By the time the class of 1944 graduated it probably seemed like WWII would never end. D-Day, June 6, 1944, was at hand as the class graduated, and while spread very thin by this time, the Germans were by no means defeated yet. Had D-Day not succeeded the war might have dragged on for some time. In fact, the war in Europe would go on for about one more year, and that in the Pacific another six monts beyond that. In 1944 jobs were probably still plentiful in the war production areas. In some ways the US was one large war plant by this time.
Many Godwin students would sign up for service yet, if they hadn't dropped out to do so already. And many would be killed in the savage fighting in the Pacific in the latter parts of 1944 and the first half of 1945.
When the war finally did end, there would be a two to three year recession as the US economy moved back to civilan production. Many vets found that there were no jobs for them. They were providing the rational for the war production in the first place, and once the war ended there were mountains of war materials everywhere, and no place to sell them. Those on the home front already had the jobs available, and for a few years even those were mostly working to turn the factories back to civilian production.
The GI Bill provided financial help so that millions of vets could go to school once they returned, and to some extent bide their time that way. Many schools literally saw class sizes double for a few years as they stretched to accommodate returning vets. Longer term most of the vets successfully returned to a more normal life, and enjoyed the boom times of the late 1940s and the 1950s.
The cover of the 1944 class annual.
Left click on the image for a larger image.
The entire 1944 class annual, made available for scanning by by Edna (Carpenter) and Forrest Keyes, Godwin class of 1934 and 1932 repectively, is presented below. To view the pages, 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.
Also 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.
If anyone has any other photographs pertaining to the class of 1944 they'd like to see included here please contact me.