Another classmate has received a distinguished, but surprising, award. Most of us recognize that our class has some gifted individuals both academically, intellectually, professionally, and athletically. Some have been publicly recognized, while others are quietly honored by their peers. One surprising accolade that was announced recently was Lee Colburn's selection into the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame (http://www.argusleader.com/story/sports/high-school-sports/2014/12/24/high-school-basketball-hall-induct/20848097/). ( It will probably work best to copy and paste this address in the URL at the top of the webpage). It surprised me because I thought he had already been selected for this exclusive honor. He has received so many awards since his untimely passing Dec. 31, 1997, that it seemed only natural that he should be a member of this esteemed group. Obviously I was mistaken. Here is a little article written for one of the groups to which he belongs (http://www.sdshof.com/inductees/lee-colburn/). Most of the honorees for this year's South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame are probably unknown to many us, but there may be a few names that trigger our memories.
John Eidsness was just finishing up his senior at State when Lee was a freshman. so they played together for only one year. John wasn't the quickest player, but he was a deadly shooter. We enjoyed watching him when we were in high school. He and Denny Womeldorf made a great combination at the guard spots for the Running Rabbits. It seemed as if they could run all day and not get tired. When Lee was being recruited, there were some concerns, because Lee was a guard in high school, that he would not be able to handle the ball very well against quality guards such as Eidsness or Womeldorf. However, Lee told us that Coach Marking, who was recruiting him, said that he was capable of handling that responsibility right now, as a high-schooler. He really did not have to worry, as he continued to grow and really did not play guard in college. His experience in high school, however, proved most beneficial when he competed as a collegian. John Eidsness also played some baseball and football while at State, and became an assistant basketball coach at SDSU for a few years after graduation. He and Tom Osterberg played on the same independent basketball team for those years, I believe. Did they also play on the Spies slo-pitch softball team? He lived next door to Mr. and Mrs. Guy O. Karnes. During my first year of teaching, I relied on sporadic visits to Mr. Karnes to help me through the tough times. If the weather was nice, the Eidsness family would often be outside with their young child. Can't remember if the child was a boy or a girl.
John was also a fine baseball player, pitching and probably playing shortstop if he was not pitching. He played Legion ball for Canton. They also had another pitcher named Ray Johnson, I believe. He was fast, and drew the attention of some major league scouts. The state "A" Legion Tournament was held in Brookings in 1966. Canton had won the "B" division, so they were eligible to play in the "A" tournament. They competed well, but were unable to overtake Rapid City for the championship.
Mike Freier is a name that stood out in the 1967 State "B" tournament. He was a fantastic shooter. He went to Yankton College and played for Jim Holwerda. Mr. Holwerda became the athletic director and later girls basketball coach at BHS when "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He taught me a great deal about the game. He told me that Mike Freier did not play much in college because he did not know how to get open. Evidently, in high school, he could get open by just standing around. It seems that they did not play defense with the same intensity in the small schools as they did in the larger schools. If you read the link above about Lee's induction into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, you may have noticed that in high school, he was recruited by Tex Winter of Washington. Tex Winter was Mr. Holwerda's college coach at Kansas State in the 1950's. He later was an assistant with Phil Jackson when Mr. Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a number of NBA championships. Without Tex Winter, Phil Jackson likely would not have had the success he did.
One of those girls we coached against was Amy Burnett. She was somewhat of a combination of Barry Howe and Joe Jensen. She scored more points than Joe or Barry did because she was their main player. Her team did not have the balance that our 68 and 69 teams did. She was bigger and stronger than most of the girls she played against. It would not be surprising if she learned to play the game competing against boys whenever possible. She was also a talented thrower in the discus and shot put on their track and field teams.
Vince Whipple was in the state tournament record books for a long time. He held the record for the total number of points scored, 79, in the championship rounds of the State "A" tournament for many years.
Chuck Iverson graduated the same year as Lee. He is no relation to me. Our senior year, we scrimmaged Chuck and his Vermillion team in our gym about a week before our first game. He was about 6'8" so he made Joe look somewhat small. He played collegiately in his hometown, as did Lee. He and Lee faced off many times during their four-year careers. Chuck still is in the record books as one of the the all-time leading rebounders in the now-defunct North Central Conference. Chuck, too, may have had a pro tryout. He was drafted by Seattle as the 73rd pick in the fifth round. Lee was drafter in the fourth round as the 58th pick by the Rockets (http://northcentral.prestosports.com/Record_Book/08_Updates/08_MBB.pdf--this website is amazing! Phil Jackson was a dominant player in the conference in the mid-60's; John Eidsness was the best field goal and free throw- shooter in 1969; if one is a history junkie, one could spend many hours on this sight). What is really eerie, though, is that Chuck Iverson's daughter married the son of Mike McClemans, who was a year behind us in school. Mike told me some of the details, but I couldn't keep everything straight, as Mike tended to get off-track in his narration.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Badger Clark and Jim Duffey Connection
When we were in grade school, one of our teachers (was it the music teacher, Mrs. Engberg? {thank, Brian}) often mentioned that Badger Clark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Badger_Clark) was the first poet laureate of South Dakota. There have only been a handful of them in the state. He was followed by Adeline Jenny, Audrey Visser, Mabel Frederick, and David Evans. Mr. Evans, whom some of us may have had for a teacher when we were in college at SDSU, recently retired. (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/10/03/state-poetry-society-searching-new-poet-laureate/16655829/)
The Argus_Leader reported today, Dec. 6, 2014, that a new poet laureate had been selected, and she has ties to Brookings. (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/12/04/nea-grant-gives-sd-poet-greatest-gift-time-write/19899785/) Her father is James Duffey, who was a year ahead of us in school. He is not pictured, though, in the 1968 yearbook. Does anyone know why not? From all indications, he was a brilliant student. As a junior, he was in the National Honor Society, and was an award-winning member of Kinetic Club and JETS (Junior Engineers Technical Society). Both of these clubs were under the guidance of Mr. Karnes. At the 1967 South Dakota Science Fair, Jim's project entitled "A Multi-Band Phased Vertical Array for the Amateur Radio Bands" earned him a two week Navy Cruise and the Bell Award. The minutes of the 53rd annual meeting of the South Dakota Academy of Science for the following year 1968 (http://www.sdaos.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Vol%2047%201968/68MIN.pdf) state that "Mr. Guy Karnes reported on the Bell telephone Award awarded last year to Jim Duffey, a junior at Brookings High School. This was the first year for the award in this area. The 1967 minutes authorized three students and three instructors to go on the trip. The president noted that the new Junior Academy members should look into the possibilities for continued aspects for next year. Mr. Marvin Hanson of Huron College has the details for the present plans for this award. Next year there will be three competitions in Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City. This would not be connected to the Academy. The following year the next three larger schools would enter competitors for the award with other high schools furnishing competitors for the award in future years."
The minutes of the meeting stated that "The trip was most enjoyable, and both Mr. Duffey and Mr. Karnes report that they had never received such "red carpet" treatment. They were picked up at their homes by a Northwest Bell car and taken to the Sioux Falls Airport where they were seen off by Northwest Bell officials...They flew by jet to New York...Following a luncheon on May 15, they were taken by bus to the Research Laboratories at Murray Hill, New Jersey."
Jim himself had this to say: "The trip to Murray Hill Research laboratories was most enlightening and very educational. The particular research visit was tailored to each boy's individual interest. I was interested in electronics. Among the research facilities I visited were those dealing with the development of semiconductor material, evolutions of various telephones, and computerized speech. One of the most interesting parts of the Murray Hill visit was the dinner with a number of research scientists, some of whom we had heard speak earlier. Here we had the opportunity to visit with these men and ask questions. The trip was most interesting, and I sincerely hope the Bell Telephone Company continues this program so that many other boys may have the opportunity to visit the Murray Hill Laboratories."
James, however, was not the only Brookings High student to make an appearance at the Science Fair that year. Randy Christensen and Ron Haverman received a $25 AAAS award for their project Studies of Electric Fields of Force"; Jan Roberts received a merit award for his project "pH Relationships of Chemical Complexes; Dan Lutter entered his project "Ultra-Sensitive Microphone Using an Insulated Gate Transistor." Dan was also nominated for the presidency of the Academy.
What is interesting is that the 1967 meeting was held in the Christy Ballroom on the campus of SDSU, and was welcomed by President Briggs, father of Janice of our class. Also noteworthy is that the Junior Academy of Science held its banquet at the First Methodist Church at 6:30 on April 28. Mr. Karnes was given a "large cake...in appreciation for the work he did for the Junior Academy."
Also notable were the names of the many professors associated with the Academy, some of whom were parents of our classmates. Some of these professors may have been our teachers if we attended SDSU. Do any of these names ring a bell? Walt Morgan (he was also selected President for the upcoming year), Elmer Johnson, Gerald Myers, Paul Springer, H. M. Briggs, Bernard Brandwein, Robert Dahlgren, Bill Wadsworth, Keith Morrill, Duane Acker, Glenn Alcott( we had a Mrs. Alcott for 7th Grade English--any connection?), Orville Bentley, B. L. Brage, Charles Carlson, Art Dracy, Hans Graetzer, Al and Yvonne Greichus, Andrew Halverson, Emil Hargett, David Holden, H. L. Hutcheson, Les Kamstra, Paul Koepsell, Ray Linder, Bill Lytle, Melvin Manning, Don McRoberts, Paul Middaugh, Ray Moore, Floyd Parker, Don Progulske, M. Roller, R. J. Wahlstrom and V. S. Webster. Surprisingly, Jim Duffey's father, George, is not a member. Had he retired by then? New members for the next year included Henry Gehrke, Jr., Bob Kieckhefer, Chuck McMullen, and Jim Worman.
There is also a mention of the passing away of lifetime member C. M. Groethe of Sacramento, CA. Would this be any relation to the Groethes that we would know? In addition to Kathy in our class, there was a Carol Groethe when we were in grade school. anyone remember her? She may have moved away after 4th grade. Did she live near Pioneer Park?
One of the high school teachers listed is Jim Martin of Belle Fourche (we defeated them in the semifinals of the State "A" basketball tournament our senior year 69-58). He would move to Brookings later that summer to replace Mr. Karnes and Mr. Friend as Chemistry teacher. He retired in the late 80's and still lives in Brookings.
The members of the Academy from BHS in 1967 were Randy Christensen, Dale Coulter, Doug Dahl, Jim Duffey, John Finn, Dennis and Tom Fox, Ron Haverman, Mary Ellen Josephson, Jan Roberts, and Stan Skubic. From Todd County there is a Rebecca Tlustos. Mr. Tlustos, the wrestling coach our senior year, actually does have a daughter Rebecca, but she graduated from Brookings in the 80's.
In 1968, senior Gregg McCarty appears to be the only BHS member of the Academy. His presentation, which was delivered at the Huron Arena, was entitled "A Study of Four-Substitute Pyridine N-Oxide Complexes with Zinc." Dennis Fox, another senior, also had a presentation on "Dependence of Viscosity on Temperature." Gregg must have been rather busy his senior year. He was also on the debate that was runner-up in the state tournament. The team placed first at Fargo, SF Lincoln, USD, Watertown, Yankton, Morningside (Sioux City), Big 10 (Brookings), and Divisional (Huron). They were runners-up at Augustana, NFL (Aberdeen), and State. Also on that team were Dave Pearson, Phil Kohl, and John Richards. It appears that some competitions allowed for more than four debaters. Pictured in the annual as champions at the Morningside Debate Tournament are Patty Hauschild and Karen Shaw, along with the four boys and Mr. Klassen. Well done, folks.
While searching out the above information, another surprising website appeared (http://sigmaxi.sdstate.org/about1.htm). In addition to those professors named above, some familiar names may be Harold Bailey, George Buntley, Paul Collins, Chris Dinkel, George Duffey, Harold Froslie, William Gamble, Raymond Kinch, Bruce Miller, Jesse Rawson, William Rogoff, Jack Runkles,and Frederick Westin.
My encounters with Jim Duffey were virtually non-existent. One memory, though, remains vividly in my mind. In the spring of 1963, when we were in 6th grade, Lefty Johnson had visitation day for the 6th-graders who would be 7th-graders the next school year. He wanted us to get a sense of what Jr. High would be like as we changed classrooms every hour. A 7th-grader would escort about six students as they would follow a brief schedule in a typical day of 7th grade. We would spend perhaps 5-10 minutes in each class. Jim Duffey was one of the chaperones the afternoon our class visited. When we were in Mr. Kabrud's geography class, the topic had something to do with the Soviet Union. Mr. Kabrud said that the word "Soviet" could be pronounced either of two ways: Soe-vee-et or Sah-vee-et. Jim asked Mr. Kabrud which one he preferred. I think the answer was the former.
Does anyone know where Jim Duffey is now. It would not be surprising if he has a Ph.D in some engineering field, and he is either a research scientist or a professor at a university somewhere. Why is he not pictured in the 1968 annual? Did he graduate early? If anyone has any information, don't hesitate to let the rest of us know.
The Argus_Leader reported today, Dec. 6, 2014, that a new poet laureate had been selected, and she has ties to Brookings. (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/12/04/nea-grant-gives-sd-poet-greatest-gift-time-write/19899785/) Her father is James Duffey, who was a year ahead of us in school. He is not pictured, though, in the 1968 yearbook. Does anyone know why not? From all indications, he was a brilliant student. As a junior, he was in the National Honor Society, and was an award-winning member of Kinetic Club and JETS (Junior Engineers Technical Society). Both of these clubs were under the guidance of Mr. Karnes. At the 1967 South Dakota Science Fair, Jim's project entitled "A Multi-Band Phased Vertical Array for the Amateur Radio Bands" earned him a two week Navy Cruise and the Bell Award. The minutes of the 53rd annual meeting of the South Dakota Academy of Science for the following year 1968 (http://www.sdaos.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Vol%2047%201968/68MIN.pdf) state that "Mr. Guy Karnes reported on the Bell telephone Award awarded last year to Jim Duffey, a junior at Brookings High School. This was the first year for the award in this area. The 1967 minutes authorized three students and three instructors to go on the trip. The president noted that the new Junior Academy members should look into the possibilities for continued aspects for next year. Mr. Marvin Hanson of Huron College has the details for the present plans for this award. Next year there will be three competitions in Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City. This would not be connected to the Academy. The following year the next three larger schools would enter competitors for the award with other high schools furnishing competitors for the award in future years."
The minutes of the meeting stated that "The trip was most enjoyable, and both Mr. Duffey and Mr. Karnes report that they had never received such "red carpet" treatment. They were picked up at their homes by a Northwest Bell car and taken to the Sioux Falls Airport where they were seen off by Northwest Bell officials...They flew by jet to New York...Following a luncheon on May 15, they were taken by bus to the Research Laboratories at Murray Hill, New Jersey."
Jim himself had this to say: "The trip to Murray Hill Research laboratories was most enlightening and very educational. The particular research visit was tailored to each boy's individual interest. I was interested in electronics. Among the research facilities I visited were those dealing with the development of semiconductor material, evolutions of various telephones, and computerized speech. One of the most interesting parts of the Murray Hill visit was the dinner with a number of research scientists, some of whom we had heard speak earlier. Here we had the opportunity to visit with these men and ask questions. The trip was most interesting, and I sincerely hope the Bell Telephone Company continues this program so that many other boys may have the opportunity to visit the Murray Hill Laboratories."
James, however, was not the only Brookings High student to make an appearance at the Science Fair that year. Randy Christensen and Ron Haverman received a $25 AAAS award for their project Studies of Electric Fields of Force"; Jan Roberts received a merit award for his project "pH Relationships of Chemical Complexes; Dan Lutter entered his project "Ultra-Sensitive Microphone Using an Insulated Gate Transistor." Dan was also nominated for the presidency of the Academy.
What is interesting is that the 1967 meeting was held in the Christy Ballroom on the campus of SDSU, and was welcomed by President Briggs, father of Janice of our class. Also noteworthy is that the Junior Academy of Science held its banquet at the First Methodist Church at 6:30 on April 28. Mr. Karnes was given a "large cake...in appreciation for the work he did for the Junior Academy."
Also notable were the names of the many professors associated with the Academy, some of whom were parents of our classmates. Some of these professors may have been our teachers if we attended SDSU. Do any of these names ring a bell? Walt Morgan (he was also selected President for the upcoming year), Elmer Johnson, Gerald Myers, Paul Springer, H. M. Briggs, Bernard Brandwein, Robert Dahlgren, Bill Wadsworth, Keith Morrill, Duane Acker, Glenn Alcott( we had a Mrs. Alcott for 7th Grade English--any connection?), Orville Bentley, B. L. Brage, Charles Carlson, Art Dracy, Hans Graetzer, Al and Yvonne Greichus, Andrew Halverson, Emil Hargett, David Holden, H. L. Hutcheson, Les Kamstra, Paul Koepsell, Ray Linder, Bill Lytle, Melvin Manning, Don McRoberts, Paul Middaugh, Ray Moore, Floyd Parker, Don Progulske, M. Roller, R. J. Wahlstrom and V. S. Webster. Surprisingly, Jim Duffey's father, George, is not a member. Had he retired by then? New members for the next year included Henry Gehrke, Jr., Bob Kieckhefer, Chuck McMullen, and Jim Worman.
There is also a mention of the passing away of lifetime member C. M. Groethe of Sacramento, CA. Would this be any relation to the Groethes that we would know? In addition to Kathy in our class, there was a Carol Groethe when we were in grade school. anyone remember her? She may have moved away after 4th grade. Did she live near Pioneer Park?
One of the high school teachers listed is Jim Martin of Belle Fourche (we defeated them in the semifinals of the State "A" basketball tournament our senior year 69-58). He would move to Brookings later that summer to replace Mr. Karnes and Mr. Friend as Chemistry teacher. He retired in the late 80's and still lives in Brookings.
The members of the Academy from BHS in 1967 were Randy Christensen, Dale Coulter, Doug Dahl, Jim Duffey, John Finn, Dennis and Tom Fox, Ron Haverman, Mary Ellen Josephson, Jan Roberts, and Stan Skubic. From Todd County there is a Rebecca Tlustos. Mr. Tlustos, the wrestling coach our senior year, actually does have a daughter Rebecca, but she graduated from Brookings in the 80's.
In 1968, senior Gregg McCarty appears to be the only BHS member of the Academy. His presentation, which was delivered at the Huron Arena, was entitled "A Study of Four-Substitute Pyridine N-Oxide Complexes with Zinc." Dennis Fox, another senior, also had a presentation on "Dependence of Viscosity on Temperature." Gregg must have been rather busy his senior year. He was also on the debate that was runner-up in the state tournament. The team placed first at Fargo, SF Lincoln, USD, Watertown, Yankton, Morningside (Sioux City), Big 10 (Brookings), and Divisional (Huron). They were runners-up at Augustana, NFL (Aberdeen), and State. Also on that team were Dave Pearson, Phil Kohl, and John Richards. It appears that some competitions allowed for more than four debaters. Pictured in the annual as champions at the Morningside Debate Tournament are Patty Hauschild and Karen Shaw, along with the four boys and Mr. Klassen. Well done, folks.
While searching out the above information, another surprising website appeared (http://sigmaxi.sdstate.org/about1.htm). In addition to those professors named above, some familiar names may be Harold Bailey, George Buntley, Paul Collins, Chris Dinkel, George Duffey, Harold Froslie, William Gamble, Raymond Kinch, Bruce Miller, Jesse Rawson, William Rogoff, Jack Runkles,and Frederick Westin.
My encounters with Jim Duffey were virtually non-existent. One memory, though, remains vividly in my mind. In the spring of 1963, when we were in 6th grade, Lefty Johnson had visitation day for the 6th-graders who would be 7th-graders the next school year. He wanted us to get a sense of what Jr. High would be like as we changed classrooms every hour. A 7th-grader would escort about six students as they would follow a brief schedule in a typical day of 7th grade. We would spend perhaps 5-10 minutes in each class. Jim Duffey was one of the chaperones the afternoon our class visited. When we were in Mr. Kabrud's geography class, the topic had something to do with the Soviet Union. Mr. Kabrud said that the word "Soviet" could be pronounced either of two ways: Soe-vee-et or Sah-vee-et. Jim asked Mr. Kabrud which one he preferred. I think the answer was the former.
Does anyone know where Jim Duffey is now. It would not be surprising if he has a Ph.D in some engineering field, and he is either a research scientist or a professor at a university somewhere. Why is he not pictured in the 1968 annual? Did he graduate early? If anyone has any information, don't hesitate to let the rest of us know.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
80 Years Ago
In 1934, the population of Brookings would have been about 4,700 or so (The census for 1930 was 4,376, and for 1940 it was 5,346, an increase of 22.2%). Statewide, though, the population decreased 7.2% during that same time, from 692,849 to 642,961. Among the 4,700 residents of Brookings were 130 students entering their senior year at BHS. What might the student population at the college have been? My meager computer skills were unable to find that figure, but would a good guess be around 500 to 600?
The statewide decrease in population can be attributed to the weather, the dirty 30's, that so many likely heard about as we were growing up (http://truedakotan.com/photos/true-dakotan-photo-gallery/the-worst-day-of-the-dirty-thirties/). As juniors, we read about the plight of the Joad family as they left Oklahoma in search of a better life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath).
The 1934-35 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228488?page=0) followed the same format as previous years. The classes that were taught by the staff of 20 teachers were English, French, music, ag, home ec, science, geometry, Latin, PE, math, history, commercial, and manual training. On the school board were some prominent citizens of their day who left their mark on the community. Mr. Bibby was the president, while two of the other five members were Mr. Bartling and Mr. Doner. Mr. Bibby had the dairy, Mr. Bartling was associated with the furniture store and funeral home, while Mr. Doner was a key figure on campus. The Doner Auditorium in the Administration Building was named in his honor.
The seniors that may have some connections to those in our class might be Marien Alexander, Avis Bortnem, Robert Lee, William Prussman, Clarice Sterud, Boyd Vick. A few other seniors who piqued my interest were the three Houglands: Euneva, Geneva, and Gladys. There was a Hougland family that was a neighbor of ours for a number of years. Mrs. Hougland had been a one-room country school teacher, and when consolidation took place in the early 60's, she taught at Central for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hougland have passed away, and the house is now being restored to its original condition by the Fishback family. There is also listed a Hazel Norton. Might this be a sister of Bob Norton, who worked many years in the clothing business, as did "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's dad (more on him later)? He definitely worked at Fergen's, and may also have been employed at Quail's and Wilson's. There was also a Ruby Pickett. Roger Pickett was employed at the Post Office for a number of years. Would there be some kinship between those two?
The next Bobcat annual listed on this website (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192?startYear=1965&endYear=1969&type=DisplayChannel&cp=aff&s=80481&a_tid=79648&communityId=9192&hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1416941831688) is for the year 1939. Some juniors listed in the 1935 Bobcat that may be known to us are Harvey Behrend, Vernon Rude, Omar Otterness, Vivian Ray, Ernest Steen.
One of Harvey's sons Phil was a year ahead of us in school. Another son John graduated in 1967. Was their older sister Janet, who graduated in 1965? Vernon Rude is from the Rude family having the furniture store and funeral home. If memory serves correctly, he was also the country coroner for a number of years. Vivian Ray's father owned Ray's Drugstore. She, too, became a pharmacist I believe. She married Walt Distad, and was the mother of Linda (class of '66) and Rod (class of '70).
Mentioned in a previous post were three, and perhaps four, members of the sophomore class of 1935 who were parents of our classmates. Others who may be of interest are Orville Berkland, Elizabeth Bibby, Arnold deBlonk, John Durland, Kenneth Linn, Doug and James Rosheim, Dorothy Sexauer, Erwin Steen, Judith Vick, Lorran Sterud, and Wayne Waltz. Missing from the sophomore class are Naiem Bozied, father of Tom, and Elsie Clark, father of Emmett Earley, Jr.
Is Arnold deBlonk the father of Arnie deBlonk who was a year ahead of us in school? He was also in our Cub Scout troop when we were in grade school.
Does anybody remember Mike and Pat Durland? Mike was in our class, while Pat was a year ahead of us. The lived on a farm south of town, and moved (to Idaho?) around 1966. Did the building of Interstate 29 take away a good portion of their farmland, causing them to move elsewhere? In a book on the history of the Catholic Church in Brookings, Jack McClemans, father of Mike (who was also in our Cub Scout troop and a year ahead of us in school), notes that on Sunday afternoons, the priest, Fr. Dooley, would ride his horse and buggy "to the Floyd Durland farm where he spent the night and said Mass and heard confessions on Monday morning...On Monday afternoon, he continued east to my great-grandmother's home, known as the O'Brien homestead. He spent Monday night with them...On Tuesday he headed north toward Aurora...By the middle of the week, his journey would lead him back to Brookings." Mike and Pat were in our catechism classes at church, and their uncle Bob was in the ag engineering department on campus. Bob played football in the early 50's on some fine Jackrabbit teams. There used to be an alumni football game to start the season; Bob played until he was perhaps 35.
Wayne Waltz would later become the owner of Waltz Construction (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=385180) . They have done a number of large projects in Brookings.
Was Kenneth Linn the father of Stew? Was Judith Vick the aunt of Patty? Were the Rosheim boys related to the Rosheim triplets (Joe, Mark, and Myron) who were a couple of years behind us in school?
The freshmen that year that may have some connections to our class include Betty and David Alexander, Art Behrend, Meryl Beals, Albert Bortnem, Morrell Connelly, James Finn, June Grommersch, Ray Horn, Mildred Moad, Duane Rude, Delmer Pittenger, Leon Steen, and Grace Wilber.
Art Behrend was the wife of Barb Behrend. She was the secretary for "Lefty" Johnson for a number of years. Their children were Patsy, Tom, Don, and Rob. Robb was quite a bit younger, graduating around 1980, while the others graduated in the early to mid 60's.
Does anybody remember Clara Beals? She lived in a big old house on 6th Street, a couple of blocks west of the swimming pool. It wasn't the prettiest house around; we may have even thought it was haunted when we were younger. Would Meryl Beals any relation?
James Finn (http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3136&page=80) was the father of Jim, John (http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WISTCROI/2002-09/1031001687), Mary, Dan, and Patti. Jim and John were a couple of years older than we were. Patti graduated in 1980, and became one of the outstanding athletes ever at BHS. She was on some state championship track and field teams, set a number of records in track and field, some of which still stand today, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. James' wife Marion (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16363&page=80) was one of our catechism teachers (8th grade?) at church.
Morrell Connelly, better known as "Buck", is the father of Robyn. His father was the chief of police in Brookings for a number of years. Buck served his country admirably in WWII, and was richly rewarded for his bravery (http://en.ww2awards.com/person/38625).
June Grommersch, I believe, married Clyde Helsper, and is the mother of Rich Helsper of the BHS class of 1970. Didn't Mrs. Helsper play the organ at the Catholic Church for a number of years?
Ray Horn (http://www.millerfh.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=780132) was the husband of Jeannette Horn, who taught sophomore English at BHS for about 20 years, from the early 60's to the early 80's (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2014/11/crazy-lady-day-at-bhs.html#comment-form).
One rather striking athletic fact is that the football team played the "State" frosh, only losing 21-6. Bobcat Day that year was on Saturday, Oct. 13, with the football game taking place at 3:00 at State Field. After the game, which Flandreau Indians won by a score of 13-7, the Bobcat Day Banquet was held in the basement of the Methodist Church. In attendance were the Flandreau football team, coach, and principal, as well as BHS students, teachers, and alumni.
Some of the track and field records would still be competitive in many meets today. Perhaps the most amazing one is the football throw of 196' 6". That's over 65 yards! It was interesting, too, that intramural track and field was required for sophomores and freshmen. When we were sophomores, the 1967 Bobcat had this little item on the varsity track team: "Is compulsory track the thing for Brookings High School? We did beat Volga and Clear Lake in a triangular meet but then again we were beaten by Madison and we failed to do well at the Madison Invitational. Bob Adams set a record in the low hurdles, and Alan C. Parker set one in the 2 mile run, probably because this was the first year for this event. Bob Adams and Jay Leibel qualified for the State Meet and both placed. Adams took fourth in the low hurdles and Leibel took fifth in the high jump."
The statewide decrease in population can be attributed to the weather, the dirty 30's, that so many likely heard about as we were growing up (http://truedakotan.com/photos/true-dakotan-photo-gallery/the-worst-day-of-the-dirty-thirties/). As juniors, we read about the plight of the Joad family as they left Oklahoma in search of a better life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath).
The 1934-35 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228488?page=0) followed the same format as previous years. The classes that were taught by the staff of 20 teachers were English, French, music, ag, home ec, science, geometry, Latin, PE, math, history, commercial, and manual training. On the school board were some prominent citizens of their day who left their mark on the community. Mr. Bibby was the president, while two of the other five members were Mr. Bartling and Mr. Doner. Mr. Bibby had the dairy, Mr. Bartling was associated with the furniture store and funeral home, while Mr. Doner was a key figure on campus. The Doner Auditorium in the Administration Building was named in his honor.
The seniors that may have some connections to those in our class might be Marien Alexander, Avis Bortnem, Robert Lee, William Prussman, Clarice Sterud, Boyd Vick. A few other seniors who piqued my interest were the three Houglands: Euneva, Geneva, and Gladys. There was a Hougland family that was a neighbor of ours for a number of years. Mrs. Hougland had been a one-room country school teacher, and when consolidation took place in the early 60's, she taught at Central for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hougland have passed away, and the house is now being restored to its original condition by the Fishback family. There is also listed a Hazel Norton. Might this be a sister of Bob Norton, who worked many years in the clothing business, as did "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's dad (more on him later)? He definitely worked at Fergen's, and may also have been employed at Quail's and Wilson's. There was also a Ruby Pickett. Roger Pickett was employed at the Post Office for a number of years. Would there be some kinship between those two?
The next Bobcat annual listed on this website (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192?startYear=1965&endYear=1969&type=DisplayChannel&cp=aff&s=80481&a_tid=79648&communityId=9192&hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1416941831688) is for the year 1939. Some juniors listed in the 1935 Bobcat that may be known to us are Harvey Behrend, Vernon Rude, Omar Otterness, Vivian Ray, Ernest Steen.
One of Harvey's sons Phil was a year ahead of us in school. Another son John graduated in 1967. Was their older sister Janet, who graduated in 1965? Vernon Rude is from the Rude family having the furniture store and funeral home. If memory serves correctly, he was also the country coroner for a number of years. Vivian Ray's father owned Ray's Drugstore. She, too, became a pharmacist I believe. She married Walt Distad, and was the mother of Linda (class of '66) and Rod (class of '70).
Mentioned in a previous post were three, and perhaps four, members of the sophomore class of 1935 who were parents of our classmates. Others who may be of interest are Orville Berkland, Elizabeth Bibby, Arnold deBlonk, John Durland, Kenneth Linn, Doug and James Rosheim, Dorothy Sexauer, Erwin Steen, Judith Vick, Lorran Sterud, and Wayne Waltz. Missing from the sophomore class are Naiem Bozied, father of Tom, and Elsie Clark, father of Emmett Earley, Jr.
Is Arnold deBlonk the father of Arnie deBlonk who was a year ahead of us in school? He was also in our Cub Scout troop when we were in grade school.
Does anybody remember Mike and Pat Durland? Mike was in our class, while Pat was a year ahead of us. The lived on a farm south of town, and moved (to Idaho?) around 1966. Did the building of Interstate 29 take away a good portion of their farmland, causing them to move elsewhere? In a book on the history of the Catholic Church in Brookings, Jack McClemans, father of Mike (who was also in our Cub Scout troop and a year ahead of us in school), notes that on Sunday afternoons, the priest, Fr. Dooley, would ride his horse and buggy "to the Floyd Durland farm where he spent the night and said Mass and heard confessions on Monday morning...On Monday afternoon, he continued east to my great-grandmother's home, known as the O'Brien homestead. He spent Monday night with them...On Tuesday he headed north toward Aurora...By the middle of the week, his journey would lead him back to Brookings." Mike and Pat were in our catechism classes at church, and their uncle Bob was in the ag engineering department on campus. Bob played football in the early 50's on some fine Jackrabbit teams. There used to be an alumni football game to start the season; Bob played until he was perhaps 35.
Wayne Waltz would later become the owner of Waltz Construction (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=385180) . They have done a number of large projects in Brookings.
Was Kenneth Linn the father of Stew? Was Judith Vick the aunt of Patty? Were the Rosheim boys related to the Rosheim triplets (Joe, Mark, and Myron) who were a couple of years behind us in school?
The freshmen that year that may have some connections to our class include Betty and David Alexander, Art Behrend, Meryl Beals, Albert Bortnem, Morrell Connelly, James Finn, June Grommersch, Ray Horn, Mildred Moad, Duane Rude, Delmer Pittenger, Leon Steen, and Grace Wilber.
Art Behrend was the wife of Barb Behrend. She was the secretary for "Lefty" Johnson for a number of years. Their children were Patsy, Tom, Don, and Rob. Robb was quite a bit younger, graduating around 1980, while the others graduated in the early to mid 60's.
Does anybody remember Clara Beals? She lived in a big old house on 6th Street, a couple of blocks west of the swimming pool. It wasn't the prettiest house around; we may have even thought it was haunted when we were younger. Would Meryl Beals any relation?
James Finn (http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3136&page=80) was the father of Jim, John (http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WISTCROI/2002-09/1031001687), Mary, Dan, and Patti. Jim and John were a couple of years older than we were. Patti graduated in 1980, and became one of the outstanding athletes ever at BHS. She was on some state championship track and field teams, set a number of records in track and field, some of which still stand today, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. James' wife Marion (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16363&page=80) was one of our catechism teachers (8th grade?) at church.
Morrell Connelly, better known as "Buck", is the father of Robyn. His father was the chief of police in Brookings for a number of years. Buck served his country admirably in WWII, and was richly rewarded for his bravery (http://en.ww2awards.com/person/38625).
June Grommersch, I believe, married Clyde Helsper, and is the mother of Rich Helsper of the BHS class of 1970. Didn't Mrs. Helsper play the organ at the Catholic Church for a number of years?
Ray Horn (http://www.millerfh.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=780132) was the husband of Jeannette Horn, who taught sophomore English at BHS for about 20 years, from the early 60's to the early 80's (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2014/11/crazy-lady-day-at-bhs.html#comment-form).
One rather striking athletic fact is that the football team played the "State" frosh, only losing 21-6. Bobcat Day that year was on Saturday, Oct. 13, with the football game taking place at 3:00 at State Field. After the game, which Flandreau Indians won by a score of 13-7, the Bobcat Day Banquet was held in the basement of the Methodist Church. In attendance were the Flandreau football team, coach, and principal, as well as BHS students, teachers, and alumni.
Some of the track and field records would still be competitive in many meets today. Perhaps the most amazing one is the football throw of 196' 6". That's over 65 yards! It was interesting, too, that intramural track and field was required for sophomores and freshmen. When we were sophomores, the 1967 Bobcat had this little item on the varsity track team: "Is compulsory track the thing for Brookings High School? We did beat Volga and Clear Lake in a triangular meet but then again we were beaten by Madison and we failed to do well at the Madison Invitational. Bob Adams set a record in the low hurdles, and Alan C. Parker set one in the 2 mile run, probably because this was the first year for this event. Bob Adams and Jay Leibel qualified for the State Meet and both placed. Adams took fourth in the low hurdles and Leibel took fifth in the high jump."
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Surprises In 1934
The 1934 "Bobcat" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=0) had a format similar to that of previous years. Upon closer inspection, however, there were some pleasant surprises. There was a brief history of the school system which had been organized in the winter of 1879-80. There would be three months of school, two in the spring and one in the fall. The salary for the teacher would be $20/ month, plus board. The first classes were held at the home of an Ole Mark (must not have had an Ole Olson in town). The first school census (no year is given) listed 79 children, while the enrollment in 1934 was 1,110. I was unable to find the present enrollment, but I believe it is in the 2,800 range. An interesting comment was that the school was experiencing crowded conditions, and there will definitely be a need for more rooms in the future. Some things never seem to change, as a new elementary school is being built south of town (https://dakotaprairie.shutterfly.com/).
The list of seniors include some familiar names: two Adamson girls, Ardell and June (Glenda's aunts?); George Bartling (his daughter was a student of ours a number of years ago); Ruby Berge (David's aunt?); Sylvia Berkland (relative of Arlo and Arlys?); Mildred Duff; Ken Harvey (I believe he was the country treasure for a number of years); Ruth Otterness, Ernest Nussbaum (there was Rollo Nussbaum a couple of years ahead of us); Leone Pittenger (wasn't there a Rev. Pittenger, maybe at the Methodist Church?); Bert Rude ( of Rude's Furniture and Funeral Home family); Orella Telkamp; Archie Vick (Patty's uncle?); and Helen Wilber (Cathy's aunt?).
There were three plays that year: the Jr. Class play, the Sr. class play, and a combined Jr.-Sr. class play. The latter was "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest).
Those two classes had individual pictures, while the freshman and sophomore classes were group pictures of individual homerooms. On closer inspection, the freshman class that year contained a few parents of our classmates: Robert Bates (father of Patsy); Naiem Bozied (father of Tom); Elsie Clark (mother of Emmett Earley, Jr.). Also in that class was Chris Jensen. Would this have been Joe Jensen's father? Joe had an older brother named Chris, so perhaps this would the father of these two.
The football and basketball teams appear to have struggled. The football team was 1-5-1. They beat Yankton, tied Madison, and lost to Milbank, Flandreau, Watertown, Huron, and Sioux Falls. They had trouble finding the end zone, as they were outscored 159-18. The homecoming game was against Watertown on Saturday, Nov. 4. The game must have been played early in the day, as there was a banquet in the Methodist Church after the game. Toasts were given by Harold Burandt, a senior on the team; BHS Coach Coffey; the captain of the Watertown team; Coach Flug (Watertown's coach?); and the principal of Watertown High School. 220 tickets were sold, and the Watertown team was in attendance as the guests of the Bobcats. The dance, which was graced with many Watertown students, was held in the high school gym (the Pit?) after the banquet. Could anyone imagining something like this happening today or when we were in school?
Basketball fared somewhat better, having a 4-9 win-loss record. The annual was printed before the track and field season was completed, but there were about 100 boys out for the sport. Those numbers are extraordinary; the high school today would be doing well to get the same number of participants in a combined boys and girls program.
The intramural program included basketball, volleyball, track and field, and kittenball, a kind of softball (http://hdwebpros.com/blog/the-history-of-kittenball.html ). When David Johnson organized our slo-pitch team after high school, we used a 16 inch ball (it was like playing with a cantaloupe) and played without gloves for a few years. This was known as the "Chicago rules." Within a few years, gloves were allowed (to reduce the number of dislocated, broken, and jammed fingers), and eventually, the smaller 12 inch softball was used.
There was also a new club at school called the 100 mile club. Every day for one week, a boy would run one-half of a mile. Each week after that, he could add another one-half mile, until he was up to a maximum of three miles daily. When he had totaled 100 miles, then he was in the club. If one does the math, a boy might reach that goal in eight weeks. Since jogging became popular in the 60's, could it be said that BHS was the forerunner (no pun intended) of a worldwide phenomena and fitness boom?
Although the girls did not have the opportunity to participate competitively as the boys did, there was the Girls Athletic Association (GAA). Their various activities and sports included ping pong, soccer, basketball, tumbling, baseball, tennis, deck tennis, horseshoes, and hiking. In September, there was treasure hunt that ended in Fishback's pasture. Some of us boys recall playing basketball in the winter in Fishback's barn before we were on the school teams. The sole "open gym" that existed back then was the National Guard Armory, and that was available only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on three weekends a month. If we wanted to play outside in the winter, we had to play in someone's driveway or go to Fishback's barn. When it was really cold, the choice was not too difficult to make. There was even a light in the barn, so we could play at night if we so desired.
The commercial department offered courses in typing, shorthand, commercial arithmetic, and commercial law. Are similar courses even offered at the high school level anymore?
The conclusion of the school year was highlighted by the Jr. Sr. Banquet and Prom, held in the Hotel Dudley (The Bates Hotel at the corner of 3rd St. and 3rd Ave., just north of the Sawnee and a block west of Main. It was razed in the early 60's).
A couple of interesting items in the yearbook were the Hall of Fame and the High School Commandments. The Hall of Fame consisted of members in these categories: most popular boy and girl; most representative boy and girl; most independent girl; best athlete; wittiest; prettiest girl; peppiest; and Scotchman (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=72). The commandments, it seems, were meant to be taken with a grain of salt, although for some, they could be taken rather seriously. #5, for example, is "Thou shalt not smoke," while #8 is "Thou shalt not skip thy classes on the days before Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, nor on the days after" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=76). With so much controversy on the naming of school vacation breaks, is it even permissible to mention Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas in a school publication without incurring the wrath of someone who may be offended by such terminology?
The list of seniors include some familiar names: two Adamson girls, Ardell and June (Glenda's aunts?); George Bartling (his daughter was a student of ours a number of years ago); Ruby Berge (David's aunt?); Sylvia Berkland (relative of Arlo and Arlys?); Mildred Duff; Ken Harvey (I believe he was the country treasure for a number of years); Ruth Otterness, Ernest Nussbaum (there was Rollo Nussbaum a couple of years ahead of us); Leone Pittenger (wasn't there a Rev. Pittenger, maybe at the Methodist Church?); Bert Rude ( of Rude's Furniture and Funeral Home family); Orella Telkamp; Archie Vick (Patty's uncle?); and Helen Wilber (Cathy's aunt?).
There were three plays that year: the Jr. Class play, the Sr. class play, and a combined Jr.-Sr. class play. The latter was "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest).
Those two classes had individual pictures, while the freshman and sophomore classes were group pictures of individual homerooms. On closer inspection, the freshman class that year contained a few parents of our classmates: Robert Bates (father of Patsy); Naiem Bozied (father of Tom); Elsie Clark (mother of Emmett Earley, Jr.). Also in that class was Chris Jensen. Would this have been Joe Jensen's father? Joe had an older brother named Chris, so perhaps this would the father of these two.
The football and basketball teams appear to have struggled. The football team was 1-5-1. They beat Yankton, tied Madison, and lost to Milbank, Flandreau, Watertown, Huron, and Sioux Falls. They had trouble finding the end zone, as they were outscored 159-18. The homecoming game was against Watertown on Saturday, Nov. 4. The game must have been played early in the day, as there was a banquet in the Methodist Church after the game. Toasts were given by Harold Burandt, a senior on the team; BHS Coach Coffey; the captain of the Watertown team; Coach Flug (Watertown's coach?); and the principal of Watertown High School. 220 tickets were sold, and the Watertown team was in attendance as the guests of the Bobcats. The dance, which was graced with many Watertown students, was held in the high school gym (the Pit?) after the banquet. Could anyone imagining something like this happening today or when we were in school?
Basketball fared somewhat better, having a 4-9 win-loss record. The annual was printed before the track and field season was completed, but there were about 100 boys out for the sport. Those numbers are extraordinary; the high school today would be doing well to get the same number of participants in a combined boys and girls program.
The intramural program included basketball, volleyball, track and field, and kittenball, a kind of softball (http://hdwebpros.com/blog/the-history-of-kittenball.html ). When David Johnson organized our slo-pitch team after high school, we used a 16 inch ball (it was like playing with a cantaloupe) and played without gloves for a few years. This was known as the "Chicago rules." Within a few years, gloves were allowed (to reduce the number of dislocated, broken, and jammed fingers), and eventually, the smaller 12 inch softball was used.
There was also a new club at school called the 100 mile club. Every day for one week, a boy would run one-half of a mile. Each week after that, he could add another one-half mile, until he was up to a maximum of three miles daily. When he had totaled 100 miles, then he was in the club. If one does the math, a boy might reach that goal in eight weeks. Since jogging became popular in the 60's, could it be said that BHS was the forerunner (no pun intended) of a worldwide phenomena and fitness boom?
Although the girls did not have the opportunity to participate competitively as the boys did, there was the Girls Athletic Association (GAA). Their various activities and sports included ping pong, soccer, basketball, tumbling, baseball, tennis, deck tennis, horseshoes, and hiking. In September, there was treasure hunt that ended in Fishback's pasture. Some of us boys recall playing basketball in the winter in Fishback's barn before we were on the school teams. The sole "open gym" that existed back then was the National Guard Armory, and that was available only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on three weekends a month. If we wanted to play outside in the winter, we had to play in someone's driveway or go to Fishback's barn. When it was really cold, the choice was not too difficult to make. There was even a light in the barn, so we could play at night if we so desired.
The commercial department offered courses in typing, shorthand, commercial arithmetic, and commercial law. Are similar courses even offered at the high school level anymore?
The conclusion of the school year was highlighted by the Jr. Sr. Banquet and Prom, held in the Hotel Dudley (The Bates Hotel at the corner of 3rd St. and 3rd Ave., just north of the Sawnee and a block west of Main. It was razed in the early 60's).
A couple of interesting items in the yearbook were the Hall of Fame and the High School Commandments. The Hall of Fame consisted of members in these categories: most popular boy and girl; most representative boy and girl; most independent girl; best athlete; wittiest; prettiest girl; peppiest; and Scotchman (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=72). The commandments, it seems, were meant to be taken with a grain of salt, although for some, they could be taken rather seriously. #5, for example, is "Thou shalt not smoke," while #8 is "Thou shalt not skip thy classes on the days before Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, nor on the days after" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=76). With so much controversy on the naming of school vacation breaks, is it even permissible to mention Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas in a school publication without incurring the wrath of someone who may be offended by such terminology?
Monday, November 17, 2014
Mr. Gibbons, Famous Actor
Is any 1960's stroll down BHS Memory Lane complete without a story about Mr. Gibbons? I don't think so! Did you know, for example, that Mr. Gibbons also performed improv theater while coaching football? Read on...
In the waning seconds of a closely-fought Watertown football game, we Bobcats were leading 7-6, which turned out to be the final score...but just barely.
Watertown was driving, on the Brookings 20-yard line. They called a timeout with about a minute to go. If they could get a first down, they could sustain the drive. In those days, only ONE player per team could come to the sideline and talk to the coach during a timeout. More than one would be a penalty, and such a penalty against the Bobcats would give Watertown crucial yardage and a first down. TWO of our defensive players headed for Mr. Gibbons for instructions. Yes, TWO, as in one too many. Mr. Gibbons saw the problem and started waving and yelling for one to go back to the huddle. Both guys kept a-comin'. An official was nearby, hand on flag, ready to toss.
Mr. Gibbons quickly came up with a plan. He randomly grabbed some startled player from the bench, shoved him onto the field of play, and told him to go join the huddle. When the other two players got to the sideline, Mr. Gibbons grabbed one of them and wordlessly tossed his surprised butt onto the bench. Mr. Gibbons was --see, Mr. Official,see?-- making a SUBSTITUTION during that timeout. Honest, Mr. Official, honest!
Mr. Gibbons then calmly went back to that second guy who had come to the sideline, chatting with him for the rest of the timeout. The official either bought the substitution subterfuge, or just plain enjoyed the comedy routine. He took his hand off the flag and walked away. Close call, no penalty, we stopped the drive, and won the game, in large part due to Mr. Gibbons' improv-theater skills.
Do you suppose there is an acting-class credit somewhere on Mr. Gibbons' college transcript? If so, it paid off that night in Watertown.
In the waning seconds of a closely-fought Watertown football game, we Bobcats were leading 7-6, which turned out to be the final score...but just barely.
Watertown was driving, on the Brookings 20-yard line. They called a timeout with about a minute to go. If they could get a first down, they could sustain the drive. In those days, only ONE player per team could come to the sideline and talk to the coach during a timeout. More than one would be a penalty, and such a penalty against the Bobcats would give Watertown crucial yardage and a first down. TWO of our defensive players headed for Mr. Gibbons for instructions. Yes, TWO, as in one too many. Mr. Gibbons saw the problem and started waving and yelling for one to go back to the huddle. Both guys kept a-comin'. An official was nearby, hand on flag, ready to toss.
Mr. Gibbons quickly came up with a plan. He randomly grabbed some startled player from the bench, shoved him onto the field of play, and told him to go join the huddle. When the other two players got to the sideline, Mr. Gibbons grabbed one of them and wordlessly tossed his surprised butt onto the bench. Mr. Gibbons was --see, Mr. Official,see?-- making a SUBSTITUTION during that timeout. Honest, Mr. Official, honest!
Mr. Gibbons then calmly went back to that second guy who had come to the sideline, chatting with him for the rest of the timeout. The official either bought the substitution subterfuge, or just plain enjoyed the comedy routine. He took his hand off the flag and walked away. Close call, no penalty, we stopped the drive, and won the game, in large part due to Mr. Gibbons' improv-theater skills.
Do you suppose there is an acting-class credit somewhere on Mr. Gibbons' college transcript? If so, it paid off that night in Watertown.
"Oklahoma" Revisited
Thinking once again about activities that were common to several classes of mid-'60s BHS students, the 1968 musical "Oklahoma" comes to mind. A check of 1968 yearbook pages 94-97 shows teachers and students of at least three classes pooling talents for the first BHS musical in many years. Was it the first BHS musical ever? Does anyone know of an earlier one? [This is where historian-extraordinaire Johnny I. enters the nearest phone booth, appearing seconds later wearing tights and a cape. He leaps. "Look! Up in the sky! It's.... SUPERmemoryMAN!"]
Back to "Oklahoma." Did you know....
....that we nearly had no period costumes for many of the "Oklahoma" actors? A week or so before the first performance, boxes of stock costumes and props from New York City had not arrived. A fire at a NYC post office building had delayed, and nearly consumed, our shipment. The boxes arrived just in time, several of which were scorched and sooty on the outside.
....that Lynda Bailey, who played Laurey to John Richards' Curley, attended a performance of "Oklahoma" at BHS in the 1990s and found out that they used the original backdrop and yellow house from 1968? Now that is quality construction, folks! Anyone here work on that set in 1968?
....that, as the vocal director and executive producer of the whole operation, Mr. Kline was one stressed-out guy by opening night? I don't recall noticing, though. Toward the end of the last performance, I mentioned to him backstage what a feather in his cap this production was, what a great memory he would have of his efforts, and was he not very proud? He shook his head and said how relieved he was that it was almost over; he had no idea when he suggested the musical, and offered to lead it, just how much work it would be.
....that there was actually VIDEO of one of the performances? A teacher had access to one of those new-fangled video tape machines. The machine was a monstrosity, but I remember being pleased, as was the basketball team a year later (Johnny I. mentioned this in an earlier blog), at how quickly a performance/game could be reviewed. The "Oklahoma" video vanished at some point. An attempt to locate it twenty years later turned up nothing.
....that the orchestra, down in that bona fide orchestra pit in that swanky new auditorium, was a top-notch bunch of high school musicians? June Williams led the way as first-violin concertmaster. A Brookings Register letter to the editor several days later pointed out the exceptional polish of that group. How great would it be to have that video tape today and be impressed all over again with that talented orchestra! Anyone here play in that orchestra?
....that, several weeks before the BHS "Oklahoma," cast and crew took buses to Marshall, MN, to watch Marshall High School perform the same musical? What a great way to get familiar with a show! Most impressive was the effort of the Brookings theater owner, ????, [Johnny I., help me out here] who, at his own expense, ordered up a matinee showing of the film version for cast and crew. We were prepared performers and producers by showtime!
There you have it. More memories of BHS teamwork and excellence, late '60's style!
Back to "Oklahoma." Did you know....
....that we nearly had no period costumes for many of the "Oklahoma" actors? A week or so before the first performance, boxes of stock costumes and props from New York City had not arrived. A fire at a NYC post office building had delayed, and nearly consumed, our shipment. The boxes arrived just in time, several of which were scorched and sooty on the outside.
....that Lynda Bailey, who played Laurey to John Richards' Curley, attended a performance of "Oklahoma" at BHS in the 1990s and found out that they used the original backdrop and yellow house from 1968? Now that is quality construction, folks! Anyone here work on that set in 1968?
....that, as the vocal director and executive producer of the whole operation, Mr. Kline was one stressed-out guy by opening night? I don't recall noticing, though. Toward the end of the last performance, I mentioned to him backstage what a feather in his cap this production was, what a great memory he would have of his efforts, and was he not very proud? He shook his head and said how relieved he was that it was almost over; he had no idea when he suggested the musical, and offered to lead it, just how much work it would be.
....that there was actually VIDEO of one of the performances? A teacher had access to one of those new-fangled video tape machines. The machine was a monstrosity, but I remember being pleased, as was the basketball team a year later (Johnny I. mentioned this in an earlier blog), at how quickly a performance/game could be reviewed. The "Oklahoma" video vanished at some point. An attempt to locate it twenty years later turned up nothing.
....that the orchestra, down in that bona fide orchestra pit in that swanky new auditorium, was a top-notch bunch of high school musicians? June Williams led the way as first-violin concertmaster. A Brookings Register letter to the editor several days later pointed out the exceptional polish of that group. How great would it be to have that video tape today and be impressed all over again with that talented orchestra! Anyone here play in that orchestra?
....that, several weeks before the BHS "Oklahoma," cast and crew took buses to Marshall, MN, to watch Marshall High School perform the same musical? What a great way to get familiar with a show! Most impressive was the effort of the Brookings theater owner, ????, [Johnny I., help me out here] who, at his own expense, ordered up a matinee showing of the film version for cast and crew. We were prepared performers and producers by showtime!
There you have it. More memories of BHS teamwork and excellence, late '60's style!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Old Yearbooks-1933
Was going to look more closely at some of the old yearbooks. It seems, though, that the site that has them for viewing has changed their policy somewhat. The pages had been displayed so that they could be rather easily read. Now, though, the size of the page has been cut down, so it is almost possible for an old codger like me to discern anything of importance in that small print. Will keep trying to see if this difficulty can be overcome.
You may have noticed that one of our new followers has had some wonderful posts. What a refreshing respite from the boring, hum-drum, babblings that have been the norm. We are pleased that he has joined us, and encourage any others to contribute little-known, well-known, or long-forgotten tales and sagas that might be pertinent. It's easy to comment, too, on these posts. If you feel that there is some misinformation, or that you can enhance and clarify some important points, please do so. Memories can get distorted over the years.
Was able to enlarge the print of the 1933 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/230664?page=0). The school board had five members. The president was I. J. Bibby, a familiar name to many of us. His daughter Mary Ellen was a senior that year. Also on the board was E. R. Bartling, owner of Bartling's Furniture. His son Lawrence, too, was a senior, and would be on the the school board some 20 years later in the 50's. In the back of the yearbook are some pages devoted to humor. One such joke concerns Lawrence, or, as he was generally known around Brookings, Lorne. In order to get the humor of this story, it needs to be remembered that furniture stores were usually the funeral parlors because they would make the caskets. The joke is in the form of a conversation.
"Now I want Lawrence to have a thoroughly modern
and up-to-date education," said Mrs. Bartling,
"including Latin."
"Yes, of course," said the headmaster, "though Latin,
as you know, is a dead language."
"Well, all the better," said Mrs. Bartling. "He is going
to be an undertaker."
In addition to Lawrence Bartling and Mary Ellen Bibby, some of the other seniors that may have some familiarity with us are Sadie Bortnem, Dan Finn, Bob Flittie, Anna Gunsalus, Helga Hegg, Charlotte Kabrud, Herbert Lakeman, Robert Lombard, Lemuel Melcher, Cecil Sanderson, and George Sterud. Cecil Sanderson was the father of a number of Sandersons, including Laun, class of 68, and Jan, class of 70 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338670). Herbert Lakeman was the father of Doug, class of 63, and Patty, class of 68. The Lakemans were our next-door neighbors for about 10 years. Both he and my father worked for the same company, James Wholesale, as did Lemuel "Sox" Melcher (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341256). Wasn't there a Wendy Melcher a year ahead of us when we were in Jr. Hi.?
Bobcat Day in 1932 was on Nov. 11. Unfortunately, the weather then must have been similar to the weather we are having presently, as the football game with Huron was cancelled due to the stormy conditions.
An interesting entry was the mention of an all-school dance, which was initiated the previous year. The student organizations listed were Latin club, Drama club, GAA, French club, Student Council, Broboca, Senior Sports Society, Monogram club (which only began in 1931), FFA, Commercial Department, and Debate. There were three plays: a Jr.-Sr. class play, a Jr. class play, and a Sr. class play. There was also an operetta. The basketball team finished runners-up to Marion in the state tournament (there was only one class at that time), losing 30-28. Lorne Bartling was an all-state player. Lorne had some younger brothers who also were talented athletes. The track record board listed Kabrud as a member of the half-mile relay team that set the standard in 1932. This must be Harley, our 7th grade geography teacher and father of Chip, class of 68. Also on that team was Wayne Albright, holder of the school record in the 220 yard dash. Would Bill Albright of the class of 68 be his son? Any relation to Carmen, also of the class of 68, and her brother Gerry of our class? One event that is no longer contested is the football throw. Don Loban holds the record at 166' 2 1/2". That's a little over half the length of the field. How would that stack up today?
You may have noticed that one of our new followers has had some wonderful posts. What a refreshing respite from the boring, hum-drum, babblings that have been the norm. We are pleased that he has joined us, and encourage any others to contribute little-known, well-known, or long-forgotten tales and sagas that might be pertinent. It's easy to comment, too, on these posts. If you feel that there is some misinformation, or that you can enhance and clarify some important points, please do so. Memories can get distorted over the years.
Was able to enlarge the print of the 1933 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/230664?page=0). The school board had five members. The president was I. J. Bibby, a familiar name to many of us. His daughter Mary Ellen was a senior that year. Also on the board was E. R. Bartling, owner of Bartling's Furniture. His son Lawrence, too, was a senior, and would be on the the school board some 20 years later in the 50's. In the back of the yearbook are some pages devoted to humor. One such joke concerns Lawrence, or, as he was generally known around Brookings, Lorne. In order to get the humor of this story, it needs to be remembered that furniture stores were usually the funeral parlors because they would make the caskets. The joke is in the form of a conversation.
"Now I want Lawrence to have a thoroughly modern
and up-to-date education," said Mrs. Bartling,
"including Latin."
"Yes, of course," said the headmaster, "though Latin,
as you know, is a dead language."
"Well, all the better," said Mrs. Bartling. "He is going
to be an undertaker."
In addition to Lawrence Bartling and Mary Ellen Bibby, some of the other seniors that may have some familiarity with us are Sadie Bortnem, Dan Finn, Bob Flittie, Anna Gunsalus, Helga Hegg, Charlotte Kabrud, Herbert Lakeman, Robert Lombard, Lemuel Melcher, Cecil Sanderson, and George Sterud. Cecil Sanderson was the father of a number of Sandersons, including Laun, class of 68, and Jan, class of 70 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338670). Herbert Lakeman was the father of Doug, class of 63, and Patty, class of 68. The Lakemans were our next-door neighbors for about 10 years. Both he and my father worked for the same company, James Wholesale, as did Lemuel "Sox" Melcher (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341256). Wasn't there a Wendy Melcher a year ahead of us when we were in Jr. Hi.?
Bobcat Day in 1932 was on Nov. 11. Unfortunately, the weather then must have been similar to the weather we are having presently, as the football game with Huron was cancelled due to the stormy conditions.
An interesting entry was the mention of an all-school dance, which was initiated the previous year. The student organizations listed were Latin club, Drama club, GAA, French club, Student Council, Broboca, Senior Sports Society, Monogram club (which only began in 1931), FFA, Commercial Department, and Debate. There were three plays: a Jr.-Sr. class play, a Jr. class play, and a Sr. class play. There was also an operetta. The basketball team finished runners-up to Marion in the state tournament (there was only one class at that time), losing 30-28. Lorne Bartling was an all-state player. Lorne had some younger brothers who also were talented athletes. The track record board listed Kabrud as a member of the half-mile relay team that set the standard in 1932. This must be Harley, our 7th grade geography teacher and father of Chip, class of 68. Also on that team was Wayne Albright, holder of the school record in the 220 yard dash. Would Bill Albright of the class of 68 be his son? Any relation to Carmen, also of the class of 68, and her brother Gerry of our class? One event that is no longer contested is the football throw. Don Loban holds the record at 166' 2 1/2". That's a little over half the length of the field. How would that stack up today?
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Crazy Lady Day at BHS
Here's hoping two posts in one day is not illegal...
One of my (many!) favorite BHS teachers was Mrs. Horn. Here is a recollection of her ability to make sophomore English class interesting.
Mrs. Horn always had one day a year when she went (pretend) stark raving mad at the beginning of a class period. Since she taught creative writing, her goal that day would be to present an interesting (as in over-the-top) scene for us to observe and then describe in an essay. When the bell rang to start our particular class's date with destiny, she stepped in from the hall and screamed at the top of her lungs. She did a couple of other weird things I, sadly, cannot remember. Ed Dimit's older brother, Rob, had the misfortune to giggle at her antics, so she took an eraser and bopped him on the head with it. Rob stopped giggling...and spent the rest of the hour with white hair. I was smirking away because I had been tipped off a year earlier, by older friend Doug Dahl, to expect this episode sometime during sophomore English, and this was obviously the moment. Mrs. Horn sensed I had inside information. She had a backup plan for such students, and "kicked me out of class." Not so coincidentally, Mr. Karnes just happened to be standing out in the hall, ready to take any in-the-know students (me, in this case) to the chemistry lab to wash bottles and beakers for the hour. So I spent that class period with my hands in dishwater, noticing what I thought was an unusual number of faculty members walking past the chemistry lab door. I remember thinking, "Wow, more teachers patrol the halls during class time than I realized!" It turned out that the faculty looked forward to this particular day every year. They would head for the hall outside the chemistry lab, compose themselves, walk by nonchalantly, say hi to the bewildered dish-washing dweeb inside, and continue walking to the teacher lounge, chuckling all the way. Once safely behind the closed door, I am guessing they indulged in what social media nowadays refers to as ROFL and LMAO behavior.
I hope that many Class of '69 members got to experience such an episode, too. I would assume Mrs. Horn kept doing the routine annually, until too many students knew about it ahead of time, at which point Mr. Karnes would probably have run out of beakers and bottles to be washed.
One of my (many!) favorite BHS teachers was Mrs. Horn. Here is a recollection of her ability to make sophomore English class interesting.
Mrs. Horn always had one day a year when she went (pretend) stark raving mad at the beginning of a class period. Since she taught creative writing, her goal that day would be to present an interesting (as in over-the-top) scene for us to observe and then describe in an essay. When the bell rang to start our particular class's date with destiny, she stepped in from the hall and screamed at the top of her lungs. She did a couple of other weird things I, sadly, cannot remember. Ed Dimit's older brother, Rob, had the misfortune to giggle at her antics, so she took an eraser and bopped him on the head with it. Rob stopped giggling...and spent the rest of the hour with white hair. I was smirking away because I had been tipped off a year earlier, by older friend Doug Dahl, to expect this episode sometime during sophomore English, and this was obviously the moment. Mrs. Horn sensed I had inside information. She had a backup plan for such students, and "kicked me out of class." Not so coincidentally, Mr. Karnes just happened to be standing out in the hall, ready to take any in-the-know students (me, in this case) to the chemistry lab to wash bottles and beakers for the hour. So I spent that class period with my hands in dishwater, noticing what I thought was an unusual number of faculty members walking past the chemistry lab door. I remember thinking, "Wow, more teachers patrol the halls during class time than I realized!" It turned out that the faculty looked forward to this particular day every year. They would head for the hall outside the chemistry lab, compose themselves, walk by nonchalantly, say hi to the bewildered dish-washing dweeb inside, and continue walking to the teacher lounge, chuckling all the way. Once safely behind the closed door, I am guessing they indulged in what social media nowadays refers to as ROFL and LMAO behavior.
I hope that many Class of '69 members got to experience such an episode, too. I would assume Mrs. Horn kept doing the routine annually, until too many students knew about it ahead of time, at which point Mr. Karnes would probably have run out of beakers and bottles to be washed.
Talking 'The Birds and the Bees' Here...
Here is a WayBack Machine memory for the class of 1969, freshman year. It might even be that some of you reading this blog were part of the group involved. If so, you have my respect and admiration; you performed brilliantly.
In 1965, we sophomores, class of 1968, all of us, ended up in the old auditorium for a lecture from school board member and medical doctor, Dr. Roberts, on the subject of --drum roll, please!-- The Facts of Life. (I capitalize the phrase because it was a pretty big deal back then.) It seems that Dr. Roberts, in his medical practice, was hearing from too many teenagers that they had no idea "how the pregnancy happened." So it was decreed that Dr. Roberts would present a Sex Talk (again, capital letters) to all sophomore biology students, en masse, in a secluded location. Days earlier, biology teacher Mr. Stewart had said that in past years, the reproduction topic ended with the frog and the cloaca, but this year we must include human reproduction, too. (He sounded a bit ambivalent about the idea , as was my mother, by the way. But that is, as they say, a different story for another time.)
So, there we were, in the darkened old auditorium, all sophomores together, getting the lecture from Dr. Roberts. The freshman study hall that normally met in the auditorium had been moved elsewhere. There were occasional giggles as the anatomy slides were shown. Dr. Roberts had to stop periodically, reminding everyone to act maturely. As I looked up and down the rows, I could not see who might be doing the giggling; we were all pretty subdued and inhibited sitting there. Oh well. The lecture ended eventually (mercifully?), the lights came up, and we prepared to leave. The gigglers then revealed themselves. That freshman study hall that had been "moved elsewhere"? Well, "elsewhere" turned out to be directly above us, in the balcony of the auditorium. So much for a "secluded location." We sophomores got waves and cheers and laughter and congratulations from the balcony as we exited.
Quiet as church mice when we sophomores moped on in for the lecture, you study hallers saved your giggling for when we sophomores would be blamed for it. Gotta admire that, even all these years later.
Any class of '69 members here want to confess to laughing at us hapless sophomores that day? Did the Sex Talk tradition survive into later years?
In 1965, we sophomores, class of 1968, all of us, ended up in the old auditorium for a lecture from school board member and medical doctor, Dr. Roberts, on the subject of --drum roll, please!-- The Facts of Life. (I capitalize the phrase because it was a pretty big deal back then.) It seems that Dr. Roberts, in his medical practice, was hearing from too many teenagers that they had no idea "how the pregnancy happened." So it was decreed that Dr. Roberts would present a Sex Talk (again, capital letters) to all sophomore biology students, en masse, in a secluded location. Days earlier, biology teacher Mr. Stewart had said that in past years, the reproduction topic ended with the frog and the cloaca, but this year we must include human reproduction, too. (He sounded a bit ambivalent about the idea , as was my mother, by the way. But that is, as they say, a different story for another time.)
So, there we were, in the darkened old auditorium, all sophomores together, getting the lecture from Dr. Roberts. The freshman study hall that normally met in the auditorium had been moved elsewhere. There were occasional giggles as the anatomy slides were shown. Dr. Roberts had to stop periodically, reminding everyone to act maturely. As I looked up and down the rows, I could not see who might be doing the giggling; we were all pretty subdued and inhibited sitting there. Oh well. The lecture ended eventually (mercifully?), the lights came up, and we prepared to leave. The gigglers then revealed themselves. That freshman study hall that had been "moved elsewhere"? Well, "elsewhere" turned out to be directly above us, in the balcony of the auditorium. So much for a "secluded location." We sophomores got waves and cheers and laughter and congratulations from the balcony as we exited.
Quiet as church mice when we sophomores moped on in for the lecture, you study hallers saved your giggling for when we sophomores would be blamed for it. Gotta admire that, even all these years later.
Any class of '69 members here want to confess to laughing at us hapless sophomores that day? Did the Sex Talk tradition survive into later years?
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thanks, John, for letting a foreigner (class of '68, for pete's sake) join the conversation. When I discovered this blog and your awesome memory, I did nothing but devour all entries in the entire blog for several hours. My wife became suspicious and said, "Are you doing high school stuff again?" She knows my BHS intensity too well.
Do you readers remember Mr. Schaefer, our band director after Arne B. Larson? Mr. Schaefer came to Brookings from Alexandria, MN, and the instant word was that he only took a $12.00 pay cut to do so. Even though South Dakota teacher salaries were much lower than Minnesota payscales, South Dakota's income tax absence meant only a minimal pay cut for him. We were so proud!
On Day One of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings (had to be 1966), he told us in Concert Band about a swearing habit that he was trying to break. At home, he confessed, his family kept a coffee can at the ready, and he had to contribute a quarter every time he got angry and started swearing. On Day TWO of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings, once again in front of the Concert Band, he grew very frustrated at our (meager?) rehearsal efforts. Finally, he whacked his music stand with his baton and shouted something like "Dammit, trombones!" Everyone froze, because, well, Arne B. had NEVER spoken like that! Dead silence. Suddenly, a quarter clanked into an empty coffee can. June Scholten, alto sax first chair, had been waiting for the opportunity, and Mr.Schaefer had obliged within minutes. The tension broke, laughter reigned for a minute or two, and Mr. Schaefer could only smile weakly and hope to regain control eventually.
Do you readers remember Mr. Schaefer, our band director after Arne B. Larson? Mr. Schaefer came to Brookings from Alexandria, MN, and the instant word was that he only took a $12.00 pay cut to do so. Even though South Dakota teacher salaries were much lower than Minnesota payscales, South Dakota's income tax absence meant only a minimal pay cut for him. We were so proud!
On Day One of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings (had to be 1966), he told us in Concert Band about a swearing habit that he was trying to break. At home, he confessed, his family kept a coffee can at the ready, and he had to contribute a quarter every time he got angry and started swearing. On Day TWO of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings, once again in front of the Concert Band, he grew very frustrated at our (meager?) rehearsal efforts. Finally, he whacked his music stand with his baton and shouted something like "Dammit, trombones!" Everyone froze, because, well, Arne B. had NEVER spoken like that! Dead silence. Suddenly, a quarter clanked into an empty coffee can. June Scholten, alto sax first chair, had been waiting for the opportunity, and Mr.Schaefer had obliged within minutes. The tension broke, laughter reigned for a minute or two, and Mr. Schaefer could only smile weakly and hope to regain control eventually.
New Followers
For those of you with eagle-eyes, you may noticed that there are two new followers. They have also requested permission to post here. I think that is wonderful. There will be some interesting topics here rather than my display of dull, drab, discombobulating deliveries that dominate here. If any of you other followers would like to post, let me know and you will be added to the list of contributors. When I was adding these two additions to the contributor list, I accidentally deleted the name of one of the contributors. I would put that individual back, but I cannot remember who it was. If anyone can help with this matter, it would be appreciated.
New Addition
Just received some correspondence from Bob Adams, class of 1968. Haven't seen him since then. Did he go to college in the Twin Cities area? For some reason, Hamline sticks in my mind. My association with him during our school days was minimal, but I always thought he was one of the most talented and well-rounded students of our day. Athletics, vocal music, instrumental music, academics, and drama were some of the showcases for his prowess. He probably would have done admirably in debate and declam, too, but he was too busy with his other activities. Someone once told me that he was unable to take an important class his last semester because he could not fit it into his extremely busy schedule.
In addition to being a key player on the '68 championship basketball team, he set a school record in the 120 yard high hurdles. That record has since been broken, but the changes in track and field since that time have probably been a factor. Bob ran on cinders, whereas today the tracks are synthetic, making for a slightly faster surface. It's somewhat like the comparison between sand and grass, although not as great. Also, there are more coaches to work in the individual events. Back then, there might only be a couple of coaches who would share the workload. Some of the athletes were practically coaching themselves, and therefore received guidance only infrequently. Nowadays, there are specific coaches for sprinters, hurdlers, distance runners, throwers, vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault), and horizontal jumps (long jump and triple jump). That is six coaches in total, whereas in the '60's, there might be three at the most. Sometimes the coaches were like chickens with their heads cut off, running around trying to monitor the athletes. In junior high, we only had three coaches for all of the three grades. They were Franny Dolan, Harley Kabrud, and Paul Johnson. One of Mr. Johnson;s responsibilities was the pole vault. One year, he had one of the freshman boys do most of the coaching. This boy would keep a record of what the other boys did in practice. Mr. Johnson and this boy would then get together to decide who would get to go to the meets. At that time, we could only take two or three competitors to a meet because there were so many other schools there. Nowadays, most meets are with only one school, so entries are unlimited, so no one gets left out, unless there is good reason for not allowing them to participate.
Because our basketball team was rather powerful that year, and Bob could jump out of the gym, we wanted him to dunk during a game, even though it was forbidden by the rules. For a few years, dunks were not allowed. That was when Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was in college. Evidently, the rules-makers thought that taking away the dunk would be advantageous to the college game. The high schools followed suit. Bob, however, was intent on following the rules, so the fans never witnessed the excitement and energy that a dunk could bring to a game.
Thanks for finding us, Bob, and please stay in touch.
In addition to being a key player on the '68 championship basketball team, he set a school record in the 120 yard high hurdles. That record has since been broken, but the changes in track and field since that time have probably been a factor. Bob ran on cinders, whereas today the tracks are synthetic, making for a slightly faster surface. It's somewhat like the comparison between sand and grass, although not as great. Also, there are more coaches to work in the individual events. Back then, there might only be a couple of coaches who would share the workload. Some of the athletes were practically coaching themselves, and therefore received guidance only infrequently. Nowadays, there are specific coaches for sprinters, hurdlers, distance runners, throwers, vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault), and horizontal jumps (long jump and triple jump). That is six coaches in total, whereas in the '60's, there might be three at the most. Sometimes the coaches were like chickens with their heads cut off, running around trying to monitor the athletes. In junior high, we only had three coaches for all of the three grades. They were Franny Dolan, Harley Kabrud, and Paul Johnson. One of Mr. Johnson;s responsibilities was the pole vault. One year, he had one of the freshman boys do most of the coaching. This boy would keep a record of what the other boys did in practice. Mr. Johnson and this boy would then get together to decide who would get to go to the meets. At that time, we could only take two or three competitors to a meet because there were so many other schools there. Nowadays, most meets are with only one school, so entries are unlimited, so no one gets left out, unless there is good reason for not allowing them to participate.
Because our basketball team was rather powerful that year, and Bob could jump out of the gym, we wanted him to dunk during a game, even though it was forbidden by the rules. For a few years, dunks were not allowed. That was when Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was in college. Evidently, the rules-makers thought that taking away the dunk would be advantageous to the college game. The high schools followed suit. Bob, however, was intent on following the rules, so the fans never witnessed the excitement and energy that a dunk could bring to a game.
Thanks for finding us, Bob, and please stay in touch.
Monday, November 3, 2014
It's Been Awhile
My access to a computer has been hampered these past two months, but much news affecting our class has happened in this short time. As our parents age, we recognize that they are not immortal, and that they, and we, will pass away at some point. Unfortunately, we have lost six parents, three mothers and three fathers, in the last two months.
On Sept. 9, the mother of Lynne Kamstra passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22110&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1401937.
A few days later (Sept 13), the mother of Beatty (Ed) Dimit passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22092&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1402617
Only eleven days passed before another parent passed. Lloyd Beckman, the father of Ken, died on Sept. 24: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1420288 or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80
Less than a week later, on Sept. 30, Emmett Earley, Sr., father of Emmett Earley, Jr., passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1425980 orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22290&page=80
Two weeks later, on Oct. 14, Milt Salonen, the father of Tom, passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1435793Salonen orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22444&page=80
Again, just about two weeks later, Marilyn Adamson, the mother of Glenda, went to her eternal reward: http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html
On a related note, the wife of Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob" and later a guidance counselor) passed away on Oct. 2 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1428097Stewart or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22355&page=80).
Lynne was a top-notch student. They lived just a few blocks away from us, but we were never in any of the same grade-school classrooms. When we started junior-high, Lynn's father, a professor at State (animal science?), was in Hawaii, perhaps on sabbatical, for a year. When she returned, she was in our homeroom. At that time, we had essentially the same class schedule, and were together for math, science, history. and English.
During college, it was a privilege for me to assist Mr. Hauschild for a couple of years with sophomore basketball, thus whetting my appetite for a future in teaching/coaching. One of those players was Lance Kamstra, a younger brother of Lynne. My first teaching assignment was 7-8th science at the middle school, the old high school building. Lynne's youngest sister Leigh was one of my students.
Beatty, or as most of us knew him, Ed, moved back to town in 1965. They had previously lived here in the early to mid 50's, so most of probably did not get to know the family then. There was an older sister Mary Anne, an older brother Rob, and a younger brother Jim. Rob was just a year ahead of us, so some of us may have gotten to know him. Mary Anne, I believe, was in college. For some reason, I remember her as a rather attractive lifeguard. When we talked at the visitation, she reminded us that she had, in fact, been a lifeguard. Rob is presently in New York (New York University?), and is an administrator in the graduate programs, I believe. His wife is a librarian at a university (can't remember if it's the same one). They have a daughter who seems to have inherited the intelligence of both of her parents. As a senior at BHS, Rob was the editor-in-chief for the school paper "Broboca." The yearbook states he "put in a lot of hard work editing the Broboca and the result was interest and perhaps a little controversy over some of the stands he took." Would those positions be as controversial today? Beatty was junior that year, and also assisted in producing the paper. Beatty also was a talented singer, as he was in Select Chorus and Boys Glee.
My contacts with Beatty in school were limited. He was in my freshmen English class with Mrs. Wheeler, and also in sophomore English with Mrs. Donaldson, the older sister of Nancy Webbenhurst. About all that is memorable from the freshman year is that he was a new student, and he had an accent that was unfamiliar to most of us. It was obvious, though, that Beatty was quite intelligent. One incident stands out during our sophomore year is that he was scolded somewhat by Mrs. Donaldson for talking to me when we should have been listening. She said something like "I'm sure John is not all that interested in what you have to say." There may have been some truth to that.
Beatty and I had a pleasant conversation at the visitation for his mother. He had posted a few comments earlier when the "Ride" was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees.htm). I did not know that he was part of the original group. Beatty seemed to be a good sport about it, and did express any bitterness.
Since the Beckman family lived near Hillcrest, I never got to know him until the 7th grade, when we were in the same classes. He, too, was a brilliant mind. His father's John Deere implement dealership, though, was in our neighborhood. The business was located at 416 3rd St., two blocks from our residence at the corner of 6th Avenue and Front Street, by the viaduct a couple of blocks south of Central and the old high school. (The address was 205 6th Ave. Tom Bozied lived a couple of houses away at 215 6th Ave. for a few years, so we had some fun times as little boys) However, right across the street to the south, between Front St. and the railroad tracks, was Beckman's lot for some of their farm machinery. At the other end of that block was Sokota Seeds, where Mark Kratochvil's dad played an important role. In between those business was the city coal pile. The city power plant was only a couple of blocks away, and it burned a great deal of coal. I believe that powered the steam heat that warmed the school and many of the downtown buildings. In the winter, the coal pile made a convenient sledding hill.
In between the coal pile and Beckman's lot was an an open gravel area. We would sometimes play baseball in that space. Around the 4th of July, it was also a good spot to light firecrackers. It was fun to twist some fuses of the firecrackers together and place a tin can over them to try to blow the tin can as high as possible. However, right near the tracks were some gasoline storage tanks for the Sinclair station on 8th St. and Medary, by the campus, so we had to be somewhat careful that we did nothing to endanger the neighborhood.
In the spring of our 8th grade year, we had track practice at Hillcrest. Since Ken lived near there, we would often stop at his house after track practice and shoot a few baskets. We were on the same basketball teams up through our junior year. We had some good times, especially our JV season at the new high school.
Ken's academic prowess was evident as he and Helen Sheimo were national Merit Scholarship winners. BHS was the only high school in the state to have two students achieve this award. The yearbook stated the Ken would attend the University of Michigan, while Helen would attend Luther College.
Emmet Earley, Sr. has been somewhat close to our family for a long time. Emmett married a widow, Elsie (Clark) Iverson on April 24, 1950. They had two sons together, Emmett, Jr., who graduated with us, and Rich, a couple of years younger. In 1936, Elsie had married Lyle Iverson, a cousin of my father. They had four children before Lyle died from leukemia (?) on Feb. 13, 1949. Emmett, Jr.'s older siblings (would they be half-brothers and half-sisters to Emmett?), then, are distantly related to me.
Emmett, Jr. has always had an affection for cars, and has restored many older cars from the 50's and 60's. He has helped me keep my old classic looking and running well.
Tom Salonen attended Central Elementary, so we have known each other since our grade-school days. His dad was a skilled craftsman, and helped put in new cabinets when my parents remodeled our kitchen many years ago. Tom also has quite an affection for older cars. At the visitation, Tom mentioned how his father restored some classic cars and boats during his lifetime.
My connections with Glenda Adamson during our school days were minimal. Her mother's obituary indicates that both she and her husband grew up in Brookings, or at least graduated from Brookings High School. Was her father a carpet installer? It seems that the family moved to Colorado after Glenda graduated. Glenda had three older siblings. Paul graduated in 1965, Kathryn graduated in 1966, and Dave graduated in 1968. Dave had a magnificent voice, if memory serves correctly.
For a number of years, Mrs. Stewart's husband Bob, was a teacher and coach in the Brookings school system. His obituary states that he graduated from BHS in 1939 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). That was a revelation to me. Does anyone remember where the biology room was in the old high school? It was at the top of the west stairway near the front entrance, next door to the library on the east. To the west was the chemistry and physics lab in the southwest corner of the building, and to the north was the chemistry and physics classroom. If memory serves right, the seating in that room was rather like bleacher seating. Our 8:00 A.M. sophomore algebra-trig class with Mr. Klavetter was right across the hall, so we had to walk past that chem-physics room on our way to class every morning. The only reason these trivial details are still in my mind is that my first teaching assignment in 1973 was 7th and 8th grade science in Mr. Stewart's old biology classroom. That room became very familiar to me for the next two years. Then the whole school was remodeled, and the science rooms were moved to the first floor, right underneath where the old ones were.
When we moved to the new high school, Mr. Stewart became the guidance counselor. Was about the only time most of us conferred with him was when we were discussing our future plans after high school?
On Sept. 9, the mother of Lynne Kamstra passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22110&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1401937.
A few days later (Sept 13), the mother of Beatty (Ed) Dimit passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22092&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1402617
Only eleven days passed before another parent passed. Lloyd Beckman, the father of Ken, died on Sept. 24: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1420288 or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80
Less than a week later, on Sept. 30, Emmett Earley, Sr., father of Emmett Earley, Jr., passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1425980 orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22290&page=80
Two weeks later, on Oct. 14, Milt Salonen, the father of Tom, passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1435793Salonen orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22444&page=80
Again, just about two weeks later, Marilyn Adamson, the mother of Glenda, went to her eternal reward: http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html
On a related note, the wife of Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob" and later a guidance counselor) passed away on Oct. 2 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1428097Stewart or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22355&page=80).
Lynne was a top-notch student. They lived just a few blocks away from us, but we were never in any of the same grade-school classrooms. When we started junior-high, Lynn's father, a professor at State (animal science?), was in Hawaii, perhaps on sabbatical, for a year. When she returned, she was in our homeroom. At that time, we had essentially the same class schedule, and were together for math, science, history. and English.
During college, it was a privilege for me to assist Mr. Hauschild for a couple of years with sophomore basketball, thus whetting my appetite for a future in teaching/coaching. One of those players was Lance Kamstra, a younger brother of Lynne. My first teaching assignment was 7-8th science at the middle school, the old high school building. Lynne's youngest sister Leigh was one of my students.
Beatty, or as most of us knew him, Ed, moved back to town in 1965. They had previously lived here in the early to mid 50's, so most of probably did not get to know the family then. There was an older sister Mary Anne, an older brother Rob, and a younger brother Jim. Rob was just a year ahead of us, so some of us may have gotten to know him. Mary Anne, I believe, was in college. For some reason, I remember her as a rather attractive lifeguard. When we talked at the visitation, she reminded us that she had, in fact, been a lifeguard. Rob is presently in New York (New York University?), and is an administrator in the graduate programs, I believe. His wife is a librarian at a university (can't remember if it's the same one). They have a daughter who seems to have inherited the intelligence of both of her parents. As a senior at BHS, Rob was the editor-in-chief for the school paper "Broboca." The yearbook states he "put in a lot of hard work editing the Broboca and the result was interest and perhaps a little controversy over some of the stands he took." Would those positions be as controversial today? Beatty was junior that year, and also assisted in producing the paper. Beatty also was a talented singer, as he was in Select Chorus and Boys Glee.
My contacts with Beatty in school were limited. He was in my freshmen English class with Mrs. Wheeler, and also in sophomore English with Mrs. Donaldson, the older sister of Nancy Webbenhurst. About all that is memorable from the freshman year is that he was a new student, and he had an accent that was unfamiliar to most of us. It was obvious, though, that Beatty was quite intelligent. One incident stands out during our sophomore year is that he was scolded somewhat by Mrs. Donaldson for talking to me when we should have been listening. She said something like "I'm sure John is not all that interested in what you have to say." There may have been some truth to that.
Beatty and I had a pleasant conversation at the visitation for his mother. He had posted a few comments earlier when the "Ride" was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees.htm). I did not know that he was part of the original group. Beatty seemed to be a good sport about it, and did express any bitterness.
Since the Beckman family lived near Hillcrest, I never got to know him until the 7th grade, when we were in the same classes. He, too, was a brilliant mind. His father's John Deere implement dealership, though, was in our neighborhood. The business was located at 416 3rd St., two blocks from our residence at the corner of 6th Avenue and Front Street, by the viaduct a couple of blocks south of Central and the old high school. (The address was 205 6th Ave. Tom Bozied lived a couple of houses away at 215 6th Ave. for a few years, so we had some fun times as little boys) However, right across the street to the south, between Front St. and the railroad tracks, was Beckman's lot for some of their farm machinery. At the other end of that block was Sokota Seeds, where Mark Kratochvil's dad played an important role. In between those business was the city coal pile. The city power plant was only a couple of blocks away, and it burned a great deal of coal. I believe that powered the steam heat that warmed the school and many of the downtown buildings. In the winter, the coal pile made a convenient sledding hill.
In between the coal pile and Beckman's lot was an an open gravel area. We would sometimes play baseball in that space. Around the 4th of July, it was also a good spot to light firecrackers. It was fun to twist some fuses of the firecrackers together and place a tin can over them to try to blow the tin can as high as possible. However, right near the tracks were some gasoline storage tanks for the Sinclair station on 8th St. and Medary, by the campus, so we had to be somewhat careful that we did nothing to endanger the neighborhood.
In the spring of our 8th grade year, we had track practice at Hillcrest. Since Ken lived near there, we would often stop at his house after track practice and shoot a few baskets. We were on the same basketball teams up through our junior year. We had some good times, especially our JV season at the new high school.
Ken's academic prowess was evident as he and Helen Sheimo were national Merit Scholarship winners. BHS was the only high school in the state to have two students achieve this award. The yearbook stated the Ken would attend the University of Michigan, while Helen would attend Luther College.
Emmet Earley, Sr. has been somewhat close to our family for a long time. Emmett married a widow, Elsie (Clark) Iverson on April 24, 1950. They had two sons together, Emmett, Jr., who graduated with us, and Rich, a couple of years younger. In 1936, Elsie had married Lyle Iverson, a cousin of my father. They had four children before Lyle died from leukemia (?) on Feb. 13, 1949. Emmett, Jr.'s older siblings (would they be half-brothers and half-sisters to Emmett?), then, are distantly related to me.
Emmett, Jr. has always had an affection for cars, and has restored many older cars from the 50's and 60's. He has helped me keep my old classic looking and running well.
Tom Salonen attended Central Elementary, so we have known each other since our grade-school days. His dad was a skilled craftsman, and helped put in new cabinets when my parents remodeled our kitchen many years ago. Tom also has quite an affection for older cars. At the visitation, Tom mentioned how his father restored some classic cars and boats during his lifetime.
My connections with Glenda Adamson during our school days were minimal. Her mother's obituary indicates that both she and her husband grew up in Brookings, or at least graduated from Brookings High School. Was her father a carpet installer? It seems that the family moved to Colorado after Glenda graduated. Glenda had three older siblings. Paul graduated in 1965, Kathryn graduated in 1966, and Dave graduated in 1968. Dave had a magnificent voice, if memory serves correctly.
For a number of years, Mrs. Stewart's husband Bob, was a teacher and coach in the Brookings school system. His obituary states that he graduated from BHS in 1939 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). That was a revelation to me. Does anyone remember where the biology room was in the old high school? It was at the top of the west stairway near the front entrance, next door to the library on the east. To the west was the chemistry and physics lab in the southwest corner of the building, and to the north was the chemistry and physics classroom. If memory serves right, the seating in that room was rather like bleacher seating. Our 8:00 A.M. sophomore algebra-trig class with Mr. Klavetter was right across the hall, so we had to walk past that chem-physics room on our way to class every morning. The only reason these trivial details are still in my mind is that my first teaching assignment in 1973 was 7th and 8th grade science in Mr. Stewart's old biology classroom. That room became very familiar to me for the next two years. Then the whole school was remodeled, and the science rooms were moved to the first floor, right underneath where the old ones were.
When we moved to the new high school, Mr. Stewart became the guidance counselor. Was about the only time most of us conferred with him was when we were discussing our future plans after high school?
Saturday, September 6, 2014
1932 Annual
The 1932 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/62033?page=0) is dedicated to Mr. Horrigan, just as the 1966 yearbook is. The dedication reads: "To
Mr. Horrigan, we, the senior class of Brookings High School, dedicate this annual of 1932. Mr. Horrigan has been with us through three years
of high school and has always been behind Brookings High School in every
way. Under his supervision and with his guidance it has been possible
for our school to make marked progress in all lines."
If he had been with this class for three years, did he start teaching in the 1929-30 school year? Perhaps he student taught then, as he was still enrolled at the college.
A new teacher was William R. McCann. There used to be a lawyer in town by that name. His law office was right next door to the old Carnegie Library on the south. Previous to that, there was a house, maybe a duplex. If memory serves right, Bill Sherman's family lived there in the mid-50's before moving out by the drive-in.
There were some interesting members of the senior class. One name familiar to most of us is that of Harley Kabrud. He was the 7th grade geography teacher for many of us. He was also a jr.-hi-track coach, and our 8th grade football coach. The day before he would give a test, he had a big review session for us that covered everything on the test. When our 6th grade class was visiting in the spring of 1963, Mr. Kabrud was talking about the Soviet Union. He said it could be pronounced "Soh-vee-et" or "Sah-veee-et". Why I remember is a mystery to me. Another memory is from the 7th grade party. As a tribute to all of the teachers that chaperoned that night, a group of girls paid tribute to them by singing their own version of "We Love You Beatles" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQ8P2QZvKg). Instead of singing the names of the Beatles, they sang the names of the chaperones. "We love you Kabrud, LaChance, Cole, etc." There is a website (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf)that lists the business that have been located at various addresses in Brookings. On 6th Avenue (called Brookings Street in the early Years), this entry was listed: 205 6th Ave.--1919, Kabrud Brothers Insurance Agency, moved to 327 1/2 Main in 1921. 205 6th Avenue was where my family lived when I was in grade school. Tom Bozied lived a half-block away. In 3rd grade, I would stop over before school and we would watch Captain Kangaroo until 8:55, then run to school to get there before the 9:00 bell.
Harlan Otterness was also a senior that year. I believe he was the father of Ron (class 1963) Terry (64) , Dan (1967), and Brian. Brian was freshman when we were seniors. Did the family move to Texas before or after he graduated?
The following list of seniors may trigger some memories for us:
Wayne Albright--was this Gerry's father or uncle?
Firmina Alexander and Thornella Alexander--aunts of Gary?
John Beatty--he was the owner of Beatty's Jewelry, that his family started in 1918. It finally closed in 1986. He also wrote a column for the Brookings Register for a number of years. He was very involved in the community and SDSU (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339048)
Marcella Beneke--anyone remember Lloyd Beneke? He was the last homecoming lord at the old school (the last Lady was Bob Kallemeyn's sister Beth). He was also on our Teener baseball team that went to Hershey in 1965. Could this be an aunt?
Arlene Braley--when we were in grade school, was there Steve Braley a year ahead of us? He was in our First Communion picture. He is hard to see, but he is in the third row, second from the left, between Rick Thompson and Mike McClemans.
There
was a Mike Braley, a pretty good athlete, that graduated in 1959 with
Skip Webster and Bob Shelden. Steve was his younger brother. They
moved away in the early 60's. Might this have been an aunt?
Alta Bulen--any relation to Nancy Bulen, a year behind us?
David and Ruth Flittie --when we were younger, the Flittie farm was then south of town, just west of Medary Acres. Now it is full of houses. A United Church of Christ is about on the spot where the farmhouse was. The only reason I know is that the Mrs. Flittie was a customer on my Minneapolis Tribune paper route. For a while, my area was from 2nd Street South between Medary and Main. This was David Flittie's farm. Unfortunately, he had passed away in 1957, so his wife, Ruth (Kohlhoff) Flittie, was running it Now I know why I never saw him when I was collecting). On page 25 of this website, there is better explanation than I can give (http://www.kohlhoff.com/familyhistory/daniel/K410,%20Part%20IV,%20pdf.pdf) Mrs. Flittie was on the school board at that time in the early 60's, and was a very generous lady (she might tip me a quarter, which was a big hunk of change back then).. One son Bruce Graduated in 1961. Another son Roger was a couple of years ahead of us; he is shown in the 65 annual, but not in the 66 one. This website might give us a clue (http://www.leagle.com/decision/19881450853F2d597_11353)
Dorothy Hoy--Sally Hoy was a year ahead of us in school. She was one of the best girl athletes around. She may have been in that first communion picture shown above, though I'm not positive. Would she be the in the first row on the left?t Her dad Dwight was a mailman. I was able to know him somewhat during my tenure at the post office in 1968. Her brother Tom was a bass player for The Talismen, whose drummer was Pat O'Connell, Kevin's brother (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees/talismen.htm). Unfortunately, she passed away recently (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=126359787)
Lilian Jensen, Gladys Johnson, Helen Johnson, Olive Johnson, Marjorie Johnston, Charlie Linn, Alice McComb, Allen Peterson, Helen Peterson, Mildred Peterson, Marvin Sterud, Frances Wilber, Leon Wilber--related to any of our classmates with the same last names?
Maxine Kennard--the neighbor who lived between Tom Bozied and me in the 1950's was an old codger (buzzard, as Guy O. Karnes might say) named Harry Kennard. Brother-sister?
Some names go way back to the beginning of Brookings and Brookings County, such as Cora Jeannette Rude and Wilma Telkamp.
Don and Medora Lombard are pictured. Would Don have been Tom's father? Tom was a year behind us, and if memory serves right, he may have been in our Cub Scout den for a year or two. I recall going over to his house to play a few times. It was on Fourth St down by the retirement center. My second Minneapolis Tribune paper route was in that part of town, so maybe that is why I seem to remember this.
The last name that is significant is Vernon Ullman. 20 years later, Janice Ullman was the first girl elected as student body president of BHS. She was quite attractive and obviously talented. Her senior pictures lists her belonging to Chorus, Band, Orch., Pit Orch., Pep Band, L'All., Jr. and Sr. play cast, GAA, Bob. Staff, Brob. Editor, NFL, Debate, Declam, H.R. off., FHA, Quill and Scrooll, Cue Cl., Kinetic Cl., Ind. Arts Cl., Stud. Body Pres., Bobcat Day Royalty. Are the two Ullmans related?
The format was the same as the 1931 Bobcat. An organization not listed the previous year was FFA (Future Farmers of America). There was again a combined Jr.Sr class play, but there were two Jr. class plays, and three one-act plays. There were also contests for Typing I and II and Shorthand I and II students. One of the new businesses advertising was Frie Motor Company.
If he had been with this class for three years, did he start teaching in the 1929-30 school year? Perhaps he student taught then, as he was still enrolled at the college.
A new teacher was William R. McCann. There used to be a lawyer in town by that name. His law office was right next door to the old Carnegie Library on the south. Previous to that, there was a house, maybe a duplex. If memory serves right, Bill Sherman's family lived there in the mid-50's before moving out by the drive-in.
There were some interesting members of the senior class. One name familiar to most of us is that of Harley Kabrud. He was the 7th grade geography teacher for many of us. He was also a jr.-hi-track coach, and our 8th grade football coach. The day before he would give a test, he had a big review session for us that covered everything on the test. When our 6th grade class was visiting in the spring of 1963, Mr. Kabrud was talking about the Soviet Union. He said it could be pronounced "Soh-vee-et" or "Sah-veee-et". Why I remember is a mystery to me. Another memory is from the 7th grade party. As a tribute to all of the teachers that chaperoned that night, a group of girls paid tribute to them by singing their own version of "We Love You Beatles" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQ8P2QZvKg). Instead of singing the names of the Beatles, they sang the names of the chaperones. "We love you Kabrud, LaChance, Cole, etc." There is a website (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf)that lists the business that have been located at various addresses in Brookings. On 6th Avenue (called Brookings Street in the early Years), this entry was listed: 205 6th Ave.--1919, Kabrud Brothers Insurance Agency, moved to 327 1/2 Main in 1921. 205 6th Avenue was where my family lived when I was in grade school. Tom Bozied lived a half-block away. In 3rd grade, I would stop over before school and we would watch Captain Kangaroo until 8:55, then run to school to get there before the 9:00 bell.
Harlan Otterness was also a senior that year. I believe he was the father of Ron (class 1963) Terry (64) , Dan (1967), and Brian. Brian was freshman when we were seniors. Did the family move to Texas before or after he graduated?
The following list of seniors may trigger some memories for us:
Wayne Albright--was this Gerry's father or uncle?
Firmina Alexander and Thornella Alexander--aunts of Gary?
John Beatty--he was the owner of Beatty's Jewelry, that his family started in 1918. It finally closed in 1986. He also wrote a column for the Brookings Register for a number of years. He was very involved in the community and SDSU (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339048)
Marcella Beneke--anyone remember Lloyd Beneke? He was the last homecoming lord at the old school (the last Lady was Bob Kallemeyn's sister Beth). He was also on our Teener baseball team that went to Hershey in 1965. Could this be an aunt?
Arlene Braley--when we were in grade school, was there Steve Braley a year ahead of us? He was in our First Communion picture. He is hard to see, but he is in the third row, second from the left, between Rick Thompson and Mike McClemans.
Alta Bulen--any relation to Nancy Bulen, a year behind us?
David and Ruth Flittie --when we were younger, the Flittie farm was then south of town, just west of Medary Acres. Now it is full of houses. A United Church of Christ is about on the spot where the farmhouse was. The only reason I know is that the Mrs. Flittie was a customer on my Minneapolis Tribune paper route. For a while, my area was from 2nd Street South between Medary and Main. This was David Flittie's farm. Unfortunately, he had passed away in 1957, so his wife, Ruth (Kohlhoff) Flittie, was running it Now I know why I never saw him when I was collecting). On page 25 of this website, there is better explanation than I can give (http://www.kohlhoff.com/familyhistory/daniel/K410,%20Part%20IV,%20pdf.pdf) Mrs. Flittie was on the school board at that time in the early 60's, and was a very generous lady (she might tip me a quarter, which was a big hunk of change back then).. One son Bruce Graduated in 1961. Another son Roger was a couple of years ahead of us; he is shown in the 65 annual, but not in the 66 one. This website might give us a clue (http://www.leagle.com/decision/19881450853F2d597_11353)
Dorothy Hoy--Sally Hoy was a year ahead of us in school. She was one of the best girl athletes around. She may have been in that first communion picture shown above, though I'm not positive. Would she be the in the first row on the left?t Her dad Dwight was a mailman. I was able to know him somewhat during my tenure at the post office in 1968. Her brother Tom was a bass player for The Talismen, whose drummer was Pat O'Connell, Kevin's brother (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees/talismen.htm). Unfortunately, she passed away recently (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=126359787)
Lilian Jensen, Gladys Johnson, Helen Johnson, Olive Johnson, Marjorie Johnston, Charlie Linn, Alice McComb, Allen Peterson, Helen Peterson, Mildred Peterson, Marvin Sterud, Frances Wilber, Leon Wilber--related to any of our classmates with the same last names?
Maxine Kennard--the neighbor who lived between Tom Bozied and me in the 1950's was an old codger (buzzard, as Guy O. Karnes might say) named Harry Kennard. Brother-sister?
Some names go way back to the beginning of Brookings and Brookings County, such as Cora Jeannette Rude and Wilma Telkamp.
Don and Medora Lombard are pictured. Would Don have been Tom's father? Tom was a year behind us, and if memory serves right, he may have been in our Cub Scout den for a year or two. I recall going over to his house to play a few times. It was on Fourth St down by the retirement center. My second Minneapolis Tribune paper route was in that part of town, so maybe that is why I seem to remember this.
The last name that is significant is Vernon Ullman. 20 years later, Janice Ullman was the first girl elected as student body president of BHS. She was quite attractive and obviously talented. Her senior pictures lists her belonging to Chorus, Band, Orch., Pit Orch., Pep Band, L'All., Jr. and Sr. play cast, GAA, Bob. Staff, Brob. Editor, NFL, Debate, Declam, H.R. off., FHA, Quill and Scrooll, Cue Cl., Kinetic Cl., Ind. Arts Cl., Stud. Body Pres., Bobcat Day Royalty. Are the two Ullmans related?
The format was the same as the 1931 Bobcat. An organization not listed the previous year was FFA (Future Farmers of America). There was again a combined Jr.Sr class play, but there were two Jr. class plays, and three one-act plays. There were also contests for Typing I and II and Shorthand I and II students. One of the new businesses advertising was Frie Motor Company.
Yearbook Advertising
As mentioned previously, a number of Brookings businesses advertised in the 1931 Bobcat yearbook. Two of them have personal connections. One that is rather significant is Tidball Pharmacy. He started his business at 317 Main, where Coast to Coast was when we were growing up. In 1925, however, he moved a few doors north, to 321 Main. In 1946, he sold it to Chan Shirley, thus becoming Shirley Pharmacy that many of us remember. My family's connection is that the house we moved into in 1963 was built by Mr. Tidball. According to this website, (http://www.docstoc.com/docs/35726016/609-4th-Street) "Clyde and Florence Tidball, a local druggist, had this home built from a compilation of several builders plans. The house features exposed rafters and brackets. The walls are of gray stucco and the gabled roof has a shed dormer and balcony--convenient for shaking second story (sic) rugs."
The other notable business is G. M. McMahon, Dentist. His office was upstairs in the Bartling Building. He was my dentist in the 60's. Anyone else see him? He practiced for about 50 years there, from 1926-1976.
Other notable businesses, with perhaps some interesting trivia; how many of these do you remember?:
Brookings Steam Laundry-- their phone number was 95; Hauff's Millinery--any connection to Barb Haauff in our class?; Dr. M. C. Tank--anyone have him for a physician?; University of South Dakota--at that time, the only university in the state; Nickel Hamburger Shop--forerunner to Nick's?; Montgomery Wards; Ray's Drug Store; Columbia Clothing--would later become Quails, and then Wilson's; Oyloe's Studio--their origins go back to Dakota Territory; Kendall and Locke Druggists, the Rexall Store--what we knew as Kendall's Rexall Drug Store: A. A. MacMillan Band Instruments; Waltz Hardware; Rude's Furniture; Matson's Brothers Druggists: J.C. Penney; Sexauer and Son; Cole's--their slogan was "a store of youth, a store of fashion."
The other notable business is G. M. McMahon, Dentist. His office was upstairs in the Bartling Building. He was my dentist in the 60's. Anyone else see him? He practiced for about 50 years there, from 1926-1976.
Other notable businesses, with perhaps some interesting trivia; how many of these do you remember?:
Brookings Steam Laundry-- their phone number was 95; Hauff's Millinery--any connection to Barb Haauff in our class?; Dr. M. C. Tank--anyone have him for a physician?; University of South Dakota--at that time, the only university in the state; Nickel Hamburger Shop--forerunner to Nick's?; Montgomery Wards; Ray's Drug Store; Columbia Clothing--would later become Quails, and then Wilson's; Oyloe's Studio--their origins go back to Dakota Territory; Kendall and Locke Druggists, the Rexall Store--what we knew as Kendall's Rexall Drug Store: A. A. MacMillan Band Instruments; Waltz Hardware; Rude's Furniture; Matson's Brothers Druggists: J.C. Penney; Sexauer and Son; Cole's--their slogan was "a store of youth, a store of fashion."
Friday, September 5, 2014
The 1931 Bobcat Yearbook
As mentioned in a previous post, there is a website that has previews of BHS yearbooks for various years. Copies of them can even be purchased (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192). Browsing through the earliest one from 1931 (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/65640?page=0), when the city of Brookings was younger than we are now, brought back many memories.
The superintendent at that time was J.E. Martin. That was his second year in that position, but he would remain there until we started kindergarten. It seems rather remarkable that he was the superintendent of the Brookings school system for some 26 years (1929-1955). The athletic director was Bob Coffey, which is the derivation of the Bobcat name (Bob's Cats). A couple of others on the staff are people with whom we may be familiar. One of the science teachers and (and coaches; someone also told me once that he used to a good deal of officiating) was Lester Horrigan. This must have been his first teaching position, as he is listed as the president of the senior class 1930 edition of "The Jackrabbit" (http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/brookings/school/jr1930.txt Also on that list is freshman Millard McComb of Brookings. I believe he is the father of Joan and John McComb of our class. He worked at the Insect Lab north of town, so I became acquainted with Mr. McComb, as I worked summers there after high school and during college. I was only able to get the job thanks to a tip given to me by Jim Kortan in the spring of 1969. His mom worked there, and Jim told me about the openings. Fortunately, they hired me. Mr. Horrigan eventually became principal at BHS (perhaps I can stumble upon that information in another yearbook) and then superintendent in 1955 upon the retirement of Mr. Martin. He retired in 1966, and was honored by that year's graduating class when they dedicated the yearbook to him. That dedication reads
To show our appreciation for his willingness to help us
in any worthwhile thing we strived to do; for all the
extra work he has done in helping to make the dream
of a new school a reality (we moved into it our junior
year); for having given his time and energy as yearbook
adviser, teacher coach, principal, and superintendent;
and for his determination and desire to do anything
in his power to make our school a better place and the
students in it better citizens, the Senior Class of 1966,
being the last class to graduate with his name on our
diplomas, proudly dedicates this edition of the Bobcat
to our superintendent, Mr. L. D. Horrigan.
On this dedication page are pictures of him receiving the golden shovel at the ground-breaking ceremonies for the new high school, receiving a watch from Mr. Hauschild on behalf of the faculty, getting ready for a round of golf, and relaxing at home by doing some gardening. Retirement must not have suited him too well, though. In the next three yearbooks, he is listed as an administrative assistant. Sadly, Mr. Horrigan passed away in 1971 (http://www.geni.com/people/Lester-Horrigan/6000000001937388738). His wife lived quite a bit longer than he, passing away ten years ago (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341529). Mr and Mrs. Horrigan had a daughter Patricia who graduated in 1958. She, too, has passed away (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341408)
The fourth individual some of you may know of is Agnes Schlender. She was the school secretary. In some of the later annuals, she is listed as secretary to the business manager, who would have been Mr. Charles Webbenhurst, father of Nancy Webbenhurst of our class. She must have retired in the early 60's, as she is not shown in the 1962 Bobcat. When our family moved a block north to the corner of 3rd St. and 6th Ave., Agnes Schlender was our next door neighbor. She and Miss Erickson lived in the house just east of us. Miss Erickson had been a long-time elementary teacher and perhaps even principal for the primary building. Their lot was rather small, so we would shovel their walk during those nasty winters. Around Christmas 1976, they were ready to downsize, so their house was up for sale. With some help from an older brother, I ended up purchasing it. After my mother died in 2003, I moved into our old house, and eventually sold mine to Emmett Earley of our class. However, he needed a little bit more garage space, so he eventually sold it.
In the senior class that year of 1931 was a number of students whose family names might hold some significance or be familiar to us. The ones that left an impression on me were:
Fred Bang--anyone remember Bang's Bakery? At the back of the yearbook are a number of advertisements for local businesses, perhaps to finance the cost of publishing the annual. One of those businesses is Bang's Bakery.
Margaret Bartling--one of the children of the Bartling's furniture clan?
Harriet Bortnem--any relation to the Bortnems in our class?
Irwin Gunsalus--there was a Gunsalus family that lived in our neighborhood, about a block west of the courthouse. Twins Robert and Richard graduated from BHS in 1965. Robert graduated from SDSU in 1969, and was recently honored as a distinguished alumnus (http://state.sdstateconnect.org/distinguished-alumni-2013/ and http://www.statealum.com/s/1108/index.aspx?sid=1108&gid=1&pgid=1802). As an aside, another honoree was Brian Kaatz, who atttended SDSU when many of us did. He was in one of my freshmen chem labs. But Irwin was the father of these boys. He, too, had a very distinguished career (http://www.asbmb.org/uploadedfiles/AboutUs/ASBMB_History/Past_Presidents/1970s/1974Gunsalus.html and http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2008/11/24/dr_irwin_gunsalus_discovered_lipoic_acid_a_form_of_vitamin_b6/) Their mother was also gifted. (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339287)
Ruby LeFevre--was she related to the owners of LeFevre Motors?
Maxine Linn and Burdette Shelden--these two are listed together because they were married to one another in 1933. One of their children was Bob, who graduated in 1959, and was one of the most talented athletes ever to come out of BHS. The high school stadium is named for him. This site has a nice aerial photo, even though there is s misspelling (http://wikimapia.org/29317056/Bob-Sheldon-Field-Football). Bob died of Hodgkin's disease when we were about in the 4th grade. He was related to Gerry Albright. Gerry told us that Bob had become so sick and lost so much weight that he was practically a skeleton. If memory serves right, Gerry is related to Stew Linn. This obituary of Maxine Linn Shelden gives some clues (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_MShelden172)
George Messner--father or uncle of Frank Messner, who graduated from BHS in 1961?
John Nolan--any relation to "Gip" Nolan, longtime director of the Chamber of Commerce in Brookings? (http://southdakotagravestones.org/view.php?id=218782)
Lyle Otterness--related to the Otterness family that lived in Brookings until the early 1970's?
Viola Telkamp--many Telkamps farmed in the Brookings area. A Roger Telkamp worked with Joan and John McComb's father at the Insect lab north of town. Telkamp Housemoving is a well-known business throughout the state.
Hazel Trygstad--the Trygstad family was one of the earliest families to settle in Brookings County (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sdbrooki/chistory.htm and http://www.brookingscountysd.gov/Index.aspx?NID=99)
Naturally, yearbooks have evolved over the years. One strange feature in 1931 is that there were no individual pictures of sophomores or freshmen. Rather, there were just picture of their homerooms. The name of the teacher is listed, but not the names of the students. Bobcat Day seemed quite late, Nov. 10, with the football game the next day. BHS beat Huron 20-0 to cap off a successful week. The football schedule was a bit different than the one we were used to. Instead of a prom, there was a Jr.-Sr banquet held at the Hotel Dudley (Sawnee) on April 25. In track and field, the boys threw the javelin. However, that event is no longer contested today. Don't know when they quit throwing it.
Girls athletics was limited to soccer, basketball, and volleyball. In the picture of the soccer game, it appears that the field was on the north side of the Red Castle, which would have been the playground north of Central Elementary. It's also interesting to note that volleyball was played outside.
French must have been an elective, as there was a French Club (Cercle Francais). The school paper, The Broboca, was in its first year of existence. The only other clubs listed are dramatics and student council.
There were other opportunities for extra-curricular activities, though. Musicians could play in the band and/or orchestra, while the singers could belt out their notes in the boys and girls glee clubs. It appears that there was even a musical, "The Lucky Jade."
Future Hollywood hopefuls had a couple of plays to show off their talents. There was Jr-Sr play on Oct, 30, and another play on March 19. Was that one limited to juniors and seniors? In addition, there was a one-act play and another short skit during graduation week.
Those with an argumentative bent had numerous chances to display their oratorical skills. There were 13 debates during the season, in addition to districts and state.
What was intriguing to me was to see all of the business that advertised in this yearbook. As mentioned above, Bang's Bakery was one. Some of the others that seemed significant to me will be the topic of the next post.
The superintendent at that time was J.E. Martin. That was his second year in that position, but he would remain there until we started kindergarten. It seems rather remarkable that he was the superintendent of the Brookings school system for some 26 years (1929-1955). The athletic director was Bob Coffey, which is the derivation of the Bobcat name (Bob's Cats). A couple of others on the staff are people with whom we may be familiar. One of the science teachers and (and coaches; someone also told me once that he used to a good deal of officiating) was Lester Horrigan. This must have been his first teaching position, as he is listed as the president of the senior class 1930 edition of "The Jackrabbit" (http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/brookings/school/jr1930.txt Also on that list is freshman Millard McComb of Brookings. I believe he is the father of Joan and John McComb of our class. He worked at the Insect Lab north of town, so I became acquainted with Mr. McComb, as I worked summers there after high school and during college. I was only able to get the job thanks to a tip given to me by Jim Kortan in the spring of 1969. His mom worked there, and Jim told me about the openings. Fortunately, they hired me. Mr. Horrigan eventually became principal at BHS (perhaps I can stumble upon that information in another yearbook) and then superintendent in 1955 upon the retirement of Mr. Martin. He retired in 1966, and was honored by that year's graduating class when they dedicated the yearbook to him. That dedication reads
To show our appreciation for his willingness to help us
in any worthwhile thing we strived to do; for all the
extra work he has done in helping to make the dream
of a new school a reality (we moved into it our junior
year); for having given his time and energy as yearbook
adviser, teacher coach, principal, and superintendent;
and for his determination and desire to do anything
in his power to make our school a better place and the
students in it better citizens, the Senior Class of 1966,
being the last class to graduate with his name on our
diplomas, proudly dedicates this edition of the Bobcat
to our superintendent, Mr. L. D. Horrigan.
On this dedication page are pictures of him receiving the golden shovel at the ground-breaking ceremonies for the new high school, receiving a watch from Mr. Hauschild on behalf of the faculty, getting ready for a round of golf, and relaxing at home by doing some gardening. Retirement must not have suited him too well, though. In the next three yearbooks, he is listed as an administrative assistant. Sadly, Mr. Horrigan passed away in 1971 (http://www.geni.com/people/Lester-Horrigan/6000000001937388738). His wife lived quite a bit longer than he, passing away ten years ago (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341529). Mr and Mrs. Horrigan had a daughter Patricia who graduated in 1958. She, too, has passed away (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341408)
The fourth individual some of you may know of is Agnes Schlender. She was the school secretary. In some of the later annuals, she is listed as secretary to the business manager, who would have been Mr. Charles Webbenhurst, father of Nancy Webbenhurst of our class. She must have retired in the early 60's, as she is not shown in the 1962 Bobcat. When our family moved a block north to the corner of 3rd St. and 6th Ave., Agnes Schlender was our next door neighbor. She and Miss Erickson lived in the house just east of us. Miss Erickson had been a long-time elementary teacher and perhaps even principal for the primary building. Their lot was rather small, so we would shovel their walk during those nasty winters. Around Christmas 1976, they were ready to downsize, so their house was up for sale. With some help from an older brother, I ended up purchasing it. After my mother died in 2003, I moved into our old house, and eventually sold mine to Emmett Earley of our class. However, he needed a little bit more garage space, so he eventually sold it.
In the senior class that year of 1931 was a number of students whose family names might hold some significance or be familiar to us. The ones that left an impression on me were:
Fred Bang--anyone remember Bang's Bakery? At the back of the yearbook are a number of advertisements for local businesses, perhaps to finance the cost of publishing the annual. One of those businesses is Bang's Bakery.
Margaret Bartling--one of the children of the Bartling's furniture clan?
Harriet Bortnem--any relation to the Bortnems in our class?
Irwin Gunsalus--there was a Gunsalus family that lived in our neighborhood, about a block west of the courthouse. Twins Robert and Richard graduated from BHS in 1965. Robert graduated from SDSU in 1969, and was recently honored as a distinguished alumnus (http://state.sdstateconnect.org/distinguished-alumni-2013/ and http://www.statealum.com/s/1108/index.aspx?sid=1108&gid=1&pgid=1802). As an aside, another honoree was Brian Kaatz, who atttended SDSU when many of us did. He was in one of my freshmen chem labs. But Irwin was the father of these boys. He, too, had a very distinguished career (http://www.asbmb.org/uploadedfiles/AboutUs/ASBMB_History/Past_Presidents/1970s/1974Gunsalus.html and http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2008/11/24/dr_irwin_gunsalus_discovered_lipoic_acid_a_form_of_vitamin_b6/) Their mother was also gifted. (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339287)
Ruby LeFevre--was she related to the owners of LeFevre Motors?
Maxine Linn and Burdette Shelden--these two are listed together because they were married to one another in 1933. One of their children was Bob, who graduated in 1959, and was one of the most talented athletes ever to come out of BHS. The high school stadium is named for him. This site has a nice aerial photo, even though there is s misspelling (http://wikimapia.org/29317056/Bob-Sheldon-Field-Football). Bob died of Hodgkin's disease when we were about in the 4th grade. He was related to Gerry Albright. Gerry told us that Bob had become so sick and lost so much weight that he was practically a skeleton. If memory serves right, Gerry is related to Stew Linn. This obituary of Maxine Linn Shelden gives some clues (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_MShelden172)
George Messner--father or uncle of Frank Messner, who graduated from BHS in 1961?
John Nolan--any relation to "Gip" Nolan, longtime director of the Chamber of Commerce in Brookings? (http://southdakotagravestones.org/view.php?id=218782)
Lyle Otterness--related to the Otterness family that lived in Brookings until the early 1970's?
Viola Telkamp--many Telkamps farmed in the Brookings area. A Roger Telkamp worked with Joan and John McComb's father at the Insect lab north of town. Telkamp Housemoving is a well-known business throughout the state.
Hazel Trygstad--the Trygstad family was one of the earliest families to settle in Brookings County (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sdbrooki/chistory.htm and http://www.brookingscountysd.gov/Index.aspx?NID=99)
Naturally, yearbooks have evolved over the years. One strange feature in 1931 is that there were no individual pictures of sophomores or freshmen. Rather, there were just picture of their homerooms. The name of the teacher is listed, but not the names of the students. Bobcat Day seemed quite late, Nov. 10, with the football game the next day. BHS beat Huron 20-0 to cap off a successful week. The football schedule was a bit different than the one we were used to. Instead of a prom, there was a Jr.-Sr banquet held at the Hotel Dudley (Sawnee) on April 25. In track and field, the boys threw the javelin. However, that event is no longer contested today. Don't know when they quit throwing it.
Girls athletics was limited to soccer, basketball, and volleyball. In the picture of the soccer game, it appears that the field was on the north side of the Red Castle, which would have been the playground north of Central Elementary. It's also interesting to note that volleyball was played outside.
French must have been an elective, as there was a French Club (Cercle Francais). The school paper, The Broboca, was in its first year of existence. The only other clubs listed are dramatics and student council.
There were other opportunities for extra-curricular activities, though. Musicians could play in the band and/or orchestra, while the singers could belt out their notes in the boys and girls glee clubs. It appears that there was even a musical, "The Lucky Jade."
Future Hollywood hopefuls had a couple of plays to show off their talents. There was Jr-Sr play on Oct, 30, and another play on March 19. Was that one limited to juniors and seniors? In addition, there was a one-act play and another short skit during graduation week.
Those with an argumentative bent had numerous chances to display their oratorical skills. There were 13 debates during the season, in addition to districts and state.
What was intriguing to me was to see all of the business that advertised in this yearbook. As mentioned above, Bang's Bakery was one. Some of the others that seemed significant to me will be the topic of the next post.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
More on the 1918 "Bomb"
While browsing through the 1918 BHS yearbook "The Bomb" (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sdbrook2/Index.htm), some names jumped out at me. The post below contains a little bit of history and reflection on some of those names. Today's post will continue in that vein.
Some of the names that rang a bell were Coulter, Gamble, Matson, Mitchell, Mix, Moberg, Nelson, Odegaard, Olson, Otteson, Oyloe, Pittenger, Peterson, Rishoi, and Solberg.
There was a Dale Coulter who was a year ahead of us. He is is pictured in the 1967, annual, but not in the 1968 one. I believe he lived near Southside Park. If memory serves right, he had a mohawk when we were probably in grade school. Would he be a relative of Zaida Coulter, a graduating senior at BHS in 1918?
One of the juniors listed is Dale Gamble, who had enlisted in the service. The Gamble family was rather rather well-known when we were growing up. The father William was, I believe, an electrical engineering professor at the college, and active in local government. His wife was a local columnist for the Register. Their youngest son Bill was a junior on the 1962 state "A" championship basketball team. Although he was not a starter, he played a key role, especially in the championship game. He may even have made the all-tourney team because of his play. Isn't it amazing what internet searches can do? (http://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/South-Dakota/William-H-Gamble_3tcpmm and http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=6193&page=80).
As an aside, William Gamble, who graduated from SDSU (SDSC at that time) was honored as a distinguished alumnus in 1971. While browsing through that list, there were many other notables who have been honored over the years. Their names are followed by their graduation and year of induction. Orville Bentley, 42, and 67; Art Vandall , 39 and 71; Pete Retzlaff, 53 and 74; John Bibby, 42 and 75; Bob Durland, 53 and 76; Jim O'Connell, 35 and 77; Dave Pearson, 39 and 78; Lyle Derscheid, 43 and 78; Stan Marshall, 50 and 81; B.H. Schaphorst, 12 and 81; Mel Henrichsen, 38 and 82; Jim Marking, 50 and 85; LaVerne Kortan, 42 and 86; Deb McDermott (nee Kneip), 76 and 2000; Adam Vinatieri, 95 and 2006.
Orville Bentley was the father of Craig, who was a year ahead of us. Mr. Bentley accepted a federal government position in mid-60's, so they moved there after Craig's freshman year. Art Vandall, Jim O'Connell, Lyle Derschied, Stan Marshall, and LaVerne Kortan are the fathers of classmates Scotty, Kevin, Craig, Mike, and Jim respectively. Pete Retzlaff was an outstanding football for the Philadelphia Eagles. Some of us met him when our Teener baseball team went to Hershey, PA for the National Teener Tournament in 1965. Dave Pearson is the father of Dave, who was also a year ahead of us in school. Another son Dick was a year behind us. B.H. Schaphorst was a long-time lawyer in town. Mark Bortnem's mother was a secretary for him (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2011/04/mark-bortnems-passes-away.html). From 1926 until 1979, Mr. Schaphorst had an office upstairs at 326 1/2 Main, just above Matson's Drug, which is mentioned in the next paragraph. Mel Henrichsen ran the campus bookstore for a long time. Jim Marking was a fiery, exciting, and enthusiastic basketball coach at SDSU when we were in high school and college. Deb Kneip was a couple of years behind us during our school years in Brookings. Adam Vinatieri has no direct connection with us, other than he graduated from SDSU and has helped his football teams win some Super Bowl Chamionships.
There are a two Matsons listed,one a freshman and one in the service. Were they part of the family that started Matson Brothers Drug Store in 1926? According to this website (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf), the drugstore was located at 326 Main, about two blocks west of the old high school. Kendall's was just across 4th street to the north, the Northwest bank was across on Main, and Ray's Corner was kitty-corner. They sold out to Moriarty's in 1965. Incidentally, a Chuck Matson graduated from BHS that year. Would he have been a relative, a son perhaps?
It seems curious that there were two Don Mitchells, one of whom was in the service. In addition, there is a third Mitchell, Kathryn. There was a Mitchell that was a publisher of the Brookikngs Register for a number of years. Any connection? About all I could find was this link: http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_ERonshaugen203 There were three Mitchells (two boys and a girl) who were about the age of some of my older siblings. If memory serves right, one (or maybe both) was/were (a) little league baseball coach(es) for a few years. Mary Kay Mitchell was a cheerleader for that 1962 championship basketball team, and also homecoming Lady her senior year.
There was Mix Cleaners about a block and one-half block west of the old high school. There was also a Mix Market. Do these business have any connection with the Philo Mix in the 1918 Bomb?
A number of years ago, so I have been told, the south edge of town between Main and Medary was partly bordered by the Moberg Orchards. Would Lyman Moberg be a part of this family?
Nelson, Odegaard, Olson, and Peterson are not rare names, considering the Scandinavian ancestry of this area. Otteson is not a very common name, but do any of these have a connection with our classmates?
One name that is somewhat significant to me is Oyloe. Franny Dolan started teaching in Brookings in the 40's. He once told me about a boy named Turner Oyloe. According to Franny, he was an early maturer, and was practically fully grown before he came to high school. His father was photographer. It appears that the family business was photography (http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=263&p=localities.northam.usa.states.southdakota.counties.brookings). What an interesting site! There are a number of Oyloes who have their final resting in the First Lutheran Cemetery in Brookings (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSln=Oyloe&GSiman=1&GScnty=2363&). According to this site (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Year.pdf), Oyloe Photography started in 1890. Anyway, Turner Oyloe went to SDSC, and later earned a Ph.D. in Ag Economics from the University of Minnesota. According to this website, he must have had an important role in the international world (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?pid=164205864). He was a BHS graduate of 1950.
Some other names that figure prominently are Pittenger, Rishoi, and Solberg, One of the ministers when we were growing was Richard Pittenger. I believe he was a Methodist clergyman.
There was a Stan Rishhoi that graduated in 1952. Another Stan Rishoi graduated in 1928 (father-son, uncle-nephew, cousins?). He was one of the early inductees into the Brookings High School Hall of Fame. Here is a picture of last year's inductees, including our own Jim Kortan.(http://brookings.k12.sd.us/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=1561&) Jim joins Lee Colburn in the "Veterans" category. Also in that category are some athletes with whom we might be familiar: Stan Whitmore, Jan Sanderson, and Mike Redmond. Jerry Martinson will be added to that list soon. It will actually be tomorrow night, Sept. 5, at halftime of the football game. In the pioneer category, there are three Bartling brothers, and Tom Bozied's father-in-law Bud Billings. There are some coaches that have may have special meaning to some of us. First is Bob Coffey, who was the inspiration for the name "Bobcats" (Bob's Cats). Ralph Ginn, who was a long-time football coach at the college, coached at BHS in the late 40's. Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Tlustos were also honored for their commitments, not only to Bobcat athletics, but also for their influence on the students of Brookings High School. Skip Webster, who coached some of us before he became an insurance agent, was honored for his generous support of the athletic programs at BHS.
The name Solberg is associated with SDSU. Solberg Hall is the oldest building on campus that is still in use. Many aspiring engineers took classes there. It has been recently renovated, as it was deteriorating rather badly and was condemned in 1998 (http://www.sdbor.edu/mediapubs/pressreleases/2003/101003Solberg.htm) Mr. Solberg must have lived all of his adult life in Brooking, as he is buried in Greenwood Cemetery (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=105877222). One of his nephews was Conrad Solberg, who graduated from BHS in 1954. Would Conrad's mother have been the Mrs. Solberg who taught at Central Elementary, maybe 5th grade?
Is is amazing what can be found on the internet. This website, affiliated with Classmates.com, may be familiar to some of you (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192). Roughly in the middle of the screen, a little towards the bottom, is a link to BHS yearbooks of various years. There are previews of 29 yearbooks covering the years 1931, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71. 90, and 95. If you have some time, it might prove interesting to browse through these and see how BHS has changed over the years. Some of the administration, faculty, and staff were there for a long time.
Some of the names that rang a bell were Coulter, Gamble, Matson, Mitchell, Mix, Moberg, Nelson, Odegaard, Olson, Otteson, Oyloe, Pittenger, Peterson, Rishoi, and Solberg.
There was a Dale Coulter who was a year ahead of us. He is is pictured in the 1967, annual, but not in the 1968 one. I believe he lived near Southside Park. If memory serves right, he had a mohawk when we were probably in grade school. Would he be a relative of Zaida Coulter, a graduating senior at BHS in 1918?
One of the juniors listed is Dale Gamble, who had enlisted in the service. The Gamble family was rather rather well-known when we were growing up. The father William was, I believe, an electrical engineering professor at the college, and active in local government. His wife was a local columnist for the Register. Their youngest son Bill was a junior on the 1962 state "A" championship basketball team. Although he was not a starter, he played a key role, especially in the championship game. He may even have made the all-tourney team because of his play. Isn't it amazing what internet searches can do? (http://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/South-Dakota/William-H-Gamble_3tcpmm and http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=6193&page=80).
As an aside, William Gamble, who graduated from SDSU (SDSC at that time) was honored as a distinguished alumnus in 1971. While browsing through that list, there were many other notables who have been honored over the years. Their names are followed by their graduation and year of induction. Orville Bentley, 42, and 67; Art Vandall , 39 and 71; Pete Retzlaff, 53 and 74; John Bibby, 42 and 75; Bob Durland, 53 and 76; Jim O'Connell, 35 and 77; Dave Pearson, 39 and 78; Lyle Derscheid, 43 and 78; Stan Marshall, 50 and 81; B.H. Schaphorst, 12 and 81; Mel Henrichsen, 38 and 82; Jim Marking, 50 and 85; LaVerne Kortan, 42 and 86; Deb McDermott (nee Kneip), 76 and 2000; Adam Vinatieri, 95 and 2006.
Orville Bentley was the father of Craig, who was a year ahead of us. Mr. Bentley accepted a federal government position in mid-60's, so they moved there after Craig's freshman year. Art Vandall, Jim O'Connell, Lyle Derschied, Stan Marshall, and LaVerne Kortan are the fathers of classmates Scotty, Kevin, Craig, Mike, and Jim respectively. Pete Retzlaff was an outstanding football for the Philadelphia Eagles. Some of us met him when our Teener baseball team went to Hershey, PA for the National Teener Tournament in 1965. Dave Pearson is the father of Dave, who was also a year ahead of us in school. Another son Dick was a year behind us. B.H. Schaphorst was a long-time lawyer in town. Mark Bortnem's mother was a secretary for him (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2011/04/mark-bortnems-passes-away.html). From 1926 until 1979, Mr. Schaphorst had an office upstairs at 326 1/2 Main, just above Matson's Drug, which is mentioned in the next paragraph. Mel Henrichsen ran the campus bookstore for a long time. Jim Marking was a fiery, exciting, and enthusiastic basketball coach at SDSU when we were in high school and college. Deb Kneip was a couple of years behind us during our school years in Brookings. Adam Vinatieri has no direct connection with us, other than he graduated from SDSU and has helped his football teams win some Super Bowl Chamionships.
There are a two Matsons listed,one a freshman and one in the service. Were they part of the family that started Matson Brothers Drug Store in 1926? According to this website (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf), the drugstore was located at 326 Main, about two blocks west of the old high school. Kendall's was just across 4th street to the north, the Northwest bank was across on Main, and Ray's Corner was kitty-corner. They sold out to Moriarty's in 1965. Incidentally, a Chuck Matson graduated from BHS that year. Would he have been a relative, a son perhaps?
It seems curious that there were two Don Mitchells, one of whom was in the service. In addition, there is a third Mitchell, Kathryn. There was a Mitchell that was a publisher of the Brookikngs Register for a number of years. Any connection? About all I could find was this link: http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_ERonshaugen203 There were three Mitchells (two boys and a girl) who were about the age of some of my older siblings. If memory serves right, one (or maybe both) was/were (a) little league baseball coach(es) for a few years. Mary Kay Mitchell was a cheerleader for that 1962 championship basketball team, and also homecoming Lady her senior year.
There was Mix Cleaners about a block and one-half block west of the old high school. There was also a Mix Market. Do these business have any connection with the Philo Mix in the 1918 Bomb?
A number of years ago, so I have been told, the south edge of town between Main and Medary was partly bordered by the Moberg Orchards. Would Lyman Moberg be a part of this family?
Nelson, Odegaard, Olson, and Peterson are not rare names, considering the Scandinavian ancestry of this area. Otteson is not a very common name, but do any of these have a connection with our classmates?
One name that is somewhat significant to me is Oyloe. Franny Dolan started teaching in Brookings in the 40's. He once told me about a boy named Turner Oyloe. According to Franny, he was an early maturer, and was practically fully grown before he came to high school. His father was photographer. It appears that the family business was photography (http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=263&p=localities.northam.usa.states.southdakota.counties.brookings). What an interesting site! There are a number of Oyloes who have their final resting in the First Lutheran Cemetery in Brookings (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSln=Oyloe&GSiman=1&GScnty=2363&). According to this site (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Year.pdf), Oyloe Photography started in 1890. Anyway, Turner Oyloe went to SDSC, and later earned a Ph.D. in Ag Economics from the University of Minnesota. According to this website, he must have had an important role in the international world (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?pid=164205864). He was a BHS graduate of 1950.
Some other names that figure prominently are Pittenger, Rishoi, and Solberg, One of the ministers when we were growing was Richard Pittenger. I believe he was a Methodist clergyman.
There was a Stan Rishhoi that graduated in 1952. Another Stan Rishoi graduated in 1928 (father-son, uncle-nephew, cousins?). He was one of the early inductees into the Brookings High School Hall of Fame. Here is a picture of last year's inductees, including our own Jim Kortan.(http://brookings.k12.sd.us/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=1561&) Jim joins Lee Colburn in the "Veterans" category. Also in that category are some athletes with whom we might be familiar: Stan Whitmore, Jan Sanderson, and Mike Redmond. Jerry Martinson will be added to that list soon. It will actually be tomorrow night, Sept. 5, at halftime of the football game. In the pioneer category, there are three Bartling brothers, and Tom Bozied's father-in-law Bud Billings. There are some coaches that have may have special meaning to some of us. First is Bob Coffey, who was the inspiration for the name "Bobcats" (Bob's Cats). Ralph Ginn, who was a long-time football coach at the college, coached at BHS in the late 40's. Mr. Gibbons and Mr. Tlustos were also honored for their commitments, not only to Bobcat athletics, but also for their influence on the students of Brookings High School. Skip Webster, who coached some of us before he became an insurance agent, was honored for his generous support of the athletic programs at BHS.
The name Solberg is associated with SDSU. Solberg Hall is the oldest building on campus that is still in use. Many aspiring engineers took classes there. It has been recently renovated, as it was deteriorating rather badly and was condemned in 1998 (http://www.sdbor.edu/mediapubs/pressreleases/2003/101003Solberg.htm) Mr. Solberg must have lived all of his adult life in Brooking, as he is buried in Greenwood Cemetery (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=105877222). One of his nephews was Conrad Solberg, who graduated from BHS in 1954. Would Conrad's mother have been the Mrs. Solberg who taught at Central Elementary, maybe 5th grade?
Is is amazing what can be found on the internet. This website, affiliated with Classmates.com, may be familiar to some of you (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192). Roughly in the middle of the screen, a little towards the bottom, is a link to BHS yearbooks of various years. There are previews of 29 yearbooks covering the years 1931, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71. 90, and 95. If you have some time, it might prove interesting to browse through these and see how BHS has changed over the years. Some of the administration, faculty, and staff were there for a long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)