Three Juniors Chosen To Attend 1958 Boys' State

May 15, 1958

……………………………MIDDLEBORO GAZETTE: - Three Memorial Junior High school students have been chosen

to attend the annual American Legion Boys’ State program by the Simeon L. Nickerson Post 64

and the Middleboro Lodge of Elks.

..............................(Pictured left to right: John Swartz, James M. Bonnar.3rd., Frank Leo.)

…………. Everett L. Saunders, chairman of the Post selection committee, and Jack Rudolph,

chairman of the Elks Youth Activities Committee, announced the selections this week. James M.

Bonnar,3rd (center), son of Dr. and Mrs. James Bonnar, Jr., of 33 Pearl Street, will be sponsored by

the Elks.

…………John Swartz (left) son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Swartz of 443 Wareham Street and Frank Leo (right),

nephew of Mr. And Mrs. Walter Morgan of Cherry Street will be sponsored by the Legion.

……….John is president of the Junior class, a member of the National Honor Society, Silver M

and the student council. He operates an amateur radio station under the call letters KN1DJT.

……….James is a Silver M and National Honor Society member. He plays saxophone in both the high

school band and the newly formed high school dance orchestra. He is a junior councilor of

DeMolay. In athletics he has been active in track and basketball.

……….Frank is vice-president of the Junior class and is homeroom representative for the Junior

Red Cross. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the student council. As a member

of a class in industrial design both he and John have been preparing entries in the national

Fisher Auto Body contest. Frank has participated in cross country and track running.

……….All three are in the top ranking third of their class and are taking college preparatory

courses.

……….This year’s session of Boys’ State will be held at the University of Massachusetts in

Amherst from June 20th through 28th. In 1933 the Americanism Committee of the Department of

Illinois, American Legion, developed and conducted the first Boys’ State.

……….Briefly, Boys’ State is a program of education of all branches of government. It is in

operation, a government unit, which each boy participates in the practical function of local,

county and state government…………………(Posted by Bob Lessard Historian 2014)