Leader Publications

I now have six different years that had names other than the Wahoo. I just acquired my oldest, a 1901 called “About Us” edited by Class of ’01 – Dowagiac High School on the cover.

The book has pictures of the 16 grads, plus a picture of the five faculty members, but no names.

Also, a lot of business advertisements – 48 of them to be exact.

In the book is the graduation program which took place at the old Beckwith Theatre with the Beckwith Memorial Theatre Orchestra playing.

The years 1901, ’07, ’10, ’13, ’14 and ’15 are all yearbooks with different names.
The name Wahoo started in 1916.

I also now have some little books put out by DHS students in 1904, ’05, ’06 and ’07.
These books were called The Doe-Wah-Jack.

I have three books for 1905, one for 1904, one for 1906 and four books for 1906-07.
These small books were not DHS yearbooks, but what they called a school paper (in a book form) and were exchanged with other high schools all over to be judged by them.
Then they sent theirs to our school to be judged by us.

These old Doe-Wah-Jacks were printed by the students on an old press the Daily News presented to them.

The kids used the press for other things to print school songs and yells, tickets and election ballots (the Doe-Wah-Jack was entered at Dowagiac post office as second class matter).
Subscriptions were 25 cents per year. Single copies were 10 cents.

On one page, “What Others Say About Us,” had exchanges from schools in 17 different states.

In my 1914 DHS yearbook, called Advance, there was a nice article by Harrison Beach (Beacher) all about the Doe-Wah-Jack.

He tells that they hope to make it one of the best school papers in the state of Michigan.
I wonder how many years after 1914 that this little book lasted.

Also there was a picture opposite the article by Harrison Beach in the 1914 Advance.
It showed a cover picture of the book, which always had an Indian on the cover.
Also, some pictures of the old press and students working on printing the book and three pictures of the editor, business manager and foreman.

I had never seen or heard of the Doe-Wah-Jack until I acquired the ones I have. No one I’ve talked to has, either.

As a sideline, I was able to find the names of the 16 1901 grads, as my 1907 Pow Wow lists the names of all the DHS grads from 1864 up until 1907.

It is really something to see what was done here at DHS 108 years ago. Ain’t history great?

“Cardinal Charlie” Gill writes a nostalgic weekly column about growing up in the Grand Old City.
E-mail him at cardinalcharlie@hotmail.com.