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There were 14 seniors in the Williamsburg High School Class of 1945—and 4 of them were named Ruth: Elizabeth Batura, Ruth Bean, Mary Lou Bisbee, Neil Damon, Lorraine Jones, Ruth La Casse, Rita Lupien, Ruth Mollison, Louise Newell, Barry Purrington, Phyllis Rhoades, Eva Sanderson, Antoinette Stevens, and Clifford Thayer. Just like most classes in the years before, each graduate was written up in their 1945 high school yearbook, the “Tattler”, including all their activities, a favorite quotation, their nicknames, and their formal senior portraits.

a yearbook page with black and white portraits and brief biographies of four students: three female and one male, listing their names, nicknames, and extracurricular activities.
a yearbook page with black and white portraits of four young women, each with their name, nickname, quote, and a list of their school activities.
black and white yearbook page with portraits and short biographies of four students: three women and one man, each with their school roles and club participation listed.
yearbook page with black and white headshots of antoinette lucille stevens and clifford malcolm thayer, listing their nicknames, quotes, and extracurricular activities.
a large "w" labeled "williamsburg high school" is surrounded by signatures and handwritten names, with "class of 1945" written inside the letter.
a collage of black and white childhood photos featuring boys, girls, and outdoor scenes under the heading "in the days of our youth.

In 1945, the Senior Class and the “Tattler” staff decided to have some fun. That year, the “Tattler” created a collective “Autographs” page—a specially designed W initial drawing, created to showcase all the signatures of the graduates. And the yearbook added a special page called “In the days of our youth” full of photographs of the seniors when they were much younger—inviting fellow students to guess their identities. (The identities were given in a sort of hidden space later in the yearbook.) Take a look at the youth page in the attached photographs and see if you can identify the seniors as youngsters—before you look at the answers below!

Click to reveal “In The Days of Our Youth” Identification
a black and white list titled "in the days of our youth" identifies individuals' names by their positions in a group photograph.
  • Top left – Rita Lupien
  • Center top – Ruth Bean
  • Top right – Ruth Mollison
  • Left – Eva Jane Sanderson
  • Right – Ruth LaCasse
  • Center top left – Louise Newell
  • Center top right – Lorraine Jones
  • Center lower left – Phyllis Phoades
  • Center lower right – Mary Lou Bisbee
  • Lower left – Mary Louise and Louise Newell
  • Center bottom – Clifford Thayer and Neil Damon
  • Lower right – Barry Purrington

How many graduates do you remember? How many youngsters did you get right? Come to the Meekins to browse copies of the “Tattler”, the Burgy High yearbooks preserved in the Local History Collection or connect to the “Tattlers” via Meekins online. Enjoy visiting with every graduating class and reading about their activities reported in the “Tattler” over the years. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.

Posted to Facebook 6/15/2023