When I first discovered our website, last July (2002?), I sent in a very lengthy Guest Book entry which, apparently, was not lengthy enough, or sufficiently biographical, to suit our wacky and wonderful webmistress, Glenis, who has been pestering me ever since.
Ray Midgely ('52), has also been hounding me to do this biography - so..... here it is!
I came to Hopedale from New York in November, 1950, after my parents' death, to live with my Aunt & Uncle, Bertha and Martin Zajac, and my cousin Eleanor ('54) at 105 Mendon Street. My half-brother, Ted Wilsing ('49), had come to Hopedale 2 years earlier. Since Ted and I have no other siblings, he's always been like a one- and a half-brother to me.Ted had left his black mark on HHS in his 2 years before me, as evidenced by Miss Holmes' first words to me on my first day in English class: "I do hope you're not like your brother, Theodore!"
I, too, brought some bad habits with me from New York, such as smoking in the boys' toilet - for which I got expelled from school for a couple of days and kicked off the Jayvee basketball team. I honestly and naively didn't know that there was a no smoking rule as I never saw any signs posted. Not being able to play basketball hurt the most, as it was the sport I dearly loved. I practiced my shots hour after hour, often past dark, and often with Dick Calarese ('55), who would get called back to work by Rico after only an hour or so of shooting. I was so totally committed to basketball that , on winter weekends, I would get a bunch of guys together to sneak into the Town Hall. We would play, as quietly as possible, for a couple of hours before the police got enough complaints from the businesses downstairs to force Chet Sanborn or Tommy Malloy to come upstairs and tell us to leave. They were always nice about it, as if to imply that teenage boys were better off there than in the streets or alleys.
My fondest memory of the Town Hall, other than winning a lot of games because of the home-court advantage of that bandbox, and performing in some plays and musicals, was when I won the Prize Speaking Contest in my senior year, narrowly beating Barbara Eaton ('53) and Don Seastrom ('55). We all know that the bane of many a student's existence was being forced to stand before the entire student body to present a rhetorical, but - ham that I am - I always loved it! My first freshman rhetorical was Senator Vest's "Tribute to a Dog", a tear-jerker - and a loser - that ends: "and there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws - faithful and true, even to death." One of my superhuman efforts was to memorize "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which so stunned the judges that they passed me on to the next round! I can still remember a lot of the "Rime", which I memorized on my daily paper route. My prize-winner in Town Hall was Chekhov's "The Bet", of which I remember nothing but the title.
I was the youngest in the Class of '53, which was deathly for dating my female class mates, who always opted for older and upper classmen. I've always loved to dance and I vividly recall my first lesson in my sophomore year. My classmate, Nancy Miner, whose father was my basketball coach, lived on Hopedale St., between the pharmacy and the Bancroft Library. Nancy was a very mature woman of the social world who was going steady with Ralph Wheeler ('49), my brother's best friend. One Saturday morning, she invited me to her barn/garage to teach me how to slow dance. She stacked up some 45rpm records and I struck the classic ballroom pose with right hand lightly at her left shoulder blade and left hand high in her right hand - with lots of room between us! Nancy said, "No - George! Not that way! This way!! - and she pulled me close to her and we bumped and grinded back and forth across the barn floor. Wow! What a teacher and what a lesson!
My religious life in Hopedale was predicated and controlled by girls. Although I was officially a member of the Methodist Church in Milford, and vice president of the MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship), I was often attracted to the AUY(American Unitarian Youth) in Hopedale, because of the close proximity to home, but mostly because of the good-looking girls. I also loved the AUY anthem that we sang at the beginning of each meeting. It was to the tune of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" (our graduation march), and I still remember the words: "Forward, shoulder to shoulder, fling the banner of youth; On through worship and service, to the glorious truth; Far horizons are calling, distant banners unfurled; Strength, vision, and courage, we pledge to the Light of the World - We pledge to the Light of the World." I never knew a thing about Unitarianism then - and I still don't! I even had a brief romance with the Catholic Church because of a mad crush I had on Janet Hixon ('53). I wanted to impress her and took rather serious instruction, but neither romance lasted very long. I occasionally attended the other church in Hopedale - the Union - with friends, and once was asked by Russ Tiffany ('52) to sing a duet of "In the Garden" at a Sunday service. It was the first I had ever sung in public, other than in Mrs. Reid's Glee Club. I loved singing in public and still do, whenever I can.
It's hard to tear myself away from the fond memories at HHS, but that was 50 years ago and this is a biography - so what happened during those years?
I enlisted in the Navy during my senior year, which was filled with a fanatical fervor to fight in Korea. That war had been brought home to Hopedale by the shocking death of Dick Griffin, who had been an athletic idol of mine. I dreamed up our class motto: "Tonight we sail - where shall we anchor!", and our yearbook was named "The Anchor." Barbara Eaton wrote the music and I wrote the nautical and naively nationalistic words to our class song: The refrain was: "Tonight we sail 'neath stormy sky, upon a stormy sea; so now goodbye, dear Hopedale High, and fondest memory."
Luckily for me, in retrospect, the fighting was all over in Korea before I got through basic training. I got to see a lot of the world and was able to get an early discharge in order to go to college under the Korean Bill. I could not otherwise have been able to afford even the low in-state tuition at UMass in Amherst. Dick Bresciani ('56) was Chief Sports Statistician and was able to get me a cushy job in the football press box as assistant statistician, where my main responsibility was to keep the press supplied with coffee and sandwiches. What a great gig! I got paid, got a free meal, and a warm dry place to watch the Redmen - now the Minutemen - slog back and forth in the rain, snow, and mud! Thanks, Dick!
I graduated in the Spring of '62 and came to Washington, D.C. to work for the Office of the Chief of Military History. I got married, had two sons and, finally, a daughter. In 1967 I moved to the Library of Congress where I was cataloguer of photographs, and then curator of the 20 million original photos which document the history and culture of the whole world. I loved my job and, after taking a buyout and early retirement seven years ago, still do much the same work on a free-lance basis. Retirement has given me time to play lots of tennis - and write biographies! I'm divorced, have a 14-year old grandson and a 16-month old grand-dogger - a loveable lab/pit mix who gives me great daily exercise and affection. Another source of exercise and great enjoyment is the Kennedy Center, where I've been ushering since the first performance of Bernstein's Mass on September 8, 1971. I often usher with Keith Moore ('51) and I belong to the same swim and tennis club as Sue Dewar Zajac ('50).
Since I found this fabulous website, I've been renewing friendships with many of my old schoolmates - but none of my old classmates.
Hey, Class of '53 - wherever you are - send me an e-mail, send Glenis a bio, and let's plan a 50th Reunion!!!
We could have it here in D.C. - to relive our 1953 Washington Trip! We could also combine with one or more other classes, and have a joint reunion in 2002, or 2004, or 2005, or......?
But let's have a Reunion!!!
George Hobart
ghobar@bellatlantic.net
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