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In a story a few weeks ago about the
Downingtown Alumni Association
opening a new office, the alumni
issued a challenge.
They wanted to find out exactly where
the nickname "Whippets" came from. This
week, the Alumni Association sent a
letter to the Ledger and included was a
copy from the 1950 Downingtown High
School yearbook, which told the story of
the Whippets.
The following is the entry
from the class of 1950 in the yearbook.
"Whippets! Just where and when did this
name originate? Perhaps it was handed
down, or perhaps someone just happened
to think it a good title; but no, it
means more than that, it has history
behind it.
"It originated at a football game, when
our team was playing its annual classic
with Pottstown, in 1934-35; the name
"Whippets" was created by the Pottstown
Papers.
"The name Whippets will continue to live
on in every student's heart, whether he
is just beginning to learn its meaning,
or already knows what it means, as it
has meant to all those who have gone
before. It is not the name itself but
the spirit for which it stands which has
special meaning.
"Therefore we, the class of 1950, are
proud to have the theme Whippets for our
yearbook. It means a lot to us, as, we
are sure, it means the same to everyone.
That is why we have tried, in all that
we have done, to keep the name Whippets
held in high esteem by both young and
old alike."
Our challenge to the faithful Ledger
readers and Downingtown alumni is to
find a copy of the story in the
Pottstown paper that originally gave
Downingtown the nickname Whippets. |