SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 1960    We Salute Our Own

Every once in a while we like to comment on items which appear in the TNT Livewire, the effervescent monthly which circulates among the nearly 1,100 equally effervescent youthful News Tribune dealers. The June issue, which is dedicated to the 1960 class of high school graduates, is today’s subject.

"This year’s 60 high school graduates," says the Livewire, "is the largest group we have ever had, topping by two last year’s total. Mary Ryan (St. Leo’s), our only girl graduate, and one of the few remaining girl "newspaperboys", could easily qualify as the most active teenager of the entire group. She has a near-perfect service record with only two complaints in four and one-half years of delivery. For the last two summers she has added to her income by picking berries and for the past several months has also worked weekends as a car hop at a drive-in restaurant. She not only starred athletically but was one of St. Leo’s most active students. She also shared her athletic talents by acting as a student coach. The last two summers she played on a woman’s City League softball team."

Mary’s future plans are to attend Seattle University as an education major. The reason for singling her out for special attention is two-fold. She is the only girl among the 60 graduating deals and this is a business in which feminine participants have virtually disappeared. Nonetheless her story as outlined above is quite representative of that of all 60 of the carriers. For most of the 60 are top students and also are active in the extracurricular activities of their respective schools. This is indicative of an axiom of adult life, that is usually is the busy person who is able to find time to carry out additional assignments.

In addition to St. Leo’s the schools which these graduating seniors represent include: White River, Puyallup and Bethel, one each; Franklin Pierce, three; Bellarmine and Stadium, six each; Wilson, seven; Clover Park, 11, and Lincoln, 23, an excellent cross section of The News Tribune local circulation area. It is also is interesting to note that the average length of service of these young people is three and one-half years, which is nearly twice that of the national average.

The New Tribune is proud indeed of this group and of the qualities of thrift, industry, scholarship and leadership which they best exemplify. We extend heartiest congratulations for their past accomplishments and best wishes for the years which lie ahead.