Whitefish Bay High School Annual From 1943 During World War 2
Photos From My Mother's High School Annual in 1943.
Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
My mother grew up living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her family when she was a child. It was a close-knit family of German heritage. It consisted of her parents, an older brother who was the eldest of the siblings and an older sister. She was the baby of the family with a five-year spread between herself and her sister. Her maternal grandfather lived with them during his older widowed years until he died.
Her parents also owned a summer cottage on Okauchee Lake. The home where she grew up as a child in the City of Milwaukee no longer exists. But the Whitefish Bay home where her family had moved during her high school years still stands.
We drove past the home in Whitefish Bay which is a suburb of Milwaukee the last time my mother and I were in Wisconsin. It still looks as though it is being well kept and hopefully enjoyed as much as my mother's memories were of having lived there.
That is where she attended high school and I have her 1940 and 1943 annuals. She was a senior in '43 and no longer has any need of these annuals. There are probably a few of her classmates that might still be alive but most of them have probably already joined her in the next life.
The Tower
It is obvious where the name "The Tower" originated. A portion of the building has a very imposing and upright edifice which was featured on page 5 of the annual. Across from it on page 4 was their school hymn which was written and composed by Bob Stamp.
The song was copyrighted and published by the Music Department of the High School.
The title of the song is "THE TOWER OF WHITEFISH BAY."
The words of the hymn are the following:
"IN WALLS THAT WILL STAND FOREVER,
IN HEARTS THAT ARE FIRM AND STRONG,
THERE SHINES BRIGHT AND CLEAR A GUIDING LIGHT
THAT FILLS OUR HEARTS WITH SONG.
AND WHEN WE FEEL THAT FERVENT BLAZE,
WE CHEER FOR THE BLUE AND GRAY:
FOR THE LIGHT THAT WILL SHINE THROUGH ALL THE DAYS
FROM THE TOWER OF WHITEFISH BAY."
I am sure that my mother fervently and proudly sang that song often as did many if not most all of her other classmates.
World War II
This may just have been the last "popular" war in which the United States of America became embroiled if "popular" is a word to describe any war.
Suffice it to say that almost everyone in our country was involved in small or large ways with the war effort. This included the students at Whitefish Bay High School.
Page 7 of this annual had the following written under this cartoon of soldiers:
"DEDICATION
We, who are graduating into a world of war will remember our last year in high school as one of commando training, jeep buying campaigns, pre-induction courses --- and, a year without a prom.
We will long remember this year when many of our junior and senior boys left for the armed forces.
It is to these boys that we, the class of 1943, dedicate this Tower."
Numerous photos in this book relate to things being accomplished by the students to aid the war effort during World War II.
War Activities
"In an all out effort to aid the war program, students participate wholeheartedly in buying war bonds and stamps. Hi-Y, Froshmore Alliance, and Tower Club sell stamps three times a week in the front lobby."
Bugs Bunny War Bond Drive WW2 Cartoon Played in Movie Theaters. War bonds and Stamps Sold Would Help Pay for the War Effort.
Photos From '43 Whitefish Bay Annual
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeUnder this picture below was the following caption:
"Sponsoring a drive to collect books and magazines for service camps, the National Honor Society collected 150 books and 650 magazines."
Additional information gleaned from reading my mother's annual continued to be of interest. According to another caption "Junior and senior girls are doing their part in the Civilian Defense program by serving as assistant block leaders. They collect vital salvage from homes in their blocks and distribute pamphlets and questionnaires."
It was the Student Council who was responsible during "The Pearl Harbor Day Drive" for gathering enough money together to actually fund the purchase of two army jeeps! That and their "April Bond Drive" were among their significant accomplishments that year.
Froshmore Alliance
This combination word stood for the organization composed of Freshman and Sophomore girls who normally met for recreation as well as social service. The social service part of it had more meaning in this war year.
They sewed articles for the Junior Red Cross and parka hoods for the British War Relief. They also collected used toys and presented children at the St. Rose's Orphanage with Christmas gifts among their other activities and accomplishments.
They also had some fun. It was not all doom and gloom during those high school years just because of the world war. They did have their annual "tea and tag dance."
Societies and Clubs
Just because of the world war it was not all doom and gloom on the home front despite the shrinking numbers of classmates and even instructors leaving the school to join the armed forces. The remaining Whitefish Bay students had plenty of fun and numerous activities to keep them happy and stimulated.
Some of the societies and clubs available to them included the following:
- The National Honor Society
- Quill and Scroll
- Latin Club
- Student Council
- Honor Study Hall Monitors
- French Club
- Spanish Club
- German Club
- Literary Club
- Chess Club
- Library Club
- Tower Staff
- Home Economics Club
- Biology Club
- Shop Club
- Radio Club
- Dramatic Club
- Junior Choir
- Composers' Club
- Madrigals
- Senior Choir
- Froshmore Alliance
- Tower Club
- Hi - Y
- Band
- Music Appreciation
- Orchestra
- Girls' Athletic Association
- Art Club
Selection of Photos Showing Other Whitefish Bay Activities
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeAthletics
I was amazed at the number of different athletic opportunities that existed for the Whitefish Bay High School students given the size of the school. A total of 577 students were pictured in this 1943 annual with 79 of them in the Senior Class, 158 in the Junior Class, 168 in the Sophomore Class and the remaining Freshmen numbering 172.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin area was heavily settled with many people of German heritage back in those days and their Turnverein Clubs may have had some influence with the local school boards as far as encouraging a great number of fun and stimulating activities which included exercise.
These were among the many sports offered at Whitefish Bay:
- Football
- Basketball
- Volley Ball
- Track
- Cross-Country
- Golf
- Tennis
- Spur Club
- Bowling Club
- Archery
- Field Hockey
Other Sports Related Photos From Whitefish Bay High School, 1943 Annual
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeHigh School Buddies
My mother had a lot of fun in high school and one of her good buddies remained as such all throughout their lives.
In fact after Lois Petry married she and her husband became godparents to my brother Jim. My parents also became godparents to one of their children. The kids from each family called the other parents "aunt and uncle." Although it was merely an honorary title we could not have thought of them any more endearingly than if in fact their bloodlines made it so.
This is what was written about my mother's long time buddy.
"PETRY, Lois
Her dark eyes and cute grin have won "Pete" many friends. Her four years' work in Junior and Senior Choirs merits real praise. As another Fox Pointer, Lois also enjoyed Home Ec. Club her Sophomore year."
My Aunt Lois went on to become a registered nurse and until she died was a fast and loyal friend to my mother. I intend to pass these high school annuals on to her daughter Julie who will cherish them and pass them down the line to her children.
My Mother as a Young Lady
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeOf course no one in my opinion could have turned out any better than my dear mother. She always looked on the bright side of things and was a vivacious individual with an infectious laugh. I loved hearing the stories of her childhood and growing up years.
Although she thought that she would have liked to become a nurse her parents dissuaded her from doing so and she instead went to business college after high school. Years later she worked at my dad's Real Estate and home building business so it served her well.
This is what was written about my mother:
"TRENKAMP, Carol
Carol's work in shop has given her a lot of fun although she was only one of five girls in that class. We hope that when she graduates she will leave her cheerful laugh to someone of the underclassmen, for the school would be a dreary place without it."
Yes she took shop just for the fun of it. Who knew at the time that she and my dad would hand build the first home that I first remember as a child!
To my dear mother Carol I dedicate this post. Others may also enjoy this 1943 annual to see the fashions worn during the first years of World War 2 at that time in Whitefish Bay.
Question
Do you have old high school annuals?
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2012 Peggy Woods
Comments are most welcome!
A wonderful way to remember your beautiful mother, and a lovely tribute to her at the same time. Yes indeed, her inner beauty shows through her eyes.
I have always said no amount of makeup or high dollar clothing can hide who a person really is. One's eyes are the windows into their soul . . .
This article is also a good way for people to learn how things were back in the 40s. Much better and more interesting I think, than most of the textbooks on the subject.
We had a chilly night (and another on the way for tonight) here in N. Texas, and fat sloppy snowflakes starting around 8 AM this morning. Haven't had snow in a couple of years or more. Snowed for a couple of hours and accumulated about 2 inches. Mostly gone now. Just as well as it made for slippery streets, because it was such wet snow. Hope you are warmer down there . . .
Posting this on AH & FB
Yes, high school football in Texas is legend.
Yes, that's another reason not to have a footbal l team. High School Football wasn't big in New York. Our school wasn't the best when it came to school spirit so there was no way to come close to justifying a team.
I would be surprised if it were true. Another legend going around was we didn't have a football team because the principal's son got killed playing football. Somebody mentioned that legend in class and the teacher explained, the pricipal's son is still alive and I've met him. The reason the school didn't have a football team was because of its expense. School daze :-)
Great Hub. Yes, it was a different perspective. In '43 for boys graduation meant the next stop was the military and probably a ticket to a war zone. For girls graduation meant their high school sweetheart would probably soon be leaving for a war zone. My high school also had "a tower". It wasn't popular because the school urban legend was the principal decided to add the tower instead of a swimming pool.
Thinking about day to day life during pivotal times in history can be thought provoking.Thanks for an interesting look at this high school, 1943. Your mother was indeed a lovely lady!
Peggy,
This is an awesome and beautiful hub which I really enjoyed reading. My mother grew up in Marshfield but lived in ?Cudahay? before meeting my dad in Milwaukee in 1943. My mother only went through the ninth grade and was working with my dad at an ordnance plant in Milwaukee when they met. I have an old picture of my dad and his family which was taken in 1938 and styles of dress for young people look the same as the pictures from your mom's annual. My mother had a diary during the war, and I remember reading one time an entry in which she said you will never realize what we had to go through during the WW II years. It's surprising now to read that the army was taking 16 year old kids back then. I really regret losing the annuals I had when I went to high school! Voted up and sharing with followers and on Facebook. Also Pinning and Tweeting.
I liked this. It was interesting to read and see pics of a time long ago. Although actually that far in the past, it is of a time that seems like a different planet! What ever happened to respecting yourself and others, common politeness and working together?? It seems like today is all about what you can get, regardless of how you get it. The idea of working for a greater good seems lost, people talk about it sure, but rarely act that way ... such a shame.
Shared, pinned, tweeted, up and interesting.
Lovely! It was such a different world back then! Better in many ways! Voted up and awesome! :)
My sibling are somewhat close to your mothers age. I think my oldest brother was about two years younger. My sister is four years younger. Except for a few weeks I never went to the same high school they did. I think a lot of the pictures here are reminiscent of pictures that I've seen of them. Odd that bugs bunny was used to promote bonds back then. My brothers best friend had a nickname of "Bugs" It may be because bugs Bunny was so popular then.
You are right that everyone was aware of the war. Even as a child my early memories are related to the war back then. among these are paper drives, recycling just about everything. Newspaper comic strips were war related.
Voted up,awesome and interesting. will share with followers, facebook and twitter.
Howdy Peggy (Peggy W) -
Not sure how I missed seeing this hub when first it was here on HubPages, but here it came, once again. The presentation provided a fine reminder of those wartime schooldays. I was still in grade school in 1943. Graduated from high school in 1948. Back in the early 1940's we kids all had our fingerprints recorded so that we could be identified in the event we were made difficult to identify should bombs do us in. One of our large worries was that the German submarines would enter our harbor and give us "what-for." Across the deep waters of the sound they did land 8 saboteurs from a sub. All were quickly rounded up and eliminated. Lots of air raid drills evenings. When the sirens all blasted away, out went the lights unless you had "blackout curtains" on your windows. There was constant "brownout" - few street lamps shining, the top halves of automobile headlights painted over, store signs all turned off - kinda dark every night. Reason was to cut way back on the glow from the coast that the German subs utilized to outline ships against the glow to make it easy to sink them with torpedoes. It was great when 1945 came along and we could all celebrate the arrival of peacetime. I also remember being in the freshman class at forestry college. Most of the students were military veterans studying on the "GI Bill." One of them sat next to me in Zoology lab - I thought that he was the oldest student in the world. He was 38 years old. To me, he WAS old. I had just made it to 17...
As your fine article and all of those great photos made clear, the WW-II days were quite different than any days since.
Gus :-)))
It is wonderful hub and I am sorry that your dad was bed ridden. I really liked the poem and the tower of the whitish bay high school. Again a very nice reading. Voting it up and sharing.
Peggy,
I find World War stories very interesting, I mean not the stories from frontline, but stories such as this one.
Nepal did not directly participated in the great war, but fought for Allied forces. These fighters known as Ghurkha warriors, and their stories have always fascinated me.
Your mother was beautiful and this is a wonderful tribute to her. So interesting to read about what it was like and to see pictures from the 40s! A fantastic hub. I enjoyed it very much.
Voted up, BAI, and will share!
Peggy
I enjoyed this so much. What a wonderful walk down memory lane..this was the time that my sister who is 18 years older than I am grew up. It was a time of giving for sure. My sister, Mother and Daddy told me about eating turnips for one whole winter.
Thank you for sharing this...it was so interesting and gave me more of a peek into my eldest sister's younger years.
Your Mother was so lovely in the photo.
Sending you Angels this evening..:) ps
Your mom was so pretty. I loved seeing this don't know how I missed it. Great pictures. My favorite the drum majors, so nice to see girls without their you know what showing. Voted up and share.
These pictures are fond memories for you while giving us a glimpse of school times of the past. Very enjoyable read and it is indeed a radical change from the dressing styles back then.
Up and sharing.
I can't imagine living in that time frame. Having everything you do in some way or form being sent off to support the war. These are a great collection of photographs. I think old school photographs are the best even if I personally do not know the people in the pictures. You are very fortunate to know the stories that go behind these photos and documenting them for generations to come!
Beautiful would truly describe your mother and her friends, who truly found the positivity life had to offer! Thanks for sharing this, and I share too!!
I love this Hub. I am struck by the word used to describe your mother: Lady. I do not think this word is used anymore with any seriousness. And to me, this is one of the greatest shames of our nation. Just look at your mother, her best friend Lois, and the other girls in these precious photographs. They are ladies (or at least doing their best to be ladies in some cases).
Thank you for this treasure trove of nastolgic loveliness. I enjoyed it very much.
What a wondeful document and I'm glad you are preserving it. Some may argue that you can get the same info from the Internet, but the thing with the Web is that it can be changed at anytime. Books, on the other hand, are permanent records of their times. Voting this Up and Interesting.
Your mother was a beautiful woman and from the sounds of it, beautiful inside, too. How nice that she always looked at the positive side of things. I loved browsing her photos. It reminds me of looking through my grandfather's photos. He was also from a large Germany family and fought in WWII as a young man. What a touching and well-written hub that gives us a glimpse of life at another time in history. Thanks so much...voted up!
Peggy, those youths really had good patriotism and spirit shown in their ability to buy those two military jeeps and varied positive clubs/activities they had amidst unfavorable condition during the war. That gives a good model for today's young generation to do the same and even more.
What a wonderful memory you've written in this hub. Those varied clubs and their success in funding the purchase of two army jeeps showed those youths spirit and support for the country amidst unfavorable condition due to the war. Thank you for sharing this interesting story and vote up for this rare hub too.
Beautiful, Peggy. It's like flight with time machine in the past. I really enjoy reading this hub and watching all the vintage pictures. Thanks for writing and share with us. Voted up!
Cheers, prasetio
They sure did deserve the title. Shared with honor, Peggy.
Ah Peggy, this was a lovely look at your mother's '43 annual. The Whitefish Tower looked like a big college campus entrance. Especially enjoyed the candid shots- the pipe smoking muscle boy lol- and the sections on your mother and Lois- both attractive young ladies. This hub really shows what American youth were like back then.
Wow! Thus was really something, Thank you so much for sharing. You have a real treasure.
This is a very interesting look at a specific period in the past, Peggy, and it's also a beautiful tribute to your mother and the other students at Whitefish Bay High School. Thanks you for sharing all the information and photos.
Oh Peggy, Another inspiring and beautiful hub. Your tribute to Ms Carol made me think of her beauty inside and out. Your Aunt Lois was a beautiful lady too. You are a beautiful writer and artist. The 1943 Whitefish Bay High School Annual is a great treasure, complete with beautiful memories. Another awesome hub, photos and tribute to your beautiful Mother.
Hi Peggy great hub dedicated to the memories your mom once lived,enjoyed reading this wonderful story and loved all the old photos ! Your mom was very beautiful and you said inside and out and I'm sure you take after her has well.
Vote up and more !!! SHARING !
Peggy, this was a nice history of your mom's life. I enjoy looking back at the yearbooks for this purpose.
Well, I graduated High school in 1945 (did I just tell my age???), and I have four of my school annuals. We didn't have the money to have them printed at my little school. We typed the pages and ran off copies on our machine at school and put them together.
I loved looking at the photos, the saddle oxfords, the hair styles, etc. Your Mother was a beautiful girl!
Thanks for sharing this album with us. I voted this UP and will share and Tweet.
Hi Peggy, What a Beautiful Hub and Tribute to your Mom...I'm sure she is looking down and Smiling in Approval. I too Enjoyed seeing that the year Book was dedicated to the Students & Teachers who would be going off to serve in WW2. Very, Poignant. Thanks for sharing.
Man, do you look like your Mother! Great look back.
Gene
How lovely! With my mother's recent passing and going thrjough 89 years of accumulation of pictures it does give you a side of your parent and what there lives were really like. In spite of a war, they seemed to move forward at all times, meeting their goals with hard work and belief in a country that was so very regarded, to bad a lot of folks don't have that respect now.
Peggy, I loved taking a look back at your mom's annuals from the 1940's. This was my grandparents era, but I too am fascinated by it and even have old letters that my grandfather wrote my grandmother when he was drafted and in the army. I cherish them and can see how you too cherish these books of your mom's. This was a beautiful dedication to her and thank you for sharing these with us. Have voted up and shared too!!
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