May 13, 1954 Sixty-Second Annual Commencement - Collins High School - High School Auditorium, May 20, 1954. Program: Processional - "War March of the Priests" - Mary Jo Shultz; Invocation - Rev. Robert Robinson; Saxophone Solo - Dale Derby; Vocal Solo - "Blind Plow Man," - Rex Morrison; Address - "What Means a High School Diploma?" - W. Russell Hayes; "Tis Evening's Holy Hour" - Mixed Quartet (Maris Slauson, Sandra Long, D. G. Partridge, Elliott Partridge); Presentation of the Class - Supt. E. E. Jackson; Presentation of Diplomas - Grainger Buck, Pres. Board of Education; Class Roll: William Buck, Marilyn Carver, Gary Coughenour, Dale Derby, Howard Hofer, Gary Luing, Beverly Neese, D. G. Partridge, Carla Smith, Reda Smith, Richard Thomas. Solo - "End of a Perfect Day" - D. G. Partridge; Benediction - Rev. G. M. Talbott; Recessional - Mary Jo Shultz.
The seniors will present a program for Class Day on Wednesday afternoon, May 19. The theme will be "Last Day of School," and should provide great fun for everyone. Program includes music, class history, prophesy, senior gifts, letters and awards. The eighth grade exercises will follow to conclude the program.
Sectional Baseball Tournament: First round - Collins vs. Bye.
Semi-finals - Collins avenged an earlier 4-1 defeat by Melbourne by defeating them, 15-5. Collins scored four runs in the first inning; Melbourne came back with five runs; Collins tied the game with one run in the second and four more in the third to go on to a 15-5 win. The team collected 17 hits. Lineup: Gene Fitzgerald (55) (3b) 3 hits; Ronnie Long (55) (2b) 3 hits; Jerry Thornton (55) (cf) 2 hits; Jerry Nichol (56) (c) 4 hits; Jack Kilgore (55) (1b) 2 hits; John Vasey (56) (p) 1 hit; Jim Dodd (56) (ss) 0 hits; Larry Laird (56) (lf) 2 hits; Dale Derby (54) (rf) 2 hits.
Finals - Collins overwhelmed Maxwell 21-3 for Sectional Tournament Championship. Everyone who played had at least one hit and scored no less than twice. Dodd had three singles and a double and Nichol, two singles and a double. Derby had three hits. Lineup: Gene Fitzgerald (55) (3b) 1 hit; Ronnie Long (55) (2b) 1 hit; Jerry Thornton (55) (cf) 1 hit; Jerry Nichol (56) (c) 3 hits; Jack Kilgore (55) (1b) 2 hits; John Vasey (56) (p) 2 hits; Jim Dodd (56) (ss) 4 hits; Larry Laird (56) (lf) 1 hit; Dale Derby (54) (rf) 3 hits.
District Baseball Tournament: First round - Collins defeated Kellogg in a tight eight-inning game, 11-8. Collins led 2-0 in the fourth. Kellogg went ahead 3-2 and added two more in the fifth. Collins rallied for four runs in the sixth only to have Kellogg tie the score in the last of the seventh. In the top of the eighth, Collins scored five runs on five hits. Kellogg came back with two runs with Collins holding on for an 11-8 win. John Vasey was the winning pitcher, pitching excellent ball for the full eight innings. Lineup: Gene Fitzgerald (55) (3b) 1 hit; Ronnie Long (55) (2b) 1 hit; Jerry Thornton (55) (cf) 1 hit; Jerry Nichol (56) (c) 1 hit; Jack Kilgore (55) (1b) 1 hit; Jim Dodd (56) (ss) 0 hits; John Vasey (56) (p) 3 hits; Larry Laird (56) (lf) 2 hits; Dale Derby (54) (rf) 1 hit; Bill Ballard (56) (rf) 0 hits.
Semi-finals - New Sharon scored in the seventh inning Wednesday to eek out a 2-1 win over Collins. Vasey, who pitched the victory over Kellogg on Monday, was again on the mound for Collins with one day's rest. He turned in a good performance in pitching seven innings. Runs - 1; hits - 6; strikeouts - 14; walks - 6. Nichol caught. Collins collected only two hits and eleven batters struck out.