Remembering Huntington in 1939
Huntington in 1939 was a much different place than it is today. The area was still largely undeveloped and untouched by the postwar housing boom that would follow less than a decade later, which produced the need for many new schools.
Farms dotted the landscape and Huntington village was a magnet and especially vibrant as a center for commerce and the arts and it even featured hotels. Huntington High School was then located in a building on Main Street in what today is Town Hall. Outdoor athletic events were held in Heckscher Park. Indoor games were played in the school’s small gym, which featured a balcony circling high above the floor.
Legendary Robert L. Simpson was Huntington principal and Raymond C. Burdick served as superintendent of schools. Male teachers wore jackets and ties, with many favoring three piece suits. Women faculty members wore old-fashioned dresses. Departments included health education, mathematics, English, science, foreign language, the arts, social studies, commerce and physical education. Sixteen teachers had degrees from either Columbia or New York University.
The Class of 1939 was led by senior officers Douglas Benney (president), Edward Claydon (vice president), Harold Brush (secretary) and Robert Blauvelt (representative). Joe Avino and Helen Bilzi were voted Most Popular and William Higbie and Miss Eva Marie Neun, (who students dedicated the 1939 yearbook to) were selected as the year’s favorite teachers.
Activities included clubs devoted to science, chess, dancing, safety patrol, freshman mathematics, Scribblers, cheerleaders, Wanderers, Hall Cops, Forum, Question Mark, Commerce, Masque, Paint n’ Powder, Arista, art, band, orchestra, The Huntingtonian and the Executive Council, “the Congress of Huntington High.” It served as “the governing body of the General Organization, which comprises all of the extra-curricular activities of the school,” according to the 1939 yearbook.
Athletic activities included football, golf, track, basketball, baseball, tennis, touch football, badminton, archery, field hockey (then known simply as hockey), ping pong, bowling, softball, volleyball, cross-country skiing and interclass (intramural) basketball.
A photo of the newly erected Robert K. Toaz Junior High School, which was finished many months ahead of schedule but had not yet opened, was featured on page eight of the 1939 yearbook. “The Board has lavished care and time on this project, and deserves great credit and commendation for its efforts,” states the yearbook. “Too often the Board has a thankless job and we wish to present each member with orchids, figuratively speaking.”
Huntington in 1939, like the rest of America was battling through the Great Depression and marching toward world war, yet the faces of students show a happy and contented group.
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