The earliest document in the collection of Bridgeville High School Yearbooks at the Bridgeville Area Historical Society History Center has been a very informative one produced by the Class of 1926. For a long time I have had a vague recollection of seeing a 1925 Yearbook during a Boy Scout paper drive during World War II. Sure enough, Dana Spriggs finally vindicated me by spotting one on EBay, acquiring it, and forwarding it to the Society. Once again he must be nominated as “Benefactor of the Year”.
It turns out to be a handsome eighty-two-page brochure, in excellent condition. We are grateful to whoever retained it all these years and made it available for our acquisition. Titled “The Bridge”, its staff describes it as “a structure not of stone or wood, but of thought”, and adds “This Bridge may carry you back to those high school days or into that great future – life’s activities”. Somehow Editor Margaret MacKown and her associates produced a document that faithfully records a way of life nearly a century ago, in a style far more mature than most of the Yearbooks that followed.
In 1925 the Superintendent of the Bridgeville school was Mr. J. C. Bedillion; Olive Hickman was High School Principal. The rest of the faculty consisted of Lucile Martin (English), D. P. F. Lowrey (Science and Mathematics); W. F. Agnew (Science and Mathematics and Athletic Director); Mrs. Eunice G. Carman (History and Public Speaking); Ruth Helm (Latin, French, and Spanish); Mrs. Lillian Bowman (Music); and Mamie Donley (Art). There were five Junior High teachers, including Mrs. Margaret Cronin. Among the twelve ladies teaching the Grade School children were Grace Conger and Helen Bowman.
The twenty-five-person Senior Class was led by Class President Harold Hickman, Vice President Celia Lutz, Secretary George Chappel, Treasurer Evelyn Thompson, and Class Representative Margaret MacKown. Other familiar names in the class were Mike Abraham, John Capozzoli, Aldo “Buff” Donelli, and Robert Petrick. Donelli achieved fame in later years as an outstanding soccer player and football coach.
The Junior Class that year was forty-one strong, including Peter Castelli, Dorothy Jones, Louis Skender, and Ralph Weise. Leo Collavo, Dewey David, Pete Cherry, and Tressa Petrick were members of the forty-six person Sophomore class that year. Among the sixty-eight members of the Freshman Class were Nelson Rothermund, Edward Salamony, Mary Hickman, and Marie Giehl. It is hard to imagine these folks as teen-agers. They were all mature grown-ups when we were kids.
This was the fourth year of football for BHS and easily their most successful yet, with eight wins and two losses (to McKees Rocks and Trinity). Included in the victories was a 113 to 0 rout of Robinson, surely the most one-sided game in the history of the school. A 16 to 0 win over Carnegie caused so much excitement that one hundred students staged an impromptu snake dance down Washington Avenue, “upsetting a fruit stand and causing general excitement”. Mike Abraham was captain and star quarterback. Buff Donelli’s running earned him the nickname “Red Grange of BHS”. One wonders where they played their games and what they used for locker-room facilities.
Even more successful was the soccer eleven, led by Captain George Chappell. After winning all eight games of their regular season and the county championship they challenged “all teams in Pennsylvania”. When no one accepted the challenge, they claimed the informal state title. It is interesting that the photo of the football team bears the caption “The Rugby Team”, differentiating it from the soccer squad. The school also fielded teams in baseball and tennis, but none in basketball.
Four student organizations were active in 1925. The Literary Society gave presentations each week; each Class had its own branch of the Society. The Current Events Club also was subdivided. One group discussed politics and democracy; the other, literature, religion, and science. This was the first year for a new organization – the Better Speech Club. Ralph Weise was President of the Athletic Association, responsible for “carrying on the business and financial affairs of the various teams”. The Junior Prom was held on January 2, 1925, in the American Legion Hall. Billie Hollin’s Blue Ridge Orchestra provided was on the bandstand.
According to the Yearbook BHS had an active Alumni Association in 1925. Among its responsibilities were the commencement program and an annual banquet honoring each year’s Seniors. Dr. R. C. Lutz was President of the Association: Grace Lesnett, its Vice President. A list of all the graduates, dating back to 1908, is a valuable part of this Yearbook.
This was the last class to spend its entire twelve years in the Washington School.
That year there were seven hundred students in the Elementary School and one hundred eighty more in the high school. The basement was outfitted with seats to form additional classrooms; two temporary buildings were erected adjacent to the school to handle the overflow. One of the temporary buildings ultimately was moved to Dewey Avenue to be the home for the Women’s Club. Those of us who remember Washington as an elementary school with four hundred students cannot imagine the crowding that must have been evident in the 1920s.
For several years it was obvious that a new building was needed. The School Board had been reorganized on December 15, 1923, with Dr. S. C. McGarvey as President and D. M. Bennett as Vice President. They promptly announced plans to consider acquiring property and building a High School. By January 31, 1924, the decision to finance this venture with $135,000 worth of bonds had been made. The Class of 1925 had the opportunity to sample what they were missing, when their Commencement was held in the spectacular auditorium in the new building on Gregg Avenue, by then named Lincoln High School.
Thanks again to Dana Spriggs for making our collection complete and for providing us with such an intriguing picture of Bridgeville in 1925.