SALUTATORY
WELCOME
Classmates, parents, teachers
and friends:
We, the class of 1949 of Che-
mawa, salute you and welcome
you to our graduating exer
cises. For twelve long years we
have worked for this happy oc
casion. I say happy because it
means the ending of long years
of work, yet sad, because it
means that, after today, we will
all go our separate ways and
many of us may never see each
other again.
Commencement is merely the
beginning for most of us, to
something else. In Commence
ment we have only reached a
certain stage in our life. The
question with all of us is,
"Where do we go from here?"
Perhaps many of us already
have some idea about that, but
perhaps some are still unde
cided. Let us hope the summer
months will not find us "asleep
at the switch." September will
soon be here again and by that
time every one of us should
have made a definite decision.
You do not expect us to stop
here. If that were the end you
would be disappointed. We do
not know how much more you
may anticipate for us, but what
ever it is we join with you in
future hopes.
As we bid you welcome, we
also wish to express our thanks
to all those who made this oc
casion possible. After all, we
have had but a small part in
our own victory. We have
learned many things for which
our Administrators and teach
ers are responsible. We want to
thank our parents for making it
possible to be here and to con
tinue until our work was com
pleted. All this adds up to a
huge debt we can never repay.
No matter how dark the fu
ture, how discouraging, school
must go on. Only through edu
cation can we emerge from
darkness, stupidity and super
stition.
Let us look for a moment at
some of the objectives of the
Indian Schools. To give pupils
an understanding and appreci
ation of their own tribal lore,
art, music and community or
ganization, to teach students,
through their own participation
in school and governments, to
become constructive citizens of
their communities, to help stu
dents in analyzing the economic
resources of their community
and how to use them wisely;
livestock management, housing
and clothing, gardening, mar
keting, farm mechanics; health
habits, disease prevention and
limitless practical information
In short, helping us to help
ourselves.
Not every community is so
enlightened as ours.
In welcoming you we appre
ciate our own position in being
here today and having reached
this stage of our progress. With
out you this would not be pos
sible. So again, we thank you
all for having given us this
priceless heritage.—Frieda Bent
WE LIVE IN ONE WORLD
Members of the Faculty, Par
ents, Classmates, and Friends:
Today we, the class of 1949,
are here to celebrate the attain
ment of our goal and to thank
all of those who have been re
5
sponsible for our having come
this far.
We consider it a privilege to
be graduating from a school
which for 69 years has served
the Indian people. Most of the
members of the class entered
Chemawa in the grade school
and two of the members had
twelve years here at Chemawa.
We do not know what the
future may hold for us. But we
have learned over the 12 years
we have been in school that
the only sound preparation for
the future is the gaining and
retaining of knowledge. One
need only to make a brief re
view of a few of the happenings
which have combined to make
the history which has transpired
in our brief lifetime to realize
how important a good educa
tional foundation is.
Many special inventions and
discoveries which offer un-
dreamed-of possibilities for
good or evil have been devel
oped during our time. Among
these, television, guided mis
siles, rocket artillery, supersonic
speeds and global range of air
craft, new fuels, the atom bomb
and atomic energy—these are
only a partial inventory which
indicates the scope of the
changes and challenges which
confront us as we start to build
our careers and our life's work.
We are very happy to be
graduating, but we also realize
that the carefree days of high
school are over and a more
serious and sober time lies
ahead for all of us. We have a
great deal to look forward to
and as our motto states, "If
there isn't a way, we'll make
one."—Victor Jackson