After introducing missionary Ora Tuttle in my posts Serendipity and The Hermit Kingdom, I’m afraid I must leave off telling the rest of her story for another time. I have uncovered so much information (and surprises) about this interesting woman and her mission that I have not been able to properly research and write about her. I promise, though, that I will return to her soon.

Anyway, we must return to our main story, from which I have strayed: the saga of the Norwalk High School Class of 1907. Today marks the beginning of their final two weeks in school, and we have much to talk about. So let’s get started.

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June 1st fell on a Saturday in 1907, and that day the Norwalk newspapers were full of news about the class.

The Norwalk Evening Herald reported the cast of the class play, Bachelor Hall, which was scheduled to be performed on Thursday, June 5 and Friday, June 6. Tickets would go on sale on Tuesday, June 3. The price for general admission was fifteen cents ($3.73 in today’s dollars), reserved seats went for a quarter ($6.22 today). [1]

I’ll report on the reviews for this performance in a later post. Spoiler alert: it received rave reviews.

According to another article in the June 1 issue of Norwalk Evening Herald, the previous evening, the Junior Class of Norwalk High School had held a reception for the Senior Class, complete with strawberry ice, wafers, and dancing. About sixty couples, to include thirteen out-of-town visitors, gathered Link’s Hall, the venue for the event, which was decorated “prettily” with streamers of the Senior Class colors of black and yellow, the Junior colors of black and red. College pennants added to the festive display.

The dance began with a Grand March, led by Junior Class President (and basketball hero) Pitt Curtiss and Miss Irene Curtiss of Findlay (a cousin?). Imagine the scene, if you will. Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle in the Netherfield ball scene of the Pride and Prejudice A&E television series comes to my mind.

The seniors had reason to celebrate that evening. According to an article in the June 1st issue of the Norwalk Daily Reflector, all twenty-six members of the Class of 1907 had passed their final exams with a comfortable margin [4] . . . wait, did I say twenty-six? There are only twenty-five students in the class commencement photo. Who is missing? We’ll find out in my next post.

Footnotes:

[1] “Bachelor Hall,” The Norwalk Evening Herald, June 1, 1907, page 4, column 5. The script of Bachelor Hall is available on Google Books at this link.

[2] This photo on page 61 of a 1900 instruction book on dancing by Marguerite Wilson. An excellent description of the Grand March begins on page 21.

[3] “Juniors Honor Senior Class,” The Norwalk Evening Herald, June 1, 1907, page 1, column 5.

[4] “Everybody Passed,” The Norwalk Daily Reflector, June 1, 1907, page 1, column 5.

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