Evening star., 1927-04-30
SCHOOL WINS -FOUR
ORATOR|CAL FINALS
Phillips High of Birmingham
Sets Record for State
Championships.

With the Alabama State champion
ship won last night by one Of its stu
dents in the fourth National OratoriCa
Contest, the Phillips High School OF
Birmingham has established a record
unequaled by any school in the United
States and approached only by the
Eastern High School Of Washington
The victory in the Alabama State
finals of Maxwell Lancaster, 16 years
old, OF the Phillips School, gives to
that school it's fourth State champion
in four national contests. Two of the
four State champions have reached
the national finals in Washington
through zone contest victories and one
of the two ationalists-Robert Ses-
sions-won the oratoricaI champion
ship of the Nation.
While no school equals that record,
the Eastern High School Of this city
approaches it. Two Of Eastern's stu
dents have won places in the national
finals-Asenath Graves, in 1925 and
whose brother Alvin is now awaiting
The Star finals as champion Of the
same high school, and Myrtle Posey in
1925.
Winners of Previous Contests.
In 1924 Jack Turner Of the Phillips
High School Of Birmingham won the
Alabama State championship and the
regional finals Of the Birmingham
zone. hut in the national finals in
Washington he was defeated by Don
Tyler of Los Angeles. In 1925 Robert
Sessions won through the Alabama
State contest, Birmingham regional
contest and national finals in Wash
ington. In 1926 Arthur Glenn Graves
of the same school won the Alabama
State championship, but he was de-
feated by a very narrow margin by
Ann Hardin of Louisville, ky.s in the
zone finals held at Louisville.
In the Rochester finals, also held
last night, a 14-year-Old boy won first
honors and the right to represent the
Rochester district in the semi-tinals
to be held at Kansas City, Mo, May z.
He is Harvey p. Rockwell, a fresh
man at Aquinas Institute, Rochester.
He defeated contestants from the
western New York district, including
Olean, Buffalo, Victor, Niagara Falls,
Waverly, Albion and Rochester.
Waterman Baldwin of the Waverly
High School won second place as
alternate to young Rockwell.
Tennessee Contest Winner.
Harvey Rockwell viii contest next
at Kansas City for the right to repre-
sent the Kansas City zone In the ma
tional finals, here, May 81. The win
ner in that contest viii come to
Washington to compete with the as
yet undetermined champion of The
Star area, the champion of the New
York Times area, the champion of the
Los Angeles Times area, the cham
pion of the Chicago Daily News re-
gion, the winner of the Philadelphia
Bulletin region and the winner in the
Birmingham zone.
Word was received at National Con-
test Headquarters today Of the vic
tory last night of Jack NJ. Caldwell,
jr., in the Tennessee State finals.
Caldwell is a student of the Rhea
County Central High School of Day
ton, Tenn. and in winning the State
championship he defeated contestants
from all parts of that State. O. P.
Meserve of Bristol. Tenn, won second
place and the position of alternate to
Caldwell.
The Tennessee champion will COM
pete with Maxwell Lancaster, the
Alabama champion, and other win
ners of the contests in the Birming-
ham region