Politics

I was still considered new in town when we started our junior year but had become fairly well acquainted during the summer months. Early in the school year all the classes elected officers. Our class of ‘47 had been together for the most part since kindergarten and tended to elect the same group in each class from year to year. Someone got the idea it would be a big joke if they elected the new guy and they got enough votes together to put Ken McCormick in the president’s seat.

I felt quite honored but it didn’t take me long to find out what had happened. It was too late to do anything about it so I served as best I knew how. About all that was required of the junior class president was to conduct one or two meetings, to organize the junior-senior prom, and to give the welcome address at that function.

I assume most of the class members were in on the election joke, but most of them were not aware of how I got re-elected to the senior class presidency.

Having been a carry-over officer, it was my responsibility to assist in the vote counting during the senior class election the next year. Looking back, I can see it was not a very proper election. Instead of nominating candidates, we were simply instructed to write down whom we wanted for president.

Being neophytes, we didn’t realize how fractionalized the vote would be under such a situation. At any rate, when the votes were counted in the presidential race, there were four votes for Ken McCormick, three for Roger Anderson, two each for a couple other classmates and the rest divided one each for as many candidates.

The election committee (composed of myself, Roger, and the class sponsor) determined I was the presidential winner and Roger should be vice-president. The secretary and treasurer were elected on separate ballots.

We didn’t disclose the vote and let the class assume it was a landslide to retain the previous administration in office.

While the senior year was certainly busy from the standpoint of academics and activities, it was a relatively uneventful political two semesters.