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WHOA Chuck Vesely's Class of 1957 Pages
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WHOA Chuck Vesely's Class of 1957 Pages
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| The SENIOR TRIP by Chuck Vesely
It all started about three o'clock one Friday morning a month ago. If a pilot had been flying over Clark Air Base then, he would have noticed a faint glow filtering from the shaded rows of many of the residential quarters. If he really had been on the ball, he would have realized that these homes were mostly those of Wurtsmith High School Seniors. Why? Because they were getting ready for their Senior Trip. If he could have come back a little later, he'd have seen two pairs of headlights making their way from one home to the other and if he could have come closer, he would have seen that these lights belonged to two cars that were making the rounds and picking up some sleepy but very excited teenagers. That's how it began. By four o'clock all of the Seniors, their guests and their chaperones were down at the bus terminal, seated in the bus, and ready for a wonderful day of sight-seeing, swimming, and just plain fun. As soon as the bus got underway, most of the kids, after making themselves comfortable, settled down for a short nap before the sun came up. Upon reaching Manila about six o'clock, they invaded the Port Officer's Mess to have breakfast. After the trippers felt that they had accumulated enough energy to last until lunch time, they boarded the bus and drove to the Manila Yacht Club where they were greeted by Capt. Dominidor Villene of the Philippine Navy. When the proper introductions were made, they were escorted down to the end of the dock and boarded the CAVITE, a Philippine Naval Vessel. This is where the group spent the next three hours as the ship made its way across Manila Bay to Corregidor. On the way most of the kids either took pictures, played cards, sat around and talked, or did a little sun bathing. When the ship docked at Corregidor around-eleven o'clock, everybody piled on two trucks in which they toured the island. It was very interesting, to say the least. Among the highlights were: A view of the famous mile-long barracks, a visit to some of the gun emplacements, and a climb to the top of the lighthouse, which is situated at the very top of Corregidor. Since everybody was beginning to feel the pangs of hunger again, they re-boarded the ship and settled down to a lunch of fried chicken that had been prepared by the Port Officer's Club (everyone except Mrs. Sullivan, that is, who was on a forced diet). While they were eating lunch, the ship crossed over to one of the nicest beaches to be found here in the Philippine Islands. The group spent the next two hours there; some swimming, some going from ship to shore and shore to ship in the small boat, and others trying to get a suntan. After another three hour trip back to Manila, they went to Port for dinner and then boarded the bus for Clark. When they got back and were waiting for their respective buses to go home, they all agreed that it had been one of the best, if not the best, days they'd spent here in the Philippine Islands. |
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