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?