With all the digitization of yearbooks in recent years, it would not be uncommon to find one of your ancestors' image and list of activities from High School and College somewhere. But isn't it nice if you are fortunate enough to have their actual yearbooks. The custom of signing yearbooks is probably something that most of us have experienced. Extra things can be learned about your ancestor just from some of these brief yearbook moments.
I am the lucky one to have my Dad's high school and college yearbooks as well as my maternal grandmother's high school yearbooks. And, of course, my own and my husband's. My grandmother's, being from 1930 & 1931, were especially interesting to read. It really gives one a feeling for that era. An entirely different sense of humor that seems quaint today.
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I found out that my grandmother, Helen Boardman, was a cheerleader and played basketball. She was also a member of the Biology Club and she co-wrote her class song. My mother never mentioned these things to us. Helen whose nickname was Honey, appeared to be very well liked. She met her future husband, Charles Bonadio, while she was in high school, even though he was a few years older than her and had never attended high school. But he is mentioned in several of the yearbook signings, so I can only assume that he was an accepted member of her social group. I would love to know even more about her than this. Unfortunately, she died young when my mother was only 10 and I cannot even remember my grandfather ever mentioning her name let alone sharing stories of her. But he did save these 2 yearbooks which were not found until awhile after his own death buried in the back of a rarely used closet where he lived with my mom.
My dad, John Heacock's, yearbooks fill out some stories that he would tell us. He was pretty active in high school. He played the cornet in the marching band and orchestra & played on the football team. He told us how he would have to change uniforms at halftime very quickly to perform with the band and back again for the games. He was also an honor student, President of the Hobby Club and on the Student Council. His first love tho, was wrestling. As a junior high student, he started working out with the high school's team and in 1945 when he was a junior in high school, he became a Pa state champion. He continued wrestling in college and even participated in an NCAA Tournament. After college and the Army, he came back home and taught in his high school and so is in those yearbooks as a Faculty member and Coach. He received his Masters Degree from and also taught for Penn State University and I imagine he is pictured or listed as Faculty in those yearbooks as well. We do not have any of those. I may have to look into that.
Senior year Wrestling team
In 1951 Lock Haven yearbook on the wrestling team
One other different kind of yearbook that my husband has is from the Air Force. He enlisted in 1974 and at the end of Basic Training a book is made available with the pictures of all the Flights that graduated for that 6 week period of time. There are also some candids of those flights depicting the things the recruits went thru during Basics. Here is his Flight photo. While he did not appear in any candids, some who became friends of his did.
1941 Hi-S-Potts
1941 - Freshman Class, 3rd row from bottom, 3rd from the right
1942 - Sophomore class, 2nd row from top, 3rd from the right
1942 - the Associated Choir, 2nd row from top, 10th from the left
I do not have my other grandmother, Elizabeth Arnold's, yearbook, but I do have a photocopy of her bio from the 1923 edition of the Bedford High School Echo. Elizabeth's husband, Floyd Heacock, graduated in 1924 from Bedford also. I have not been able to find a yearbook from that year.
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