Veterans Day

The Brookings Register issue of Nov. 11, 2015,  has a supplement "honoring all who have served in times of was,in times of peace." A number of men who served in World War II are featured in such articles as "Rolling with Patton," "Pharmacist serves in both Europe, the Pacific," "Tales of a tin-can sailor," "Veterans and veterinarians," "Present for the first post-war big bangs,"   "Gunnery to dentistry," and "Getting his start in the Seabees."  For these men and women, whose lives were disrupted, World War II, to quote The Register,  "made them part of what Tom Brokaw called, in his book by the same, 'The Greatest Generation.' "   Many of these men are the fathers of our friends and classmates.  The articles described what the men were doing when they went into the service, where the were stationed, what they did during the was, and what they did after the war. 

Richard Wahlstrom is the soldier who rolled with Patton.  His son Rick was a year ahead of us in school.  (Rick was first baseman on our  Dodgers little league team in 1962 and 1963).  Mr. Wahlstrom fought in the Battle of the Bulge "on the 16th of December, which is a day to be remembered," he stated.  The "weather was terrible.  Feet got wet and cold and frozen, sleeping in foxholes."  He mentioned that they traveled at night, and noted the carnage that had taken place.  After returning home, he resumed his education at the University of Nebraska, where he also met his future wife.  She taught for four years in a rural school when he had been in the service.  He later went on to earn master and doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois.  They came to Brookings in 1952, retiring in 1988.  They have been marrried for 68 years, and both he and his wife are still active in their church and in the community.

The pharmacist is Harold S. Bailey, Jr.  He served both in the Pacific and in Europe,  He was a medic in Italy in early 1945.  As he was pharmacist, having earned his degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science, he was assigned to a ship that was headed to New Guinea, although the ship never arrived there.  Instead, they ended up in Okinawa.  He eventually set up a pharmacy and operated it there until the Army took it over.  Early in 1946, he was transferred to Sasebo, Japan, serving as chief pharmacist.  In August of that year, he returned to the States.  After marriage, he earned his doctorate from Purdue, eventually coming to Brookings in 1951.  From 1961 to 1985, he was chief academic officer, dean of academic affairs, vice president of academic affairs, and dean of the graduate school.

The tin-can sailor is George "Dale" Wagner, who graduated from BHS in 1941. He was in the Navy, and was at Pearl Harbor a couple of years after the initial attacks.  He later had duty on just about every island in the Pacific.  "Every island out there, we hit," he is quoted as saying.  He was discharged in 1946, having hauled troops back from Calcutta and Karachi after the war.  I believe Mr. Wagner is the father of George, who was a couple of years ahead of us.  He was on the state championship team of 1967.  Did he place fourth in 120 lb. weight class? 
Another Bailey also later associated with SDSU served in WWII.  James Bailey came to Brookings and "served for 17 years as Extension officer at SDSU, working with other veterinarians on their continuing education requirements and holding meetings with ranchers."  After retiring in 1985, he was named Extension veterinarian emeritus.  James entered the service in 1943 in the midst of his veterinary studies at Iowa State.  He did not see any action, as he was ironically sent back Iowa State because the tests he took at Riverside, CA qualified him for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP).  He was able to study veterinary medicine while enjoying a little taste of the Army.  In 1944, the SSTP program was discontinued, so James continued on with his schooling.  What was fascinating about his experience with the Army is that his father was also a veterinarian, and served in France the last few months ofWorld War I.  At that time, veterinarians were necessary because mules and horses were a vital component of the war effort.  The ship on which the elder Bailey sailed to France carried not only soldiers, but also about 700 horses and mules. 

A local dentist also contributed to the war effort.  Dr. Phil Blackford  served in the Army Air Corps, having joined in 1943 right out of high school.  He received training in Las Vegas, but it appears that the cadets were given the option of leaving the program, as the war effort was winding down in Europe in 1945.  He chose to return to college and then continue on with dental school at the University of Minnesota.  He came to Brookings in February of 1952.  Of his fellow veterans, he said, "We were raised in the Depression years.  We weren't affected like our parents were.  But once you've been through something like that, it never leaves you.  If gives you a different slant on things.  Life can be messy.  It was a different mindset." 

Does anybody remember the Junior High Newspaper "The Wildcat"?  It probably came out at quarter time.  The last issue usually contained a last will and testament of the 9th graders in which they willed something to the 8th graders.  It is likely that the editors of the paper concocted up theses stories.  Any way, one that comes to mind is Chip Kabrud passing on his basketball shooting abilities to Tom Bozied.  There was also a column in one issue that was a little on the "punny" side.  In that column was this statement:  We have a Blackford, but no White Chevy, or something similar.  The reference was to Nancy Blackford, who was a 7th grader when we were 9th graders.

Another Brookings resident who contributed to the war effort was Lloyd Darnall.  His article can be found in the pictures below.  It's in rather small print, but if you click on the image, will it be enlarged enough to read it more easily?

 

Lives Worth Living

Recent months have witnessed the passing of a former teacher (and colleague),  and a father and a mother of our classmates.

The former teacher who passed away was Joyce Pedersen (
http://www.skrochfc.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=3324799&fh_id=13431).  It seems that her first year of teaching in the Brookings school system may have been  1962-63.  Below is a picture of that class.

It appears to me that the first row of boys is Tom Salonen, David Hajek, David Helfinstine, and Tom Madson.  The second row boys are Larry Boggs, Emmet Earley, Dennis and Danny Kruse?, Darwin Beynon, Larry Nolan(d?), Steve Wobbema (in front of Larry), Bob Lee, Jim Kortan (in front of Bob).  The third row of girls is Mary McMillan, Diane Heath, Barb Henry, Barb Allstot, Margaret Travis, and Patsy McKeown.  The top is Miss Pedersen, Iris Clauson, Nancy Webbenhurst, and Marilyn Anderson.

When the old high school became a Middle School in 1967, Miss Pedersen remained as a 6th grade math teacher until retiring in 1992.  In the fall of 1972, my student teaching assignment was in 6th-grade math and science.  I was fortunate to make her acquaintance at that time.  A few years later, my teaching assignment was 6th grade science, so we became even more familiar with each other.

Miss Pedersen lived in Colman, but did not drive back and forth each day.  She had a small apartment,  perhaps on Main, just a few blocks west of Central Elementary.  It was not uncommon for me to see her walking from that directions, as we would often arrive before school at about the same time.

On October 11, Lee Colburn's father passed away (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=03838202_JColburn).  As the obituary states, the family moved to Brookings in 1957.  If memory serves right, that was in the spring when we were in kindergarten.  Lee had a little red bike that he rode to school.  Some of us did not even know how to ride a bike at that age.  At that time, the family lived on west 8th street, with Sexauer Creek just about in their back yard.  A few years later they moved near the campus, just a block west of the Campanile.

A few times during our sophomore year, Lee invited me to go ice-fishing  with his dad and brothers.  Usually, it was after an away basketball game.  As we had to get up early, we were probably somewhat sleep-deprived.  Lee's youngest brother Jon was about six at the time.  What sticks in my mind is that if the Monkees' song "I'm A Believer" came on the radio, Jon would know when to sing the line "Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer."

Lee undoubtedly inherited much of his athletic ability from his father, who was also an accomplished basketball player, not only in high school, but also in college at SDSC (as it was then known).  I believe one of his teammates at State was Don Mohlenhoff, who later became the basketball coach at BHS in the mid-60's. 

Mr. Colburn was an avid outdoorsman, and an accomplished bowman.  While looking over some old Registers from our highs school days,  both he and his wife won numerous awards in archery.

Mr. Colburn also had a way with words.  At his funeral, this poem that he had written was on the back of his obituary.
 

Another parent who recently passed away was Lillian Workman (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=52858226_LWorkman), mother of Judy.  Mrs. Workman seems so typical of the women of her generation:  very generous with her time, skilled in sewing and baking, and devoted to her family, her church, and her neighbors.  The poem below summarizes what a wonderful person, wife, mother, and neighbor she truly was. 

Another individual that many of us may have known also passed away recently.   She was "Lefty" Johnson's secretary for about twenty years (her first year appears to be our first year of junior high), and continued in that position for another ten years after he retired.  It was my good fortune to be one of the teachers on the staff during her tenure as Junior High and Middle School secretary.  Not only was Mrs. Barb Behrend  (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=80549529_BBehrend) an outstanding secretary, she volunteered much of her time to the Hospital Auxiliary and to other local charitable causes.  However, she may be best known for her genealogical expertise.  Her obituary explains that work better than I can.  She was truly an amazing person, and contributed greatly to the history of Brookings County.  She, Miss Joyce Pedersen, J. Duane Colburn, and Lillian Workman will be truly missed.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families.