“Let’s go to some graduations!”

By

Gerry Niskern

It’s graduation time here in the valley and the parents of high school seniors can finally relax.

Actually, parents today can’t relax anymore then the moms and dads did back in l950 on graduation night.   There were four major high schools in Phoenix graduating students; the largest was Phoenix Union, then North High, St. Mary’s and Carver High. West High had just started and not completed a four year class yet.

The graduation celebrations for Phoenix Union High School started with Senior Ditch Day the week before the graduation ceremony. Ditch Day was held at Tempe Beach. There were several swimming pools at the Tempe facility located on the South side of Mill Avenue just over the bridge. Of course, some groups of kids always took off for Canyon Lake, six to a car, instead of going to the official Ditch Day where there was no alcohol allowed. A few juniors went along to the lake too.

On the big night the class of ’50 formed a line in early evening  in front of Montgomery Stadium for the ceremony. The young men were all wearing suits and ties. The girls wore long formal white or pastel gowns. No tradition caps and gowns for this crowd.

The rehearsal was held the night before and guess what?  My boyfriend, the class Salutatorian and I totally forgot to attend. I was busy typing his speech for him.

Discipline was strict in those days. I was punished by having to walk at the end of the line of 700 graduates. Since your place in line was determined by your class scholastic rating, instead of 150, I was # 700! Parents didn’t argue with the school back then!

We had a graduation dance in the Girl’s Gym. There were lots private parties and of course, after the dance some cruising up and down Central Avenue with trips to The Village Inn, Polar Bar or other restaurants.

Following are some quotes from graduates of other Phoenix high schools: St. Mary’s, the Catholic high school here in Phoenix had separate facilities for the boys and girls. A former student described the girls school as “ an ancient old two story structure across East Monroe Street from St. Mary’s Church.” For graduation the girls, all prim and proper, wore white caps and gowns and the boys wore black. The Knights marched across the stage at the Encanto Park Band Shell where they received their diplomas. (Yes, Encanto had a beautiful band shell back then. Pretty much where the amusement rides and parking lot exists today!).

The class of ’50 had already attended a mass and then a breakfast together. The graduates I spoke to don’t remember a having either a ditch day nor a dance for the graduates.

North Phoenix High School, on East Thomas Road, had their very first graduation without caps and gowns in l950. The graduates were allowed to wear suits and the girls could be creative with pastel colored gowns. Either long formals or the latest style of mid-calf, “waltz length” were allowed.

The Mustangs held their ceremony in their stadium, with a Baccalaureate service there the night before. The ceremony was followed by an “all-night” party at Bud Brown’s Barn, with dancing and breakfast served the next day at the Barn. Lots of the sororities and fraternities had their own private celebrations. The girls belonged to the X Club, Phi Sigma, and Kappa Delta Kappa among others; Esquire and Cavalier were two among the boy’s fraternities.

Carver High School graduated around 25 students each year. The official name of the school was George Washington Carver High School. When the school for African American students was built in l926, it was called Phoenix Colored High School. Later, largely due to the efforts of  Carver teacher Elgie Batteau, the name was changed to Carver.

A former graduate recalled the boys wearing brown wool worsted suits for graduation. They were all purchased at Hanny’s, a well-known men’s department store in downtown Phoenix. They were all given a good price for the entire class.

The young ladies wore long formal gowns. The school gym was decorated in blue and white, the school colors, for the graduation dance.

The senior Monarchs had their ditch day at Encanto Park, but as with all the schools, some juniors decided to have their own celebration. They opted to take their own picnic and gather at Hole-in-the-Rock in Papago Park. According to one former student, “There were no cars available, so we rode the bus to the park!”

A common place of students went for fun was “the flume” over by Tempe, near the T. B. Sanitarium. You could ride on the swift water coming out of a big SRP pipe down over the road. It actually was quite dangerous because there was a gate under the stream where you could get sucked under.

The most popular teen age gathering spot remembered by everyone was “The Ship”. It was up on the West Side of 32^nd street on a little hill, between Camelback and Lincoln Drive. The unique rock foundation was what was left of a restaurant that had burned.  Kids from rival schools headed there on weekend nights; throw in a little drinking and a few fistfights usually occurred.

One former  St. Mary’s graduate laughed about going to “The Ship” with a crowd one evening. When she went over later to the car and opened the door to the back seat, she interrupted a couple engaged in some heavy petting.  The startled guy said, “Oh, hi there.” Then turning to the girl in the backseat with him, he said  “Let me introduce….uh, what’s your name?”

One “50’s” Coyote told me he cringed when his own high school Senior asked for the keys to the car one night not so long ago. When asked where he was going, he said, “To the Ship” with some kids”.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.