Last week on September 24, 2021, funeral services were held for Leona Steen, mother of Teresa of our class. She passed away about a year ago, but services were delayed because of the pandemic. It seems that our parents' funerals have fewer people attending, as there do not appear to be very many people still alive who were acquaintances of our beloved parents. Although the turnout for Leona's funeral and visitation may have been small, our class was well-represented with Barb Koenders and Mike Andersen in attendance. Also attending were Ted and Lou Eggebraaten. Lou was secretary to the athletic director during my tenure as an employee of the Brookings school district, so we were well acquainted.
At the funeral, Teresa gave an eloquent tribute to her mother. At the visitation, she explained that her husband Russell had some health problems that kept him from attending.
It just so happened that last weekend was also the 50th reunion for the class of 1971. Teresa's sister Marci was a member of that class, as was my younger brother Rich. Fortunately, Rich arrived in time to attend the visitation, and had a good visit not only with Marci, but also with Teresa's brother Randy. Some of us also had siblings in that class: Steve Anderson (Marilyn), Bill Antonides (Jim), Helen Beckman (Ken), Phil Boggs (Larry), Gary Buller (David and Diane), David Bush (Peggy), Annette Clauson (Iris), Kay Crase (Cheryl?), Dale Gabel (Sandy), Cheryl Havermann (Ron), Dwight Hajek (David), Tom Hoffman (Paula), Tim Kattke (Sue), Patty Knock (Craig?) Becky Linn (Stew), Lyle Mueller (Eugene), June Perso (Jeanette), Mike Redmond (Sue), Gareth Roberts (Gawain), Bill Robish (Pat), Kathy Rossow (Harry), Kim Rufer (Brad), Fred Sauer (Joanne), Stan Sloat (Donna), Denis Taylor (Kathy), Dave Ulmer (Joe), Dale Vincent (Gary), Gary Voss (Doug), Clark Walz (Stew), Alan Wells (Howard), and Mary Young (Carl). Also, Joy Christie and Dale Berkland, but they may be cousins to Peggy Christie and Arlo and Arlys Berkland. My apologies if I am in error or have omitted anyone.
BHS this year began a "new" tradition of a homecoming parade. "New" because, to the best of my limited knowledge, homecoming parades were held in the early 1950's. The 1951 "Bobcat" states "Homecoming activities got off to a colorful start with the traditional Red and Black Day on October nineteenth. Almost everyone appeared in various combinations of red and black clothing. Eight of the most original were awarded prizes. For the first time in the history of Bobcat Day, coronation, the pep skits, and the parade were held in the morning... In the afternoon, the student body were guests of the State Theatre at a free movie. That night, at the high school field, the Bobcats met the Yankton Bucks for the homecoming game. The Bobcats played a wonderful game, to make homecoming a big success, with a 61-0 victory over the Bucks, the largest homecoming score in history. Everyone enjoyed the fall harvest theme and the music of the Collegiates at the Bobcat dance, the final Bobcat Day activity." It appears that the parade was held for the next three years, as the 1952, 1953, and 1954 annuals have pictures of the homecoming parade, while the 1955 annual does not, indicating that the short-lived tradition had died out. The 1950 annual indicates that coronation was held in the evening of October 6. "A diversified program consisting of introduction of players, skits, pep speeches and awarding of gifts was presented for the enjoyment of royalty. After that the whole student body had a snake dance to the football field where the band and the cheerleaders led the students in a pep fest around a huge bonfire."
This year's parade was very large, and lasted about 50 minutes. Most of the entries seemed to be student organizations and athletic teams: football; basketball; soccer; golf; tennis; cross-country; track and field; hockey; swimming; gymnastics; marching band; and dance and cheer teams. I am probably forgetting some. Most of those squads have both boys and girls teams. The middle school and elementary schools even had some entries, as did some of the industries and organizations around town. The parade seemed to bring the town and schools together and to increase school spirit. The weather cooperated, which made for a pleasant viewing. It is hoped that this revived tradition will continue in the future.
Homecoming has undergone numerous changes since we were in school. Coronation is now held on Monday. Each day of homecoming has a theme, such as pajama day or backwards pants day. The football game is the highlight, but other activities, such as soccer, volleyball, and cross-country also receive prominent exposure.
For homecoming in the fall of 1973 (my first year in the system), the freshman students were in charge of collecting wood and other combustibles for the bonfire. They asked me to help them, as I had a pick-up to haul the materials. They topped off the huge pile with an outhouse they had located somewhere out in the country. It seems that in later years, outhouses were difficult to locate, so the tradition of having an outhouse on top of the bonfire ceased. The bonfire tradition, too, had to cease a number of years ago, as it was considered too dangerous. In its replacement is the burning of the "B," in which a large metal "B" is covered with oily rags and then lit. Doesn't quite compare with a huge bonfires of days past.
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