Photo Friday
Linwood Dyer Photo Collection, Part 079
Album 2023.02.05.
By Don Taylor
As part of my ongoing work with the Linwood Dyer Collection, I look at photos from his collection. Looking at a well-worn burgundy album, most the photos in the album are “staged snapshots.” Some of the photos originally in the album are now elsewhere, the photos that remain are nicely identified. The Scarborough Historical Society maintains the original photographs in the Linwood Dyer Photo Collection.
The Centers – Jeanette Johnson, Letitia Leary, Harriet Snow.
The black-and-white photograph shows three young women standing close together in front of a brick school building. They are wearing matching outfits: dark jackets, light blouses, and shorts, with socks and shoes. The handwritten caption above the photo reads “The Centers” and below the photo are the names: Jeanette Johnson, Letitia Leary, Harriet Snow. The photo is mounted on a black album page with visible ink and water stains.
Jeanette Johnson, Letitia “Tisha,” Anzonette Leary, and Harriett “Hattie” Alice Snow were all members of the girls basketball team and, apparently, played center for the team. They all graduated from Scarborough High School in 1938.
Boy’s Basketball Team – 1936-1937.
This sepia-toned photograph shows the Scarborough High School Boys’ Basketball Team from the 1936–1937 season. The group is posed indoors against a brick wall.
- Front row (seated): Seven players wear sleeveless basketball uniforms with “SCARBORO” printed in bold letters across the chest and individual numbers on the front. The player in the center holds a basketball marked S.H.S. 36–37.
- Back row (standing): Seven individuals—the coach, reserve players, and manager.
- Captioning: Written in cursive at the top of the album page is “Boy’s Basketball Team,” and beneath the photo is “1936–1937.”
The 1937 Four Corners (Yearbook) has this same photo with names and school class included; it reads:
BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM
Standing: Coach Hallett, Hersey ’39, Pence ’37. K night’33, G. Rawson ’39, Southworth ’38, Paulsen, Manager.
Sitting: Harmon ’38, Mitchell ’39. Dolloff ’40, Newcomb ’37, Scamman ’39, D. Rawson ’37, Clark ‘39.
Maynard Meserve – ex 1938
This sepia-toned studio portrait depicts a young man, identified in the handwritten caption below as Maynard Meserve, Ex – 1938. He is posed facing slightly to his left, with his head turned toward the camera. His hair is neatly combed back, and he wears a checked suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and a patterned tie. The photograph is mounted on a black album page with black photo corners, giving it a formal and preserved presentation typical of the 1930s. The “Ex–1938” notation suggests he may have been a member of the Scarborough High School Class of 1938 who left before graduation.
Maynard “Maynie” Morse Meserve, born December 11, 1921, appears in the 1938 Four Corners yearbook. However, he does not appear in the Commencement Program for SHS 1938, confirming he likely left high school before graduation.
John Verrill – 1938
This sepia-toned studio portrait features a young man identified by the handwritten caption as John Verrill – 1938. He is posed facing slightly to his left, with his head turned toward the camera. His hair is neatly styled and combed back. He wears a dark suit jacket with a notched lapel, a light-colored dress shirt, and a striped tie, all of which are paired with a vest, giving him a polished and formal appearance. The photograph is mounted on a black album page using black photo corners.
John “Johnny” Alden Verrill, born June 12, 1920, appears in the 1938 Four Corners yearbook.
Percy Knight –1938
This sepia-toned studio portrait features a young man identified elsewhere as Percy Knight ’38. He is posed facing slightly to his left, with his head turned toward the camera, offering a faint, confident smile. His hair is neatly combed back in a sleek 1930s style. He wears a three-piece suit, consisting of a notched-lapel jacket, a buttoned vest, a white dress shirt, and a diagonally striped tie.
Percy “Doc” Leonard Knight, born June 10, 1921, appears in the 1938 Four Corners yearbook.
Connection Invitation
If these photographs represent previously unseen images of your family members, we would love to hear from you. Just use the comment feature below. Feel free to incorporate these photographs into your genealogical research, citing “Photo Courtesy: Scarborough Historical Society.”
Portions of this article were prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, to support research and drafting.
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