Wednesday, June 26, 1918
“Never before has a class been graduated under such conditions as we are now confronting,” valedictorian Naomi Jessamine Dawley tells fellow graduates at today’s Troy High School commencement.
Dawley leads a class of 71 graduates, two of whom are already in the U.S. military. Troy school board president W. Leland Thompson notes that “the class is necessarily smaller than usual, but the students stand ready to answer the country’s call.”
“The world is rent with strife,” Dawley says, “A great monster has drawn the blood from mighty nations across the sea, and now this monster has reached out its hateful talons and struck at us.”
The U.S. joined the world war in April 1917, after Germany refused to end its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare against shipping bound for its enemies, France and Great Britain.
“The man power of the United States has been called forth for a great purpose,” Dawley continues, “And as a class we are proud to know that our boys have heeded the summons; our boys, suddenly grown into manhood; and they went away with heads high and courage dauntless to help win the great fight.
“They are fighting for our lives and our liberty, and though we cannot fight over there with them, we can help here at home. We can give our money, our work, and our prayers to help them.” The school auditorium is crowded with relatives, friends and well-wishers. “The groups of tall palms, all of foliage green, gave the color note of the class,” The Record reports, “the many American flags visualized the patriotic dominant note of the exercises. “The moving picture of youth and carefree enthusiasm was an attractive one, the young women presenting a charming vision of summer in the simply made dresses of sheer white.” During her speech, Dawley strikes a more typically bittersweet note. “People call today our commencement day, but for us it is a day of leave taking. To-day we must say farewell to our friends and classmantes. To- day we cease to be counted as students of Troy High school. We shall never enter it again except as strangers; not included in its busy life, in its work and play.” Like Troy High, Lansingburgh High boasts a service flag with stars honoring graduates currently serving their country. Its commencement is “of a simple nature because of the war, and its speakers took for their subjects ones of a patriotic nature.” Each Lansingburgh graduate gets a “delightful surprise” in the form of a book of four War Savings Stamps purchased for them as part of this week’s fundraising campaign.