Old Photo Album: The Mighty Lafayette Violets
By Noelle Wiedemer
Yearbook photos courtesy of The Buffalo History Museum – Howard D. Beach Photography Collection.
Background school photo courtesy of The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.
Each June when the school year comes to an end, high school students eagerly await the release of another year of memories captured in the annual yearbook – a cherished memento of friends and sports teams, debate clubs and jazz bands. Like so many others, the photos featured in Lafayette High School’s Oracle from the 1910s show the bright faces of young women and men who would live through the tumultuous decades of the 20th century. News headlines shouted about revolutions and a world war, the Titanic, a pandemic, women’s suffrage and prohibition. Through it all, the mighty Lafayette Violets persevered and planned for a time when they would cross the threshold into adulthood and wield their academic, athletic and perhaps even acoustic skills, while striving towards the school’s motto: Be Strong and of a Good Courage.
Several stories in this issue include Lafayette graduates (though not all from this decade). And while commencement ceremonies of a most unusual school year are imminent, the photos in the following pages seemed a fitting subject for this installment of the Old Photo Album.
THE EXTERIOR
May 23, 1919 – Lafayette Oracle Staff
Unlike modern “yearbooks,” the Oracle was published five times a year. It included updates on student activities, club activities, athletics, essays and poetry, a “Who’s Who in Lafayette” and concluded with a pictorial issue at the end of the school year. In 1913, it could be purchased for 10 cents a copy.
Howard D. Beach advertisement in the 1919 Oracle
Beach photographed student groups at many local high schools, including Hutchinson, Nichols, Buffalo Seminary, and of course these 1910s images from Lafayette High School.
Athletics
Whether circling a track, hitting a home run, scoring a goal or serving an ace, Lafayette boasted a wide variety of athletic teams. These running events emphasized the teamwork needed to take home the top prize. Based on the number of trophies, Lafayette had developed a strong esprit de corps.
June 5, 1918 – Frank Helme, Cross Country Captain
Tall and thin with blue eyes and brown hair, Frank Gallup Helme was captain of the cross country team. After serving in the Student Army Training Corps at the University of Buffalo he was drafted and served as an aviation support equipment technician in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force during World War I.
June 8, 1916 – Lafayette Track Team
June 4, 1910 - Lafayette Baseball Team Captain – during his tenure as captain, the team played against the 1909 championship team from Albion. Can you imagine playing baseball in a sweater?
April 15, 1913 – Lafayette Hockey Team
May 29, 1914 – Lafayette Tennis Club
June 13, 1917 – Lafayette Boy’s Tennis
Music & Theater
Love the spotlight? Play a musical instrument? Nicknamed the drama queen? There was a student club for each of these interests.
June 5, 1917 – Lafayette Mandolin Club
The “mandolin craze” of the 1880s carried well into the early 20th century. Initially brought to the U.S. by Italian and Spanish immigrants, it remains a popular instrument in many genres of music today.
May 31, 1918 – Soc and Buskin
Soc[k] and Buskin refers to the iconic comedy and tragedy masks originally found in Greek theater. Thin-soled shoes called a sock were worn by the comedic actors while buskins, a type of boot, were worn by the actors playing tragic roles. Today, this club would most likely be called the Drama Club.
May 9, 1919 – Lafayette Jazz Band
While Principal Detmers had issued an outright ban on ragtime music in 1904, by 1919 its popularity had obviously overridden his attempts at censorship.
Literary Societies & Intellectual Pursuits
May 29, 1917 – Lafayette N Literary Society
This was one of several literary societies from which Lafayette students could choose. Others included the Johnsonian Society Club (dedicated to poet Dr. Samuel Johnson) and the Emersonian Society Club.
May 25, 1916 – Lafayette Math Team
Whitehead and Russell’s Principa Mathematica and Einstein’s theory of relativity provided a foundation for budding mathematicians.
Developing oracy skills was one of the primary functions of the Debate Club. And admit it, who doesn’t love a good argument?
June 4, 1914 – Lafayette YWCA
The Young Women’s Christian Association, a multi-cultural and multi-racial group, was formed to empower women. The Lafayette High School group would often visit the Old Ladies’ Home to entertain them.
Pep Clubs
June 11, 1915 – Lafayette Cheer Leader –Cheer originated at a Princeton University football game in 1869. The first cheerleaders were always male. In 1923, women were finally allowed to participate.
May 7, 1918 – Lafayette Club
“College Men’s Night,” a stag social, and a minstrel show were annual events for the Lafayette Club.
Do you recognize anyone in these photos? Let us hear from you! Send us an email at: editorial@wnyheritage.org.