In March of 1940, Stadium High School presented their 28th annual opera "Desert Song." The 200 students in the cast rehearsed three months to perform the light opera March 28-30. The lead was played by Donna Mae Jaden, who later achieved fame as musical and film star Janis Paige. Pictured, left to right, are Michael Gaidosh, Margaret Repetto, David Glenn, Mel Novikoff, Donna Mae Jaden, Fred Gilbertson and Bob Mulligan. (T. Times 3/29/1940, pg. 13)

Stadium High School (Tacoma); Operas & operettas--Tacoma--1940-1950; Actresses; Paige, Janis; Jaden, Donna Mae; Actors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gaidosh, Michael; Repetto, Margaret; Glenn, David; Novikoff, Mel; Gilbertson, Fred; Mulligan, Bob;

In April of 1940, these patients of the Rust Memorial Ward and the Tacoma Orthopedic Clinic were able to learn their 3 R's despite being at the Tacoma General Hospital, thanks to a compact school room furnished by the Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The newly decorated room held regular classes five days a week for children with physical disabilities. Some of the children, under the supervision of the Orthopedic Clinic, were transported from their homes daily for school sessions. The schoolwork was done under the direction of Mrs. Meredith Duguay, whose services were provided by the Tacoma School District. The woman in front of the bookcase at the back of the room may be Mrs. Duguay. (T. Times, 4-19-40, p. 3-alternate picture )

School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); People with disabilities--Tacoma;

College of Puget Sound Girls' Quartet who will be singing with Sibelians. These "Sibeliettes" would perform two modern arrangements in Fred Waring style on May 14, 1940 at the First Baptist Church during the Sibelians annual spring concert. From left to right in front of a flowering dogwood tree are: Evelyn Hopkins, Dorothy Shaw, Marian Brush and Frances Tarr. (T. Times 4-26-1940, p. 13-alt. photo)

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Singers; Evening gowns; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hopkins, Evelyn; Shaw, Dorothy; Brush, Marian; Tarr, Frances; Dogwoods--Tacoma;

1940 Annie Wright Seminary Junior Prom. View from above of couples dancing in the Great Hall. Seniors at Annie Wright were the honored guests of the dance given on April 20, 1940, by the junior class. A dinner party at The Walker preceded the prom. (T. Times Society, 4-27-40, p. 5-partial photograph)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Private schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Balls (Parties)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950;

College of Puget Sound May Day Festival. Queen Ruth and attendants near the Conservatory in Wright Park on April 29, 1940. L to R: Doris Grandlund, attendant; Queen Ruth Raymond; Beulah Eskildsen, attendant. (T. Times, 5/1/1940)

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; May Day--Tacoma; Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grandlund, Doris; Raymond, Ruth; Eskildsen, Beulah; Seymour Conservatory (Tacoma);

Ruling over the merriment at the College of Puget Sound May Day Festival in 1940 was Queen Ruth, center, and her attendants; photographed here near the Seymour Conservatory in Wright Park. Pictured, left to right, are Doris Grandlund,attendant; Queen Ruth Raymond; and Beulah Eskildsen, attendant. On campuses across the country, May Day was celebrated on the first day of the month of May. (T.Times, 5/1/1940, pg. 1).

Universities & colleges--Tacoma--1940-1950; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; May Day--Tacoma; Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grandlund, Doris; Raymond, Ruth; Eskildsen, Beulah; Seymour Conservatory (Tacoma);

Royalty for the College of Puget Sound May Day Festival. Queen Ruth and her attendants pose near the Seymour Conservatory in Wright Park. L to R: Doris Grandlund, attendant; Queen Ruth Raymond; Beulah Eskildsen, attendant. The annual festival will take place on campus May 3, 1940. (T.Times, 5/1/1940, pg. 1).

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; May Day--Tacoma; Wright Park (Tacoma); Parks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Grandlund, Doris; Raymond, Ruth; Eskildsen, Beulah; Seymour Conservatory (Tacoma);

Music Festival at Jason Lee. Two dancing couples being serenaded by three boys. All are wearing Mexican costumes. Musical numbers with a Gypsy, Spanish or Mexican theme were offered in the program "Say It With Music," staged by music teacher Kathryn Bruner. (T. Times, 5/14/1940, p. 5).

Public schools--Tacoma; Music festivals--Tacoma--1940-1950; Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma); Dancers--Tacoma; Costumes;

Music Festival at Jason Lee. Five dancing couples being serenaded by five boys. All wearing Mexican costumes. The youngsters were performing in a concert entitled "Say It With Music," staged by music instructor Kathryn Bruner. Two of the musicians are Arlene Hulo on guitar and Dick Carbone on accordion. The dancers on the right side of the photograph are identified as Shirley Morgan and Paul Grimes and Virginia Royse and Dick Martin. (T. Times, 5/14/1940, p. 5)

Public schools--Tacoma; Music festivals--Tacoma--1940-1950;Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma); Dancers--Tacoma; Costumes;

Over one hundred dancers and musicians performed on May 14, 1940 at Jason Lee Junior High in the schools spring music festival. A series of Gypsy, Spanish and Mexican musical scenes were combined by Miss Kathryn Bruner, the Jason Lee music instructor, into a program titled "Say It with Music". There is unfortunately no record of the names of these barefooted dancers.(T. Times, 5/14/1940, p. 5)

Public schools--Tacoma; Music festivals--Tacoma--1940-1950;Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma); Dancers--Tacoma; Costumes;

Music Festival at Jason Lee. Three girls work in classroom on decorations. (T. Times)

Public schools--Tacoma; Music festivals--Tacoma--1940-1950;Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma);

Two unidentified girls are making an elaborate decoration of fabric and paper for the Jason Lee's annual music festival. Jason Lee Junior High school (now Middle School) presented its annual musical festival on May 14, 1940. It was entitled "Say It With Music" and involved several hundred students. Boys and girls glee clubs, band, orchestra, and students from general music classes participated. The event included "Gypsy," Spanish and Mexican scenes. (T. Times 5-10-40, p. 20-article only)

Public schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Music festivals--Tacoma--1940-1950;Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma);

1940 Pet Parade at Spanaway Elementary School. In a turn from the usual, the boy is dressed in a dog suit with a paper mache head and long ears and the dog is dressed as a human.

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Dogs--Spanaway; Costumes;

May, 1949, Pet Parade at Spanaway School. Several children with dogs, some in costume. One child is wearing a dog costume, while his dog is dressed like a person.

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Dogs--Spanaway; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

With much excitement and enthusiasm, Spanaway school children held a pet parade and marched down local roads in May of 1940. It was an opportunity to dress in costumes and show-off their favorite pets. Some of the children rode decorated bicycles and toy automobiles; one child (second from the left). whose head-mask is off, dressed as a spotted dog with long ears .

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Dogs--Spanaway; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

Pet Parade at Spanaway School. Pets of all types were exhibited at the annual pet show May 15, 1940 at Spanaway School. Photograph shows most of the winners of the various events. Large group of children dressed in costumes with their dogs. Exterior of one-story school building in background. Active boys are climbing on building and hanging from roof while teachers concentrate on parade group. (T. Times 5/17/1940, pg. 8)

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Animal shows--Spanaway; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

Group shot of most of the winners in all catagories at the Pet Show and Parade at Spanaway Elementary School on May 15, 1940. Costumed pets and owners predominate with decorated bicycles as another competitor. Several boys stand on structures in the background to get in on the picture.

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Animal shows--Spanaway; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

Pet Parade at Spanaway School. The winners of most of the events at the annual pet show at Spanaway School on May 15, 1940 are pictured. Pets of all kinds were exhibited at the show. Large group of children dressed in costumes with their dogs and bicycles. One-story school building in background. Active boys are climbing on building and hanging from roof while teachers concentrate on parade group. (T. Times 5/17/1940, pg. 8)

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Animal shows--Spanaway; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

Pets of all kinds were on display at the annual Spanaway School pet show held on Wednesday May 15, 1940. The unidentified little girl at the far left, standing next to a very young Uncle Sam, is holding a dog dressed in a shirt with a frilly collar and overalls. The girl at the right holds a bicycle decorated with crepe paper streamers. Spanaway Elementary School was built in 1927 at 15600 East B Street. It was torn down shortly after the Chester H. Thompson Elementary School opened in 1969. (T. Times 5/17/1940 p.8)

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Animal shows--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

Children walk in a school pet parade down a road in Spanaway in May of 1940. Some are holding onto dogs and other pets; others are riding decorated bicycles and a toy automobile. Early Spanaway buildings dot the background-- a false front store and a pioneer log building on the left. Image printed in reverse.

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Parades & processions--Spanaway; Bicycles & tricycles--Spanaway; Costumes;

Pet Parade at Spanaway Elementary School. Several children with dogs, some in costume. School building in background. Photograph taken in May of 1940.

Spanaway Elementary School (Spanaway); School children--Spanaway; Pets; Dogs--Spanaway; Costumes;

Dupont School, picture is labelled baseball team, but team members are wearing basketball uniforms with team jackets. By the fifties, Dupont district drew about 95% of its students from Fort Lewis. The students attended school in Dupont K-9 and attended Clover Park High School for their last three years of study. The boy sitting on the floor second from left has been identified as Ron Ratliff and the one in the second row in the dress shirt as Richard Ludeman. (information provided by a classmate)

School children--Dupont; Dupont School (Dupont); Basketball players--Dupont; Basketball--Dupont;

Annie Wright Seminary 1940 May Day activities. Mary Kent Hewitt, Queen in bamboo chair, surrounded by her Royal Court. Flag bearer at far left. The Queen's Court included maid of honor Elizabeth Ann Love, pages Anne Mueller and Patricia Davis, heralds Dick Pessemier and Patricia Pinches, flower girls Madeline Merrill and Judith Ann Whitney, scepter bearer George Bianchi, crown bearer Janit Schimke and train bearers Sharon Connor and Ann Rowland. (T. Times, 5/11/1940, p. 5-article).

Private schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Holidays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hewitt, Mary Kent;

Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities. Queen and Court walk between two lines of young girls. In 1940 the chosen queen was Mary Kent Hewitt, daughter of Captain and Mrs. H. Kent Hewitt of Bremerton.

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Holidays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children--Tacoma--1940-1950;

In 1940 Annie Wright Seminary May Day activities included the "Queen of Hearts" dance pantomine. Dance Club "Cards": P. Earley, D.L.Redmon, C. Cowell, L. McKay, G. Wiebenson, E.Robbins, B. Ohnick and M. Tipp. It was directed by Uwarda Day. (T.Times, 5/11/1940, p. 5-article)

Private schools--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Holidays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Children--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A dramatic moment from the Holy Cross School production of the Humperdinck opera "Hansel and Gretel" in 1940 where Hansel valiantly protects Gretel from the evil and hungry witch. In this scary children's fairy tale the Witch was played by Edna May Russell, Hansel was Billy Shirley, and Gretel was Ione Mesmer. Not shown: Phyllis LeBlanc as the Broommaker; Alice Rozmyn as the Mother. Holy Cross school was located at North 44th and Shirley. (T. Times, 6/3/1940, p. 5)

Church schools--Tacoma; Holy Cross School (Tacoma); Children's theater--Tacoma; Theatrical productions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fairy tales;

In June of 1940 Don Booth was photographed as he pointed out a feature in the Magna Carta mural on which he was working to two of his fellow artists, Ardith Toth (standing) and Jean Shiplett. The 18 foot long mural was created by the 6-A Art and History classes at Horace Mann school under the direction of Mrs. Lorraine Pike, a teacher at the school. Sixteen artists, all under the age of 12, worked on the masterpiece entitled "John Gets Ready to Sign the Magna Carta." The other students in the classes posed for the various figures who appeared in the mural which depicted the acceptance of the Magna Carta by King John of England. It took the students three months to complete and when finished it was hung in the school's upper hall. In 1953 a new Horace Mann school was built at South 52nd and J Streets, and the old building was torn down. (T. Times, 6/6/1940, pg. 5)

Horace Mann School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Pike, Lorraine; Murals; Booth, Don; Toth, Ardith; Shiplett, Jean;

Posing in front of their masterpiece, the 18 foot Magna Carta mural at Horace Mann school are Mrs. Lorraine Pike, class instructor; two unidentified students, Don Booth, Ardith Toth and Jean Shiplett. Sixteen artists from the 6-A Art and History Classes took three months to create the mural depicting the acceptance of the Magna Carta by King John of England. It will permanently hang in the school's upper hall. (T. Times, 6/6/1940)

Horace Mann School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Pike, Lorraine; Murals; Pike, Lorraine; Booth, Don; Toth, Ardith; Shiplett, Jean; Teachers--Tacoma--1940-1950; School children--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Fern Hill School. Softball team. In 1940 the Fern Hill School softball team were the winners of the city elementary school title. They beat both the top seed Rogers and Sherman Elementary. As identified by the Tacoma Times newspaper, the champs are: (first row, left to right) Harold Wilcher, Robert Moody, pitcher David Strandley, George Stephenson and Donald Lnag (possibly a typo by newspaper). Middle row: manager Joe Parkison, Donald Hornby, Robert Franklin, Donald Gannon, Captain Wesley Frye and principal John Arnold. Back row: Weldon Heblich, Graydon Smith, David Ewing and catcher Glenn Christilaw. (T.Times 6-7-1940, p. 17)

Fern Hill School (Tacoma); Softball--Tacoma--1940-1950; Softball players--Tacoma--1940-1950; School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Arnold, John A.; Frye, Wesley; Christilaw, Glenn; Strandley, David;

Lincoln High School reserve track team picture for the yearbook "The Lincolnian." Pictured are bottom row, left to right, Loren Donahue, Don Smith, John Kouklis, William Wilbur. Top row, left to right, Melvin Johnson, Duane DeForest, Dave Jackman, George Pettitt, Dick Elliott, Jim E. Jones. The athletes were called over from a practice to pose for this April, 1956, photograph, on the old cinder track. During his first year as varsity track coach, Jim Walsh, former New Jersey State College athlete, headed up a team consisting mostly of sophomores and juniors. With the assistance of field coach Chuck Gilmur, Walsh tried to bring his team up to speed. Unfortunately, out of 7 track meets, the team won 1 and lost 6. (The 1956 Lincolnian) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Track athletics--Tacoma--1950-1960; Donahue, Loren; Smith, Don; Kouklis, John; Wilbur, William; Johnson, Melvin; DeForest, Duane; Jackman, Dave; Pettitt, George; Elliott, Dick; Jones, Jim E.;