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July 1941. "Roughhousing at Fourth of July picnic, Vale, Oregon." Mess with the boys of the Baker Motorcycle Club at your peril. 35mm acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size.
The only Petit boy in the Baker High School yearbook is Lawrence Petit, Class of 1938. Five years to the day after this photo was taken -- July 4, 1946 -- he was killed in a motorcycle crash when a tire blew and his bike went down an embankment.
How well I remember those days -- Indian burn, Pink Belly Noogies, the joys of youth. One thing you learned how to do was to fist fight. After a while enough was enough.
Young Mr. Petit is wearing a leg brace, perhaps related to polio. I could be wrong and would like to know further thoughts.
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