The Godwin class of 1931 will be the last one to have a formal class annual until 1937. The class annual will now become another victim of the Great Depression. Between 1932 and 1936, inclusive, an issue of the school paper, "Gdowin News," will serve as the class annual.
The class of 1931 has 27 students. The area is still growing rapidly, despite the uncertainties of the economy. The movie Frankenstein debuted in 1931,and very likely gave those who might have watched it in the Southlawn theater motivation to get home quickly.
Family names still familiar at Godwin in the 1960s are represented in the class of 1931, and in the five subsequent classes also shown in the annual. Jobs and families were more stable in this time.
While photographs show some students wearing clothing that has been passed along one too many times, or worn about as long as possible, few in the class of 1931 apparently felt deprived of any meaningful aspects of life as a result of the Depression. Many served in WWII later on. Many went on to work in local businesses, and became pillars of the community.
People in the class of 1931 spent most of their grade school years in the one room school that was Godwin up to 1924. They finished their high school years in the brand new high school building, opened in 1929. The growth of the Godwin system was fast paced during their time at Godwin, and Charles and Gladys Saur were leading the charge.
The cover of the 1931 class annual "The Acorn."
The bottom right reads "Godwin Heights High School."
Click on the image for a much larger image.
It is mentioned on page 4, in the dedication, that the 1931 edition of "The Acorn" is the "second annual 'Acorn.' " Whether this is true is not clear for now. There was a 1927 Godwin annual, but I have not seen it. Nor is it clear for now how many annuals there were between 1927 and 1936.
The entire 1931 edition of "The Acorn" is presented below. To view pages of The Acorn, simply left click on the page numbers. Each page has been scanned at about 150% of its original size in order to make some of the details easier to see. You might have to move the image around in your browser in order to see it all. Be sure to make your browser full screen size for easier viewing.
Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of each page; comments and notes are included on some of the pages. Use the "Back" button on your browser to return to the main menu. People should consider contacting me if they have additional information, or comments. Page 1 and 2 seemed to be the front and inside cover - annual pages start with page 3.
If anyone has any other photographs pertaining to the class of 1931 they'd like to see included here please contact me.