CHS 1963
Sons of Ireland
Slip Into CHS
Commencement
A hoax by some Cortland High
School seniors was pulled off with true Irish wit and candor during the height
of the solemnity that marked last night's graduation ceremonies.
The graduates were many, the awards were many. Parents and
friends happily applauded each
announcement of honor.
Forty-five scholarship winners were to be announced. Who
would notice if a couple more were thrown in?
An unsuspecting principal and an unsuspecting
audience, keyed to the excitement of the occasion, readily accepted the fact
that if some scholarships were sponsored by a national group then why not two
"Sons of Ireland Regional Scholarship" awards?
How did these two erroneous scholarships get on the
principal's list?
They were slipped in last Friday during graduation rehearsal
when students were asked, in
order to speed up proceedings, to list on a paper the scholarships they won.
The principal is inclined to think that perhaps the students
accorded the "honors" were not
the culprits but rather likely candidates for the hoax especially with one named
Finn.
The Rest of the Story.........
Bob Eden and I set this up and were as shocked as anyone when
John Gee called our name.
We thought, on the spot, that we should see it through and go up on the stage.
John Gee was not a "happy camper" and Bob and I booked as soon as it was over.
We thought that the Irish should be represented since some of
our buddies actually received a
legitimate "Sons of Italy" scholarship.
Harvey "Huck" Finn