Page 109 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

complete the equivalent of 12 years of school and receive a High School
Diploma. Will attended a special public school in Grand Rapids named
Central High School. This school had higher qualifications for its teachers
than at the other public schools. The special educational opportunities at
this school eventually evolved into the first Junior College in the state.
Central High School was located in a four story building at 421 Fountain
Street NE. It was four blocks east of downtown and near Will's
employment at the printshop. This school had extensive facilities but was
becoming crowded. The overcrowding did not improve until the opening
of Union High School in 1897. More research is needed to determine the
exact year of his graduation. My best estimate is that Will graduated in
1894 at age 16. Most students who graduated were 18 years old. This
means that Will was clever enough to have skipped over one or two years
of classes. This was quite an accomplishment for an immigrant who
arrived in America without knowing the English language.

The earliest known photograph of Will Poot is his high school graduation
portrait. Frank C. Fryett made this photo. Mr. Fryett was born in Ohio in
1858. After learning photography he toured the West, then opened
studios in Redlands and Los Angeles, California. Between 1894 and 1896
he moved to Grand Rapids and opened a studio downtown at 84 Monroe
Street. In 1900 Mr. Fryett was recorded as Grand Rapids' leading
photographer.

Although school and work kept Will busy, he probably made an occasional
short detour between them to visit West's Drug Store and Soda Fountain,
which was located downtown at Monroe and Pearl. There he could enjoy
lemonade or the new fad, Welch's Grape Juice, which gained nationwide
popularity after appearing at the Chicago Worlds Fair. West's also served
an exotic Pineapple Ice for 5 cents and a giant Grape Gobbler for 10 cents.

At the end of 1894, JW Poot and family prepared to move again. The Poot
family would now begin an era of frequent moves and many changes.

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