Our Past Is Present May 15, 2018

May 15, 2017

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            As we near the graduation celebration at Junction City High School, we thought it interesting to look at a Commencement exercise held at the Opera House May 26, 1916.  “It was the largest class in history at that point.  There were thirty-nine students that graduated that year. 

            The invocation was given by Reverend E.A. Martin, whose son, Paul was one of the graduates.  Miss Josephine Kregar played a piano solo titled “Etude De Concert”.  Apparently, there were orations given by honor students to the graduates.  One spoke on the “Warfare and Electricity”, depicting the share that electricity had in communication, transportation and in hospitals.  Another subject was “The Value of a Practical Education”.  The student spoke of the increasing need of an education, which should not just be good, but also be good for something practical.  Another spoke on “School Hygiene”, bringing out the thought that school hygiene should be about the establishing of good physical habits both for the school as a whole and for the individual.  The last speaker’s theme was “Ideal Citizenship” suggesting what that would be. 

            The keynote address was given by Thomas W. Butcher, President of the Kansas State Normal School in Emporia.  He talked about the American home as it was, described it as it is now and pointed out what has been left out of the home that now must be supplied by the school. 

            Superintendent Wagner presented the graduating class to Charles H. Manley, President of the Board of Education.  Reverend H. F. Ahrens gave the benediction and the high school orchestra concluded the evening with the playing of the “Manhattan Beach March” written by John Phillips Sousa.

            That is what it looked like at Commencement in 1916.  Congratulations to the Class of 2018 and best wishes from the Geary County Historical Society.