The Sauk Centre Herald

Tuesday Evening
PRESENTED AWARDS
Katherine Hansen and Donald Knapp Get Citizenship Awards

Indicting people in general for wars and an uneasy communal life, Dr. Bryng Bryngelson, director of the University of Minnesota speech clinic, held up the torch for a new society in which he charged sixty-three graduating seniors of the 1941 class of the Sauk Centre high school with the responsibility of producing a new generation of better individuals.

Speaking at Commencement exercises Tuesday evening before an audience of some seven hundred, he was introduced by Superintendent E. W. Olson.

"You can make a beginning toward a new life," Dr. Bryngelson said directly to the class. "If you are unafraid and honest, the children you bring into the world can possess the qualities as individuals that will make for an easy and happy communal life.

On the platform with him and Mr. Olson were Dr. J. F. DuBois, president of the board of education, who presented the diplomas, Miss Nellie Robertson, principal of the senior high school, the Rev. R. M. Harris, Rector of the Episcopal Church, who gave the invocation, and the Rt. Rev. Msgr. A. Plachta, pastor of St. Paul's church, who pronounced the benediction.

Designated as highest ranking citizens of the graduates, on the basis of certain well-defined traits of character, were Katherine Hansen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. P. Hansen, and Donald Knapp, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Knapp. They were awarded the annual American Legion citizenship award presented by Miss Robertson.

High scholastic students too were on the program. Jim Arneson gave the salutatory as second ranking student in which he spoke on the value of time. Marie Tschirley first ranking student, gave the valedictory and spoke on the formation of ideals. She built her talk around the class motto: "Character is not made in a crisis it is only exhibited."

Dr. Bryngelson got in two political swipes in the early chores of his talk. "I want to remind you," he said, "that the President has been speaking for fifteen minutes. Am I to believe this is an audience of Republicans?"

In explaining himself, including facts that he is a Swede, near fifty, and has a pug nose, he illuminated further with this: "In 1934 I woke up to discover I was a Democrat. It has always been my philosophy to live within my income even If I have to borrow the money to do it."

Dr. Bryngelson indicted people in general for the causes of war and a deceitful society. "The fact is a group behaves exactly as an individual. We are not, anyone of us, in particular to blame, but all of us together."

Strong believer in the individual, Dr. Bryngelson believes that a changed individual, leavening society, can change the world. "So many of us are so virtueless, it is almost a luxury," he said.

This is a talking world he said, and pointed out from people's speech one can single out certain

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