The Tower peeks into PHS history

The PHS Learning Commons stores archives of The Tower dating back to the first issue in 1929. We decided to take a look and show some of the most interesting pieces of PHS history throughout the years.

The Tower conducts a survey of redheads

In 1947, the Tower conducted a survey on the personal likes and dislikes of PHS redheads. The only definitive result from the survey, according to the article, was that the majority of redheads disliked the nickname “red."

PHS students purchase a plane

During World War II, the student council led a buy-a-plane campaign, which aimed to raise $15,000 to buy an army trainer ship. The student body ended up raising almost $20,000 through bonds and stamps, equivalent to $3.6 million today. As such, a sponsorship panel with PHS’s name was placed on the plane.

Frank Sinatra visits PHS

On March 29, 1945, the Tower reported on an event where multiple Hollywood stars, including Frank Sinatra, hosted an event at PHS to encourage students to purchase war bonds. The cheapest tickets for the event started at $100 of war bonds (worth $1,800 today), and the most expensive reached $5000 in bonds ($90,000 today)!

PHS students watch Sputnik

In 1957, the Tower covered a group of PHS “moonwatchers” who woke up early to watch the Soviet’s Sputnik Satellite, the first satellite to reach space. The students described it as “quite a sight.” However, the head of the PHS science department downplayed the event, saying that “if there had been a race to be first, we could’ve been there two years ago.” PHS students purchase a plane The Tower conducts a survey