Thursday, November 28, 2013

A Little Bit of History

My car needed some maintenance work the other day.  The shop, Ron's Auto Repair, is located at 312 3rd Avenue, across from the old Sawnee Hotel.  Had a nice little conversation with the owners about the history of that location.  According to this site that lists businesses located on the avenues throughout the history of Brookings (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-avenues.pdf; businesses located on the streets are listed at http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-streets.pdf), that building was built in 1945, and was the home of Lefevre Motor Coompany from 1945 until 1973.  Mr. Lefevre also seems to have been the agent for Hertz rental cars for about 10 years, from 1963-1972.  Then it was taken over for a year by a Mr. Boerger, and became Boerger Car dealers, selling Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth.  Ownership then changed hands in 1974  to Gerry Hoffelt, becoming Hoffelt Motors.  They moved to 2308 6th St, out by the Holiday Inn, in 1979.  The building then retained its automotive flavor, becoming Jerry's Tune-up for the next ten years.  In 1989, Ron Dobesh became owner, where he is still doing car repairs.  Mr. Dobesh originally had the Mobil station at 6th and Medary, kitty corner from Tom Bozied's Amoco station, from 1981-84.  From 1984-89, it was a Sinclair station.  In the early 80's, I had bought a used Chavy Caprice station wagon that needed quite a bit of work  I took it to Tom.  His station did a great deal of work, but the carburetor was in bad shape, so he took it over to Ron at the Mobil station, as carburetors were his specialty.

The reason for the conversation in the first place is that this part of town was my Minneapolis Tribune paper route during 6th-7th grade.  My route was the west side of Main between 3rd and 4th Streets, then west to the Retirement Center.  There were only about a dozen customers, but it provided me with some good spending money.  Lee Colburn and Stew Linn were also Tribune paper boys.  There may have been others in our class, but I cannot recall any at the moment.  There were a few businesses on Main that were customers, a few on 4th Street (one was the Quick Lunch.  It was run by Ralph Myers (sp?); Did he a few years later  move a block south and have a hang-out for high-schoolers called The Cue (not the one in the basement underneath Quail's, later Wilson's).  I remember playing pool there our sophomore year.  This was about the only place the song "I Can't Control Myself" by the Troggs was played.  It was kind of racy and raunchy

("I can't stand still 'cos you've got me goin'
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Your slacks are low and your hips are showin'
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba"),

even more so than their "Wild Thing," so the radio stations were reluctant to play it.  This venture of Mr. Myers only lasted a short while.  This site later was the Irish Shanty, which we visited a few times while in college.  Other businesses were  the Brookings Area Guidance Center and the Liquor Store, located in the back of the Sawnee Hotel.  One of the customers at the Retirement Center was Carl Christensen (sp).  He was the band director at State for many years.  I believe he was instrumental in getting John Philip Sousa to come to the campus at South Dakota State, probably in the 1920's, as Sousa died in 1932.  The Christy ballroom is named in his honor.  The last paper to be delivered was at 312 3rd Ave, Lefevre's.  At that time, he sold Studebakers and perhaps also Chrysler, Plymouth, and/or Dodge.  The company had also sold Nash automobiles before Nash became part of American Motors.  Anybody remember the 1958 song "Beep Beep-The Little Nash Rambler, by a group called the Playmates (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enqNl7tdLR4)?

Miss Briscoe, our algebra, Latin, and homeroom teacher, drove a yellow Studebaker similar to this one (http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2580/3915678580_49d736c002_z.jpg)..  Studebaker also built a model called the  "Avanti," which resembled a Corvette (http://www.ask.com/wiki/Studebaker_Avanti).   Anybody recall the bullet-nosed Studebakers of the early 1950's (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=studebaker+bullet+nose&qpvt=studebaker+bullet+nose&FORM=IGRE).  Wayne "Slush" Elston, long-time little league and Legion baseball coach, had a gray one of these fine-looking (?) machines.

While looking over the businesses listed at the sites in the first paragraph, some interesting names cropped up, names that we may be familiar with.  These are listed in no special order.

From 1964-66, Dakota Research Service was located at 1313 2nd St (a few blocks from Hillcrest Elementary).  The proprietor is listed as Donald Scannell.  The Bobcat yearbook for those years lists a Vicki Scannell in our class.  Would this be her father?  What was the nature of his business?

From 1914-1931, Crase's Hatchery was located at 414 3rd St. This would have been across the street south from the old Montgomery Ward Store at the corner of Main and Third, near where Kenny Beckman's dad had his John Deere dealership, and a couple of blocks west of the courthouse.  In 1931, it moved a little to the west, to 404 3rd St.  In 1935, it moved next door to 406 3rd St, and in 1940, it moved to 313 5th St (near where Pizza Pub was), where it remained until 1949.  Would this be any relation to Cheryl Crase who was in our class?

From 1953-58, at 114 West 6th St., was located Larscheid Motors.  Would this have been the father of Mike Larschieid?  When Mike moved here in 1967, I believe his father worked at Lefevre's mentioned above.  In the 70's, when it was Hoffelt's, Mr. Larscheid worked there, and I almost bought one of those subcompact Plymouth Horizons from him (http://autos.ca.msn.com/photos/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=20622569&page=3).

From 1960-63, Baird's Service Center was located at 216 West 6th Street.  This was across from Pioneer Park, near where the Dairy Queen was.  Was this Diane Baird's father?


From 1951-1954, Bates Insurance was located at 211 6th St.  I believe this was patsy Bates' father, as the business moved several times, eventually relocating to their home address at 802 4th St., presently the residence of Tom Bozied.

From 1959-61, Nu-Way Cleaners was located at 503 6th St. (across from Spies second location).  The proprietor was Ennis Brown.  My connection is that he was my first little league baseball coach.  He had a couple of sons, one of whom must have been in our grade.  Did they attend Hillcrest?  Does anybody remember them?

In 1963-4, Clayton Sloat's Midland National Life Insurance had an office at 517 6th St, again, right across from Spies.  I believe this is the father of Donna Sloat.  He seems to be doing very well.  He and a few other veterans recently spoke to some 8th-graders at the Middle School.

In 1965, William Keller had an insurance office at 725 6th St.  Was this the same William Keller that was one of the driver's education teachers?

From 1938-47, W. J. McComb had a Service Station, and from 1941-1956, he had McComb's Gardens at 1433 and 1443 6th St., across from the swimming pool.  Would this be any relation to John and Joan McComb?

In 1963, Jim Klassen had a State Farm Insurance agency at 317 3rd St., just north and across the street from Rude's Funeral Home.  He must not have liked selling insurance, because he returned to the classroom shortly thereafter.  He was our 8th grade speech teacher (1964-65), and the assistant principal when we moved to the new high school.

Browsing through these two websites of Brookings businesses over the last hundred years or so was intriguing.  If you get a chance, you may want to explore these two sites.  You may find a historical connection in there somewhere.  






Friday, November 22, 2013

Fifty Years Ago

Today is Friday, November 22, 2013.  Exactly fifty years ago, on the morning of Friday, November 22, 1963, most of us were probably getting ready to go to our 7th grade first period class at the old junior-senior high near the courthouse.  Little did we know that when we went to our first class after lunch, we would have a new president.  During the noon hour, President Kennedy had been assassinated.

Our class was going to English with Mrs. Alcott.  I believe she was part-time, teaching only in the afternoon.  When we came in, she told us of the newscasts that the president had been shot.  My family's house was only one block away, so she let me run home and get a radio.  Upon my return, a radio had already been procured, so we did not need the use of another one.  Mr. Bell may have even put the radio broadcast on the PA system.  The time of death was officially listed as 1:00 PM Central standard time, although it is likely that he died immediately when he was struck by the second bullet.  If you have seen the Zapruder film, you would understand.  It is too gruesome and horrifying to describe.

If memory serves correctly, Mrs. Alcott had us write a something about the shooting.  The president had been taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, but I though the reporter on the radio said something like "Procton."  There was also a mention on the newscast about the shooting of officer J.D Tippitt.  The rest of the day was rather bleak around the school.  We went to our other two classes, but there was not much done.  Very little was said in those classes.  What was there to say?  Many students were teary-eyed.  Even the halls were rather quiet in between classes; everyone understandably seemed to be in a state of shock.  Feel free to add your own comments about your remembrance of that fateful and tragic day.

A number of theories arose concerning the assassination.  Did the shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, act alone, as the Warren Commission stated?  Why did Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shoot him in full view of a nationwide television audience two days later?  Were they part of a conspiracy?  Were the Soviets behind this?  The Mafia? The CIA?  Were shots fired from the "grassy knoll"?  How many shots were actually fired?  One lady insisted that she heard four to six shots, rather than the three the Warren Commission assserted.  Some theorists have even suspected that vice-president Lyndon Johnson masterminded this tragedy.  An internet search leads to a number of theories and arguments.  I seem to recall Jim Kessler and Alan Leibel debating these theories a few years later.  Some books had been published claiming that there was a coverup,and these two, perhaps displaying their aptitude for future careers as lawyers, would have friendly debates over the veracity of the contents of these books.

One theory that was recently highlighted was that there was a coverup, not by any of the above-mentioned organizations, but by the Secret Service.   According to this theory, Oswald fired only two shots.  Three spent casings were found in the room from which the shots were fired (the 6th floor of the Texas school book depository).  So why not three shots?  The Italian bolt-action rifle that Oswald used had a tendency to jam.  Using a blank seemed, for some reason, to alleviate this problem.  Two of the casings were found near the window, but the other one was found some distance away in a corner nowhere near a window.  My knowledge of guns is virtually non-existent, but according to some sources, it would be rather difficult, but not impossible, to fire the three shots so quickly and accurately suing this type of rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_action).  From where, then, did the third shot come?

The authors of this theory claim that Oswald's first shot hit the road near the president's limousine.  A number of bystanders that were interviewed shortly after the shooting said that saw a spark on the pavement, somewhat like sparks coming from a muffler or tailpipe that is dragging on the road surface.  This would have been the first shot.  The second shot hit the president in the back of the neck, exited, and then struck Governor Connally, who was riding in the seat just ahead of the president.  This is plausible, according to the authors; the trajectory of the bullet would be in a straight line from the depository window according to the way the president and the governor were seated.  The entrance and exit wounds were quite small and very clearly defined.  These wounds are characteristic of the full metal jacket bullet used by the Oswald rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet). 

These authors claim that the third bullet actually came from a rifle fired accidentally fired by a secret-service agent in a car behind the president.  When he heard the shots, the agent grabbed a rifle from the seat or the floor of the car, and then looked up in the direction of the sixth floor of the depository.  When the car sped up after the president had been hit in the neck, the agent reacted to keep his balance by squeezing his fingers on whatever he was holding.  His right hand was on the seatback, but his left was on the rifle.  There is even a picture of him with the rifle in the air in some photos.  When he squeezed the trigger on the rifle, the rifle happened to be perfectly aligned to shoot the president in the head. This shot must have instantly killed him.  The time was 12:30 PM. It was well-known that the president had lower-back problems.  One program said he was wearing a back brace that prevented him from slumping over.  Ironically, a supposed benefit for his health may have led to his death.  Had he not been outfitted with that back brace, perhaps he may have been able to slump over, thus avoiding this senseless tragedy. 

The plot becomes even stranger when the president was taken to the hospital.  Efforts to save him were in vain.  There was no possible way to revive him.  A couple of priests were called to administer last rites.  They arrived about 12:45.  Technically, last rites cannot be administered to the dead; the individual has to be alive.  If the president's time of death truly was 1:00 PM, then the last rites would have been efficacious (having the desired effect).  Some say that this was done at the insistence of Mrs. Kennedy.  We probably will never know.

According to Texas law at that time (and perhaps still today), the body could not leave the state without being autopsied.  When the doctors insisted on performing the autopsy, the secret service denied permission.  There were also allegations that the secret service ordered the x-ray technician to alter the x-rays of the president's head.  The reason is that the bullet that killed him, according to this argument, could not have come from Oswald's rifle.  The bullet that struck the president in the head was a hollow-point.  These bullets expand upon impact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-point_bullet).  In the television program, melons were shot using the two different types of bullets.  The full-metal jacket went relatively straight through, leaving a small entrance and exit hole.  It was similar to drilling a hole through a piece of wood.  The melon hit with a hollow-point, however, seemed to explode, as if a cherry-bomb went off inside it.  The back half was completely blown away.  This is similar to what one sees on the Zapruder film.  The x-rays needed to be altered to cover-up this effect.

Another point that the authors discussed during the program was that many people, including  Senator Ralph Yarborough, a member of the presidential motorcade, insisted that they smelled a smoking gun.  It would be virtually impossible for anyone on the ground to smell a smoking gun if it was fired from the sixth floor of a building.  One has to be relatively close to the source in order to detect the odor of a fired rifle. 

This was one of the many intriguing programs focusing on the life of President Kennedy and his assassination.  We will likely never know who really killed him.  We will, however, remember where we were, and the shock and disbelief we experienced, when we first heard that he had been shot.