From the Archive: Benzene Ring and Active Atoms

by Tiffani Righero, Research Assistant, Local History Archive

Back in December, we wrote about yearbooks and featured the 1948 Fort Collins High Lambkin (see the Ski Club here). This time, we’d like to look at a few other clubs from the same year of the Lambkin: the Chemistry Clubs.  Both clubs, Benzene Ring and Active Atoms, drew in quite a few members (including some who also participated in the ski club and still had their sweaters for club picture day). You’ll notice from the poems included on each club’s page; the girls were excited to get their own club after being “rejected” by the boys’ club.

The poems read as follows:

The Benzine Ring

Organized and active, we have Benzene Ring once more,

Who hold planned and interesting meetings that never are a bore.

Experiments and lectures to educate and explain,

Are presented to the members who never do complain.

These chemistry-loving lads are eager to learn

Little things like knowing that hydrogen will burn.

The Active Atoms

Forced to organize by the Senior boys, are these lovers of chemistry;

Rejected as officers in Benzene Rig, now work independently.

To the water-works and sugar factory these gals have taken trips,

They like chemistry and in this bunch you’ll find no drips.

So here’s a cheer for these senior girls, defending women’s rights,

Who got themselves a separate club, avoiding with boys any fights.

From the Archive: Yearbooks!

by Lesley Drayton, Curator, Local History Archive

Did you know that the Fort Collins Local History Archive has a large collection of historic yearbooks from local schools? Yearbooks are a great way to get a glimpse of the fashions and activities from Fort Collins’ past; they’re so full of valuable social history, and they make up one of the most popular collections here at the Archive.

The oldest yearbook in the Archive’s collection is an 1895 Silver Spruce from Colorado Agricultural College (present-day Colorado State University). My favorites tend to be the high school yearbooks from the 1940s and 50s due to my special interest in that era of history.

I especially love this Ski Club page from the 1948 Lambkin yearbook from Fort Collins High School.

A poetic description of the Ski Club from the yearbook:

“To these skiers of our school a familiar word is ‘Track!’

And heeding this term they avoid colliding with a smack!

Trips to near-by ski areas are often made;

And members find, while pushing cars, in snow they have to wade.

Here come the skiers, flying down the hill!

Some of them are experts, for they never take a spill.”

What I like best are the ski sweaters the members wore for picture day!

Time to share: Who out there belonged to high school clubs that had you wearing some interesting outfits? One of our curators, Katie Bowell, has a photo of her representing an academic club while wearing a giant foam rubber shark costume. Luckily, that yearbook isn’t in the Archives…

From the Archive: Take Me Out to the Ballgame…

by Lesley Drayton, Curator, Fort Collins Local History Archive

Yes, I know that it’s really football season right now, but this archivist is a tried-and-true baseball fan who is counting down the days to Spring Training (mandatory reporting begins on March 2, by the way). Not that there’s anything wrong with football, but baseball season means warmer weather, green lawns, sunshine, and that chance to catch that home run ball at the big game. I can’t wait!

To warm up for the season, here’s a fun picture from the 1920 Lambkin, the Fort Collins High School yearbook, that shows off the super skills of the Girl’s baseball team. The text beneath the sketch reads “Girl’s Baseball League has been organized under the auspices of the Round Table Girls. This furnishes a much needed form of athletics for the girls…The girls who are working for this sport confidently expect to put on some fine games before the public in the coming year.” Play ball!