76 years ago our Anacostia High School paid homage to all Anacostia graduates who were serving in World War 2. I didn’t know that; but, why would I? I was barely 2 years old. Anacostia produced a Totem Pole yearbook in 1944 that was far less than quality standards we typically see for high school yearbooks. They admit to this in the yearbook’s Forward. Notice, if you will, that there are no individual graduate pictures shown adjacent to their names and accomplishments in the pages of the yearbook. This I noticed right away. The only pictures you will see of any 1944 Anacostia graduate are shown on the February and June class pictures that were inserted into the yearbook. I feel as though they may have taken no money from the DC system that year to produce the yearbook (producing the yearbook entirely in-house), but rather contributed the money they otherwise would have received for a yearbook to our nation’s World War 2 costs. 


Looking at Eastern High School's 1944 yearbook as shown on Richard Beasley's http://www.dc-fifties.net website, I don't see any change in the normal appearance of Eastern's yearbook. Gleaning all this from having received the 1944 Anacostia Totem Pole recently from Ms Elaine Kilbourne (who btw passed away on June 14, 2014) is what makes me proud of what Anacostia did back then in 1944. 


In our current time when the respect we show to those who serve in our military is a “Thank you for your service to our country”, I am proud to witness (observe, view?) that past time when our high school did so much more. They made a sacrifice in the quality of their yearbook to contribute what they could to the war effort. Yeah!.....I know, it was a different time…. Yeah! I know many of the kids in Anacostia had parents working or serving at neighboring Bolling Air Field and Anacostia Naval Air Station but still.......

THIS IS A COPY OF THE 1944 ANACOSTIA YEARBOOK