Union High School

"Into the ranks our boys have gone
To fight for what is right;
When the war is o’er and they come back
The world will shine with freedom’s light."

With poems such as this one and page titles such as ‘Mathematics and Today’s War,’ ‘Foundation Builders’ and Citizen Makers,’ it is clear that the 1943 senior class of Grand Rapids, MI’s Union High School graduated with a war-time education. With illustrations of airplanes and propaganda posters in the background of many pages, as well as patriotic and inspirational quotes separating the different sections of the 1943 Aurora yearbook, there is a tone of shared obligation and duty, but also of optimism that WWII will remake the world into a better and more democratic global society. What other signs or clues can you detect that the students at Union High School felt that WWII was being won for the common good of all people?