4
THE GRANTONIAN
February 28, 1969
On The Shelf
Editorials
by Debbie Rovech
told
ßuriedproblemi not solved
Seven students are attacked by a gang of students on their way home
from a basketball game. Maybe the perpetrators of this cowardly act will
not be found and punished, but does this mean that it should be forgotten?
Should an act of this sort just be
buried in the back of people’s minds
with such insignificant things as
what grades you earned in first
grade, and when you lost your first
tooth, or should it be brought out
into the open, discussed, and perhaps
solved?
The students who were involved
in the gang incident don’t seem to
want to talk about it. This seems to
be an indication of the way people in
this age feel—they don’t want to get
involved in anything which might
have harmful consequences.
But what about the man, believed
to be a member of the Jefferson Dads’
Club, who broke up the fight? Who
knows what might have happened if
he had held the same wish for non­
involvement?
It is a very serious problem when
there isn’t enough concern about
things of such importance as the
well-being of students at school ac­
tivities. What comes next—a knifing
in center hall?
More police action isn’t the an­
swer. Neither is the curtailing of
school-sponsored activities. The an­
swer lies in solving the basic disputes
behind gang outbreaks of this sort.
The black-white student discussion is one step in the right direction—
the direction of understanding, and peace. But everyone must help to take
the steps necessary to reach this desired goal, not just those who partici­
pate in these discussions. And the first step must be taken in each person’s
conscience.
Past remembrances
recalled by daughter
of original principal
by Debby Liesch
Mrs. Lloyd Lillie, a former Grant stu­
dent, revisited and reminisced on the
days when her father, Mr. Fletcher, was
the first principal of Grant.
Mr. Fletcher served as principal
of Grant from 1925-1928, after be­
ing principal of Roosevelt High
School. Mrs. Lillie, who now resides
in Seattle, Washington, explained
that both she and her younger
brother attended Grant while her
father was principal.
“I enjoyed being here because he was
a well liked principal,” commented Mr£
Lillie when asked what it was like at­
tending school where her father was
principal. Her aunt also taught English
at Grant during this time.
Mrs. Lillie recalled such neigh­
borhood scenes as sledding down
33rd hill in the winter. She ex­
plained that in 1929 there were only
approximately 2000 students at­
tending Grant. At that time, the
original library was three adjoining
rooms above the office. This “li­
brary” was later converted to three
separate classrooms, when the new
library building was made.
Mrs. Lillie also commented about the
“odors” that drifted down the second
floor hall during science classes. “It
must be nice having a science wing to
‘smell up’,” she smiled.
“Do you still have a May Fete?” Mrs.
Lillie asked. When she was told that we
x didn’t, she replied, “I used to love to go
around looking at the concessions and
the booths set up in the park.”
She explained that along with other
students, she originated the Drama Club.
Also the Dolphin Club, a swimming club,
and the band were started at this time.
Impersonality of a man who believes
he has created a human being; a teacher’s
patient, loving understanding; and un­
affected innocence in a seemingly hope­
less mentally retardate compose the poig­
nant story of Charlie Gordon in Flowers
of Algernon, by Daniel Keyes.
IT MIGHT be said that the real story
began in Charlie’s childhood when his
mother’s inability to accept the fact that
he was not like all the other children in­
stilled in him a desire to “be smart like
other pepul” so he could “have lots of
frends” who liked him.
The experiment begins when Charlie,
at age 32, has an I.Q. of 68, the level of a
moron. He had enrolled at the Beekman
School for Retarded Adults and had
proved himself the best pupil in the
class. He seemed to have outstanding
motivation for someone of his intelli­
gence.
HE IS chosen by Professor Nemur (the
impersonal man) and his associates to be
the “guinea pig” for a surgical technique
which, if successful, could release from a
mental “prison” millions of mentally re­
tarded people throughout the world.
The technique had been used on many
animals, including a certain white mouse
named Algernon, who had become in­
creasingly intelligent since his operation
and had remained intelligent for a long
period of time.
Generalities
Dr. Roy Malo will attend the National
Principals’ Conference to be held in San
Francisco March 1-5 as one of Portland’s
representatives. Sessions will include a
study of youth education in the large
cities.
Carolyn Lumber, graduate of ’66, has
been invited to play in the Long Beach
tennis tournament.
Student artwork ...
Murals to add life to gym walls
... permanently displayed
“This is one of the first times any stu­
dent art has been permanently dis­
played,” commented Mahlon Read about
the permanent mural-like paintings to be
placed in the new gym.
The idea originated with Dennis Sulli­
van and the athletic department and was
presented to Mr. Read and his art classes.
The drawings, five of which have been
completed, are a semi-abstract showing
of different sports including football,
basketball, tennis, gymnastics, wres­
tling, swimming and baseball.
Spaces are left to the right side of each
painting for scores of both city and state
competition. It has not yet been decided
whether they will be printed in ink or
paint, or by the use of decals.
C ity
^Jhe Grantonian
Published weekly by the advanced jour­
nalism class of Ulysses S. Grant high
school, room 203, 2245 N.E. 36th Avenue,
Portland, Oregon 97212. Phone 288-5975.
Printed by Modern Typesetting company
with a circulation of 3200. Second class
postage paid at Portland, Ore. Subscrip­
tion cost $2.00 per year.
Vol. 74, No. 3 — Febuary 28, 1969
Editor ............................. .June Ammon
Three students are primarily responsi­
Page 1 Editor............................... Martha Ojard
ble
for the murals: Gail Merritt, Denise
Page 2 Editor ..................Marlene Feves
Lesley, and Adrian Kalil, who may be
Page 3 Editor................. Bruce Fishback
Page 4 Editor..................................... Jan Kelley found working on them at least two
Reporters ..... Debby Liesch, Katherine
hours a day, including before and after
McGregor, Kathi Robinson, Debby Ro­
school.
vech, Joyce DeMonnin
The athletic department has provided
Photographer .............. Joyce DeMonnin
Advertising Manager ... .Kathy Walton
the plywood and paint for the brightly
Circulation Manager .. Kathy McGregor
colored paintings and both departments
Circulation Staff........ Margaret Hadden
hope to have all seyen murals gracing the
Mary Ann Hutton
walls of the new gym by the end of this
Advisor...............................Willard Mohn
school year.
CHARLIE HAS the operation and in
about three months, his I.Q. jumps to
185, the level of a genius. He finds him­
self able to absorb the printed page in a
second, and learns many foreign lan­
guages, among them: Russian, Chinese,
Portugese, Hindi, and Japanese. He
learns more in those three months than
a normal person learns in a lifetime.
But as Charlie’s intelligence rises, his
faith and love of mankind lower. He
feels that Professor Nemur and his asso­
ciates are frauds because he believes they
led him to think they were geniuses be­
fore the operation, and he had left them
far behind.
THE PROFESSOR believes that Char­
lie “did not really exist before the ex­
periment” and credits himself with cre­
ating a human. Charlie contends that he
was a person in the days before the op­
eration, with a mind and memories just
like everyone else.
Charlie’s emotional level remains that
of an adolescent until he makes a redis­
covery of his early life. He falls in love
with his teacher, Alice Kinnian, who has
inspired him. But as his intelligence
soars, they find they can no longer com­
municate.
THE ONE flaw in an otherwise perfect
experiment is that it is not known how
long the high intelligence will remain.
Charlie’s and everyone else’s question is
answered as they observe Algernon’s
progrss and, later, his regression.
Charlie’s case follows Algernon’s pat­
tern, and through his own research he
learns his fate is the same. His life after
this point keenly illustrates the impor­
tance of awareness and understanding of
man.
This science-fiction novel has won the
hearts of many, including those who
have produced the motion picture “Char-
ly,” which is based upon the book.
Letters to the Editor
Editor,
I would like to express a deep concern
about the double standards employed by
Grant’s faculty and administration. It
deals largely with the different treat­
ment given to black and white students,
mostly by the hall patrol, but also by the
rest of the teachers.
On February 20, a number of
black students were loitering in
front hall, near the doors. They os­
tensibly worked at Textronics, but
when questioned closely by a sole
teacher attempting to keep them in
check, a number admitted that they
did not work there at all. They, at
least those who did not work, were
obviously cutting the assembly or
cutting class. Should not one of the
teachers in the hall have taken some
action? Would white students have
been let off in this manner?
After observing this scene for a while,
I ventured down the hall to my locker.
However, before I had ventured very far,
I was asked for a hall pass by one of the
hall patrol. I tried to make a few ex­
cuses, but before I had gotten to any val­
id ones, the teacher warned me that “if I
wanted to stay out of trouble,” I’d show
him my hall pass, which I quickly did.
However, the thought struck me
that while I was being checked,
many others, within eyesight of me,
were going unchecked, unques­
tioned.
Were the blacks being questioned?
Were they being lectured on how to stay
out of trouble? Were they humiliated or
even asked as to intentions? NO.
Is Grant a pluralistic pseudo-society
that caters to some students because of
fear of racial tension or for fear that they
will bring in the Civil Liberties Union to
plead their case and bring unwanted pub­
licity? Cannot all be treated with the
same type of action, for the same broken
rules? How can they be so afraid? Or
must we make separate rules for a mi­
nority?
Is Grant one school or two? This situa­
tion is out of hand.
Sincerely,
Dave Jory