See You Next Year! High School Yearbooks from WWII
"Like time, the tune marches on. We find ourselves nearing the footlights. It is the finale — the fourth and last measure."
Founded in 1854, St. Ursula Academy is an all-girls Catholic preparatory school, the first of its kind in Toledo, OH. During the war years, the school experienced many of their students joining the military, several serving on the Home Front in Navy Communications, the Women's Army Corps, and in the Bureau of Aeronautics. Others, such as almumnus Eileen Mohr, were stationed overseas in the Coast Guard. In addition to helping the war effort, social issues were on the minds of these young women. In an editorial titled Slaves of Fashion, Suzanne Straub from the Class of '45 wrote, 'The feminine world lives on, shackled by such dangerous methods of beautifying, all for fashion.' In addition to critiquing American beauty standards,the student points out rituals from other countries, calling practices like foot-binding in China 'uncivilized.' The Scroll is also full of Catholic imagery; faith was a critical part of the St. Ursula education. In what other ways does this yearbook differ from some of the public school yearbooks? Are there traits that can be seen in schools today?
From the Collection of The National WWII Museum
