In the year 1923, a great tournament of air ships arrived in peaceful Mooresville in honor of two scientific inventors, Claude Record and Arthur Cook, who, in the “Dear Old Golden Rule Days,” were great in science.
In this same tournament was another noted visitor, Chester Stayton. Chester would have been President of the United States, but he wouldn't stand for dirty politics, and finally became a teacher of Botany in a select school in Germany.
In honor of these visitors, the Alumni of 1909 planned a banquet for the purpose of meeting and talking over old times with fellow graduates, and considering the career each one had made. For indeed, dear reader, there wasn’t a student in this great class who had not had a career for better or for worse, though some of them had just faded away in the course of human events.
Bernice Rinker, for instance, who could warble like a bird, and reach notes both high and low, might have been a grand opera star,—but she isn’t, and when last heard of was singing, “Won’t You Waltz Home, Sweet Home With Me,” in a five cent theater in Indianapolis.
Then Vera Bowen, the girl wonder of the class, might have been a reader of note; but she just married and settled down, and is now President of a Mooresville Reading Club.
Mary Morgan, who was a strong advocate of woman’s rights, is now in Utah.
Ralph Cook went west to make his fortune, and turned out to be a jolly bachelor and makes love to the girls as he was always wont to do.
Claud Utterback started out to win fame, but finding it too much trouble, he conceived the right idea and married an heiress.
Ida Park, a famous member of the class, is writing popular novels.
Cora Ferguson, whose girlish delight was to try on hats, is now running a millinery establishment.
Ethel Smith, much to the surprise of everyone, is a missionary in the Hawaiian Islands.
Florence Taylor has settled down to married life and is now making pies that rival those that mother used to make.
Harvey Farmer, the orator of the class, has fulfilled all our hopes and is now famous as a Democratic speaker.
Grace Ozment has made quite a success of kindergarten work.
Minnie Cooper, who was so bright and gay, so fond of the social whirl, fell to the sad lot of matrimony, and is as happy as ever.
Maude Jones and Mary Winks, when last heard from, were fellow-teachers in a select seminary in the east.
Don Fields is traveling for the Acton Drug Company and is quite a success.
Hazel Warren made a famous career for herself with the violin.
Hazel Bray, who could do things when she got started, fianaly joined the Salvation Army.
George Cook, who won many laurels in football, turned out to be a famous coach.
The recorder of these events was one of those as previously mentioned, who just faded away in the course of human events.
