In 1934, the population of Brookings would have been about 4,700 or so (The census for 1930 was 4,376, and for 1940 it was 5,346, an increase of 22.2%). Statewide, though, the population decreased 7.2% during that same time, from 692,849 to 642,961. Among the 4,700 residents of Brookings were 130 students entering their senior year at BHS. What might the student population at the college have been? My meager computer skills were unable to find that figure, but would a good guess be around 500 to 600?
The statewide decrease in population can be attributed to the weather, the dirty 30's, that so many likely heard about as we were growing up (http://truedakotan.com/photos/true-dakotan-photo-gallery/the-worst-day-of-the-dirty-thirties/). As juniors, we read about the plight of the Joad family as they left Oklahoma in search of a better life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath).
The 1934-35 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228488?page=0) followed the same format as previous years. The classes that were taught by the staff of 20 teachers were English, French, music, ag, home ec, science, geometry, Latin, PE, math, history, commercial, and manual training. On the school board were some prominent citizens of their day who left their mark on the community. Mr. Bibby was the president, while two of the other five members were Mr. Bartling and Mr. Doner. Mr. Bibby had the dairy, Mr. Bartling was associated with the furniture store and funeral home, while Mr. Doner was a key figure on campus. The Doner Auditorium in the Administration Building was named in his honor.
The seniors that may have some connections to those in our class might be Marien Alexander, Avis Bortnem, Robert Lee, William Prussman, Clarice Sterud, Boyd Vick. A few other seniors who piqued my interest were the three Houglands: Euneva, Geneva, and Gladys. There was a Hougland family that was a neighbor of ours for a number of years. Mrs. Hougland had been a one-room country school teacher, and when consolidation took place in the early 60's, she taught at Central for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hougland have passed away, and the house is now being restored to its original condition by the Fishback family. There is also listed a Hazel Norton. Might this be a sister of Bob Norton, who worked many years in the clothing business, as did "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's dad (more on him later)? He definitely worked at Fergen's, and may also have been employed at Quail's and Wilson's. There was also a Ruby Pickett. Roger Pickett was employed at the Post Office for a number of years. Would there be some kinship between those two?
The next Bobcat annual listed on this website (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192?startYear=1965&endYear=1969&type=DisplayChannel&cp=aff&s=80481&a_tid=79648&communityId=9192&hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1416941831688) is for the year 1939. Some juniors listed in the 1935 Bobcat that may be known to us are Harvey Behrend, Vernon Rude, Omar Otterness, Vivian Ray, Ernest Steen.
One of Harvey's sons Phil was a year ahead of us in school. Another son John graduated in 1967. Was their older sister Janet, who graduated in 1965? Vernon Rude is from the Rude family having the furniture store and funeral home. If memory serves correctly, he was also the country coroner for a number of years. Vivian Ray's father owned Ray's Drugstore. She, too, became a pharmacist I believe. She married Walt Distad, and was the mother of Linda (class of '66) and Rod (class of '70).
Mentioned in a previous post were three, and perhaps four, members of the sophomore class of 1935 who were parents of our classmates. Others who may be of interest are Orville Berkland, Elizabeth Bibby, Arnold deBlonk, John Durland, Kenneth Linn, Doug and James Rosheim, Dorothy Sexauer, Erwin Steen, Judith Vick, Lorran Sterud, and Wayne Waltz. Missing from the sophomore class are Naiem Bozied, father of Tom, and Elsie Clark, father of Emmett Earley, Jr.
Is Arnold deBlonk the father of Arnie deBlonk who was a year ahead of us in school? He was also in our Cub Scout troop when we were in grade school.
Does anybody remember Mike and Pat Durland? Mike was in our class, while Pat was a year ahead of us. The lived on a farm south of town, and moved (to Idaho?) around 1966. Did the building of Interstate 29 take away a good portion of their farmland, causing them to move elsewhere? In a book on the history of the Catholic Church in Brookings, Jack McClemans, father of Mike (who was also in our Cub Scout troop and a year ahead of us in school), notes that on Sunday afternoons, the priest, Fr. Dooley, would ride his horse and buggy "to the Floyd Durland farm where he spent the night and said Mass and heard confessions on Monday morning...On Monday afternoon, he continued east to my great-grandmother's home, known as the O'Brien homestead. He spent Monday night with them...On Tuesday he headed north toward Aurora...By the middle of the week, his journey would lead him back to Brookings." Mike and Pat were in our catechism classes at church, and their uncle Bob was in the ag engineering department on campus. Bob played football in the early 50's on some fine Jackrabbit teams. There used to be an alumni football game to start the season; Bob played until he was perhaps 35.
Wayne Waltz would later become the owner of Waltz Construction (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=385180) . They have done a number of large projects in Brookings.
Was Kenneth Linn the father of Stew? Was Judith Vick the aunt of Patty? Were the Rosheim boys related to the Rosheim triplets (Joe, Mark, and Myron) who were a couple of years behind us in school?
The freshmen that year that may have some connections to our class include Betty and David Alexander, Art Behrend, Meryl Beals, Albert Bortnem, Morrell Connelly, James Finn, June Grommersch, Ray Horn, Mildred Moad, Duane Rude, Delmer Pittenger, Leon Steen, and Grace Wilber.
Art Behrend was the wife of Barb Behrend. She was the secretary for "Lefty" Johnson for a number of years. Their children were Patsy, Tom, Don, and Rob. Robb was quite a bit younger, graduating around 1980, while the others graduated in the early to mid 60's.
Does anybody remember Clara Beals? She lived in a big old house on 6th Street, a couple of blocks west of the swimming pool. It wasn't the prettiest house around; we may have even thought it was haunted when we were younger. Would Meryl Beals any relation?
James Finn (http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3136&page=80) was the father of Jim, John (http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WISTCROI/2002-09/1031001687), Mary, Dan, and Patti. Jim and John were a couple of years older than we were. Patti graduated in 1980, and became one of the outstanding athletes ever at BHS. She was on some state championship track and field teams, set a number of records in track and field, some of which still stand today, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. James' wife Marion (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16363&page=80) was one of our catechism teachers (8th grade?) at church.
Morrell Connelly, better known as "Buck", is the father of Robyn. His father was the chief of police in Brookings for a number of years. Buck served his country admirably in WWII, and was richly rewarded for his bravery (http://en.ww2awards.com/person/38625).
June Grommersch, I believe, married Clyde Helsper, and is the mother of Rich Helsper of the BHS class of 1970. Didn't Mrs. Helsper play the organ at the Catholic Church for a number of years?
Ray Horn (http://www.millerfh.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=780132) was the husband of Jeannette Horn, who taught sophomore English at BHS for about 20 years, from the early 60's to the early 80's (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2014/11/crazy-lady-day-at-bhs.html#comment-form).
One rather striking athletic fact is that the football team played the "State" frosh, only losing 21-6. Bobcat Day that year was on Saturday, Oct. 13, with the football game taking place at 3:00 at State Field. After the game, which Flandreau Indians won by a score of 13-7, the Bobcat Day Banquet was held in the basement of the Methodist Church. In attendance were the Flandreau football team, coach, and principal, as well as BHS students, teachers, and alumni.
Some of the track and field records would still be competitive in many meets today. Perhaps the most amazing one is the football throw of 196' 6". That's over 65 yards! It was interesting, too, that intramural track and field was required for sophomores and freshmen. When we were sophomores, the 1967 Bobcat had this little item on the varsity track team: "Is compulsory track the thing for Brookings High School? We did beat Volga and Clear Lake in a triangular meet but then again we were beaten by Madison and we failed to do well at the Madison Invitational. Bob Adams set a record in the low hurdles, and Alan C. Parker set one in the 2 mile run, probably because this was the first year for this event. Bob Adams and Jay Leibel qualified for the State Meet and both placed. Adams took fourth in the low hurdles and Leibel took fifth in the high jump."
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Surprises In 1934
The 1934 "Bobcat" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=0) had a format similar to that of previous years. Upon closer inspection, however, there were some pleasant surprises. There was a brief history of the school system which had been organized in the winter of 1879-80. There would be three months of school, two in the spring and one in the fall. The salary for the teacher would be $20/ month, plus board. The first classes were held at the home of an Ole Mark (must not have had an Ole Olson in town). The first school census (no year is given) listed 79 children, while the enrollment in 1934 was 1,110. I was unable to find the present enrollment, but I believe it is in the 2,800 range. An interesting comment was that the school was experiencing crowded conditions, and there will definitely be a need for more rooms in the future. Some things never seem to change, as a new elementary school is being built south of town (https://dakotaprairie.shutterfly.com/).
The list of seniors include some familiar names: two Adamson girls, Ardell and June (Glenda's aunts?); George Bartling (his daughter was a student of ours a number of years ago); Ruby Berge (David's aunt?); Sylvia Berkland (relative of Arlo and Arlys?); Mildred Duff; Ken Harvey (I believe he was the country treasure for a number of years); Ruth Otterness, Ernest Nussbaum (there was Rollo Nussbaum a couple of years ahead of us); Leone Pittenger (wasn't there a Rev. Pittenger, maybe at the Methodist Church?); Bert Rude ( of Rude's Furniture and Funeral Home family); Orella Telkamp; Archie Vick (Patty's uncle?); and Helen Wilber (Cathy's aunt?).
There were three plays that year: the Jr. Class play, the Sr. class play, and a combined Jr.-Sr. class play. The latter was "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest).
Those two classes had individual pictures, while the freshman and sophomore classes were group pictures of individual homerooms. On closer inspection, the freshman class that year contained a few parents of our classmates: Robert Bates (father of Patsy); Naiem Bozied (father of Tom); Elsie Clark (mother of Emmett Earley, Jr.). Also in that class was Chris Jensen. Would this have been Joe Jensen's father? Joe had an older brother named Chris, so perhaps this would the father of these two.
The football and basketball teams appear to have struggled. The football team was 1-5-1. They beat Yankton, tied Madison, and lost to Milbank, Flandreau, Watertown, Huron, and Sioux Falls. They had trouble finding the end zone, as they were outscored 159-18. The homecoming game was against Watertown on Saturday, Nov. 4. The game must have been played early in the day, as there was a banquet in the Methodist Church after the game. Toasts were given by Harold Burandt, a senior on the team; BHS Coach Coffey; the captain of the Watertown team; Coach Flug (Watertown's coach?); and the principal of Watertown High School. 220 tickets were sold, and the Watertown team was in attendance as the guests of the Bobcats. The dance, which was graced with many Watertown students, was held in the high school gym (the Pit?) after the banquet. Could anyone imagining something like this happening today or when we were in school?
Basketball fared somewhat better, having a 4-9 win-loss record. The annual was printed before the track and field season was completed, but there were about 100 boys out for the sport. Those numbers are extraordinary; the high school today would be doing well to get the same number of participants in a combined boys and girls program.
The intramural program included basketball, volleyball, track and field, and kittenball, a kind of softball (http://hdwebpros.com/blog/the-history-of-kittenball.html ). When David Johnson organized our slo-pitch team after high school, we used a 16 inch ball (it was like playing with a cantaloupe) and played without gloves for a few years. This was known as the "Chicago rules." Within a few years, gloves were allowed (to reduce the number of dislocated, broken, and jammed fingers), and eventually, the smaller 12 inch softball was used.
There was also a new club at school called the 100 mile club. Every day for one week, a boy would run one-half of a mile. Each week after that, he could add another one-half mile, until he was up to a maximum of three miles daily. When he had totaled 100 miles, then he was in the club. If one does the math, a boy might reach that goal in eight weeks. Since jogging became popular in the 60's, could it be said that BHS was the forerunner (no pun intended) of a worldwide phenomena and fitness boom?
Although the girls did not have the opportunity to participate competitively as the boys did, there was the Girls Athletic Association (GAA). Their various activities and sports included ping pong, soccer, basketball, tumbling, baseball, tennis, deck tennis, horseshoes, and hiking. In September, there was treasure hunt that ended in Fishback's pasture. Some of us boys recall playing basketball in the winter in Fishback's barn before we were on the school teams. The sole "open gym" that existed back then was the National Guard Armory, and that was available only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on three weekends a month. If we wanted to play outside in the winter, we had to play in someone's driveway or go to Fishback's barn. When it was really cold, the choice was not too difficult to make. There was even a light in the barn, so we could play at night if we so desired.
The commercial department offered courses in typing, shorthand, commercial arithmetic, and commercial law. Are similar courses even offered at the high school level anymore?
The conclusion of the school year was highlighted by the Jr. Sr. Banquet and Prom, held in the Hotel Dudley (The Bates Hotel at the corner of 3rd St. and 3rd Ave., just north of the Sawnee and a block west of Main. It was razed in the early 60's).
A couple of interesting items in the yearbook were the Hall of Fame and the High School Commandments. The Hall of Fame consisted of members in these categories: most popular boy and girl; most representative boy and girl; most independent girl; best athlete; wittiest; prettiest girl; peppiest; and Scotchman (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=72). The commandments, it seems, were meant to be taken with a grain of salt, although for some, they could be taken rather seriously. #5, for example, is "Thou shalt not smoke," while #8 is "Thou shalt not skip thy classes on the days before Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, nor on the days after" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=76). With so much controversy on the naming of school vacation breaks, is it even permissible to mention Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas in a school publication without incurring the wrath of someone who may be offended by such terminology?
The list of seniors include some familiar names: two Adamson girls, Ardell and June (Glenda's aunts?); George Bartling (his daughter was a student of ours a number of years ago); Ruby Berge (David's aunt?); Sylvia Berkland (relative of Arlo and Arlys?); Mildred Duff; Ken Harvey (I believe he was the country treasure for a number of years); Ruth Otterness, Ernest Nussbaum (there was Rollo Nussbaum a couple of years ahead of us); Leone Pittenger (wasn't there a Rev. Pittenger, maybe at the Methodist Church?); Bert Rude ( of Rude's Furniture and Funeral Home family); Orella Telkamp; Archie Vick (Patty's uncle?); and Helen Wilber (Cathy's aunt?).
There were three plays that year: the Jr. Class play, the Sr. class play, and a combined Jr.-Sr. class play. The latter was "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest).
Those two classes had individual pictures, while the freshman and sophomore classes were group pictures of individual homerooms. On closer inspection, the freshman class that year contained a few parents of our classmates: Robert Bates (father of Patsy); Naiem Bozied (father of Tom); Elsie Clark (mother of Emmett Earley, Jr.). Also in that class was Chris Jensen. Would this have been Joe Jensen's father? Joe had an older brother named Chris, so perhaps this would the father of these two.
The football and basketball teams appear to have struggled. The football team was 1-5-1. They beat Yankton, tied Madison, and lost to Milbank, Flandreau, Watertown, Huron, and Sioux Falls. They had trouble finding the end zone, as they were outscored 159-18. The homecoming game was against Watertown on Saturday, Nov. 4. The game must have been played early in the day, as there was a banquet in the Methodist Church after the game. Toasts were given by Harold Burandt, a senior on the team; BHS Coach Coffey; the captain of the Watertown team; Coach Flug (Watertown's coach?); and the principal of Watertown High School. 220 tickets were sold, and the Watertown team was in attendance as the guests of the Bobcats. The dance, which was graced with many Watertown students, was held in the high school gym (the Pit?) after the banquet. Could anyone imagining something like this happening today or when we were in school?
Basketball fared somewhat better, having a 4-9 win-loss record. The annual was printed before the track and field season was completed, but there were about 100 boys out for the sport. Those numbers are extraordinary; the high school today would be doing well to get the same number of participants in a combined boys and girls program.
The intramural program included basketball, volleyball, track and field, and kittenball, a kind of softball (http://hdwebpros.com/blog/the-history-of-kittenball.html ). When David Johnson organized our slo-pitch team after high school, we used a 16 inch ball (it was like playing with a cantaloupe) and played without gloves for a few years. This was known as the "Chicago rules." Within a few years, gloves were allowed (to reduce the number of dislocated, broken, and jammed fingers), and eventually, the smaller 12 inch softball was used.
There was also a new club at school called the 100 mile club. Every day for one week, a boy would run one-half of a mile. Each week after that, he could add another one-half mile, until he was up to a maximum of three miles daily. When he had totaled 100 miles, then he was in the club. If one does the math, a boy might reach that goal in eight weeks. Since jogging became popular in the 60's, could it be said that BHS was the forerunner (no pun intended) of a worldwide phenomena and fitness boom?
Although the girls did not have the opportunity to participate competitively as the boys did, there was the Girls Athletic Association (GAA). Their various activities and sports included ping pong, soccer, basketball, tumbling, baseball, tennis, deck tennis, horseshoes, and hiking. In September, there was treasure hunt that ended in Fishback's pasture. Some of us boys recall playing basketball in the winter in Fishback's barn before we were on the school teams. The sole "open gym" that existed back then was the National Guard Armory, and that was available only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on three weekends a month. If we wanted to play outside in the winter, we had to play in someone's driveway or go to Fishback's barn. When it was really cold, the choice was not too difficult to make. There was even a light in the barn, so we could play at night if we so desired.
The commercial department offered courses in typing, shorthand, commercial arithmetic, and commercial law. Are similar courses even offered at the high school level anymore?
The conclusion of the school year was highlighted by the Jr. Sr. Banquet and Prom, held in the Hotel Dudley (The Bates Hotel at the corner of 3rd St. and 3rd Ave., just north of the Sawnee and a block west of Main. It was razed in the early 60's).
A couple of interesting items in the yearbook were the Hall of Fame and the High School Commandments. The Hall of Fame consisted of members in these categories: most popular boy and girl; most representative boy and girl; most independent girl; best athlete; wittiest; prettiest girl; peppiest; and Scotchman (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=72). The commandments, it seems, were meant to be taken with a grain of salt, although for some, they could be taken rather seriously. #5, for example, is "Thou shalt not smoke," while #8 is "Thou shalt not skip thy classes on the days before Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, nor on the days after" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228487?page=76). With so much controversy on the naming of school vacation breaks, is it even permissible to mention Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas in a school publication without incurring the wrath of someone who may be offended by such terminology?
Monday, November 17, 2014
Mr. Gibbons, Famous Actor
Is any 1960's stroll down BHS Memory Lane complete without a story about Mr. Gibbons? I don't think so! Did you know, for example, that Mr. Gibbons also performed improv theater while coaching football? Read on...
In the waning seconds of a closely-fought Watertown football game, we Bobcats were leading 7-6, which turned out to be the final score...but just barely.
Watertown was driving, on the Brookings 20-yard line. They called a timeout with about a minute to go. If they could get a first down, they could sustain the drive. In those days, only ONE player per team could come to the sideline and talk to the coach during a timeout. More than one would be a penalty, and such a penalty against the Bobcats would give Watertown crucial yardage and a first down. TWO of our defensive players headed for Mr. Gibbons for instructions. Yes, TWO, as in one too many. Mr. Gibbons saw the problem and started waving and yelling for one to go back to the huddle. Both guys kept a-comin'. An official was nearby, hand on flag, ready to toss.
Mr. Gibbons quickly came up with a plan. He randomly grabbed some startled player from the bench, shoved him onto the field of play, and told him to go join the huddle. When the other two players got to the sideline, Mr. Gibbons grabbed one of them and wordlessly tossed his surprised butt onto the bench. Mr. Gibbons was --see, Mr. Official,see?-- making a SUBSTITUTION during that timeout. Honest, Mr. Official, honest!
Mr. Gibbons then calmly went back to that second guy who had come to the sideline, chatting with him for the rest of the timeout. The official either bought the substitution subterfuge, or just plain enjoyed the comedy routine. He took his hand off the flag and walked away. Close call, no penalty, we stopped the drive, and won the game, in large part due to Mr. Gibbons' improv-theater skills.
Do you suppose there is an acting-class credit somewhere on Mr. Gibbons' college transcript? If so, it paid off that night in Watertown.
In the waning seconds of a closely-fought Watertown football game, we Bobcats were leading 7-6, which turned out to be the final score...but just barely.
Watertown was driving, on the Brookings 20-yard line. They called a timeout with about a minute to go. If they could get a first down, they could sustain the drive. In those days, only ONE player per team could come to the sideline and talk to the coach during a timeout. More than one would be a penalty, and such a penalty against the Bobcats would give Watertown crucial yardage and a first down. TWO of our defensive players headed for Mr. Gibbons for instructions. Yes, TWO, as in one too many. Mr. Gibbons saw the problem and started waving and yelling for one to go back to the huddle. Both guys kept a-comin'. An official was nearby, hand on flag, ready to toss.
Mr. Gibbons quickly came up with a plan. He randomly grabbed some startled player from the bench, shoved him onto the field of play, and told him to go join the huddle. When the other two players got to the sideline, Mr. Gibbons grabbed one of them and wordlessly tossed his surprised butt onto the bench. Mr. Gibbons was --see, Mr. Official,see?-- making a SUBSTITUTION during that timeout. Honest, Mr. Official, honest!
Mr. Gibbons then calmly went back to that second guy who had come to the sideline, chatting with him for the rest of the timeout. The official either bought the substitution subterfuge, or just plain enjoyed the comedy routine. He took his hand off the flag and walked away. Close call, no penalty, we stopped the drive, and won the game, in large part due to Mr. Gibbons' improv-theater skills.
Do you suppose there is an acting-class credit somewhere on Mr. Gibbons' college transcript? If so, it paid off that night in Watertown.
"Oklahoma" Revisited
Thinking once again about activities that were common to several classes of mid-'60s BHS students, the 1968 musical "Oklahoma" comes to mind. A check of 1968 yearbook pages 94-97 shows teachers and students of at least three classes pooling talents for the first BHS musical in many years. Was it the first BHS musical ever? Does anyone know of an earlier one? [This is where historian-extraordinaire Johnny I. enters the nearest phone booth, appearing seconds later wearing tights and a cape. He leaps. "Look! Up in the sky! It's.... SUPERmemoryMAN!"]
Back to "Oklahoma." Did you know....
....that we nearly had no period costumes for many of the "Oklahoma" actors? A week or so before the first performance, boxes of stock costumes and props from New York City had not arrived. A fire at a NYC post office building had delayed, and nearly consumed, our shipment. The boxes arrived just in time, several of which were scorched and sooty on the outside.
....that Lynda Bailey, who played Laurey to John Richards' Curley, attended a performance of "Oklahoma" at BHS in the 1990s and found out that they used the original backdrop and yellow house from 1968? Now that is quality construction, folks! Anyone here work on that set in 1968?
....that, as the vocal director and executive producer of the whole operation, Mr. Kline was one stressed-out guy by opening night? I don't recall noticing, though. Toward the end of the last performance, I mentioned to him backstage what a feather in his cap this production was, what a great memory he would have of his efforts, and was he not very proud? He shook his head and said how relieved he was that it was almost over; he had no idea when he suggested the musical, and offered to lead it, just how much work it would be.
....that there was actually VIDEO of one of the performances? A teacher had access to one of those new-fangled video tape machines. The machine was a monstrosity, but I remember being pleased, as was the basketball team a year later (Johnny I. mentioned this in an earlier blog), at how quickly a performance/game could be reviewed. The "Oklahoma" video vanished at some point. An attempt to locate it twenty years later turned up nothing.
....that the orchestra, down in that bona fide orchestra pit in that swanky new auditorium, was a top-notch bunch of high school musicians? June Williams led the way as first-violin concertmaster. A Brookings Register letter to the editor several days later pointed out the exceptional polish of that group. How great would it be to have that video tape today and be impressed all over again with that talented orchestra! Anyone here play in that orchestra?
....that, several weeks before the BHS "Oklahoma," cast and crew took buses to Marshall, MN, to watch Marshall High School perform the same musical? What a great way to get familiar with a show! Most impressive was the effort of the Brookings theater owner, ????, [Johnny I., help me out here] who, at his own expense, ordered up a matinee showing of the film version for cast and crew. We were prepared performers and producers by showtime!
There you have it. More memories of BHS teamwork and excellence, late '60's style!
Back to "Oklahoma." Did you know....
....that we nearly had no period costumes for many of the "Oklahoma" actors? A week or so before the first performance, boxes of stock costumes and props from New York City had not arrived. A fire at a NYC post office building had delayed, and nearly consumed, our shipment. The boxes arrived just in time, several of which were scorched and sooty on the outside.
....that Lynda Bailey, who played Laurey to John Richards' Curley, attended a performance of "Oklahoma" at BHS in the 1990s and found out that they used the original backdrop and yellow house from 1968? Now that is quality construction, folks! Anyone here work on that set in 1968?
....that, as the vocal director and executive producer of the whole operation, Mr. Kline was one stressed-out guy by opening night? I don't recall noticing, though. Toward the end of the last performance, I mentioned to him backstage what a feather in his cap this production was, what a great memory he would have of his efforts, and was he not very proud? He shook his head and said how relieved he was that it was almost over; he had no idea when he suggested the musical, and offered to lead it, just how much work it would be.
....that there was actually VIDEO of one of the performances? A teacher had access to one of those new-fangled video tape machines. The machine was a monstrosity, but I remember being pleased, as was the basketball team a year later (Johnny I. mentioned this in an earlier blog), at how quickly a performance/game could be reviewed. The "Oklahoma" video vanished at some point. An attempt to locate it twenty years later turned up nothing.
....that the orchestra, down in that bona fide orchestra pit in that swanky new auditorium, was a top-notch bunch of high school musicians? June Williams led the way as first-violin concertmaster. A Brookings Register letter to the editor several days later pointed out the exceptional polish of that group. How great would it be to have that video tape today and be impressed all over again with that talented orchestra! Anyone here play in that orchestra?
....that, several weeks before the BHS "Oklahoma," cast and crew took buses to Marshall, MN, to watch Marshall High School perform the same musical? What a great way to get familiar with a show! Most impressive was the effort of the Brookings theater owner, ????, [Johnny I., help me out here] who, at his own expense, ordered up a matinee showing of the film version for cast and crew. We were prepared performers and producers by showtime!
There you have it. More memories of BHS teamwork and excellence, late '60's style!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Old Yearbooks-1933
Was going to look more closely at some of the old yearbooks. It seems, though, that the site that has them for viewing has changed their policy somewhat. The pages had been displayed so that they could be rather easily read. Now, though, the size of the page has been cut down, so it is almost possible for an old codger like me to discern anything of importance in that small print. Will keep trying to see if this difficulty can be overcome.
You may have noticed that one of our new followers has had some wonderful posts. What a refreshing respite from the boring, hum-drum, babblings that have been the norm. We are pleased that he has joined us, and encourage any others to contribute little-known, well-known, or long-forgotten tales and sagas that might be pertinent. It's easy to comment, too, on these posts. If you feel that there is some misinformation, or that you can enhance and clarify some important points, please do so. Memories can get distorted over the years.
Was able to enlarge the print of the 1933 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/230664?page=0). The school board had five members. The president was I. J. Bibby, a familiar name to many of us. His daughter Mary Ellen was a senior that year. Also on the board was E. R. Bartling, owner of Bartling's Furniture. His son Lawrence, too, was a senior, and would be on the the school board some 20 years later in the 50's. In the back of the yearbook are some pages devoted to humor. One such joke concerns Lawrence, or, as he was generally known around Brookings, Lorne. In order to get the humor of this story, it needs to be remembered that furniture stores were usually the funeral parlors because they would make the caskets. The joke is in the form of a conversation.
"Now I want Lawrence to have a thoroughly modern
and up-to-date education," said Mrs. Bartling,
"including Latin."
"Yes, of course," said the headmaster, "though Latin,
as you know, is a dead language."
"Well, all the better," said Mrs. Bartling. "He is going
to be an undertaker."
In addition to Lawrence Bartling and Mary Ellen Bibby, some of the other seniors that may have some familiarity with us are Sadie Bortnem, Dan Finn, Bob Flittie, Anna Gunsalus, Helga Hegg, Charlotte Kabrud, Herbert Lakeman, Robert Lombard, Lemuel Melcher, Cecil Sanderson, and George Sterud. Cecil Sanderson was the father of a number of Sandersons, including Laun, class of 68, and Jan, class of 70 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338670). Herbert Lakeman was the father of Doug, class of 63, and Patty, class of 68. The Lakemans were our next-door neighbors for about 10 years. Both he and my father worked for the same company, James Wholesale, as did Lemuel "Sox" Melcher (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341256). Wasn't there a Wendy Melcher a year ahead of us when we were in Jr. Hi.?
Bobcat Day in 1932 was on Nov. 11. Unfortunately, the weather then must have been similar to the weather we are having presently, as the football game with Huron was cancelled due to the stormy conditions.
An interesting entry was the mention of an all-school dance, which was initiated the previous year. The student organizations listed were Latin club, Drama club, GAA, French club, Student Council, Broboca, Senior Sports Society, Monogram club (which only began in 1931), FFA, Commercial Department, and Debate. There were three plays: a Jr.-Sr. class play, a Jr. class play, and a Sr. class play. There was also an operetta. The basketball team finished runners-up to Marion in the state tournament (there was only one class at that time), losing 30-28. Lorne Bartling was an all-state player. Lorne had some younger brothers who also were talented athletes. The track record board listed Kabrud as a member of the half-mile relay team that set the standard in 1932. This must be Harley, our 7th grade geography teacher and father of Chip, class of 68. Also on that team was Wayne Albright, holder of the school record in the 220 yard dash. Would Bill Albright of the class of 68 be his son? Any relation to Carmen, also of the class of 68, and her brother Gerry of our class? One event that is no longer contested is the football throw. Don Loban holds the record at 166' 2 1/2". That's a little over half the length of the field. How would that stack up today?
You may have noticed that one of our new followers has had some wonderful posts. What a refreshing respite from the boring, hum-drum, babblings that have been the norm. We are pleased that he has joined us, and encourage any others to contribute little-known, well-known, or long-forgotten tales and sagas that might be pertinent. It's easy to comment, too, on these posts. If you feel that there is some misinformation, or that you can enhance and clarify some important points, please do so. Memories can get distorted over the years.
Was able to enlarge the print of the 1933 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/230664?page=0). The school board had five members. The president was I. J. Bibby, a familiar name to many of us. His daughter Mary Ellen was a senior that year. Also on the board was E. R. Bartling, owner of Bartling's Furniture. His son Lawrence, too, was a senior, and would be on the the school board some 20 years later in the 50's. In the back of the yearbook are some pages devoted to humor. One such joke concerns Lawrence, or, as he was generally known around Brookings, Lorne. In order to get the humor of this story, it needs to be remembered that furniture stores were usually the funeral parlors because they would make the caskets. The joke is in the form of a conversation.
"Now I want Lawrence to have a thoroughly modern
and up-to-date education," said Mrs. Bartling,
"including Latin."
"Yes, of course," said the headmaster, "though Latin,
as you know, is a dead language."
"Well, all the better," said Mrs. Bartling. "He is going
to be an undertaker."
In addition to Lawrence Bartling and Mary Ellen Bibby, some of the other seniors that may have some familiarity with us are Sadie Bortnem, Dan Finn, Bob Flittie, Anna Gunsalus, Helga Hegg, Charlotte Kabrud, Herbert Lakeman, Robert Lombard, Lemuel Melcher, Cecil Sanderson, and George Sterud. Cecil Sanderson was the father of a number of Sandersons, including Laun, class of 68, and Jan, class of 70 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338670). Herbert Lakeman was the father of Doug, class of 63, and Patty, class of 68. The Lakemans were our next-door neighbors for about 10 years. Both he and my father worked for the same company, James Wholesale, as did Lemuel "Sox" Melcher (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341256). Wasn't there a Wendy Melcher a year ahead of us when we were in Jr. Hi.?
Bobcat Day in 1932 was on Nov. 11. Unfortunately, the weather then must have been similar to the weather we are having presently, as the football game with Huron was cancelled due to the stormy conditions.
An interesting entry was the mention of an all-school dance, which was initiated the previous year. The student organizations listed were Latin club, Drama club, GAA, French club, Student Council, Broboca, Senior Sports Society, Monogram club (which only began in 1931), FFA, Commercial Department, and Debate. There were three plays: a Jr.-Sr. class play, a Jr. class play, and a Sr. class play. There was also an operetta. The basketball team finished runners-up to Marion in the state tournament (there was only one class at that time), losing 30-28. Lorne Bartling was an all-state player. Lorne had some younger brothers who also were talented athletes. The track record board listed Kabrud as a member of the half-mile relay team that set the standard in 1932. This must be Harley, our 7th grade geography teacher and father of Chip, class of 68. Also on that team was Wayne Albright, holder of the school record in the 220 yard dash. Would Bill Albright of the class of 68 be his son? Any relation to Carmen, also of the class of 68, and her brother Gerry of our class? One event that is no longer contested is the football throw. Don Loban holds the record at 166' 2 1/2". That's a little over half the length of the field. How would that stack up today?
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Crazy Lady Day at BHS
Here's hoping two posts in one day is not illegal...
One of my (many!) favorite BHS teachers was Mrs. Horn. Here is a recollection of her ability to make sophomore English class interesting.
Mrs. Horn always had one day a year when she went (pretend) stark raving mad at the beginning of a class period. Since she taught creative writing, her goal that day would be to present an interesting (as in over-the-top) scene for us to observe and then describe in an essay. When the bell rang to start our particular class's date with destiny, she stepped in from the hall and screamed at the top of her lungs. She did a couple of other weird things I, sadly, cannot remember. Ed Dimit's older brother, Rob, had the misfortune to giggle at her antics, so she took an eraser and bopped him on the head with it. Rob stopped giggling...and spent the rest of the hour with white hair. I was smirking away because I had been tipped off a year earlier, by older friend Doug Dahl, to expect this episode sometime during sophomore English, and this was obviously the moment. Mrs. Horn sensed I had inside information. She had a backup plan for such students, and "kicked me out of class." Not so coincidentally, Mr. Karnes just happened to be standing out in the hall, ready to take any in-the-know students (me, in this case) to the chemistry lab to wash bottles and beakers for the hour. So I spent that class period with my hands in dishwater, noticing what I thought was an unusual number of faculty members walking past the chemistry lab door. I remember thinking, "Wow, more teachers patrol the halls during class time than I realized!" It turned out that the faculty looked forward to this particular day every year. They would head for the hall outside the chemistry lab, compose themselves, walk by nonchalantly, say hi to the bewildered dish-washing dweeb inside, and continue walking to the teacher lounge, chuckling all the way. Once safely behind the closed door, I am guessing they indulged in what social media nowadays refers to as ROFL and LMAO behavior.
I hope that many Class of '69 members got to experience such an episode, too. I would assume Mrs. Horn kept doing the routine annually, until too many students knew about it ahead of time, at which point Mr. Karnes would probably have run out of beakers and bottles to be washed.
One of my (many!) favorite BHS teachers was Mrs. Horn. Here is a recollection of her ability to make sophomore English class interesting.
Mrs. Horn always had one day a year when she went (pretend) stark raving mad at the beginning of a class period. Since she taught creative writing, her goal that day would be to present an interesting (as in over-the-top) scene for us to observe and then describe in an essay. When the bell rang to start our particular class's date with destiny, she stepped in from the hall and screamed at the top of her lungs. She did a couple of other weird things I, sadly, cannot remember. Ed Dimit's older brother, Rob, had the misfortune to giggle at her antics, so she took an eraser and bopped him on the head with it. Rob stopped giggling...and spent the rest of the hour with white hair. I was smirking away because I had been tipped off a year earlier, by older friend Doug Dahl, to expect this episode sometime during sophomore English, and this was obviously the moment. Mrs. Horn sensed I had inside information. She had a backup plan for such students, and "kicked me out of class." Not so coincidentally, Mr. Karnes just happened to be standing out in the hall, ready to take any in-the-know students (me, in this case) to the chemistry lab to wash bottles and beakers for the hour. So I spent that class period with my hands in dishwater, noticing what I thought was an unusual number of faculty members walking past the chemistry lab door. I remember thinking, "Wow, more teachers patrol the halls during class time than I realized!" It turned out that the faculty looked forward to this particular day every year. They would head for the hall outside the chemistry lab, compose themselves, walk by nonchalantly, say hi to the bewildered dish-washing dweeb inside, and continue walking to the teacher lounge, chuckling all the way. Once safely behind the closed door, I am guessing they indulged in what social media nowadays refers to as ROFL and LMAO behavior.
I hope that many Class of '69 members got to experience such an episode, too. I would assume Mrs. Horn kept doing the routine annually, until too many students knew about it ahead of time, at which point Mr. Karnes would probably have run out of beakers and bottles to be washed.
Talking 'The Birds and the Bees' Here...
Here is a WayBack Machine memory for the class of 1969, freshman year. It might even be that some of you reading this blog were part of the group involved. If so, you have my respect and admiration; you performed brilliantly.
In 1965, we sophomores, class of 1968, all of us, ended up in the old auditorium for a lecture from school board member and medical doctor, Dr. Roberts, on the subject of --drum roll, please!-- The Facts of Life. (I capitalize the phrase because it was a pretty big deal back then.) It seems that Dr. Roberts, in his medical practice, was hearing from too many teenagers that they had no idea "how the pregnancy happened." So it was decreed that Dr. Roberts would present a Sex Talk (again, capital letters) to all sophomore biology students, en masse, in a secluded location. Days earlier, biology teacher Mr. Stewart had said that in past years, the reproduction topic ended with the frog and the cloaca, but this year we must include human reproduction, too. (He sounded a bit ambivalent about the idea , as was my mother, by the way. But that is, as they say, a different story for another time.)
So, there we were, in the darkened old auditorium, all sophomores together, getting the lecture from Dr. Roberts. The freshman study hall that normally met in the auditorium had been moved elsewhere. There were occasional giggles as the anatomy slides were shown. Dr. Roberts had to stop periodically, reminding everyone to act maturely. As I looked up and down the rows, I could not see who might be doing the giggling; we were all pretty subdued and inhibited sitting there. Oh well. The lecture ended eventually (mercifully?), the lights came up, and we prepared to leave. The gigglers then revealed themselves. That freshman study hall that had been "moved elsewhere"? Well, "elsewhere" turned out to be directly above us, in the balcony of the auditorium. So much for a "secluded location." We sophomores got waves and cheers and laughter and congratulations from the balcony as we exited.
Quiet as church mice when we sophomores moped on in for the lecture, you study hallers saved your giggling for when we sophomores would be blamed for it. Gotta admire that, even all these years later.
Any class of '69 members here want to confess to laughing at us hapless sophomores that day? Did the Sex Talk tradition survive into later years?
In 1965, we sophomores, class of 1968, all of us, ended up in the old auditorium for a lecture from school board member and medical doctor, Dr. Roberts, on the subject of --drum roll, please!-- The Facts of Life. (I capitalize the phrase because it was a pretty big deal back then.) It seems that Dr. Roberts, in his medical practice, was hearing from too many teenagers that they had no idea "how the pregnancy happened." So it was decreed that Dr. Roberts would present a Sex Talk (again, capital letters) to all sophomore biology students, en masse, in a secluded location. Days earlier, biology teacher Mr. Stewart had said that in past years, the reproduction topic ended with the frog and the cloaca, but this year we must include human reproduction, too. (He sounded a bit ambivalent about the idea , as was my mother, by the way. But that is, as they say, a different story for another time.)
So, there we were, in the darkened old auditorium, all sophomores together, getting the lecture from Dr. Roberts. The freshman study hall that normally met in the auditorium had been moved elsewhere. There were occasional giggles as the anatomy slides were shown. Dr. Roberts had to stop periodically, reminding everyone to act maturely. As I looked up and down the rows, I could not see who might be doing the giggling; we were all pretty subdued and inhibited sitting there. Oh well. The lecture ended eventually (mercifully?), the lights came up, and we prepared to leave. The gigglers then revealed themselves. That freshman study hall that had been "moved elsewhere"? Well, "elsewhere" turned out to be directly above us, in the balcony of the auditorium. So much for a "secluded location." We sophomores got waves and cheers and laughter and congratulations from the balcony as we exited.
Quiet as church mice when we sophomores moped on in for the lecture, you study hallers saved your giggling for when we sophomores would be blamed for it. Gotta admire that, even all these years later.
Any class of '69 members here want to confess to laughing at us hapless sophomores that day? Did the Sex Talk tradition survive into later years?
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thanks, John, for letting a foreigner (class of '68, for pete's sake) join the conversation. When I discovered this blog and your awesome memory, I did nothing but devour all entries in the entire blog for several hours. My wife became suspicious and said, "Are you doing high school stuff again?" She knows my BHS intensity too well.
Do you readers remember Mr. Schaefer, our band director after Arne B. Larson? Mr. Schaefer came to Brookings from Alexandria, MN, and the instant word was that he only took a $12.00 pay cut to do so. Even though South Dakota teacher salaries were much lower than Minnesota payscales, South Dakota's income tax absence meant only a minimal pay cut for him. We were so proud!
On Day One of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings (had to be 1966), he told us in Concert Band about a swearing habit that he was trying to break. At home, he confessed, his family kept a coffee can at the ready, and he had to contribute a quarter every time he got angry and started swearing. On Day TWO of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings, once again in front of the Concert Band, he grew very frustrated at our (meager?) rehearsal efforts. Finally, he whacked his music stand with his baton and shouted something like "Dammit, trombones!" Everyone froze, because, well, Arne B. had NEVER spoken like that! Dead silence. Suddenly, a quarter clanked into an empty coffee can. June Scholten, alto sax first chair, had been waiting for the opportunity, and Mr.Schaefer had obliged within minutes. The tension broke, laughter reigned for a minute or two, and Mr. Schaefer could only smile weakly and hope to regain control eventually.
Do you readers remember Mr. Schaefer, our band director after Arne B. Larson? Mr. Schaefer came to Brookings from Alexandria, MN, and the instant word was that he only took a $12.00 pay cut to do so. Even though South Dakota teacher salaries were much lower than Minnesota payscales, South Dakota's income tax absence meant only a minimal pay cut for him. We were so proud!
On Day One of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings (had to be 1966), he told us in Concert Band about a swearing habit that he was trying to break. At home, he confessed, his family kept a coffee can at the ready, and he had to contribute a quarter every time he got angry and started swearing. On Day TWO of Mr. Schaefer's teaching career in Brookings, once again in front of the Concert Band, he grew very frustrated at our (meager?) rehearsal efforts. Finally, he whacked his music stand with his baton and shouted something like "Dammit, trombones!" Everyone froze, because, well, Arne B. had NEVER spoken like that! Dead silence. Suddenly, a quarter clanked into an empty coffee can. June Scholten, alto sax first chair, had been waiting for the opportunity, and Mr.Schaefer had obliged within minutes. The tension broke, laughter reigned for a minute or two, and Mr. Schaefer could only smile weakly and hope to regain control eventually.
New Followers
For those of you with eagle-eyes, you may noticed that there are two new followers. They have also requested permission to post here. I think that is wonderful. There will be some interesting topics here rather than my display of dull, drab, discombobulating deliveries that dominate here. If any of you other followers would like to post, let me know and you will be added to the list of contributors. When I was adding these two additions to the contributor list, I accidentally deleted the name of one of the contributors. I would put that individual back, but I cannot remember who it was. If anyone can help with this matter, it would be appreciated.
New Addition
Just received some correspondence from Bob Adams, class of 1968. Haven't seen him since then. Did he go to college in the Twin Cities area? For some reason, Hamline sticks in my mind. My association with him during our school days was minimal, but I always thought he was one of the most talented and well-rounded students of our day. Athletics, vocal music, instrumental music, academics, and drama were some of the showcases for his prowess. He probably would have done admirably in debate and declam, too, but he was too busy with his other activities. Someone once told me that he was unable to take an important class his last semester because he could not fit it into his extremely busy schedule.
In addition to being a key player on the '68 championship basketball team, he set a school record in the 120 yard high hurdles. That record has since been broken, but the changes in track and field since that time have probably been a factor. Bob ran on cinders, whereas today the tracks are synthetic, making for a slightly faster surface. It's somewhat like the comparison between sand and grass, although not as great. Also, there are more coaches to work in the individual events. Back then, there might only be a couple of coaches who would share the workload. Some of the athletes were practically coaching themselves, and therefore received guidance only infrequently. Nowadays, there are specific coaches for sprinters, hurdlers, distance runners, throwers, vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault), and horizontal jumps (long jump and triple jump). That is six coaches in total, whereas in the '60's, there might be three at the most. Sometimes the coaches were like chickens with their heads cut off, running around trying to monitor the athletes. In junior high, we only had three coaches for all of the three grades. They were Franny Dolan, Harley Kabrud, and Paul Johnson. One of Mr. Johnson;s responsibilities was the pole vault. One year, he had one of the freshman boys do most of the coaching. This boy would keep a record of what the other boys did in practice. Mr. Johnson and this boy would then get together to decide who would get to go to the meets. At that time, we could only take two or three competitors to a meet because there were so many other schools there. Nowadays, most meets are with only one school, so entries are unlimited, so no one gets left out, unless there is good reason for not allowing them to participate.
Because our basketball team was rather powerful that year, and Bob could jump out of the gym, we wanted him to dunk during a game, even though it was forbidden by the rules. For a few years, dunks were not allowed. That was when Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was in college. Evidently, the rules-makers thought that taking away the dunk would be advantageous to the college game. The high schools followed suit. Bob, however, was intent on following the rules, so the fans never witnessed the excitement and energy that a dunk could bring to a game.
Thanks for finding us, Bob, and please stay in touch.
In addition to being a key player on the '68 championship basketball team, he set a school record in the 120 yard high hurdles. That record has since been broken, but the changes in track and field since that time have probably been a factor. Bob ran on cinders, whereas today the tracks are synthetic, making for a slightly faster surface. It's somewhat like the comparison between sand and grass, although not as great. Also, there are more coaches to work in the individual events. Back then, there might only be a couple of coaches who would share the workload. Some of the athletes were practically coaching themselves, and therefore received guidance only infrequently. Nowadays, there are specific coaches for sprinters, hurdlers, distance runners, throwers, vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault), and horizontal jumps (long jump and triple jump). That is six coaches in total, whereas in the '60's, there might be three at the most. Sometimes the coaches were like chickens with their heads cut off, running around trying to monitor the athletes. In junior high, we only had three coaches for all of the three grades. They were Franny Dolan, Harley Kabrud, and Paul Johnson. One of Mr. Johnson;s responsibilities was the pole vault. One year, he had one of the freshman boys do most of the coaching. This boy would keep a record of what the other boys did in practice. Mr. Johnson and this boy would then get together to decide who would get to go to the meets. At that time, we could only take two or three competitors to a meet because there were so many other schools there. Nowadays, most meets are with only one school, so entries are unlimited, so no one gets left out, unless there is good reason for not allowing them to participate.
Because our basketball team was rather powerful that year, and Bob could jump out of the gym, we wanted him to dunk during a game, even though it was forbidden by the rules. For a few years, dunks were not allowed. That was when Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was in college. Evidently, the rules-makers thought that taking away the dunk would be advantageous to the college game. The high schools followed suit. Bob, however, was intent on following the rules, so the fans never witnessed the excitement and energy that a dunk could bring to a game.
Thanks for finding us, Bob, and please stay in touch.
Monday, November 3, 2014
It's Been Awhile
My access to a computer has been hampered these past two months, but much news affecting our class has happened in this short time. As our parents age, we recognize that they are not immortal, and that they, and we, will pass away at some point. Unfortunately, we have lost six parents, three mothers and three fathers, in the last two months.
On Sept. 9, the mother of Lynne Kamstra passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22110&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1401937.
A few days later (Sept 13), the mother of Beatty (Ed) Dimit passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22092&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1402617
Only eleven days passed before another parent passed. Lloyd Beckman, the father of Ken, died on Sept. 24: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1420288 or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80
Less than a week later, on Sept. 30, Emmett Earley, Sr., father of Emmett Earley, Jr., passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1425980 orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22290&page=80
Two weeks later, on Oct. 14, Milt Salonen, the father of Tom, passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1435793Salonen orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22444&page=80
Again, just about two weeks later, Marilyn Adamson, the mother of Glenda, went to her eternal reward: http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html
On a related note, the wife of Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob" and later a guidance counselor) passed away on Oct. 2 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1428097Stewart or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22355&page=80).
Lynne was a top-notch student. They lived just a few blocks away from us, but we were never in any of the same grade-school classrooms. When we started junior-high, Lynn's father, a professor at State (animal science?), was in Hawaii, perhaps on sabbatical, for a year. When she returned, she was in our homeroom. At that time, we had essentially the same class schedule, and were together for math, science, history. and English.
During college, it was a privilege for me to assist Mr. Hauschild for a couple of years with sophomore basketball, thus whetting my appetite for a future in teaching/coaching. One of those players was Lance Kamstra, a younger brother of Lynne. My first teaching assignment was 7-8th science at the middle school, the old high school building. Lynne's youngest sister Leigh was one of my students.
Beatty, or as most of us knew him, Ed, moved back to town in 1965. They had previously lived here in the early to mid 50's, so most of probably did not get to know the family then. There was an older sister Mary Anne, an older brother Rob, and a younger brother Jim. Rob was just a year ahead of us, so some of us may have gotten to know him. Mary Anne, I believe, was in college. For some reason, I remember her as a rather attractive lifeguard. When we talked at the visitation, she reminded us that she had, in fact, been a lifeguard. Rob is presently in New York (New York University?), and is an administrator in the graduate programs, I believe. His wife is a librarian at a university (can't remember if it's the same one). They have a daughter who seems to have inherited the intelligence of both of her parents. As a senior at BHS, Rob was the editor-in-chief for the school paper "Broboca." The yearbook states he "put in a lot of hard work editing the Broboca and the result was interest and perhaps a little controversy over some of the stands he took." Would those positions be as controversial today? Beatty was junior that year, and also assisted in producing the paper. Beatty also was a talented singer, as he was in Select Chorus and Boys Glee.
My contacts with Beatty in school were limited. He was in my freshmen English class with Mrs. Wheeler, and also in sophomore English with Mrs. Donaldson, the older sister of Nancy Webbenhurst. About all that is memorable from the freshman year is that he was a new student, and he had an accent that was unfamiliar to most of us. It was obvious, though, that Beatty was quite intelligent. One incident stands out during our sophomore year is that he was scolded somewhat by Mrs. Donaldson for talking to me when we should have been listening. She said something like "I'm sure John is not all that interested in what you have to say." There may have been some truth to that.
Beatty and I had a pleasant conversation at the visitation for his mother. He had posted a few comments earlier when the "Ride" was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees.htm). I did not know that he was part of the original group. Beatty seemed to be a good sport about it, and did express any bitterness.
Since the Beckman family lived near Hillcrest, I never got to know him until the 7th grade, when we were in the same classes. He, too, was a brilliant mind. His father's John Deere implement dealership, though, was in our neighborhood. The business was located at 416 3rd St., two blocks from our residence at the corner of 6th Avenue and Front Street, by the viaduct a couple of blocks south of Central and the old high school. (The address was 205 6th Ave. Tom Bozied lived a couple of houses away at 215 6th Ave. for a few years, so we had some fun times as little boys) However, right across the street to the south, between Front St. and the railroad tracks, was Beckman's lot for some of their farm machinery. At the other end of that block was Sokota Seeds, where Mark Kratochvil's dad played an important role. In between those business was the city coal pile. The city power plant was only a couple of blocks away, and it burned a great deal of coal. I believe that powered the steam heat that warmed the school and many of the downtown buildings. In the winter, the coal pile made a convenient sledding hill.
In between the coal pile and Beckman's lot was an an open gravel area. We would sometimes play baseball in that space. Around the 4th of July, it was also a good spot to light firecrackers. It was fun to twist some fuses of the firecrackers together and place a tin can over them to try to blow the tin can as high as possible. However, right near the tracks were some gasoline storage tanks for the Sinclair station on 8th St. and Medary, by the campus, so we had to be somewhat careful that we did nothing to endanger the neighborhood.
In the spring of our 8th grade year, we had track practice at Hillcrest. Since Ken lived near there, we would often stop at his house after track practice and shoot a few baskets. We were on the same basketball teams up through our junior year. We had some good times, especially our JV season at the new high school.
Ken's academic prowess was evident as he and Helen Sheimo were national Merit Scholarship winners. BHS was the only high school in the state to have two students achieve this award. The yearbook stated the Ken would attend the University of Michigan, while Helen would attend Luther College.
Emmet Earley, Sr. has been somewhat close to our family for a long time. Emmett married a widow, Elsie (Clark) Iverson on April 24, 1950. They had two sons together, Emmett, Jr., who graduated with us, and Rich, a couple of years younger. In 1936, Elsie had married Lyle Iverson, a cousin of my father. They had four children before Lyle died from leukemia (?) on Feb. 13, 1949. Emmett, Jr.'s older siblings (would they be half-brothers and half-sisters to Emmett?), then, are distantly related to me.
Emmett, Jr. has always had an affection for cars, and has restored many older cars from the 50's and 60's. He has helped me keep my old classic looking and running well.
Tom Salonen attended Central Elementary, so we have known each other since our grade-school days. His dad was a skilled craftsman, and helped put in new cabinets when my parents remodeled our kitchen many years ago. Tom also has quite an affection for older cars. At the visitation, Tom mentioned how his father restored some classic cars and boats during his lifetime.
My connections with Glenda Adamson during our school days were minimal. Her mother's obituary indicates that both she and her husband grew up in Brookings, or at least graduated from Brookings High School. Was her father a carpet installer? It seems that the family moved to Colorado after Glenda graduated. Glenda had three older siblings. Paul graduated in 1965, Kathryn graduated in 1966, and Dave graduated in 1968. Dave had a magnificent voice, if memory serves correctly.
For a number of years, Mrs. Stewart's husband Bob, was a teacher and coach in the Brookings school system. His obituary states that he graduated from BHS in 1939 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). That was a revelation to me. Does anyone remember where the biology room was in the old high school? It was at the top of the west stairway near the front entrance, next door to the library on the east. To the west was the chemistry and physics lab in the southwest corner of the building, and to the north was the chemistry and physics classroom. If memory serves right, the seating in that room was rather like bleacher seating. Our 8:00 A.M. sophomore algebra-trig class with Mr. Klavetter was right across the hall, so we had to walk past that chem-physics room on our way to class every morning. The only reason these trivial details are still in my mind is that my first teaching assignment in 1973 was 7th and 8th grade science in Mr. Stewart's old biology classroom. That room became very familiar to me for the next two years. Then the whole school was remodeled, and the science rooms were moved to the first floor, right underneath where the old ones were.
When we moved to the new high school, Mr. Stewart became the guidance counselor. Was about the only time most of us conferred with him was when we were discussing our future plans after high school?
On Sept. 9, the mother of Lynne Kamstra passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22110&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1401937.
A few days later (Sept 13), the mother of Beatty (Ed) Dimit passed away: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22092&page=80 or http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1402617
Only eleven days passed before another parent passed. Lloyd Beckman, the father of Ken, died on Sept. 24: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1420288 or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80
Less than a week later, on Sept. 30, Emmett Earley, Sr., father of Emmett Earley, Jr., passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1425980 orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22290&page=80
Two weeks later, on Oct. 14, Milt Salonen, the father of Tom, passed away: http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1435793Salonen orhttp://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22444&page=80
Again, just about two weeks later, Marilyn Adamson, the mother of Glenda, went to her eternal reward: http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html
On a related note, the wife of Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob" and later a guidance counselor) passed away on Oct. 2 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1428097Stewart or http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22355&page=80).
Lynne was a top-notch student. They lived just a few blocks away from us, but we were never in any of the same grade-school classrooms. When we started junior-high, Lynn's father, a professor at State (animal science?), was in Hawaii, perhaps on sabbatical, for a year. When she returned, she was in our homeroom. At that time, we had essentially the same class schedule, and were together for math, science, history. and English.
During college, it was a privilege for me to assist Mr. Hauschild for a couple of years with sophomore basketball, thus whetting my appetite for a future in teaching/coaching. One of those players was Lance Kamstra, a younger brother of Lynne. My first teaching assignment was 7-8th science at the middle school, the old high school building. Lynne's youngest sister Leigh was one of my students.
Beatty, or as most of us knew him, Ed, moved back to town in 1965. They had previously lived here in the early to mid 50's, so most of probably did not get to know the family then. There was an older sister Mary Anne, an older brother Rob, and a younger brother Jim. Rob was just a year ahead of us, so some of us may have gotten to know him. Mary Anne, I believe, was in college. For some reason, I remember her as a rather attractive lifeguard. When we talked at the visitation, she reminded us that she had, in fact, been a lifeguard. Rob is presently in New York (New York University?), and is an administrator in the graduate programs, I believe. His wife is a librarian at a university (can't remember if it's the same one). They have a daughter who seems to have inherited the intelligence of both of her parents. As a senior at BHS, Rob was the editor-in-chief for the school paper "Broboca." The yearbook states he "put in a lot of hard work editing the Broboca and the result was interest and perhaps a little controversy over some of the stands he took." Would those positions be as controversial today? Beatty was junior that year, and also assisted in producing the paper. Beatty also was a talented singer, as he was in Select Chorus and Boys Glee.
My contacts with Beatty in school were limited. He was in my freshmen English class with Mrs. Wheeler, and also in sophomore English with Mrs. Donaldson, the older sister of Nancy Webbenhurst. About all that is memorable from the freshman year is that he was a new student, and he had an accent that was unfamiliar to most of us. It was obvious, though, that Beatty was quite intelligent. One incident stands out during our sophomore year is that he was scolded somewhat by Mrs. Donaldson for talking to me when we should have been listening. She said something like "I'm sure John is not all that interested in what you have to say." There may have been some truth to that.
Beatty and I had a pleasant conversation at the visitation for his mother. He had posted a few comments earlier when the "Ride" was inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees.htm). I did not know that he was part of the original group. Beatty seemed to be a good sport about it, and did express any bitterness.
Since the Beckman family lived near Hillcrest, I never got to know him until the 7th grade, when we were in the same classes. He, too, was a brilliant mind. His father's John Deere implement dealership, though, was in our neighborhood. The business was located at 416 3rd St., two blocks from our residence at the corner of 6th Avenue and Front Street, by the viaduct a couple of blocks south of Central and the old high school. (The address was 205 6th Ave. Tom Bozied lived a couple of houses away at 215 6th Ave. for a few years, so we had some fun times as little boys) However, right across the street to the south, between Front St. and the railroad tracks, was Beckman's lot for some of their farm machinery. At the other end of that block was Sokota Seeds, where Mark Kratochvil's dad played an important role. In between those business was the city coal pile. The city power plant was only a couple of blocks away, and it burned a great deal of coal. I believe that powered the steam heat that warmed the school and many of the downtown buildings. In the winter, the coal pile made a convenient sledding hill.
In between the coal pile and Beckman's lot was an an open gravel area. We would sometimes play baseball in that space. Around the 4th of July, it was also a good spot to light firecrackers. It was fun to twist some fuses of the firecrackers together and place a tin can over them to try to blow the tin can as high as possible. However, right near the tracks were some gasoline storage tanks for the Sinclair station on 8th St. and Medary, by the campus, so we had to be somewhat careful that we did nothing to endanger the neighborhood.
In the spring of our 8th grade year, we had track practice at Hillcrest. Since Ken lived near there, we would often stop at his house after track practice and shoot a few baskets. We were on the same basketball teams up through our junior year. We had some good times, especially our JV season at the new high school.
Ken's academic prowess was evident as he and Helen Sheimo were national Merit Scholarship winners. BHS was the only high school in the state to have two students achieve this award. The yearbook stated the Ken would attend the University of Michigan, while Helen would attend Luther College.
Emmet Earley, Sr. has been somewhat close to our family for a long time. Emmett married a widow, Elsie (Clark) Iverson on April 24, 1950. They had two sons together, Emmett, Jr., who graduated with us, and Rich, a couple of years younger. In 1936, Elsie had married Lyle Iverson, a cousin of my father. They had four children before Lyle died from leukemia (?) on Feb. 13, 1949. Emmett, Jr.'s older siblings (would they be half-brothers and half-sisters to Emmett?), then, are distantly related to me.
Emmett, Jr. has always had an affection for cars, and has restored many older cars from the 50's and 60's. He has helped me keep my old classic looking and running well.
Tom Salonen attended Central Elementary, so we have known each other since our grade-school days. His dad was a skilled craftsman, and helped put in new cabinets when my parents remodeled our kitchen many years ago. Tom also has quite an affection for older cars. At the visitation, Tom mentioned how his father restored some classic cars and boats during his lifetime.
My connections with Glenda Adamson during our school days were minimal. Her mother's obituary indicates that both she and her husband grew up in Brookings, or at least graduated from Brookings High School. Was her father a carpet installer? It seems that the family moved to Colorado after Glenda graduated. Glenda had three older siblings. Paul graduated in 1965, Kathryn graduated in 1966, and Dave graduated in 1968. Dave had a magnificent voice, if memory serves correctly.
For a number of years, Mrs. Stewart's husband Bob, was a teacher and coach in the Brookings school system. His obituary states that he graduated from BHS in 1939 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). That was a revelation to me. Does anyone remember where the biology room was in the old high school? It was at the top of the west stairway near the front entrance, next door to the library on the east. To the west was the chemistry and physics lab in the southwest corner of the building, and to the north was the chemistry and physics classroom. If memory serves right, the seating in that room was rather like bleacher seating. Our 8:00 A.M. sophomore algebra-trig class with Mr. Klavetter was right across the hall, so we had to walk past that chem-physics room on our way to class every morning. The only reason these trivial details are still in my mind is that my first teaching assignment in 1973 was 7th and 8th grade science in Mr. Stewart's old biology classroom. That room became very familiar to me for the next two years. Then the whole school was remodeled, and the science rooms were moved to the first floor, right underneath where the old ones were.
When we moved to the new high school, Mr. Stewart became the guidance counselor. Was about the only time most of us conferred with him was when we were discussing our future plans after high school?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)