Robert  A.  Kidder 
Alan  C.  Waldron 

Freshman  Class 
William  H.    Dillon 
David  E.  LeVeille 

Eighth  Grade  Division  A 

Albert  K.  Ellis 
Harold  L.  Spurling 

Eighth  Grade  Division  B 

William  F.  James 
Thomas  Angelos 

Seventh  Grade 

Arnold  M.  Sutterlin 
Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

Best  Citizenship 

"A"  Rank  general  conduct  and  effort 
in  each  class  ^roup 

Sophomore  Class 

Roberto.  Cain 
Samuel  M.   Griswold 

Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

Donald  E.  Richardson 

William  F.  Sonier 

Alan  C.  Waldron 

Freshman  Class 

Edward  A.  Atton 
Walter  R.  Hermann 
David  E.    LeVeille 

Eighth  Grade    Division    A 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

John  E.  Lennon 

Howard  E.    Murphy,  II 

Carleton  G.  Skinner 

Eighth  Grade  Division  B 

Ralph  Schofield 

Seventh  Grade 

Alexander  D.  Marinakis 
Arnold  M.  Sutterlin 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


Cbe  JRlumni  }!$$ociatiott  of  Che  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,   Mass.  W-  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretarj 
No.  Wilmington,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historian 
Hyde   Park. Mass. 


George  H.  Bruce, '45,  has  written 
recently,  telling  us  of  his  interesting  work 
in  the  Intelligence  Branch  of  the  armed 
forces.  His  address  is  now  Pfc  George  H. 
Bruce,  RA21631670,  Cas.  Det.  8617  AAU., 
Arlington  Hall  Station,  Arlington  12,  Va. 
We  are  sure  that  he  would  enjoy  corres- 
ponding with  his  many  FTS  friends. 

IVERS  R.  Allen,  '16,  writes  that  he 
will  be  at  728  Union  Avenue,  Lakeport, 
New  Hampshire,  until  Labor  Day.  We 
strive  to  keep  our  alumni  address  list  cor- 
rect, and  thank  him  for  his  note.  All  alumni 
are  urged  to  notify  us  of  address  changes. 
for  it  is  important,  and  is  a  big  help  to 
your  secretary. 

Walter  Ostrander,  '50,  was  a 
recent  visitor.  Early  in  June  he  expects 
to  leave  for  duty  in  Europe.  A  member 
of  the  armed  forces,  he  has  recently  grad- 
uated from  a  special  service  school  where 
he  trained  as  a  communications  receiver 
repairman.  We  will  publish  his  new  ser- 
vice address  as  soon  as  it  is  made  available 
to  us. 

Kenneth  W.  Clayton,  '52,  is  at- 
tending Brainlree  high  school,  and  at  a 
recent  music  festival  held  in  Norwood,  he 
visited  with  our  band.  He  plays  cornet 
in  the  Braintree  band,  enjoys  his  school 
life,  and  is  doing  well  in  his  various  school 
activities.  His  address  is  1237  Washington 
Street,  South  Braintree,  Mass. 

James  L.  Angelos,  '49,  is  employed 
as  a  salesman  in  the  upholstery  de- 
partment of  the  Jordan  Marsh  store  in 
Boston.  He  has  served  with  the  U.  S. 
Army  as  a  bandsman.     He  has  continued 


to  keep  up  his  interest  in  the  Order  of  the 
DeMolay.  and  is  at  present  Master  of  his 
Lodge.  He  lives  at  35  Logan  Way,  South 
Boston,  Mass. 

Ramsey  C.  Allen,  '30,  has  recently 
opened  a  downtown  showroon  and  is 
very  busy  in  the  marine  trade.  Interest 
in  amateur  boating  of  all  kinds  is  in- 
creasing and  he  is  prepared  to  demonstrate 
all  of  the  popular  boat  models  and 
accessories.  He  is  always  happy  and 
pleased  to  meet  former  F.  T.  S.  friends. 
His  new  store  is  conveniently  located  on 
Federal  Street  in  Boston. 

Congratulations  are  in  order  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Edward  Capaul,  who  have  only 
recently  completed  a  honeymoon  trip. 
The  couple  was  at  the  Faneuil  Hali 
concert,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  indeed  to 
welcome  Mrs.  Capaul  into  the  great 
family  of  F.  T.  S.  alumni  folk.  Mr. 
Capaul  has  for  many  years  operated  the 
Swiss  Family  Laundry,  in  Roxbury.  He 
is  in  frequent  attendance  at  all  Alumni 
gatherings.  The  address  of  the  Capauls 
is  3  Glenwood  Terrace,  Roxbury,  Mass. 
He  graduated  with  the  class  of  1905. 

John  P.  Richardson,  '52,  is  com- 
pleting the  junior  year  at  Hingham  high 
school.  He  visited  us  recently  and  spoke 
of  his  many  school  activities.  He  is 
particularly  active  in  dramatics.  He  lives 
at  13  Hersey  Street,  Hingham. 

The  annual  Field  Day  will  be  held  on 
Saturday,  June  13.  The  boat  will  leave 
the  Public  Landing  at  10:45.  Members 
of  the  Association,  with  their  guests,  are 
invited.  Send  reservation  promptly  to 
your  secretary. 


Vo\.57No.3  Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,    Mass.    July,   1953 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  If- 74 


Graduation 

Graduation  exercises  for  the  Class  of 
1953  were  held  Thursday,  June  4.  Almost 
at  the  last  moment  rain  threatened  to  mar 
the  observance,  if  held  outdoors,  and  it 
was  decided  to  hold  the  ceremonies  in 
Bowditch  House.  Thirteen  boys  were 
graduated. 

The  class  had  the  privilege  and  good 
fortune  to  be  addressed  by  the  Honorable 
John  V.  Spalding,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Judicial  Court  of  the  Commonwealth. 
Justice  Spalding  had  a  practical,  clear-cut 
message  for  the  class  and  every  point  in 
his  address  could  well  be  given  immediate 
application.  He  urged  the  young  gradu- 
ates to  build  on  the  solid  foundation  they 
have  developed  here,  and  to  remember 
that  "Every  day  is  a  miracle."  As  to 
the  disheartening  situation  of  present-day 
world  and  national  conditions  he  cited 
numerous  instances  in  the  history  of  our 
nation  when  itseemed  that  insurmountable 
difficulties  were  bound  to  defeat  us.  He 
stressed  the  fact  that  there  are  bound  to 
be  disappointments  and  hard  times,  yet 
we  must  always  face  the  future  with  a 
wholesome  type  of  courage  and  refuse  to 
adopt  a  cynical  attitude.  We  are  indebted 
greatly  to  Justice  Spalding  for  coming  to 
us  with  a  timely  and  valuable  message. 
Justice  Spalding  was  introduced  by  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
School,  Calvin  Page  Bartlett. 


The  Rev.  Morris  A.  Inch,  a  friend  of 
long  standing,  gave  the  Invocation.  Mr. 
Inch  has  a  personal  interest  in  our  boys 
and  not  many  years  ago  was  our  minister 
for  a  period  of  two  years.  On  the  Sunday 
preceding  graduation  day  he  conducted 
the  Baccalaureate  service  for  the  class  at 
the  South  Baptist  Church,  of  which  church 
he  is  pastor. 

The  address  of  the  valedictorian, 
Robert  A.  Kidder,  was  very  good.  One 
other  class  member  had  a  speaking  part 
in  the  exercises,  the  Salutatorian,  Alan  C. 
Waldron,  who  welcomed  the  more  than 
two  hundred  parents  and  friends  of  the 
boys.  The  band  played  several  selections 
under  the  baton  of  our  bandmaster,  Frank 
L.  Warren,  among  them  being  a  trumpet 
solo  played  by  Donald  E.  Richardson. 
David  W.  Howard  of  the  Class  of  1954 
was  marshall  for  the  graduates. 

Headmaster  William  M.  Meacham 
presented  diplomas  to  the  thirteen  gradu- 
ates. As  each  received  the  coveted  honor 
he  was  warmly  applauded.  Each  of  the 
young  graduates  through  the  years  has 
earned  the  admiration  and  friendship  of 
not  only  us  at  the  School,  but  also  of  a 
large  number  of  others,  including  many 
of  the  parents  and  friends  of  our  student 
body  members,  who  were  delighted  to  be 
present  as  this  significant  goal  in  the  edu- 
cational career  of  each  young  graduate 
was  reached. 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Many  prizes  and  awards  were  made. 
Mr.  Meacham  presented  sloyd  diplomas 
to  three,  and  a  junior  year  certificate  to 
one  post  graduate. 

The  greatest  individual  honor  to  be 
bestowed  annually  is  the  P'rancis  Shaw 
Scholarship  Award,  which  was  received 
this  year  by  William  F.  Sonier. 

Mr.  Meacham  also  presented  many 
other  awards  and  prizes.  The  Charles 
Hayden  Scholarship  Certificates  were 
awarded  and  certificates  for  Band  pro- 
ficiency given.  Other  prize  awards  made 
included  the  Shaw  Conduct  Prizes,  and 
the  Sears  basketball  awards.  The  names 
of  the  prize  winners  will  be  found  on  an- 
other page  in  this  issue. 

After  the  exercises  the  members  of  the 
class  received  congratulations  and  then 
farewells  were  in  order.  The  graduates 
left  on  the  PILGRIM,  taking  with  them  the 
best  wishes  of  a  host  of  friends.  Although 
they  will  experience  other  graduations 
from  advanced  schools,  we  feel  sure  that 
the  ceremonies  here  will  remain  firmly  in 
memory  as  f/j^ graduation.  We  are  indeed 
very  proud  of  our  thirteen  new  alumni. 

The  program,  and  names  of  those  re- 
ceiving diplomas,  follows: 

PROGRAM 

Class   Processional— Youth    Victorious 
David  W.  Howard,  '54,  Marshall 

Invocation 

The  Reverend  Morris  A.  Inch 
Pastor,  South  Baptist  Church 

Overture — Day  of  Youth 

Salutatory 

Alan  C.  Waldron 

Trumpet  Solo — Trumpeter's  Lullaby 
Donald  E.  Richardson 

Valedictory 


Robert  A.  Kidder 


Introduction  of  Speaker 

President  Calvin  Page  Bartlett 

Address 

The  Honorable  John  V.  Spalding 
Justice,  Supreme  Judicial  Court, 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

Presentation  of  Diplomas  and  Prizes 
Headmaster  William  M.  Meacham 

Finale — Salutation  March 

DIPLOMAS  AWARDED 

GRADUATION 
Robert  Otis  Cain 

Edward  James  Darr 

Donald  Robert  Dockham 
Bruce  Alexander  Graham 
Samuel  Morse  Griswold 
Wayne  William  Henry 
Ralph  Frederick  Hopkins 
Robert  Arthur  Kidder 
David  Alan  Pulsifer 
Teyet  Ramar  II 

Donald  Earle  Richardson 
William  Francis  Sonier 
Alan  Coates  Waldron 

SLOYD 

Donald  Robert  Dockham 
David  Edmond  LeVeille 

Donald  Earle  Richardson 

JUNIOR  YEAR  CERTIFICATE 
Frederick  Edward  Harding 

Class  Officers 
William  F.  Sonier,  President 
Donald  E.  Richardson,  Vice  President 
Wayne  W.  Henry,  Secretary 
Class  Motto 
"Strive  and  Succeed" 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


Basketball  Awards 
Alihough  a  comparatively  new  game, 
basket  ball  has  reached  tremendous  world- 
wide popularity,  and  here  at  F.  T.  S.  the 
game  is  played  almost  the  year  'round, 
although,  of  course,  it  is  during  the  winter 
months  that  the  most  intensive  play  is 
reached.  Athletic  certificates  and  insignia 
are  awarded  to  those  excelling  in  the 
game,  and  this  year  the  presentation  of 
these  prizes  was  made  on  Graduation  Day. 
Fifteen  bovs  were  included  on  the  list  who 
won  basketball  awards.     They  were: 

Varsity    Awards 

Bruce  A.  Graham,    Captain 

Edward  J.  Darr 

David  E.  Leveille 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

William  H.  Dillon 

Robert  Fabello 

Intramural  Awards 

Ralph  F.  Hopkins 
David  W.  Howard 
S.  Newcomb  Graham 
John   E.    Lenrion 
Robert   W.  Wright 
Kenneth  C.    Alexander 

Foul    Shooting  Awards 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag   (Senior) 

Carroll  E.  Young  (Junior) 

Frederick  L.  Krueger    (Cubs) 

Activities  on  Graduation  Day 

Every  school,  I  imagine,  has  gradu- 
ation, but  nowhere  is  there  the  kind  of 
activity  we  have  here.  To  begin,  just  to 
be  sure  that  everyone  is  wide  awake  so  as 
to  enjoy  the  dciy  in  full,  the  graduating 
class  band  serenades  everyone  atS:30  A.M. 
Seldom  is  the  graduation  morning  band 
noted  for  sweetness,  but  the  racket  it  pro- 
duces makes  further  sleep  impossible. 
When  this  reveille  is  finished  the  boys  put 
away  their  instruments,  and  in  late  years 
have  been  invited  to  a  special  breakfast, 


this  year  graciously  provided  for  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Steinhoff.  It  was  surely  a  real 
sumptious  breakfast. 

Well,  anyway,  it  isn't  all  fun  and 
pleasure.  There's  work  to  be  done!  During 
the  morning  we  "setup"  for  the  exercises. 
The  chapel  settees  and  lawn  benches  are 
brought  to  the  bandstand  on  the  front 
lawn.  The  platform  is  arranged,  and  this 
takes  care,  because  one  mistake  might  be 
very  embarrassing  later.  After  dinner  the 
dining  room  chairs  are  also  taken  to  the 
lawn,  so  we  have  seats  for  several  hundred 
people. 

Meanwhile,  as  we  have  time,  those 
having  parts  get  in  last  minute  rehearsals. 
This  year  we  had  even  less  time  for  this 
because  the  weather  was  fickle  and  at  noon 
everything  was  moved  inside.  Graduation 
was  held  in  Bowditch  House. 

The  guests  arrived  shortly  after  one- 
thirty,  and  at  two-thirty  we  began  the  cer- 
emonies. The  Band  played  the  process- 
ional and  the  class  marched  solemnly  to 
the  stage.  The  great  moment  had  arrived. 

The  formal  exercises  did  not  take 
very  long.  Afterwards  the  class  had  a 
busy  time  checking  on  suitcases,  chests, 
packages  and  other  things  they  took  with 
them.  The  boat  boys  were  dressed  in  their 
whites  and  saw  that  the  class  had  a  happy 
landing  at  City  Point. 

Still  the  activity  is  not  yet  over.  Al- 
though the  graduates  have  left  there  is  a 
job  to  do  at  the  School.  The  settees, 
chairs  and  many  other  things  used  for  the 
exercises  must  be  returned  to  their  accus- 
tomed places.  Finally  graduation  day 
draws  to  a  close.  The  weather  is  usually 
warm  and  the  final  event  is  fun — a  swim. 

Alan  C.  Waldron 

"Reputation  is  what  men  and  women 
think  of  us;  character  is  what  God  and 
the  angels  know  of  us." 

Thomas  Paine 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Chompson's  Island  Beacon 

Published     Monthly  bv 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompson's  Island,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL    FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS 


Vol.57    No.    4  July    1953 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Yeai 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.   Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malm,     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.   Warren,   Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expire!  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.   Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.    Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 

Term   Expires   1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.   Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.   Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 

Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William   M.   Meaoham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advitory    Committee 
N.    Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin   H.   Place,   M.  D. 


The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


Dear  Sir: 

I  finally  have  time  to  write  to  you  to 
let  you  know  how  I'm  doing,  and  what 
my  work  is.  I  hope  everything  is  fine 
with  you  and  the  family,  and  everybody 
else  at  the  school  is  fine  and  of  the  best  of 
health. 

I'm  now  stationed  at  Webb  Air  Field 
Base,  Big  Springs,  Texas.  The  people 
down  here  are  the  nicest  people  you  could 
meet  anywhere,  and  most  of  them  are 
Christians.  I'm  now  a  member  of  one  of 
the  churches  in  town.  For  a  population 
of  21,000  people  they  have  42  churches. 
It  may  sound  unbelievable,  Mr.  Meacham, 
but  it  is  true,  and  all  of  them  are  well 
attended.  I'm  very  grateful  I  had  a  chance 
to  come  to  Texas,  because  it  gives  me  an 
altogether  dififerentchange  of  environment 
from  what  I've  known,  and  also  weather. 
Well,  I  don't  think  too  highly  of  the  Texas 
weather  in  this  vicinity.  When  the  wind 
begins  to  blow  it  picks  up  all  the  dirt  and 
blows  all  around.  Sometimes  it  blows  so 
hard  you  can  hardly  see  in  front  of  you. 
Last  night  we  were  scheduled  to  play  at  a 
baseball  game  at  Big  Springs.  We  arrived 
at  the  ball  park  at  about  seven  o'clock. 
Just  as  I  got  out  of  the  car  a  large  gust  of 
wind  hit  me  in  the  face,  and  with  dust. 
You  know  what  a  thunder  storm  looks 
like  before  it  hits  your  vicinity,  well  we 
had  the  same  type  of  clouds.  The  dust 
blew  very  hard  for  about  an  hour,  and  to 
top  it  all  off  it  started  to  down  pour,  and 
we  had  a  mixture  of  dust  and  rain,  and 
this  is  the  result.  It  rained  mud,  and  as 
we  were  riding  back  to  the  base  we  could 
see  the  murky  water  as  it  splashed  against 
the  car's  window. 

I'm  looking  forward  to  seeing  every- 
body back  at  the  school  again.  The  school 
will  always  be  my  home,  because  of  all  the 
wonderful  things  we  had.  I  wish  more 
fellows  could  have  had  the  opportunities 
I  had  when  I  was  there.     I  believe  Mr. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Thomas,  and  all  the  other  instructors  who 
said  I'd  wish  I  was  back.  Well,  I  do  wish 
I  was  back.  The  reason  why  I  wish  I  was 
back  is  because  I  realize  how  much  the 
people  out  there  had  done  for  me  in  big 
ways  and  little,  and  how  much  fun  we  had 
out  there,  and  all  the  wonderful  times  we 
all  used  lo  have.  The  school  isn't  a  school 
to  me  anymore  Mr.  Meacham,  because 
when  I  think  about  the  wonderful  training 
I  was  given  it  is  the  same  training  any  boy 
of  an  average  family  would  get.  To  me 
the  school  is  a  home.  I  sometimes  think 
about  how  I  reacted  my  first  year  there. 
I  sometimes  laugh,  and  at  times  I  blush 
when  I  think  of  what  I  did.  Remember 
when  I  was  accepted  by  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  we  got  back  to  school,  and  I 
came  up  to  your  office  that  afternoon  and 
told  you  I  didn't  want  to  be  accepted  by 
the  Board  of  Trustees.  If  I  could  relive 
the  past  and  be  back  at  the  school,  I'd  do 
it.  It  isn't  only  the  things  and  the  won- 
derful times  I  had  while  I  was  there  but  it 
was  the  Island  itself,  and  the  farm,  par- 
ticularly in  the  springtime  when  everything 
is  growing  and  the  farm  boys,  and  instruc- 
tors do  the  spring  plowing  and  planting. 
There  are  so  many  things  I'll  hold  dearly 
in  my  heart  and  memory.  I  hope  some- 
day to  be  able  to  come  down  and  visit 
and  spend  some  pleasant  hours  down  at 
the  school.  Well,  Mr.  Meacham,  give 
my  regards  to  everybody  at  the  school, 
and  I  wish  there  were  more  people  and 
men  like  you  Sir,  who  realize  the  needs 
of  fellows  like  me.  I'm  pretty  sure  if 
people  thought  and  worked  together  as 
you  and  the  instructors  and  the  fellows 
have  gotten  along  this  would  be  a  better 
world  to  live  in.  I  feel  through  knowing 
you,  Sir,  and  being  under  your  guidance 
that  it  is  the  people  like  you  who  make 
this  world  a  better  place  to  live  in. 

Sir,  I  have  my  leave  starting  the  1st 
of  June,  and  I  feel  and  know  if  nothing 


goes  wrong  I'll  be  down  for  graduation. 
Could  you  send  me  a  card  telling  the 
date  of  graduation?  I  would  appreciate 
it  very  much.  I  hope  you  can  read  my 
writing,  if  you  can't  read  it  too  well  be- 
cause of  my  writing  let  me  know  Sir,  and 
I'll  write  plainer  and  slower. 

I  guess  this  is  all  for  now.  I'm  ever 
grateful  for  what  you  and  the  others  have 
done  for  me. 

Yours  truly, 

William  L.  Glennon,  '52 

P.  S.  I  forgot  to  tell  you  I'm  doing 
fine  in  my  band  work  and  I  hope  to  make 
corporal  or  rather  Airman  2nd  class. 

Topics  in  Brief 

Graduation  exercises  for  the  Class  of 
1953  were  held  on  June  4.  Because  of 
inclement  weather  the  program  was  held 
in  Bowditch  House.  The  boys  were  ad- 
dressed by  the  Hon.  John  V.  Spalding, 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court  of 
the  Commonwealth.  Thirteen  received 
graduation  diplomas,  one  a  junior  year 
certificate,  and  three  boys  received  sloyd 
diplomas.  Four  of  the  class  members  will 
be  with  us  another  year,  taking  the  post- 
graduate course.  The  other  members  of 
the  class  left  for  their  homes  after  the 
exercises. 

On  Sunday  May  31  the  Rev.  Morris  A. 
Inch  delivered  the  Baccalaureate  address 
to  the  graduating  class  at  the  South  Baptist 
Church.  Mr.  Inch  had  an  inspiring 
message  for  our  group.  A  brass  quartet, 
made  up  of  members  of  the  class,  assisted 
the  church  choir  in  presenting  special 
musical  selections. 

The  graduating  class  enjoyed  an  ex- 
cursion to  Canobie  Lake,  N.  H.,  on  June  1, 
through  the  courtesy  and  kindness  of 
Mrs.  Arthur  Adams,  who  for  many  years 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


has  annually  provided  funds  for  the  class 
outing.  Ideal  weather,  and  the  beautiful 
setting  of  the  Canobie  Lake  recreational 
area  made  the  day  a  memorable  one,  com- 
pletely enjoyed. 

On  graduation  eve  the  members  of 
the  Class  of  1953  were  the  guests  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Meacham  at  Adams  House  for 
a  class  supper.  The  meal  was  served  bufifet 
style  on  the  lawn,  and,  needless  to  say, 
the  class  had  a  grand  time  on  this,  the  last 
get-to-gether,  before  the  formal  ceremonies 
of  the  next  day. 

We  regret  to  report  the  passing  on 
June  16  of  Malcolm  H.  Holmes,  one  of 
New  England's  foremost  musicians.  Mr. 
Holmes  for  years  was  keenly  interested 
in  our  school  band,  and  only  last  fall  was 
host  to  our  group  at  Harvard  for  the  game 
with  Springfield.  He  both  played  and 
conducted  in  our  Chapel  Hall  with  the 
Harvard  Pierean  Sodality  Orchestra  in 
years  past.  Wellesley,  Radcliffe,  the  Pops, 
Esplanade,  Tanglewood,  the  Conserva- 
tory and,  of  course,  Harvard,  mourn  his 
passing.  We  have  all  lost  a  good  friend, 
and  particularly  so.  great  numbers  of  young 
people  with  whom  he  was  associated. 

We  have  always  had  many  boys  in- 
terested in  flower  gardening  and  much 
stress  is  placed  upon  this  activity,  which, 
in  numerous  instances,  has  led  to  a  most 
worth  while  life  hobby.  Each  of  the  boys 
is  encouraged  to  care  for  his  own  garden 
plot  and  expert  supervision  and  instruction 
are  given.  Prizes  are  awarded  annually 
to  those  who  excel  in  flo-ver  gardening, 
and  this  sensonal  activity  is  carried  on  with 
much  enthusiasm  by  a  large  number  of 
our  boys.  Mrs.  S.  V.  R.  Crosby  provides 
these  cash  prizes. 

The  sophomore  class  held  its  annual 
class  night  exercises  on  May  25,  at  which 


time  a  rather  complete  summary  of  the 
activities  of  the  class  members  was  given. 
A  biographical  sketch  of  each  of  the  boys 
was  a  highlight.  The  class  will,  prophecy, 
and  naming  of  class  leaders  in  various 
fields  were  all  interesting  as  well  as  hu- 
morous in  many  instances.  William  F. 
Sonier  was  in  charge  of  the  program,  and 
each  member  of  the  class  participated. 

This  was  the  final  assembly  program 
of  the  school  year,  as  well  as  the  last  per- 
formance by  the  Class  of  1953. 

Memorial  Day  was  observed  by  the 
staging  of  our  annual  track  meet.  The 
boys  were  grouped  according  to  age  and 
athletic  ability  and  competed  in  the  more 
popular  field  and  track  events.  The  track 
meet,  a  traditional  annual  event,  is  one 
of  our  major  spring  recreational  highlights 
and  of  course  very  popular  with  our  boys. 

The  holiday  was  made  complete  by 
a  picnic  on  the  beach  in  the  evening,  at 
which  time  prizes  for  the  winners  of  the 
day's  track  events  were  awarded. 

The  freshman  class  entertained  the 
sophomore  class  at  a  farewell  party  on 
the  evening  of  May  29.  Our  good  friend. 
Miss  Helen  M.  Gresty,  was  with  us  for  the 
occasion  and  brought  with  her  a  group  of 
girls  from  her  church  groups  in  Lynn. 
Dancing  and  informal  games  were  enjoyed 
under  Miss  Gresty's  direction,  and  every- 
one surely  had  a  most  pleasant  and  happy 
evening. 

Our  church  services  this  summer  are 
being  conducted  by  Mr.  John  Beauregard, 
a  graduate  of  Gordon  College.  He  will 
be  assisted  by  two  of  the  boys  at  each 
service.  We  are  confident  that  a  fine,  very 
successful  series  of  religious  services  will 
result  from  the  excellent  leadership  of 
Mr.  Beauregard  and  the  lively  interest  of 
the  boys. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


A  pleasant  time  was  enjoyed  here  on 
June  20,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas 
were  hosts  to  a  group  with  whom  they 
vacation  annually  at  Sandy  Island  Camp, 
Lake  Winnipesaukee,  N,  H.  Highlight 
of  the  outing  was  a  ball  game  between  the 
visitors  jind  our  boys.  It  was  a  pleasure 
to  have  these  visitors  with  us — they  had 
heard  repeatedly  of  Thompson's  Island  — 
and  we  were  pleased  to  have  them  per- 
sonally see  our  island  school  and  witness 
first-hand  our  excellent  facilities,  as  well  as 
to  meet  some  of  our  students  and  staff 
members. 

Occasionally,  during  the  summer 
months,  we  enjoy  a  meal  served  out-of- 
doors.  On  June  28  a  lawn  supper  was  a 
happy  event.  Perfect  weather  and  a 
perfect  menu  were  the  ingredients  for  this 
pleasant  occasion. 

Most  of  the  boys  are  sporting  an 
athletic  shirt,  white  with  blue  lettering, 
reading  "The  Farm  and  Trades  School, 
Thompson's  Island."  These  are  practical, 
summertime  shirts  made  available  to  the 
boys  by  our  athletic  department. 

Charles  Hayden  Scholarships 

The  noted  financier,  Charles  Hayden, 
had  definite  thoughts  relating  to  the  value 
of  the  right  and  proper  upbringing  of  our 
Nation's  children.  He  was  firmly  con- 
vinced that  the  future  of  the  entire  world 
depended  upon  the  right  training  of  boys 
and  young  men  in  education,  mental 
recreation,  wholesome  educational  enter- 
tainment, together  with  co-ordinated 
physical  training.  He  was  particularly 
anxious  that  youngsters  be  brought  up  in 
wholesome  environments  where  they 
would  be  fostered  and  trained  so  that  their 
characters  would  be  developed  to  their 
greatest  possibilities  for  ultimate  gain  to 
mankind  the  world  over. 

To  the  end  that  his  beliefs  could  be 


realized,  he  directed  that  his  personal 
fortune  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  youth, 
and  that  the  Charles  Hayden  Foundation 
be  organized  to  supervise  the  trust.  The 
welfare  of  young  people  has  been  furthered 
considerably  by  vast  sums  granted  by  the 
Foundation  to  many  schools,  colleges  and 
youth  organizations.  For  several  years 
scholarships  have  been  granted  to  a  gr(  up 
of  our  boys.  With  each  scholarship  the 
recipient  is  awarded  a  certificate  from  the 
Foundation.  Tiie  names  of  those  receiving 
the  Charles  Hayden  Scht-larships  for  this 
year  are: 

Robert  O.  Cain 
Edward  J.  Darr 

William  H.  Dillon 

Donald  R.  Dockham 

Robert  Fabello 

Bruce  A.  Graham 
Samuel  M.  Griswold 
Frederick   E.  Harding 

Wayne  W.  Henry 

Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

Robert  A.  Kidder 

David  A.  Pulsifer 

Teyet  Ramar,  II 
Donald  E.  Richardson 

Alan  C.  Waldron 

Waiting  on  Table 

All  of  us  take  turns  waiting  on  table. 
The  waiters  report  a  half  hour  earlier  and 
have  an  early  meal.  After  they  have  eaten 
they  get  on  their  waiters'  uniforms  and 
get  ready  to  do  their  job.  When  the 
meal  starts  they  help  the  bus  boys  bring 
in  the  hot  food.  From  then  on  it  is  up 
to  the  waiters  to  see  that  coffee  and  tea 
are  served  the  instructors  and  see  that 
extra  food  is  brought  as  needed.  Later 
the  serving  dishes  are  taken  from  the  tables 
and  the  dessert  brought  in.  After  the  meal 
our  work  is  finished  and  we  are  dismissed. 

Robert  W.   Wright 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


Che  fliumni  Jlssociation  of  Che  farm  and  Crades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretary 
No.  Wilmington,   Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historian 
Hyde  Park, Mass. 


The  Annual  Field  Day 

The  annual  field  day  of  the  Alumni 
Association  was  held  at  the  School  on 
Saturday,  June  13.  Approximately  150 
graduates  and  guests  attended,  they  arriv- 
ing at  the  School  by  chartered  boat  at 
ten  o'clock.  Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  Asso- 
ciation president,  was  host  to  the  group 
and  acted  as  master  of  ceremonies,  ably 
assisted  by  the  treasurer  of  theAssociation, 
Donald  S.  MacPherson,  '17.  Both  saw 
to  it  that  the  day's  program  got  off  to  a 
good  start. 

The  group  assembled  on  the  north 
lawn  and  was  greeted  by  Headmaster 
William  M.  Meacham,  who  expressed 
his  gratification  at  seeing  so  many  present. 
Plans  for  the  day  were  then  announced 
by  President  Butler  and  the  informal 
meeting  terminated. 

Our  Secretary,  William  C.  Burns,  '37, 
was  busy  throughout  the  day,  and  his  help 
was  very  much  appreciated  by  those  in 
charge.  It  was  a  big  job  to  circulate  news 
of  the  event  to  our  entire  membership 
and  to  prepare  identification  badges  for 
those  in  attendance,  as  well  as  to  accom- 
plish much  necessary  Association  business 
on  this  annual  field  day. 

The  big  event  to  the  younger  men 
was  no  doubt  the  baseball  game.  A  picked 
alumni  team  played  the  School  nine.  For 
a  few  innings  it  was  a  close  contest,  but  as 
the  saying  goes,  "Youth  Conquers,"  and 
the  graduates  began  to  show  the  effects  of 
lack  of  practice,  among  other  things.  The 
less  said  about  the  final  score  the  better 
perhaps,  but  if  fun  and  recreation  were 
the  purpose  of  the  game  it  may  be  safely 
said  that  both  teams  won.  The  spectators 
certainly  had  a  good  time  too. 


The  graduates  like  nothing  better  than 
to  roam  about  the  campus,  visiting  places 
which  arouse  nostalgic  memories  of  happy 
boyhood  days.  On  this  day  some  brought 
guests  and  it  was  a  delight  and  pleasure  to 
escort  these  guests  about  the  school 
grounds.  Many  a  quiet  moment,  too,  was 
spent  in  Chapel  Hall,  where  significant 
reminiscences  of  innumerable  schoolday 
happy  events  came  to  mind. 

A  buffet  lunch  was  served  at  mid-day, 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meacham  acting  as 
hosts,  assisted  by  several  members  of  the 
school  staff.  The  meal  featured  F.  T.  S. 
baked  beans,  "best  in  the  world."  Golden 
Guernsey  milk,  direct  from  our  dairy  was 
a  decided  treat.  The  menu  was  prepared 
with  much  thoughtfulness  for  this  outing, 
and  the  Association  is  very  appreciative 
for  this  tasty  lunch,  for  it  did  involve  con- 
siderable planning  and  work. 

The  afternoon  was  given  over  to  all 
kinds  of  sports.  The  final  two  hours  were 
devoted  to  a  program  of  races,  stunts  and 
games  in  which  the  undergraduates  took 
part,  as  well  as  a  number  of  youngsters 
here  for  the  outing.  All  of  the  favorite 
picnic  games  were  enjoyed,  and  prizes  of 
one  kind  or  another  were  won  by  every 
participant.  Some  entertained,  utilizing 
our  public  address  system.  But  it  was 
mainly  the  sack  race,  the  crab  race,  the 
chariot  race  and  numerous  other  picnic 
standbys  which  entertained  both  those 
taking  part,  and  the  grownups  looking  on. 

All  too  soon,  it  seemed,  the  time  came 
for  departure  and  at  half  past  four  the  first 
trip  was  made  to  City  Point.  Soon  after, 
the  rest  of  the  guests  took  their  leave.  The 
sentiment  of  all  was  that  it  was  a  very 
successful  and  happy  field  day  and  reunion. 


Vol  57  No.7^  Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.  August,  1953 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1S74 


A  Trip  to  Fenway   Park 

On  July  28  we  were  happily  surprised 
to  hear  that  twenty-five  of  us  were  going 
to  the  Red  Sox-Chicago  game  on  the 
following  day.  The  trip  was  made  possible 
by  the  efforts  of  one  of  the  graduates, 
Donald  S.  MacPherson,  '17.  We  were 
naturally  very  pleased  and  could  hardly 
wait  for  the  boat  trip  at  12:45.  We  went 
to  City  Point  with  Mr.  MacPherson 
and  four  friends,  each  of  whom  had  his 
car.  It  didn't  take  long  to  drive  to  Fen- 
way Park.  Soon  we  were  seated  in  the 
grandstand  on  the  first  base  side.  We 
had  a  chance  to  see  some  of  the  batting 
and  fielding  practice  drills.  The  park  was 
in  beautiful  condition.  We  liked  the  big 
crowd  and  the  excitement. 

We  were  lucky  to  see  a  very  unusual 
game.  The  starting  pitchers  were  Pierce 
for  Chicago  and  MacDermottfor  Boston. 
Inning  after  inning,  as  the  game  progressed, 
MacDermott  set  the  Chicago  batters  down 
with  only  one  hit  in  eight  innings.  The 
Red  Sox  meanwhile  had  scored  one  run 
and  we  all  had  hopes  that  the  team  would 
end  a  losing  streak. 

In  the  ninth  inning  though  the  Red 
Sox  ran  into  much  hard  luck.  The  White 
Sox  began  hitting,  and  the  Red  Sox 
changed  pitchers.  The  Boston  star  center 
fielder,  Tom  Umphlett,  attempted  to  catch 
a  drive  which  Minoso  hit.  Umphlett 
crashed  into  the  center  field  bull  pen  wall 


and  was  so  badly  hurt  that  he  was  carried 
from  the  field  on  a  stretcher.  It  was  a 
week  before  he  could  play  again.  The 
hit  was  a  home  run,  and  before  the  Red 
Sox  got  the  side  out  eight  runs  were  in. 
It  was  a  wild  ninth  inning  for  Chicago 
but  not  much  for  us  to  cheer  about. 

The  Red  Sox  didn't  give  up.  In  the 
last  of  the  ninth  some  timely  hitting  re- 
sulted in  two  more  runs,  and  the  final 
score  was  8-3  in  favor  of  the  Chicago 
White  Sox. 

It  was  a  good  game  and  we  enjoyed 
it.     We  arrived  back  at  Cily  Point  at  5:30 
and    thanked    Mr.  MacPherson  and    his 
friends  for  giving  us  such  a  good  time. 
William  H.  Dillon 

My  Vacation 

I  have  just  returned  from  a  wonderful 
vacation.  It  began  on  July  18.  Two 
days  later  my  mother,  father  and  I  started 
for  New  Hampshire.  We  first  visited  my 
sister  who  is  at  a  girls'  camp  in  West 
Ossipee.  Then  we  continued  on  our  trip 
to  North  Conway,  where  we  saw  many 
interesting  things  such  as  the  aerial  tram- 
way and  an  old  covered  bridge.  We  went 
through  the  White  Mountains  to  Gorham, 
N.  H.,  where  we  stayed  overnight.  In 
this  town  we  saw  the  movie,  "A  Queen  is 
Crowned."  in  technicolor.  Early  the 
next  morning  we  drove  through  Berlin  on 
our  way  to  Stratton,  Maine.  In  Berlin  we 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


saw  many  of  the  big  pulp  mils.  There  were 
h'l^e  piles  of  p  ilp  wood  alon"!  the  river's 
ed^e  for  miles  it  seemed.  In  Stratton  we 
visited  a  wood  turning  mill  \^here  we 
watch-d  the  workmen  turn  out  screwdriver 
handles,  mallets,  pill  boxes  and  many 
other  articles. 

From  Stratton  we  began  a  trip  over 
a  six  mile  dirt  road  in  a  Chevrolet  truck. 
We  moved  at  about  twenty  miles  an  hour 
maximum.  Our  destination  was  Tim 
Pond,  which  is  about  ten  miles  from  the 
Canadian  border.  Tim  Pond  is  a  native 
trout  pond  and  Hy  fishing  only  is  allowed. 
We  fished  without  much  luck  but  had  a 
good  time.  We  stayed  here  three  days 
and  then  left  for  Boothbay  Harbor,  Maine. 
We  visited  friends  there  and  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  going  on  two  trips  on  a  38-foot 
Chris  Craft  cruiser.  The  boat  belonged 
to  friends  and  was  a  beauty. 

After  a  wonderful  stay  at  Boothbay 
Harbor  we  left  for  home  and  I  spent  the 
rest  of  my  vacation  there.  It  was  the  best 
vacation  I  have  ever  had. 

David  W.   Howard 


The  Shav*^  and  Temple  Prizes 

At  Graduation  the  Shaw  and  Temple 
prizes  for  excellence  in  conduct  were  a- 
warded  by  Mr.  Meacham  to  the  20  boys 
who  had  earned  the  highest  conduct  rank. 
This  marked  the  129th  six-month  period 
that  the  Shaw  prizes  have  been  given. 
Mr.  Francis  Shaw,  a  former  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  gave  these  prizes 
during  his  lifetime,  and  assured  their  per- 
petuity by  a  provision  in  his  will.  It  was 
Mr.  Shaw's  earnest  conviction  that  good 
conduct  should  be  suitably  rewarded  and 
he  believed  strongly  that  every  effort 
should  be  expended  in  the  development 
of  good  citizenship. 

Mr.  Thomas  F.  Temple,  also  a  former 
trustee,  realized  that  some    almost  made 


the  Shaw  list,  and  in  or-'er  to  further  en- 
courage these  boys  he  supplied  funds  for 
an  additional  five  prizes  to  be  known  as 
the  Temple  Consolation  Piizes.  He  gave 
these  for  many  years,  and  upon  his  death 
Mr.  N.  Penrose  Hallowell,  a  trustee,  gave 
them  in  memory  of  Mr.  Temple.  Mr. 
Hallowell  continues  to  give  these  valued 
awards. 

Those  who  received  the  Shaw  Prizes 
for  the  past  six  month  period  were: 

Shaw  Prizes 
Samuel  M.  Griswold 
Walter  R.  Hermann 
Carleton  G.  Skinner,  Jr. 
Alan  C.  Waldron 
Robert  O.  Cain 
Donald  E.  Richardson 
Albert  K.  Ellis 
John  E.  Lennon 
William   F.  Sonier 
Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

The  five  who  received  Temple  Con- 
solation Prizes  were: 

Temple  Consolation    Prizes 

Loren  E.  Cain 
Howard  E.  Murphy 
Ralph  F.  Hopkins 
William  H.  Dillon 
David  E.  Leveille 

Five  also  received  honorable  mention. 
They  were: 

Honorable  Mention 
Frederick  E.  Harding 
David  W.  Howard 
William  F.  James 
Edward  A.  Atton 
Gerald  L.  Briggs 

In  the  Air 

I  remember  in  school  last  year  we 
had  some  interesting  geography  lessons. 
One  had  to  do  with  the  protection  of  our 
natural  resources.     Government  agencies 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


send  planes  to  destroy  insects,  and  many 
farmers  do  so  at  their  own  expense  to 
protect  their  crops.  Not  long  ago,  in  the 
west,  the  farmers  were  bothered  with  wild 
ducks  eating  the  grain  in  the  planted  fields. 
Scarecrows  were  put  up,  but  the  ducks 
thought  they  were  there  to  keep  them 
company.  So  the  wildHfe  service  was 
called.  This  government  agency  planted 
grain  in  a  wildlife  refuge  and  then  sent 
planes  to  chase  the  ducks  to  the  refuge. 
Planes  are  also  used  to  get  information 
for  weather  reports.  Sometimes  pilots 
follow  hurricanes  and  report  the  course 
of  the  storm  to  the  weather  bureau. 

Larry  E.  Garside 

Early  Days  in  the  West 
As  our  country  kept  growing  westward 
in  the  early  days  there  was  need  of  mail 
and  transportation  service  beyond  that  of 
the  covered  wagon  trains.  So  a  "Pony 
Express"  from  Missouri  to  California  was 
begun.  Men  on  horseback  covered  the 
distance  of  2,000  miles  in  nine  days.  Forty 
riders  were  used  in  each  direction  and  the 
horses  were  changed  frequently.  It  cost 
five  dollars  to  send  a  letter  by  pony 
express. 

Besides  the  pony  express  there  was  a 
freight  and  passenger  service  by  wagon 
and  stagecoach.  Mark  Twain  made  a  stage- 
coach journey  in  1861.  He  paid  $150  for 
his  ticket  and  found  the  trip  very  long  and 
weary.  He  travelled  from  Missouri  to 
Nevada.  Eight  years  later  two  railroads 
were  in  operation  and  he  made  the  same 
trip.  Although  he  had  to  change  trains 
many  times  he  most  surely  found  the 
journey  much  quicker  and  less  tiring. 
These  railroads  were  the  Union  Pacificand 
the  Central  Pacific. 

The  government  gave  the  railroads 
public  money  to  help  lay  the  tracks  and 
also  gave  the.Ti  more  than  24,000,000  acres 
of  public  lanJ.     This  helped  the  railroads 


to  speed  up  their  work  and  made  the 
settlement  of  the  far  west  easier.  Most  of 
the  settlers  made  their  homes  in  Oregon 
or  California. 

The  plain  states  were  inhabited  mostly 
by  the  large  Indian  tribes.  They  could  see 
that  the  white  men  were  destroying  their 
food  supply  by  shooting  the  wild  buffalo, 
and  indeed  they  were.  From  time  to  time 
the  Indians  went  on  the  warpath  against 
the  few  white  settlers  in  the  prairie  country. 
Now  and  then  the  Indians  would  win  a 
battle  against  the  soldiers  who  were  sent 
to  protect  the  settlers.  In  the  end  though, 
the  general  result  of  the  fighting  was  to 
drive  the  Indians  into  places  where  the 
federal  government  wanted  them  to  go. 

The  early  days  of  the  West  were  filled 
with  many  heroic  deeds,  and  the  setders 
underwent  many  great  hardships. 

Richard  B.  Pulsifer 

Vacation  Thoughts 
Last  year  I  was  in  the  eighth  grade 
and  had  for  my  subjects  sloyd,  arithmetic, 
English,  geography  and  history.  English 
covered  a  lot  of  ground,  such  as  spelling, 
reading,  composition  and  grammar.  I 
kept  wondering  if  I  would  get  good  marks 
in  all  my  subjects  and  am  glad  to  say  that 
I  did.  Now  that  school  is  over  and  va- 
cation is  here  I  am  thinking  ahead  to  fall 
when  I  will  be  a  freshman. 

Harold  L.   Spurting 

Afternoon  Kitchen 
Lately  I  have  helped  the  kitchen  in- 
structors after  dinner  and  before  supper. 
It  takes  about  a  half  hour  after  dinner 
each  day  to  tidy  up  the  kitchen.  Before 
supper  I  am  pretty  busy  helping  get  the 
meal  ready.  Quite  often  we  bake  rolls 
and  I  like  this  best.  I  pour  the  milk  and 
make  myself  generally  useful, 

James  P.  LaGrassa 


THOMPSON'S    rSLAND    BEACON 


Cbomp$on'$  Island  Beacon 

Publiihed     Monthly  hr 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Tbonipson't  leland,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL     FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SU5>PORTED    BY   ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


Vol.57    No.  5 


August    1953 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.   Lowell,    Vice-President 

\lfred  C.  Malm,     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,   Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expires  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.   Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.    Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 

Term  Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Giprles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 
Augustus  P.  Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.   Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 

Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William    M.    Meachem 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advisory    Committee 

N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.  Place,  M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


"Mr.  Meacham  please  accept  this  two- 
dollar  check  for  the  Beacon  which  expired 
in  February.  I  am  at  Cohasset  and  sorry 
to  have  overlooked  the  matter.  I  am  very 
much  interested  in  the  School  which  turns 
out  boys  of  first  quality  and  am  so  grateful 
to  have  my  son  Hans  graduate  from 
there." 

This  paragraph  from  the  mother  of 
one  of  our  boys  who  graduated  two  years 
ago  is  typical  of  the  sincere  appreciation 
of  hundreds  of  parents  whose  sons  have 
had  the  many  opportunities  provided  by 
our  broad  program  of  living  and  total 
development. 

Hans  Christensen  made  the  most  of 
every  phase  of  activity  while  here  and 
is  carrying  on  in  the  several  lines  of 
interests  experienced  in  his  nearly  five 
years  here.  "Chris"  is  a  credit  to  our 
School  and  his  family. 

It  is  not  easy  to  judge  the  exact 
importance  of  the  various  features  of 
our  School.  "Chris"  was  most  inter- 
ested and  proficient  in  Farming,  Sports, 
and  Band.  "Bob"  Cain,  a  graduate  of 
this  year,  had  all  of  these  as  his  special 
interests  and  also  won  an  award  for  Re- 
ligious Interests.  Others  won  flower 
garden  prizes.  The  graduating  class  of 
1953  voted  English  as  their  most  liked 
academic  study.  This  was  especially  vital- 
ized by  the  library  development  which 
placed  our  old  library  on  a  modern  basis. 
Many  other  features  also  rank  hijih  in 
importance. 

Our  home  atmosphere,  with  a  staff 
of  men,  women,  and  their  children,  un- 
doubtedly provides  the  real  spark  of  vital, 
interesting,  living  soundness  to  this  unique 
school.  These  are  our  boys.  This  is  our 
home  and  our  community.  We  are  all 
working  toward  the  same  goal,  "Right  and 
happy  living."  We  all  love  it  and  we  are 
wlioleheartedly  devoted  to  our  important 
life-work. 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Topics  in  Brief 

Donald  S.  MacPherson,  '17,  arranged 
for  25  boys  to  attend  the  Red  Sox-Chicago 
baseball  game  at  Fenway  Park  on  July  29. 
Mr.  MacPherson  arranged  for  he  and  his 
friends  to  drive  the  boys  to  the  ball  park. 
The  Chicago  team  won  the  game,  much 
to  the  disappointment  of  our  boys  who 
are  staunch  Red  Sox  rooters.  Attending 
the  game  was  a  rare  treat,  especially  to 
those  who  never  before  had  seen  a  major 
league  baseball  game. 

Edward  Rowe  Snow,  Boston's  famous 
author,  historian  and  radio  lecturer,  visited 
us  on  July  26,  bringing  with  him  a  large 
group  of  visitors,  all  intent  with  learning 
something  of  the  early  history  of  our 
Island  location,  as  well  as  the  present  day 
story  of  The  Farm  and  Trades  School. 
Annually  Mr,  Snow  conducts  a  lecture 
tour  here,  and  has  made  many  new  friends 
for  our  School. 

We  have  made  some  improvements 
on  our  permanent  outdoor  fireplace,  lo- 
cated on  the  beach  near  the  wharf.  These 
include  a  sheet  metal  grill,  heavier  grate, 
and  a  chimney — all  adding  to  make  the 
fireplace  much  more  efficient,  and  a  real 
pleasure  to  work  with.  A  picnic  table, 
with  seats  for  eight,  has  also  been  built 
and  adds  much  to  the  picnic  area. 

Swimming  has  been  the  most  popular 
sport  this  summer  and  the  boys  are  now 
in  the  process  of  completing  the  American 
Red  Cross  swimming,  life  saving  and 
water  safety  courses.  This  work  is  under 
the  capable  supervision  of  our  supervisor, 
Raymond  Thomas,  who  is  an  accredited 
Red  Cross  aquatic  and  first  aid  instructor. 

Our  shuffleboard  court  has  been  a 
valuable  adjunct  to  our  recreational  pro- 
gram,   and    the   game    is   played    almost 


continually.  The  court  was  constructed 
recently,  the  work  being  done  mainly  by 
the  boys.  Several  tournaments  have  been 
played  this  summer  and  some  of  the  boys 
have  developed  clever  skills  in  the  sport. 
Although  comparatively  new  in  this  area, 
the  game  has  long  been  extremely  popular 
in  the  South,  especially  in  Florida. 

Our  farm  has  produced  satisfactory 
quantities  of  fresh  vegetables  in  spite  of  a 
sustained  and  severe  drought.  Summer 
squash,  string  beans,  beets,  spinach,  lettuce, 
and  peas  have  been  harvested.  The  haying 
is  almost  completed,  and  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  this  year's  crop  has  been  very 
good. 

The  parents  and  friends  of  our  boys 
were  here  on  the  afternoon  of  July  10. 
As  usual,  the  group  was  transported  to  and 
from  City  Point  on  the  boat  "723." 

The  floors  in  our  chapel,  classrooms, 
and  gymnnsinm  have  been  refinished  this 
month  by  the  boys  in  our  maintenance 
department.  This  is  but  a  short,  simple 
statement  of  fact.  In  truth  the  boys  did  a 
big  job,  marvelously  well. 

We  are  justly  proud  of  the  official 
fine  achievements  of  our  Band  in  the 
school  musie  festivals  held  in  May,  and, 
of  course,  the  excellence  of  the  annual 
concert  at  Faneuil  Hall.  We  have  received 
a  newspaper  clipping  naming  our  Band 
as  one  of  two  outstanding  New  England 
units,  and  a  friend  in  New  Hampshire 
writes  that  the  high  ratings  earned  by  our 
boys  were  given  proper  commendation 
on  a  television  program  received  in  that 
area. 

A  group  of  summer  students  attending 
the  Eastern  Nazarene  College  at  Wollas- 
ton  held  a  clam  bake  and  picnic  on  our 
south  end  beach  on  July  11. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


On  July  12  we  enjoyed  a  lawn  supper, 
served  buflfet  style,  on  the  Bowditch  House 
lawn.  It  was  a  beautiful  evening  and  we 
all  had  a  very  pleasmt  time— especially 
the  boys  who  like  watermelon  —  for  there 
was  a  plentiful  supply  of  this  summertime 
favorite  fruit. 

Two  of  our  boys  had  the  opportunity 
of  attending  Camp  Pineridge  foroneweek 
this  month  through  the  kind  efforts  of  our 
minister  last  year,  Mr.  John  Bartram.  Our 
boys  report  that  they  had  a  wonderful 
time.  Th'S  popular  Christian  camp  for 
boys  is  but  one  unit  of  many  in  the  large 
conference  grounds  operated  by  The  New 
England  Fellowship  of  Evangelicals  for 
groups  of  all  ages. 

The  paint  shop  crews  have  been 
painting  the  exterior  window  casings  and 
sashes  of  Dormitory  A,  and  this  w-ork  is 
rapidly  nearing  completion.  We  have 
added  some  new  equipment  to  our  paint- 
ing department  to  facilitate  this  important 
work. 

Band  Awards 

Annually  the  members  of  the  Band 
who  are  in  the  graduating  class  receive 
band  certificates  as  mementos  of  their 
membership  in  the  band.  Because  of  the 
many  fond  memories  of  band  trips,  drills 
and  rehearsals  and  the  fact  that  the  certifi- 
cate shows  that  the  holder  was  a  member 
of  America's  first  school  band,  organized 
in  1857,  makes  thecertificates highly  prized. 
Those  who  received  Band  Certificates  this 
year  are: 

Robert  O.  Cain 

Bruce  A.  Giaham 

Robert  A.  Kidder 

David  A.  Pulsifer 

Teyet  Ramar   II 

Donald  E.  Richardson 

Alan  C.  Waldron 


Beacon    Articles 

Every  month  we  are  asked  to  write 
a  short  article  for  the  school  paper,  the 
Beacon.  As  you  see,  most  of  the  short 
stories  you  read  in  this  paper  are  written 
by  us  boys.  Once  in  a  while  we  are  asked 
to  write  on  a  given  subject,  but  usually  we 
choose  our  own  topics.  So  the  BEACON 
will  have  articles  about  almost  any  subject. 
Some  boys  like  to  write  and  get  articles  in 
often,  while  others  are  slow  about  writing. 
We  all  like  to  read  our  paper,  especially 
if  our  story  is  printed. 

Loren  E.   Cain 

Poultry   Work 

This  spring  and  early  summer  I  worked 
at  the  poultry  houses  until  I  hurt  my  leg. 
We  were  busy  all  of  the  time  getting  the 
range  ready  for  the  young  chicks.  The 
coops  we  use  on  the  range  were  repaired, 
the  fencing  fixed,  and  everything  set  to 
take  care  of  the  young  chicks.  The  best 
time  to  work  on  poultry  is  in  the  summer 
when  the  range  is  in  use,  and  there  are 
always  boys  volunteering  for  poultry  jobs. 

Joseph  S.   Lombardo 

A  Control  Tower 

Every  large  airport  has  a  control 
tower,  operated  by  a  man  who  is  like  a 
traffic  patrolman  at  a  busy  street  inter- 
section. He  sits  in  a  glass  enclosed  room 
high  above  the  landing  field  and  can  see 
in  every  direction.  He  knows  the  position 
and  altitude  of  every  plane  near  the  field 
and  signals  pilots  when  to  take  off  and 
when  to  land. 

Sometimes,  at  a  big  airport,  a  dozen 
or  so  big  planes  await  their  turn  to  land. 
The  tower  chief  "stacks"  these  planes,  each 
one  being  a  thousand  feet  above  the  one 
below.  The  planes  continually  circle  the 
field  and  await  instructions  to  land.  They 
mu^t  keep  to  their  sky  lane.  A  pilot  may 
not   change    his    ahitude,    nor    even    his 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


cruiiriii  speed,  without  first  getting  per- 
m'ssion  from  the  control  tower.  The 
planes,  of  course,  keep  in  CTnstant  touch 
by  radio. 

Barry  R.   Fuller 

The  Francis  Shaw  Scholarship 

Annually  it  gives  us  real  satisfaction 
to  announce  the  name  of  the'  pupil,  who, 
by  his  effort  and  sincere  application  to 
duty,  has  earned  the  Francis  Shaw  Schol- 
arship for  the  year. 

Francis  Shaw  was  a  member  of  our 
Board  of  Trustees  for  34  years,  from  1889 
until  1923.  He  had  one  wish  uppermost 
in  his  heart,  that  of  instilling  in  youth  the 
right  principles  of  wholesome  living.  The 
steadfast,  stalwart  and  upriglit  character 
of  every  Farm  and  Trades  School  boy 
was  his  principal  concern.  In  his  34  years 
on  the  Board  his  services  were  of  incalcul- 
able value  to  the  School,  and  although  his 
interests  touched  every  phase  of  our  school 
lite,  it  was  to  the  farm  that  he  devoted  his 
greater  attention. 

In  1936,  in  memory  of  her  father. 
Miss  Miriam  Shaw  established  the  Francis 
Shaw  scholarship.  It  is  usually  awarded 
to  a  member  of  an  upper  class,  and  pro- 
vides for  a  considerable  part  of  the  ex- 
penses for  the  year.  If  one  could  study 
a  biographical  sketch  of  the  past  winners 
of  this  scholarship  his  heart  would  be 
warmed.  Certainly  this  Memorial  to 
Mr.  Shaw  has  paid  rich  dividends  in  the 
development  of  American  youth. 

William  F.  Sonier,  Class  ot  1953,  has 
the  honor  ot  being  named  the  Francis 
Shaw  Scholarship  winner  for  this  year. 
We  congratulate  him  for  his  achievement 
which  he  richly  deserves. 

The  Gutenberg  Bible 

Johann  Gutenberg  combined  genius, 
patience,  skill  and  effort  in  hislifework  of 


inventing  a  means  of  printing  from  mov- 
able type.  About  1450  he  printed  the 
Holy  Bible,  and  by  bringing  God's  Word 
to  iill  he  opened  the  door  to  the  great 
freedoms  of  democracy — freed(^m  of  re- 
ligion, thought,  knowledge,  the  press  and 
educaation. 

Before  his  invention  of  printing  the 
Scriptures  were  recorded  on  parchment 
by  monks,  who  worked  for  years  copying 
by  hand  with  a  quill  pen,  in  order  to 
complete  but  a  single  volume.  Up  to  the 
time  of  Gutenberg  there  were  very  few 
copies  of  the  complete  Bible  and  those 
few  were  available  almost  exclusively  to 
churchmen  only. 

When  Gutenberg  commenced  his 
historic  work  there  was  but  one  translation 
of  the  complete  Bible.  This  was  the  one 
by  St.  Jerome,  known  as  the  Vulgate 
Latin  translation.  Jerome  finished  this 
momentus  work  at  the  close  of  the  fourth 
century.  Thus  a  thousand  years  elapsed 
before  any  large  segment  of  the  public  had 
access  to  St.  Jerome's  translation. 

There  being  no  special  need  for  the 
ability  to  read  up  to  Gutenberg's  time,  few 
outside  of  churchmen  and  high  state  offi- 
cials ever  learned  how.  Actually  there  was 
litde  or  nothing  to  read.  All  this  changed 
with  Gutenberg's  invention.  It  may  well 
be  said  that  he  opened  the  door  of  edu- 
cation for  all. 

Gutenberg  printed  225  copies  of  the 
Bible.  Two  volumes  were  required,  each 
having  641  pages.  Every  page  was  hand- 
ornamented  with  color  and  the  finished 
work  was  truly  a  masterpiece.  A  facsimile 
of  this  42-line  Bible  is  on  display  in  our 
printing  office  and  is  a  source  of  much 
interest  to  all. 

Millions  of  God-fearing  people  are 
comforted  daily  by  the  Book,  and  it  is 
well  for  us  to  know  something  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  first  printing  of  our  Holy  Bible 
by  Johann  Gutenberg. 


THCMPS3N'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


Che  B\mn\  Association  of  Che  farm  and  Cradcs  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  -26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.   Medford.  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37.  Secretar> 
No.  Wilmington,   Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  His 
Hyde  Paris. Mas 


Charles  Alvin  Blatchford,  '04, 
died  on  June  18,  after  a  protracted  illness. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  patient 
at  the  Crile  Veterans  Hospital.  He  was 
69  years  old. 

Mr.  Blatchford  graduated  from  our 
School  almost  a  half  century  ago,  and 
throughout  the  yeurs  maintained  a  con- 
tinuing interest  in  all  activities  on  Thomp- 
son's Island,  as  well  as  being  an  active 
member  of  the  Alumni  Association,  even 
though  distance  made  it  necessary  for  him 
to  be  a  "corresponding  participant"  in 
School  and  Alumni  affairs. 

He  was  a  retired  employee  of  the 
River  Terminal  Railroad.  For  more  than 
a  quarter  century  he  was  operator  of  the 
company's  Cuyahoga  river  bridge.  He 
has  been  retired  since  1948. 

Mr.  Blatchford  was  born  in  Gloucester 
and  lived  for  some  years  in  Cambridge, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  of  the  Detroit  Avenue  Metho- 
dist Church  in  his  home  town.  Lakewood, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  veteran  of  World  War  I. 
We  of  the  Alumni  Association  will 
miss  him  greatly,  for  there  was  never  a 
project  which  we  sponsored  which  did 
not  receive  his  whole-hearted  support.  We 
have  lost  a  good  and  loyal  friend. 

Our  sympathy  is  expressed  to  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Helen  H.  Blatchford.  We  are  ap- 
preciative of  the  newspaper  account  she 
sent  us  from  the  family  home  at  1520 
Cohasset  Ave,,  Lakewood,  Ohio,  and 
from  which  this  article  is  in  part  taken. 

Malcolm  C.  Wiley,  '50,  has  written 
a  very  interesting  letter  from  "Somewhere 
in  Korea"  where  he  is  the  Statistical 
specialist    and    Security    Clerk    for     his 


squadron.  He  is  quartered  in  a  quonset 
hut.  in  a  restricted  area,  and  tells  of  the 
strict  security  measures  taken.  He  has  been 
in  Korea  three  months  and  writes  that  he 
doesn't  mind  his  tour  of  duty  much— the 
days  pass  by  without  too  much  boredom 
and  he  has  only  nine  months  before  his 
Korean  service  period  ends.  The  airfield 
where  he  is  based  is  in  a  mountainous  area, 
well  protected.  Bombers  take  off  and 
land  almost  every  minute,  and  many 
wounded  personal  are  cared  for  temporari- 
ly at  the  field. 

He  asks  about  everyday  happenings 
at  the  School,  especially  the  band,  straw- 
berrv  yield  this  year,  baseball,  swimming 
and  other  sports.  As  for  milk — how  he'd 
like  a  pitcher  of  Guernsey  milk  from  our 
dairy.  He  writes  that  he  hasn't  had  a  glass 
of  fresh  milk  in  a  long  time. 

Of  course  he  would  like  to  hear  from 

his  schoolmates  and  other  F.T.S.  friends. 

His   address   is:    Malcolm  C.  Wiley  AF 

11253740,  1873d    AACS,    Mob.   Comm. 

Sq.,  APO  970.   care   of  Postmaster,  San 

Francisco,  California. 

We  appreciate  receiving  his  fine  letter, 

which  of  course  has  already  been  answered. 

All  of  our  servicemen  receive  the  Beacon 

and  we  correspond  regularly  with  them. 

George  H.  Tangen,  '51,  is  in  the 
service,  attached  to  a  radar  squadron  at 
Phoenix,  Arizona.  He  writes  that  life 
goes  along  pleasantly  enough,  and  that 
he  expects  a  furlough  this  fall  in  which  case 
he  will  see  a  football  game  here.  In  his 
group  are  several  Free  Chinese  and  a  few 
French  soldiers  studying  our  methods  of 
warfare.  His  address  is  George  H.  Tangen, 
2347  W.  Tanat  St.,  Phoenix,  Arizona. 


Vol.  57  No.  5    PrintedatTheFarmandTradesSchool,  Boston,  Mass.     Sept.,  1953 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  lf-7^ 


Painting  the    Silo 

During  early  August  the  farm  Instruc- 
tors decided  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
make  repairs  on  the  silo  and  paint  it.  Mr. 
Baird,  our  head  farmer,  turned  this  job 
over  to  Mr.  Dockham,  who  knew  exactly 
how  to  do  it.  Mr.  Dockham  and  a  few 
farm  boys  got  lumber  from  various  sources 
and  first  made  a  staging.  This  staging  was 
thirty  feet  high  and  completely  en- 
compassed the  silo.  There  were  platforms 
to  work  on  built  at  six-foot  intervals. 
One  can  imagine  that  it  was  quite  a  job  to 
build  this  staging. 

Next  we  inspected  the  silo,  replacing 
loose  nails  and  securing  some  patches 
which  had  become  loosened.  Scraping 
removed  old^jjaint  and  we  were  ready  to 
apply  the  first,  or  priming,  coat  of  white 
paint.  The  priming  coat  made  the  silo 
look  much  better  and  to  finish  the  job  we 
applied  a  second  coat.  This  coat  was  put 
on  smoothly  and  carefully. 

After  the  painting  was  finished  came 
the  job  of  taking  down  the  staging.  Then 
we  had  our  first  good  look  at  our  job  and 
were  proud  of  our  work.  The  silo 
certainly  looked  beautiful  as  it  glistened 
in  the  sun. 

William  H.  Dillon 

Dairy  Barn  Work 

Every  morning  I  get  up  at  five  and 
go  to  the  dairy  barn.     I  first  sweep  out  the 


mangers  and  feed  the  cows  grain.  I  give 
each  cow  an  amount  listed  on  a  chart. 
Each  animal  has  a  ration  and  the  grain  is 
weighed  carefully.  After  the  cows  are  fed 
I  feed  the  calves  skim  milk.  Nursing 
buckets  are  used  and  the  milk  is  heated  to 
the  temperature  of  a  cow's  body.  Next 
I  milk  one  of  our  cows  by  hand.  The 
other  cows  are  milked  by  machine,  and 
we  have  two  of  them  so  this  doesn't  take 
too  long.  After  the  milking  is  done  I 
feed  hay  to  all  the  cows  and  calves.  My 
job  is  finished  when  the  milking  machines 
and  buckets  have  been  properly  washed 
and  sterilized. 

Loren  E.   Cain 

Water  Fun 
This  summer  we  enjoyed  swimming 
very  much.  We  went  two  or  three  times 
every  day,  and  the  new  swimming  raft 
and  diving  board  which  were  built  two 
years  ago  got  their  longest  season's  steady 
use,  from  May  until  the  present,  and  the 
season  is  still  on.  Playing  water  tag  is  a 
popular  sport  and  the  boys  invent  many 
variations  for  the  game.  Almost  everyone 
likes  divingand  thissummer  many  became 
very  good  at  doing  the  popular  dives  and 
body  flips  from  the  board.  Crab  hunting, 
which  we  do  when  the  tide  is  low,  is  fun. 
We  use  a  glass-faced  mask  to  keep  the  water 
out  of  our  eyes,  and  rubber  fins  on  our 
feet  so  we  can  move  about  easily.     The 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


crabs  are  captured  with  a  spear,  and  with 
good  luck  a  fair-size  batch  can  be  caught 
in  this  way. 

Almost  every  Saturday  and  Sunday 
we  went  water  skiing  and  aquaplaning. 
Lin  Meacham  owns  the  equipment  and 
uses  his  speedboat.  Some  of  us  thought 
we  were  pretty  good  at  this  sport  so  we 
tried  to  do  it  one  hand,  or  no  hands,  but 
as  far  as  I  know  all  that  happened  was  a 
successful  spill  into  the  ocean. 

As  you  can  see,  we  all  enjoyed  swim- 
ming and  water  fun  this  summer. 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

Printing  Office  Work 
On  September  8  I  began  working  each 
afternoon  in  the  printing  office.  Our  big 
job  is  always  this  paper,  the  BEACON,  and 
most  months  it  is  printed  by  the  tenth. 
All  of  the  type  is  hand-set  with  type  kown 
as  Caslon  series.  We  do  all  the  school 
office  printing  such  as  request  slips,  station- 
ery, boat  reports  and  many  other  forms. 
This  is  very  interesting  work  and  1  like  it 

very  much. 

David  W.  Howard 

My  First  Impression 

When  I  came  here  five  years  ago  I 
already  knew  that  the  School  was  just  the 
place  for  me  because  my  brother  had 
already  been  at  F.  T.  S.  for  six  months  and 
I  wasn't  a  stranger  to  the  island.  I  came 
with  a  group  of  new  boys  and  the  first 
things  I  noticed  were  the  cows  in  the 
pasture  and  big  fields  of  corn.  It  wasn't 
long  before  we  were  assigned  to  rooms 
and  had  our  bags  unpacked.  Until  dinner 
we  played  horseshoes,  and  after  dinner 
tennis  for  awhile  until  Mr,  Albee  took  us 
on  a  beach  walk.  He  told  us  some 
history  of  our  island  and  named  the  nearby 
islands  and  pointed  out  the  shipping  lanes. 
We  went  for  a  swim  at  the  north  end 
beach.     My    brother  and  I  stayed    close 


together  that  first  day  and  I  remember 
everything  very  clearly.  You  can  see  that 
my  first  impression  was  a  good  one. 

Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Room  Changes 
Just  before  Labor  Day  we  had  a  room 
change.  This  is  so  that  the  number  of 
boys  in  each  of  the  three  dormitories 
will  be  about  equal,  and  leave  most  of 
Dormitory  A  for  the  new  boys.  I  was  a 
new  boy  last  year  and  lived  in  room  6  in 
Dormitory  A.  I  have  been  changed  to 
room  7  in  Dormitory  C.  We  have  a  nice 
new  television  set  in  our  dormitory  sitting 
room,  and  this  is  a  big  feature  with  those 
in  our  dormitory. 

John  E.   Lennon 

My  Vacation 
On  my  vacation  I  went  to  New  York 
with  my  family.  We  saw  the  Statue  of 
Liberty  and  at  the  same  time  saw  the 
Queen  Mary  leaving  the  harbor.  We 
went  to  the  top  of  the  Empire  State 
Building  which  is  102  stories  high.  We 
saw  "The  Band  Wagon"  at  the  Radio 
City  Music  Hall.  We  inspected  the  radio 
and  television  studios  and  saw  five  shows 
broadcast.     I  enjoyed  it  very  much. 

James  P.  LaGrassa 

My  Work 

Each  afternoon  at  1:15  I  report  to  the 
supervisor  for  work.  He  is  in  charge  of 
keeping  the  grounds  cleaned,  flowerbeds 
attractive,  lawns  mowed,  and  seeing  that 
the  chapel,  gymnasium,  locker  rooms  and 
many  other  places  are  always  in  neat 
condition.  In  fact  he  has  much  to  do  and 
several  boys  help  him  each  day.  It  is  a 
big  job.  I  like  this  work  because  it  is 
varied  and  I  learn  something  new  with 
every  job  I  tackle. 

In  the  summer  the  flower  beds,  lawns 
and  hedges  take  much  time.  To  mow 
the  Softball  field  and  the  baseball  field  we 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


have  a  gang  mower  which  is  tractor  pulled 
and  does  a  fast,  smooth  job.  On  the  large 
lawns  around  the  dormitories  we  use  a 
gasoline  powered  mower  and  on  the  small 
areas  we  use  hand  mowers.  We  have 
many  hedges  and  they  are  trimmed  with 
powerful  electric  clippers. 

We  are  now  getting  ready  for  football 
and  it  is  a  busy  time.  Our  supervisor  is 
also  our  head  coach  and  has  charge  of  all 
the  athletic  equipment.  The  goal  posts 
have  been  put  up  and  almost  any  day  now 
we  will  be  lining  the  football  field,  which 
is  an  all  day  job. 

The  work  I  do  is  interesting,  and  one 
can  learn  a  lot  if  he  enjoys  it. 

Teyet  Ramar  II 

Kitchen  Work 

I  work  in  the  kitchen  -and  have 
learned  to  do  many  things.  I  wash  pots 
and  pans,  sweep  and  wash  the  floor  and 
help  keep  everything  neat  and  clean.  I 
have  helped  bake  and  cook  and  some  of 
the  things  I've  made  lately  are  cake, 
cookies  and  pie. 

Joseph  S.  Lombardo 

Good  Conduct 

It  is  best  to  have  good  conduct  in 
school  for  the  teachers  will  like  you  better 
and  you  will  learn  more.  The  more  you 
cooperate  with  the  teachers,  the  more 
you'll  learn.  Although  the  teachers  would 
like  you  to  get  all  A's,  it  is  all  right  with 
them  as  long  as  you  try  hard  and  pass  the 
work. 

Richard  Seaver 

Red  Cross  Water  Safety  Awards 
For  many  years  our  supervisor,  Ray- 
mond Thomas,  has  taught  the  swimming, 
life  saving  and  water  safety  courses  as  set 
up  by  the  aquatic  division  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  Mr,  Thomas  is  an  accredited 
Red  Cross  instructor  in  these  subjects. 


The  following  received  certificates  and 
badges  for  completion  of  the  designated 
courses  this  summer. 

Beginner  Swimmer 

Richard  B.  Pulsifer 

Intermediate  Swimmer 

Gerald  L,  Brings 
James  P.  LaGrassa 

John  L.  Peterson 

Richard  Seaver 
Harold  L,  Spurling 

Swimmer 

Bruce  Alexander 

Daniel  W.  Dockham 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

Barry  R.  Fuller 

Willian  F.  James 

John  E.  Lennon 

Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Junior  Life  Saving 

Bruce  Alexander 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Daniel  W.  Dockham 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

Robert  Fabello 

Barry  R.  Fuller 

John  E,  Lennon 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Football  Outlook 

Football  is  a  wonderful  sport  and  all 
the  boys  play  on  one  team  or  another. 
The  varsity  team  began  practicing  when 
school  started.  There  are  23  boys  out 
for  the  team  and  the  average  weight  will 
be  about  as  last  year.  We  have  some  of 
the  boys  from  last  years'  first  team  playing, 
and  several  from  the  second  team. 

We  will  have  a  seven  game  schedule, 
with  five  at  the  school  and  two  away. 
This  year  we  are  going  to  try  to  have  an 
unbeaten-untied  season  like  we  had  last 
year. 

The  intra-mural  teams  have  not  been 
chosen  yet,  but  will  be  very  soon. 

William  F.  James 


THOMPSONS    ISLAND     BEACON 


Cbompson's  Island  Beacon 

Published     Monthly  br 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES   SCHOOL 

Thompson's  Island.  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE     SCHOOL     FOR       BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES     AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


Vol.57     No.  5 


September  1953 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 

Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.   Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malm,     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,   Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expires  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.   Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.   Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.   Adams 

Term  Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
C  urles  E.  Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.  Loring,   III 
Robert  H.    Gardiner 
A.   Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  19E6 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Wil  iams 

Wiliam    M.    Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advisory    Committee 
N,   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.  Place,   M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


Thompson's  Island  Beacon,  Vol. 

1,  No.  1,  was  published  and  printed  at 
the  School  May,  1897.  The  name  of  this 
monthly  paper  was  credited  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Alumni  Association,  who,  ac- 
cording to  our  records,  was  John  Philips 
Ackers  of  the  Class  of  1890. 

John  Ackers  married  Adeline  W. 
Morse  of  Cambridge  in  1899.  In  1900  he 
"went  into  business  for  himself,  Newspaper 
Advertising  Agent,  Globe  Building."  Mr. 
Ackers  died  of  typhoid  fever  Nov.  24.  1902. 

The  current  issue  of  the  Beacon  is 
the  677th  consecutive  issue  and  if  ever  a 
diary  or  LOG  of  happenings  was  recorded 
this  is  it.  Not  only  do  we  find  here  a 
carefully  recorded  history  of  events  but 
we  can  trace  the  wonderful  development 
of  virtually  every  boy  who  builds  his  life 
from  pre-adolescence  to  young  manhood 
by  aid  of  the  great  facilities,  broad  program 
of  interests,  and  able  leadership  of  men 
and  women  at  the  School  selected  essen- 
tially for  their  wholesome  desire  to  take 
part  in  the  responsibilities  of  "building 
men." 

The  first  issue  of  the  BeacON  had  an 
article  on  "Our  New  Band"  by  Thomas 
J.  Fairbairn,  Leader.  This  lad  concisely 
and  enthusiastically  described  the  object 
and  the  plan  of  the  "New  Band"  which 
consisted  of  beginners  to  later  replace 
graduating  members  of  the  Regular  Band. 
Other  articles  by  boys  indicated  their 
diverse  activities.  All  through  these  past 
56  years  the  Beacon  policy  has  been  to 
feature  boys'  articles  of  200  to  400  words. 

It  occurs  to  us  that  our  readers  would 
be  interested  in  similar  stories  by  our 
alumni,  so,  former  boys  of  the  School, 
send  in  a  two  to  four  hundred  word  article 
of  your  present  interest  and  we  will  see 
again  your  name  in  print  in  the  BEACON. 
You  are  in  almost  every  profession,  busi- 
ness and  industry.  Most  of  you  five  years 
or  more  out  of  school  have  married  and 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


have  your  own  happy  families.  Many  of 
you  have  built  your  own  homes.  All  of 
you  are  civic  minded  and  some  have 
political  interests.  Your  travel  and  your 
hobbies  are  extensive.  You  alumni  have 
seen  great  strides  of  progress  at  your  Alma 
Mater  and  miraculous  scientific  advance- 
ment all  about  you.  The  BEACON  asks 
you  to  send  in  an  article  because  you 
certainly  have  plenty  to  write  about. 

P.  S.  A  Shaw  prize  for  this  cannot 
be  awarded  but  for  the  first  twelve  articles 
received  and  printed  in  the  BEACON  the 
writers  will  be  given  a  year's  free  sub- 
scription. 

Topics  in  Brief 

Our  Sunday  evening  church  services 
for  the  summer  term  have  come  to  a  close. 
Mr.  John  Beauregard  was  in  charge  of 
our  religious  work  for  the  period  and  ac- 
complished a  real  service  as  he  worked 
week  after  week  with  our  boys. 

The  boys  have  had  many  pleasant 
hours  working  on  their  flower  gardens. 
To  many  this  is  a  major  hobby,  and  cer- 
tainly worth  while  in  every  respect.  Tiie 
area  comprising  the  individual  gardens 
is  always  a  popular  place,  and  the  boys 
are  always  proud  to  show  their  friends  the 
results  of  their  gardening  work.  For  65 
years  prizes  have  been  given  annually 
to  t'lose  who  excelled  in  flower  gardening, 
the  awards  being  instituted  by  Mr.  Henry 
S.  Grew,  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  and  upon  his  death  continued 
in  Mr.  Grew's  memory  by  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  S.  V.  R.  Crosby. 

A  major  job  was  accomplished  by 
Mr.  Dockham  and  the  farm  boys  recently 
when  our  silo  was  given  necessary  repairs 
and  then  painted.  The  silo  is  approxi- 
mately 32by  6  feet,  and  a  complete  staging 
was    erected  for  the    painting  job.     The 


silo  was  built  in  1924  and  the  first  cut 
fodder  was  put  into  it  on  September  4  of 
that  year. 

Two  boy  scout  troops  from  Revere, 
together  with  several  leaders,  held  an  all- 
day  outing  at  the  School  on  August  29. 
Much  scouting  activity,  together  with  a 
ball  game  and  swim,  gave  the  visitors  a 
full  day  of  pleasure. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  fall  term 
our  summer  sports  program  gradually 
gave  way  to  football  and  other  fall  sports. 
The  summer  recreation  program  has  been 
fine  in  every  way,  ample  opportunity 
being  given  for  participation  in  Softball, 
baseball,  tennis,  swimming  and  life  saving, 
and  such  games  as  shuffleboard  and  horse- 
shoe pitching.  The  two  weeks  previous 
to  Lgbor  Day  were  unseasonably  warm 
and  the  bovs  made  the  most  of  our  ideal 
swimming  facilities.  The  boys  are  all  good 
swimmers,  and  this  year  most  of  them 
advanced  in  their  Red  Cross  swimming 
courses,  many  earning  the  Junior  Life 
Saving  certificates. 

Edward  Rowe  Snow  has  earned  for 
himself  a  high  place  in  the  field  of  Boston 
Harbor  history  and  has  in  the  past  few 
years  broadened  his  scope  to  include  a 
major  share  of  the  United  States  eastern 
coast  history.  Since  beginning  this  life 
work  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  Mr.  Snow 
has  been  a  constant  visitor  at  our  School, 
seeking  historical  data  and  introducing  to 
countless  hundreds  some  of  the  thrills  he 
receives  from  searching  out  all  but  for- 
gotten historical  data. 

Some  years  ago  he  was  the  prime 
force  behind  the  organization  of  a  club 
named  the  "Harbor  Ramblers."  This 
club  holds  weekly  trips  to  a  different 
Boston  Harbor  landmark  and  there  are 
so  many  of  these  points    of   interest  that 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


it  isn't  necessary  to  duplicate  a  harbor 
"hike"  during  the  course  of  a  year. 

Our  dietitian,  Mrs.  Helen  L.  Warner, 
is  a  member  of  the  Harbor  Ramblers  and 
through  her  eflforts  the  Club  held  a  birth- 
day party  for  Mr.  Snow  on  our  west  beach 
on  August  23.  Guests  of  the  Ramblers  at 
this  party  included  fifty  members  of  the 
Appalachian  Mountain  Club,  and  our 
entire  school  membership.  Mr.  Snow 
received  a  huge  birthday  cake  and  there 
were  small  individual  cakes,  decorated 
by  our  boys,  all  of  whom  had  a  happy 
time  getting  ready  for  the  party  and  of 
course,  taking  part. 

Later  in  the  evening  Mr.  Snow  showed 
several  reels  of  motion  pictures  which  he 
had  taken  on  his  trips  of  exploration. 
These  were  very  much  enjoyed,  especially 
so  because  of  the  interpretations  and  de- 
scriptions given  by  Mr.  Snow. 

We  have  had  several  beach  suppers 
and  lawn  picnics  during  the  summer 
months,  all  of  which  have  been  very 
pleasant,  and  very  much  enjoyed.  Weather 
conditions  for  all  of  these  events  have 
been  ideal  and  it  ts  hard  to  imagine 
lovelier  outdoor  settings  for  such  picnics 
than  our  Tnompson's  Island  campus. 

More  and  more  people  apparently 
are  becoming  interested  in  amateur  boat- 
ing, for  on  weekends  an  endless  stream 
of  pleasure  craft  passes  by  our  wharf.  We 
have  derived  much  pleasure  from  watching 
these  craft,  and  especially  so  the  sailboat 
races  which  are  held  almost  weekly.  Oc- 
casionally we  are  of  help,  our  facilities 
serving  as  a  haven  when  engine  or  other 
mechanical  failure  makes  it  necessary  for 
the  boatmen  to  seek  assistance. 

The  first  football  game  of  the  season 
will  be  at  the  School  on  October  3,  with 
Milton  Sophomores  as  the  opponents. 
Football  game  days  are  Friends'  Days. 


Mailboy 

I  am  the  F.  T.  S.  mailboy.  I  like 
this  job  because  while  working  on  it  I  meet 
many  people  and  learn  to  be  businesslike. 
I  am  in  town  each  day  from  one  until  five 
except  on  Saturday  when  I  go  in  the 
morning.  First  I  deliver  any  packages  I 
may  have  and  then  go  to  the  main  post 
oflfice.  I  have  a  bag  of  mail  to  get  on  its 
way  and  then  I  pick  up  the  incoming  mail 
from  the  worker  where  our  post  office  box 
is  located.  I  have  many  errands  to  do 
and  am  on  my  way  to  do  them,  after 
which  I  telephone  the  school  office  to  see 
if  there  are  other  things  to  be  done. 
When  I  have  everything  as  completed  as  I 
can  I  return  to  the  boat. 

Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

Honor  Roll  —  Spring  Term 
Best  Citizenship 

"A"  Rank  general  conduct  and  efiott 
in  each  class  group 

Junior    Class 

Ralph  A.  Hopkins 
David  A.  Pulsifer 
Teyet  Ramar  II 

Sophomore  Class 

Edward  A.  Atton 

Robert  Fabello 

William  H.    Dillon 

David  W.  Howard 

David  E.    LeVeille 

Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Freshman  Class 

Thomas  Angelos 

Gerald  L.  Briggs 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

John  E.  Lennon 

Howard  E.    Murphy,  II 

Paul  E.  Parker 

Ralph  Schofield 

Carleton  G.  Skinner 

Arthur  A.  Sprague 

Harold  L.  Spurling 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


1953  Football  Schedule 

October  3 

Milton  Sophomores  at  F.  T.  S. 

October  10 

Hingham  J.  V.  at  F.  T.  S. 

October  17 

Quincy  Sophomores  at  F.  T.  S. 

October  24 

Milton  Academy  2nds  at  Milton 

October  31 

Braintree  Frosh  at  F.  T.  S. 

November  7 
Weymouth  Frosh  at  F.  T.  S. 
November  14 
Maiden  Vocational  at  Maiden 

My  First  Day  in  the  Laundry 

Yesterday  was  my  first  day  working 
in  the  laundry.  I  learned  how  to  iron 
shirts  and  other  articles.  I  haven't  learned 
how  to  run  the  machines  yet,  but  I  will 
soon.  We  have  two  washing  machines, 
an  extractor,  flatwork  ironer  and  a  dryer. 
The  laundry  is  a  busy  place. 

S.   Newcomb  Graham 

Additonal  Alumni  News 
David  E.  Long,  '22,  has  sent  us  an 
unusual  notice  of  a  change  of  address. 
It  is  in  the  form  of  an  attractively  printed 
post  card  with  a  photo  of  the  new  Long 
family  home  at  85-59  Hollis  Court  Boule- 
vard, Queens  Village.  New  York.  Mr. 
Long  formerly  taught  in  the  public  schools 
of  New  York  City  and  is  now  in  business 
for  himself.  We  hope  to  see  him  this  fall 
at  one  of  the  football  games  here,  and  at 
our  annual  alumni  banquet. 

Cecil  A.  Morse,  '28,  writes  from 
his  home  at  409  E.  Defee  Ave.,  Baytcwn, 
Texas,  telling  us  that  he  enjoys  reading 
the  Beacon,  and  especially  so  the  recent 
Graduation  (July)  issue.  Mrs.  Morse, 
he  writes,  has  been  in  Europe  this  summer 
studying  with  the  University  of  Houston 


international  study  group.  Three  weeks 
were  spent  at  the  University  of  Paris  and 
the  work  included  visits  to  twelve  Euro- 
pean countries  and  the  British  Isles. 

Mr.  Morse  has  kept  up  his  athletic 
interests  and  is  a  member  of  the  Southwest 
Football  Officials  Association  as  well  as 
statistician  for  the  local  high  school  athletic 
teams.  He  has  umpired  numerous  baseball 
and  Softball  games  this  summer. 

Alan  P.  Stewart,  '42,  served  as 
Maintenance  Supervisor  at  Sandy  Island 
Camp,  in  Lake  Winnipesaukee,  New 
Hampshire,  this  summer. 

In  February,  1951,  he  married  a  class- 
mate at  Fitchburg  State  Teachers  College, 
where  both  were  members  of  the  gradu- 
ating class.  They  have  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Bonny  Louise,  age  nine  months. 

The  Stewarts  will  soon  make  their 
home  in  Trumbull,  Conn.,  where  Mr. 
Stewart  has  been  engaged  to  teach  Manual 
Training. 

Bruce  A.  Graham,  '53,  served  as  one 
of  Mr.  Stewart's  helpers  at  Sandy  Island 
Camp  during  the  summer  months.  This 
camp  is  operated  by  the  Boston  Y.M.C.A. 
and  many  of  our  graduates  have  served 
on  the  camp  staff  during  the  past  fifteen 
years. 

Theodore  L.  Jones.  '50,  visited  us 
on  August  27.  He  is  in  his  sophomore 
year  in  the  School  of  Engineering  of 
Northeastern  University.  As  part  of  the 
University  training  he  is  now  at  work  in 
the  drafting  department  of  the  Lewis 
Shephard  Co.,  of  Watertown,  and  two 
nights  and  Saturdays  each  week  he  is  em- 
ployed as  a  meat  cutter  in  a  Belmontsuper 
market,  a  part-time  job  he  has  held  since 
leaving  F.  T.  S.  He  enjoys  his  college  ac- 
tivities, especially  the  gym  periods  and 
band  experiences.  He  lives  with  his  grand- 
parents at  128  Hillside  Road,  Watertown, 
Massachusetts. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


Che  J\\mn\  Jlssociation  of  Cbe  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  ^e,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
WoUaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  *37,  Secretary 
No.  Wilmington,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historian 
Hyde  Park, Mass. 


Alumni  President's  Message 
When  I  was  informed  that  each  grad- 
uate was  to  receive  this  issue  of  the  BEACON 
1  was  glad  to  be  invited  to  add  my  per- 
sonal greetings  to  our  Alumni  membership 
of  nearly  500. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  read  the  BEACON 
each  month  and  note  with  satisfaction 
news  of  everything  from  the  activities  of 
"New  Johnnies"  to  the  hopes  and  aspira- 
tions of  those  in  each  succeeding  graduating 
class. 

Occasional  visits  to  the  School  bring 
happy  memories,  and  as  time  goes  on 
each  of  us  realizes  more  and  more  the 
wonderful  advantages  we  enjoyed  as 
youngsters  on  Thompson's  Island.  Our 
love  for  our  Alma  Mater  grows  richer 
with  each  passing  year. 

I  hope  to  see  you  all  at  the  coming 
meetings  and  activities  of  our  Alumni 
Association. 

Alton  B.  Butler,  '26 
President,  Alumni  Ass'n. 

Your  Secretary's  Note 
I  have  long  wished  that  more  of  our 
graduates  received  the  BEACON  regularly^ 
for  in  it  is  a  wealth  of  news  of  our  alumni. 
In  fact  a  full  page  in  each  issue  is  devoted 
entirely  to  news  of  our  graduates  and  the 
Alumni  Association.  Those  who  receive 
the  paper  have  first-hand  information  as 
to  all  of  the  business  and  social  events  of 
the  Alumni  Association,  and  it  is  a  fine 
way  to  automatically  keep  in  touch  with 
both  life  at  the  School  and  Alumni  hap- 
penings. 

I  hope  all  graduates  will  plan  to  see 
at  least  one  football  game  at  the  School 
this  fall,  and  when  plans  are  completed 


for  our  annual  Alumni  banquet  that  all 
will  save  that  evening  for  a  tip-top  dinner 
and  get-to-gether. 

William  C.  Burns,  '37 
Secretary,  Alumni  Ass'n. 

It  is  with  deep  sorrow  that  we  announce 
the  passing  of  Mrs.  George  W.  Russell. 
She  was  the  life-long  inspiration  and  coun- 
selor of  our  grand  old  graduate  of  the 
Class  of  '85,  Rev.  George  W.  Russell. 
Our  sincere  sympathy  is  expressed  to  Mr. 
Russell,  whom  we  regret  to  say,  is  ill  at 
the  family  home  at  Fairfax,  Vermont. 
Mr.  Russell  is  the  retired  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Fairfax. 

Wayne  D.  Suitor,  '50,  is  an  en- 
listed man  in  the  Air  Corps  and  recently 
sent  greetings  from  the  Far  East.  Although 
he  doesn't  say,  we  believe  that  he  is  in 
Korea,  for  he  notes  in  his  letter  that  "It 
has  been  very  quiet  since  the  truce  was 
signed."  He  asks  for  news  of  the  football 
team,  and  hopes  that  the  boys  have  a  good 
year,  adding  that  he  wishes  he  were  still 
in  school  and  playing  for  F.  T.  S.  He'd 
surely  like  to  hear  from  his  schoolmates 
and  his  address  is:  A-3c  Wayne  D.  Suitor, 
AF11253658,  607th  AC  &W  Sqdn..  APO 
970,  Postmaster,  San  Francisco,  California. 

A  clever  announcement  has  been 
received  telling  of  the  arrival  of  Donna 
Lee  Beckon  July  22,  1953,  The  happy 
parents,  Mrs.  and  Raymond  L.  Beck,  '36. 
state  that  Donna  Lee  tipped  the  scales  at 
5  lbs,  1  ounce.  The  Becks  live  at  637 
Dudley  Street,  Dorchester,  Mass.,  and 
Donna  Lee  is  their  firstchild.  Our  sincere 
congratulations! 


Vol.  57  No.  6    Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.      Oct.,  1953 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  inatter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1S74 


An  Entertainment 

Recently  an  announcement  was  made 
by  Mr.  Meacham  that  we  were  to  have  a 
treat  on  September  21.  We  looked  forward 
with  pleasure,  for  we  were  told  that  on 
that  night  we  would  have  a  very  special 
entertainment.  We  were  not  disappointed, 
for  the  show  was  one  of  the  best  whiph 
we  have  seen. 

First  on  the  program  was  a  barber  shop 
quartet,  composed  of  Quincy  businessmen. 
This  group  had  entertained  us  before,  ard 
we  knew  we  would  enjoy  hearing  them 
again.  They  sang  without  accompaniment, 
the  leader  sounding  the  pitch  on  a  pitch- 
pipe.  First  some  humorous  songs  were 
sung,  and  these  were  followed  by  ballads. 
We  enjoyed  all  their  songs,  but  the  ones 
with  the  solo  parts  were  best,  for  they  got 
the  most  applause. 

Next  on  the  program  was  Hugh  Mc- 
Ginnis,  a  former  professional  entertainer, 
and  now  a  restaurant  proprietor.  He  is  a 
comedian  and  tells  stories  and  jokes,  and 
sings,  while  all  of  the  time  playing  a  piano 
accompaniment.  The  song  we  liked  best 
was  sung  in  Irish  dialect.  Mr.  McGuinnis 
entertained  longer  than  he  had  planned, 
because  we  enjoyed  him  so.  He  finally 
said  he  would  sing  no  more,  for  he  wanted 
to  see  the  magic  show  which  was  to  follow. 

Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  '19,  was  next 
on  the  program.  We  knew  that  he  was 
a  very  skilled  magician,  but  even  so  we 


were  very  much  surprised  and  amazed 
by  the  wonderful  tricks  he  did.  He  had 
everything  from  rabbits  to  handkerchiefs 
appear  and  disappear  before  our  eyes, 
and  we  are  still  wondering  how  he  fooled 
us.  Some  of  the  boys  volunteered  to  go 
on  the  stage,  and  they  became  involved 
in  many  feats  of  magic,  much  fun  being 
had  by  both  them  and  the  audience.  The 
funniest  trick  was  one  in  which  a  perfectly 
good  handkerchief  kept  changing  its  size, 
shape  and  condition.  Mr.  Cameron  was 
ably  assisted  by  Mrs.  Cameron,  and  their 
fast  moving  series  of  tricks,  jokes  and 
stunts,  made  up  a  wonderful  magic  show. 

Our  alumnus-trustee,  Donald  S.  Mac- 
Pherson,  '17,  came  with  the  entertainers 
and  introduced  them  at  the  show.  We 
thank  him  for  playing  a  major  part  in 
bringing  this  entertainment  to  us.  We  all 
enjoyed  the  show  very  much. 

Monitor  Duties 
When  I  returned  from  my  vacation 
I  was  glad  to  learn  that  I  had  been  chosen 
to  be  a  monitor.  There  are  two  monitors 
on  each  floor  of  the  dormitories.  Ralph 
Hopkins  is  monitor  with  me.  Our  duties 
principally  are  to  see  that  the  boys  are 
awakened  on  time,  that  they  are  not  late 
for  meals,  school  or  work.  We  see  that 
the  boys  are  in  bed  at  nine.  We  keep 
order  in  the  dormitory  and  help  the  sup- 
ervisor all  we  can. 

David  A.   PuUifer 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


My  Summer  Vacation 

My  vacation  began  on  August  1.  My 
father  met  me  and  we  went  to  our  family 
physician  for  a  checkup.  The  doctor 
told  me  that  I  was  in  perfect  health,  due 
to  living  in  the  fine  surroundings  of 
F.  T.  S.  From  there  we  took  a  three 
hour  drive  to  Pittsfield,  N.  H.  where  I  was 
to  stay  for  two  weeks  at  Camp  Graylag. 
This  camp  is  operated  by  Bob  Cousy.star 
of  the  Boston  Celtics.  I  was  met  by  the 
councilor  of  the  cabin  where  I  was  to  stay, 
who  explained  the  camp  program  and 
regulations.  I  had  a  Httle  time  to  roam 
over  the  camp  grounds  with  my  father. 
At  iive-thirty  I  went  to  supper  with  the 
rest  of  the  boys,  and  we  enjoyed  a  succu- 
lent and  delicious  meal. 

After  supper  I  went  to  the  basketball 
court  where  I  met  Dick  Eid.  the  star 
freshman  member  of  the  University  of 
Massachusetts  basketball  team,  who  was 
being  given  some  pointers  by  his  college 
coach.  Bob  Curren.  At  the  same  time  I 
met  Togo  Palazzi,  the  six  foot  four  Holy 
Cross  star.  Ed  Conlin  and  Bob  Cousy 
were  also  on  the  court.  Ed  is  the  country's 
second  highest  rebounder  from  Fordham 
University. 

During  the  two  weeks  I  was  at  camp 
I  was  given  basketball  instruction  by  the 
greatest  players  in  the  game.  We  concen- 
trated on  basketball,  for  itwas  the  purpose 
of  the  camp  to  teach  this  game.  In  ad- 
dition we  played  Softball,  baseball,  tennis, 
badminton  and  had  wrestling,  boxing, 
riding  and  swimming. 

I  met  many  famous  sports  celebrities, 
including  Red  Auerbach,  coach  of  the 
Celtics,  Joe  Sherry,  top  tennis  pro  and 
John  Bach,  the  Fordham  coach.  These, 
and  others,  conducted  clinics,  which  were 
important  and  helpful. 

It  was  a  wonderful  vacation  and  I  will 
never  forget  those  thrill-packed  two  weeks. 

David  E.  LeVeille 


A  Visit  to  F.  T.  S. 

My  mother  and  I  visited  Thompson's 
Isbnd  to  see  the  school.  We  roamed  over 
the  grounds  and  visited  the  dormitories, 
sloyd  room,  dining  room,  band  ball  and 
other  places.  Then  we  went  to  the  office 
and  my  mother  talked  with  Mr.  Meacham. 
Finally  I  was  asked  my  age,  school  grade, 
what  my  hobbies  were,  and  a  few  other 
questions.  Mr.  Meacham  said  that  I  could 
enter   the    School  on  that   day,  July  13. 

I  must  admit  that  I  had  a  few  mishaps 
during  my  first  days  here,  but  I  am  getting 
along  all  right  now. 

Richard  T.   Castonguay 

A  Pleasant  Day 

One  day  last  summer  my  brother  and 
I  visited  our  relatives.  There  was  a  lake 
nearby  and  we  went  fishing.  Together 
we  caught  eleven  fish,  which  were  a  mixed 
reddish  white  color.  We  used  garden 
worms  for  bait.  While  we  were  fishing  a 
large  cat  came  along  and  watched  us.  We 
gave  the  cat  a  small  fish  which  he  ate  in  a 
jifTy.  We  had  a  fish  supper  that  night, 
and,  although  it  was  very  good,  there 
were  too  many  bones  in  it  to  suit  me. 

Walter  F.   Grignon 

Being  Office  Boy 

My  work  is  that  of  office  boy.  I  begin 
after  breakfast,  when  we  have  medicine 
line.  At  this  time  the  boys  who  are  sick, 
or  have  hurt  themselves,  report  to  the 
office  for  medical  attention.  My  job  is  to 
help  in  any  way  I  can,  and  to  put  away 
equipment  used. 

I  see  that  the  office  is  always  neat.  I 
empty  the  waste  baskets,  sweep  and  dust. 
I  deliver  messages  to  the  instructors  and 
also  the  many  packages  which  come  to 
the  office.  Very  often  I  go  to  the  store- 
rooms to  get  supplies  for  the  departments. 
You  may  see  that  most  of  the  time  I  am 
very  busy  being  office  boy. 

Frederick  E.  Krueger 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


My  First  Day 

The  first  day  I  came  here  I  thought 
that  the  School  was  a  very  nice  place  and 
I  still  do.  When  I  stepped  from  the  boat 
I  asked  if  there  were  any  horses  here  and 
was  told  that  there  were  two.  I  thought 
that  there  would  be  at  least  eight,  but  I 
found  out  that  the  tractors  and  truck  had 
replaced  most  of  the  horses.  I  like  to  work 
with  animals  and  was  glad  to  learn  of  the 
cows,  heifers,  bulls  and  pigs. 

I  went  up  the  avenue  with  my  brother, 
who  came  to  school  with  me.  We  first 
got  our  suitcases  from  the  truck  and  went 
to  our  rooms.  Then  we  went  to  the  beach 
where  we  cooked  our  supper.  It  was  Labor 
Day  and  the  outdoor  supper  was  part  of 
the  holiday  activities.  We  had  frankforts, 
bacon,  rolls,  ice  cream  and  other  good 
things  to  eat.  After  supper  1  played  a 
game  of  horseshoes. 

Thomas  C.   Cronin 

New  York  Adventure 
This  summer  I  had  a  vacation  in 
Bethlehem,  which  is  near  Albany,  New 
York.  I  helped  work  on  a  farm  and  one 
day  I  was  given  permission  to  ride  a  horse. 
While  going  across  a  field  we  came  to  a 
gully  and  the  horse  stopped  short,  while  I 
flew  over  his  head  into  the  gully.  Then 
I  started  riding  again  and  we  came  to  a 
river  where  I  fell  from  the  horse.  On  the 
next  day  my  ankle  began  to  swell  and  soon 
I  couldn't  walk.  It  was  a  whole  week 
before  my  ankle  lost  iis  soreness. 

Joel  C.   Robbins 

My  Impressions 

When  I  was  told  that  I  was  to  become 
a  student  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School 
I  had  a  few  definite  impressions  which  I 
thought  about.  The  first  impression  which 
came  to  me  was  that  I  would  be  with  boys 
riiy  own  age  and  size.  I  was  surprised  to 
find  that  the  boys  were  my  age,  but  much 


larger  and  stronger.  I  thought  I  wouldn't 
have  a  chance  to  be  on  an  athletic  team, 
but  to  my  satisfaction  I  learned  that  there 
are  teams  for  smaller  boys. 

Another  impression  I  had  was  that  I 
would  learn  one  certain  thing.  But  that 
was  wrong,  for  here  we  learn  how  to  do 
many  things,  all  of  them  practical  and 
valuable  to  know. 

More  or  less,  though,  school  life  here 
is  about  as  I  thought  it  would  be,  and  I 
hope  that  I  may  accomplish  many  things. 
Steven  R.  Wellington 

1953  Football  Schedule  and  Scores 

October  3 

Milton  Sophomores  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:   F.  T.  S.  54     Milton  Sophs  20 

October  10 
Hingham  J.  V.  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  27     Hingham  JV  0 

October  17 
Quincy  Sophomores  at  F.  T.  S. 

October  24 

Milton  Academy  2nds  at  Milton 

October  31 

Braintree  Frosh  at  F.  T.  S. 

November  7 
Weymouth  Frosh  at  F.  T.  S. 
November  14 
Maiden  Vocational  at  Maiden 

Fishing 
Before  I  came  to  F.  T.  S.  I  lived  in 
Englewood,  a  suburb  of  Denver,  Colo. 
On  my  aunt's  estate  there  is  a  beautiful 
lake,  about  a  mile  in  circumference. 
There  is  good  fishing  there,  and  most  of 
the  fish  are  large  mouthed  bass  and 
croppies.  My  father  and  I  fished  from  a 
row  boat  and  caught  five  bass  and  two 
croppies.  My  father  caught  a  really  big 
bass.  On  the  next  day  I  caught  twenty 
croppies. 

George  McPeek 


THOMPSONS    rSLAND     BEACON 


Cbompson's  Island  Beacon 

Published     Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompson's  Island,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE     SCHOOL     FOR       BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENCOV^MENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS 


Vol.  57     No.  6 


October  1953 


Subicription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.   Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malm,     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,   Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expires  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B,  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.   Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 

Term   Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Cfinrles  E.  Mason 

Donald  S.   MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 
Augustus  P.  Loring,   10 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  SaltonstaU 
Moses  Williams 

William    M.    Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Adviaory    Committee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.   Place,   M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
i3  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


Two  young  alumni  of  the  Connecticut 
Junior  Republic  recently  visited  us.  We 
enjoyed  the  opportunity  of  exchanging 
information  pertaining  to  our  two  home 
schools  for  boys.  Several  days  later  we 
received  a  fine  letter  of  appreciation,  part 
of  which  follows: 

Dear  Mr.  Meacham: 

First  of  all,  let  me  thank  you  on  behalf  of  Gor- 
don Currier  and  myself,  for  permitting  us  to 
visit  your  School,  and  taking  time  out  to  show 
us  around.  I  was  particularly  impressed  by  the 
well  kept  grounds,  and  especially  by  the  attitude 
of  the  boys  themselves.  Honest  friendliness  is 
the  only  way  I  can  think  of  to  describe  it. 

These  two  alert  young  men,  ages 
about  eighteen,  especially  noted  the  well 
kept  grounds,  the  attitude  of  our  boys,  the 
honest  friendliness  of  all.  These  are  basic 
elements  of  true  happiness  and  successful 
living  of  all  mankind  the  world  over. 

Disorderly  homes  and  surroundings 
are  the  prime  breeding  spots  of  delinquen- 
cy and  crime,  and  even  communism  and 
wars.  The  attitude  of  others  toward  us 
and  our  attitude  toward  others  completely 
determines,  of  course,  the  way  of  life  for 
each  of  us.  Honest  friendliness  is  indis- 
pensable to  human  life  in  this  tiny  spot  of 
the  universe  called  The  World. 

Children's  problems  of  childhood 
and  youth  are  intensified  by  attitudes  and 
behaviour  of  adults. 

We  constantly  hear  the  term  "Juve- 
nile Delinquency"  and  the  newspapers 
are  ever  reminding  us  of  this  terrible 
problem.  A  recent  Boston  Herald  edi- 
torial lauded  the  proposal  of  a  new  "Boys 
Town"  in  this  area  to  care  for  3,000  boys 
annually.  Removal  of  the  youngsters 
from  their  unfortunate  surroundings  and 
providing  adequate,  well  orjianized  life 
programs  would  be  a  start  in  the  right 
direction.  To  wait  until  they  are  in 
trouble  or  on  the  verge  of  trouble  is  a 
questionable  procedure.  The  concen- 
tration of  3,000  in  one  area,  as  proposed, 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


would  be  a  tragic  attempt  to  cure  delin- 
quency. The  problem  can  largely  be 
solved,  which  reminds  us  of  the  statement 
of  an  eminent  jurist  who  had  severed  the 
knot  of  wedlock  of  over  1,600  couples  in 
his  court  and  was  asked  what  advice  he 
would  give  to  prevent  divorce.  He  said, 
"None,  they  wouldn't  take  it  if  I  did." 

In  the  meantime  let's  continue  to  justi- 
fy the  observations  of  the  two  enthusiastic 
young  men,  with  pride  in  our  "well  kept 
grounds,"  glory  in  "the  attitude  of  the 
boys,"  and  always  be  grateful  for  the 
"honest  friendliness"  of  our  little  com- 
munity. 

Our  home  school  has  had  upward  of 
4,000  boys  enrolled  since  the  year  1814 
when  its  doors  were  first  opened  at  the 
corner  of  Cambridge  and  Lynde  Streets 
in  Boston.  The  count  is  3,317  since  Thomp- 
s  )n's  Island  became  its  home  in  1833. 
More  than  60  other  schools  have  been 
founded  either  using  ours  as  a  model  or 
following  along  closely  similar  lines.  Band 
music,  printing,  wood  working  and  agri- 
cultural experiences  have  all  made  great 
strides  throughout  America  since  being 
pioneered  by  our  school. 

We  are  not  content  to  rest  on  whatever 
good  the  past  or  present  has  brought  forih. 
We  expect  our  school  will  provide  a 
happy,  well  adjusted  home  life  and  broad 
development  program  to  thousands  more 
in  the  years  ahead. 

Topics  in  Brief 
Labor  Day  was  observed  as  a  full 
holiday,  of  course,  but  there  were  unusual 
aspects.  In  the  first  place  we  were  pre- 
pared for  a  major  hurricane,  for  we  had 
been  warned  several  times  that  such  was  on 
the  way.  Fortunately  the  storm  veered 
out  to  sea  and  we  were  spared  any  dififi- 
culty  whatever.  Secondly,  our  new  students, 
who  were  to  come  in  mid-morning,  had 
been    notified    to    report   at    the    Public 


Landing  at  five  o'clock,  when  all  danger 
of  the  storm  would  have  been  passed. This 
they  did,  in  time  to  have  a  holiday  meal 
on  the  beach,  as  a  part  of  the  observance 
of  the  day.  This  new  group,  numbering 
15,  may  aptly  be  called  the  "Hurricaners." 

Classes  for  the  new  academic  year  be- 
gan on  Septembers.  Kenneth  J.  Rose  will 
serve  as  principal,  and  will  teach  the 
mathematics  courses,  as  he  did  last  year. 
Arthur  H.  Clark  will  again  head  the 
science  department  and  will  also  teach 
some  history  courses.  Miss  Jean  F.  Baird 
will  continue  her  good  work  as  teacher  of 
the  sixth  and  seventh  grades.  A  new 
member  of  the  staff,  John  Burckes,  will 
teach  English  and  History. 

The  annual  outing  of  the  Rotary  Club 
of  Boston  was  held  at  the  School  on 
September  12.  More  than  200  members 
of  the  Club,  and  their  guests,  were  present. 
The  program  for  the  day  was  carefully 
planned  by  the  Committees.  Activities  for 
everyone,  young  and  old,  took  place  with 
the  timing  such  that  every  event  was  held 
as  scheduled.  The  weather  cooperated  so 
that  the  entire  program  was  held  out  of 
doors  in  the  lovely  setting  of  our  school 
campus.  Mr.  Meacham  is  a  past  president 
of  the  Club  and  acted  as  host  for  the  day. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  new  school 
year  our  band  has  begun  its  series  of  weekly 
rehearsals  under  the  direction  of  our 
bandmaster.  Major  Frank  L.  Warren. 
Year  after  year  our  group  has  achieved 
high  ratings  at  the  school  music  festivals, 
and  we  have  every  hope  that  the  high 
records  and  acclaim  which  our  group  has 
received  will  be  equalled,  and  possibly 
bettered,  by  the  1953-54  F.  T.  S.  Band. 
Enthusiasm  and  interest  is  at  a  high  pitch 
and  nearly  every  boy  is  enrolled  either  in 
the  band  or  in  a  beginners'  class. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


On  Monday  evening,  September  21, 
we  were  treated  to  an  excellent  enter- 
tainment. First  on  the  program  were 
selections  by  a  barber  shop  quartet  from 
Quincy.  The  personnel  included  George 
Schools,  tenor;  Robert  Cooper,  lead; 
William  Childs,  baritone,  and  Alfred 
Cornell,  basso.  The  concert  given  by  the 
quartet  included  many  old  favorites,  all  of 
which  we  enjoyed  tremendously.  Follow- 
ing the  quartet  was  a  pianist-vocalist,  Hugh 
McGuinnis,  who  sang  comedy  songs  and 
entertained  with  jokes  and  stories.  These 
men  came  to  us  through  the  efforts  of 
Donald  S.  MacPherson,  '17. 

The  entertainment  was  completed  by 
a  great  magic  and  humor  show  staged  by 
Malcolm  E.  Cameron.  '19,  assisted  by 
Mrs.  Cameron.  "Mai"  Cameron  has 
earned  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  out- 
standing entertainer  and  certainly  he  gave 
us  a  real  treat  as  he  performed  his  numerous 
magic  feats,  one  after  another  with  re- 
markable polish.  His  main  wish,  it  seems 
to  us,  is  to  entertain,  rather  than  mystify, 
and  he  certainly  does  both  with  the  skill 
ihatonly  years  of  professional  appearances 
can  develop. 

We  thank  these  entertainers  for 
coming  to  us  with  a  show  \\hich  we  will 
long  remember. 

Charles  S.  Marvin,  editor  of  the  Island 
Echoes,  a  publication  issutd  by  the  Long 
Island  Hospital,  and  Samuel  Correnti,  of 
the  Hospital's  Department  of  Physical 
Medicine  visited  us  en  September  15. 
Both  were  very  much  impressed  with  the 
facilities  we  have  for  the  education  and 
training  of  our  boys  and  had  a  pleasant 
time  visiting  and  talking  with  many  of  the 
boys  and  instructors. 

In  the  October  issue  of  Island  Echoes 
there  is  an  excellent  article  by  Mr. 
Marvin  telling    of  the     visit.      He  writes 


that  our  campus  reminds  one  of  a  minia- 
ture Harvard  Yard,  while  the  baseball 
and  football  fields,  encircled  by  a  cinder 
track,  are  superior  to  many  of  those  of 
much  larger  schools. 

We  were  glad  to  meet  neighbors 
Marvin  and  Correnti  and  appreciated 
their  accounts  of  life  on  Long  Island, 
where  is  located  a  modern  hospital  which 
has  attracted  the  attention  of  the  medical 
field  for  the  fine  work  it  is  doing. 

The  football  season  got  away  to  a 
good  start  on  October  3,  when  our  boys 
won  over  the  Milton  sophomores  54-20. 
Parents  and  friends  of  the  boys,  as  well 
as  many  graduates,  were  on  hand  to  cheer 
the  team  to  victory.  Even  though  the 
score  wjis  perhaps  a  bit  one-sided,  the  boys 
from  Milton  put  up  a  good  game,  and 
enjoyed  their  visit  to  Thompson's  Island, 

The  Quincy  radio  station,  WJDA. 
carries  a  running  summary  of  our  football 
games  each  Saturday  afternoon,  and  our 
friends  can  keep  tabs  on  how  the  games 
here  progress  by  tuning  the  station,  1300 
on  the  dial. 

Alaska 
On  March  30,  1867,  our  country  made 
a  treaty  with  Russia  and  we  secured  Alaska. 
Andrew  Jackson  was  president  and  many 
people  thouj:ht  he  was  not  wise  in  buying 
such  a  barren,  far  off  country.  The  United 
States  paid  $7,200,000  in  gold  for  Alaska. 
It  was  used  then  by  the  Russians,  whose 
chief  business  was  trapping  animals  for  furs. 
The  total  acreage  is  vast,  586,400  square 
miles,  an  *  it  cost  us  two  cents  an  acre. 
Russia  had  been  trying  to  sell  us  the  land 
for  several  years  and  was  secretly  happy 
that  we  bought  it  at  what  they  thought 
was  a  bargain  for  them. 

Not  much  attention  was  paid  to 
Alaska  until  gold  was  discovered  in  1896. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


It  is  still  being  mined  profitably.  The 
whole  area  is  rich  in  natural  resources. 
There  are  vast  forests  and  timber  is  a 
major  product.  Fishing  is  another  major 
industry,  and  there  are  large  canneries. 
Alaskan  salmon  is  famous  the  world  over. 

Tin,  platinum,  antimony,  tungsten, 
copper  and  gold  are  mined  in  Alaska. 
Hard  and  soft  coal  mines  are  good 
producers,  and  there  is  a  growing  interest 
in  the  oil  buiiness.  Prospects  for  the 
petroleum  industry  in  certain  parts  of 
Alaska  are  bright. 

Juneau  is  the  capital  and  has  a  popu- 
lation of  about  130,000.  The  land  has 
been  a  territory  since  August  24,  1912. 
It  it  governed  by  senators  and  representa- 
tives headed  by  a  governor,  appointed  by 
our  president.  Although  it  is  not  a  state 
yet,  most  people  think  that  it  will  be 
before  too  long. 

Alaska  has  become  an  interesting  land, 
and  many  tourists  visit  there  every  year. 

Henry  T.  Murphy 

The  First  Football  Practice 
On  September  1  those  who  wanted 
to  try  out  for  the  football  team  had  the 
first  practice.  The  locker  room  was  filled 
with  familiar  husde,  bustle  and  noises. 
The  boys  were  busy  hunting  for  T  shirts, 
pads,  and  getting  into  their  uniforms. 

Soon  we  were  on  the  field.  The 
laughing  and  shouting  stopped  and  we  got 
down  to  work.  We  had  a  short  calis- 
thenics drill  and  then  we  worked  on  the 
blocking  machine.  We  were  all  glad  to 
get  at  this  machine  until  the  first  time  we 
hit  it,  for  it  seemed  to  hit  us  right  back. 
After  this  we  practiced  on  the  dummies, 
which  was  better,  because  there  was  no 
resistance  from  them.  We  next  learned 
two  plays.  This  finished  practice  for  the 
first  day  of  1953  football.  Later  we  went 
swimming,  for  it  was  a  hot  day. 

Robert  Fabello 


Learning  Football 
Last  September  when  I  came  here  I 
didn't  know  much  about  football,  because 
I  didn't  have  a  chance  to  play.  I  was 
chosen  on  one  of  the  club  teams  and 
gradually  I  learned  some  of  the  rules  of 
the  game  and  how  to  play  it.  This  year 
I  am  trying  out  for  the  varsity  and  hope  I 
get  in  to  play  some  of  the  games.  All  of 
us  like  football,  and  it  is  an  exciting,  rough 
game. 

Bruce  Alexander 

Additional  Alumni  News 
Edward  Capaul,  '05,  was  a  recent 
visitor.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Swiss 
Family  Laundry  at  3-4  Glenwood  Place, 
Roxhury.  It  has  been  nearly  fifty  years 
since  Mr.  Capaul  graduated,  and  through- 
out this  period  he  has  kept  an  active  in- 
tert^st  in  the  alumni  association,  and  may 
always  be  counted  upon  to  be  among 
those  present  at  all  functions. 

William  G.  Beadle,  '12,  was  a 
visitor  October  3.  He  came  as  the  guest 
of  our  bandmaster,  Mr.  Warren,  to  attend 
the  band  rehearsal  and  see  the  football 
game.  Although  he  did  both,  much  of 
his  time  was  spent  in  checking  our  clarinets 
and  making  repairs  as  needed.  Mr. 
Beadle  has  for  many  years  been  an  instru- 
ment repairman  with  the  Cundy-Bettoney 
company.  It  was  fine  of  him  to  come  to 
us  and  assist  with  our  instrument  problem. 

Mr.  Beadle  has  always  been  interested 
in  all  phases  of  school  life  and  activities, 
and  particularly  so  the  band.  He  lives  in 
Randolph,  at  219  Grove  Street. 

Donald  S.  Duquet, '51,  graduated 
from  Braintree  high  school  last  June,  then 
moved  to  New  Jersey  where  he  worked 
for  a  time  in  a  department  store.  He 
lately  enlisted  in  the  air  force  and  is  doing 
his  basic  training  at  Sampson  Air  Force 
Base,  Geneva,  N.  Y. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


ZU  J\\mm  Association  of  Che  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26.  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretary 
No.  Wilmington,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historiao 
Hyde  Paris. Mass. 


John  E.  Bete,  '96,  we  report  with 
sorrow,  passed  away  on  September  1. 
We  extend  our  deepest  sympathies  to 
Mrs.  Bete,  who  has  written  us  from  the 
family  home  at  11  Grant  St.,  Greenfield, 

Mass. 

Mr.  Bete  spent  a  lifetime  in  machine 
shop  work,  and  was  the  inventor  of  a 
special  shoe  tree  which  was  promoted  by 
the  A.  O.  Miller  Machine  Co.,  of 
Brockton.  He  was  devoted  to  his  Alma 
Mater,  and  always  glad  to  hear  news  of 
the  School  and  Alumni  Association. 

Our  sincere  sympathies  are  extended 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clyde  W.  Albee,  '33, 
upon  the  death  of  their  only  child,  a  son 
George,  aged  10,  at  the  Childrens  Hospi- 
tal in  Boston  on  September  9.  Funeral 
services  were  held  in  Revere  on  September 
12.  Floral  tributes  were  many  and  beauti- 
ful, and  included  lovely  wreaths  from  Farm 
and  Trades  School  friends  and  from  the 
staff  of  the  Museum  of  Science  where 
Mr.  Albee  has  been  employed  for  many 
years. 

William  F.  Anderson,  '25  has  for 
many  years  been  employed  in  the 
woodworking  trade.  This  year  he  has 
been  specializing  in  the  construction  of 
kitchen  cabinets,  a  field  in  which  work 
opportunity  is  almost  unlimited  at  the 
present  time.  He  lives  at  3  St.  John  St., 
Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.  He  may  always  be 
counted  among  those  present  at  all  alumni 
activities,  and  is  an  occasional  visitor  to 
the  school  during  the  football  seasons. 

Berton  E.  Cadorath,  '47,  is  a 
member  of  a  U.  S.  Marine  Corps  Band, 


and  his  address  is  3rd  Marine  Division 
Band,  Hdq.  Co.,  Hdq.  Bn.,  care  of  Fleet 
Post  Offii.e,  S.in  Francisco,  California. 
He  had  his  boot  training  at  Parris  Island, 
and  then  became  a  member  of  the  Post 
Band  at  Quantico,  Va.  In  July  of  this 
year  he  was  transferred  toCamp  Pendleton, 
California,  to  join  the  3rd  Marine  Division 
Band  and  after  one  week  of  duty  there  the 
band  was  ordered  to  Camp  Gifu,  in  Japan, 
where  he  is  now  stationed. 

We  have  received  a  fine  letter  from 
his  mother,  Mrs.  Weita  M.  Cadorath,  who 
tells  us  that  Bert  has  written  since  his  arrival 
in  Japan,  is  fine  and  getting  all  the  edu- 
cation he  can  from  his  travels.  We  thank 
Mrs.  Cadorath  for  her  good  letter.  It  is 
always  a  pleasure  to  hear  from  old  friends. 

IVERS  E.  WiNMILL,  '25  is  a  member 
of  the  Longfellow  Tambourine  Trouba- 
dors.  This  group  was  featured  on  the 
fifth  anniversary  program  of  the  "Toast 
of  the  Town"  television  hour  recently, 
with  Ed  Sullivan  as  master  of  ceremonies. 
Fabulous  entertainers  presented  a  tremen- 
dous show,  and  the  Tambourine  Trouba- 
dors,  strictly  an  amateur  group,  more  than 
held  their  own  with  the  professionals, 
causing  the  audience  to  break  out  with 
emphatic  applause  at  the  astonishing 
precision  shown. 

W^e  are  looking  forward  to  a  pleasant 
evening  on  October  24,  when  the  Annual 
Banquet  of  the  Alumni  Association  will 
be  held.  As  our  members  are  aware,  the 
event  will  take  place  at  the  Eliot  Lounge 
in  Boston  at  6:30  P.  M.  We  want  a 
banner  attendance,  and  indications  are 
that  such  will  be  the  case.  Come  and 
enjoy  a  happy  reunion  with  fellow  alumni. 


Vol  57  No.  7    Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.    Nov.,  1953 

"Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1S74 


Hallowe'en 

One  evening  in  the  5'ear  which  is  re- 
served strictly  for  fun  and  pleasure  is  that 
time  when  Hallowe'en  is  observed.  This 
year  was  no  exception,  and  we  enjoyed 
one  of  the  best  parties  held  in  years. 
Many  of  the  instructors  acted  as  leaders, 
and  all  the  boys  took  part. 

The  hall  was  attractively  decorated 
with  corn,  pumpkins,  lanterns  and  other 
accessories  so  that  party  atmosphere  was 
immediately  created.  The  decorating 
committee  did  a  fine  job  in  setting  the 
stage,  as  it  were,  for  the  gala  party. 

The  party  began  with  a  buflfet  supper, 
prepared  and  served  by  our  kitchen  and 
dining  room  staff.  Sandwiches,  doughnuts, 
pumpkin  pie,  cider  and  other  good 
Hallowe'en  foods  were  enjoyed. 

An  "amateur  hour"  entertainment 
followed.  This  included  many  stories, 
poems,  skits  and  stunts.  Nearly  all  of  the 
boys  in  the  school  were  called  to  the  stage 
and  all  had  a  great  time  taking  part  and 
enjoying  the  humor  of  the  show.  Some 
of  the  instructors  helped  out  in  leading 
songs  and  stunts,  all  of  which  helped  to 
make  this  part  of  the  party  one  of  pleasure. 

Following  the  entertainment  there 
was  a  series  of  contests,  games  and 
Hallowe'en  stunts.  The  games  were 
enthusiastically  played,  and  all  were 
planned  purely  for  fun  and  laughs.  The 
stunts  included  many  of  the  old  favorites 


such  as  bean  bag  toss,  darts,  pinning  the 
tail  on  the  donkey  and  others.  In  the 
opinion  of  most,  this  part  of  the  party 
was  the  big  feature.  There  were  plenty 
of  peanuts,  apples  and  candy  bars  so  that 
the  winners  of  each  contest  were  suitably 
rewarded. 

The  party  lasted  for  more  than  three 
hours  and  j^ave  all  much  fun  and  pleasure. 
The  happy  cooperation  of  the  boys,  and 
the  leadership  of  the  instructors,  combined 
to  give  all  of  us  reason  to  tuck  in  our 
memories  another  event  for  pleasant 
recollections  in  years  to  come. 

Thompson's   Island 

Thompson's  Island  is  located  in 
Dorchester  Bay,  Boston  Harbor.  In  area 
it  is  157  acres,  and  its  circumference  is 
three  miles.  It  has  been  the  home  of  the 
Farm  and  Trades  School  since  1832,  when 
the  school  moved  to  the  island  from  its 
Boston  location.  The  entire  island  is 
owned  and  used  by  the  school.  There  is 
a  big  farm,  and  the  first  buildings  seen  on 
arriving  are  the  white  barns.  There  are 
many  buildings,  including  dormitories  and 
shop  buildings  grouped  in  the  center  of 
the  island.  It  is  a  beautiful  island,  with 
lovely  lawns  and  gardens.  But  who  can 
tell  about  Thompson's  Island  in  just  a 
short  article  like  this? 

Paul  Parker 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Harnessing  the  Horses 
We  have  a  team  of  horses.  Blackie 
and  Tom.  Althousih  they  spend  most  of 
their  time  in  the  pasture  taking  life  easy. 
once  in  a  while  they  are  called  upon  to 
work.  We  used  to  have  six  or  more 
horses,  and  have  the  stalls  for  that  number 
now,  but  the  tractors  do  the  work  quicker 
and  better. 

In  harnessing  a  horse  the  neck  pad 
and  collar  are  first  put  on.  Then  the 
harness  itself  is  placed  on  the  horse's  back. 
The  harness  is  fastened  around  the  collar. 
The  rear  part  of  the  harness  is  adjusted  so 
that  the  horse's  tail  lies  over  the  rum  pstoop. 
The  bridle  is  next  put  on.  The  second 
horse  in  the  team  is  harnessed  in  the  same 
way.  The  horses  are  then  lined  up  in  the 
way  they  are  going  to  pull  and  the  reins 
clipped  to  the  bridle  ring,  each  outside 
rein  going  to  its  outside  ring.  The  two 
inside  reins  are  crossed  and  are  clipped 
on  the  inside  bridle  rings. 

The  team  is  driven  to  the  farm  im- 
plement being  used  and  backed  up,  one 
on  each  side  of  the  pole.  The  neck  yoke 
is  fastened  and  the  tugs  hitched  to  the 
whiffletrees.  If  the  horses  have  been 
properly  harnessed  and  hitched  they  are 
ready  to  go  to  work. 

Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

A  Fire 

One  night  after  supper  Bill  James  and 
I  were  looking  out  a  window  watching 
quite  a  severe  electrical  and  wind  storm. 
Suddenly  we  saw  what  looked  like  a  big 
ball  of  fire  come  out  of  the  sky  and  land 
in  the  north  end  grove.  It  looked  for  a 
moment  Hke  a  big  torch,  and  then  went 
out  so  that  we  thought  the  tire  was  out  for 
good.  We  went  in  the  sitting  room  to 
watch  television.  Soon  Mr.  Thomas 
came  in  and  recruited  us  to  go  to  north 
end  with  buckets.  We  soon  had  the  fire 
out,  which  was  in  a  tree. 

Robert  W.  Wright 


Farm  vs.  Laundry 

I  have  been  working  in  the  laundry 
and  have  been  changed  to  the  farm.  I 
certainly  like  working  on  the  farm  better. 

Each  morning  I  help  clean  the  cow 
barn,  or  feed  the  pigs  or  bring  the  vege- 
tables to  the  kitchen.  These  are  all  jobs 
I  like  to  do,  I  especially  like  working 
with  the  animals. 

In  the  laundry  I  had  to  watch  the 
clock  to  see  that  the  clothes  were  in  the 
machines  just  so  many  minutes,  that  they 
were  rinsed  just  so  long.  Then  everything 
had  to  be  folded  just  so,  and  when  we 
had  ironing  to  do  by  hand  we  had  to  see 
that  the  iron  was  set  for  the  right  tempera- 
ture and  didn't  burn  the  clothes. 

The  farm  is  the  job  for  me. 

Kenneth  C.  Alexander 

Why  Not? 
I  like  to  play  football,  and  so  do 
thousands  of  other  boys  across  the  nation. 
I  think  all  boys  should  play  the  game. 
They  wouldn't  all  be  stars,  but  they  would 
get  action,  fun  and  competition  from  the 
sport.  Every  so  often  some  boys  say  they 
can't  play  the  game,  but  that  isn't  really 
so.  They  are  just  doubtful  of  their  ability, 
or  they  are  timid  or  too  lazy  to  play. 
Anyone  can  learn  football  if  he  wants  to. 
Just  try. 

Ralph  R.  Schofield 

The  Cow 
The  cow  is  a  common  dairy  animal 
and  its  principal  purpose  is  to  produce 
milk.  It  has  to  be  kept  clean  and  comfor- 
table at  all  times.  We  have  about  forty 
registered  Guernseys  in  our  herd,  and  they 
are  milked  by  machine.  A  record  is  kept 
of  each  milking,  so  that  we  always  know 
how  much  milk  each  cow  produces. 
Visitors  always  enjoy  stopping  at  our  cow 
barn  and  seeing  the  animals,  especially  the 
young  stock. 

Douglas  Boyd 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


My  First  Day 
It  was  10:30  A.  M.  on  Monday,  Sep- 
tember 7,  Labor  Day,  that  my  family 
brought  me  to  the  Public  Landing  to  meet 
the  Thompson's  Island  boat.  The  boat 
didn't  come,  and  my  mother  phoned  and 
found  out  that  hurricane  warnings  were 
up,  and  the  PiLGRIM  wouldn't  come  until 
4:30  P.  M.  We  returned  at  this  time,  and 
I  came  to  the  School.  At  first  I  didn't 
think  I  would  like  going  to  school  here, 
but  after  being  here  a  few  weeks  I  think 
Thompson's  Island  is  a  wonderful  place. 

James  E.  Anderson 

Propeller  Trouble 

One  Sunday  night  when  we  were 
going  to  leave  City  Point  for  the  Island 
the  propeller  on  the  Pilgrim  became 
disabled.  We  were  towed  to  our  wharf 
and  soon  had  the  boat  on  the  beach. 
When  the  tide  went  out  we  took  the 
propeller  shaft  out  and  took  it  to  a 
machine  shop  in  Boston.  In  a  few  hours 
it  was  repaired,  and  soon  the  boat  was 
back  in  service. 

Gerald  L.  Briggs 

Intra-Mural  Football 

After  the  varsity  squad  was  picked 
we  chose  teams  for  the  intramural  league. 
Barry  Fuller  and  Dan  Dockham  were 
elected  captains,  and  they  chose  their  teams 
naming  them  Notre  Dame  and  Navy. 
The  teams  play  one  game  a  week,  and 
the  season  lasts  until  Thanksgiving.  Last 
year  I  was  on  the  winning  team,  and  I 
hope  I  will  be  this  year  also. 

Harold  L.  Spurting 

Football  Thoughts 

The  football  season  is  more  than  half 
over  and  we  have  had  a  good  time.  We 
started  in  really  hot  weather  and  the  days 
have  grown  gradually  cooler,  which  is 
good  because  we  can  play  better.  Our 
first    game    away    was  with    the    Milton 


Academy  second  team,  which  we  won  39 
to  13.  We  were  treated  royally  by  the 
academy  boys.  We  are  as  yet  undefeated . 
We  learn  new  plays  for  each  game,  first 
from  a  blackboard  drill,  and  then  on  the 
field.  We  have  a  crowd  of  loyal  rooters 
who  come  to  every  game,  and  so  far  have 
cheered  the  team  to  successive  wins. 

Arthur  A.  Sprague 

A   Hike 

Last  summer  at  camp  we  decided  to 
go  on  a  hike.  We  went  to  a  reservoir 
and  saw  some  tracks,  but  no  one  could 
identify  them.  We  hiked  along  the  edge 
of  the  reservoir  and  saw  more  tracks,  and 
then  noticed  a  kingfisher  across  the  water. 
We  came  to  a  forest  ranger's  house  and 
from  there  we  could  see  almost  the  entire 
reservoir.  We  continued  our  hike  and  a 
red  fox  jumped  almost  in  front  of  us. 
Later  we  saw  a  chipmunk.  On  a  side 
road  we  noticed  skins  which  a  snake  had 
shed  and  a  big  turtle.     It  was  a  good  hike. 

John  W.  Cronin 

Poultry 

I  have  been  helping  out  in  the  poultry 
department  lately.  We  have  two  large 
houses,  a  brooder  house  and  a  laying 
house.  The  range  is  about  three  acres  in 
size  and  the  young  birds  are  kept  there 
during  the  summer.  We  have  a  number 
of  small  coops  on  the  range,  and  wafer 
is  piped  to  a  convenient  location.  The 
range  is  changed  each  year  to  a  new 
location.  This  year  it  is  at  the  northeastern 
end  of  the  orchard. 

Our  birds  are  Rhode  Island  Reds  and 
we  are  now  getting  one  thousand  eggs  a 
week  from  them.  During  a  full  year  the 
egg  production  is  close  to  one  hundred 
thousand. 

I  am  interested  in  poultry  farming 
and  like  to  learn  the  best  ways  to  keep 
the  pens  clean,  feeding  systems,  and  how 
to  care  for  the  birds  at  all  times. 

Thomas  Angelos 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Cbompson's  Island  Beacon 

Publitbed     Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompioa'i  leland,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL    FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS 


Vol.  57     No.  7 


November  1953 


Subicription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 

Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.  Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malna.    Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,  Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,  Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expire!  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 
Joseph  L.   Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 

Term  Expire*  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Chnrles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.  Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  WilliamB 

William   M.    Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advitory    Committee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.   Place,   M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


We  propose  to  write  a  series  of  nine 
articles  pertaining  to  the  major  features  of 
progress  of  our  school,  which  we  hope 
will  be  of  interest  to  the  readers  of  this 
column  and  add  to  the  record  for  future 
reference.  These  articles  will  constitute  a 
sort  of  word  picture  or  brief  enumeration 
of  some  of  the  salient  points  in  our  forward 
march  of  service  to  boys  and  the  broad 
objective  of  helping  make  America  a  better 
and  even  happier  area  of  living. 

These  items  will  be  briefly  considered 
under  the  headings:  The  Present-Where 
Are  We?  The  Past-Where  Have  We 
Been?  The  Future-Where  Are  We  Going? 

The  Present-Where  Are  We?  It  may 
seem  strange  to  the  reader  that  we  start  off 
with  a  word  about  "Football."  "Surely," 
you  will  say,  "This  cannot  be  so  impor- 
tant." But  let  us  consider  for  a  moment. 
Football  and  other  seasonal  ball  sports 
constitute  one  of  the  chief  interests  of  most 
boys  and  a  large  majority  of  men.  Those 
who  participate  in  these  sports  are  rarely 
found  in  anti-social  troubles.  Good  sports- 
manship is  a  prime  requisite  to  fair  and 
honorable  dealings  with  others.  Give  every 
boy  a  few  years  of  well  coached  participa- 
tion in  organized  athletics  and  there  will 
be  no  organized  gangs  of  boys  or  men 
terrorizing  the  neighborhood.  Recently 
the  President  of  one  of  Boston's  great  in- 
surance companies  said,  "I  remember, 
vividly,  playing  football  against  the  team 
at  Thompson's  Island.  The  harbor  boat 
ride  was  a  novel  experience  and  I  will 
never  forget  the  good  sportsmans-hip  we 
encountered  there.  I  remember  one  big 
fellow  especially " 

Our  Varsity  team  is  still  winning,  not 
only  games  for  the  team,  but  renown  for 
good  sportsmanship  at  F.  T.  S.  And  the 
intramural  games,  with  every  boy  taking 
part,  are  even  greater  assets  to  the  broad 
program  of  living  at  The  Farm  and  Trades 
School.     The  other    day    we    received  a 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


letter  from  one  of  our  lads  in  Korea  in 
which  he  said,  "The  most  important  day 
in  my  life  was  that  day  when  I  went  into 
my  first  club  (intramural)  football  game. 
My  parents  were  amazed  and  so  happy 
to  see  me  in  there.  It  was  really  the  turning 
point  in  my  life."  This  lad  might  well 
have  become  another  juvenile  delinquent 
except  for  the  program  of  living  he  found 
here. 

The  Band  ranks  very  high  in  this 
total  scheme  of  living  for  boys.  It  has 
been  said,  and  with  great  truth,  "Teach 
a  boy  to  blow  a  horn  and  he  will  not  later 
blow  a  safe."  Every  boy  at  our  school 
aspires  to  join  the  Band.  If  there  is  any 
more  important  part  in  the  daily  life  of  a 
boy  I  have  yet  to  find  it!  America's  First 
Boys'  Band  tradition  continues  to  spread 
its  fame  by  State  and  New  England  awards 
and  our  Band  Alumni  are  found  every- 
where in  the  field  of  good  music,  and  even 
more  important,  as  outstanding  citizens 
all  over  America.  (Note:  virtually  every 
living  graduate  of  F.  T.  S.  has  played  in 
the  Band.) 

Topics  in  Brief 

The  room  in  the  Main  Building,  known 
to  the  older  graduates  as  the  Dining  Room, 
is  being  redecorated.  A  modern  compo- 
sition ceiling  is  being  installed,  and  later 
the  walls  will  be  painted  an  attractive  buff. 
For  more  than  a  century  the  room  served 
as  a  dining  room,  until  time  brought  us 
the  beautiful  accommodations  we  now 
enjoy  in  Bowditch  House. 


Our  electric  light  and  power  supply 
comes  to  us  from  Quincy  by  way  of  a 
submarine  cable.  Twice  this  month  the 
power  failed,  once  during  the  supper 
period,  when  we  had  the  novelty  of 
having  the  meal  by  candelight.  Another 
time  we  had  no  lights  just  before  the 
evening  meal.  Fortunately  the  trouble 
was  remedied  after  only  relatively  brief 
delays,  and  was  caused  by  falling  trees  in 
North  Quincy.  Except  for  the  incon- 
venience caused  we  incurred  no  great 
difficulty. 

We  are  rebuilding  the  cement  walk 
leading  to  the  wharf,  and  hope  soon  to 
have  the  job  completed.  This  is  a  major 
job  being  done  by  our  farm  boys,  who 
will  learn  considerable  in  doing  the  work. 

Football  is  the  reigning  sport  during 
the  fall  months.  The  school  team  has 
met  and  vanquished  four  foes  and  there  is 
one  remaining  game  on  the  schedule. 
The  intra-mural  teams  are  headed  towards 
the  end  of  their  weekly  games  also,  with 
Yale,  captained  by  Barry  Fuller  having 
the  edge  over  Notre  Dame,  led  by  Daniel 
Dockham. 

William  Lane,  a  student  at  Gordon 
Seminary,  spoke  at  our  two  Sunday 
services  on  October  18,  at  the  invitation  of 
our  minister,  John  Bartram,  also  a  student 
at  Gordon.  Mr.  Lane  gave  a  fine  message 
to  our  group  and  we  thank  him  for  coming 
to  us. 


Our  farm  has  enjoyed  an  excellent 
season,  both  as  to  quality  and  quantity  of 
produce  harvested.  The  potato  crop  was 
especially  good.  We  experimented  this 
year  by  planting  Kennebec  seed  potatoes 
and  were  well  pleased  with  the  resultant 
satisfactory  yield  of  potatoes  of  uniform 
size  and  texture. 


The  combined  sophomore  and 
junior  classes  entertained  us  at  our  weekly 
Monday  assembly  October  19  with  a 
musical  play  based  upon  some  of  the 
scenes  from  "Pinafore."  The  boys  did  a 
fine  job  and  we  enjoyed  their  performance 
very  much.  The  songs,  some  of  them 
parodies,  were  especially  good. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


The  freshman  class  presented  a  one 
act  play,  using  Thanksgiving  as  a  theme 
on  October  26.  Considerable  humor 
and  clever  costumes  helped  to  make  the 
play  a  success.  The  entire  class  had  a 
part  in  the  entertainment. 

The  month  ended  with  our  annual 
Hallowe'en  party,  held  as  usual  in  the 
gymnasium.  The  boys  had  a  great  time 
enjoying  thetraditional  Hallowe'en  games, 
stunts  and  refreshments. 

1953  Football  Schedule  and  Scores 

October  3 

Milton  Sophomores  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:   F.  T.  S.  54     Milton  Sophs  20 

October  10 
Hingham  J.  V.  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  27     Hingham  JV  0 

October  24 
Milton  Academy  2nds  at  Milton 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  39     Milton  Academy  2nds  13 

October  31 
Braintree  Frosh  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  35  Braintree  Frosh  0 

November  14 
Maiden  Vocational  at  Maiden 

My  Vacation 

I  had  a  good  time  on  my  vacation. 
I  went  to  Ocean  Park,  Maine,  where  my 
family  rented  the  "Sunny  Brook"  Cottage. 
This  WHS  small,  but  we  had  enough  room. 
Ocean  Park  is  about  a  mile  from  Old 
Orchard  Beach,  and  we  went  there  for  an 
outing.  There  are  all  kinds  of  amusements 
at  the  beach,  as  "Dodger"  and  "Coaster" 
rides.  W«  lived  near  enough  to  the  ocean 
so  we  could  go  in  swimming  any  time  we 
wished. 

Richard  B.   Fulsifer 

Football 

Football  here  is  the  most  important 
of  all  sports,  and  liked  better  than  the 
others  by  more  boys.     It  is  a  lot  of  fun. 


and  also  a  lot  of  work.  I  like  playing 
very  much,  in  fact  much  more  than  last 
year.  This  is  becaus  e  1  have  the  experience 
and  know  why  I  am  asked  to  do  some 
things  which  I  used  to  think  unimportant. 
We  have  a  good  schedule,  and  have  won 
our  first  two  games.  We  all  hope  to  end 
the  season  with  a  good  record. 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Football  Practice 

This  is  my  first  year  playing  varsity 
football  and  our  coach  is  teaching  me  to 
center.  We  begin  our  practice  by  a 
calisthenics  drill  and  then  have  tackling 
and  blocking  practice.  After  this  is  over  the 
first  and  second  teams  run  through  a  set 
of  plays. 

We  practice  every  day,  and  if  it  should 
rain,  we  have  blackboard  drill. 

Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

Camp  Dorchester 
Last  summer  I  worked  at  Camp 
Dorchester  as  a  kitchen  boy.  There  were 
180  boys  in  camp.  My  work  was  mostly 
setting  tables  for  meals.  After  work  I 
went  fishing  most  of  the  time.  Once  in  a 
while  I  went  with  the  nature  counselor 
hunting  for  snakes,  foxes  and  rabbits.  I 
had  a    £Ood    time    at    Camp    Dorchester. 

Edward  M.  Walker 

Our  Alma  Mater 

Every  article  and  item  in  the  Sep- 
tember Beacon  was  very  interesting, 
dealing  as  they  did  in  our  kind  of  human 
relationship. 

In  addition  to  making  life-long 
friendships  while  studying,  working  and 
playing  at  the  School  every  boy  is  gaining 
some  of  the  polish  he  will  require  all 
through  life  in  dealing  in  human  relation- 
ships. Perhaps  a  large  part  of  the 
advantage  that  college  graduates  have  over 
nongraduates  is  their  ability  to  get  along 
well  with  others.    To  learn  now  how  to  get 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


alon^  well  with  instructors,  boys,  and  all 
others,  is  the  chance  of  every  F.  T.S.boy 
for  happy  and  successful  living  now  and  in 
later  life.  The  BEACON  speaks  to  us  all 
of  this  kind  of  development. 

Good  conversation  is  the  finestsport  in 
life.  Every  well  planned  recitation  is 
important  practice  in  the  good  conversa- 
tion of  human  relations;  practice  that 
leave  its  mark  of  tact  and  pleasant  co- 
operation. Every  task  well  done  will 
leave  its  mark  of  practice  in  successful 
living  especially  on  one  trying  to  "play 
the  man."  Every  sport  well  played  marks 
the  player  as  a  sportsman.  Good  conver- 
sation is  partly  short  story  telling  and 
writing,  and  our  BEACON  speaks  well  to 
us  of  our  School. 

William  F.  Anderson  '25 

Additional  Alumni  News 

Eugene  Proctor,  '38,  is  a  master 
sergeant  in  the  Air  Force,  and  is  now  in 
his  seventh  year  of  service  in  Japan  as  a 
Radio  Operations  Supervisor.  Happily 
Mrs.  Proctor  is  with  him,  which  makes 
life  at  least  endurable,  but  both  are  looking 
forward  to  their  return  home  within  six 
months.  Sergeant  Proctor  has  requested 
assignment  here  in  the  Northeast,  and  he 
feels  that  he  will  be  relocated  by  early 
summer. 

Some  facts  included  in  a  recent  letter 
are  of  interest.  The  greatest  concern  has 
been  in  helping  the  Japanese  recover  from 
terrific  disasters  caused  by  floods  and  ty- 
phoons, which  made  thousands  homeless. 
Drowning,  starving,  disease  and  freezing 
caused  almost  unbelievable  suffering. 
Travel  is  difficult  by  automobile,  and  it 
takes  about  an  hour  to  cover  15  miles  on 
an  average  trip.  In  his  locality  for  every 
two  pleasant  days  there  are  five  days  of 
rain.  These,  and  many  other  statements 
made  his  letter  of  unusual  interest. 

The  Proctors  would  be  glad  to  hear 


from  F.  T.  S.  friends.  Their  address  is: 
M-Sgt.  Eugene  Proctor,  AF20115596. 
1809th  AACS  GP,  APO  710,  c-o  Post- 
master, San  Francisco,  California. 

Stephen  J.  Zevitas,  '47,  has  written 
from  Korea,  where  he  is  a  member  of  an 
army  band.  He  is  having  what  he  terms 
a  "wonderful  experience"  and  is  enjoying 
his  band  work.  While  crossing  the  Pacific 
he  spotted  a  schoolmate,  JOHN  S.  HlG- 
GINS,  '48,  and  both  had  many  get-togethers 
aboard  ship.  Upon  arrival  in  Japan  he 
lost  track  of  Higgins,  for  there  were  3,000 
men  making  the  trip.  Zevitas  was  soon 
sent  to  Korea,  where  he  spent  many  weeks 
before  his  turn  came  for  a  few  days  leave, 
which  he  spent  in  Yokohama,  Japan. 
While  there  he  was  snapping  photos  of  a 
Communist  parade  when  he  was  grasped 
by  the  arm.  He  turned  to  stare  into  the 
face  of  Edward  H.  Strom,  '50,  who  is 
an  army  meat  inspector  in  Yokohama. 
It  was  not  long  before  both  were  having  a 
tremendous  reunion.  They  drank  a  toast 
to  Jimmy  Thomas  and  were  photographed, 
the  photo  now  being  a  prize  possession  of 
Jimmy's  parents. 

Why  not  write  a  note  to  Sergeant 
Zevitas,  and  the  other  grads  in  the  armed 
forces.  Addresses  are  listed  monthly  on 
this  page  and  the  boys  would  be  pleased 
beyond  words  to  hear  from  you.  Zevitas 
can  be  reached  at  40th  Inf.  Div,  Band, 
APO  6,  care  of  Postmaster,  San  Francisco, 
California. 

We  note  in  a  recent  issue  of  the  Boston 
Herald  a  photograph  of  Ramsey  C.  Allen, 
Class  of  1930.  He  was  one  of  the  sponsors 
of  a  testimonial  dinner  to  Thomas  Parker, 
a  leader  in  Boston  boating  circles  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Allen  heads  the  R.  C.  Allen 
Co.  The  main  showroom  of  the  concern 
is  in  Boston,  at  the  corner  of  Federal  and 
Purchase  Streets. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


ZU  Jllttmiti  Jlssociation  of  Che  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-Presider 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretary 
No.  Wilmington,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historian 
Hyde  Park, Mass. 


Joyce  Easter  Meacham,  '46,  the  only 
living  woman  eligible  to  be  rated  as  an 
alumna  of  The  Farm  and  Trades  School, 
had  several  distinctive  honors  during  her 
enrollment  here.  She  entered  the  sixth 
grade  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School 
with  a  group  of  boys  all  of  whom  were  a 
year  and  a  half  older.  In  her  first  year  in 
this  boys'  class  Jo  ranked  highest  in  effort. 
Her  academic  average  and  mark  in  English 
ranked  second  to  Carl  Irving,  being  in 
the  high  B's.  Two  other  high  ranking 
classmates  that  year  were  Robert  Smith 
and  Stephen  Zevitas. 

In  her  second  year  three  other  high 
ranking  lads  entered  the  class,  and,  al- 
though Jo's  average  and  effort  continued 
high,  Lawrence  Cable  rated  first  place  in 
academic  honors,  closely  followed  by 
Bruce  Haeger.  Donald  DeWolf  was  a 
close  fourth.  During  that  year  Jo  rated 
second  in  the  Printing  Office  trade  course, 
became  a  regular  member  of  the  Band 
and  was  active  in  tennis,  swimming  and 
dramatics. 

After  two  years  of  enrollment  at  The 
Farm  and  Trades  School  Jo  transferred  to 
Dana  Hall  to  complete  her  preparation  for 
college.  Her  work  at  F.  T.  S.  proved 
valuable  at  her  new  school  where  she  con- 
tinued to  be  one  of  the  youngest  but 
sufficiently  high  academically  to  rate  ad- 
mission to  Middlebury  College  in  the  fall 
of  1949.  At  Dana  Jo  was  especially  pop- 
ular among  the  girls  and  faculty.  She  was 
active  in  many  extra-curricular  affairs  and 
was  awarded  a  special  prize  for  being 
the  most  friendly  and  most  helpful  girl  in 
the  Senior  Class. 

At  college  Jo  continued  in  her  special 
interests,    majoring   in    English,    playing 


tennis,  skiing  a  bit,  active  in  her  Sorority, 
Variety  Show,  and  in  her  senior  year 
Managing  Editor  of  the  Kaleidoscope.  Jo 
graduated  from  Middlebury  in  June,  1953. 
Jo's  special  interest  is  in  the  field  of 
writing  and  believes  that  an  advertising 
organization  or  department  is  a  logical 
approach  to  that  goal.  After  considering 
several  offers  from  book  companies, 
publishers  and  other  business  concerns  in 
New  York  and  Boston  she  decided  to  go 
with  Boston's  Jordan-Marsh  Co.  She  is 
in  their  Executive  Training  Course  and 
at  the  present  time  is  Assisiant  Editor  of 
the  store  publication. 

This  article  is  rather  long  but  we 
thought  our  readers  might  be  interested  to 
know  what  is  happening  in  the  life  of  the 
only  living  girl  Alumna  of  F.  T.  S.  and  the 
only  girl  ever  to  have  played  in  America's 
First  Boys'  Band,  the  F.  T.  S.  Band. 

Among  the  many  graduates  who  have 
visited  us  during  the  football  season  is 
James  Patterson,  '43.  He  is  a  sales- 
man for  a  leading  maker  of  cellophane 
tape  products.  His  home  is  at  78  Semin- 
ole Street,  Mattapan,  Mass. 

Weston  O.  Page,  '38  is  a  teacher 
coach  at  Stevens  High  School,  Claremont, 
N.  H.  He  and  Mrs.  Page  live  a  busy  life, 
being  associated  with  the  many  functions 
of  community  life  in  which  a  teacher  is 
called  to  serve,  and  caring  for  their  three 
fine  sons.  Jeffrey  arrived  two  months  ago, 
while  Jimmy  is  headed  toward  his  second 
birthday  and  Bobby  his  fourth.  The  Pages 
live  at  37  Grove  Street,  Claremont.  New 
Hampshire. 


Vol  57  No.  8     Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.    Dec,  1953 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1874 


Thanksgiving  Day 

Thursday,  November  26,  dawned 
fair  and  clear,  after  a  period  of  very  heavy 
rain.  The  big  event  of  the  day,  the 
Harvard-Yale  football  game,  had  to  be 
cancelled  because  of  the  rain-soaked 
gridiron.  However,  the  Army-Navy 
game  between  the  younger  boys  was  played 
because  this  was  a  six-man  game  and 
could  be  played  on  a  small  area.  One  of 
the  lawns  near  the  dormitories  was  utilized 
for  the  game.  Tom  Cronin  captained 
the  winning  team.  Navy,  while  Harold 
Spurling  led  the  losers.  Army. 

At  noon  came  the  Thanksgiving  feast. 
This  was  truly  a  wonderful  meal,  and 
preceding  it  Mr.  Meacham  gave  a  few 
brief  remarks  relating  to  the  serious 
purpose  of  the  holiday.  On  the  Sunday 
before  Thanksgiving  our  church  services 
were  devoted  to  the  Thanksgiving  theme, 
so  that  the  religious  significance  of  the 
season  was  brought  home  to  our  boys. 
The  feast,  which  has  become  the  symbol 
of  our  national  Thanksgiving,  was  of 
course  centered  about  huge  turkeys,  roasted 
to  a  golden  brown. 

The  afternoon  was  pleasant,  and  most 
of  the  boys  used  the  time  to  further  their 
interest  in  hobbies,  or  hiking  around  the 
beach.  A  top-notch  football  game  was 
being  televised  from  Utah  which  claimed 
the  attention  of  many. 


In  the  evening  we  had  a  fine  movie 
show,  featuring  the  most  important 
baseball  world  series  games  which  were 
attended  by  our  presidents.  Woodrow 
Wilson,  Warren  Harding,  Calvin 
Coolidge,  Herbert  Hoover,  Franklin 
Roosevelt  and  Harry  Truman  were 
pictured  throwing  out  the  baseball  to  begin 
each  classic  and  then  the  outstanding  plays 
of  each  series  were  shown.  The  boys 
were  much  interested  in  this  film,  which 
taught  history  in  a  clever  fashion. 

The  holiday  was  very  much  enjoyed, 
and  each  of  us  had  full  reason  to  pause 
and  reflect  on  the  wonderment  of  God's 
goodness  to  us. 

Museum  of  Science 

Saturday,  the  14th  of  November,  the 
sixth  grade  went  to  the  Museum  of  Science. 
Our  teacher,  Miss  Baird,  got  permission 
from  Mr.  Meacham  for  the  trip  and  our 
kitchen  instructors  packed  a  nice  lunch  for 
us. 

As  we  were  changing  cars  in  the 
subway  we  saw  the  basement  store  of 
Jordan  Marsh.  We  bought  some  apples 
at  a  subway  stand  that  were  big  and  juicy. 
We  each  ate  ours  as  we  walked  from  North 
Station  to  Science  Park. 

For  some  time  we  went  through  the 
museum  working  most  of  the  exhibits 
ourselves.     Later  we  went  to  see  Mercury 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


cross  the  sun.  The  telescope  was  set  up  by 
the  bank  of  the  Charles  River.  About  an 
hour  later  we  returned  to  see  it  again. 
The  lecturer  said  that  it  had  traveled 
across  the  sun  about  half  a  million  miles. 
We  did  not  look  through  the  telescope, 
but  watched  the  reflection  on  a  large  square 
of  white  board. 

We  had  a  very  interesting  visit  to 
Science  Park  and  thank  Miss  Baird  for 
taking  us.  We  certainly  enjoyed  the  day 
very  much. 

Walter  E.  Grignon 

Thank  God 

Thank  God  for  America, 

Our  land  so  dear, 
Where  people  may  worship 

Without  any  fear. 

Thank  God  for  our  Flag, 

A  symbol  so  grand; 
We'll  always  be  proud  of  it. 

As  it  floats  o'er  the  land. 

Robert  H.   Grignon 

Stunts 

At  our  Hallowe'en  party  most  of  us 
were  in  the  show.  I  was  a  ventriloquist's 
dummy,  while  Richard  Pulsifer  was  the 
ventriloquist.  Afterwards  there  were  some 
stunts  for  us  to  do,     They  were: 

1.  Pin  the  Cat's  Tail 

2.  Nail  Driving  Contest 

3.  Ring  Toss 

4.  Dart  Throw 

5.  Ball  Can  Game 

We  all  enjoyed  the  stunts,  and  left  the 
party  with  our  pockets  filled  with  candy 
bars,  apples,  and  peanuts. 

Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  Jr. 

Varsity  Football 

The  1953  football  team  had  a  good 
season,  winning  four  out  of  five  games. 
Many  of  the  boys  were  mentioned  now 
and  then  in  the  sport  sections  of  the 
Boston    newspapers   for    their    excellent 


playing.  In  another  column  will  be  found 
the  schedule  and  scores.  The  team  was 
captained  by  William  H.  Dillion. 

First  Team  Roster 

Teyet  Ramar,  re,  Waltham 

Paul  E.  Parker,  rt,  Franklin 

Robert  Fabello,  rg,  Marlboro 

S.  Newcomb  Graham,  c,  Quincy 

Loren  E.  Cain,  Ig,  Brockton 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag,  It,  Stanton,  Mich. 

David  E.    LeVeille,  le,  Franklin,  N.  H. 

Capt.  William  H.  Dillon,  qb,  Cambridge 

Ralph  R.  Schofield,  rhb,  Burlington 

Robert  W.  Wright,  Ihb,  Burlington 

William  F.  James,  fb,  Chelsea 

Second  Team  Roster 

Larry  E.  Garside,  re,  Boston 
Kenneth  C.  Alexander,  rt,  Woburn 
Bruce  Alexander,  rg,  Cambridge 
Edward  M.  Walker,  c,  Boston 
Stanton  H.  Pearson,  Ig,  Dorchester 
Alexander  D.  Marinakis,  It,  Boston 
John  E.  Lennon,  le,  Boston 
Ralph  F.  Hopkins  qb.  Maiden 
Donald  W.  Sheehan,  rhb,  Dorchester 
Arthur  A.  Sprague,  Ihb,  Walpole 
Richard  A.  Ostrander,  fb,  Dorchester 

Football  Summary 

Practice  began  just  before  Labor  Day, 
and  it  was  hard  for  the  team,  because  the 
days  were  very  hot.  But  the  weather 
cooled  ofT  and  we  were  ready  for  the  first 
game  with  Milton  Sophomores  which  we 
won.  We  took  each  game  in  stride,  and 
won  all  but  the  last  with  Maiden 
Vocational.  I  think  our  best  game  was 
with  the  Milton  Academy  second  team. 
The  academy  had  a  good  heavy  team. 
I  remember  one  of  their  players  was  six 
foot  six. 

For  the  squad  I  want  to  thank  our 
coach,  Mr.  Thomas,  who  worked  hard 
with  us  day  after  day  and  week  after  week. 
Also  the  assistant  coaches,  Mr.  Rose  and 

Mr.  Burckes.  William  H.  Dillon,  Gap't. 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


A  Pleasant  Afternoon 
My  brother  and  I  are  twins,  and  we 
came  here  in  September.  On  a  football 
game  day  my  grandmother  and  my  aunt 
came  to  see  us.  We  received  some  nice 
presents,  including  some  puzzles  and 
spyglasses.  We  watched  the  football 
game  for  a  while,  and  then  we  went  to 
the  dormitory.  While  my  grandmother 
rested,  we  went  to  the  barn  and  saw  the 
cows.  Afterwards  my  brother  and  I  played 
some  pieces  on  our  clarinets. 

Donald  J.  Oke 

Visiting  Day 

I  came  here  in  September,  and  before 
long  we  had  our  first  football  game,  which 
was  also  the  first  visiting  day  since  I  was 
here.  I  was  at  the  wharf  when  the  boat 
arrived,  but  my  parents  weren't  on  the 
boat.  I  looked  towards  City  Point  and 
saw  another  boat  coming.  My  friends 
were  on  this  boat.     I  was  glad  to  see  them. 

We  first  went  to  the  dormitory  where 
I  showed  them  my  room.  Then  we  went 
to  the  football  game  and  had  some  re- 
freshments. My  brother  wanted  to  see  the 
cows  and  my  flower  garden  so  we  went  on 
a  hike.  After  visiting  some  of  the  other 
places  we  returned  to  my  room  where  we 
stayed  until  it  was  time  for  the  boat  to 
take  the  friends  back  to  City  Point. 

Donald  E.  Robicheau 

Honor  Roll  —  Fall   Term 

The  hitfheit  academic  averages  in  each  class  <roup 
Junior  Class 

Ralph  A.  Hopkins 
Teyet  Ramar  II 

Sophomore  Class 

William  H.    Dillon 
Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Freshman  Class 

Richard  T.  Castonguay 
Steven  R.  Wellington 


Eighth  Grade    Division    A 

Larry  E.  Garside 
Stanton  H.  Pearson 

Eighth  Grade  Division  B 

Howard  E.    Murphy,  II 

Kenneth  Alexander 

Seventh  Grade 

Robert  H.  Grignon 
Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  Jr. 

Sixth  Grade 

Walter  E.  Grignon,  Jr. 
George  D.  McPeek 


"A 


Best  Citizenship 


Rank  general  conduct  and  effort 
in  each  class  group 
Junior    Class 

Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

Sophomore  Class 

Edward  A.  Atton 
William  H.  Dillon 

Robert  Fabello 

David  W.  Howard 

David  E.  LeVeille 

Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Freshman  Class 

Gerald  L.  Briggs 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

John  E.  Lennon 

Paul  E.  Parker 

Carleton  G.  Skinner 

Arthur  A.  Sprague 

Steven  R.  Wellington 

Eighth  Grade  Division  A 

Thomas  C.  Cronin 

Roy  W.  Ganong 

Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

Edward  M.  Walker 

Eighth  Grade  Division  B 

Howard  E.  Murphy,  II 
Ralph  R.  Schofield 

Seventh  Grade 

Robert  H.  Grignon 

Donald  E.  Robicheau 

Donald  J.  Oke 

Sixth  Grade 

George  D.  McPeek 


THOMPSONS   ISLAND     BEACON 


Cbomp$oit'$  Island  Beacon 

Pubiiibed     Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompson't  laiand,  Boitoa  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL    FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY   ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION   FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


Vol.  57    No.  8 


December  1953 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.  Lowell,    Vice- President 

Alfred  C.  Malm.    Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,  Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,  Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expire*  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 
Joseph  L.   Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 

Term  Expire*  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.   MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.  Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Eriosson 

Term  Expire*  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William   M.   Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advisory    Committee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin   H.   Place,   M.   D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


The  second  in  a  series  of  articles  about 
the  progress  of  the  School  attempts  to 
outline  briefly  some  of  the  current  doings 
of  this  139-year-old  home  school  for  boys, 
under  the  heading  The  Present— Where 
Are  We? 

The  basic  program  of  most  schools  is 
considered  to  be  the  courses  of  study  from 
books,  the  academic,  theoretical,  studies 
pertaining  to  social  knowledge,  but  has 
little  or  no  practical  experiences  in  the 
best  ways  to  do  things.  Class  room  studies 
are  highly  important  to  our  American 
way  of  life  and  we  emphasize  these  studies 
here  in  order  that  every  boy  may  acquire 
under  expert  guidance  and  leadership  the 
maximum  of  his  capacity  in  the  vast  store 
of  available  knowledge  from  the  sixth 
grade  through  three  years  of  high  school. 
Through  our  staff  of  trained  and  ex- 
perienced teachers  every  boy  has  available 
to  him  a  broad  and  diversified  program 
of  studies  in  the  social  and  physical  sciences 
and  mathematics.  Never  in  the  history 
of  this  school  has  there  been  a  more 
complete  and  well  rounded  academic 
program  preparing  for  college  or  general 
study,  nor  a  more  competent  staff  of 
teachers. 

Acquiring  practical  knowledge  of 
nature,  methods  and  uses  of  living  plants 
and  animals  from  seed  to  harvest  and 
through  the  multiple  processes  to  food  on 
the  table  is  indispensable  but  all  too  often 
neglected  in  the  great  maze  of  urban  life. 
The  "know-how"  of  the  many  every-day 
trades  cannot  possibly  be  encountered  by 
youngsters  in  most  traditional  schools. 
The  responsibilities  of  production  in  the 
many  phases  of  home  and  community 
living  are  denied  to  most  boys,  but  here 
taking  responsibility  is  the  key-note  of  our 
success.  Did  you  ever  notice  (or  perhaps 
you  remember  your  own  youthful  experi- 
ences) how  proud  a  child  is  of  his  own 
ability  to  set  a  table,  bake  a  cake,  iron  a 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


shirt,  trim  a  hed^e,  paint  a  wail,  seed  a 
lawn,  milk  a  cow,  drive  a  tractor  or  go  to 
tile  store  and  do  tiie  family  shopping? 
These  and  literally  thousands  of  other  re- 
sponsibilities requiring  expert  training  are 
taken  every  day  by  our  ten-to-seventeen- 
year-old-lads.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  our 
alumni  are  such  outstanding  citizens? 

Recently  our  staff  and  boys  laid  a 
thousand  feet  of  six-inch  water  main. 
Among  the  many  maintenance  jobs  we 
are  currently  doing  are  wharf  repairs 
involving  about  a  thousand  feet  of  sup- 
porting timbers  and  surface  lumber  and 
rather  extensive  cement  work  on  the 
same,  installing  a  new  ceiling  in  a  room  35 
by  48  feet,  re-glazing  and  painting  the 
exterior  trim  of  our  main  building.  The 
list  is  far  too  long  to  enumerate  in  this 
article.  Will  these  boys  ever  forget  these 
vital  experiences?  Maybe  the  ripple  of 
this  great  work  will  not  spread  far  across 
our  own  bit  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  but 
America  and  the  World  will  be  that  much 
better  because  of  our  efforts. 

Topics  in  Brief 

The  Beacon  wishes  its  readers  a 
Merry  Christmass  and  a  Happy  New  Year. 
May  1954  bring  to  all  a  bountiful  supply 
of  God's  blessings. 

Thanksgiving  is  always  a  joyful  season 
here,  and  our  boys  are  led,  without 
formality,  to  a  keen  realization  as  to  the 
full  meaning  of  the  day.  Our  Thanks- 
giving sermon  was  preached  by  Mr. 
William  Lane  on  the  Sunday  preceding 
the  holiday.  Mr.  Lane  explained  the 
Christian  view  of  Thanksgiving  Day,  and 
how  grateful  we  should  be  for  God's 
marvelous  gifts.  We  are  confident  that  the 
real  significance  of  the  holiday  is  fully 
understood    by  even  our  youngest   boys. 


More  about  the  wonderful  feast  and  other 
holiday  activities  will  be  found  in  another 
column. 

The  sixth  and  seventh  graders 
combined  to  present  a  program  at  our 
November  16  assembly.  It  was  rather  a 
pretentious  enertainment  for  the  smaller 
boys,  and  extremely  well  done.  Several 
of  the  boys  gave  a  short  play,  and  there 
was  a  magic  exhibition  followed  by  several 
musical  selections. 

Our  Sunday  church  services  are  being 
conducted  again  this  year  by  Mr.  John 
Bartram.  Sunday  school  is  held  in  the 
morning,  and  a  formal  service  in  the 
evening.  Mr.  Bartram  has  many  of  the 
boys  assist  him  with  the  services.  A 
Sunday  afternoon  Bible  club  is  held,  and 
this  group  also  meets  during  the  week 
under  the  leadership  and  encouragement 
of  our  staff  members,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dockham. 

Our  band  has  been  making  steady 
progress  this  month,  and  we  look  forward 
to  another  fine  year  for  the  group.  Our 
bandmaster,  Mr.  Warren,  has  been  con- 
ducting weekly  rehearsals  and  several 
rather  difficult  selections  have  been 
mastered.  Most  of  the  boys  are  studying 
instrumental  music,  and  we  hope  th^t  in 
another  month  or  two  some  of  the 
beginners  may  be  proficient  enough  to 
join  the  group.  Our  Band  has  always 
been  an  important  part  of  our  school  life, 
and  year  after  year  the  boys  earn  high 
honors  for  their  musical  ability. 

Our  boat  crew  has  completed  the 
construction  of  a  12-foot  tender  for  the 
Pilgrim  III.  The  boat  is  made  from 
marine  plywood,  and  is  painted  a  glisten- 
ing white.  It  will  replace  the  old  tender, 
which  has  been  in  use  for  many  years. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


The  boys  in  the  sixth  grade,  accompa- 
nied by  their  teacher,  Miss  Jean  F.  Baird, 
visited  the  Museum  of  Science  on  Nov- 
ember 14.  As  might  be  expected,  the  trip 
was  most  worth  while  and  the  boys  enjoyed 
it  very  much.  Our  alumnus,  Clyde  W. 
Albee,  '33,  chief  carpenter  at  Science  Park, 
met  the  group  and  did  much  to  make  the 
trip  a  success. 

The  eighth  graders  gave  an  entertain- 
ment at  our  weekly  assembly  on  November 
9,  in  the  form  of  a  play  burlesquing  a  day 
at  school.  There  were  many  comical  lines 
and  jokes,  and  humorous  costuming  added 
to  the  fun.  Ten  of  the  class  members  took 
part. 

The  boys  are  enjoying  the  series  of 
weekly  moving  picture  shows  which  take 
place  on  Saturdays.  The  pictures  have 
all  been  good,  and  some  excellent.  Our 
films  are  for  the  most  part  the  product  of 
20th  Century  Fox,  selected  for  recreational 
use  in  schools.  Travelogues,  sports  or 
cartoons  are  usually  shown,  along  with  a 
major  feature  film,  so  that  the  boys  get  a 
well  balanced  program.  Occasionally 
pictures  are  shown  strictly  for  their  edu- 
cational value,  and  there  are  many  such 
fine  films  available  for  our  use. 

David  A.  Pulsifer,  one  of  our  juniors, 
played  two  baritone  horn  solos  on  the 
Christian  Endeavor  program  broadcast 
over  WHDH  on  November  22.  Later  he 
did  more  solo  work  at  his  church,  the 
Green  Street  Baptist  Church,  in  Melrose. 
His  sister,  played  the  pipe  organ  accom- 
paniments. A  chancel  light  was  dedicated 
in  memory  of  Alan  Pulsifer,  father  of  the 
young  musicians,  at  the  church   service. 

The  pens  in  the  laying  house  at  our 
poultry  plant  have  been  given  the-r 
customary  annual  vigorous  cleaning  and 
the    Rhode    Island  Red  birds  have   been 


moved  indoors  from  the  outdoor  range 
where  they  have  been  during  the  summer 
months.  Many  of  the  boys  helped  with 
this  work,  and  they  have  learned  the 
necessity  of  absolute  cleanliness  in  the 
poultry  houses.  The  precautions  taken  in 
this  regard  have  helped  us  maintain  a 
healthy,  well  laying,  vigorous  poultry 
flock  over  the  years. 

The  Fall  term  ended  on  November 
25,  and  was  preceded  by  a  week  of  ex- 
aminations. The  Thanksgiving  recess 
extended  until  November  30. 

The  football  season  for  the  school 
team  ended  on  November  14,  when  our 
boys  lost  to  Maiden  Vocational  12-6,  at 
Maiden.  This  was  a  close  game  to  the 
very  end,  and  our  boys  lost  several  oppor- 
tunities. The  season  resulted  in  four  wins 
and  one  loss  for  our  team,  and  all  of  the 
games  had  a  predominant  factor, — good 
sportsmanship. 

1953  Football  Schedule  and  Scores 

October  3 

Milton  Sophomores  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:   F.  T.  S.  54     Milton  Sophs  20 

October  10 
Hingham  J.  V.  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  27     Hingham  JV  0 

October  24 
Milton  Academy  2nds  at  Milton 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  39     Milton  Academy  2nds  13 

October  31 
Braintree  Frosh  at  F.  T.  S. 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  35  Braintree  Frosh  0 

November  14 
Maiden  Vocational  at  Maiden 

Score:     F.  T.  S.  6      Maiden  Voc.  12 

Grew  Garden  Prizes 

In    order  to    encourage    the    boys  in 

flower  gardening,  prizes  for  excellence  in 

this  work  were  instituted  sixty-four  years 

ago  by  Mr.  Henry  S.  Grew,  a  trustee,  and 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


have  been  Jiiven  annually.  Since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Grew  his  daughter,  Mrs.  S. 
V.  R.  Crosby,  has  given  the  prizes. 

Those  who  were  awarded  the  prizes 
this  year  were: 

1.  Harold  L.  Spurling 

2.  Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

3.  Edward  A.  Atton 

4.  Albert  E.  Ellis 

5.  Carleton  G.  Skinner 

6.  John  L.  Peterson 

7.  David  E.  LeVeille 

8.  Stanton  H.  Pearson 

Vacation 
Last  summer  I  spent  my  vacation  at  a 
camp.  I  was  there  for  six  weeks  and 
enjoyed  it  very  much.  Once  we  went  on 
a  mystery  hike  and  I  told  a  wierd  story. 
We  acquired  some  pets  at  camp  such  as  a 
pigeon,  some  snakes  and  two  rabbits.  I 
liked  archery  and  nature  study  best  of  all 
the  activities. 

Roy  W.  Ganong 

Hallowe'en 
On  the  evening  of  October  31,  which 
was  Hallowe'en,  we  had  quite  a  time.  It 
began  at  six  o'clock  when  we  had  supper 
in  the  gymnasium.  There  were  three 
kinds  of  sandwiches,  cider  and  pie.  After 
supper  we  had  a  show  in  which  almost  all 
the  boys  had  a  part.  Lin  Meacham  had 
a  skit  which  we  acted  with  him.  It  was 
called  "The  Lion  Hunt."  After  this  there 
were  games  and  contests  and  the  winners 
got  prizes  of  peanuts  and  candy  bars.  We 
all  had  a  good  time. 

Robert  H.  Grignon 

Additional  Alumni  News 

George  J.  Zevitas,  '42,  visited  us 
recently.  He  is  a  baker,  and  plans  to 
open  his  own  business  when  time  is  op- 
portune. He  lives  in  Roxbury,  at  2 
Hewes  Street. 


Malcolm  C.  Wiley,  '50.  writes 
from  Pusan,  Korea,  to  say  that  through 
the  last  issue  of  the  BEACON  Wayne  D. 
Suitor,  '50,  has  contacted  him  and  they 
hope  to  soon  have  a  real  get-together. 
Other  mail  has  been  received  through  the 
Beacon  article,  and  we  hope  that  our 
readers  who  csn,  will  continue  to  write 
our  men  in  the  service,  particularly  those 
on  overseas  duty.  He  writes  that  the 
weather  is  footballish  in  Korea,  and  he  is 
thus  reminded  of  the  great  days  he  had 
on  the  Thompson's  Island  gridiron.  He 
wishes  the  team  well.  His  address  is 
Malcolm  C.  Wiley,  AF  11253740,  1873d 
AACS,  Mob.  Comm.  Sq.,  APO  970, 
care  of  the  Postmaster,  San  Francisco, 
California. 

Lawrence  J.  McManus  writes  that 
he  is  a  radar  operator  and  is  stationed  at 
a  small  island  north  of  Japan.  He  adds 
that  he  will  be  in  the  far  East,  as  far  as  he 
knows,  for  24  months.  He  writes  that  his 
training  here  has  helped  him  a  great  deal 
in  his  service  career,  and  that  he  misses 
the  band  rehearsals  at  the  School  very 
much.  His  address  is:  A-3c  Lawrence 
J.  McManus,  AF12432256.  511th  AC&W 
GP,  Det.  7,  APO  309-1.  care  of  Postmaster 
S.  F.  C2  LiF. 

A  recent  item  in  the  Boston  Post 
tells  of  a  gift  from  Fay  S.  Blood,  a 
former  pupil,  of  an  autograph  book  con- 
taining the  signatures  of  the  greats  and 
near  greats  of  the  101st  Infantry  down 
through  the  years.  The  book  was  received 
with  appreciation  by  the  Yankee  Division 
Memorial  Club. 

Mr.  Blood  will  be  remembered  as  an 
entertainer  in  his  younger  days  and 
performed  under  the  stage  name  of  the 
"Wyoming  Yodeler."  He  now  lives  at 
35  Daisy  Avenue,  Long  Beach,  California. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


Che  fllumni  Jissociation  of  Che  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretary 
No.  Wilmington,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historian 
Hyde  Park. Mass. 


IVERS  E.  WiNMiLL,  '23,  we  note  in  a 
recent  issue  of  the  Boston  press,  wa^  one  of 
seven  Boston  policemen  promoted  to  ser- 
geants. For  many  years  Sergeant  Winmill 
was  traffic  officer  at  the  Houghton  Dutton 
corner  in  Boston,  and  in  recent  years  has 
been  attached  to  station  8,  being  at  the 
desk  atthe  Boston  Harbor  station.  We  are 
happy  that  recognition  given  Mr.  Winmill 
for  his  many  years  of  outstanding  service 
has  resulted  in  this  promotion  on  Nov- 
ember 26,  and  we  extend  congratulations. 

A.  Wallace  FitT,  '47,  has  been  in 
the  U.  S.  Army  since  March  1952.  He  is 
now  in  Korea  and  expects  to  be  stationed 
there  for  another  year.  He  was  married 
in  June,  1952,  and  now  has  a  infant  son, 
William  Arthur  Fitt,  of  whom  he  is  very 
proud. 

He  took  his  basic  training  at  Fort  Dix 
and  was  sent  by  boat  to  Japan  from  New 
York.  The  trip  through  the  Panama 
Canal,  and  the  stopover  at  Hawaii  were 
wonderful  experiences.  Once  in  Japan 
the  men  were  given  special  courses  so  that 
they  would  be  familiar  with  the  Korean 
people  and  customs.  Upon  completion 
of  these  courses  Wally  was  sent  to  the 
Island  of  Kajou.  Here  he  hires  about  35 
men  per  day  to  work  as  laborers  for  the 
Army. 

Needless  to  say  he  would  rather  be 
home  with  his  wife  and  baby  son,  but  is 
taking  full  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to 
see  the  Orient.  He  would  very  much 
like  to  hear  from  his  schoolmates  and  his 
address  is:  Pvt.  Arthur  Wallace  Fitt,  Jr. , 
I.  S.  21311551.  Hq.  &  Hq.  Co.  226th  O. 
B.  D.  APO  59,  care  of  Postmaster,  San 
Francisco,  California. 


W.  Marshall  Hall,  '27,  has  earned 
a  fine  reputation  as  a  musician,  and  is 
currently  a  member  of  some  of  Boston's 
top  musical  groups.  He  plays  both  baritone 
and  trombone,  and  directs  a  National 
Guard  band.  He  is  married,  has  one  son, 
Kenneth,  a  pupil  at  Medford  High  School. 
The  Halls  live  at  72  Webster  St.,  Medford, 
Mass. 

Theodore  L.  Vitty,  '29  attended 
Wakefield  High  School  and  Bangor 
Theological  Seminary.  Later  he  entered 
the  insurance  business.  He  has  main- 
tained a  deep  interest  in  his  Alma  Mater 
through  the  years,  and  we  were  happy  to 
meet  him  at  the  recent  Alumni  dinner. 
He  is  District  Manager  of  the  Universal 
C.  I.  T.  Credit  Corporation  with  offices  at 
14  Central  Avenue,  Lynn,  Mass. 

Alan  C.  Waldron,  '53,  writes  of 
his  summer  vacation  experience  in  Ohio, 
and  New  Brunswick.  He  is  doing  well  in 
high  school,  in  Dexter,  Michigan,  and  is 
a  junior.  Dexter  is  a  small  town,  and  the 
high  school  has  pupils  from  surrounding 
towns  so  that  the  total  school  enrollment 
is  large  enough  to  permit  music,  athletic 
and  recreational  clubs.  He  is  enjoying  his 
new  school  life.  His  address  is  3321  E  St., 
Dexter,  Michgan. 

Kenneth  E.Kearns, '24,  and  Mrs. 
Kearns  have  recently  returned  from  a 
vacation  trip  to  Europe  and  the  British 
Isles.  Mr.  Kearns  is  in  the  advertising 
business,  and  one  of  his  major  projects  is 
the  directing  of  the  annual  Chevrolet  soap 
box  derbies.  The  Kearns  home  is  at  54" 
Maple  Street,  Manchester,  N.  H. 


Vol.  57  No.  9     Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.   Jan.,  1954 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Cotigress,  of  July  6,  1874 


The  Christmas  Concert 

The  annual  Christmas  Concert  given 
on  December  20  was  centered  about  the 
play  "It  Was  Written  in  the  Star,"  by 
Esther  Phelps-Jones.  The  cast  was 
composed  of  five  of  the  older  boys,  who 
gave  a  sincere  and  dramatic  characteriza- 
tion of  this  timely,  beautiful  religious  play. 
Essentially,  the  theme  of  the  drama  was 
based  upon  the  concerted  beliefs  of  the 
three  kings  of  the  Nativity  scene,  that  of 
the  promise  of  hope  for  life  everlasting. 
The  stage  setting  and  costuming  was  done 
beautifully,  and  the  entire  presentation  a 
tribute  to  the  cast  and  their  teacher,  Mr. 
Rose. 

Music  for  the  concert  was  provided 
by  a  choir  of  thirteen  of  the  younger  boys, 
who  gave  a  superior  and  lovely  rendition 
of  two  Christmas  anthems.  Congrega- 
tional singing  of  beloved  Christmas  hymns 
was  an  important  part  of  the  concert. 

Our  minister,  Mr.  Bartram,  gave  the 
invocation  and  prayer,  and  read  the 
Biblical  text  upon  which  the  Christmas 
play  was  based. 

All  of  those  taking  part  in  the  service 
did  an  outstanding  piece  of  work  and 
richly  deserved  the  congratulations  they 
received. 

The  program  was  as  follows: 

PROGRAM 

Hymn  407-O  Come  All  Ye  Faithful 
Congregation 


Invocation  and  Lord's  Prayer 
Mr.  Bartram 

Hymn  409— The  First  Noel 

Congregation 
Scripture  Reading 

Mr.  Bartram 

Selection— We  Three  Kings 
Choir 

Christmas  Play- 
It  Was  Written  In  The  Star 

Selection — Away  In  A  Manger 
Choir 

Hymn  217-Joy  To  The  World 
Congregation 

Benediction 

Mr.  Bartram 

"It  Was  Written  in  the  Star" 
A  Christmas  Play  by  Esther  Phelps-Jones 

Time— An  evening  almost  two  thousand  years  ago 
Place— The  housetop  of  Balthasar's  Palace 

The  Cast 
Balthasar  Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Melchoir  Robert  Fabello 

Gaspard  David  E.  LeVeille 

Sofiamor  William  H.  Dillon 

Sikrut  Ralph  F.  Hopkins 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Choir  Members 

Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  Jr.  George  D.  McPeek 

John  W.  Cronin  Donald  J.  Oke 

Thomas  C.  Cronin  Ronald  A.  Oke 

John  A.  Fritz  Donald  E.  Robicheau 

Robert  H.  Grignon  Richard  Seaver 

Walter  E.  Grignon,  Jr.  Harold  L.  Spurling 
Steven  R.  Wellington 

Lunch  at  Science  Park 

Last  Saturday,  November  14,  our 
grade  went  to  the  Boston  Museum  of 
Science.  We  brought  our  lunch  with  us, 
and  at  noontime  we  gathered  near  the 
Museum's  Charles  River  dock.  Here 
there  were  comfortable  benches  and  we 
ate  the  nice  sandwiches  which  had  been 
made  for  us  by  our  kitchen  instructors. 
It  was  such  fun!  When  we  heard  three 
honks  of  a  horn  we  knew  it  was  Mr.  Clyde 
Albee,  for  he  had  arranged  to  drive  us  to 
City  Point  so  we  could  get  the  one  o'clock 

boat. 

We    had  a    very    interesting  time  at 

Science  Park. 

Joel  C.  Robbins 

Our  Savior 

The  night  was  clear 

The  stars  were  bright; 
Our  Savior  dear 

Was  born  that  night. 

Born  that  night 

A  King  was  he; 
The  shepherds  came 

On  bended  knee. 

They  heard  the  angels 

Sing  their  song; 
They  know  that  night 

The  Savior  was  born. 

In  a  manger 

Born  a  King; 
Still  the  blessed 

Angels  sing. 

Walter  E.  Grignon,  Jr. 


Christmas  Day  Events 

At  ten  o'clock  the  boys  went  to 
Chapel  to  meet  Santa.  We  were  surprised 
to  discover  that  he  was  Fred  Harding. 
Over  500  presents  were  given  out  in  about 
an  hour.  Jimmy  Thomas  spent  his  second 
Christmas  in  Chapel  with  the  boys  and 
he  had  an  exciting  time. 

At  twelve  o'clock  we  went  to  dinner 
and  were  pleased  to  see  that  the  tables 
were  decorated  with  tall  white  candles 
and  holly  around  each  candlestick.  We 
had  a  fine  roast  pork  dinner. 

In  the  evening  we  had  a  movie, 
"Robin  Hood"  in  technicolor.  It  was 
very  exciting.  The  color  was  brilliant, 
and  the  acting  very  good.  The  movie 
ended  a  very  happy  day. 

George  D.  McPeek 

Carol  Singing 

On  Dec.  23  twenty-two  of  the  boys 
went  carolinij.  Those  who  sang  were  choir 
bo^8,  and  those  who  had  parts  in  the 
Christmas  play.  We  began  at  7:30  by 
singing  for  the  instructors  in  the  Main 
Building.  Then  we  went  to  Bowditch 
House  and  sang  there.  The  next  stop  was 
the  flagpole  where  we  sang  another  group 
of  songs.  We  finished  at  Dormitory  A. 
Then  we  sang  over  the  public  address 
system,  and  we  had  the  songs  recorded 
so  that  on  the  next  day  we  could  hear  how 
we  sounded. 

After  we  finished  singing  we  went  to 
Bowditch  House,  where  Mrs.  Warner  had 
delicious  refreshments  of  cocoa,  sand- 
wiches and  pop  corn  for  us. 

Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  Jr. 

Our  Assembly  Program 
Our  class  gave  the  assembly  program 
recently.  We  had  all  parts  of  it  well 
rehearsed  and  there  wasn't  a  slip  anywhere 
in  the  show.  Joel  Robbins  was  the 
announcer.     Most  of  us  were  in  costume. 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


First  on  the  program  was  the  reading  of 
twenty  proverbs  incompletely  and  asking 
the  audience  to  finish  them.  Then  four 
of  the  boys  gave  a  short  play  ba^ed  on 
proverbs.  The  Oke  boys  next  played  a 
clarinet  duet.  Malcolm  Cameron  then 
did  some  magic  tricks,  and  did  them  very 
well,  too.  After  this  there  was  a  clarinet 
sextet  which  played  the  Star  Lullaby. 

The  final  piece  on  the  program  was 
a  drum  and  trumpet  piece  played  by 
Robert  Grignon,  Malcolm-  Cameron  and 
myself. 

Donald  E.  Robicheau 

My  Stamp  Collection 

I  first  began  collecting  stamps  in  1948, 
and  I  now  have  600  dififerent  stamps,  and 
many  duplcates.  I  am  very  proud  of  my 
album.  I  like  collecting  stamps  because  I 
learn  the  names  and  locations  of  many 
countries.  I  think  I  have  stamps  from 
every  country  in  the  world  except  nine. 
I  have  quite  a  few  foreign  stamps  which 
are  not  cancelled. 

Donald  J.   Oke 

Kitchen   Work 

I  am  in  the  morning  kitchen  crew.  We 
take  turns  helping  in  the  kitchen,  vegetable 
room  and  bakery.  I  like  the  bakery  work 
best  of  all.  I  make  ice  cream  twice  a  week, 
and  help  bake  cakes  and  pies.  Sometimes, 
especially  on  holidays,  we  make  extra- 
special  decorated  cakes. 

Henry  T.  Murphy 

The   Bible  Club 

Some  of  the  boys  decided  to  have  a 
Bible  Club  and  after  school  began  in 
September  plans  were  made.  On  October 
21,  1953.  under  the  sponsorship  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dockham,  our  club  could  be 
said  to  be  organized.  Since  then  regular 
meetings  have  been  held  every  week,  with 
an  average  attendance  of  20  boys.  We 
pray  and  study  the  Bible  at  each  mid-week 


meeting  and  have  a  pleasant  social  time. 
We  are  now  studying  the  first  three 
epistles  of  John  in  the  New  Testament. 

David  E.  LeVeille  is  president  of  the 
Club,  and  Thomas  Angelos  is  vice 
president.  The  secretary  is  Carleton  G. 
Skinner. 

We  often  have  extra  features  at  our 
meetings.  Movies  of  our  school  have 
been  shown.  At  Christmas  time  we  had  a 
wonderful  party,  and  we  realized  then 
that  we  have  plenty  for  which  to  be 
thankful. 

All  boys  are  invited  to  join  the 
Bible  Club.  If  you  are  not  a  member 
why  don't  you  come  to  the  next  meeting? 
You'll  be  glad  you  came. 

Carleton  G.  Skinner 

New  Year's  Party 

On  New  Year's  Eve  the  boys  in  each 
dormitory  had  a  party.  In  Dormitory  A 
we  set  up  the  basement  rooms  with  card 
tables  and  had  many  different  kinds  of 
games,  such  as  chess,  checkers,  cribbage 
and  Monopoly.  We  played  games  for  a 
couple  of  hours  and  then  had  refreshments 
of  candy,  cookies  and  punch.  After  this 
we  went  to  the  sitting  room  and  watched 
television.  We  saw  the  big  crowds  in 
Times  Square  celebrate  the  arrival  of  the 
New  Year. 

I'm  sure  that  everyone  will  agree  that 
we  had  a  real  good  time  at  the  party, 
thanks  to  those  who  planned  it  for  us. 

Ronald  A.  Oke 

Tobogganing 

Last  Saturday  Larry  Garside,  John 
Fritz  and  I  went  tobogganing.  We  had 
a  lot  of  fun,  even  if  we  hit  a  tree  once. 
We  went  down  the  slide  together,  and  by 
twos,  and  we  went  alone  at  least  once. 
We  had  the  best  ride  when  we  went 
altogether.  When  we  got  tired  we  went 
to    Dormitory  A  and  watched  television. 

George  D.   McPeek 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


CDompson's  Island  Beacon 

Published    Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompson's  Island,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE     SCHOOL    FOR      BOYS     OF      EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


Vol.  57    No.  9 


January  1954 


Subscription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 

James  H.  Lowell,    Vice-President 

Alfred  C.  Malm,     Treasurer 

Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 

Howland  S.  Warren,  Assistant  Secretary 

Terra  Expires  1954 
George  P.  Denny,  M,  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

ThomasTemple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Joseph  L.   Pendergast 
Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 

Terra  Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.   MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.  Loring,  III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William   M.    Meachsm 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Advisory    Corarailtee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.   Place,   M.  D. 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


The  Christmas  season  was  so  bounti- 
fully good  to  us  that  we  pause  in  our  train 
of  thought  pertaining  to  the  progress  of 
the  School  to  give  thanks  to  our  many, 
many  friends  for  all  the  thoughtful  and 
generous  remembrances  at  this  time. 

Christmas  is  always  the  busiest  time 
and  the  happiest  time  on  Thompson's 
Island.  Preparations  start  two  months 
ahead  of  the  great  day,  planning  for  the 
Christmas  religious  play  enacted  by  a  cast 
of  boys,  exchange  of  name  slips  to  give  to 
each  other,  and  boys  slips  to  Santa  Claus 
for  the  School  to  remember  each  one  with 
a  gift. 

The  entire  Christmas  week  is  filled 
with  events  and  much  carol  singing. 
Then  Christmas  morning  Santa  (actually 
a  young  graduate  in  disguise)  comes  from 
across  the  bay,  is  escorted  by  the  boys 
operating  a  vehicle  for  his  comfort  (?), 
to  the  main  building.  Here  in  Chapel, 
with  two  huge  Christmas  trees  all  decorated 
and  lighted  and  Christmas  gifts  heaped 
all  about,  Santa  proceeds  to  distribute  the 
parcels. 

We  counted  477  items  on  the  tree 
this  Christmas.  This  does  not  include  the 
m.any  gifts  at  various  parties  during  the 
week. 

Over  200  cards  were  received  from 
alumni  and  other  friends  of  the  School. 
This  does  not  include  the  individual  cards 
received  by  each  one. 

Cash  and  various  packages  were  re- 
ceived from  friends  of  the  School  for  gifts 
to  individual  boys  and  for  enjoyment  of 
all,  amounting  in  value  to  well  over 
$100.00. 

The  instructors  were  extremely  gener- 
ous in  gifts  to  all  the  boys  and  to  the 
Headmaster  and  his  family. 

For  all  of  these  generous  contributions 
to  our  happiness  and  in  memory  of  Him 
whom  we  honor  at  this  great  birthday 
anniversary  we  extend  most  grateful  thanks. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


It  was,  indeed,  a  season  of  real  joy,  such  as 
every  alumnus  of  the  School  counts  as  the 
happiest  period  of  life,  and  which  every- 
one who  has  spent  the  Christmas  season  at 
Thompson's  Island  agrees  is  a  never- 
forgotten  experience. 

Topics  in  Brief 

Christmas  was  a  glorious  season  atthe 
School.  All  of  the  traditional  events 
were  held,  including  the  many  parties 
and  observances.  Fred  Harding,  '53, 
acted  as  Santa  Claus  and  arrived  on  the 
Pilgrim  III  early  Christmas  morning  to 
distribute  huge  piles  of  gifts.  The  Christmas 
concert,  carol  singing,  days  in  town  for 
shopping,  dormitory  and  club  parties  and 
many  other  activities  combined  to  make 
it  a  season  rich  in  life-long  memories. 

Five  of  the  older  boys,  assisted  by  a 
choir  of  thirteen  younger  boys,  combined 
to  present  a  religious  concert  on  Christmas 
Sunday,  December  20.  The  play  "It  Was 
Written  in  the  Star"  was  enacted  superbly, 
and  the  singing  of  the  soprano  boys' choir 
was  excellent.  It  did  seem  as  though 
those  taking  part  were  inspired  with  the 
wonderful  message  of  the  Christmas 
season. 

The  boys  were  in  town  either  on 
December  11  or  12,  meeting  their  parents 
at  City  Point  and  taking  the  time  to  do 
their  Christmas  shopping.  Many  were 
much  impressed  with  the  really  wonderful 
Christmas  scenes  set  up  in  the  show 
windows  of  the  big  department  stores. 

Edward  Rowe  Snow  and  a  delegation 
of  members  of  the  Harbor  Ramblers 
visited  the  School  on  December  13.  Mr. 
Snow  brought  gifts  for  all  and  told  his 
plans  for  visiting  the  lighthouses  on  both 
the  East  and  West  coasts  as  the  "Flying 
Santa  Claus."     Mr.  Snow  is  an  authority 


on  the  history  of  Boston  Harbor  and 
much  of  the  eastern  coast  and  is  the 
author  of  several  historical  books.  He 
is  widely  known  as  a  lecturer  and  story 
teller,  and  for  many  years  has  been  a 
radio  favorite  with  his  weekly  programs. 

An  annual  gift  which  is  always  very 
much  enjoyed  is  the  Christmas  entertain- 
ment provided  for  by  Mrs.  Arthur  Adams. 
This  year  the  technicolor  movie  "Robin 
Hood"  was  shown,  much  to  the  delight 
of  the  boys.  This  is  a  very  fine  picture, 
ideally  suited  for  school  use. 

Fred  Smith,  a  singer  of  gospel  hymns 
in  the  Western  style,  was  with  us  on 
Sunday,  December  5.  and  assisted  with 
both  our  religious  services.  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  classmate  at  Gordon  Seminary  of  our 
minister,  Mr.  Bartram,  and  came  at  his 
invitation.  An  excellent  singer  of  songs 
with  a  message,  and  an  able  speaker  to 
young  people,  he  added  much  to  our 
services  and  we  thank  him  for  coming. 

The  winter  vacation  extended  from 
December  24  until  January  4,  and  many 
of  the  boys  spent  some  of  this  time  at 
home.  Vacation  ended  with  gala  New 
Year's  parties  in  each  of  the  dormitories 
and  holiday  activities  of  sports  and  movies 
over  the  New  Year's  weekend. 

On  Thursday  evening,  December  3, 
a  surprise  testimonial  dinner  was  given  to 
Robert  R.  Kitching,  who  has  completed  25 
years  of  service  with  us  as  our  poultry 
instructor.  Mr.  Meacham  spoke  of  the 
service  to  our  boys  which  Mr.  Kitching 
has  given  and  then  presented  him,  on 
behalf  of  the  School,  a  wrist  watch  suitably 
engraved.  The  honor  bestowed  upon 
Mr.  Kitching  is  indeed  richly  deserved, 
and  friends  of  the  School  over  the  past 
quarter  century  will  be  happy  to  hear  of 
the  event. 


6 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


Recreation  during  the  winter  months 
is  centered  pretty  much  about  basketball 
as  an  indoor  sport,  and  coasting,  skating 
and  hockey  as  outdoor  sports,  as  weather 
conditions  allow.  The  school  team  will 
play  a  nine-aame  schedule,  and  the  two 
intra-mural  leagues  have  already  begun 
the  annual  competition. 

Our  Band  played  aconcert  on  Boston 
Common  on  December  6,  as  a  unit 
participating  in  the  City  of  Boston 
Christmas  Festival.  The  boys  played 
several  standard  works  for  band  inter- 
spersed with  Christmas  carols  Later  the 
Band  repeated  the  concert  for  the  Sunshine 
Club  of  the  Volunteers  of  America.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  the  boys  were  the  guests 
of  Mrs.  Katherine  Ostrander  at  her  home, 
where  they  were  serveci  a  delicious  lunch. 
Mrs.  Ostrander  is  the  mother  of  Walter, 
'5L  now  with  the  armed  forces  in  Europe, 
and  Richard  '54.  The  boys  certainly  are 
grateful  to  her  for  her  kindness,  for  they 
had  a  grand  time  at  her  home. 

Our  paint  shop  crews  have  been  busy 
decorating  some  of  the  instructors' 
rooms  in  the  main  building,  as  well  as 
reiinishing  the  main  halls  and  stairways. 
Some  paint  work  has  also  been  done  in 
the  oiSces. 

One  of  the  happy  joys  of  Christmas- 
tide  is  receiving  greeting  cards.  Graduates, 
former  instructors  and  other  friends  of  the 
school  this  year  sent  a  total  of  several 
hundred  cards,  many  of  which  were  origi- 
nal creations.  We  were,  of  course,  very 
happy  to  be  so  remembered.  It  does 
seem  as  though  the  Christmas  cards  grow 
more  lovely  annually.  Some  are  truly 
works  of  art.  To  those  who  sent  cards 
we  say,  "Thank  You." 

A  list  of  those  who  sent  cards  was  read 
in  Chapel  on  Christmas  morning. 


Shaw  and  Temple  Prizes  Awarded 

Early  in  December  the  Shaw  and 
Temple  prizes  for  excellence  in  conduct 
were  awarded  for  the  six  month  period 
ending  December  L  This  was  the  130th 
successive  time  that  the  Shaw  cash  prizes 
have  been  given  to  the  ten  highest  boys 
in  conduct  rating.  The  Temple  prizes  are 
books,  and  w^ere  first  given  by  Mr.  Thomas 
F.  Temple  to  encourage  those  who  almost 
made  the  Shaw  list.  These  prizes  are  now 
given  in  memory  of  Mr.  Temple  by  Mr. 
N.  Penrose  Hallowell.  The  remaining 
five  boys  on  the  list  received  honorable 
mention. 

Those  who  received  the  Shaw  prizes 
were: 

Shaw    Prizes 

Carleton  G.  Skinner,  Jr. 
Edward  A.  Alton 
Gerald  L.  Briggs 
John  E.  Lennon 
William  H.  Ddlon 
Larry  E.  Garside 
Albert  K.  Ellis 
Arthur  A.  Sprague 
Ralph  R.  Schof^eld 
David  E.  LeVeille 
The  Temple  Consolation  prizes  were 
awarded  to: 

Temple  Consolation  Prizes 

Alexander  D.  Marinakis 
Howard  E.  Murphy 
Richard  A.  Ostrander 
Robert  Fabello 
Thomas  Angelos 

Honorable  Mention  was  earned  by 
the  following: 

Honorable  Mention 

Loren  E.  Cain 
David  W.  Howard 
Paul  E.  Parker 
Norman  W.  Sellevaag 
Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

Congratulations  to  the  prize  winners 
for  the  fine  record  they  attained. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Christmas  Shopping 
One  day  before  Christmas  we  went 
in  town  to  buy  presents.  The  boat  left 
around  ten  o'clock.  When  we  got  to  the 
Public  Landing  there  weren't  many  people 
there,  but  they  began  to  come  soon  after. 
In  the  afternoon  we  went  out  to 
dinner,  and  after  this  I  brought  presents 
for  my  roommates  and  other  friends.  I 
went  visiting  after  I  got  the  presents. 

The  time  went  by  quickly  and  we 
left  for  City  Poiut.  We  got  there  a  few 
minutes  before  the  boat  came.  Soon  we 
were  headed  back  to  the  School.  I  had 
quite  a  time  getting  up  the  avenue  with 
all  my  gifts. 

Joel  C.   Robbins 

Looking  Ahead 

Summer  time  is  coming  and  I  will 
be  glad  because  I  will  be  able  to  work  on 
the  farm.  Last  summer  I  spent  a  lot  of 
my  spare  time  there.  I  worked  in  the 
garden,  helped  get  in  hay,  and  at  times 
worked  in  the  cowbarn.  I  have  always 
liked  farm  work.  I  am  looking  ahead  to 
the  summer  time  because  during  vacation 
we  can  do  so  many  things  we  can't  do 
when  we  are  going  to  school  every  day. 

Larry  E.  Garside 

Visiting  Day 

Last  fall  I  worked  in  the  afternoon 
dining  room  on  visiting  days.  It  was  quite 
a  job  to  get  the  dishes  done  and  be  ready 
to  meet  the  boat,  but  we  always  managed 
to.  We  watched  the  boat  dock,  and  if 
our  parents  weren't  on  it  we'd  wait  for  the 
second  trip.  During  the  afternoon  we 
went  to  the  ball  field  to  see  the  football 
games.  The  games  were  very  exciting, 
especially  when  our  team  was  ahead. 
When  it  was  time  to  leave,  the  tower  bell 
would  ring,  and  another  Friends  Day 
would  be  almost  over. 

Robert  H.  Grignon 


Additional  Alumni  News 

At  the  annual  meeting  and  dinner  of 
the  Engineers  Blue  Room  Club  of  Boston, 
a  Masonic  group,  our  Alumni  were  repre- 
sented as  follows: 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merton  P.  Ellis,  '97 

Howard  B.  Ellis,  '98  and  Miss  Helen 
I.  Ellis 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willard  H.  Perry,  '10 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  L.  Pendergast, 
'16 

Calvin  O.  Holmes,  '15,  and  Luke  W. 
B.  Halfyard,  '21  are  also  members  of  the 
Club,  but  were  not  present  at  the  annual 
dinner. 

Annually,  in  March,  our  Band  plays 
for  the  Blue  Room  Club,  and  the  concert 
is  a  red  letter  occasion  for  our  band  boys. 

Franklyn  S.  Harris,  '40  received 
his  Master's  degree  in  Nutrition  last  year 
and  in  March,  1953,  was  married.  After  a 
honeymoon  trip  to  Florida  he  did  further 
graduate  work  at  the  University  of  Tenn- 
essee and  in  September  accepted  a  position 
as  Nutritionist  with  the  Hermitage  Feed 
Mills  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  His  work 
consists  of  formulating  old  feeds  and 
creating  new  ones,  such  as  dog  rations, 
catde  supplements  and  broiler  mashes. 
Although  Mrs.  Harris  enjoys  now  being 
just  a  housewife,  she  has  had  a  grand 
career  as  Educational  Director  of  Wash- 
ington Pike  Church  and  is  a  graduate  of 
Scarritt  College.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris 
have  put  their  church  membership  in  the 
West  End  Methodist,  and  are  active 
members  in  many  of  the  church  functions. 
They  live  at221  Lauderdale Rd.,  Nashville, 
Tenn. 

Several  of  our  graduates  have  com- 
pleted their  preparatory  school  training  at 
Mount  Hermon  School  in  years  past,  and 
this  year  SamUEL  F.  GriSWOLD,  '53,  is  a 
student  there. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


ZU  jllumni  ilssociation  of  Che  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretai 
No.  Wilmington,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Hi 
Hyde   Park, Mass. 


V.  Herbert  Gordon.  '15,  had  the 
honor  of  bein^  elected  president  of  the 
North  Adams  Savings  Bank  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  corporation  held  recently. 

Mr.  Gordon,  who  lives  at  476  E.  Main 
St.,  No.  Adams,  is  a  partner  in  the  con- 
tracting tirm  of  Gordon  &  Sutton  and  is  a 
former  Commissioner  of  Pubic  Works  in 
North  Adams.  He  has  been  a  corporator 
of  the  bank  since  1931,  a  trustee  since  1932, 
a  memberof  the  board  of  investment  since 
1941  and  a  vice  president  since  1945.  A 
veteran  of  World  War  I  he  served  in 
France  with  the  26th  Army  Division. 

Harold  F.  Bent,  '35,  graduated 
from  Parsonfield  Seminary  and  the  State 
Normal  School  in  Gorham,  Maine,  where 
he  received  his  collegiate  degree  in  1941. 
He  taught  for  one  year  at  Rumford  and 
then  worked  for  a  time  for  the  New 
England  Shipbuilding  Corporation  at 
Portland.  During  the  same  period  he 
began  asmall  printing  business  at  Gorham. 
Later  he  added  a  sheet  metal  shop  and 
air  conditioning  sales  unit. 

He  was  married  in  1941  to  Helene 
K.  Libby.  They  have  two  children, 
Jeannine  Louise,  six  years  old,  and 
Kathleen  Susan,  now  nearing  her  second 
birthday. 

Mr.  Bent  has  expanded  his  business 
gradually  and  only  recently  installed  a 
linotype  and  complete  bindery  in  his 
printing  plant.  He  has  signed  a  long  term 
sub  contract  for  heating  installations  with 
the  largest  prime  heating  contractor  in  the 
Portland  area.  For  the  past  six  years  he 
has  operated  rental  income  property,  at 
present  having  seventeen  units.  His  sheet 
metal  and  air  conditioning  businesses  have 
grown  with  the  times. 


Mr.  Bent  leads  a  busy  life,  and 
whatever  success  he  has  achieved  is  due  to 
the  understanding  and  encouragement  of 
Mrs.  Bent,  a  wonderful  wife  and  mother. 
He  adds  in  a  note  to  us  that  nearly  every 
day  in  his  work  he  discovers  something 
helpful  which  can  be  traced  directly  to  the 
training  he  received  here. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Harmony 
Lodge,  Number  38  A.  F.  &  M.,  the 
Kiwanis  Club,  and  the  Methodist  Church 
in  Gorham,  where  he  serves  on  the 
Official  Board,  and  as  a  Trustee  and 
Finance  Officer. 

The  Bents  own  their  home  at  32 
Main  Street,  in  Gorham,  Maine.  This  is 
a  spacious  twelve  room  colonial  residence, 
and  the  Bents  have  remodelled  the  house 
to    permit  gracious  New  England  living. 

Friends  of  FRANK  J.  Dow,  '30,  will 
be  saddened  to  hear  of  his  death  on  Dec. 
4.  After  his  graduation  from  F.  T.  S. 
he  attended  Vermont  Academy  and  later 
served  in  the  armed  forces  during  World 
War  II.  He  was  a  chef  and  had  followed 
the  trade  for  many  years. 

Congratulations  are  in  order  for  our 
alumnus-trustee,  MerTON  P.  Ellis,  '97, 
upon  his  recent  election  to  the  chairman- 
ship of  the  Board  of  Appeal  of  the  City 
of  Boston.  He  formerly  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Board. 

William  F.  Sonier,  '52,  and  Joseph 
C.  Turner  are  both  employed  by  Boston 
printing  firms.  Having  Saturdays  free, 
they  have  opened  the  "Bill  and  Joe's 
Housecleaning  Service"  on  that  day.  We 
suspect  they  will  do  well  in  this  business 
venture,  and  wish  them  good  luck. 


Vol.  57  No.  10  Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.  Feb.,  1954 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  BostoD,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1874 


The  Boston  Farm  School  Offering 
A  copy  of  "The  Boston  Farm  School 
Offering,"  Vol.  I,  No.  2,  published  May, 
1859,  has  just  turned  up,  found  among  old 
papers  in  an  attic  of  a  friend  of  the  School 
following  his  decease.  Mr.  Alfred  C. 
Malm  '00,  Treasurer  of  the  School, 
presented  this  rare  copy  for  our  archives. 
We  are  especially  grateful  to  Mr.  Malm 
for  this  very  rare  and  valuable  original 
publication  of  nearly  100  years  ago. 

Another  alumnus,  George  O.  Poole 
'27,  has  been  urging  the  Beacon  to  resume 
reprinting  the  column  "90  Years  Ago." 
This  old  copy  of  "The  Boston  Farm 
School  Offering"  is  ideal  for  that  purpose. 
We  propose,  therefore,  in.  each  Beacon 
issue  during  the  next  twenty  months  to 
run  one  of  those  items  or  articles  which 
was  first  printed  in  1859. 

We  have  searched  the  files  at  the 
School  and  we  have  found  no  copies  of 
that  series  of  publications  nor  any  record 
of  same.  Can  any  reader  of  the  BEACON 
find  a  copy  of  the  first  issue,  date  of 
December,  1858?  Your  own  attic  or  one 
of  the  Public  Libraries  in  Boston  or 
vicinity,  Dublin,  N.  H.,  the  home  town 
of  the  School's  Superintendent  of  that  era, 
Mr.  William  A.  Morse,  may  be  holding  a 
copy.  A  find  like  this  is  priceless  and  a 
very  real  contribution. 


Our  Minstrel  Show 

Each  class  prepares  an  entertainment 
for  our  weekly  assemblies.  Our  teacher, 
Mr.  Rose,  told  our  class  that  it  would  be 
our  turn  before  we  knew  it,  and  we  had 
better  get  ready.  He  asked  for  suggestions. 
A  few  were  given,  but  were  not  very  well 
received  by  the  class.  Then  a  minstrel 
show  was  proposed.  This  seemed  to  be  a 
good  project  for  us.  Mr.  Rose  got  several 
minstrel  show  books  for  us  to  look  over. 
We  picked  one  we  thought  we  could  do 
best.     Not  long  after  this  rehearsals  began. 

The  show  opened  with  the  entire  cast 
singing  a  rousing  song  to  the  tune  of 
"California  Here  I  Come."  The  four  end 
men  followed  with  a  tambourine  routine 
which  everyone  enjoyed  very  much.  The 
melody  used  was  "Show  Me  The  Way  to 
Go  Home,"  and  the  four  end  men  had 
their  parts  learned  perfectly.  "Camptown 
Races"  was  next  sung,  and  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  baritone  solo  by  Dave  Pulsifer, 
"The  Darktown  Strutter's  Ball."  Between 
numbers  the  interlocutor  and  end  men 
kept  up  a  stream  of  conversation  and  told 
many  jokes.  At  one  time  there  was  a 
series  of  conundrums  by  the  interlocutor 
and  end  men  which  was  very  funny. 

The  show  continued  with  Norman 
Sellevaag  singing  "Buffalo  Gals."  After 
a  comic  speech  by  one  of  the  endmen, 
Teyet  Ramar  played  for  a  cornet  solo  the 
always  popular  Stephen  Foster  song,  "Old 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


Black  Joe."  The  end  men  did  another 
tambourine  routine  which  brought  the 
show  to  the  finale,  which  was  a  c'ever 
arrangement  of  the  song  "Good  Night 
Ladies." 

Everyone  enjoyed  the  show  and  we 
had  plenty  of  fun  getting  it  ready.  The 
cast  was  as  follows: 

The  Cast 
Interlocutor  William  H.  Dillon 

Mr.  Fantail  David  B.  Pulsifer 

Mr.  Avalanche  David  W.  Howard 

Mr.  Firefly  S.  Newcomb  Graham 

Mr.  Agony  Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Mr.  Cotton  Hull       Norman  S.  Sellevaag 

Chorus 
David  E.  LeVeille  Edward  A.  Atton 

Teyet  Ramar  II  Ralph  F.  Hopkins 

Robert  Fabello 

A  Happy  Surprise 

It  was  Thanksgiving  morning,  and 
the  Holden  family  were  gathering  at  the 
family  homestead  for  the  holiday  feast. 
It  was  a  big  family,  Ma  and  Pa  and  nine 
children,  six  girls  and  three  boys.  Three 
of  the  children  were  married,  and  the 
grandchildren  helped  swell  the  total  at  the 
big  table  to  fourteen.  But  there  was  one 
empty  chair. 

Everyone  would  be  present,  every- 
one, that  is,  except  Eddie.  He  was  in 
the  Navy,  and  would  not  be  home  for 
Thanksgiving. 

'Tt  isn't  right,  keeping  our  boy  away 
on  Thanksgiving,"  said  Pa,  with  a  snap 
in  his  voice. 

"Oh,  let's  not  argue  again,"  replied 
Ma.  "It  would  be  silly  to  go  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy.  He  doesn't  know 
Eddie.  Besides,  Washington  is  700  miles 
away." 

The  morning  passed,  and  it  had  been 
a  busy  period.  As  time  for  the  Dinner 
approached  the  family  wondered  who 
would  fill  the  vacant  seat.     The   Holdens 


had  asked  a  nearby  naval  base  to  send  a 
sailor  who  wouldn't  be  home  for  the  hol- 
iday. Eddie  was  in  California  and 
couldn't    possibly    get   there. 

The  doorbell  rang,  and  to  the  surprise 
of  all,  in  walked  Eddie.  After  five  min. 
utes  of  hugs,  kisses,  and  handshaking 
Eddie  explained  how  he  managed  to  be 
present.  He  had  replaced  a  man  in  a 
great  emergency  in  a  plane  crew  and  the 
plane  had  landed  at  the  naval  base  in 
their  town.  Fle  was  handed  an  address 
to  report  to  for  Thanksgiving,  and  to  his 
great  joy  it  was  his  own  home. 

"Eddie,  see,  it  just  goes  to  prove  that 
the  Golden  Rule  works.  How  happy  we 
all  are,"  said  Ma,  with  a  little  tear  in  her 
eye. 

You  can  be  sure  that  no  family  any- 
where had  a  happier  Thanksgiving,  even 
though  Eddie's  plane  took  oflf  late  that 
evening  for  another  leg  in  its  long  flight. 

Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Our  Lost  Gat 
On  Friday  I  helped  with  the  early 
milking,  going  to  the  cowbarn  at  five 
o'clock.  I  fed  the  calves  while  two  other 
boys  stripped  after  the  milking  machine. 
We  decided  that  something  was  missing, 
and  we  were  right,  because  our  pet  cat 
had  not  made  an  appearance.  We  went 
looking  for  him  and  finally  found  him 
contentedly  sleeping  in  the  hay.  What 
does  this  prove?  That  cats  don't  get  up 
at  five  in  the  morning,  even  to  get  a  dish 
of  warm  Guernsey  milk. 

Larry  E.  Garside 

Range  Work 

After  the  chickens  had  been  taken 
from  the  range  and  put  in  the  laying 
house  we  began  getting  ready  for  next 
year.  The  range  fences  were  taken  down, 
and  the  wire  rolled  and  placed  with  the 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


posts.  Then  the  seed  boxes  and  egg 
laying  boxes  were  collected  and  put  away. 
The  water  pipe  was  disconnected  to 
prevent  damage.  The  range  location  is 
changed  every  year  and  it  won't  be  long 
before  we'll  have  the  job  of  making  the 
place  ready  for  the  new  chicks. 

Stanton  H.  Pearson 

Customs 

Some  of  the  customs  people  have  in 
other  lands  seem  strange  to  us,  yet  they 
are  rather  nice,  I  think.  For  instance, 
on  Christmas  Eve  in  the  Netherlands  the 
children  put  their  shoes  before  the  fire- 
place, while  here  we  hang  stockings.  In 
many  European  lands  our  Santa  Glaus  is 
known  as  St,  Nicholas.  Our  homes  are 
decorated  for  Christmas  with  a  tree  la- 
dened  with  bright  tinsel  and  gold  and 
silver  bells.  In  Europe  homes  are  also 
decorated.  The  one  custom  which  we 
all  have  is  that  we  learn  how  much 
pleasure  we  get  out  of  giving  presents,  as 
well  as  receiving  them. 

John  W.  Cronin 

Captain  Kidd  vs.  Blackbeard 

In  the  days  of  pirates  Captain  Kidd 
and  Blackbeard  were  the  most  feared. 
They  were  bitter  enemies  and  one  day 
Captain  Kidd  saw  a  Spanish  ship  off  his 
bow.  He  began  to  pursue  it  when  another 
ship  appeared,  that  of  his  hated  rival, 
Blackbeard.  The  Spanish  ship  was  for- 
gotten and  the  pirates  began  a  terrific 
battle.  The  Spanish  fleet  appeared  and 
the  pirates  sailed  for  safety  and  got  away. 
Both  the  pirates  had  vast  treasures  hidden, 
and  each  wanted  them.  Blackbeard  tracked 
Captain  Kidd  to  Haiti  but  misfortune 
struck  both,  for  they  were  captured,  and 
sentenced  to  be  hanged.  The  pirates' 
crews,  however,  stormed  the  prison  and 
rescued    their   leaders.      This    didn't  do 


Blackbeard  much  good  though,  because 
Captain  Kidd  ran  a  sword  through  him. 
Upon  findingout,  Captain  Kidd  got  Black- 
beard's  treasure  and  then  he  had  a  great 
fortune,  which  he  hid  so  that  no  one  could 
find  it.  He  never  could  use  it  though, 
because  he  was  captured,  tried,  sentenced 
and  hung.  Thus  ended  his  adventurous 
life, 

I  think  that  someday  someone  may 
find  this  treasure,  for  many  hunt  for  it. 
It  is  the  most  valuable  of  pirate  treasures, 
and  I  think  the  only  one  not  to  be 
discovered.  If  you  find  it  you  will  be  very 
rich. 

Roy  W.  Ganong 

Sloyd 

Sloyd  is  very  popular  with  most  of 
the  boys.  The  course  begins  in  the  eighth 
grade,  and  the  first  lessons  deal  with 
mechanical  drawing,  because  a  drawing  is 
made  of  each  model  before  the  work  can 
be  started. 

The  first  model  is  a  pencil  pointer, 
which  teaches  the  use  of  the  knife.  This  is 
the  only  tool  used  for  the  model.  Each 
succeeding  model  employs  different  tools 
so  that  when  the  course  is  completed  all 
of  the  principal  woodworking  tools  have 
been  studied. 

As  the  boys  develop  skill  they  make 
extra  models  for  their  own  use,  such  as 
chests,  tables,  lamps  and  other  pieces  of 
furniture.  These  are  often  given  as  gifts 
at  Christmas  and  at  other  times.  A  good 
workman  can  finish  the  course  in  two 
years,  although  many  take  longer.  We 
have  one  period  a  day  and  many  of  us 
work  our  playtime  so  as  to  keep  ahead  of 
the  class. 

The  last  model  is  a  tool  chest,  and 
we  are  certainly  proud  of  our  work  when 
this  chest  is  finished. 

Loren  E.  Cain 


THOMPSONS    ISLAND     BEACON 


CI)omp$on'$  Tsland  Beacon 

Published     Monthly  br 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES   SCHOOL 

Thompgon's  Island,  Boston  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE     SCHOOL     FOR       BOYS     OF     EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENCOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS 


Vol.57    No.  10 


February  1954 


Subicription  Price 


One  Doiiar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 
Alfred  C.  Malm,    Vice-President 
Howland  S.   Warren,    Treasurer 
Merton  P.   Ellis,  Secretary 
Bartlett  Harwood,  Jr.,  Assistant  Secretary 

Term  Expires  1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.   Mason 

Donald  S.   MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 
Augustus  P.  Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  WiLiams 
William    M.    Meachem 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Term  Expires  1957 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.  Adams 
Alton  B.  Butler 

Advisory    Committee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.   Place,   M.   D. 
James  H.  Lowell 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


Editorial 

We  shall  again  interrupt  our  proposed 
editorials  on  the  progress  of  the  School 
because  -ve  would  like  to  use  the  space  to 
tell  our  readers  about  several  exceptionally 
fine  tributes  which  have  come  to  the 
School. 

A  series  of  historical  articles  entitled 
"Early  Dorchester"  by  the  late  Lawrence 
F.  Berry  was  published  by  The  Dorchester 
Beacon  with  six  weekly  issues  from  July 
31,  1953  through  September  4,  1953 
headed,  'Thompson's  Island." 

The  Dorchester  Beacon  headline  says, 
"Serving  the  Community  for  Over  Eighty- 
five  Years.  More  Than  250,000  Live 
Here.  Most  of  Them  Read  This  News- 
paper." 

These  writings  are  well  documented, 
interesting  and  accurate,  and  show  the 
essential  and  fascinating  activity  here  all 
the  way  from  1621  when  the  Island  was 
first  named  "The  Island  ofTrevore"  by 
a  member  of  Captain  Myles  Standish's 
crew  by  the  name  of  Trevore  when  they 
first  explored  Boston  Harbor. 

It  is  interesting  to  note,  as  stated  by 
Mr.  Berry,  that,  "Dorchester  Town  Rec- 
ords furnish  the  following  historic  entry  to 
substantiate  her  claim  as  founder  of  the 
'First  Free  Public  School  Supported  by  a 
General  Tax  on  the  residents  (or  Free- 
men) of  a  town.'  It  is  ordered  the  20th 
May  1639,  that  there  shall  be  a  rent  of  20 
pounds  yeerely  foreu'r  imposed  vpon 
Tomson's  Hand  to  bee  pay'd  b'  eu'ry 
p'son  that  hath  p'prtie  in  the  said  Hand 
according  to  the  p'portion  that  any  such 
p'son  shall  fro'  tyme  to  tyme  injoy  and 
possesse  there,  and  this  towards  the  mayn- 
tenance  of  a  school  in  Dorchester." 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Topics  in  Brief 

We  have  made  improvements  on 
our  basketball  court  from  time  to  time 
and  this  month  some  carpentry  work  has 
been  done  under  the  baskets  at  each  end 
of  the  court.  The  backboards  and  baskets 
have  also  been  strengthened.  Our  gym 
gives  more  pleasure  and  fun  than  any 
room  at  the  School,  and  is  always  available 
for  the  use  of  the  boys. 

Our  sympathies  are  expressed  to  Mrs. 
Marion  Nichols  Walker  upon  the  death  of 
her    husband,    Kirk  W.  Walker,  on  Jan. 

24.  Mrs.  Walker  served  as  kitchen  instruc- 
tor here  for  more  than  a  quarter  century. 
Her  hosts  of  Farm  and  Trades  School 
friends  will  be  saddened  to  hear  of  her 
great  loss. 

The  juniors  and  sophomores  joined 
together  to  give  us  an  excellent  entertain- 
ment at  our  weekly  assembly  on  January 

25.  The  program,  in  the  form  of  an  old- 
time  minstrel  show,  included  vocal  and 
instrumental  musical  selections,  stories, 
jokes  and  tambourine  specialties.  The 
costumes  and  makeup  added  much  to  the 
show. 

Mr.  Williams,  of  the  Wirthmore 
Feeds  Company,  was  here  this  summer 
to  gather  information  and  take  pictures  of 
the  activities  of  the  school.  This  material 
was  incorporated  into  a  feature  article  in 
"Spatters,"  the  monthly  publication  of  the 
company,  and  was  printed  in  the  Novem- 
ber issue.  The  article  is  very  well  written, 
and  is  illustrated  with  twelve  excellent 
photographs  of  everyday  life  here.  The 
closing  paragraph  of  the  article  reads:  "All 
in  all,  The  Farm  and  Trades  School 
provides  more  than  scholastic  and  voca- 
tional training — it  supplies  a  well-rounded, 
complete,  and  happy  living  experience 
for  all  its  boys." 


Our  Scout  troop  held  an  impressive 
investiture  ceremony  on  the  evening  of 
January  28,  at  which  time  fourteen 
received  the  rank  of  Tenderfoot.  The 
older  scouts  did  a  fine  job  in  staging  the 
ceremony,  and  welcomed  the  new  boys 
into  the  troop  in  a  fitting  manner.  A  social 
period  followed  the  investiture  ceremony. 

This  month  our  Band  has  made  much 
progress  under  the  direction  of  Major 
Frank  L.  Warren,  our  band  instructor 
since  1923.  There  are  several  appearances 
in  town  scheduled  for  the  boys  and  we 
are  confident  that  the  1954  Band  will  up- 
hold the  high  honors  earned  by  our  Band 
throughout  its  illustrious  life  of  nearly  a 
century. 

Basketball  has  been  the  principal 
sport  this  month.  The  varsity  teams  are 
well  along  on  the  schedule,  and  are 
pointing  towards  the  small  school  tourna- 
ment in  March.  The  Sears  League  is 
having  an  exciting  season,  and  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  name  the  championship  team  as 
yet.  The  Nut  League,  made  up  of  the 
younger,  less-experienced  players,  has 
played  several  games  on  its  schedule,  all 
of  which  have  been  well  contested. 

Our  paint  shop  crew  did  a  good  job 
in  painting  the  band  hall  this  month.  The 
hall  is  used  almost  daily  by  more  than 
forty  of  the  boys,  and  it  is  well  to  have  it 
redecorated  in  the  colorful  two-tone  plan 
which  our  painters  have  used. 

Forestry  Associates,  Inc.  is  a  new 
company  organized  to  provide  efficient 
and  technically  sound  forestry  service. 
We  have  an  interest  in  this  project,  for 
Stephen  L.  Jacobs,  son  of  the  late  Alfred 
W.  Jacobs,  '10,  is  one  of  the  two  partners 
operating  the  business.  We  wish  the  new 
Gorham,  Maine,    company   the    best   of 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


Abraham  Lincoln 

Our  wonderful  president,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  was  the  16th  president  of  our 
country.  He  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  in 
Kentucky.  He  got  his  first  big  chnnce  as  a 
young  lawyer  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  He 
became  a  representative  in  1847  and  later 
became  well  known  through  his  debates 
with  Stephen  Douglas.  Although  an  abo- 
litionist, he  thought  slavery  unlawful.  The 
Emancipation  Proclamation  and  the 
Gettysburg  Address  expressed  his  inspired 
beliefs.  He  was  assassinated  by  John 
Wilkes  Booth  in  1865  at  a  Washington 
theatre.  His  death  caused  nation-wide 
mourning,  for  he  was  a  symbol  of  freedom 
for  all.  Probably  the  best  loved  phrase 
he  said  was,  "With  malice  towards  none; 
with  charity  for  all." 

John  A.    Fritz 

Varsity  Basketball 
Basketball  is  my  favorite  sport  and  I 
play  on  the  varsity.  The  team  has  im- 
proved very  much  and  we  are  looking 
ahead  to  the  small  school  tournament, 
which  begins  March  5.  In  our  games  so 
far  we  have  won  three  games  and  lost 
four.  We  had  some  good  games  with 
Christian  High,  New  Prep,  Braintree 
Freshman  and  other  teams. 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

The  Bears 

I  play  basketball  in  the  Sears  League. 
There  are  four  teams  and  we  play  a  game 
every  week.  Our  team,  the  Bears,  is  the 
best  team  and  John  Lennon  is  the  captain. 
We  are  in  first  place  and  have  a  good 
chance  of  staying  on  top.  Our  captain  is 
our  best  player,  and  R;)lph  Schofield  is 
second  best.  In  the  last  game  he  scored 
22  points.  Other  good  players  on  our 
team  are  Stan  Pearson,  Dan  Dockham, 
and  Edward  Walker. 

Joseph  S.  Lombardo 


Dressing  a   Pig 

Not  long  ago  I  had  a  "first"  experi- 
ence. This  was  to  get  a  pig  ready  for  the 
table.  Albert  Ellis,  Robert  Wright  and  I 
held  the  animal  while  Mr.  Baird  did  the 
butchering.  As  soon  as  the  animal  was 
dead  we  scraped  the  hair  from  the  hide, 
washed  the  carcass  and  hung  it.  Then 
we  cleaned  out  the  innards  and  buried 
them.  Later  the  pig  was  taken  to  the 
meat  room  where  it  was  carved  in  sections 
for  storage  in  the  deep  freezer.  Soon  we 
will  be  enjoying  tasty  roast  pork  and  pork 
chops. 

Carlton  G.  Skinner,  Jr. 

Bible  Club 

A  project  we  have  started  in  our  Bible 
Club  is  writing  to  Christian  missionaries. 
Mrs.  Dockham  has  the  names  of  those 
with  whom  we  may  correspond.  Already 
some  of  us  have  written  letters,  and  almost 
any  day  we  may  get  answers  to  our  letters. 
It  will  be  fun  to  get  mail  from  foreign 
lands. 

Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  Jr. 

My  First  Visit 

I  visited  this  school  on  January  20,  to 
see  if  1  would  like  to  be  here.  First  the 
"ofSces  were  visited,  and  then  we  were 
shown  through  some  of  the  shops  and 
dormitories.  I  went  to  the  gym  and  played 
basketball  for  a  little  while.  We  saw  the 
dining  room  and  right  away  I  thought 
how  nice  it  was.  A  few  days  later!  came 
to  the  School  and  am  a  pupil  in  the  sixth 
grade. 

Richard  Ayers 

Snow  Owls 

Have  you  ever  seen  a  snow  owl?  We 
have  two  at  the  school,  which  have  been 
here  most  of  the  winter.  One  is  about  a 
foot  tall,  with  a  wing  span  of  approxim- 
ately four  feet,  and  is  a  light  grey.  The 
other  stands  two  and  a  half  feet  tall,  and 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


has  a  wing  span  of  five  or  six  feet.  It  is  a 
clear  white. 

Snow  owls  eat  field  mice,  pheasants 
and  chickens,  if  they  can  get  them.  What 
do  you  say?  Are  they  doing  more  harm 
than  good?  They  might  reduce  the  number 
of  field  mice,  but  the  snoA^  owl  would 
multiply.  More  snow  owls  would  eat  the 
pheasants,  spoiling  the  sport  of  hunting. 
The  snow  owls  next  would  begin  raiding 
chicken  farms,  causing  much  trouble. 

Should  we  do  away  with  snow  owls? 
Someday  we  may  have  to  answer  this 
question,  but  now  they  are  not  too  com- 
mon here,  and  are  interesting  to  study. 

Richard  T.  Castonguay 

Boat  Trips 

I  work  on  the  boat  each  afternoon. 
Our  first  trip  is  at  one  o'clock  when  the 
mail  boy  goes  over.  Sometimes  we  have 
freight  to  bring  back  to  the  school.  Often 
visitors  come  on  the  one  o'clock  trip  and 
we  make  another  trip  in  mid-afternoon 
to  bring  them  back.  Our  last  trip  is  al- 
most always  at  five  o'clock.  This  is  when 
most  of  the  freight  comes.  I  make  a  re- 
port of  each  trip,  time  of  departure,  names 
of  passengers  and  crew,  and  a  list  of  the 
freight  handled.  Between  tripslwork  on 
maintenance  jobs. 

William    H.   Dillon 

Additional  Alumni  News 

Carl  H.  KuphAL,  '25,  is  Community 
Service  OfBcer  of  the  State  Prison  Colony 
at  Norfolk,  Mass.  This  is  a  position  of 
considerable  importance,  and  one  which 
Mr.  Kuphal  has  held  for  many  years.  He 
is  much  interested  in  Alumni  happenings, 
and  is  one  of  the  "Regulars"  at  the  annual 
field  day  outing  of  the  Alumni  Association, 
held  in  June  of  each  year. 

James  L.  Keith,  '47,  now  works  in 
an  accounting  office  in  Indianapolis.     He 


hopes  and  expects  soon  to  be  called  to 
work  in  the  General  Motors  plant  there. 
He  lives  at  3415  Oliver  Avenue,  Indian- 
apolis.  He  writes  that  his  brother,  Paul 
D.  Keith,  '47,  is  going  to  an  army  school 
at  Fort  Ord,  California,  and  that  he  is  in 
his  final  year  of  enlistment. 

We  hope  to  have  Paul's  address  soon, 
and  will  print  it  in  the  alumni  news. 

William  L.  Glennon  '52  writes 
that  he  is  looking  forward  to  a  visit  here, 
probably  at  Graduation  in  June.  He  is  a 
member  of  an  Air  Force  Band,  and  after 
his  service  "hitch"  is  up  he  hopes  to  begin 
his  study  for  the  ministry  at  Moody  Bible 
Institute.  His  address  is:  William  L. 
Glennon,  A-3c,  AFI12353323,  509th  Air 
Force  Band.  Webb  Air  Force  Base,  Big 
Springs,  Texas. 

Henry  C.  Lowell,  '20.  is  married, 
has  three  children  and  lives  at  2018  Main 
St.,  Athol,  Mass.  He  is  employed  at  the 
Western  Auto  Stores,  in  Athol.  At  a 
recent  dinner  and  entertainment  of  the 
Rotary  Club  in  that  town  he  and 
Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  '19,  who 
provided  the  entertainment,  had  a  pleasant 
visit  talking  over  old  times  at  F.  T.  S. 

Cecil  A.  Morse,  '28,  was  given 
special  mention  in  a  recent  sports  column 
in  the  Houston,  Texas,  "Chronicle." 
Morris  Frank,  the  columnist,  states  that 
Mr.  Morse  is  an  avid  sport  fan.  coaches, 
officiates  and  upon  occasion  fills  in  as  sports 
reporter  for  the  newspaper.  Herb  Gray, 
the  Texas  tackle,  is  certain  to  reach  All- 
American  rating  at  least  twice  in  his  college 
career,  and  was  coached  by  Mr.  Morse. 

Mr.  Morse  does  his  athletic  coaching 
as  a  sideline.  Daily  he  is  busy  in  a 
petroleum  distillery  plant.  His  home 
address  is  409  E.  Defee  Avenue,  Baytown^ 
Texas. 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAND    BEACON 


ZU  J\\mm  }l$$oc1ation  of  Che  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  President  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 

Newton,  Mass.  W.  Medford,  Mass. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  '17,    Treasurer 
WoUaston,   Mass. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretai 
No.  Wilrainiton,  Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historia 
Hyde  Park. Mass. 


Alfred  C.  Malm,  '00,  resigned  as 
Treasurer  of  the  School  at  the  1954 
annual  meeting  of  the  Corporation,  Mr. 
Malm  expressed  his  reluctance  at  retiring 
from  the  responsible  position  but  decided 
that  after  37  years  of  handling  the  accounts 
of  the  School  it  was  time  that  another 
should  carry  on.  No  persuasion  would 
change  his  mind.  Mr.  Malm  is  the  only 
alumnus  who  has  ever  been  Treasurer  of 
the  School  and  after  finding  that  he  would 
not  yield  in  his  decision  to  retire  as 
Treasurer  he  was  promptly  promoted  to 
the  position  of  Vice  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  This  is  another  first 
for  our  devoted  alumnus.  No  alumnus 
has  ever  been  Vice  President  of  the  Board. 
Mr.  Malm  has  often  acted  as  President  in 
the  absence  of  our  Chief  and  now  there 
will  doubtless  be  many  occasions  through 
the  coming  years  when  he  will  be  filling 
the  post  and  be  required  to  perform  the 
duties  of  President. 

Alfred  C.  Malm  (affectionately  called 
"Carl"  by  many  of  his  large  circle  of 
friends)  came  to  the  School  as  a  little  boy 
60  years  ago,  January  31st.  During  all 
those  years  he  has  been  closely  attached 
to  the  School.  Upon  finishing  his  course 
here  he  became  employed  in  the  ofifice  of 
the  then  President  of  the  Board  and  con- 
tinued in  that  office  in  Financial  Trust 
work  until  he  went  to  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Boston  as  Trust  Officer  in  1926. 
Later  when  the  Old  Colony  Trust  Com- 
pany affiliated  with  the  First  National 
Bank  he  was  appointed  Trust  Officer  of 
Old  Colony,  a  position  he  held  until  he 
recently  retired  and  promptly  assumed 
management  of  the  physical  plant  and 
financial    affairs   of    Trinity  Church. 


After  graduating  from  The  Farm  and 
Trades  School  Carl  continued  his  edu- 
cation at  night  school,  graduated  from 
Northeastern  Law  School  in  1911  and  was 
promptly  admitted  to  The  Bar. 

Alfred  Carl  Malm  and  Susan  Williams 
married  and  bought  a  home  in  Melrose, 
where  their  three  children  were  born  and 
raised.  All  three  graduated  from  Melrose 
High  School  and  all  went  on  to  college. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Malm  have  continuously 
taken  very  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  their 
community.  Carl  has  served  as  Alderman, 
President  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Deacon 
of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Malm  have  two  daugh- 
ters, Elizabeth  and  Susan,  and  a  grand- 
daughter, Dorothy  Elizabeth  Malm.  Their 
son.  John,  an  alumnus  of  Middlebury 
College  and  an  aviation  officer  in  World 
War  II,  was  lost  in  action. 

Rev.  Theodore  B.  Hadley,  '21. 
graduated  from  Bangor  Theological  Sem- 
inary and  from  Middlebury  College,  where 
he  also  did  graduate  work  for  his  Master's 
degree,  which  he  received  in  1934.  He 
was  married  in  1932,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Hadley  have  devoted  their  lives  to  doing 
God's  work  in  parishes  in  Vermont  and 
New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Hadley  is  accom- 
plished in  many  fields,  one  of  them  being 
poetry,  and  we  look  forward  each  year  to 
receiving  his  distinctive  Christmas  greeting 
in  the  form  of  an  original  poem. 

Mr.  Hadley,  and  Mrs.  Hadley  also, 
are  very  much  interested  in  every  phase 
of  school  life  at  F.  T.  S. 

The  Hadleys  are  always  at  home  to 
their  F.  T.  S.  friends  at  the  parsonage  in 
Hamstead,  N.  H. 


Vol.  57  No.  11  Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.  March,  1954 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boston,  Mass.,  as  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1874 


The  Boston  Farm  School  Offering 

First  in  a  series  of  articles  reprinted  from  paper 
titled  as  above,  Vol.  1,  No.  2,   May  1859. 

Editorial 

The  Farm  School  Offering  was  es- 
tablished, and  its  first  number  issued,  in 
December,  1858.  Its  publication  presented 
a  new  feature  in  the  operations  of  this 
School;  and  met  with  such  favor,  that  we 
are  now  encouraged  to  issue  another 
number. 

It  is  designed  as  a  cordial  Offering 
to  our  patrons  and  friends  at  large;  a 
pleasant  mode  of  shaking  hands,  and 
exchanging  congratulations  and  sympa- 
thies, after  being  long  denied  the  privilege 
of  personal  interviews;  and  to  acquaint 
them  in  a  slight  degree  with  our  trans- 
actions here. 

Being  separated  from  the  mainland 
by  strong  natural  barriers,  we  are  left 
much  to  ourselves,  especially  during  the 
cold  season.  We  form  a  litde  community 
of  our  own;  and,  though  our  kind  and 
interested  Managers  contribute  in  every 
possible  way  to  our  comfort  and  happiness, 
we  must  necessarily  depend  principally 
upon  local  means  for  profitable  entertain- 
ment and  amusement. 

Do  not  think,  dear  reader,  that  our 
isolated  position  produces  unhappiness  or 
discontent?  Far  otherwise.  Our  heads 
and   hands  are  too    much  occupied,  and 


our  hearts  too  deeply  interested  in  our 
charge,  to  admit  of  any  such  feelings.  It 
we  are  isolated  from  society,  we  are  also 
isolated  from  many  of  its  vices  and  temp- 
tations. 

During  the  past  winter,  our  School 
has  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  two 
boys,  who  have  been  instructed  by  kind 
and  faithful  teachers  in  branches  suited  to 
their  various  capacities.  Much  attention 
has  been  given  to  writing,  and  vocal  and  in- 
strumental music.  We  have  now  a  band — 
of  brass  and  stringed  instruments — com- 
posed of  boys  from  the  School.  All  are 
much  interested  in  it,  and  its  effect  is 
plainly  visible  upon  the  whole  school. 

We  have  a  well-organized  Band  of 
Hope,  the  officers  of  which  are  chosen 
once  in  four  weeks  from  among  the  boys. 
The  meetings  are  held  weekly.  The 
exercises  consist  of  the  discussion  of  some 
appropriate  question,  declamation,  read- 
ing of  composition,  and  singing.  The 
meetings  are  interesting,  and  do  much 
good. 

We  have  also  a  post-office  with  weekly 
mail  arrangements;  giving  boys  an  oppor- 
tunity to  write  to  one  another,  and  to  their 
friends  on  and  off  the  island.  The  revenue 
from  this  office  may  not  assist  in  paying 
government  debts;  but  it  will  certainly 
assist  in  forming  correct  habits  and  fixed 
principles.     It  will  assist  in  forming  men. 

We  also  admit  boys  into  our  family, 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


and  contrive  various  means  for  their 
amusement. 

Winter  out-of-door  sports  consist  of 
coasting,  skating,  sleighing,  &c.  In  sum- 
mer, they  are  of  a  greater  variety. 

Contentment  is    a    ruling   feature    of 

this  School. 

Our  heavenly  Father,  who  has  in 
limes  past  so  signally  blessed  us,  has 
vouchsafed  to  us  his  richest  blessing—  health 
—during  the  past  season.  We  have  had 
no  sickness  worthy  of  the  name.  We 
sincerely  hope  that  the  future  may  prove 
as  pleasant  and  prosperous  to  us  as  the 
past  has  been. 

Kind  readers,  we  present  you  with 
our  little  sheet,  and  hope  you  will  receive 
no  unfavorable  impressions  of  our  insti- 
tution by  its  perusal.  We  make  no 
pretensions  as  journalists,  being  young  and 
inexperienced  in  the  business.  W^e  there- 
fore hardly  dare  propose  an  exchange 
with  any  of  the  popular  journals  of  the 
times;  but  will  throw  ourselves  entirely 
upon  their  clemency,  assuring  them  that 
any  encouragement  oflfered  to  us  in  our 
work  of  reform  and  improvement  will  be 
like  seed  sown  in  good  ground,  and  its 
increase  will  be  an  hundred-fold. 

William  A.  Morse 

Pets 

Here  on  Thompson's  Island  we  have 
many  pets.  The  ones  seen  most  are  the 
dogs,  five  of  them.  They  are  all  owned 
by  instructors,  but  they  are  everyone's  pets. 
Besides  the  dogs  there  must  be  around 
twenty  cats.  Seems  as  though  we  are 
always  finding  homes  for  kittens.  Would 
you  like  one? 

Larry  Garside  has  a  rabbit  named 
Pebbles.  Although  the  rabbit  has  a  good 
cage,  he  always  finds  a  way  to  get  out. 
Then  a  dog  finds  him  and  a  merry  chase 
is  on.  After  Pebbles  is  cornered  he  simply 


leaps   over  the  dog  and  the  chase  is  on 
again, 

Down  atthebarn  thereisa  litde  yellow 
kitten  named  Squirt.  This  kitten  likes 
the  boys  and  often  follows  them  to  the 
dormitories.  Squirt  has  a  habit  of  going 
to  sleep  anywhere,  sometimes  so  that  we 
can't  get  by.  All  the  pets  are  liked  very 
much. 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

A  Wish 

I  wish  I  could  go  for  a  plane  ride.  I 
haven't  yet  had  such  a  chance.  Planes  fly 
overhead  all  the  time,  and  there  are  many 
kinds.  I  keep  wondering  what  flying  is 
like.  The  planes  make  quite  a  sight  at 
night  when  they  head  towards  the  airport 
with  their  very  bright  searchlights  picking 
up  the  runways.  One  of  these  days  I  hope 
my  wish  to  fly  will  come  true. 

Richard  L.  Sawyer 

Sloyd 

I  have  only  been  here  a  short  time 
and  have  just  began  to  take  sloyd.  I  am 
sure  I  will  like  this.  I  want  to  learn  how 
to  make  trays,  mirrors,  chests,  and  other 
articles  which  the  boys  make.  I  can  use 
them  for  gifts  to  send  home.  Then, 
learning  about  tools  and  woodworking  is 
preparation  for  either  a  lifetime  trade  or 
hobby. 

Gary  D.  Schoonmaker 

My  Hobby 
I  am  very  much  interested  in  wood- 
working,  and  I  am  lucky,  too,  because  I 
work  in  the  afternoon  dining  room  and 
have  spare  time  every  day  to  work  on  my 
hobby.  1  am  now  making  a  mirror  frame, 
with  gumwood  decorations  and  an  inlay. 
I  take  sloyd  and  often  work  on  the  sloyd 
models  in  my  playtime.  Our  instructor  is 
always  patient  with  us  and  helps  us  on  the 
kinds  of  work  we  find  hard. 

Edward  M.  Walker 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


Hamsters 

Hamsters  are  small  rodents,  and 
burrow  like  rats.  They  come  from  Asia 
and  Europe  and  have  been  imported  to 
this  country  for  pets.  They  got  their  odd 
name  from  the  paunches  on  the  sides  of 
their  cheeks.  They  must  be  kept  in  cages 
at  all  times,  because  they  will  burrow  and 
make  holes  in  almost  anything.  They  are 
interesting  and  fascinating  to  watch,  and 
make  very  nice  pets.  They  like  to  be 
petted.  Unlike  some  pets,  hamsters  are 
extremely  clean.  If  you  are  not  acquainted 
with  hamsters  you  should  get  some  as  pets. 

Richard  A.  Ostrander 

A  Heavy  Fog 

This  morning  James  Anderson  and  I 
got  permission  to  go  to  the  beach.  It  was 
the  foggiest  morning  I  could  remember. 
We  could  see  nothing  out  on  the  water, 
although  we  knew  there  were  ships  going 
by  because  we  heard  the  whistles.  Even 
though  it  was  very  foggy  there  were  no 
accidents  in  the  harbor. 

Joel  C.  Robbins 

Relievo 

Last  Sunday  the  weather  was  so  good 
that  we  decided  to  have  a  game  of  relievo 
at  Bowditch  Grove.  Mr.  Beauregard  was 
with  us.  Each  team  had  twelve  players. 
In  case  you  don't  know,  Relievo  is  a 
game  where  the  players  run,  chase,  hide, 
are  captured,  freed  and  in  general  have 
few  rules  or  handicaps. 

John  E.   Lennon 

Painting 

We  have  been  very  busy  in  the  paint 
shop  this  winter.  The  major  jobs  which 
we  have  done  were  to  paint  the  old  dining 
room  in  the  main  building,  the  corridors 
and  stairways  in  that  building,  the  band 
hall,  and  the  printing  office  and  laundry. 
We  have  just  begun  to  paint  B  Building, 


and  we  expect  to  paint  the  complete  in- 
terior of  the  building.  This  will  take  us 
some  time. 

Every  so  often  we  stop  the  big  job  we 
are  doing  to  make  minor  repairs  on  win- 
dows, such  as  replacing  worn  sash  cords, 
broken  lights  of  glass,  and  so  forth. 

Edward  A.   Atton 

School  Work 

In  school  we  are  studying  about  the 
Panama  Canal.  By  treaty  in  1903  our 
country  secured  the  rights  to  build  a  canal 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  A  strip  of 
land  five  miles  deep  on  each  side  of  the 
canal,  known  as  the  Canal  Zone,  is  also 
United  States  Territory. 

Building  the  canal  was  a  very  difficult 
piece  of  engineering.  After  ten  years  of 
hard  work  the  canal  was  open  for  traffic, 
but  it  was  not  until  1920  that  our  govern- 
ment announced  the  official  opening.  The 
canal  is  a  little  less  than  51  statute  miles  in 
length. 

Donald  J.  Oke 

Show  Boat 
I  had  a  monitor's  week  end  recently 
and  went  to  see  the  movie  "Show  Boat." 
This  is  a  good  picture  for  anyone  to  see, 
for  it  is  full  of  fun  and  good  music.  The 
color  is  wonderful.  There  are  so  many 
people  in  the  picture  I  couldn't  list  them 
all,  but  they  do  a  wonderful  job  of  enter- 
taining.    See  the  picture  if  you  can. 

Ralph  R.  Schofield 

Kitchen    Work 

Two  weeks  ago  I  had  my  work 
changed  to  the  kitchen,  which  I  like  very 
much.  We  alternate  our  jobs  each  week 
from  vegetable  room  to  kitchen  to  bakery. 
The  instructors  have  let  me  do  quite  a  little 
cooking.  I  have  also  made  ice  cream, 
baked,  and  did  other  work  which  I  liked. 

Steven  R.  Wellington 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Cbompson's  Tsland  BeacoH 

Pobliibed     Monthly  by 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompion'i  Island,  Boitoa  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE    SCHOOL     FOR      BOYS     OF     EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY   ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES    AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS 


Vol.  57    No.  11 


March  1954 


Subicription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD  OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 
Alfred  C.  Malm.    Vice-President 
Howland  S.  Warren,    Treasurer 
Merton  P.   Ellis,   Secretary 
Bartlett  Harwood,  Jr.,  Assistant  Secretary 
Term  Expires  1955 

Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.  Mason 

Donald  S.   MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 
Augustus  P.  Loring,  III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.  Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William   M.    Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr. 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.  Osberg 

Term  Expires  1957 
George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Lawrence  Terry 
John  Q.   Adams 
Alton  B.  Butler 

Advisory    Committee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin  H.  Place,   M.  D. 
James  H.  Lowell 


The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


This  is  the  third  of  a  series  of  nine 
editorials  pertaining  to  the  major  features 
of  progress  of  our  school.  The  first  two 
appeared  in  the  November  and  December 
issues  of  the  BEACON.  Those  two  and 
this  one  have  to  do  with  The  Present- 
Where  Are  We? 

In  our  first  article  we  emphasized  the 
importance  of  a  well  organized  extra- 
curricular program  and  indicated  the  great 
strides  of  progress  of  our  school,  even  as 
a  pioneer  in  music  and  intramural  sports 
for  every  boy.  The  second  article  outlined 
our  very  broad  program  of  the  academic 
and  practical  experience,  with  the  empha- 
sis on  taking  responsibility. 

There  are  many,  many  important 
factors  in  achievement  such  as  this  school 
is  noted  for,  and  they  all  boil  down  to 
one  word.  People,  the  founders,  the 
supporters,  the  Trustees,  Alumni,  boys, 
and  the  Staff. 

Fifty  per  cent  of  the  present  staff 
members  have  an  average  length  of  service 
of  16  years,  8  months.  Length  of  service 
does  not  in  itself  prove  quality,  but  when 
longservice  is  linked  with  ability,  integrity 
and  the  other  essentials  of  leadership  of 
boys  you  have  a  total  organizational 
structure  hard  to  beat,  and  which,  inci- 
dentally, takes  years  of  continuously 
persistent  effort  to  assemble. 

The  other  part  of  the  team,  and  a 
vitally  important  part,  consists  of  the  Boys, 
the  enrolled  boys  living  at  this  home 
school  and  the  graduates.  The  Public 
knows  any  school  or  college  principally 
by  its  product,  and  ours  is  no  exception. 

The  Farm  and  Trades  School  is  well 
known,  but  not  widely  known,  for  the 
solid  citizenship  of  its  boys  and  alumni. 
One  of  the  many  indications  of  outstand- 
ing quality  was  shown  in  World  War  II, 
where  62  per  cent  of  our  lads  in  service  be- 
came officers,  as  against  45  per  cent  for  the 
entire  American  Armed  Services. 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Many  tributes  come  to  the  School, 
your  school  and  our  school.  You  would 
be  even  more  proud  of  her  if  you  could 
hear  them  all.  One  recent  tribute  picked 
at  random,  because  of  its  brevity,  is  written 
by  Dr.  Ray  Johns,  General  Secretary  of 
the  Boston  Y.  M.  C.  A.:  "The  School  is 
doing  a  very  fundamental  work.  The 
quality  of  its  work  and  the  high  regard  in 
which  it  is  held  is  a  fine  tribute  to  you." 

Topics  in  Brief 

Our  school  basketball  team  entered 
the  small  schools  tournament  and  played 
Chatham  high  school  on  March  5.  The 
game  was  played  at  Falmouth  and  our 
boys  were  defeated  89-52.  Even  though 
defeated,  the  boys  had  a  grand  trip  of 
80  miles,  going  by  private  bus  and  being 
accompanied  by  many  of  their  parents. 
This  game  ended  the  varsity  schedule  for 
this  year,  the  boys  winning  three  and 
losing  five  games. 

The  annual  King  Philip's  War  took 
place  on  February  22.  There  was  no  snow, 
which  took  away  some  of  the  fun,  yet  the 
armies  managed  to  stage  quite  a  battle. 
The  Indians,  led  by  Teyet  "King  Philip" 
Ramar,  defeated  the  Settlers,  led  by  Robert 
Fabello.  After  the  battle  refreshments 
were  served  to  both  armies  in  the  gym- 
nasium. A  6ne  biographical  movie  was 
enjoyed  in  the  evening. 

Basketball  has  been  the  main  rec- 
reational feature  of  the  month,  nine  teams 
having  played  at  least  one  regularly 
scheduled  game  each  week,  and  numerous 
informal  games  also  being  staged.  The 
varsity.  Sears  League  and  Nut  League 
make  it  possible  for  every  boy  to  take  part 
in  the  game.  The  interest  has  remained 
at  a  high  pitch  throughout  the  season. 


Our  bandmaster,  Frank  L.  Warren, 
has  returned  from  a  month's  vacation  in 
Florida,  where  he  became  associated  with 
musical  groups.  He  was  guest  conductor 
of  the  St.  Petersburg  Concert  Band,  and 
played  with  and  directed  other  bands. 
He  is  now  hard  at  work  drilling  our  boys 
for  several  appearances  this  spring  and 
early  summer,  a  very  important  one  being 
the  annual  spring  concert  at  Faneuil  Hall 
on  May  2. 

The  sixth  and  seventh  graders  com- 
bined to  present  an  instructive  and  enter- 
taining program  atthe  weekly  assembly  on 
February  15.  A  review  of  the  year  1953 
was  given,  with  each  pupil  presenting  an 
article  on  the  historical  significance  of  an 
outstanding  event.  Musical  selections  by 
class  members  rounded  out  an  excellent 
program. 

Everyone  at  the  school  is  very  grateful 
to  the  Alumni  Association  for  the  gift  of  a 
pound  of  delicious  chocolates  on  George 
Washington's  Birthday.  Funds  for  the 
chocolates  came  from  the  Richard  Bell 
Fund,  of  which  Merton  P.  Ellis,  '97,  is 
an  honorary  committee  member.  Mr. 
Ellis  saw  to  it  that  the  chocolates  were 
purchased  and  delivered  to  our  boat  in 
time  for  the  holiday. 

The  paint  shop  crew  has  painted 
both  the  printing  office  and  laundry  this 
month,  and  is  well  underway  with  the 
work  of  painting  the  interior  of  Dormitory 
B.  Many  minor  repair  jobs  have  been 
done  day  by  day  by  the   painters. 

The  freshman  class  entertained  atthe 
weekly  assembly  on  February  1,  by  giving 
an  amateur  "Talent  Scout"  program. 
The  program  was  built  on  the  idea  of 
pure  fun,  and  both  the  contestants  and  the 
audience  had  many  laughs  as  the  boys 
went  through  their  routines. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


We  had  a  gala  party  on  the  evening 
of  March  2,  the  occasion  being  the  birth- 
day of  Mr.  Meacham.  A  buflfet  supper 
was  served  in  the  gym,  and  was  concluded 
with  the  cutting  and  serving  of  a  huge 
birthday  cake.  Later,  in  the  assembly 
hall,  many  of  the  boys  and  instructors 
combined  to  present  a  program  of  enter- 
tainment, which  was  thoroughly  enjoyed. 

It  is  an  appropriate  time  to  note  that 
birthdays  and  notable  anniversaries  are 
given  recognition  throughout  the  year. 
Once  each  month  those  who  have 
birthdays  during  that  month  are  guests  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meacham  for  a  "Birthday 
Supper,"  and  this  happy  custom  has  grown 
to  be  a  tradition. 

A  Change 
Mr.  John  Bartram,  who  has  been  our 
minister  for  the  past  year  and  a  half  de- 
cided to  leave  us  to  work  for  a  church  in 
Portsmouth.  N.H.  In  his  place  Mr.  John 
Beauregard  has  come.  Mr.  Beauregard  was 
here  for  several  Sundays  last  summer,  and 
most  of  the  boys  know  him.  We  all  know 
we  will  like  Mr.  Beauregard,  even  though 
we  were  sorry  to  see  Mr.  Bartram  go. 

John  W.  Cronin 

Bats 

A  baby  bat  is  approximately  the  size 
of  a  honeybee.  It  clings  to  its  mother  as 
she  hangs  her  head  downward.  Bats  are 
born  in  dark  corners  of  attics,  barns  and 
caves.  At  dusk  the  mother  bat  creeps  to 
an  opening,  then  flies  to  a  tree.  She 
settles  on  a  high  branch,  hangs  her  baby 
from  a  twig  and  wraps  a  leaf  about  him. 
While  the  baby  bat  sleeps,  its  mother 
hunts  insects  for  food. 

Henry  T.  Murphy 

Office  Boy 
When  I  first  came  here  I  wanted  to 
be  office  boy.  But  1  did  not  get  the  chance 


right  away.  I  first  worked  in  Dormitory  B. 
Then  I  was  given  dining  room  work. 
Finally  I  was  changed  to  the  office.  Here 
I  do  quite  a  variety  of  things,  and  I  have 
found  that  it  is  a  very  responsible  job.  I 
like  the  work  very  much,  and  am  glad  I 
was  assigned  the  duty. 

Welter  E.   Grignon 

Printing  Lessons 

Each  afternoon  the  seventh  graders 
go  to  the  printing  office.  We  learn  how 
to  set  up  type,  lock  the  type  forms  in  the 
chases  and  run  the  presses.  This  week  we 
have  been  setting  articles  for  the  BEACON. 
The  name  of  the  type  we  use  is  Recut 
Caslon  for  the  body  of  the'article  and  New 
Caslon  for  the  title  and  author's  name. 
Each  line  is  sixteen  picas  in  width. 

Donald  E.   Robicheau 

My  Work 
Until  a  few  weeks  ago  I  worked  in 
the  dining  room.  Then  I  was  changed  to 
the  sewing  roon.  Here  we  have  the  job 
of  looking  over  all  the  boys'  laundry  and 
mending  it.  We  also  have  charge  of  all 
the  linen.  Baskets  of  clothing  come  to 
us  from  the  laundry.  After  mending  we 
fold  and  pack  the  laundry,  and  deliver 
the  baskets  to  the  dormitories.  The  sewing 
room  is  a  busy  place. 

Thomas  C.  Cronin 

King  Philip's  War 
On  Washington's  Birthday  we  played 
a  game  called  "King  Philip'sWar."  This 
is  usually  played  with  snow  forts,  and  it 
is  better  that  way,  but  this  year  the  ground 
was  bare  and  muddy,  so  we  made  changes 
in  the  rules.  The  battleground  was  the 
field  west  of  the  play  ground.  Two  fort 
areas  were  marked  out.  The  purpose  of 
the  game  was  to  capture  small  sacks  and 
hold  them  in  the  fort  until  the  end  of 
each  of  the  three  periods. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


There  were  two  teams,  the  Indians 
and  the  Settlers.  The  Indians  were  the 
first  to  attack,  the  Settlers  fighting  to  keep 
the  bags  they  had.  In  the  next  period 
the  Indians  had  the  sacks  and  were  at- 
tacked by  the  Settlers.  In  the  third  and 
deciding  period  the  sacks  were  placed 
midway  between  the  forts  and  the  armies 
charged  to  capture,  secure  and  deliver  the 
sacks  to  their  forts. 

After  the  final  whistle  the  points  were 
counted  and  the  Indians  were  the  winners. 
Teyet  Ramar  was  King  Philip,  and 
Robert  Fabello  General  of  the  Settlers. 
Each  army  cheered  the  other,  and  then 
everyone  went  to  the  gymnasium  for 
refreshments  of  cocoa  and  doughnuts. 

The  leaders  of  the  Indians,  who  won, 
were: 

King  Philip  Teyet  Ramar 

Big  Chief  Robert  W.  Wright 

Little  Chief  Albert  E.  Merrill 

First  Warrior        Alexander  D.  Marinakis 
Second  Warrior  Bruce  Alexander 

Third  Warrior  Larry  E.  Garside 

Medicine  Man        Kenneth  C.  Alexander 

The  officers  of  the  Setder's  army  were: 
General  of  the  Army  Robert  Fabello 

Captain  William  H.  Dillon 

First  Lieutenant  Stanton  H.  Pearson 

Second  Lieutenant  Loren  E.  Cain 


First  Sergeant 
Second  Sergeant 
Color  Bearer 


Edward  M.  Walker 
Gerald  Brig^s 
Douglas  Boyd 

Richard  B.  Pulsifer 


Honor  Roll  —  Winter  Term 

The  highest  academic  averages  in  each  class  group 
Junior  Class 

Ralph  A.  Hopkins 
David  A.  Pulsifer 

Sophomore  Class 

William  H.    Dillon 
Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Freshman  Class 

William  F.  James 
Richard  T.  Castonguay 


Eighth  Grade    Division    A 

Larry  E.  Garside 

Barry  R.  Fuller 

Eighth  Grade  Division  B 

Howard  E.    Murphy,  II 
Bruce  Alexander 

Seventh  Grade 

Robert  H.  Grignon 
Malcolm  E.  Cameron,  Jr. 

Sixth  Grade 

Walter  E.  Grignon,  Jr. 
George  D.  McPeek 

Best  Citizenship 

"A"  Rank  general  conduct  and  effort 
in  each  class  group 

Sophomore  Class 

Edward  A.  Atton 
William   H.  Dillon 

Robert  Fabello 

S.  Newcomb  Graham 

David  W.  Howard 

David  E.  LeVeille 

Richard  A.  Ostrander 

Norman  W,  Sellevaag 

Freshman  Class 

Thomas   Angelos 

Gerald  L.  Briggs 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Albert  K.  Ellis 

William  F.  James 

Albert  E.  Merrill 

Paul  E.  Parker 

Carleton  G.  Skinner 

Steven  R.  Wellington 

Eighth  Grade  Division  A 

Larry  E.    Garside 
Alexander  D.  Marinakis 

Eighth  Grade  Division  B 

Howard  E.  Murphy,  II 
Ralph  R.  Schofield 

Seventh  Grade 

Robert  H.  Grignon 

Donald  E.  Robicheau 

Donald  J.  Oke 

Sixth  Grade 

George  D.  McPeek 
Richard  L.  Sawyer 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAiND    BEACON 


ZU  Alumni  Jfssociation  of  the  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butler,  '26,  Preiident 

Newton,  Mass. 
Donald  S.  MacPhbrson  '17,    Treasurer 
Wollaston,   Mass. 


John  Patterson  '43  Vice-President 
W.   Medford,  Mast. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Secretaiy 
No.  Wilrainjton,   Mass. 
G.   George   LarsSON,  '17,    Historian 
Hyde  Park, Mass. 


Darwin  C.  Baird,  '45,  grew  from 
babyhood  to  young  manhood  on  Thomp- 
son's Island.  During  this  span  of  nearly 
two  decades  he  gained  the  friendship  of 
a  large  percentage  of  our  Alumni  mem- 
bership, all  of  whom  will  be  gratified  to 
learn  of  his  notable  accomplishments. 

The  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mark  C. 
Baird,  instructors  here  since  1928,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  our  sixth  grade  in  1940, 
and  graduated  in  1945.  He  participated 
in  all  of  the  school  activities,  being  espec- 
ially prominent  in  the  band,  dramatics, 
and  athletics.  In  the  fall  of  1945  he  con- 
tinued his  preparatory  school  work  at 
Mount  Hermon  School,  graduating  in 
1948.  At  Mount  Hermon  he  excelled  in 
athletics,  as  well  as  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  many  and  varied  Hermon 
functions. 

In  September,  1948,  he  enrolled  at 
Park  College,  Parkville,  Missouri,  major- 
ing in  Social  Sciences  and  Economics. 
His  college  career  was  one  of  continual 
activity,  for  he  was  an  enthusiastic  member 
of  the  college  athletic  teams,  and  drama 
and  music  clubs.  He  received  his  degree 
in  1952.  Among  many  honors  he  won 
were  membership  in  the  Beta  Chapter  of 
Mu  Sigma,  the  national  music  fraternity, 
and  being  listed  as  outstanding  in  the 
American  College  Student  Leaders  Hand- 
book. 

He  gave  considerable  thought  to  the 
immediate  future  and  decided  that  his 
best  interests  lay  with  the  United  States 
Air  Force.  He  enrolled  at  Northwestern 
University  for  a  short  intensive  course  in 
specialized  mathematics.  Completing  this 
work,  he  enlisted  in  the  air  force  program 
for  college  graduates  and  was  assigned  to 


Ellington  Air  Force  Base  in  Texas.  He 
soon  discovered  that  there  was  little  time 
for  anything  but  work,  hard  work,  and 
plenty  of  it.  Eventually  his  first  goal  was 
achieved,  that  of  his  commission  in  the 
air  corps  as  a  lieutenant.  Soon  after  he 
was  awarded  his  wings. 

On  last  December  12  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Patricia  Louise  Cole,  of  Dallas, 
Texas,  a  classmate  at  Park.  The  young 
couple  had  known  each  other  for  years, 
and  the  bride  has  visited  us  here,  so  that 
we  at  the  School  had  a  very  personal  in- 
terest in  the  marriage.  Darwin's  parents 
flew  to  Dallas  for  the  ceremony,  which 
was  performed  by  Dr.  William  Elliot,  Jr. 
Lieut,  and  Mrs,  Baird  left  after  the  re- 
ception for  a  honeymoon  trip  to  the  West 
Coast.  They  are  now  at  home  at  1550 
Orange  Avenue,  Apartment  E,  East  Del 
Pasa  Heights,  California.  Lieut.  Baird  is 
on  duty  at  a  Sacramento  air  force  base. 

Our  heartiest  wishes  for  continued 
success  is  extended  to  our  young  gradu- 
ate. To  Darwin  and  Pat,  as  they  are  known 
to  their  Thompson's  Island  friends,  we 
extend  sincere  congratulations.  Perhaps 
circumstances  may  permit  them  to  visit 
here  in  the  not  too  distant  future.  We 
hope  so! 

John  B.  Mason,  '51,  was  married 
on  February  14  to  Miss  Concetta  Natale 
Morganti.  Our  best  wishes  are  extended 
the  happy  couple,  who  are  at  home  at 
299  Cross  St.,  Maiden,  Mass.  John  joined 
the  Navy  in  1951.  His  brother,  Joseph 
B.  Mason,  is  also  in  the  Navy.  He  has 
kept  up  his  study  of  the  euphonium,  and 
enjoys  his  musical  connections.  His  home 
address  is  276  Cambridge  St.,  Boston. 


Vol.  57  No.  12  Printed  at  The  Farm  and  Trades  School,  Boston,  Mass.  April,  1954 

Entered  November  3,  1903  at  Boiton,  Mmss.,  at  Second  Class  matter,  under  Act  of  Congress,  of  July  6,  1874 


The  Boston  Farm  School  Offering 

Second  in  a  series  of  articles  reprinted  from  paper 
titled  as  above,  Vol.  1,  No.  2,  May  1859. 

Lines  to  My  Mother 

0  Mother  dear!     if  you  should  die, 

And  leave  me  all  alone, 
How  bitterly  would  I  then  cry! — 
For  then  all  would  be  gone. 

And  mother,  mother,  ever  dear, 

Who  loves  me  more  than  you?  — 

Who  always  wished  to  have  me  near, 
Some  kindly  act  to  do. 

Yes  Mother  dear,  I,  too,  love  you, 
And  long  your  voice  to  hear: 

I'll  ne'er  forget  you;  if  I  do, 

'Twill  break  your  heart,  I  fear. 

Mother,  so  kind  and  always  true. 
When  I  become  a  man, 

1  then  will  take  all  care  of  you. 

And  do  the  best  I  can. 

And,  when  we've  lived  in  peace  and  love 

And  happiness  together, 
Our  God  will  take  us  high  above, 

To  dwell  with  Him  for  ever. 

H.  D.  Forest    Gurney 
Farm  School,  April  10,   1859.     Age  12. 

Faneuil  Hall  Band  Concert  Notice 

The  Annual  Spring  Concert  of  our 

school  Band  will  be  given  at  Faneuil  Hall, 

in  Boston,  on  May  2,  at  two  o'clock.    A 

most  cordial  invitation  is  extended  to  all 


our  friends  to  attend  this  concert,  and  we 
do  hope  that  you  will  come.  This  will  be 
the  eighteenth  successive  year  that  the  boys 
have  given  their  spring  concert  in  historic 
Faneuil  Hall. 

Those  who  have  attended  the  Faneuil 
Hall  concerts  have  enjoyed  them  very 
much,  and  we  know  that  this  year  the 
music  will  be  equal,  or  even  surpass,  that 
of  all  of  the  concerts  in  this  series.  A 
varied,  interesting  program  is  assured 
which  we  are  sure  will  please  all  those  in 
attendance. 

The  boys  have  rehearsed  painstaking- 
ly and  diligently  throughout  the  winter 
months,  and  they  welcome  this  oppor- 
tunity to  show  their  friends  what  has  been 
accomplished.  We  feel  sure  that  you  will 
agree  that  their  music  study  has  been 
fruitful. 

In  May  the  Band  will  participate  in 
the  regional  and  New  England  school 
music  festivals.  These  events  are  attended 
by  thousands  of  school  musicians,  and 
are  a  great  inspiration  to  the  young  school 
musicians.  It  is  a  wonderful  experience 
to  be  a  participant  in  these  school  music 
festivals. 

The  expenses  for  the  Festivals,  as  well 
as  the  Faneuil  Hall  concert,  are  met  by 
contributions.  If  you  feel  disposed  towards 
helping  meet  these  expenses,  a  small  gift 
sent  to  the  Band  Fund  at  the  School  will 
be  gratefully  received  and  acknowledged. 


THOMPSON'S   ISLAND    BEACON 


Please  do  not  make  any  contributions  at 
Faneuil  Hall. 

The  success  of  our  Band  depends  in 
a  large  measure  upon  the  always  faithful 
interest  of  the  hosts  of  friends  who  have 
been  interested  in  the  boys  over  a  period 
of  many  years.  Indeed,  our  friends  are 
a  vital  factor  in  promoting  interest  and 
enthusiasm.  We  do  hope  that  you  will 
attend  the  Faneuil  Hall  concert,  and 
bring  friends  if  you  wish.  No  further  in- 
vitation than  this  is  necessary.  May  we 
see  you  at  Faneuil  Hall  on  May  2? 

A  Real  Pal 

A  dog  is  a  real  pal  and  an  ideal 
companion,  bringing  joy  and  happiness  to 
the  master's  heart.  Although  human 
friendships  can  be  hurt  by  unkind  words 
or  deeds,  the  loyalty  of  a  dog  to  his 
master  is  always  true.  Therefore  whoever 
owns  a  dog  should  try  and  make  it  happy, 
his  good  for  children  to  own  dogs.  Dogs 
will  play  with  them,  and  watch  out  for 
them.  Sometimes  it  seems  as  though  dogs 
like  children  more  than  they  do  grown 
ups.  I  like  dogs,  and  have  one,  who  is 
now  getting  quite  old.  She  is  an  ideal 
companion. 

Norman  W.  Sellevaag 

Sunday  Afternoon  Activities 
Last  Sunday  afternoon  some  of  the 
boys  went  on  a  beach  walk.  When  we 
got  to  Bowditch  Grove  we  stopped  and 
chose  sides  to  play  relievo.  We  played 
for  a  long  time.  Then  we  continued  on 
our  beach  walk.  After  supper  we  watched 
television.  Then  we  had  our  Sunday  night 
church  service.  Mr.  Beauregard  is  our 
minister. 

George  D.  McPeek 

Sophomore  Assembly 

This  week,  on  March  22,  the  sopho- 
mores had  the  privilege  of  giving  the 
entertainment    at   the   weekly   assembly. 


Ourprincipal,  Mr.  Rose,  was  in  charge  of 
the  rehearsals  and  it  took  two  weeks  to 
prepare  the  show. 

The  assembly  opened  by  the  school 
singing  a  favorite  song,  then  the  cla^^s 
program  began.  It  opened  with  a  group 
of  songs  by  the  class  quartette,  called  the 
Monotones.  One  of  the  songs  was 
written  especially  for  the  quartette  and 
was  called,  "Across  the  Bay."  Those  in 
the  quartette  were  David  LeVeille, 
William  Dillon,  David  Pulsifer  and  Teyet 
Ramar. 

Second  on  the  program  was  a  mono- 
logue by  Norman  Sellevaag.  His  stage 
name  was  Dusty  Brake  Beans.  There 
were  plenty  of  laughs  as  he  gave  "I  Am 
Whom?"  Following  this  there  was  a 
blackface  monologue  by  David  Howard. 
As  Romeo  Howard  he  gave  "Me  and 
My  Gal."  The  third  monologue  was  by 
Robert  Fabello.  As  Harry  the  Hobo  he 
gave  "The  Knight  of  the  Ties." 

The  third  and  closing  part  of  the  en- 
tertainment was  another  group  of  songs  by 
the  Monotones. 

The  school  band  followed  the  class 
program  with  a  group  of  selections  in- 
cluding the  Determination  Overture  and 
Gate  City  March. 

Mr.  Meacham  then  made  the  inter- 
esting and  important  announcement  of 
scholastic  honors  of  the  graduating  class. 
The  valedictorian  for  the  class  of  1954  is 
William  H.  Dillon  and  the  salutatorian  is 
David  E.  LeVeille.  They  were  warmly 
applauded. 

The  singing  of  another  song  by  the 
school  completed  the  assembly. 

David  W.  Howard 

Our  Major  Sport 
In  the  minds  of  many  of  the  boys 
here  football  is  the  major  sport.  Of  course 
baseball,  basketball  and  other  games  have 
their  place  but  we  all  long  for  the  fall 
season  and  the    first   football   drill.     We 


THOMPSONS  ISLAND  BEACON 


begin  in  the  early  part  of  September  aud 
drill  daily.  After  a  few  days  our  coach 
has  determined  who  will  be  on  the  varsity 
squad.  He  keeps  twenty-two  boys,  and 
a  first  and  second  team  is  organized. 
After  a  month  of  practice  the  squad  is 
ready  for  the  first  of  a  seven  game  season. 
Each  boy  gives  his  all  for  his  team  and 
thus  for  his  school.  Truly,  football  is  our 
major  sport,  and  from  it  we  learn  loyalty, 
sportsmanship  and  courage. 

Teyet  Ramar  II 

The  Library 

Our  library  room  is  opened  several 
times  every  day  so  that  we  can  read 
magazines  and  exchange  books.  Mr. 
Rose  is  the  librarian  and  he  has  assistants 
from  the  boys.  Most  of  the  popular 
magazines  are  on  the  library  table  and 
back  issues  are  kept  on  file.  There  is  a 
wide  variety  of  fiction,  as  well  as  a  good 
selection  of  books  on  biography,  history 
and  travel.  Many  reference  books  are  on 
hand  to  help  us  with  our  school  work. 

The  library  is  used  for  school  work, 
for  we  get  the  books  we  need  for  required 
reading  there.  Also  most  of  us  like  to 
read  for  pleasure,  and  the  library  has 
many  steady  borrowers.  New  books  are 
being  added  almost  every  week. 

Larry  E.  Garside 

Pleasant  Weather 
We  don't  seem  to  have  the  cold, 
snowy  weather  that  used  to  be  the  New 
England  winter.  For  the  past  months  the 
days  have  been  mild  and  pleasant.  On 
Saturdays  and  Sundays  the  weather  has 
been  perfect  for  hiking  around  the  beach 
and  playing  games  in  the  north  end  grove. 
On  some  days  the  ocean  has  been  as  calm 
as  a  lake.  Of  course  winter  is  not  over 
yet  and  we  may  still  get  an  old-fashioned 
winter  snowstorm. 

Robert  H.  Grignon 


Astronomy 

Astronomy  is  the  scientific  study  of 
the  stars  and  other  heavenly  bodies.  It 
originated  when  the  need  of  designated 
time  intervals  came  into  being.  The 
Greeks  were  the  first  people  to  make  a 
serious  study  of  astronomy.  Among 
the  great  students  of  the  science  were 
Pythagoras,  Ptolemy,  Capernicus,  and 
Galileo,  among  others.  To  them  we 
owe  much  of  our  present  knowledge  of 
the  stars.  In  the  years  to  come,  as  we 
learn  more  and  more  about  astronomy, 
we  may  be  able  to  explore  other  planets 
in  our  solar  system. 

John  A.  Fritz 

A  New^  Boy's  Opinion 
I  came  to  this  School  abouttwo  months 
ago,  and  must  admit  I  didn't  think  I 
would  like  it.  Before  long  I  found  out  I 
was  certainly  wrong,  for  F.  T.  S.  is  a  very 
good  place.  The  boys  are  all  friendly, 
and  it  didn't  take  me  long  to  get  to  know 
everyone.  Someone  asked  me  if  I  was 
homesick  at  first.  No,  I  wasn't.  This  is 
all  I  am  going  to  write  for  now. 

Joseph  F.  McDonough 

A  Driving  Lesson 
Last  week  I  took  my  first  driving 
lesson.  It  lasted  about  30  minutes.  When 
we  started  I  was  shown  how  the  controls 
of  the  car  were  operated,  and  given  in- 
struction on  some  rules  of  the  road.  We 
drove  through  town  and  out  into  the 
country.  Then  I  took  the  wheel.  I  first 
learned  how  to  start  and  stop  smoothly. 
Then  I  learned  how  to  back  up.  We 
stayed  on  a  side  road  for  twenty  minutes 
practicing.  When  the  lesson  was  over  I 
had  a  test,  that  of  driving  the  car  to  my 
home,  which  I  did  without  any  trouble.  I 
might  say  that  I  was  a  little  proud  of  my- 
self^. 

Robert  Fabello 


THOMPSONS    ISLAND     BEACON 


Cbompson's  Tsland  Beacon 

Publiibed     Monthly  bT 

THE  FARM  AND  TRADES  SCHOOL 

Thompsofl't  Uland.  Boiton  Harbor 

A     PRIVATE     SCHOOL     FOR       BOYS     OF     EXCELLENT 

CHARACTER    SUPPORTED    BY    ENDOWMENTS. 

TUITION    FEES     AND     SUBSCRIPTIONS 


Vol.57     No.  12 


April  1954 


Subicription  Price 


One  Dollar  Per  Year 


BOARD   OF    TRUSTEES 


Calvin  Page  Bartlett,    President 
Alfred  C.  Malm.    Vice-President 
Howland  S.   Warren,     Treasurer 
Merton  P.    Ellis,   Secretary 
Bartlett  Harwood,  Jr.,  Assistant  Secretary 

Term   Expires   1955 
Gorham  Brooks 
Charles  E.    Mason 

Donald  S.    MacPherson 
Philip  H.  Theopold 

Augustus  P.   Loring,   III 
Robert  H.   Gardiner 
A.   Conrad  Ericsson 

Term  Expires  1956 
Leverett  Saltonstall 
Moses  Williams 

William    M.    Meacham 
George  S.  Mumford,  Jr, 
Frederic  Winthrop 
John  Lowell 

Edward  V.   Osberg 

Term  Expires  1957 

George  P.  Denny,  M.  D. 
Ralph  B.  Williams 

Thomas  Temple  Pond 
Mason  Sears 

Lawrence  Terry 
John  O.    Adams 
Alton  B.  Butler 

Adviiory    Commitlee 
N.   Penrose  Hallowell 
Edwin   H.   Place,   M.   D. 
James  H.    Lowell 

The  greatest  need  of  the  world  to-day 
is  the  rebuilding  of  the  Christian  spirit  of 
service,  the  basic  development  plan  at  our 
home  school.  Why  not  help  a  fine,  worthy 
boy  achieve  his  goal  by  making  a  financial 
contribution  to  America's  best  investment? 


The  Past — Where  have  we  been?  To 
condense  more  than  a  century  of  glorious 
history  into  onecolumn  isimpossible  but  a 
few  significant  milestones  can  be  spotted. 

From  the  time  in  1814  when  the  first 
of  three  schools  was  organized,  and  all 
since  been  joined  as  one,  the  aim  and 
objectives  has  been  to  provide  an  edu- 
cation, vocational  and  academic,  and  the 
other  essentials  of  normal,  happy  living 
for  the  development  of  good  boys  who 
by  unfortunate  circumstances  or  inadequate 
facilities  would  otherwise  be  deprived  of 
the  advantages  which  every  American 
boy  ought  to  have. 

In  spite  of  measre  finances  for  this 
worthy  project  the  men  of  Boston  who 
had  this  vision  were  tenacious  in  their 
determination  to  establish  and  maintain  a 
real  haven  for  boys.  The  purchase  of 
Thompson's  Island,  almost  barren, 
treeless,  unimproved,  a  157-acre  sheep 
pasture,  in  1832,  marked  the  most  cou- 
rageous and  important  step  in  the  real 
birth  of  our  present  school. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  there  was  never  a 
time  when  the  school  was  not  confronted 
with  problems.  The  record  indicates 
many  discouragements  along  the  way, 
but  with  the  objective  of  smoothing  the 
road  of  life  and  bridging  turbulent  waters 
of  stress  for  future  youth  to  follow,  the 
School  continued  ever  toward  higher 
goals  for  its  young  charges. 

Her  accomplishments  are  not  unlike 
the  satisfactions  of  middle  aged  parents 
who  have  successfully  reared  and  provided 
for  a  large  family  of  outstanding  young- 
sters and  seen  them  take  their  places  as 
leaders  in  our  great  American  way  of  life, 
multiplied  a  thousand-fold. 

As  in  every  household,  there  are 
problems.  Our  greatest  problem  of  the 
momentconsists  of  our  inability  to  render 
maximum    service    because    of    lowered 


THOMPSONS    ISLAND    BEACON 


enrollment  brought  about  by  "Govern- 
ment Aid"  and  the  reluctance  of  the 
School  to  wage  a  vigorous,  continuous 
campaign  of  publicity  and  field  work, 
which,  indeed,  was  not  until  recent  years 
necessary. 

The  association  of  islands  of  Boston 
Harbor  as  places  of  penal  institutions,  in 
the  minds  of  many  uninformed  people, 
has  led  to  much  inaccurate  and  unfavorable 
opinion.  This  has  been  dispelled  to  a 
considerable  degree  in  the  last  twenty-five 
years  by  our  Band's  annual  appearances 
throughout  New  England  and  our  athletic 
teams  playing  in  eastern  Massachusetts, 
talks  given  at  many  civic  clubs  and 
churches,  generous  free  publicity  in  the 
Press  and  over  the  Radio,  and  by  a 
considerable  number  of  book  and 
magazine  articles.  Not  the  least  of  these 
items  of  publicity  was  the  colorful  blotter 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Boston  given 
very  wide  distribution,  portraying  Ameri- 
ca's First  Boys'  Band  established  at  The 
Farm  and  Trades  School  in  1857. 

Topics  in  Brief 

Our  school  band  entertained  the 
members  of  the  Blue  Room  Club,  a  Mas- 
onic organization,  on  March  13.  Howard 
B.  Ellis,  '98,  was  host  to  the  boys  and 
saw  that  they  were  well  taken  care  of.  The 
boys  had  an  excellent  dinner  and  then 
played  their  concert  in  the  George  Brown 
auditorium  of  the  New  England  Conserva- 
tory of  Music.  Several  hundred  members 
of  the  Club  made  up  an  enthusiastic  audi- 
ence. Following  the  hour-long  concert 
there  was  an  entertainment  by  professional 
talent. 

A  special  meeting  of  a  representative 
group  of  alumni  was  held  at  the  Parker 
House  on  April  5.  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
school's  Board  of  Trustees.    The  purpose 


of  the  meeting  was  to  suggest  a  program 
of  advancement  for  our  school  to  cover  a 
period  of  the  next  ten  years,  or  longer. 
An  enthusiastic  group  was  present,  and 
many  valuable  suggestions  received.  The 
meeting  was  adjourned  until  April  20,  at 
the  Parker  House. 

The  boys  in  the  sixth  grade  are  en- 
gaged in  the  fascinating  hobby  of  corres- 
ponding with  youngsters  in  foreign  lands, 
through  association  with  the  International 
Friendship  League.  Many  times  in  the 
past  our  school  has  had  pleasant  contacts 
with  the  League,  and  our  Band  has  furn- 
ished music  upon  occasion  for  the  short 
wave  broadcasts  sponsored  by  the  League. 

Our  library  has  been  enriched  through 
the  gift  of  a  set  of  Encyclopedia  Brittanica, 
which  we  appreciate  highly.  These  vol- 
umes, and  others,  were  received  from 
Miss  C.  Ina  Carrigan.  Our  library,  which 
was  completely  reorganized  last  year,  is  a 
source  of  considerable  interest  to  most  of 
our  boys,  and  several  have  served  as 
assistant  librarians. 

The  recreational  interests  of  the  boys 
have  been  centered  upon  the  beginning 
of  the  baseball  season.  The  work  of  getting 
both  the  Softball  and  baseball  fields  in 
good  condition  is  almost  finished,  and  we 
expect  games  in  these  sports  to  be  played 
by  mid-April.  The  basketball  season, 
which  has  just  ended,  was  completed  by 
the  annual  foul  shooting  competition,  in 
which  most  of  the  boys  took  part. 

The  sophomore  class  entertained  on 
March  22  at  the  regular  weekly  assembly. 
The  boys  gave  very  clever  monologues, 
in  costume,  and  a  class  quartet  sang  four 
numbers.  One  of  the  songs  was  written 
especially  for  the  occasion.  The  program 
was  very  much  enjoyed. 


THOMPSON'S  ISLAND  BEACON 


Our  paint  shop  crew  is  rapidly 
nearing  the  completion  of  completely 
redecorating  Dormitory  B,  and  the  boys 
are  very  proud  of  their  fine  job.  Some 
linoleum  in  the  basement  corridors  of  the 
dormitories  is  being  replaced.  These, 
with  routine  maintenance  jobs,  keep  the 
painters  busy. 

The  freshman  class  prepared  a  cos- 
tumed entertainment  on  March  29,  which 
featured  instrumental  and  vocal  popular 
selections.  Most  of  the  class  members 
took  part.  Harold  Spurling  acted  as  the 
master  of  ceremony  for  his  class. 

Some  of  the  boys  had  the  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  popular,  colorful  musical 
"Oklahoma,"  at  the  Boston  Opera  House 
on  April  3.  They  enjoyed  the  musical 
very  much,  and  were  thrilled  by  the  stage 
settings. 

Our  maintenance  crew  has  built  a 
rugged  cart  to  be  tractor  pulled.  This  will 
be  utilized  in  many  ways,  and  will  prove 
to  be  a  valuable  piece  of  equipment. 

The  farm  boys  have  done  a  good  job 
in  making  carpentry  repairs  to  the  storage 
barn.  The  east  end  of  the  barn  was 
completely  shingled. 

My  Thoughts 
1  like  school  on  Thompson's  Island. 
Here  we  have  the  chance  to  learn  how  to 
do  so  many  things  that  if  I  listed  them  it 
would  take  a  whole  column.  It  is  a  lot 
different  than  going  to  public  school 
where  all  I  had  was  class  work.  Here  we 
have  farming,  slovd,  music,  printing  and 
athletics  which  I  like  especially  and  many 
other  interests  which  the  other  boys  like. 

Barry  R.  Fuller 

An  Unusual  Hobby 

One  of  my  friends  has  an  interesting 
hobby.  He  catches  field  mice  and  puts 
them  through    an    intelligence    test.     He 


puts  a  mouse  in  a  box  with  a  hole  in  it  to 
see  how  long  it  will  take  the  mouse  to  find 
the  hole.  Next  he  puts  the  mouse  in  a 
box  which  has  a  maze  of  mirrors  and  sees 
how  long  it  takes  the  mouse  to  find  an  ex- 
cape  hole.  The  last  test  is  the  most 
exciting.  The  mouse  is  put  on  a  little 
island,  with  a  rope  ladder  leading  to  a 
block  of  cheese.  A  smart  mouse  will 
climb  the  ladder,  while  another  will  swim, 
hunting  for  an  exit. 

This  is  what  I  call  a  very  unusual 
hobby. 

Loren  E.  Cain 

Spring  on  Thompson's  Island 
The  spring  season  at  the  School  is 
very  interesting.  There  are  so  many  things 
to  be  done  that  we  wonder  whether  we 
are  going  to  have  time  to  do  them.  The 
lawns,  shrubbery,  walks,  baseball  and  * 
Softball  fields  all  need  to  be  put  in  shape. 
The  flower  gardens  are  planted.  On  the 
farm  the  land  has  to  be  made  ready  for 
the  seed,  and  the  farm  crews  work  hard, 
because  the  spring  season  is  short  and  time 
is  precious.  The  island  is  certainly  beauti- 
ful in  May.  The  boys  pitch  in  so  that 
everything  will  be  in  top  shape  by  the  time 
early  summer  arrives.  Yes,  in  the  spring- 
time there  is  a  lot  to  be  done,  and  we  do 
it.  Then  all  through  the  summer  we 
enjoy  the  results  of  our  spring  work. 

David  E.  LeVeille 

City  Life 

Although  it  must  be  said  that  there 
are  advantages  when  one  lives  in  the  city, 
it  must  also  be  admitted  that  there  are 
many  disadvantages.  In  a  crowded  section 
of  a  city  especially,  one  will  wake  up  to 
the  noise  of  trucks  and  cars,  and  often 
to  odors  from  factories  or  mills.  The  sun- 
light which  comes  through  the  windows 
isn't  much,  and  the  view  is  the  side  of  the 
next  house.  When  going  to  work  one  is 
pushed  and  jostled  in  a  bus  or  subway  car. 


THOMPSON'S    ISLAND    BEACON 


There  are  many  disadvantages  to  life  in 
a  city. 

In  the  country  one  wakes  to  the 
sounds  of  birds.  The  houses  have  big 
yards.  Shrubbery  and  flower  gardens  are 
common.  One  walks  to  work  along  a 
pretty  road,  or  drives  on  a  quiet  highway. 
There  isn't  the  haste,  noise  or  crowds,  and 
life  seems  much  more  peaceful. 

William  H.  Dillon 

Printing  Ofl&ce  Painted 
You  will  be  glad  to  see  our  printing 
office,  for  it  has  just  been  painted.  The 
new  color  is  a  light  green  with  brown 
trimmings.  The  paint  shop  crew  did  a 
very  excellent  and  speedy  job.  On  your 
next  trip  to  the  school  be  sure  to  visit  the 
printing  office. 

0  David  W.  Howard 

'  ,  Competition 

Open  competition  is  the  life  of  trade. 
In  the  manufacturing  of  any  item  the 
management  tries  to  produce  a  better 
article,  to  be  sold  at  less  cost,  than  that  of 
his  competitors.  The  competition  in 
business  must  be  met,  and  when  it  is  the 
company  prospers.  Some  big  companies 
spend  much  money  experimenting  to 
discover  new  products  and  better,  cheaper 
ways  of  manufacturing  old  ones. 

S.  Newcomb  Graham 

Additional  Alumni  Notes 

Among  visitors  to  the  School  during 
the  month  were  two  of  our  younger  grad- 
uates, Wayne  D.  Suitor,  '50  and  Malcolm 
C.  Wiley,  '49.  Both  are  Korean  war 
veterans,  having  joined  the  service  after 
their  graduation  from  Waltham  and 
Weymouth  high  schools  respectively. 
They  have  been  assigned  duty  in  this 
country  to  finish  out  their  enlistment. 

Frederick  E.  Munich,  '20,  is  very 
much   interested    in  the    activities    of  his 


Alma  Mater,  and  plans  at  least  one  visit 
to  an  alumni  gathering  annually.  He  has 
been  for  many  years  associated  with  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  and 
is  listed  in  "Who's  Who  in  Engineering." 
He  was  recently  awarded  the  Pratt 
Institute  Engineers  Alumni  Association 
Key  for  1953  for  "outstanding  services  for 
the  alumni  association."  He  lives  in 
Glen  Rock,  N.  J.,  at  474  South  Maple 
Avenue. 

Robert  W.  Sanborn,  '50,  is  a 
sophomore  at  Rutgers  University.  His 
principal  subjects  include  English,  Latin, 
Psychology  and  Sociology.  He  is  active 
in  many  college  activities,  including  the 
R.  O.  T.  C,  the  French  Club.  Political 
Science  Club  and  the  fencing  team.  Bob 
is  to  be  congratulated  on  his  fine  work, 
for  he  has  earned  most  of  his  high  school 
and  college  expenses  by  excellent  scho- 
lastic attainments  and  initiative.  He  was 
awarded  scholarships  which  completely 
cover  his  tuition,  and  works  part  time  in 
the  college  book  store  and  cafeteria  to 
pay  for  his  living  expenses.  He  has  won 
numerous  prizes  for  his  public  speaking 
ability. 

The  above  article  pertaining  to  Bob 
Sanborn  gives  us  the  opportunity  to  reflect 
on  the  fine  records  our  alumni  achieve  in 
advanced  schools.  The  lessons  which  they 
learned  here  have  developed  their  respon- 
sibility, initiative,  enterprise,  and,  above 
all,  gives  them  a  character  which  makes 
them  "stand  out."  It  gives  us  tremendous 
satisfaction  to  have  these  boys  do  so  well, 
and  to  have  them  look  back  on  their 
Thompson's  Island  days  as  the  firm  found- 
ation upon  which  they  have  been  able  to 
build  their  educational  careers.  Good 
luck  to  our  young  graduates  now  making 
a  name  for  themselves  in  high  school  and 
college! 


THOMPSON'S     ISLAWD    BEACON 


Che  Jflumni  JI$$ociatio«  of  Cbe  farm  and  trades  School 


Alton  B.  Butlkr,  '26.  Preiident  John  Patterson  '43  Vice-Pretident 

Newton,  M«»».  W.  Medford,  Mim. 

Donald  S.  MacPherson  "17,    Treaiurer 
Wollaiton,   Mail. 


William  C.  Burns.  '37,  Sccretaiy 
No.  Wilmintton,   Mass. 
G.  George  Larsson,  '17,  Historiao 
Hyde   Park. Mass. 


We  are  saddened  to  report  the  death 
of  Norman  F.  Morse,  '85,  at  his  home 
on  Bridge  Street,  Chatham,  on  March  17. 
He  was  77  at  the  time  of  his  death 
and  had  enjoyed  reasonably  good  health. 

Mr.  Morse  was  born  on  Thompson's 
Island,  in  the  farm  house  at  the  southern 
part  of  the  island.  He  was  the  son  of 
John  Ripley  and  Sarah  J.  Morse.  His 
father  was  active  as  a  member  of  the 
school  staff  for  many  years,  and  organized 
and  directed  the  school  band  for  half  a 
century. 

One  of  our  older  alumni,  Mr.  Morse 
retained  a  deep  interest  in  the  School 
throughout  his  lifetime,  and  served  as  an 
alumni  representative  on  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  He  was  a  frequent  visitor  here, 
especially  on  Alumni  Field  Days.  His 
hobby  was  photography,  and  he  had 
many  excellent  collections  of  photographs 
of  the  school  and  its  work  taken  through 
the  years,  which  he  was  always  happy  to 
show  at  alumni  gatherings. 

He  retired  three  years  ago,  after 
having  served  for  many  years  as  office 
manager  of  the  Master  Builders,  a  Boston 
concern. 

He  was  a  fifty  year  member  of  the 
Old  Colony  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  past 
high  priest  of  Wompatuck  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  and  past  president  of  the  High 
Street  Cemetery  Association,  all  in 
Hingham,  in  which  town  he  made  his 
home  until  a  year  ago  when  he  moved  to 
Chatham. 

He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Bessie  Wilder  Morse;  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Eunice  Shuebruk  of  Darien,  Conn.;  and 
a  granddaughter.  Miss  Serena  Shuebruk, 
a  senior  at  the  University  of  Connecticut. 


Masonic  services  were  held  at  the 
Downing  Cottage  Chjipel,  Pond  Street, 
Hingham  on  March  19.  On  the  following 
day  funeral  services  were  conducted  at 
the  Old  Ship  Church  under  the  direction 
of  the  Rev.  Richard  W.  F.  Seebode. 
Representatives  of  the  School  and  Alumni 
Association  were  present. 

We  have  lost  a  good  friend  and  loyal 
alumnus,  one  whose  ever  present  interest 
and  warm  friendliness  will  be  gready 
missed.  The  BEACON  expresses  its  sympa- 
thy to  the  family. 

Donald  J.  DeWolf,  a  former  ^upil^ 
here,  according  to  a  Boston  Herald^  -^ 
account  on  March  28,  is  engaged  to  be 
married  to  Miss  Davena  Rogers.  Miss 
Rogers  is  the  daughter  of  Vincent  D. 
RoSers,  principal  of  Brewster  Acedemy, 
in  Wolfeboro,  N.  H.  Mr.  DeWolf  will 
resume  his  studies  in  the  fall  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Massachusetts.  He  has  com- 
pleted three  years  of  service  with  the  U. 
S.  Marine  Corps,  and  is  a  Korean  War 
Veteran. 

Robert  W.  Duquet,  '43,  received 
his  law  degree  from  Suffolk  Law  School  in 
June,  and  recently  was  admitted  to  the 
Massachusetts  Bar.  He  served  in  the 
armed  forces  in  World  War  II.  We 
were  glad  to  see  him  at  a  recent  alumni 
gathering,  and  to  wish  him  well  on  his 
law  career. 

Robert  O.  Cain,  '53,  is  a  third 
year  student  at  Brockton  Trade  School. 
He  earns  a  good  share  of  his  living  ex- 
penses by  part  time  work.  He  lives  at 
51  Rosetter  Street,  Brockton,  Mass.