Hometown History #32: The First Oskey

1928 was a big year in Franklin history, marked in the June 28 Franklin Sentinel with a story forecasting that the town’s soon-to-be-held five-day sesquicentennial celebration would attract ten thousand former residents, more than the population of the town at that date!

And a nearby story hailed the publication of the first-ever high school yearbook, “Oskey” (a neologism squeezed out of the phrase, ‘our school key’) and added the self-congratulatory comment, “High School Seniors Delighted With Book, Praise Sentinel for Beautifully Printed Year Book.“

It was, indeed, an impressive first. The article went on with a bit more self-promotion, noting that the book “appears like those the Sentinel published...for the Senior Classes of Dean Academy and the School of Education of Boston University...”

Credit was also given to the “excellent leadership as given by Alvin Landry editor in chief and the business manager, and noted that the year book is dedicated to the late Frances Eddy King, for years a teacher in the high school.

Within the year book itself, the students offered a further dedication:

“One who ever urged us to higher endeavor and who gave herself unstintedly [sic] to help us achieve success and honor, the Graduating Class of 1928 Dedicate this first Year Book of Franklin High School, the Oskey”

The smaller class size and larger page count allowed for longer ‘blurbs’ about each student, their likes, dislikes and life plans.

Perhaps the most striking thing, though, is the almost universal application of nicknames. Some of those names included: Mope, Perky, Raff, Norm, Beany, Gob, Teaser, Gerry, Chet, Briggs, Freddy, Gert, Shrimp, Unc, Chilly, Cut, Millie, Moe, Cruisie, Ikey, Larry, Doc, Punk, Danny, Sonny, Buck, Fitz, Millie, Dutch, Greg, Long John, Rufus, Max, Red, Brady, Ed, Frenchie, Duffer,Mac, Dottie, Dot, Mutt, Sam, Moses, Lizzie Nuts, Gen, Flossie,Mush, Schulzie, Grampie, and Howtra.