My car needed some maintenance work the other day. The shop, Ron's Auto Repair, is located at 312 3rd Avenue, across from the old Sawnee Hotel. Had a nice little conversation with the owners about the history of that location. According to this site that lists businesses located on the avenues throughout the history of Brookings (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-avenues.pdf; businesses located on the streets are listed at http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-streets.pdf), that building was built in 1945, and was the home of Lefevre Motor Coompany from 1945 until 1973. Mr. Lefevre also seems to have been the agent for Hertz rental cars for about 10 years, from 1963-1972. Then it was taken over for a year by a Mr. Boerger, and became Boerger Car dealers, selling Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth. Ownership then changed hands in 1974 to Gerry Hoffelt, becoming Hoffelt Motors. They moved to 2308 6th St, out by the Holiday Inn, in 1979. The building then retained its automotive flavor, becoming Jerry's Tune-up for the next ten years. In 1989, Ron Dobesh became owner, where he is still doing car repairs. Mr. Dobesh originally had the Mobil station at 6th and Medary, kitty corner from Tom Bozied's Amoco station, from 1981-84. From 1984-89, it was a Sinclair station. In the early 80's, I had bought a used Chavy Caprice station wagon that needed quite a bit of work I took it to Tom. His station did a great deal of work, but the carburetor was in bad shape, so he took it over to Ron at the Mobil station, as carburetors were his specialty.
The reason for the conversation in the first place is that this part of town was my Minneapolis Tribune paper route during 6th-7th grade. My route was the west side of Main between 3rd and 4th Streets, then west to the Retirement Center. There were only about a dozen customers, but it provided me with some good spending money. Lee Colburn and Stew Linn were also Tribune paper boys. There may have been others in our class, but I cannot recall any at the moment. There were a few businesses on Main that were customers, a few on 4th Street (one was the Quick Lunch. It was run by Ralph Myers (sp?); Did he a few years later move a block south and have a hang-out for high-schoolers called The Cue (not the one in the basement underneath Quail's, later Wilson's). I remember playing pool there our sophomore year. This was about the only place the song "I Can't Control Myself" by the Troggs was played. It was kind of racy and raunchy
("I can't stand still 'cos you've got me goin'
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Your slacks are low and your hips are showin'
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba"),
even more so than their "Wild Thing," so the radio stations were reluctant to play it. This venture of Mr. Myers only lasted a short while. This site later was the Irish Shanty, which we visited a few times while in college. Other businesses were the Brookings Area Guidance Center and the Liquor Store, located in the back of the Sawnee Hotel. One of the customers at the Retirement Center was Carl Christensen (sp). He was the band director at State for many years. I believe he was instrumental in getting John Philip Sousa to come to the campus at South Dakota State, probably in the 1920's, as Sousa died in 1932. The Christy ballroom is named in his honor. The last paper to be delivered was at 312 3rd Ave, Lefevre's. At that time, he sold Studebakers and perhaps also Chrysler, Plymouth, and/or Dodge. The company had also sold Nash automobiles before Nash became part of American Motors. Anybody remember the 1958 song "Beep Beep-The Little Nash Rambler, by a group called the Playmates (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enqNl7tdLR4)?
Miss Briscoe, our algebra, Latin, and homeroom teacher, drove a yellow Studebaker similar to this one (http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2580/3915678580_49d736c002_z.jpg).. Studebaker also built a model called the "Avanti," which resembled a Corvette (http://www.ask.com/wiki/Studebaker_Avanti). Anybody recall the bullet-nosed Studebakers of the early 1950's (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=studebaker+bullet+nose&qpvt=studebaker+bullet+nose&FORM=IGRE). Wayne "Slush" Elston, long-time little league and Legion baseball coach, had a gray one of these fine-looking (?) machines.
While looking over the businesses listed at the sites in the first paragraph, some interesting names cropped up, names that we may be familiar with. These are listed in no special order.
From 1964-66, Dakota Research Service was located at 1313 2nd St (a few blocks from Hillcrest Elementary). The proprietor is listed as Donald Scannell. The Bobcat yearbook for those years lists a Vicki Scannell in our class. Would this be her father? What was the nature of his business?
From 1914-1931, Crase's Hatchery was located at 414 3rd St. This would have been across the street south from the old Montgomery Ward Store at the corner of Main and Third, near where Kenny Beckman's dad had his John Deere dealership, and a couple of blocks west of the courthouse. In 1931, it moved a little to the west, to 404 3rd St. In 1935, it moved next door to 406 3rd St, and in 1940, it moved to 313 5th St (near where Pizza Pub was), where it remained until 1949. Would this be any relation to Cheryl Crase who was in our class?
From 1953-58, at 114 West 6th St., was located Larscheid Motors. Would this have been the father of Mike Larschieid? When Mike moved here in 1967, I believe his father worked at Lefevre's mentioned above. In the 70's, when it was Hoffelt's, Mr. Larscheid worked there, and I almost bought one of those subcompact Plymouth Horizons from him (http://autos.ca.msn.com/photos/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=20622569&page=3).
From 1960-63, Baird's Service Center was located at 216 West 6th Street. This was across from Pioneer Park, near where the Dairy Queen was. Was this Diane Baird's father?
From 1951-1954, Bates Insurance was located at 211 6th St. I believe this was patsy Bates' father, as the business moved several times, eventually relocating to their home address at 802 4th St., presently the residence of Tom Bozied.
From 1959-61, Nu-Way Cleaners was located at 503 6th St. (across from Spies second location). The proprietor was Ennis Brown. My connection is that he was my first little league baseball coach. He had a couple of sons, one of whom must have been in our grade. Did they attend Hillcrest? Does anybody remember them?
In 1963-4, Clayton Sloat's Midland National Life Insurance had an office at 517 6th St, again, right across from Spies. I believe this is the father of Donna Sloat. He seems to be doing very well. He and a few other veterans recently spoke to some 8th-graders at the Middle School.
In 1965, William Keller had an insurance office at 725 6th St. Was this the same William Keller that was one of the driver's education teachers?
From 1938-47, W. J. McComb had a Service Station, and from 1941-1956, he had McComb's Gardens at 1433 and 1443 6th St., across from the swimming pool. Would this be any relation to John and Joan McComb?
In 1963, Jim Klassen had a State Farm Insurance agency at 317 3rd St., just north and across the street from Rude's Funeral Home. He must not have liked selling insurance, because he returned to the classroom shortly thereafter. He was our 8th grade speech teacher (1964-65), and the assistant principal when we moved to the new high school.
Browsing through these two websites of Brookings businesses over the last hundred years or so was intriguing. If you get a chance, you may want to explore these two sites. You may find a historical connection in there somewhere.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Fifty Years Ago
Today is Friday, November 22, 2013. Exactly fifty years ago, on the morning of Friday, November 22, 1963, most of us were probably getting ready to go to our 7th grade first period class at the old junior-senior high near the courthouse. Little did we know that when we went to our first class after lunch, we would have a new president. During the noon hour, President Kennedy had been assassinated.
Our class was going to English with Mrs. Alcott. I believe she was part-time, teaching only in the afternoon. When we came in, she told us of the newscasts that the president had been shot. My family's house was only one block away, so she let me run home and get a radio. Upon my return, a radio had already been procured, so we did not need the use of another one. Mr. Bell may have even put the radio broadcast on the PA system. The time of death was officially listed as 1:00 PM Central standard time, although it is likely that he died immediately when he was struck by the second bullet. If you have seen the Zapruder film, you would understand. It is too gruesome and horrifying to describe.
If memory serves correctly, Mrs. Alcott had us write a something about the shooting. The president had been taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, but I though the reporter on the radio said something like "Procton." There was also a mention on the newscast about the shooting of officer J.D Tippitt. The rest of the day was rather bleak around the school. We went to our other two classes, but there was not much done. Very little was said in those classes. What was there to say? Many students were teary-eyed. Even the halls were rather quiet in between classes; everyone understandably seemed to be in a state of shock. Feel free to add your own comments about your remembrance of that fateful and tragic day.
A number of theories arose concerning the assassination. Did the shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, act alone, as the Warren Commission stated? Why did Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shoot him in full view of a nationwide television audience two days later? Were they part of a conspiracy? Were the Soviets behind this? The Mafia? The CIA? Were shots fired from the "grassy knoll"? How many shots were actually fired? One lady insisted that she heard four to six shots, rather than the three the Warren Commission assserted. Some theorists have even suspected that vice-president Lyndon Johnson masterminded this tragedy. An internet search leads to a number of theories and arguments. I seem to recall Jim Kessler and Alan Leibel debating these theories a few years later. Some books had been published claiming that there was a coverup,and these two, perhaps displaying their aptitude for future careers as lawyers, would have friendly debates over the veracity of the contents of these books.
One theory that was recently highlighted was that there was a coverup, not by any of the above-mentioned organizations, but by the Secret Service. According to this theory, Oswald fired only two shots. Three spent casings were found in the room from which the shots were fired (the 6th floor of the Texas school book depository). So why not three shots? The Italian bolt-action rifle that Oswald used had a tendency to jam. Using a blank seemed, for some reason, to alleviate this problem. Two of the casings were found near the window, but the other one was found some distance away in a corner nowhere near a window. My knowledge of guns is virtually non-existent, but according to some sources, it would be rather difficult, but not impossible, to fire the three shots so quickly and accurately suing this type of rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_action). From where, then, did the third shot come?
The authors of this theory claim that Oswald's first shot hit the road near the president's limousine. A number of bystanders that were interviewed shortly after the shooting said that saw a spark on the pavement, somewhat like sparks coming from a muffler or tailpipe that is dragging on the road surface. This would have been the first shot. The second shot hit the president in the back of the neck, exited, and then struck Governor Connally, who was riding in the seat just ahead of the president. This is plausible, according to the authors; the trajectory of the bullet would be in a straight line from the depository window according to the way the president and the governor were seated. The entrance and exit wounds were quite small and very clearly defined. These wounds are characteristic of the full metal jacket bullet used by the Oswald rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet).
These authors claim that the third bullet actually came from a rifle fired accidentally fired by a secret-service agent in a car behind the president. When he heard the shots, the agent grabbed a rifle from the seat or the floor of the car, and then looked up in the direction of the sixth floor of the depository. When the car sped up after the president had been hit in the neck, the agent reacted to keep his balance by squeezing his fingers on whatever he was holding. His right hand was on the seatback, but his left was on the rifle. There is even a picture of him with the rifle in the air in some photos. When he squeezed the trigger on the rifle, the rifle happened to be perfectly aligned to shoot the president in the head. This shot must have instantly killed him. The time was 12:30 PM. It was well-known that the president had lower-back problems. One program said he was wearing a back brace that prevented him from slumping over. Ironically, a supposed benefit for his health may have led to his death. Had he not been outfitted with that back brace, perhaps he may have been able to slump over, thus avoiding this senseless tragedy.
The plot becomes even stranger when the president was taken to the hospital. Efforts to save him were in vain. There was no possible way to revive him. A couple of priests were called to administer last rites. They arrived about 12:45. Technically, last rites cannot be administered to the dead; the individual has to be alive. If the president's time of death truly was 1:00 PM, then the last rites would have been efficacious (having the desired effect). Some say that this was done at the insistence of Mrs. Kennedy. We probably will never know.
According to Texas law at that time (and perhaps still today), the body could not leave the state without being autopsied. When the doctors insisted on performing the autopsy, the secret service denied permission. There were also allegations that the secret service ordered the x-ray technician to alter the x-rays of the president's head. The reason is that the bullet that killed him, according to this argument, could not have come from Oswald's rifle. The bullet that struck the president in the head was a hollow-point. These bullets expand upon impact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-point_bullet). In the television program, melons were shot using the two different types of bullets. The full-metal jacket went relatively straight through, leaving a small entrance and exit hole. It was similar to drilling a hole through a piece of wood. The melon hit with a hollow-point, however, seemed to explode, as if a cherry-bomb went off inside it. The back half was completely blown away. This is similar to what one sees on the Zapruder film. The x-rays needed to be altered to cover-up this effect.
Another point that the authors discussed during the program was that many people, including Senator Ralph Yarborough, a member of the presidential motorcade, insisted that they smelled a smoking gun. It would be virtually impossible for anyone on the ground to smell a smoking gun if it was fired from the sixth floor of a building. One has to be relatively close to the source in order to detect the odor of a fired rifle.
This was one of the many intriguing programs focusing on the life of President Kennedy and his assassination. We will likely never know who really killed him. We will, however, remember where we were, and the shock and disbelief we experienced, when we first heard that he had been shot.
Our class was going to English with Mrs. Alcott. I believe she was part-time, teaching only in the afternoon. When we came in, she told us of the newscasts that the president had been shot. My family's house was only one block away, so she let me run home and get a radio. Upon my return, a radio had already been procured, so we did not need the use of another one. Mr. Bell may have even put the radio broadcast on the PA system. The time of death was officially listed as 1:00 PM Central standard time, although it is likely that he died immediately when he was struck by the second bullet. If you have seen the Zapruder film, you would understand. It is too gruesome and horrifying to describe.
If memory serves correctly, Mrs. Alcott had us write a something about the shooting. The president had been taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, but I though the reporter on the radio said something like "Procton." There was also a mention on the newscast about the shooting of officer J.D Tippitt. The rest of the day was rather bleak around the school. We went to our other two classes, but there was not much done. Very little was said in those classes. What was there to say? Many students were teary-eyed. Even the halls were rather quiet in between classes; everyone understandably seemed to be in a state of shock. Feel free to add your own comments about your remembrance of that fateful and tragic day.
A number of theories arose concerning the assassination. Did the shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, act alone, as the Warren Commission stated? Why did Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, shoot him in full view of a nationwide television audience two days later? Were they part of a conspiracy? Were the Soviets behind this? The Mafia? The CIA? Were shots fired from the "grassy knoll"? How many shots were actually fired? One lady insisted that she heard four to six shots, rather than the three the Warren Commission assserted. Some theorists have even suspected that vice-president Lyndon Johnson masterminded this tragedy. An internet search leads to a number of theories and arguments. I seem to recall Jim Kessler and Alan Leibel debating these theories a few years later. Some books had been published claiming that there was a coverup,and these two, perhaps displaying their aptitude for future careers as lawyers, would have friendly debates over the veracity of the contents of these books.
One theory that was recently highlighted was that there was a coverup, not by any of the above-mentioned organizations, but by the Secret Service. According to this theory, Oswald fired only two shots. Three spent casings were found in the room from which the shots were fired (the 6th floor of the Texas school book depository). So why not three shots? The Italian bolt-action rifle that Oswald used had a tendency to jam. Using a blank seemed, for some reason, to alleviate this problem. Two of the casings were found near the window, but the other one was found some distance away in a corner nowhere near a window. My knowledge of guns is virtually non-existent, but according to some sources, it would be rather difficult, but not impossible, to fire the three shots so quickly and accurately suing this type of rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_action). From where, then, did the third shot come?
The authors of this theory claim that Oswald's first shot hit the road near the president's limousine. A number of bystanders that were interviewed shortly after the shooting said that saw a spark on the pavement, somewhat like sparks coming from a muffler or tailpipe that is dragging on the road surface. This would have been the first shot. The second shot hit the president in the back of the neck, exited, and then struck Governor Connally, who was riding in the seat just ahead of the president. This is plausible, according to the authors; the trajectory of the bullet would be in a straight line from the depository window according to the way the president and the governor were seated. The entrance and exit wounds were quite small and very clearly defined. These wounds are characteristic of the full metal jacket bullet used by the Oswald rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet).
These authors claim that the third bullet actually came from a rifle fired accidentally fired by a secret-service agent in a car behind the president. When he heard the shots, the agent grabbed a rifle from the seat or the floor of the car, and then looked up in the direction of the sixth floor of the depository. When the car sped up after the president had been hit in the neck, the agent reacted to keep his balance by squeezing his fingers on whatever he was holding. His right hand was on the seatback, but his left was on the rifle. There is even a picture of him with the rifle in the air in some photos. When he squeezed the trigger on the rifle, the rifle happened to be perfectly aligned to shoot the president in the head. This shot must have instantly killed him. The time was 12:30 PM. It was well-known that the president had lower-back problems. One program said he was wearing a back brace that prevented him from slumping over. Ironically, a supposed benefit for his health may have led to his death. Had he not been outfitted with that back brace, perhaps he may have been able to slump over, thus avoiding this senseless tragedy.
The plot becomes even stranger when the president was taken to the hospital. Efforts to save him were in vain. There was no possible way to revive him. A couple of priests were called to administer last rites. They arrived about 12:45. Technically, last rites cannot be administered to the dead; the individual has to be alive. If the president's time of death truly was 1:00 PM, then the last rites would have been efficacious (having the desired effect). Some say that this was done at the insistence of Mrs. Kennedy. We probably will never know.
According to Texas law at that time (and perhaps still today), the body could not leave the state without being autopsied. When the doctors insisted on performing the autopsy, the secret service denied permission. There were also allegations that the secret service ordered the x-ray technician to alter the x-rays of the president's head. The reason is that the bullet that killed him, according to this argument, could not have come from Oswald's rifle. The bullet that struck the president in the head was a hollow-point. These bullets expand upon impact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-point_bullet). In the television program, melons were shot using the two different types of bullets. The full-metal jacket went relatively straight through, leaving a small entrance and exit hole. It was similar to drilling a hole through a piece of wood. The melon hit with a hollow-point, however, seemed to explode, as if a cherry-bomb went off inside it. The back half was completely blown away. This is similar to what one sees on the Zapruder film. The x-rays needed to be altered to cover-up this effect.
Another point that the authors discussed during the program was that many people, including Senator Ralph Yarborough, a member of the presidential motorcade, insisted that they smelled a smoking gun. It would be virtually impossible for anyone on the ground to smell a smoking gun if it was fired from the sixth floor of a building. One has to be relatively close to the source in order to detect the odor of a fired rifle.
This was one of the many intriguing programs focusing on the life of President Kennedy and his assassination. We will likely never know who really killed him. We will, however, remember where we were, and the shock and disbelief we experienced, when we first heard that he had been shot.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Nick's Hamburger Shop
A few years ago, Duane Larson, our classmate, sold Nick's Hamburger Shop after he had owned it for a number of years. One "highlithght" of his tenure occurred in 1985 when Coca-Cola introduced the "New Coke". I believe Duane was so outraged at the "new and improved taste" that he no longer sold any Coke products in the shop. He was not alone in his evaluation of this ghastly fiasco (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7209828/ns/us_news/t/it-seemed-good-idea-time/#.UlrG91MoGyI). In 2004, Duane sold the shop to Dick Fergen.
Dick was the eldest son of Jim Fergen, the owner of Fergen's Menswear in downtown Brookings. He graduated in 1960, and was a very talented athlete, playing all three major sports of that time. He held the school record in the 120 yard high hurdles that Bob Adams, a year ahead of us, would eventually break. Dick was good friends with one of my older brothers (they both were somewhat wild in their high-school years, to put it mildly). Dick would often tell us of the numerous athletic stories, particularly those concerning track and field, that Guy O. Karnes would spin during some free time while at school.
Guy O., I believe, was an outstanding track and filed coach in Minnesota (was it Shattuck Academy?) before he came to Brookings. Some of his athletes were among the best in the country at the high-school level. One memorable story he told us concerned a trip that his team was taking. After competing, they went to a restaurant to replenish their systems. If their teams were like ours when we were in high school, the athletes all were given pretty much the same standard meal. Guy O. noticed one boy eating by himself in a corner. Guy O. went over to inquire if anything was wrong. The boy had ordered his own meal, a nice, juicy steak. When the meal came, guy O. told the boy "Thank you," and informed the young man that his meal would be forthcoming, and and that he could eat it with his teammates, while guy O. would happily finish off the steak.
Dick had a number of younger brothers, none of whom were in our class, but may have been in classes with our siblings. Dave was about three years younger. He now lives in Volga, and was a long-time employee at the Park and Rec Department after working for a while for his father. He probably helped a number of us when we shopped at Fergen's during our younger days. Tim lives north of town, and is married to Patti Felt's sister. He is an all-around craftsman. He has built some fine homes in the area, but is probably best known for restoring and building cars. Tom is a year younger than we are. In Junior High, we became somewhat friendly because we were both pole vaulters during spring track and filed season. Todd, one of Dick's sons, too, was an accomplished pole vaulter, as well as a fine wrestler. Tom was very acrobatic, and was a talented diver at the pool during the summer. Mike (Tank) has been the owner or Ray's corner for many years, and has done extremely well in that business.
Dick purchased Nick's in 2004, and was able to make a number of changes. If you have been to Nick's recently, it is not the same Nick's that was there when we were in high school or college. He practically doubled the size by incorporating the next-door barbershop into the eatery. The next-door lot to the south was a restaurant that had burned down about 30 years ago, so he made that into an outdoor dining area. He also bought a trailer and a portable grill so he could go on the road and have burger feeds for special events, most notably for tailgating at football games. Dick recognized that Brookings had been good to him, he had sown his wild oats, and it was now time to come home and be an asset to the community. He turned out to be a wonderful ambassador for Brookings (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=18953&page=76).
Unfortunately, Dick was diagnosed esophageal cancer six months ago. He remained as active as his health would allow, but he finally succumbed on October 11, 2013 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1125980Fergen). Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Dick and his family at this time.
Dick was the eldest son of Jim Fergen, the owner of Fergen's Menswear in downtown Brookings. He graduated in 1960, and was a very talented athlete, playing all three major sports of that time. He held the school record in the 120 yard high hurdles that Bob Adams, a year ahead of us, would eventually break. Dick was good friends with one of my older brothers (they both were somewhat wild in their high-school years, to put it mildly). Dick would often tell us of the numerous athletic stories, particularly those concerning track and field, that Guy O. Karnes would spin during some free time while at school.
Guy O., I believe, was an outstanding track and filed coach in Minnesota (was it Shattuck Academy?) before he came to Brookings. Some of his athletes were among the best in the country at the high-school level. One memorable story he told us concerned a trip that his team was taking. After competing, they went to a restaurant to replenish their systems. If their teams were like ours when we were in high school, the athletes all were given pretty much the same standard meal. Guy O. noticed one boy eating by himself in a corner. Guy O. went over to inquire if anything was wrong. The boy had ordered his own meal, a nice, juicy steak. When the meal came, guy O. told the boy "Thank you," and informed the young man that his meal would be forthcoming, and and that he could eat it with his teammates, while guy O. would happily finish off the steak.
Dick had a number of younger brothers, none of whom were in our class, but may have been in classes with our siblings. Dave was about three years younger. He now lives in Volga, and was a long-time employee at the Park and Rec Department after working for a while for his father. He probably helped a number of us when we shopped at Fergen's during our younger days. Tim lives north of town, and is married to Patti Felt's sister. He is an all-around craftsman. He has built some fine homes in the area, but is probably best known for restoring and building cars. Tom is a year younger than we are. In Junior High, we became somewhat friendly because we were both pole vaulters during spring track and filed season. Todd, one of Dick's sons, too, was an accomplished pole vaulter, as well as a fine wrestler. Tom was very acrobatic, and was a talented diver at the pool during the summer. Mike (Tank) has been the owner or Ray's corner for many years, and has done extremely well in that business.
Dick purchased Nick's in 2004, and was able to make a number of changes. If you have been to Nick's recently, it is not the same Nick's that was there when we were in high school or college. He practically doubled the size by incorporating the next-door barbershop into the eatery. The next-door lot to the south was a restaurant that had burned down about 30 years ago, so he made that into an outdoor dining area. He also bought a trailer and a portable grill so he could go on the road and have burger feeds for special events, most notably for tailgating at football games. Dick recognized that Brookings had been good to him, he had sown his wild oats, and it was now time to come home and be an asset to the community. He turned out to be a wonderful ambassador for Brookings (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=18953&page=76).
Unfortunately, Dick was diagnosed esophageal cancer six months ago. He remained as active as his health would allow, but he finally succumbed on October 11, 2013 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1125980Fergen). Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Dick and his family at this time.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Jim Kortan Into Hall of Fame
A few year ago, the BHS athletic department started a Hall of Fame for athletes, coaches, and others who made a significant contribution to the athletic programs at BHS. A number of categories for the athletes was established, including pioneers, veterans, male, female, coaches, and contributors. The inductees for this year included a member of our own class, Jim Kortan. He joins Lee Colburn, who was one of the early selections to this notable group. (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=18759&page=7; http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=18818) Jim is surely very deserving of this accolade.
Even though Jim and I attended Central Elementary, we never were in the same class, so I never really got to know him very well in grade school. We did however, play on the same midget league baseball team (11-12 year olds). When we were 12, we were on a very good team, the Dodgers. At that time, teams were sponsored by various civic organizations and churches. I believe Mt. Calvary Lutheran was our sponsor. Some of the other players, if memory serves right, were RickWahlstrom, Brian Johnson, Lonnie Herron, and Jim Egeberg. Another good team was the Pirates, featuring Tom Roe and Jerry Tordoff. We played them in the first game of the play-offs. Jerry Tordoff was pitching, but was struggling, and we were defeating them very handily. We were ahead by a comfortable margin, the bases were loaded, and Jim (probably our best player), was coming up to bat. It seemed as if we were about to win and advance. But then the rains came, and we had to replay the game the next afternoon. Tom Roe was the starting pitched in that game, and he was sharp. We were unable to score any runs in those three innings he pitched (pitchers were limited to three innings a game). Jerry Tordoff continued in the same fashion. Our pitchers were not doing too badly, either, allowing them only one run. That one run, however, made the Pirates victorious. I believe the Pirates went on to win the championship.
In 7th grade, the only sport that had competition against other schools was track and field. Jim was fast, so I'm sure was was in some relays or sprints. I believe he also threw the discus. I think his father had thrown it when he was younger. He often worked that event when we had our home meet at SDSU. I'm certain he (Mr. Kortan) even was hit in the shoulder by a flying discus when he was working one meet. He didn't even flinch. When we started tackle football in 8th grade, it became obvious that Jim would be a quarterback. He began to show his football skills very early. When basketball began later in the school year, Jim was on the Jr. Hi "B" team. After the first game against Elkton, however, it was obvious that Jim should be promoted, so he was now on the "A" team. We never had the luxury of having Jim on our team again until we were juniors and in the new school. We were always successful in basketball without him, but when we were all together, a state championship was in the works. That first game was nail-biter. We were in a very close game with Lead, who was one of the favorites. Lead had just taken a one-point lead with very little time remaining. With five seconds left to play, Jim was fouled. He calmly sank both free throws, and we held on for a one point victory. Amazingly, while we went on to win the title, Lead finished in 8th place, failing to win one game. What a difference attitude can make.
In the spring of our senior year, when some of us were searching for summer employment, Jim mentioned to me in homeroom that his mother worked at the Bug Lab north of town, and that they need some young workers out there. He gave me some information, and I had to go up to the college to fill out the paperwork. The man I had to see was Charles Kirchmeier. Coincidentally, his son Tony is also being inducted into this year's hall of fame. Tony was obviously another talented athlete. Like Jim, he was the quarterback on the football team, and helped the Bobcats to their first-ever state football title in the fall of 1983. Their basketball team could not quite duplicate that feat, as they finished third in the state tournament the following March.
Jim was perhaps the best all-around athlete in our class. He was a three-year starter in basketball, the starting quarterback on the football team for two years, and qualified for the state track meet at least twice (I believe). He is truly deserving of this fine honor. Brad Rufer sent me this email (Brad was a running back in the same backfield with Jim):
I saw this in the Brookings Register. I tried to put it on the home site for the class of '69 but had issue. Just wanted to congratulate Jim on such a well deserved honor. I have many good memories of playing on teams that Jim was such a big part of. I wish I could be in Brookings when Jim is honored to celebrate and reminisce with him. I hope to see lots of Bobcats in 2014.
Brad
The inductee in the pioneers category is Donnie Dorn. He was a long-time coach for the Braves midget league baseball team. They always seemed to be competitive, and were sponsored by the Catholic Church, of which he was a faithful member. He attended BHS in the early 40's, and some people say he was an earlier version of Tom Osterberg: quick, fast, and explosive.
The coach selected for induction is Bill Scholten. He had a sister that was a year or two older than we were. His father was a long-time member of the faculty at SDSU in the education department. He was also on the school board for a number of years. It may have been in 1967 that all of the school board members had a son or daughter that was graduating that year. At graduation, each board member was able to give his child his/her diploma. That must be a rare occurrence. Bill was couple of years behind us, but was good friends with Les Odegaard, Steve's younger brother. Bill was fine golfer, and was the golf coach at BHS while teaching social studies in the school system. He retired from teaching a few years ago, but is still coaching. He had some fantastic girls' teams. They were state champs a number of times, and won an incredible number of consecutive conference titles. I believe he was even named national coach of the year once.
The female athlete is Brienne Berseth. She, too, was a talented all around performer in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Her parents are about our age, and attended NDSU. They remember Lee playing basketball for SDSU. Her parents were both teachers in the school system. Her father Steve started in 1972, replacing Franny Dolan as elementary PE teacher. That was my senior year at SDSU, and we refereed the sophomore basketball games together. Her mother Benda was a PE teacher at the Middle School for many years. In 1992, Steve was hired as athletic director at BHS, only the second one since "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He is somewhat of a history buff, and is responsible for originating the Hall of Fame. He has done a tremendous amount of research to gather information on some of the candidates and inductees for this prestigious honor.
Congratulations to all of the inductees for the BHS Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Even though Jim and I attended Central Elementary, we never were in the same class, so I never really got to know him very well in grade school. We did however, play on the same midget league baseball team (11-12 year olds). When we were 12, we were on a very good team, the Dodgers. At that time, teams were sponsored by various civic organizations and churches. I believe Mt. Calvary Lutheran was our sponsor. Some of the other players, if memory serves right, were RickWahlstrom, Brian Johnson, Lonnie Herron, and Jim Egeberg. Another good team was the Pirates, featuring Tom Roe and Jerry Tordoff. We played them in the first game of the play-offs. Jerry Tordoff was pitching, but was struggling, and we were defeating them very handily. We were ahead by a comfortable margin, the bases were loaded, and Jim (probably our best player), was coming up to bat. It seemed as if we were about to win and advance. But then the rains came, and we had to replay the game the next afternoon. Tom Roe was the starting pitched in that game, and he was sharp. We were unable to score any runs in those three innings he pitched (pitchers were limited to three innings a game). Jerry Tordoff continued in the same fashion. Our pitchers were not doing too badly, either, allowing them only one run. That one run, however, made the Pirates victorious. I believe the Pirates went on to win the championship.
In 7th grade, the only sport that had competition against other schools was track and field. Jim was fast, so I'm sure was was in some relays or sprints. I believe he also threw the discus. I think his father had thrown it when he was younger. He often worked that event when we had our home meet at SDSU. I'm certain he (Mr. Kortan) even was hit in the shoulder by a flying discus when he was working one meet. He didn't even flinch. When we started tackle football in 8th grade, it became obvious that Jim would be a quarterback. He began to show his football skills very early. When basketball began later in the school year, Jim was on the Jr. Hi "B" team. After the first game against Elkton, however, it was obvious that Jim should be promoted, so he was now on the "A" team. We never had the luxury of having Jim on our team again until we were juniors and in the new school. We were always successful in basketball without him, but when we were all together, a state championship was in the works. That first game was nail-biter. We were in a very close game with Lead, who was one of the favorites. Lead had just taken a one-point lead with very little time remaining. With five seconds left to play, Jim was fouled. He calmly sank both free throws, and we held on for a one point victory. Amazingly, while we went on to win the title, Lead finished in 8th place, failing to win one game. What a difference attitude can make.
In the spring of our senior year, when some of us were searching for summer employment, Jim mentioned to me in homeroom that his mother worked at the Bug Lab north of town, and that they need some young workers out there. He gave me some information, and I had to go up to the college to fill out the paperwork. The man I had to see was Charles Kirchmeier. Coincidentally, his son Tony is also being inducted into this year's hall of fame. Tony was obviously another talented athlete. Like Jim, he was the quarterback on the football team, and helped the Bobcats to their first-ever state football title in the fall of 1983. Their basketball team could not quite duplicate that feat, as they finished third in the state tournament the following March.
Jim was perhaps the best all-around athlete in our class. He was a three-year starter in basketball, the starting quarterback on the football team for two years, and qualified for the state track meet at least twice (I believe). He is truly deserving of this fine honor. Brad Rufer sent me this email (Brad was a running back in the same backfield with Jim):
I saw this in the Brookings Register. I tried to put it on the home site for the class of '69 but had issue. Just wanted to congratulate Jim on such a well deserved honor. I have many good memories of playing on teams that Jim was such a big part of. I wish I could be in Brookings when Jim is honored to celebrate and reminisce with him. I hope to see lots of Bobcats in 2014.
Brad
The inductee in the pioneers category is Donnie Dorn. He was a long-time coach for the Braves midget league baseball team. They always seemed to be competitive, and were sponsored by the Catholic Church, of which he was a faithful member. He attended BHS in the early 40's, and some people say he was an earlier version of Tom Osterberg: quick, fast, and explosive.
The coach selected for induction is Bill Scholten. He had a sister that was a year or two older than we were. His father was a long-time member of the faculty at SDSU in the education department. He was also on the school board for a number of years. It may have been in 1967 that all of the school board members had a son or daughter that was graduating that year. At graduation, each board member was able to give his child his/her diploma. That must be a rare occurrence. Bill was couple of years behind us, but was good friends with Les Odegaard, Steve's younger brother. Bill was fine golfer, and was the golf coach at BHS while teaching social studies in the school system. He retired from teaching a few years ago, but is still coaching. He had some fantastic girls' teams. They were state champs a number of times, and won an incredible number of consecutive conference titles. I believe he was even named national coach of the year once.
The female athlete is Brienne Berseth. She, too, was a talented all around performer in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Her parents are about our age, and attended NDSU. They remember Lee playing basketball for SDSU. Her parents were both teachers in the school system. Her father Steve started in 1972, replacing Franny Dolan as elementary PE teacher. That was my senior year at SDSU, and we refereed the sophomore basketball games together. Her mother Benda was a PE teacher at the Middle School for many years. In 1992, Steve was hired as athletic director at BHS, only the second one since "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He is somewhat of a history buff, and is responsible for originating the Hall of Fame. He has done a tremendous amount of research to gather information on some of the candidates and inductees for this prestigious honor.
Congratulations to all of the inductees for the BHS Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Southside Reunion
On July 27, 2013, an acquaintance invited me to the "Southside Reunion" to be held at the VFW on Main Avenue. My family moved to Brookings in 1949, almost two years before I was born. They lived at 124 South Main, about two blocks south of the train depot. For a couple of years, my dad ran the little grocery store that was just across the street. I have no recollection of his store or the house that we lived in. However, many pleasant memories of my younger days involve time spent in that area. Foremost is the ball field there. As a young boy, Southside Park (and also the Central school ballfields) was the site of my baseball education. Many others also gained much experience there. Some names that come to mind are Tom and Walt Osterberg, Jerry Moad, Lonnie Herron, David Hansen, and Randy Larson. An older sister and brother also played many softball games there, and not of the slo-pitch variety (that came a few years later).
In the winter, the city flooded the area on the south end of the park, just beyond where the fence would be, for a skating rink. Some of my older siblings learned to play hockey there. They tried to teach me to skate, but those efforts were in vain. Skating was not part of a "balanced" lifestyle for me.
When we started playing little league in 1959, the fields were moved to South Medary, near their present location by the high school and Medary Acres. At that time, they were on the edge of town. The fields were previously located at Pioneer Park. That year, just after we completed second grade, so many boys in our age group (8-10 years old) wanted to play little league that they created two new teams. One of those teams was the Phillies, of which I was a member. We struggled that first season. Many of our players were either playing their first year, or were taken from other teams that had an overabundance of players. Of course, those teams were not going to give up their better players, so our team was comprised of boys whose skill levels (and mine especially) needed a great deal of work. If memory serves right, we won 3 games and lost 11. In the first game of our season, I was chosen to pitch for the first three innings (because of our young age, 3 innings was the maximum one could pitch in a game). We played the Yankees, a very good team, and they beat us mercifully. I think their whole team batted around three times--in the first inning (my pitching was terrible). We could not get anybody out. The highlight of the season was the league tournament. The championship would be played at Southside Park. Not only was the fence farther away than the fields we played on, but the field had lights. The game could go into extra innings and we could still keep playing, and not have the game called on account of darkness (there was no daylight saving time back then). The 8-10 year olds would play the early game, while the 11-12 year olds would play the second game. The goal of every team was to get the chance to play under the lights at Southside Park. We could not play at Hillcrest Park because that field was set up for the older players (the distances between the bases and pitcher's mound and home plate were longer there than at Southside).
In those five years of Little League, the team that I was on never did get to play for the championship under the lights at Southside Park. But we (Aurora Body Shop) did play many slo-pitch softball games there while we were in college. With apologies to those whose names I am omitting, on the team from our class were pitchers Dave Johnson,Walt Osterberg, and Dan Liebing, catcher Harry Rossow, first basemen Jim Kortan and Tom Bozied, second basemen Brad Rufer and Craig Derscheid, third baseman Jim Kessler. In the outfield were Lee Colburn, Bernie Hendricks, Jim Egeberg. My position was shortstop, but some of us also played other positions if someone was unavailable because of work or other conflicts. Tom Hoffman (Paula' s brother), also played in the outfield. Please let me know if I have omitted anyone from this roster.
Our first game was similar to that first little league game mentioned above. We played Spies, a perennial powerhouse back then (Tom Osterberg played for them when they were winning numerous state titles). They beat us something like 44-5. But we got better during the season and during the next three summers. We were capable of giving them a good game eventually. Don't know that we ever beat them, but we came close. We played a number of games at Southside Park during the summers of 1970-73, and had a great deal of fun. The tournaments, especially, were enjoyable, particularly those out of town. Many thanks to Dave Johnson and Aurora Body Shop for sponsoring us those first three years, and to the Townhouse for sponsoring us that final year.
When we were younger, it was common to earn some spending money by having a paper route. My first paper route was on the southside, between Main and Medary. At that time, the edge of town was about fifth street south. There were very few houses south of 5th St. South. Some were on south main, and a few of them were my customers. The farthest south on my route was Mrs. Flitte, whose farm was on 8th street south, which was just a gravel road back then. Between 5th street south and the Flittie farm was the Ward house, about where Medary Elementary is now. To the east was the Christensen house on Medary, right across from the little league fields. Between the Ward house and Christensen house was farmland. In the summertime, if corn was planted there, it was a long bike ride to go from one residence to the other. Some years, though, it was alfalfa, and it could be possible to ride a bike through there, often scaring up a few pheasants. A couple of customers lived at a little apartment house (maybe only four or six units) just north of Southside Park. One name that sticks out is Fortune. Does anyone remember Bobby Fortune? He must have been in some of my grade school classes. He may have had an older sister named Donna, perhaps a year or two ahead of us in school. Right across the street from the park, on the north side, was a small (20 x 20?) stucco or brick building. I can't recall what is was used for, but one winter, it was jammed practically to the ceiling with what looked like jackrabbits. Just happened to be riding my bicycle there the other day, and a crew was putting a new concrete driveway down, so it must have some use still.
Another favorite memory of long ago is the miniature golf course that was located just a block west of Southside Park. It was only there for a short time (maybe a summer or two?), but it was good way to kill an afternoon.
Incidentally, Emmett Earley of our class was named to the committee for next year's Southside Reunion.
Later that evening, ran into Mike and Brenda Andersen at George's Pizza. We had a nice conversation, and wondered if anyone had information about our 45th reunion that is coming up next year. The class of 1979 has already reserved the weekend of the Arts Festival for theirs, so we may have to find another date. There probably will not be very many motel rooms available during that weekend. Does anybody have any information or ideas about what we should do for our 45th reunion?
In the winter, the city flooded the area on the south end of the park, just beyond where the fence would be, for a skating rink. Some of my older siblings learned to play hockey there. They tried to teach me to skate, but those efforts were in vain. Skating was not part of a "balanced" lifestyle for me.
When we started playing little league in 1959, the fields were moved to South Medary, near their present location by the high school and Medary Acres. At that time, they were on the edge of town. The fields were previously located at Pioneer Park. That year, just after we completed second grade, so many boys in our age group (8-10 years old) wanted to play little league that they created two new teams. One of those teams was the Phillies, of which I was a member. We struggled that first season. Many of our players were either playing their first year, or were taken from other teams that had an overabundance of players. Of course, those teams were not going to give up their better players, so our team was comprised of boys whose skill levels (and mine especially) needed a great deal of work. If memory serves right, we won 3 games and lost 11. In the first game of our season, I was chosen to pitch for the first three innings (because of our young age, 3 innings was the maximum one could pitch in a game). We played the Yankees, a very good team, and they beat us mercifully. I think their whole team batted around three times--in the first inning (my pitching was terrible). We could not get anybody out. The highlight of the season was the league tournament. The championship would be played at Southside Park. Not only was the fence farther away than the fields we played on, but the field had lights. The game could go into extra innings and we could still keep playing, and not have the game called on account of darkness (there was no daylight saving time back then). The 8-10 year olds would play the early game, while the 11-12 year olds would play the second game. The goal of every team was to get the chance to play under the lights at Southside Park. We could not play at Hillcrest Park because that field was set up for the older players (the distances between the bases and pitcher's mound and home plate were longer there than at Southside).
In those five years of Little League, the team that I was on never did get to play for the championship under the lights at Southside Park. But we (Aurora Body Shop) did play many slo-pitch softball games there while we were in college. With apologies to those whose names I am omitting, on the team from our class were pitchers Dave Johnson,Walt Osterberg, and Dan Liebing, catcher Harry Rossow, first basemen Jim Kortan and Tom Bozied, second basemen Brad Rufer and Craig Derscheid, third baseman Jim Kessler. In the outfield were Lee Colburn, Bernie Hendricks, Jim Egeberg. My position was shortstop, but some of us also played other positions if someone was unavailable because of work or other conflicts. Tom Hoffman (Paula' s brother), also played in the outfield. Please let me know if I have omitted anyone from this roster.
Our first game was similar to that first little league game mentioned above. We played Spies, a perennial powerhouse back then (Tom Osterberg played for them when they were winning numerous state titles). They beat us something like 44-5. But we got better during the season and during the next three summers. We were capable of giving them a good game eventually. Don't know that we ever beat them, but we came close. We played a number of games at Southside Park during the summers of 1970-73, and had a great deal of fun. The tournaments, especially, were enjoyable, particularly those out of town. Many thanks to Dave Johnson and Aurora Body Shop for sponsoring us those first three years, and to the Townhouse for sponsoring us that final year.
When we were younger, it was common to earn some spending money by having a paper route. My first paper route was on the southside, between Main and Medary. At that time, the edge of town was about fifth street south. There were very few houses south of 5th St. South. Some were on south main, and a few of them were my customers. The farthest south on my route was Mrs. Flitte, whose farm was on 8th street south, which was just a gravel road back then. Between 5th street south and the Flittie farm was the Ward house, about where Medary Elementary is now. To the east was the Christensen house on Medary, right across from the little league fields. Between the Ward house and Christensen house was farmland. In the summertime, if corn was planted there, it was a long bike ride to go from one residence to the other. Some years, though, it was alfalfa, and it could be possible to ride a bike through there, often scaring up a few pheasants. A couple of customers lived at a little apartment house (maybe only four or six units) just north of Southside Park. One name that sticks out is Fortune. Does anyone remember Bobby Fortune? He must have been in some of my grade school classes. He may have had an older sister named Donna, perhaps a year or two ahead of us in school. Right across the street from the park, on the north side, was a small (20 x 20?) stucco or brick building. I can't recall what is was used for, but one winter, it was jammed practically to the ceiling with what looked like jackrabbits. Just happened to be riding my bicycle there the other day, and a crew was putting a new concrete driveway down, so it must have some use still.
Another favorite memory of long ago is the miniature golf course that was located just a block west of Southside Park. It was only there for a short time (maybe a summer or two?), but it was good way to kill an afternoon.
Incidentally, Emmett Earley of our class was named to the committee for next year's Southside Reunion.
Later that evening, ran into Mike and Brenda Andersen at George's Pizza. We had a nice conversation, and wondered if anyone had information about our 45th reunion that is coming up next year. The class of 1979 has already reserved the weekend of the Arts Festival for theirs, so we may have to find another date. There probably will not be very many motel rooms available during that weekend. Does anybody have any information or ideas about what we should do for our 45th reunion?
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A Pearl Harbor Survivor Passes Away
Our prayers, thoughts, and condolences go out to Pat Mehegan and her family, whose father Jean Mehegan, passed away on June 26, 2013, at the age of 93.
His complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1021322Mehegan . About a year and a half ago, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader had a wonderful article on five South Dakota survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941. From the blog dated Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, "Included among those is the father of Patty Mehegan. He is now 91. He was living north of Brookings, somewhat toward the Oakwood, I believe. I am not sure if he still resides there. He was quite active in the tennis leagues when he was a few years younger, also, and rather competitive in his age bracket. The entire article can be found at http://www.argusleader.com/article/20111204/NEWS/312040028 " Mr. Mehegan started Medary Acres Greenhouse, a business that is still going strong today. I believe they even have a 1950's era pick-up truck (Chevy?) that is used to promote the business, and may even be used in making deliveries. When we were younger, the business was at the edge of town. Today, however, as Brookings has expanded southward, Medary Acres is in the same location, but is well within the city limits, and is bustling with activity during the spring months.
Also passing away recently was Helen Hemmingsen , I believe she was the aunt of Donna Rieck Christensen. If anyone knows if this is incorrect, please let me know. Her complete obituary can be found at http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1017094Hemmingsen. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Donna and her family at this time.
His complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1021322Mehegan . About a year and a half ago, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader had a wonderful article on five South Dakota survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941. From the blog dated Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, "Included among those is the father of Patty Mehegan. He is now 91. He was living north of Brookings, somewhat toward the Oakwood, I believe. I am not sure if he still resides there. He was quite active in the tennis leagues when he was a few years younger, also, and rather competitive in his age bracket. The entire article can be found at http://www.argusleader.com/article/20111204/NEWS/312040028 " Mr. Mehegan started Medary Acres Greenhouse, a business that is still going strong today. I believe they even have a 1950's era pick-up truck (Chevy?) that is used to promote the business, and may even be used in making deliveries. When we were younger, the business was at the edge of town. Today, however, as Brookings has expanded southward, Medary Acres is in the same location, but is well within the city limits, and is bustling with activity during the spring months.
Also passing away recently was Helen Hemmingsen , I believe she was the aunt of Donna Rieck Christensen. If anyone knows if this is incorrect, please let me know. Her complete obituary can be found at http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1017094Hemmingsen. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Donna and her family at this time.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Lost and Found
Recently received a note from a classmate concerning Patsy Bates: " She gave me permission to pass on her address etc.. She
was in our class until the 8th grade. She went to a private Catholic
school for her high school years. She is married to Curt Hadland, they live at 15280 Pilar Road N, Scandia, MN 55073. Her e-mail address is: pat.hadland@frontier.com.
She is retired and has had an interesting career. Feel free to contact her for more information." A number of other students were classmates that year, but were not pictured in our senior yearbook. Some of them are Margaret Albright, Diane Baird, Joan Bjordahl, Jerry Briggs, Danny Brown, Patty Erger, Sandy Gabel, Tammi George, Greg Graff, Eddie Hansen, JoAnn Hansen, Mary Hegstrom, Jill Jordan, Lee Larson, Mary McMillan, Sonia Miller, Larry Nolan, Lynette Ostermeier, Leonard Otkin, Bob Pape, Wanda Pike, Betty Rickerson, Vickie Scannell, Carol Schulz, Deborah Sedler, Christine Shaw, Debbie Shirley, Margaret Smith, Susan Stamp, Beverly Sween, Ginger Thompson, Margaret Travis, Jill Wheelborg, Larry Wilson, Steve Wobbema. A number of these may have been here only a year or two, while others may had been classmates since kindergarten. Ginger Thompson, for example, was in my kindergarten class, while Margaret Albright, Diane Baird, Mary McMillan, Sonia Miller, and Susan Stamp were classmates in other years. Greg Graff was in Cub Scouts with some of us. Debbie Shirley, as well as Greg, was always part of our catechism class at church. Margaret Travis's mother was an elementary teacher (6th grade?) for a number of years. Anyone else have memories, fond or otherwise, of these "forgotten" classmates?
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Father's Day
Father's Day was just a few days ago. A recent post noted that Rodney Koehn's father just celebrated his 100th birthday less than two months ago.
What a fantastic milestone. Sadly,this past Father's Day, Mr. Norman Koehn passed away. http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1015729Koehn Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to Rodney and his family. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences also go out to Peggy Bush and her family. Peggy's mother passed away on June 11, 2013. http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1008859WoodBush
In grade school one time (4th grade?), our class took a trip to Sunnyview, where Peggy's family lived.. I was so naive and ignorant that I thought Sunnyview was another little town, somewhat like Aurora.
If memory serves correctly, Peggy was a wonderful artist. She especially was adept at drawing horses. They were so realistic!
Next year will be 45 years since we graduated. Any ideas floating around out there about when we should get together? Any suggestions are welcome.
What a fantastic milestone. Sadly,this past Father's Day, Mr. Norman Koehn passed away. http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1015729Koehn Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to Rodney and his family. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences also go out to Peggy Bush and her family. Peggy's mother passed away on June 11, 2013. http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1008859WoodBush
In grade school one time (4th grade?), our class took a trip to Sunnyview, where Peggy's family lived.. I was so naive and ignorant that I thought Sunnyview was another little town, somewhat like Aurora.
If memory serves correctly, Peggy was a wonderful artist. She especially was adept at drawing horses. They were so realistic!
Next year will be 45 years since we graduated. Any ideas floating around out there about when we should get together? Any suggestions are welcome.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Milestones
Recently, a couple of parents had memorable birthdays. Rodney Koehn's father just turned 100, while Marilyn Anderson's mother reached her 90th birthday. Congratulations, and may they continue to have good health. I believe Rodney's father was an auditor at SDSU for many years. I became acquainted with Marilyn's mom when I taught at the Middle School. She worked with students who had difficulty reading, and did a wonderful job. If memory serves correctly, her husband was in real estate. I believe my parents bought our house from him in 1963, where I am presently residing.
Last month, the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/), which began in 2009, inducted some more bands. One of the bands inducted that first year was the well-known Myron Lee and the Caddies (http://www.myronlee.com/ and http://blog.keloland.com/lund/blog/2009/05/12/myron-lee-and-the-caddies/). In 2010, Marlys Roe and the Talismen became members (http://www.mykxlg.com/marlys-roe-and-the-talisman-come-together-for-50th-reunion-gig-in-brookings/ and http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees/talismen.htm). Pat O'Connell, Kevin's oldest brother, was the drummer for the group. Pat was in the same class as one of my older brothers, and was back in town for the 2013 ceremony. We went down, and had a good time. Don't know if it's old age, but the music was really loud, forcing me to stuff some wadding in my ears to deaden the sound. A number of Brookings people were in attendance because Hort's was inducted in the ballroom and dance hall category (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/2013/horatios.htm) . Many of these bands had played at Hort's, and some of them were inducted this year. In the crowd were Tom Salonen and Mike/Brenda Anderson, who were proudly wearing T-shirts featuring Horatio's.
Passing away recently was Bernie Van Essen (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=970705VanEssen). For most of you, that name probably means very little, but for some of us boys, he was a big part our summers in 1965 and 66. He and Bob Webbenhurst, Nancy's oldest brother, were our teener baseball coaches those years. In 1965, we qualified for the national teener tournament by winning our section tourney in Brookings, (Brookings, Watertown, Sisseton, and Milbank), the state tourney in Madison, and the region tournament at Igloo in the southeast corner of the state. I think it was called Igloo because it was a munitions depot, and the munitions were stored in buildings that looked like igloos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_Ordnance_Depot). We stayed in some old barracks that were there. Only two other teams were in the tournament: Miller, South Dakota and, I believe,a team from Crawford, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford,_Nebraska and http://crawfordnebraska.net/. Fortunately, we prevailed, and were on our way to Hershey, PA, for the national tournament. It was a great time. The bus ride was long, but memorable. We had picked up Judd Bergan, a pitcher from Watertown. He brought along his guitar, playing I'm Henry VIII, I Am by Herman's Hermits regularly. Bob Webbenhurst liked the Kingston Trio, so MTA (he will ride forever through the streets of Boston, he's a man who'll never return) was also played with some frequency. When we stopped to eat, the jukeboxes were quite busy, playing (if memory serves correctly) I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher); Baby, The Rain Must Fall (Glenn Yarborough): What's New Pussycat? (Tom Jones); Satisfaction (Rolling Stones); Catch Us If You Can (Dave Clark Five); Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire); Down in the Boondocks (Billy Joe Royal--this song may have been Walter Osterberg's favorite). We stayed at the Hershey Ballroom, right across from the amusement park. For me, that was the first time I had been more than a couple of hours away from home, so it was a thrill. We also visited the world-famous Hershey Chocolate Factory, and saw how they made some of their products. The Philadelphia Eagles conducted their pre-season football training camp at Hershey, so Bob Webbbenhurst, who played football at SDSU, arranged for Pete Retzlaff (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/846090-crazy-canton-cuts-pete-retzlaff) to visit with us at one of our practices. Pete had played at SDSC (as it was then known) over a decade earlier. He also gave us an autographed picture, which I can no longer find. In the picture above, we are receiving our trophy after the championship game in Igloo. Judd Bergan is the recipient, while in the back are Bob Webbenhurst, Tom Bozied, Phil Trautman, Lloyd Beneke, Doug deBoise, John Iverson, and Bernie Van Essen. In the front are Walt Osterberg, Tim DeWitt, Tom Osterberg, Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Don Tordoff, Jim Arndt, and Randy Hofer. Also going along to Hershey were some of the fathers (Bozied, Kabrud, Buehler, DeWitt? others?) to help as chaperones. At the wake was a scrapbook with a number of pictures and news stories about that team that Bernie and his wife had put together. Looking at that brought back many fond memories.
Last month, the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/), which began in 2009, inducted some more bands. One of the bands inducted that first year was the well-known Myron Lee and the Caddies (http://www.myronlee.com/ and http://blog.keloland.com/lund/blog/2009/05/12/myron-lee-and-the-caddies/). In 2010, Marlys Roe and the Talismen became members (http://www.mykxlg.com/marlys-roe-and-the-talisman-come-together-for-50th-reunion-gig-in-brookings/ and http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees/talismen.htm). Pat O'Connell, Kevin's oldest brother, was the drummer for the group. Pat was in the same class as one of my older brothers, and was back in town for the 2013 ceremony. We went down, and had a good time. Don't know if it's old age, but the music was really loud, forcing me to stuff some wadding in my ears to deaden the sound. A number of Brookings people were in attendance because Hort's was inducted in the ballroom and dance hall category (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/2013/horatios.htm) . Many of these bands had played at Hort's, and some of them were inducted this year. In the crowd were Tom Salonen and Mike/Brenda Anderson, who were proudly wearing T-shirts featuring Horatio's.
Passing away recently was Bernie Van Essen (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=970705VanEssen). For most of you, that name probably means very little, but for some of us boys, he was a big part our summers in 1965 and 66. He and Bob Webbenhurst, Nancy's oldest brother, were our teener baseball coaches those years. In 1965, we qualified for the national teener tournament by winning our section tourney in Brookings, (Brookings, Watertown, Sisseton, and Milbank), the state tourney in Madison, and the region tournament at Igloo in the southeast corner of the state. I think it was called Igloo because it was a munitions depot, and the munitions were stored in buildings that looked like igloos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_Ordnance_Depot). We stayed in some old barracks that were there. Only two other teams were in the tournament: Miller, South Dakota and, I believe,a team from Crawford, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford,_Nebraska and http://crawfordnebraska.net/. Fortunately, we prevailed, and were on our way to Hershey, PA, for the national tournament. It was a great time. The bus ride was long, but memorable. We had picked up Judd Bergan, a pitcher from Watertown. He brought along his guitar, playing I'm Henry VIII, I Am by Herman's Hermits regularly. Bob Webbenhurst liked the Kingston Trio, so MTA (he will ride forever through the streets of Boston, he's a man who'll never return) was also played with some frequency. When we stopped to eat, the jukeboxes were quite busy, playing (if memory serves correctly) I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher); Baby, The Rain Must Fall (Glenn Yarborough): What's New Pussycat? (Tom Jones); Satisfaction (Rolling Stones); Catch Us If You Can (Dave Clark Five); Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire); Down in the Boondocks (Billy Joe Royal--this song may have been Walter Osterberg's favorite). We stayed at the Hershey Ballroom, right across from the amusement park. For me, that was the first time I had been more than a couple of hours away from home, so it was a thrill. We also visited the world-famous Hershey Chocolate Factory, and saw how they made some of their products. The Philadelphia Eagles conducted their pre-season football training camp at Hershey, so Bob Webbbenhurst, who played football at SDSU, arranged for Pete Retzlaff (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/846090-crazy-canton-cuts-pete-retzlaff) to visit with us at one of our practices. Pete had played at SDSC (as it was then known) over a decade earlier. He also gave us an autographed picture, which I can no longer find. In the picture above, we are receiving our trophy after the championship game in Igloo. Judd Bergan is the recipient, while in the back are Bob Webbenhurst, Tom Bozied, Phil Trautman, Lloyd Beneke, Doug deBoise, John Iverson, and Bernie Van Essen. In the front are Walt Osterberg, Tim DeWitt, Tom Osterberg, Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Don Tordoff, Jim Arndt, and Randy Hofer. Also going along to Hershey were some of the fathers (Bozied, Kabrud, Buehler, DeWitt? others?) to help as chaperones. At the wake was a scrapbook with a number of pictures and news stories about that team that Bernie and his wife had put together. Looking at that brought back many fond memories.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Flashbacks
The state basketball tournaments have just been completed. The Bobcats were one of the better teams in the state this season, and were seeded number three in the tournament. Unfortunately, they lost to Sioux Falls Lincoln (whom we defeated 45 years ago for the championship) in the first game. However, they came back to win their next two games, defeating Rapid City Central (who defeated us for the championship our senior year) and Huron to win the consolation championship. History was made in the Rapid City game, as reserve Konner Beste came off the bench and had an unbelievable game. He scored 40 points by making six two-point field goals, eight three-pointers, and four free throws. He was on fire. As far as we know, this is the school record. The previous high was 38, set by Lee Colburn at Pierre during the last regular season game of our senior year. In looking at old newspapers, he also had two other regular season games in which he scored thirty or more points. Both came against Huron. He had 34 when we played there (and suffered our only conference loss by two points), and followed that up with a 30 point effort when Huron came to our gym. Lee's offensive prowess continued during the post-season tournaments. He had 33 in the section championship against Madison, and then had 30 in the semi-final game with Belle Fourche.
It was intriguing to view all of those old newspaper articles. Basketball and wrestling (the wrestlers were state champs that year) may have received a great deal of attention, but there were so many other articles that highlighted the talents our classmates and others of the student body. The debaters had an outstanding season, as they were also state champions. There were numerous articles that showcased the contributions we made to the community. Job's Daughters, Demolay, music, and community service are just a few that stand out. During the Christmas season, Spies Super Valu had an ad with the pictures of all of their workers. Included were six seniors: Nanette Schroeder, Tom Salonen, Dave Helfinstine, Bill Ramey, Greg Koenders, and Diane Sturdevant. For our 20th reunion, someone (Mark Kratochvil?) put a number of these articles on tagboard. Might it be a good idea to expand this collection? It would be time consuming, but I have some free time available for the next few months to pursue such a project. It might be fun to scan the papers from the time we entered school through our senior year. There could be articles and stories from Little League to 4-H to church that would make for interesting reading and conversation at our next reunion. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.
It was intriguing to view all of those old newspaper articles. Basketball and wrestling (the wrestlers were state champs that year) may have received a great deal of attention, but there were so many other articles that highlighted the talents our classmates and others of the student body. The debaters had an outstanding season, as they were also state champions. There were numerous articles that showcased the contributions we made to the community. Job's Daughters, Demolay, music, and community service are just a few that stand out. During the Christmas season, Spies Super Valu had an ad with the pictures of all of their workers. Included were six seniors: Nanette Schroeder, Tom Salonen, Dave Helfinstine, Bill Ramey, Greg Koenders, and Diane Sturdevant. For our 20th reunion, someone (Mark Kratochvil?) put a number of these articles on tagboard. Might it be a good idea to expand this collection? It would be time consuming, but I have some free time available for the next few months to pursue such a project. It might be fun to scan the papers from the time we entered school through our senior year. There could be articles and stories from Little League to 4-H to church that would make for interesting reading and conversation at our next reunion. Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Mike Marshall's Sister Passes Away
Received the latest issue of the SDSU alumni magazine today. Noticed that during the past year, a Virginia R. (Marshall) Sattler passed away. Was this Mike Marshall's sister? An internet search found this obituary http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fdlreporter/obituary.aspx?pid=156915513#fbLoggedOut
She was indeed Mike's sister.
It seems that many in our class had older siblings that also graduated in 1967. Perhaps some may have been cousins, but these siblings appear to be Elizabeth Ahlers (sister of Jackie), Duane Allison (brother of Marilyn?), Dennis Baker (Kayla's brother), Joyce Berge (David's sister), Mary Ann Berkland (Arlo and Arlys?), Phil Bjordahl (Joan), Tom Boggs (Larry), Ralph Bortnem (Mark), Dave Bozied (Tom), Richard Brown (Danny?), Dave Cavanaugh (Sue?), Bonnie Christie (Peggy?), Brian Darnall (Sharon), Brad Hamilton (Kim), Peter Hauff (Barb), Barb Hendricks (Nancy?), Ruth Herrig (Jim), Chuch Hoekman (Kay), Steve Holm (Dan), Dexter Johnson (Brian), Mary Ellen Josephson (Nancy?--she must have moved before graduating), Beth Kallemeyn (Bob), Tony Koenders (Greg), Lee Kratochvil (Mark), Jay Leibel (Alan), Terry Liebing (Dan), Catherine Linder (Barb), Linda Mehegan (Patty), JoAnn Person (Janette), Steve Quincey (Pat?), Jan Roberts (Gawain), Susan Robish (Pat?), Tom Simmons (Brenda), Anita Sloat (Donna), Jim Steen (Susan?), Bob Sterud (Martha?), Bob and Bill Sturdevant (Diane), Ron Thompson (Rick?), Ann Thysell (Karen), Brian Walsh (Jackie), Bob Wakeman (Jim), Jim Wright (Georgia). If there are any other additions or corrections, please let me know.
During the second semester of our junior year, my part-time job was working at the post office. The postmaster at the time was Tom Lyons, father of Kris. At first, my hours were only from 5:30 AM -8:00AM on Saturdays mornings. After a while, Tuesdays during the same time slot were added. Eventually Thursdays were also on the schedule. (Maybe that is why it was difficult to stay awak in some classes on those days). One of the part-time employees was Oran Sattler, a student and a gymnast at SDSU. He was quite helpful in teaching me the procedures at the post office, and eventually married Mike's sister Ginny.
The father of Mike and Ginny was Dr. Stan Marshall, the Athletic Director at SDSU. I believe he was appointed to that position in 1965. The 1967 Bobcat notes that Ginny Marshall transferred from Dearborn, Michigan. If memory is right, Dr. Marshall received his doctorate from Wayne State University in Michigan. For a number of years in the 70's and 80's, Mrs. Marshall was a secretary and aide at the high school.
Our belated thoughts and prayers go out to Mike and his family.
She was indeed Mike's sister.
It seems that many in our class had older siblings that also graduated in 1967. Perhaps some may have been cousins, but these siblings appear to be Elizabeth Ahlers (sister of Jackie), Duane Allison (brother of Marilyn?), Dennis Baker (Kayla's brother), Joyce Berge (David's sister), Mary Ann Berkland (Arlo and Arlys?), Phil Bjordahl (Joan), Tom Boggs (Larry), Ralph Bortnem (Mark), Dave Bozied (Tom), Richard Brown (Danny?), Dave Cavanaugh (Sue?), Bonnie Christie (Peggy?), Brian Darnall (Sharon), Brad Hamilton (Kim), Peter Hauff (Barb), Barb Hendricks (Nancy?), Ruth Herrig (Jim), Chuch Hoekman (Kay), Steve Holm (Dan), Dexter Johnson (Brian), Mary Ellen Josephson (Nancy?--she must have moved before graduating), Beth Kallemeyn (Bob), Tony Koenders (Greg), Lee Kratochvil (Mark), Jay Leibel (Alan), Terry Liebing (Dan), Catherine Linder (Barb), Linda Mehegan (Patty), JoAnn Person (Janette), Steve Quincey (Pat?), Jan Roberts (Gawain), Susan Robish (Pat?), Tom Simmons (Brenda), Anita Sloat (Donna), Jim Steen (Susan?), Bob Sterud (Martha?), Bob and Bill Sturdevant (Diane), Ron Thompson (Rick?), Ann Thysell (Karen), Brian Walsh (Jackie), Bob Wakeman (Jim), Jim Wright (Georgia). If there are any other additions or corrections, please let me know.
During the second semester of our junior year, my part-time job was working at the post office. The postmaster at the time was Tom Lyons, father of Kris. At first, my hours were only from 5:30 AM -8:00AM on Saturdays mornings. After a while, Tuesdays during the same time slot were added. Eventually Thursdays were also on the schedule. (Maybe that is why it was difficult to stay awak in some classes on those days). One of the part-time employees was Oran Sattler, a student and a gymnast at SDSU. He was quite helpful in teaching me the procedures at the post office, and eventually married Mike's sister Ginny.
The father of Mike and Ginny was Dr. Stan Marshall, the Athletic Director at SDSU. I believe he was appointed to that position in 1965. The 1967 Bobcat notes that Ginny Marshall transferred from Dearborn, Michigan. If memory is right, Dr. Marshall received his doctorate from Wayne State University in Michigan. For a number of years in the 70's and 80's, Mrs. Marshall was a secretary and aide at the high school.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Carmi Odegaard and Jim Marking Pass Away
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Steve Odegaard and his family. Recently, Carmi Odegaard, Steve's father, passed away. http://osheimschmidt.com/sitemaker/sites/OSHEIM1/obit.cgi?page=profile§ion=info&user_id=875635 Steve attended Hillcrest, so I did not become acquainted with him until we were in the same classes in 7th grade. We also had the same classes in 8th grade, and most of our others years in the school system. We became rather good friends during our Jr.-Sr. High days. We were on the same basketball teams from 8th through junior varsity. JV. especially, was a fun time.
In 9th grade, we were placed into homerooms according to the alphabet. Each HR selected one person to run for Jr. Hi student body president. For some unknown reason, I was selected in our HR. Steve was my "campaign manager". After the election, Lefty Johnson went around to our classes, pulled those of us who ran out of class for a few minutes, and told us who won and how many votes we each received. Kevin (O'Connell) won, Tom (Bozied) was second. I think I had all of two votes. I don't recall who the others were. If anyone has that information handy, please make a comment and I will update this post.
Steve's dad had a number of jokes that were truly hilarious and clean. Many of them poked fun at his Norwegian heritage. HIs dad also had a big Chrysler, a 1958 model if memory serves me correctly. We spent many hours driving around in that. I seem to recall riding around around in a green and white Dodge Coronet (?), perhaps 1956 vintage, that Steve had in high school. There was also an early 1960's Pontiac Tempest, and later a Ford Falcon. I think we took the Falcon to Minneapolis to watch the Twins play baseball when we were in college.
A memorable period in high school was the time Steve and Tom owned the driving range, just south of the drive-in. Many of us spent numerous hours out there, particularly during the summer of 1968.
We would hang out there, and hit a bunch of golf balls, but we had to go out and pick them up afterwards. Today, there are a number of apartments on that parcel of land.
Steve's younger brother Les played football at SDSU, and later coached in Rapid City. I sometimes ran into him at coaching clinics and at track meets. Joe, Steve's youngest brother, was 10 years younger than we were. He was a student and athlete of ours during his school days. Lee Colburn also had a younger brother, Jon, in that same class, while Susan Redmond (Zimmerman) had a younger sister, Teresa, in that class. They were some of my first students when I started teaching in 1973.
Also passing away was Jim Marking (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=875907Marking). I believe his wife, who passed away ten months ago, was Rodney Koehn's aunt. Coach Marking was the men's basketball coach at SDSU when we were in high school and college. His teams were known for their intensity. They were much fun to watch, as they like to fast-break at every opportunity, and were capable of scoring quickly and in bunches. Lee was a great fit for Coach Marking's style of play. In high school, Coach Thury said that if we were a little winded, that we could take it easy on offense and rest a little bit if we needed to, but that we should never rest on defense. Otherwise, the opponents would likely score. Lee, though, had a different approach. He said something like "I might be too tired to play defense, but I'm never too tired to play offense." That attitude was why he was so fun to watch. I was fortunate enough to get to know him somewhat; he was a tremendous influence on me and many others that were in his basketball coaching class at SDSU. His eldest child Nancy was a little younger than we were. She married Marty Johnson, Lefty's son (a fine tennis player). Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Marking family.
In 9th grade, we were placed into homerooms according to the alphabet. Each HR selected one person to run for Jr. Hi student body president. For some unknown reason, I was selected in our HR. Steve was my "campaign manager". After the election, Lefty Johnson went around to our classes, pulled those of us who ran out of class for a few minutes, and told us who won and how many votes we each received. Kevin (O'Connell) won, Tom (Bozied) was second. I think I had all of two votes. I don't recall who the others were. If anyone has that information handy, please make a comment and I will update this post.
Steve's dad had a number of jokes that were truly hilarious and clean. Many of them poked fun at his Norwegian heritage. HIs dad also had a big Chrysler, a 1958 model if memory serves me correctly. We spent many hours driving around in that. I seem to recall riding around around in a green and white Dodge Coronet (?), perhaps 1956 vintage, that Steve had in high school. There was also an early 1960's Pontiac Tempest, and later a Ford Falcon. I think we took the Falcon to Minneapolis to watch the Twins play baseball when we were in college.
A memorable period in high school was the time Steve and Tom owned the driving range, just south of the drive-in. Many of us spent numerous hours out there, particularly during the summer of 1968.
We would hang out there, and hit a bunch of golf balls, but we had to go out and pick them up afterwards. Today, there are a number of apartments on that parcel of land.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The Mother of Jim Antonides Passes Away
Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Jim Antonides on the passing of his mother, Marion Antonides, on January 7, 2013. The complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=862440Antonides. Jim was in our catechism class at St. Thomas More from kindergarten through high school. He attended Hillcrest, so I never really got to know him very well. Even in junior high and high school, our paths, unfortunately, seldom crossed. Up until a few years ago, I would see Mrs. Antonides quite often at church. She really was a very special individual.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
It's been quite a while since I checked in on this blog. Recent efforts to connect with people from the area brought me back, it seems.
I see that some folks have noticed the '67 Bobcat online. There are some pages missing from that one, including what were, in the original, pages 96 and 97, though I think they would have been between 93 and 94 of the online version. These are the first two pages of pictures of the junior class, and include both my brother Rob Dimit and Dave Adamson, both of whom became relevant in my communications.
Both of them were members of a band called the Military Pickle, along with Georgia Wright's older brother Jim, David Bugg, and John Behrend. Eric Lagerstrom, who moved to town in '66 or so, was also in that band. He came around to the high school and gave a performance or two of flamenco guitar and, as I recall, my brother corrupted him and got him to play rock and roll. Eric taught most of the good guitar players to come out of Brookings during the next few years and, I recently learned, had also been teaching drums and some keyboards. I've heard that Stan Lorenz was one of his drum students.
Anyway, John Behrend is looking for pictures of the Pickle and/or its various members. To put all our begs in one ask-it, we would also appreciate any pictures of:
The Outsiders (John, Jim Wright, Dave Adamson, and a pair of Bortnem twins--a band later re-named Specter when a nationally known band used the other name):
The Last Rites (Rob Dimit, Dave Bugg, John Richards, Jim May, and Steve Miller--the one from our class);
The Strangers (don't remember all members there, but Doug Lund, Gordon Johnson, Curt Lee and I were among them);
Touch (Hal Marken, Gordon Johnson, Stan Lorenz, Susie Whipple, Dave somebody from SDSU playing sax, and I);
Fresh Grass (Bob Kenny, Gordon Johnson, Rick Lundquist, Mark Denton, and I--later exchanging Mark for Doug Lund);
The (early) Ride (Fresh Grass simply changed our name a bit after Doug joined, and several months later Bill Williams replaced me);
The (later) Ride (many different configurations existed, and pictures from the time when Jim Wright was doing his "Singing Light Man" routine or after he took up drumming duties would be most appreciated)
Cocoon (some configuration of Lyle Behrend, Tom Burchill, Mike Barnes, Tom Barnes, Jay Flora, and Eric Adams--all Brookings folk several years younger than we. There was another band with many of the same members, but the name eludes me as I type.);
The Harvey Wallbanger Big Time Show Band (a house band at the Last Step ~1971 comprising at one point John Behrend, Stan Lorenz, "Jake" Jacobsen, David Law, Larry Gruseth and I but also including Hal Marken at some time);
Little Henry (Al Leiffort, Steve Ahles, Al Remund, Tom Villa, Bruce Kelly and I for a time, later including John Behrend and, briefly, Brian Gallagher who played trumpet for a time before his appendix burst and killed him--there were other members later as well, but these are the configurations we would be most interested in).
We would, of course, be pleasantly astonished if anyone has recordings of these groups and is willing to share.
If anyone has pictures of Eric Lagerstrom's teaching time/place, that might be nice as well. I never took lessons from him so don't really have any idea of what his setup might have been.
If you aren't in direct communication with John, you can contact me at bedlamm@hotmail.com if you have relevant stuff. Actually, you probably can whether you do have or not, but I don't know why you would want to.
Beatty (Ed) Dimt
I see that some folks have noticed the '67 Bobcat online. There are some pages missing from that one, including what were, in the original, pages 96 and 97, though I think they would have been between 93 and 94 of the online version. These are the first two pages of pictures of the junior class, and include both my brother Rob Dimit and Dave Adamson, both of whom became relevant in my communications.
Both of them were members of a band called the Military Pickle, along with Georgia Wright's older brother Jim, David Bugg, and John Behrend. Eric Lagerstrom, who moved to town in '66 or so, was also in that band. He came around to the high school and gave a performance or two of flamenco guitar and, as I recall, my brother corrupted him and got him to play rock and roll. Eric taught most of the good guitar players to come out of Brookings during the next few years and, I recently learned, had also been teaching drums and some keyboards. I've heard that Stan Lorenz was one of his drum students.
Anyway, John Behrend is looking for pictures of the Pickle and/or its various members. To put all our begs in one ask-it, we would also appreciate any pictures of:
The Outsiders (John, Jim Wright, Dave Adamson, and a pair of Bortnem twins--a band later re-named Specter when a nationally known band used the other name):
The Last Rites (Rob Dimit, Dave Bugg, John Richards, Jim May, and Steve Miller--the one from our class);
The Strangers (don't remember all members there, but Doug Lund, Gordon Johnson, Curt Lee and I were among them);
Touch (Hal Marken, Gordon Johnson, Stan Lorenz, Susie Whipple, Dave somebody from SDSU playing sax, and I);
Fresh Grass (Bob Kenny, Gordon Johnson, Rick Lundquist, Mark Denton, and I--later exchanging Mark for Doug Lund);
The (early) Ride (Fresh Grass simply changed our name a bit after Doug joined, and several months later Bill Williams replaced me);
The (later) Ride (many different configurations existed, and pictures from the time when Jim Wright was doing his "Singing Light Man" routine or after he took up drumming duties would be most appreciated)
Cocoon (some configuration of Lyle Behrend, Tom Burchill, Mike Barnes, Tom Barnes, Jay Flora, and Eric Adams--all Brookings folk several years younger than we. There was another band with many of the same members, but the name eludes me as I type.);
The Harvey Wallbanger Big Time Show Band (a house band at the Last Step ~1971 comprising at one point John Behrend, Stan Lorenz, "Jake" Jacobsen, David Law, Larry Gruseth and I but also including Hal Marken at some time);
Little Henry (Al Leiffort, Steve Ahles, Al Remund, Tom Villa, Bruce Kelly and I for a time, later including John Behrend and, briefly, Brian Gallagher who played trumpet for a time before his appendix burst and killed him--there were other members later as well, but these are the configurations we would be most interested in).
We would, of course, be pleasantly astonished if anyone has recordings of these groups and is willing to share.
If anyone has pictures of Eric Lagerstrom's teaching time/place, that might be nice as well. I never took lessons from him so don't really have any idea of what his setup might have been.
If you aren't in direct communication with John, you can contact me at bedlamm@hotmail.com if you have relevant stuff. Actually, you probably can whether you do have or not, but I don't know why you would want to.
Beatty (Ed) Dimt
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
End of the Year News
It's been a while since we have posted. In that time, some noteworthy events have transpired A number of people close to us have passed away (sorry to be the bearer of such bad news). Tom Osterberg's aunt passed away on Nov. 10, 2012 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=818272Melcher).
James Dornbush passed away on Nov. 23. He was a professor in the civil engineering department at SDSU. Those of us who were civil engineering students after high school may have had him as a tprofessor(http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=827889Dornbush).
Passing away on Dec. 9 was Marion Finn (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=840578Finn). Her oldest boys Jim and John were a little older that we were. Her youngest daughter Patti was an outstanding athlete in the early days of girls' athletics in South Dakota. She is still part of many track and field records at BHS, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. Those of us who attended St. Thomas More probably had her as a catechism teacher. 8th grade seems to stick in my mind.
Steve Kron passed away on Dec. 14 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=844669Kron). He was two years behind us in school, and was an outstanding bowler and good friend of Stew Linn during those heyday years when they were burning up the alleys at the Prairie Lanes. I became somewhat close to him because he lived across the street at first the Revell Apartments, then the Hendricks Apartments, and finally, the Burkhardt Apartments. That building has since been moved to second street south a couple of blocks west of Southside Park because there is a new government building occupying most of the block where the apartments were located. He also was a custodian in the school system for many years.
The mother of Harry Rossow passed away on Dec. 22 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=854632Rossow). Harry and his family moved here our sophomore year. Harry was our tough and dependable catcher on our slo-pitch softball team, Aurora Body Shop. If memory serves me right, he was also a fine lineman on our Bobcat football team. In my first year of teaching, Harry's younger brother Kurt was a student in one of my 8th gradae science classes.
Wilma Herold passed away on Dec. 23 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=855205Herold). Her oldest son Bill was a year ahead of us in school (a member of the first class to graduate from the new high school), while twins Dan and Doug were a year or so behind us. Those three were on some of my little league baseball teams. Two of the younger girls, Jodie and Lori, were also our students in their middle school years. Some of her grandchildren were also our students.
Dr. Robert Wahlstrom passed away on Dec. 25 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=855686Walstrom). He had a couple of sons, Robert and Jim, that were a little older than we were. He later married Erma Vandall. I believe she was the mother of classmate Scotty Vandall.
Darlene Hofer passed away on Dec. 28 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=857305Hofer). Her oldest son was Steve Niklason, a couple of years older than we were. He was the catcher on my first little league baseball team. Her other son was Allen Hofer, a year behind us in school. He was one of the few juniors on our basketball team when we finished second to Rapid City Central in 1969, and was also quite a fine baseball player.
James Dornbush passed away on Nov. 23. He was a professor in the civil engineering department at SDSU. Those of us who were civil engineering students after high school may have had him as a tprofessor(http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=827889Dornbush).
Passing away on Dec. 9 was Marion Finn (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=840578Finn). Her oldest boys Jim and John were a little older that we were. Her youngest daughter Patti was an outstanding athlete in the early days of girls' athletics in South Dakota. She is still part of many track and field records at BHS, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. Those of us who attended St. Thomas More probably had her as a catechism teacher. 8th grade seems to stick in my mind.
Steve Kron passed away on Dec. 14 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=844669Kron). He was two years behind us in school, and was an outstanding bowler and good friend of Stew Linn during those heyday years when they were burning up the alleys at the Prairie Lanes. I became somewhat close to him because he lived across the street at first the Revell Apartments, then the Hendricks Apartments, and finally, the Burkhardt Apartments. That building has since been moved to second street south a couple of blocks west of Southside Park because there is a new government building occupying most of the block where the apartments were located. He also was a custodian in the school system for many years.
The mother of Harry Rossow passed away on Dec. 22 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=854632Rossow). Harry and his family moved here our sophomore year. Harry was our tough and dependable catcher on our slo-pitch softball team, Aurora Body Shop. If memory serves me right, he was also a fine lineman on our Bobcat football team. In my first year of teaching, Harry's younger brother Kurt was a student in one of my 8th gradae science classes.
Wilma Herold passed away on Dec. 23 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=855205Herold). Her oldest son Bill was a year ahead of us in school (a member of the first class to graduate from the new high school), while twins Dan and Doug were a year or so behind us. Those three were on some of my little league baseball teams. Two of the younger girls, Jodie and Lori, were also our students in their middle school years. Some of her grandchildren were also our students.
Dr. Robert Wahlstrom passed away on Dec. 25 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=855686Walstrom). He had a couple of sons, Robert and Jim, that were a little older than we were. He later married Erma Vandall. I believe she was the mother of classmate Scotty Vandall.
Darlene Hofer passed away on Dec. 28 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=857305Hofer). Her oldest son was Steve Niklason, a couple of years older than we were. He was the catcher on my first little league baseball team. Her other son was Allen Hofer, a year behind us in school. He was one of the few juniors on our basketball team when we finished second to Rapid City Central in 1969, and was also quite a fine baseball player.
Our condolences and prayers go out these wonderful people and also to all of those who have lost loved ones during this past year.
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