We have dedicated our yearbook to! Mr. Ralph Batt.

It is by no means an easy task to try to express the warmth in our hearts that we feel for Mr. Batt. For Mr. Batt has passed away and none of us can help but feel remorseful.

Deep down inside of us we recognize the greatness of this man. The girls of Lane most certainly did not know Ralph Batt as well as the boys did, for he, in his position as Dean of Boys, at one time or another, came in contact with most of our male student body. We were able to see through the shell of toughness which he assumed to hide his true emotions. For Ralph Batt was a man who loved boys. He loved his work and his greatest satisfaction was to see a boy straighten out and become a good citizen. No resentment was felt by any boy for discipline meted out by Mr. Batt, for it was known that he constantly upheld the ideals of fairness and a square deal for all. The boys truly realized that Mr. Batt was a man who could be fully trusted. The toughest boy would he a friend to him and could freely discuss any problems, whether school or personal. Mr. Batt tried his very hardest, and the boys admired, appreciated, and respected him for it.

Mr. Batt did not stop with the graduation or the departure of a boy, but, in his private time, carried on a correspondence with scores of Lane graduates, from all over the globe, who regularly wrote him to ask advice, and to let him know how they were getting along. For even after they left Lane, Mr. Batt was remembered by the boys and regarded as a friend.

We know that Ralph Batt will not be forgotten by us, and that he will live on in our memories as a truly great man. It has been an honor for us to dedicate our yearbook to such a man as Ralph Batt.