Did any of you have your first banking experience with the Northwestern National Bank at the corner of Fourth and Main, just south of Ray's Corner and kitty corner from Kendall's? Also upstairs, KBRK began operations in 1955. Northwestern has an interesting history, and is now part of Wells-Fargo (http://blogs.wellsfargo.com/guidedbyhistory/2012/09/north-western-national-bank-14/). When we were seniors, Sid Bostic, at that time working at the Northwestern Bank in Brookings, talked to our economics classes. I believe he taught us how to write checks properly. Mr. Bostic was on the 1963 SDSU national small-college championship team, and made the winning basket from half-court just as time was about to expire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_NCAA_College_Division_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament and
http://www.gojacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=899943
One of the men who also worked at that bank was Harry Birath. He graduated from BHS 70 years ago (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/250549?page=12). His son Bob was a year behind, while Rich was two years behind us. His other two children, Tom and Barb, were a little younger yet. Mr. Birath was quite a talented individual in high school, as his senior photograph and caption shows. He was a great asset to the community. When he was older, he was active in Senior Olympics. Sadly, he passed away recently (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=24499&page=80).
As the obituary indicates, Mr. Birath was an avid follower of the local athletic scene, and was a member of the BHS Hall of Fame, joining Lee Colburn and Jim Kortan of our class. He was also a member of the South Dakota Senior Olympics Hall of fame. I participated in Senior Olympics one year, and got to know him somewhat. He even lent me his jump rope for that event, as mine was just a cheap one borrowed from the school. When I was in 9th grade, one of his sons (Bob? Rich? maybe both) was a pole vaulter. I also tried that event, so I became acquainted with him (them?) somewhat.
Even though most of us probably did not know Mr. Birath, he was well-known in the community, as the guestbook for his obituary attests (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=80950548_HBirath). Mr. Birath was a true Bobcat and Jackrabbit. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
A Difficult Easter
Easter is often associated with the beginning of spring and the joy and happiness of life. As someone once said, though, there would be no Easter without Good Friday. Sadly, Good Friday of 2015 was also the day the our Creator chose to bring an end to the earthly life of Cathy (Wilber) Madson. Her obituary can be found here--http://www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com/obituary/Catherine-Ann-Madson/Fairfax-VA/1497175
Even though our paths did not cross very frequently in school, we both attended catechism classes together at St. Thomas More in Brookings (Cathy is five days older than I). Below is our first communion picture. It was common back then to combine two classes for this rather significant occasion, as our numbers were probably not all that high to justify a yearly ceremony. In our case, there were some who were two years ahead of us in school. Although this picture has been posted before, it is easier to post it again, rather than to provide a link to it (have just discovered that the right part sometimes gets cropped. It seems that if you click on it, it will be enlarged. Hit the escape button to return to the blog).
Can you identify any of these individuals? The elder priest is Fr. Francis X. Dooley. He would retire shortly after this picture was taken, having served the parish from about 1915 through 1959. He was originally from Brooklyn, NY, and retired there, passing away in 1961. I don't know who the younger, taller priest is.
I know more of the boys in this picture than the girls. A few of the boys I do not recall at all. My best guess is what follows. Feel free to amend this list.
Row one on the bottom: Cheri Ahern or Carol Cole?, Patsy Bates, Kathy Funk, ?, Debbie Shirley, Robyn Connelly, ?, ?, Cheri Ahern or Carol Cole?, Margaret Pearson.
Row two: Jim Antonides, Mary Lu Shirley?, a Howell girl (from Volga; one was year older than we were, while Judy, I believe, was in our class), Cathy Wilber, Cecilia Kellogg, ?, ?, ?, the other Howell girl
Row three: Rick Thompson, Mike Braley, Mike McClemans, Pat Durland, John Iverson, Alan Leibel, Stan Skubic, ?, ?, Rocky Watson, Kevin O'Connell
Row four: Arnie deBlonk?, Jerry Martinson, Dan Holm, ?, Tim Serlet, Jim Springer?, Jon Martinson, Greg Graff, Doug Biggar, Jim Wakeman
The unknowns may be from this list: Barb Faust, Susan Redmond, Kathy Smith, Diane Sturdevant (all of whom are in our class); Sally Hoy, Vicki and Becki Knutson, Mary Do Stewart, Judy Gill, Mike Durland, Dennis Fox, John Gill, Steve Kellogg, Greg Moriarty, and Steve Rossman (all of whom were a year ahead of us).
It was wonderful seeing Tom and Cathy at our class reunion six years ago. I also saw them four years ago at the funeral of Kevin O'Connell's mother (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=375416) We swapped a number of stories about the good old days.
This obviously is a stressful time for Tom and his family. The last few years must have even been more stressful for Cathy. Not only was she battling cancer, but ten months ago, she lost her mother (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1320423). One month later, she lost her step-father (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1353329). The grief that the family is experiencing right now must be overwhelming.
I see Cathy's brother Art in church just about every week. He is often an usher. He also works concessions at some of the high school activities. He mentioned once that he sometimes tells the people buying snacks at half-time that he used to live right here. The Wilber family owned the land that would eventually become the high school. I never knew that.
Her sister Mary was good friends in high school with one of my sisters. They both graduated in 1957.
Mary is married to Chuck Cecil, long-time newspaperman and later administrator at SDSU. They still reside in Brookings. Chuck has written numerous and delightfulbooks about Brookings, SDSU, and South Dakota (http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1337864.Chuck_Cecil). He also has a regular column in the Brookings Register to keep the public updated.
One vivid memory of Cathy goes back to our first year in the new high school. She was going with a wrestler (Dan Sterud?), and mentioned to Mr. Sherrill how moody and irritable he could be during wrestling season because he was cutting weight. Even though Dan was a wrestler, I knew him somewhat because we were on the Teener baseball team that had gone to Hershey a few years before (50 years ago, in fact).
If any of you reading this have some wonderful memories of Cathy, feel free to post them in the comments section.
Please keep Cathy in your thoughts and prayers. One excellent way to remember Cathy would be to follow the request from her obituary: "Please make a donation in Cathy's name to your favorite charity in lieu of flowers. Or, should you choose to support Cathy's favorite charities, they are the Fisher House Foundation, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughter or ThyCa – the Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association."
Even though our paths did not cross very frequently in school, we both attended catechism classes together at St. Thomas More in Brookings (Cathy is five days older than I). Below is our first communion picture. It was common back then to combine two classes for this rather significant occasion, as our numbers were probably not all that high to justify a yearly ceremony. In our case, there were some who were two years ahead of us in school. Although this picture has been posted before, it is easier to post it again, rather than to provide a link to it (have just discovered that the right part sometimes gets cropped. It seems that if you click on it, it will be enlarged. Hit the escape button to return to the blog).
Can you identify any of these individuals? The elder priest is Fr. Francis X. Dooley. He would retire shortly after this picture was taken, having served the parish from about 1915 through 1959. He was originally from Brooklyn, NY, and retired there, passing away in 1961. I don't know who the younger, taller priest is.
I know more of the boys in this picture than the girls. A few of the boys I do not recall at all. My best guess is what follows. Feel free to amend this list.
Row one on the bottom: Cheri Ahern or Carol Cole?, Patsy Bates, Kathy Funk, ?, Debbie Shirley, Robyn Connelly, ?, ?, Cheri Ahern or Carol Cole?, Margaret Pearson.
Row two: Jim Antonides, Mary Lu Shirley?, a Howell girl (from Volga; one was year older than we were, while Judy, I believe, was in our class), Cathy Wilber, Cecilia Kellogg, ?, ?, ?, the other Howell girl
Row three: Rick Thompson, Mike Braley, Mike McClemans, Pat Durland, John Iverson, Alan Leibel, Stan Skubic, ?, ?, Rocky Watson, Kevin O'Connell
Row four: Arnie deBlonk?, Jerry Martinson, Dan Holm, ?, Tim Serlet, Jim Springer?, Jon Martinson, Greg Graff, Doug Biggar, Jim Wakeman
The unknowns may be from this list: Barb Faust, Susan Redmond, Kathy Smith, Diane Sturdevant (all of whom are in our class); Sally Hoy, Vicki and Becki Knutson, Mary Do Stewart, Judy Gill, Mike Durland, Dennis Fox, John Gill, Steve Kellogg, Greg Moriarty, and Steve Rossman (all of whom were a year ahead of us).
It was wonderful seeing Tom and Cathy at our class reunion six years ago. I also saw them four years ago at the funeral of Kevin O'Connell's mother (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=375416) We swapped a number of stories about the good old days.
I see Cathy's brother Art in church just about every week. He is often an usher. He also works concessions at some of the high school activities. He mentioned once that he sometimes tells the people buying snacks at half-time that he used to live right here. The Wilber family owned the land that would eventually become the high school. I never knew that.
Her sister Mary was good friends in high school with one of my sisters. They both graduated in 1957.
Mary is married to Chuck Cecil, long-time newspaperman and later administrator at SDSU. They still reside in Brookings. Chuck has written numerous and delightfulbooks about Brookings, SDSU, and South Dakota (http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1337864.Chuck_Cecil). He also has a regular column in the Brookings Register to keep the public updated.
One vivid memory of Cathy goes back to our first year in the new high school. She was going with a wrestler (Dan Sterud?), and mentioned to Mr. Sherrill how moody and irritable he could be during wrestling season because he was cutting weight. Even though Dan was a wrestler, I knew him somewhat because we were on the Teener baseball team that had gone to Hershey a few years before (50 years ago, in fact).
If any of you reading this have some wonderful memories of Cathy, feel free to post them in the comments section.
Please keep Cathy in your thoughts and prayers. One excellent way to remember Cathy would be to follow the request from her obituary: "Please make a donation in Cathy's name to your favorite charity in lieu of flowers. Or, should you choose to support Cathy's favorite charities, they are the Fisher House Foundation, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughter or ThyCa – the Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association."
Sunday, March 29, 2015
A Sudden Loss
After high school graduation, we all went our separate ways. A number of us went to SDSU, so we were able to maintain some sort of contact for a few years. Our careers then called us, and we traveled to various parts of the country and the world. With the advent of social media, many friends have been able to keep in close contact with each other in ways that were unthinkable when we were in school. This blog has been an attempt to keep our classes somewhat informed of what we have all been doing and to recall some memorable moments of our youth. These stories include, as the Wide World of Sports television series advertised many years ago, "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."
Recently, we learned of the passing of Cathy Helfinstine, the wife of David Helfinstine (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=45513928_CHelfinestine). My knowledge of Cathy is rather scant. She was a year behind us. She and David must have been a wonderful couple, as they were together for 41 years. David attended Central, but we seldom crossed paths. I can not recall being in the same classes as he was, even in jr. hi or high school. My main recollection of David is this picture from our senior annual:
I believe this picture illustrates David's introduction to the grocery business, an introduction he was to channel into an eventual career. I think he owned and/or managed a grocery store in Willmar, Minnesota.
At the visitation for Cathy, David indicated that Cathy had not been feeling well, but he was truly stunned and shocked to find out that she had passed away. He seemed to be handling himself with great dignity, poise, bravery, and nobility under the circumstances. It must be indescribable to explain how one feels when suddenly losing a spouse, particularly after having shared 41 years of life together. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with David during this sorrowful time.
Recently, we learned of the passing of Cathy Helfinstine, the wife of David Helfinstine (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=45513928_CHelfinestine). My knowledge of Cathy is rather scant. She was a year behind us. She and David must have been a wonderful couple, as they were together for 41 years. David attended Central, but we seldom crossed paths. I can not recall being in the same classes as he was, even in jr. hi or high school. My main recollection of David is this picture from our senior annual:
At the visitation for Cathy, David indicated that Cathy had not been feeling well, but he was truly stunned and shocked to find out that she had passed away. He seemed to be handling himself with great dignity, poise, bravery, and nobility under the circumstances. It must be indescribable to explain how one feels when suddenly losing a spouse, particularly after having shared 41 years of life together. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with David during this sorrowful time.
The War is Over--The 1946 Bobcat
The 1946 Bobcat contains this dedication: "With their lives, those boys, and thousands others like them, secured for us the privilege of living in peace. To them, we are deeply grateful. As a tribute to those boys who died on the field of battle, we dedicate the 1946 Bobcat to the task of preserving peace." Was not able to find a listing of those boys, but will keep digging.
New faculty members were Mr. Bell and Mr. Karnes. Mr. "Nig" Johnson was listed on the faculty roster for the first time, although he was pictured as a coach the previous year. Perhaps he taught at a lower level. Also shown as coaching for the first time at BHS was Mr. Francis "Franny" Dolan.
Some of the seniors may be familiar to us. These include Lyle Allison, Fern Bortnem, Stan Corlett, John DeWitt, Ray Dorn, Jack Earley, Ruth Eclov, Horace Fishback, Elizabeth Fuller, LeRoy Kellogg, Don Liebsch, Floyd and Loyd Minor, Marvin Peters, Beverly Rude, Stan Rymerson, Rueben Steen, and Marlys Trudell.
Would those whose names are in red be related to those of the same name in our class? Would Ruth Eclov be related to Mark Eclov, who was a year ahead of us, or his younger brother Dan, two years behind us? I seem to recall them being associated with Donny Dorn, brother of Ray Dorn mentined above. Donny worked at SDSU and was a little league baseball coach for a number of years. Mr. Ray Dorn is still active around the community. Horace Fishback is a member of the Fishback banking family. He became an extremely accomplished musician (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16164&page=80). Would Elizabeth Fuller be a relative of Ed (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/memsol.cgi?user_id=338844), who owned Ed's Laundry for about 15 years, and whose wife Lavonne (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_LFuller571)worked at the radio station for a number of years? Mr. Fuller laundered all of the towels the school system provided for the athletes and PE students. "Nig" Johnson told us on the first day of gym class not to "snap " anyone with a wet towel, or we would be the recipients of one of his "snaps" on our gluteus maximus (or might that be glutei maximi?) Wasn't there a Mr. Peters who owned or ran the Sinclair gas station on 8th and Medary near campus? There was a Mike Peters a couple of years behind us, but he is not shown in any annual after 1967. Beverly Rude was a member of the Rude family that had the furniture store and funeral home. She married Rich Craddock, a member of the talented 1950 Jackrabbit football team that also featured Bill Gibbons, Warren Williamson, and Bob Durland. She was a long-time substitute teacher at the Middle School during my tenure there. Stan Rymerson was a brother-in-law to Cathy Wilber's older brother Art (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1)/obit.cgi?user=908460Rymerson).
Rueben Steen had an insurance business in town; his son Brett followed in his footsteps. Is he an uncle to the Steen boys who were about our age, and who still have a bookkeeping service in Brookings?
Would Marlys Trudell be an aunt to the Trudells who were also about our age, and whose brother had Esco Metalworks, located right next to Beckman's Implement on Third Street? She married Galen Kelsey, whose children were a little younger than we were (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338967).
Stan Corlett (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?page=profile§ion=info&user_id=1395069)was a long-time postal worker in Brookings and at SDSU. He was also very active in the VFW, and was a strong supporter of VFW baseball ("Teeners"--http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=11865). It was 50 years ago this summer that our Teener team earned a trip to Hershey, PA to play in the national tournament.
Don Liebsch also spent most of his life in Brookings. He, too, worked at the post office before he became very active selling insurance (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_DLiebsch798). My first life insurance policy was purchased from him.
Floyd ( http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_FMinor189) and Loyd (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341380) Minor had a number of children who were a few years younger than we were. Most of the boys were talented wrestlers, and, along with two of the Sandersons, contributed greatly to the success of Mr. Tlustos's wrestling teams of the 70's and 80's.
Many of theses same students were involved in the senior class play "Headed For Eden" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=32). This production is not about a snake crawling around seeking someone to devour, but there does some to be some type of criminal element involved. Perhaps the suspense is the reason for the record attendance.The junior class play was entitled "Are You Mrs. Butterworth?" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=32). The play is described as a mystery-comedy, not some syrupy tear-jerker.
The football and basketball squads had very successful seasons. The football team had a rough start, but by the end of the year, was rated by the critics as the strongest team around (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=66). It was difficult to tell by the pictures where the games were played, but the background does look remarkably similar to Pioneer Park. Home basketball games seem to have been played at Central gym. That environment proved to be beneficial as the basketball team did even better, winning the state tournament (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=68). However, the tournament results do not appear to be posted.
The usual number of clubs and organizations are pictured and described. Band, under the direction of Arne B. Larson , continued to grow, having again a record number of participants.
New faculty members were Mr. Bell and Mr. Karnes. Mr. "Nig" Johnson was listed on the faculty roster for the first time, although he was pictured as a coach the previous year. Perhaps he taught at a lower level. Also shown as coaching for the first time at BHS was Mr. Francis "Franny" Dolan.
Some of the seniors may be familiar to us. These include Lyle Allison, Fern Bortnem, Stan Corlett, John DeWitt, Ray Dorn, Jack Earley, Ruth Eclov, Horace Fishback, Elizabeth Fuller, LeRoy Kellogg, Don Liebsch, Floyd and Loyd Minor, Marvin Peters, Beverly Rude, Stan Rymerson, Rueben Steen, and Marlys Trudell.
Would those whose names are in red be related to those of the same name in our class? Would Ruth Eclov be related to Mark Eclov, who was a year ahead of us, or his younger brother Dan, two years behind us? I seem to recall them being associated with Donny Dorn, brother of Ray Dorn mentined above. Donny worked at SDSU and was a little league baseball coach for a number of years. Mr. Ray Dorn is still active around the community. Horace Fishback is a member of the Fishback banking family. He became an extremely accomplished musician (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16164&page=80). Would Elizabeth Fuller be a relative of Ed (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/memsol.cgi?user_id=338844), who owned Ed's Laundry for about 15 years, and whose wife Lavonne (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_LFuller571)worked at the radio station for a number of years? Mr. Fuller laundered all of the towels the school system provided for the athletes and PE students. "Nig" Johnson told us on the first day of gym class not to "snap " anyone with a wet towel, or we would be the recipients of one of his "snaps" on our gluteus maximus (or might that be glutei maximi?) Wasn't there a Mr. Peters who owned or ran the Sinclair gas station on 8th and Medary near campus? There was a Mike Peters a couple of years behind us, but he is not shown in any annual after 1967. Beverly Rude was a member of the Rude family that had the furniture store and funeral home. She married Rich Craddock, a member of the talented 1950 Jackrabbit football team that also featured Bill Gibbons, Warren Williamson, and Bob Durland. She was a long-time substitute teacher at the Middle School during my tenure there. Stan Rymerson was a brother-in-law to Cathy Wilber's older brother Art (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1)/obit.cgi?user=908460Rymerson).
Rueben Steen had an insurance business in town; his son Brett followed in his footsteps. Is he an uncle to the Steen boys who were about our age, and who still have a bookkeeping service in Brookings?
Would Marlys Trudell be an aunt to the Trudells who were also about our age, and whose brother had Esco Metalworks, located right next to Beckman's Implement on Third Street? She married Galen Kelsey, whose children were a little younger than we were (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338967).
Stan Corlett (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?page=profile§ion=info&user_id=1395069)was a long-time postal worker in Brookings and at SDSU. He was also very active in the VFW, and was a strong supporter of VFW baseball ("Teeners"--http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=11865). It was 50 years ago this summer that our Teener team earned a trip to Hershey, PA to play in the national tournament.
Don Liebsch also spent most of his life in Brookings. He, too, worked at the post office before he became very active selling insurance (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_DLiebsch798). My first life insurance policy was purchased from him.
Floyd ( http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_FMinor189) and Loyd (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341380) Minor had a number of children who were a few years younger than we were. Most of the boys were talented wrestlers, and, along with two of the Sandersons, contributed greatly to the success of Mr. Tlustos's wrestling teams of the 70's and 80's.
Many of theses same students were involved in the senior class play "Headed For Eden" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=32). This production is not about a snake crawling around seeking someone to devour, but there does some to be some type of criminal element involved. Perhaps the suspense is the reason for the record attendance.The junior class play was entitled "Are You Mrs. Butterworth?" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=32). The play is described as a mystery-comedy, not some syrupy tear-jerker.
The football and basketball squads had very successful seasons. The football team had a rough start, but by the end of the year, was rated by the critics as the strongest team around (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=66). It was difficult to tell by the pictures where the games were played, but the background does look remarkably similar to Pioneer Park. Home basketball games seem to have been played at Central gym. That environment proved to be beneficial as the basketball team did even better, winning the state tournament (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=68). However, the tournament results do not appear to be posted.
The usual number of clubs and organizations are pictured and described. Band, under the direction of Arne B. Larson , continued to grow, having again a record number of participants.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
50 Years Ago
Fifty years ago, we were just completing our 8th grade year at the junior high school. The ones that taught our section were Mr. Paul Johnson (math), Mrs. Doris Larson (English and SRA reading, I believe), Mr. Duane Rykhus (science), Mrs. Etta Olson (history), Mr. Wesche (art), Mr. Leslie Peterson (industrial arts), and Mr. Jim Klassen (speech). One of the new teachers was Mrs. Eleanor Cochrane, who taught Home Economics. She later began teaching at the high school our senior year, and was rather innovative, perhaps because her husband was an education professor at SDSU. She offered a boys' home ec class for the school year 1968-69. The 1969 Bobcat stated that "Although it may seem impossible, BHS's Boys' Homemaking classes prepared a complete Thanksgiving dinner. Each boy prepared one dish for the meals and all helped pay for the 14 pound turkey. All boys agreed that the best part of the project was eating the dinner. Boys also had an opportunity to sew in Homemaking. Homemaking III girls were allowed to work independently. The only requirement was that a certain number of capsules had to be completed to earn each grade. Each capsule is a separate project. All Homemaking classes were conducted on a liberal basis, although the lower classes were operated on a more traditional basis."
A picture of the boys feasting on their culinary delights is shown on page 16 of our senior annual. From our class are Jim Egeberg, Jin Antonides, Alan Otteson, Mark Denton, Dan Holm, Bob Kallemeyn, Lee Colburn, and Tom Bozied.
We may have thought Mrs. Cochrane was somewhat old at the time, but she was only in her early 50's. After retiring in 1975, she and her husband Maynard retired to Lake Cochrane near Gary, South Dakota, about 40 miles north of Brookings. She remained very active until her passing on Saint Patrick's Day of this year, shortly after celebrating her 98th birthday (http://www.housemanfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=445187#/obituaryInfo).
Her children were older than we were, so we probably were not acquainted with most of them. Their youngest son Gene was a senior when we were sophomores, so some of us may have gotten to know him somewhat, as he was on the varsity basketball and track and field teams.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Cochrane and her family.
A picture of the boys feasting on their culinary delights is shown on page 16 of our senior annual. From our class are Jim Egeberg, Jin Antonides, Alan Otteson, Mark Denton, Dan Holm, Bob Kallemeyn, Lee Colburn, and Tom Bozied.
We may have thought Mrs. Cochrane was somewhat old at the time, but she was only in her early 50's. After retiring in 1975, she and her husband Maynard retired to Lake Cochrane near Gary, South Dakota, about 40 miles north of Brookings. She remained very active until her passing on Saint Patrick's Day of this year, shortly after celebrating her 98th birthday (http://www.housemanfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=445187#/obituaryInfo).
Her children were older than we were, so we probably were not acquainted with most of them. Their youngest son Gene was a senior when we were sophomores, so some of us may have gotten to know him somewhat, as he was on the varsity basketball and track and field teams.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Cochrane and her family.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
First Cars, Flashbacks, and Sadness
Was getting some minor work done on my car and ran into Pete Leiferman at the garage. Pete is a younger brother of Kathy, who went with Joe Jensen during our high school days. We had a good conversation, and were joined later by Ron Dobesh, the owner of the shop. When Ron first came to town about 40-45 years ago, he had a gas station on the by-pass and the interstate just north of town. He then moved to the Mobil station at 6th and Medary, just north of Midway Grocery. Perhaps about 30 years ago he moved to his present location at 316 3rd Avenue, just across from the old Sawnee Hotel.
Ron has a number of older cars, and Pete was teasing him a little about their status. One of those Ron has is a 1956 black two-door Ford station wagon. That car ignited two thoughts for me. The first car that Stew Linn had was a 1956 green Ford. Seemed to me that it was a manual shift, but can't remember if it was a two or four door model. The second memory it brought to mind is the summers of 1966 and 67. During those two summers, Jim Kessler and I worked at the college seedhouse for Dr. Phil Price. He was the barley expert. We spent most of the summer hoeing weeds on the test plots about a mile east of the seedhouse. The seedhouse was just north of the dairy bar on Medary. Our foreman was a college student named Rodney TeKrony, who was a cousin of Bob Kallemeyn. We would meet at the seedhouse and then we would ride with Rodney to the farm. Our vehicle was a 1956 black two-door Ford station wagon. I believe Dr. Price was actually part of the USDA.. A few years later, while working at the Bug Lab north of town, I noticed that same vehicle. The Bug Lab was also a Department of Agriculture program, so it would have been relatively easy for that vehicle to be transferred out there without a great deal of red tape.
For some reason, it seemed logical to me that the station wagon Ron Dobesh now owned was the same vehicle that Jim Kessler and I rode in almost daily during those two summers of 1966 and 67. When we asked Ron where he had gotten the wagon, he said he had gotten it out of the trees at the Bug Lab. It had been "retired" because the engine had failed. When he inquired about the possibility of purchasing it, he was told that he would have to put a bid in. His bid of $75.56 was successful, and he was the new owner. He was able to eventually put a big, powerful engine in there, and it now goes really fast.
On a sad note, our thoughts and prayers go out to Paula Hoffman. Her husband, Bill Platz, passed away just a few days ago (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/argusleader/obituary.aspx?n=william-platz-bill&pid=174253364). I had recently seen them on a TV commercial. Can't recall exactly, but it may have been their endorsement of and satisfaction with a car dealership in Mitchell (Vern Eide?).
A couple of other notables have also passed away recently. Mary Kay Coughlin (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=23730&page=80) passed away on Feb. 12. She was a sister of Francis ("Franny") Dolan, long-time teacher and coach for many of us. Her husband Frank, whom she had married in 1946, lost his life in the Korean War. He had also served in World War II (http://koreanwarmemorial.sd.gov/SearchEngineForm/profiles/13.htm).
Also passing away recently was Joan Beckman Smith (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=23701&page=80). She was a BHS graduate of 1952, and an aunt of Ken Beckman. Just last fall, Ken's father passed away (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80). Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Paula and Ken during these difficult times.
Ron has a number of older cars, and Pete was teasing him a little about their status. One of those Ron has is a 1956 black two-door Ford station wagon. That car ignited two thoughts for me. The first car that Stew Linn had was a 1956 green Ford. Seemed to me that it was a manual shift, but can't remember if it was a two or four door model. The second memory it brought to mind is the summers of 1966 and 67. During those two summers, Jim Kessler and I worked at the college seedhouse for Dr. Phil Price. He was the barley expert. We spent most of the summer hoeing weeds on the test plots about a mile east of the seedhouse. The seedhouse was just north of the dairy bar on Medary. Our foreman was a college student named Rodney TeKrony, who was a cousin of Bob Kallemeyn. We would meet at the seedhouse and then we would ride with Rodney to the farm. Our vehicle was a 1956 black two-door Ford station wagon. I believe Dr. Price was actually part of the USDA.. A few years later, while working at the Bug Lab north of town, I noticed that same vehicle. The Bug Lab was also a Department of Agriculture program, so it would have been relatively easy for that vehicle to be transferred out there without a great deal of red tape.
For some reason, it seemed logical to me that the station wagon Ron Dobesh now owned was the same vehicle that Jim Kessler and I rode in almost daily during those two summers of 1966 and 67. When we asked Ron where he had gotten the wagon, he said he had gotten it out of the trees at the Bug Lab. It had been "retired" because the engine had failed. When he inquired about the possibility of purchasing it, he was told that he would have to put a bid in. His bid of $75.56 was successful, and he was the new owner. He was able to eventually put a big, powerful engine in there, and it now goes really fast.
On a sad note, our thoughts and prayers go out to Paula Hoffman. Her husband, Bill Platz, passed away just a few days ago (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/argusleader/obituary.aspx?n=william-platz-bill&pid=174253364). I had recently seen them on a TV commercial. Can't recall exactly, but it may have been their endorsement of and satisfaction with a car dealership in Mitchell (Vern Eide?).
A couple of other notables have also passed away recently. Mary Kay Coughlin (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=23730&page=80) passed away on Feb. 12. She was a sister of Francis ("Franny") Dolan, long-time teacher and coach for many of us. Her husband Frank, whom she had married in 1946, lost his life in the Korean War. He had also served in World War II (http://koreanwarmemorial.sd.gov/SearchEngineForm/profiles/13.htm).
Also passing away recently was Joan Beckman Smith (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=23701&page=80). She was a BHS graduate of 1952, and an aunt of Ken Beckman. Just last fall, Ken's father passed away (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80). Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Paula and Ken during these difficult times.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
"Red Castle" Remnant Returned
The cornerstone of the Children's Museum of South Dakota, formerly Central Elementary, reads 1936. Previously, the site was the home of Brookings High School, affectionately known as the Red Castle because of its architectural style. This view is from the southwest
A feature of all schools from that era is the traditional school bell. Many people had wondered what had become of the bell from the old school. The mystery was solved this past summer, when the Superintendent, Roger DeGroot, "received a hand-written letter from Beverly Bergman, a resident of White, telling him that she had an old bell from the original Brookings high school." (Brookings Register, Jan. 30, 2015). Rather than quote the story from the paper, this link http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_e_edition.php?toc_id=3351 will take you to the original article. The print is rather small. Some computers allow you to increase the print size by hitting Ctrl + . Ctrl + may also be used to increase the size of this print. That may help if you are experiencing difficulty, as I was. Those who are more computer-savvy than I may have better methods.
In the background in the lower right hand corner appears to be what we called the primary building. Here is better view, again from the southwest.
Some of us went to first and second grade in there, as Central only had classrooms for kindergarten, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. In junior high, we had 7th and 8th grade art in the basement. If we took art later on as freshmen or sophomores, we also had to journey outside to get to class. My first and second grade classes were in the same classroom in the northeast corner on the first floor. The small playground had swings, a merry-go-round, monkey bars, teeter-totter, and a climbing contraption we called the rocket ship because it resembled a skinny pyramid made out of thin pipes. On the west side of the building was a metal tube, perhaps four feet in diameter, that extended from the second floor diagonally down to just a few feet above the ground, where it leveled off. It was the fire escape, and was just a giant tubular slide.. It was a favorite place to play when school was not in session. It could get rather warm in there in the summertime. It was also somewhat slippery, so we frequently removed our shoes and socks to scale its inner walls when we wanted to slide down it.
Since my classrooms were always on the first floor, there was no reason to go up the stairs to see the second floor. We may even have been instructed not to go up there. The only time I recall being on the second floor was when some student in our class had gotten sick and had thrown up in our room. The smell was quite potent, so we had class upstairs until the stench had cleared.
One year, probably in the first grade, someone brought in a Monarch caterpillar. Our teacher, a Mrs. Jensen, put it in a jar with a milkweed stem and leaf, as that is their only food (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly and https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVi1LUdFUkkMAohEnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBzbWVldTlmBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA0FDQkMwXzE-?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&va=monarch+butterfly+caterpillar&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001). During one of our reading sessions, one of the girls (Helen Snow?) happened to be looking at the jar and exclaimed with astonishment, "It broke!" or "It popped!," or something like that. Mrs. Jensen euthanized it, and then mounted it for us. During my teaching career, a number of students brought in some caterpillars, though not Monarch ones. We put them in a jar with some twigs and leaves and waited for them to spin their cocoon or chrysalis. Only one of them ever matured into an adult, and that was a Cecropia moth (https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrB8pnzU9FUiEQA6iGJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNjI4NTcEX3IDMgRiY2sDYWZmOGljOTh1dHNkdSUyNmIlM0Q0JTI2ZCUzRExyNF83N1JwWUVLU3FVMjZoZjdjV210Um9FeXdocUtFTldrNVpDSFBSS3M0JTI2cyUzRGxpJTI2aSUzRFY5UHpBalo1aFJ3S1hMb0ZLNV9BBGZyA3locy1tb3ppbGxhLTAwMQRncHJpZANPRVRGRGJfYVJqeVFXS0pJNmhhZjFBBG10ZXN0aWQDbnVsbARuX3N1Z2cDMTAEb3JpZ2luA2ltYWdlcy5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwM5BHBxc3RyA2NlY3JvcGlhIG1vdGggBHBxc3RybAMxNARxc3RybAMzMgRxdWVyeQNjZWNyb3BpYSBtb3RoIGNhdGVycGlsbGFyIGNvY29vbgR0X3N0bXADMTQyMzAwNDY4MgR2dGVzdGlkA251bGw-?gprid=OETFDb_aRjyQWKJI6haf1A&pvid=tcnjPDY5LjGnvRJiUe7xvgupNjYuMQAAAAAXPczt&p=cecropia+moth+caterpillar+cocoon&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&fr2=sa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla). Whereas Monarchs mature from caterpillar to adult rather quickly (no more than two weeks), Cecropias spin their cocoon in the fall and do not emerge until spring. Our Cecropia emerged on a Sunday afternoon, when I happened to be in my room. Its wings appeared quite delicate, almost like tissue paper, and were hanging straight down rather loosely. It moved its wings back and forth slowly, until the wings became stiffer. Since the adults only live about two weeks, we let it go in hopes it might "smell out" a mate (http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Invertebrates/Cecropia-Moth.aspx).
Robyn Connelly was in my first grade class. If girls' athletics had been around when we were younger, she may have been one of the best. We had a game somewhat like tag. We would run between the primary building and the high school annex (by the lunchroom). One person was it, and would try to catch someone before he or she could run from one wall to the other. I could never catch her. In fact, I seldom caught anyone. Should have known that sprinting would not be my cup of tea.
Do you remember flash cards? The teachers used them not only for arithmetic, but also for reading. Mrs. Jensen would sometimes place them on her desk so that they could be seen if one was observant. Since we were in first grade, most of us did not know how to read (at least I didn't). I knew the alphabet, though, so when I went home, I would ask my mom what word a certain combination of letters, such as c-a-t, would spell. Some students learn how to cheat at an early age. Remember what reading series we had? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_and_Jane or http://www.bing.com/search?q=fun+with+dick+and+jane+books&qs=AS&pq=fun+with+dic&sc=8-12&sp=1&cvid=632d21d8c17e4ea6bbef933ee80682a1&FORM=QBLH)
In second grade, our teacher was Mrs. Jeglum. She was very slender, small, and old. She may have retired after she had taught us (it seems that a number of teachers retired after having us in class. Any connection?). In the 1959 annual (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/4182714492?page=0), (at the top of page 62) there is a picture of the club for Future Teachers of America. Two of our classmates had sisters in that picture (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/4182714492?page=62). Can you identify them? In the bottom right-hand corner of the same page, there is picture of some students pouring coffee for Mrs. Jeglum. . She is the one in the middle with a big smile and holding a napkin in her left hand. To the left of that picture is a high-school student acting as if she is assisting a second grader with his assignment. That picture is staged because the student she is assisting is yours truly. My guess is that she chose me because one of my sisters was also in the class of 1959. I may have been chosen because of that connection, or I may have been just plain lucky. Can you recognize the boy in front of me, or the girl in the background? I once had the original, which is larger than this one, and shows, I think, who is seated behind me. If I can find it, I'll let you know the answer to those two questions: whose sisters were in the Future Teachers, and who is also in the picture with me? An added question might be what other classmates had older brothers or sisters who were seniors that year? We might have to get an actual copy of this annual to find that out, as pages 20/21 (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/4182714492?page=20) appear to be missing from this copy.
The primary building was torn down in the late 70's, early 80'sm as it was becoming structurally unsound. I believe someone or some outfit actually saved the bricks to be used for some other project. Only the first floor may have been used in its latter years. The site was a playground for a few years after the building was torn down. In our 6th grade science classes one year, we brought in an engineering professor who taught surveying at SDSU. He gave a surveying demonstration, after which we went out and discovered that the playground there sloped about 15 feet toward 5th Street. When gym space became critical for the school district, a large gymnasium, appropriately called the 5th Street Gym, was built on the site in the mid-80's. There are three full-length basketball courts running east and west, plus bleacher space on the east side. It is used a great deal by the community. The Middle School and Central had used it for gym classes and basketball and volleyball practices, but classroom use has declined since Central Elementary and the Middle School are no longer next door. It is still used for Middle School basketball and volleyball practice. This site has a picture of the exterior and the interior: http://visitbrookingssd.com/directory/fifth-street-gym The old high school is visible in the background to the south in the first picture. The interior photo is looking to the southwest. The old Central gym would be behind the flags and the black scoreboard on the right. Can you see the geometric "Bobcats " prowling along the walls? The playground and outdoor portion of the Children's Museum is to the right on the exterior photo. If you look carefully, you can see the head of the T. Rex at the height of the greenery (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=76&story_id=8875). This video shows both the old Central gym and the 5th Street gyms in the background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7psz7U9Os This video shows the installation of mama T. Rex about five years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXxo6Hmjqz4 Here is one following the exploits of a youngster as she visits the exhibits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTv0EDWl0gc (To see the videos, copy and paste the site in the address box of the URL) You may find some of the other videos listed at these sites rather interesting, also.
Lastly, does anyone remember Miss Papritz? She began teaching before a bachelor's degree was required, and taught in the primary building for a number of years. She was so memorable because she was hardly taller than her students. Later on, she was involved with special education. She was a very enthusiastic teacher, and was well-respected by students and staff alike. She was helpful to me when I first started in 1973. Sadly, she passed away about ten years ago (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_HPapritz243).
In the background in the lower right hand corner appears to be what we called the primary building. Here is better view, again from the southwest.
Since my classrooms were always on the first floor, there was no reason to go up the stairs to see the second floor. We may even have been instructed not to go up there. The only time I recall being on the second floor was when some student in our class had gotten sick and had thrown up in our room. The smell was quite potent, so we had class upstairs until the stench had cleared.
One year, probably in the first grade, someone brought in a Monarch caterpillar. Our teacher, a Mrs. Jensen, put it in a jar with a milkweed stem and leaf, as that is their only food (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly and https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVi1LUdFUkkMAohEnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBzbWVldTlmBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA0FDQkMwXzE-?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&va=monarch+butterfly+caterpillar&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001). During one of our reading sessions, one of the girls (Helen Snow?) happened to be looking at the jar and exclaimed with astonishment, "It broke!" or "It popped!," or something like that. Mrs. Jensen euthanized it, and then mounted it for us. During my teaching career, a number of students brought in some caterpillars, though not Monarch ones. We put them in a jar with some twigs and leaves and waited for them to spin their cocoon or chrysalis. Only one of them ever matured into an adult, and that was a Cecropia moth (https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrB8pnzU9FUiEQA6iGJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--;_ylc=X1MDOTYwNjI4NTcEX3IDMgRiY2sDYWZmOGljOTh1dHNkdSUyNmIlM0Q0JTI2ZCUzRExyNF83N1JwWUVLU3FVMjZoZjdjV210Um9FeXdocUtFTldrNVpDSFBSS3M0JTI2cyUzRGxpJTI2aSUzRFY5UHpBalo1aFJ3S1hMb0ZLNV9BBGZyA3locy1tb3ppbGxhLTAwMQRncHJpZANPRVRGRGJfYVJqeVFXS0pJNmhhZjFBBG10ZXN0aWQDbnVsbARuX3N1Z2cDMTAEb3JpZ2luA2ltYWdlcy5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwM5BHBxc3RyA2NlY3JvcGlhIG1vdGggBHBxc3RybAMxNARxc3RybAMzMgRxdWVyeQNjZWNyb3BpYSBtb3RoIGNhdGVycGlsbGFyIGNvY29vbgR0X3N0bXADMTQyMzAwNDY4MgR2dGVzdGlkA251bGw-?gprid=OETFDb_aRjyQWKJI6haf1A&pvid=tcnjPDY5LjGnvRJiUe7xvgupNjYuMQAAAAAXPczt&p=cecropia+moth+caterpillar+cocoon&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&fr2=sa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla). Whereas Monarchs mature from caterpillar to adult rather quickly (no more than two weeks), Cecropias spin their cocoon in the fall and do not emerge until spring. Our Cecropia emerged on a Sunday afternoon, when I happened to be in my room. Its wings appeared quite delicate, almost like tissue paper, and were hanging straight down rather loosely. It moved its wings back and forth slowly, until the wings became stiffer. Since the adults only live about two weeks, we let it go in hopes it might "smell out" a mate (http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Invertebrates/Cecropia-Moth.aspx).
Robyn Connelly was in my first grade class. If girls' athletics had been around when we were younger, she may have been one of the best. We had a game somewhat like tag. We would run between the primary building and the high school annex (by the lunchroom). One person was it, and would try to catch someone before he or she could run from one wall to the other. I could never catch her. In fact, I seldom caught anyone. Should have known that sprinting would not be my cup of tea.
Do you remember flash cards? The teachers used them not only for arithmetic, but also for reading. Mrs. Jensen would sometimes place them on her desk so that they could be seen if one was observant. Since we were in first grade, most of us did not know how to read (at least I didn't). I knew the alphabet, though, so when I went home, I would ask my mom what word a certain combination of letters, such as c-a-t, would spell. Some students learn how to cheat at an early age. Remember what reading series we had? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_and_Jane or http://www.bing.com/search?q=fun+with+dick+and+jane+books&qs=AS&pq=fun+with+dic&sc=8-12&sp=1&cvid=632d21d8c17e4ea6bbef933ee80682a1&FORM=QBLH)
In second grade, our teacher was Mrs. Jeglum. She was very slender, small, and old. She may have retired after she had taught us (it seems that a number of teachers retired after having us in class. Any connection?). In the 1959 annual (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/4182714492?page=0), (at the top of page 62) there is a picture of the club for Future Teachers of America. Two of our classmates had sisters in that picture (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/4182714492?page=62). Can you identify them? In the bottom right-hand corner of the same page, there is picture of some students pouring coffee for Mrs. Jeglum. . She is the one in the middle with a big smile and holding a napkin in her left hand. To the left of that picture is a high-school student acting as if she is assisting a second grader with his assignment. That picture is staged because the student she is assisting is yours truly. My guess is that she chose me because one of my sisters was also in the class of 1959. I may have been chosen because of that connection, or I may have been just plain lucky. Can you recognize the boy in front of me, or the girl in the background? I once had the original, which is larger than this one, and shows, I think, who is seated behind me. If I can find it, I'll let you know the answer to those two questions: whose sisters were in the Future Teachers, and who is also in the picture with me? An added question might be what other classmates had older brothers or sisters who were seniors that year? We might have to get an actual copy of this annual to find that out, as pages 20/21 (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/4182714492?page=20) appear to be missing from this copy.
The primary building was torn down in the late 70's, early 80'sm as it was becoming structurally unsound. I believe someone or some outfit actually saved the bricks to be used for some other project. Only the first floor may have been used in its latter years. The site was a playground for a few years after the building was torn down. In our 6th grade science classes one year, we brought in an engineering professor who taught surveying at SDSU. He gave a surveying demonstration, after which we went out and discovered that the playground there sloped about 15 feet toward 5th Street. When gym space became critical for the school district, a large gymnasium, appropriately called the 5th Street Gym, was built on the site in the mid-80's. There are three full-length basketball courts running east and west, plus bleacher space on the east side. It is used a great deal by the community. The Middle School and Central had used it for gym classes and basketball and volleyball practices, but classroom use has declined since Central Elementary and the Middle School are no longer next door. It is still used for Middle School basketball and volleyball practice. This site has a picture of the exterior and the interior: http://visitbrookingssd.com/directory/fifth-street-gym The old high school is visible in the background to the south in the first picture. The interior photo is looking to the southwest. The old Central gym would be behind the flags and the black scoreboard on the right. Can you see the geometric "Bobcats " prowling along the walls? The playground and outdoor portion of the Children's Museum is to the right on the exterior photo. If you look carefully, you can see the head of the T. Rex at the height of the greenery (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=76&story_id=8875). This video shows both the old Central gym and the 5th Street gyms in the background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7psz7U9Os This video shows the installation of mama T. Rex about five years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXxo6Hmjqz4 Here is one following the exploits of a youngster as she visits the exhibits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTv0EDWl0gc (To see the videos, copy and paste the site in the address box of the URL) You may find some of the other videos listed at these sites rather interesting, also.
Lastly, does anyone remember Miss Papritz? She began teaching before a bachelor's degree was required, and taught in the primary building for a number of years. She was so memorable because she was hardly taller than her students. Later on, she was involved with special education. She was a very enthusiastic teacher, and was well-respected by students and staff alike. She was helpful to me when I first started in 1973. Sadly, she passed away about ten years ago (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_HPapritz243).
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