Page 4 - 1943 Part 2 VES Meteor

II
I·--THE SCHOOL
TQ CHANGE IS TO BE ALIVE
After the scream of taxi tires, hurtling across V. E. S. bridge, had died away, the old boys noticed ~ome interesting improyements· and chang-es.
The cinder-pounders were inter- ested .io note that an outside curb ha~ been p~1t around the track on Jol}nson Field. This is a great im- provcinent bccatlSe it will facilitate the drainage of the track. As last· year's track men know, the. track after a rain was a sloppy mess.
Another improvement1 made .by Dr. Randolph before his departure, is the cement backboard on the ten- nis court. For the tennis fiends ·and the beginners alike this is a boon.
The office has gone modern with the advetlt. of a . dictaphone to aid ~Irs. Brown.'
,\s usual a discerning eye .could note many minor improvements and repairs, a new red-cement Boor in the pantry; new paint on the infirm- ary, etc. Of course the wear and tear caused by ninety-odd savages during the session of 1942-43 was gone from the scene.
As to personnel changes, the many new masters are listed ·elsewhere in this publication.
The administrati,·e staff shows no soch drastic shake-up. Only the friendly janitor with the incredible name, Columbus Foney, has de- parted to work in a bank down- town. .He is re.placed by a new man, An<.lrew Lipscomb.
As the month progressed, several changes in customs and rules were introduced. Fifteen minute chapel services' just before supper Tues- day through F riday were substi- tuted for the moq1\ng ~nd evening prayers at table. A counselors' club room ·was authorized in the west wing of the second floor of the main buildil1g. Check-in periods to the master in charge were prescribed during weekends for boys on bounds. The august members of the llonor Council \vere authorized to go to town without permission whenever duties or restrictions do not interfere.
Thus did V. E. S. last month prO\·e that she IS still alive and \'igorous, with new facilities, new
faces, new cttstoms to help her mold her sons to take their places in a new world.
Well, what do you think of V. E. S. after four long weeks of vigor- ous labor in the classroom ? In the eyes of fifty per cent of our im- maculate scholars, this school stil1 consists of three buildings-i\1rs. Payne's humble abode, and a chapel built in honor of one of David Perkins's ancestors. V. E. S. is still a mighty fine place.
But many arc the familiar scenes of 1942 that have vanished: gone (rom the local premises are Mr.
and George Throop.
Nevertheless, there remain many
of the good old standards which far outweigh our losses. ::\Ir. Joseph Kentworth Banks-the Great Pro- file, :Mr. Gannaway with the school store, the G. A. A., and plenty of solid theorems, Mr. John D. Follett and that system of grading themes (A plus twelve minus six over four plus B., etc)-all have returned. There also remain three good dor- mitories and Second \Vest.
Yes, after two fortnights V. E. S. is moving forth in its normal course with plenty of murders and lynch- ings every day.
Only about two weeks ago the fall season was launched in its ninety day route, but, remember, it was just a short while before that when all of us were in the midst of a jovial vacation with an abundance of Saturday nights, dances, girls, and all the {un that goes with a holi- day.
Speaking of vacations, the mem- bers of the V. E. S. aggregation cer- tainly spent their summer in vari- ous ways. Allen :Magill and David Perkins sojourned on their respec- ti\·e farms and were assigned to hard labor. Graham R. E. Koch do- nated his superior brain and en- thralling Sinatra voice to Hargrave Military Academy's summer school. L. Ray Richardson spent his holi- day hurling rocks at passing freight trains. "Iron ::\Ian" Hodgson thrilled gasping crowds by tearing apart huge portions of salt-water taffy down at the beach. "Li'l' Al" \Vil- liams concentrated upon Kinston
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