Fantastic Names From The Past: Another Visit To The 1930s!

Previously on this blog, I've marveled at names from several Franklin High School yearbooks circa 1936-1937 and 1938-1939. But! Unbeknownst to the people of Franklin, just eight miles away, Jefferson High School was blithely educating its own set of fantastically-monikered teenagers at the same time! 

The 1930s may have been the era of the Great Depression, but there's nothing depressing about these names!

Kitty Ritter ('34)

Sophie Economus ('36)

Ward Sigafoos ('34)

Esther Erna Arnas ('36)

Elmer L. Hamm ('36)

Selma Zitzer ('34)

Joyce Aurelia Wilkes ('37)

Salola Roach ('35)

Celestia Hise Livermore ('37)

Virginia Marlea Mitts ('37)

Velda May Curry ('37)

Janness Judith Jewell ('37)

Zenetta Britt ('37)

Shirley B. Lash ('37)

Jenelle L. Long ('37)

Sophy Povovich ('37)

Fritzi Helen Ditt Brenner ('37)

Dell Rundle Hayes ('37)

Elmer Harold Helenius ('37)

Mason V. Carlson ('37)

Jack Wade Pattee ('37)

Violet Bender ('37)

Jack E. Gleeson ('34)

Jack Lothrop Bellah ('37)

John Fred Facer ('32)

Doxine A. Fix ('32)

Lloyd Lister ('36)

Homer Douglas Rambo ('36)

Marjorie Ora Stout ('36)

Brunette Berselle ('37)

Hortense A. Karp ('36)

Leonard Ward DeYoung ('34)

Inos Rainwater ('34)

Marciabelle Swina ('34)

Clark Van Vlert ('34)

Thelma Trout ('34)

Wilma W. Wynkoop ('37)

Delbert D. Delzer ('37)

Forrest Woodward Landeen ('35)

David Gustar O'Ehme ('35)

Margaret Passarge ('36)

Bettylou Swartout ('36)

Rollo Stowaser ('36)

Edrow Virginia Look ('34)

Eileen Engeldinger ('34)

Sylvester Lindekugel ('34)

Orville Gentry ('36)

Myrtle Spanke ('36)

Esther Metzler ('36)

Vurl Virginia Mallory ('36)

Tura Claudia Millet ('34)

Eleanor Irene Dalrymple ('34)

Lavelle Kelly ('34)

Charles Virgil Darby ('37)

Vinson Victor Sly ('37)

May Rae Rolph ('37)

John Beresford Delapoer ('34)

Wanda Cozette Swett ('37)

And finally, my Top 10 Fantastic Names from 1930s Jefferson High School are:

10. Shirley Ardita Struble ('37)

9. Ruby Victory Winterburn ('36)

8. Lovell DeVere Rousseau ('37)

7. Kaliope Varkados ('34)

6. Jewell Irene Goble ('35)

5. Waive Flues ('34)

4. Iris Cordelia Pease ('32)

3. Delight Brockmeier ('36)

2. Elwood Gerald Bizeau ('37)

and

1. Worthy Horsman ('32)

Fantastic Names From The Past: 1936-1937 Edition

The students of Benjamin Franklin High School circa 1936-1937 didn't all have fantastic names -- there were plenty of boring monikers on the roll call (Bill Johnson, Harry Carson, Jean Lewis, etc.) as well as a few... um... unfortunate names (Moron Meeker and Dolly Leaky, I am so sorry... Sandy Sanderson, the jury's still out.) There was also a lot of repetition: dozens of Donalds, Bettys, Mildreds, Earls and Roberts.

Thankfully, though, this was a big school, and there were still plenty of fantastic names to be found on these pages -- even considering these yearbooks had some overlap with the 1938-1939 ones featured in this post (How've you been, Gaynor Petrequin? 102? Sorry I asked.)

So without any further ado, I present these fantastic names....

Lena Yaconetti

Halsey Bigger

Virginia Much

Solomon Menashe 

Jack Fruit

Velda Yeska

Ivadel Beth Beaman

Irmgard Zorn

Lorilee McQuarrie

Jacqueline Montchalin

Illif VanRonk

Joauleta Johnson

Babe Lundgren

Benson Mates

Avice Ryel

Earnest Stefar

Hawley Bloomquist

Munson Dorais

Melvin DesVoigne

Harry Degermark

Viola McAllister

Rosaleen Obelisk

Mary Lois Ditto

Blossom Dobson

Esther Bridelle Swarts

Phyllis Mae Grow

Flora Frances Prideaux

Harland Max Hafter

Florence Afton O'Dill

Haruko Tsuboi

Rudolph Winters

Kerma Rowclitte

Orville Oris McCoy

Dorothy LaVonne Darling

Mildred Mae Cahoon

LaVonne McBee

Phillip Sonny Petrarca

Esther Bridelle Swartz

Erwin VanBlaricom 

And, finally, my Top 10 Fantastic Names From 1936-1937:

10. Yoreka Inzurka

9. Carlyle McKnight

8. Juanita Wafler

7. Audrea Lord Slattery

6. Wava W. Wells

5. Lulu Heist

4. Valoris Iona Whetstine

3. LaJeanne Marjorie Stroup

2. Ella May Rock

and

1. Valories Evelsizer

(who I can only assume went on to pursue villainy)

These folks are all 100+ or dead, now.

And on that happy note -- I wish you a fantastic day!