The 1945 "Bobcat" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/250549?page=0) is appropriately dedicated "to the members of the class of '45 who are serving our nation in its armed forces." Fortunately, the end of World War II was only a few months away. Ironically, yesterday (January 27, 2015), was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the prisoners from the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz--http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-auschwitz-70-years-since-liberation-20150127-story.html). The Wikepedia article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp ) stated "Those too weak or sick to walk were left behind. When the 322nd Rifle Division
of the Red Army arrived at the camp on January 27 they found around
7,500 prisoners and about 600 corpses had been left behind. Among the
items found by the Soviet soldiers were 370,000 men's suits, 837,000
women's garments, and 7.7 tonnes (8.5 short tons) of human hair.[65]
The camp's liberation received little press attention at the time.
Rees attributes this to three factors: the previous discovery of similar
crimes at Majdanek concentration camp, competing news from the Allied summit at Yalta, and the Soviet Union's interest, for propaganda purposes, in minimizing attention to Jewish suffering.[66]
Due to the vast extent of the camp area, at least four different
divisions took part in liberating the camp: 100th Rifle Division
(established in Vologda, Russia), 322nd Rifle Division (Gorky, Russia), 286th Rifle Division (Leningrad), and 107th Motor Rifle Division (Tambov, Russia). [67]."
Two years ago, a holocaust survivor spoke at SDSU (http://ksoo.com/auschwitz-holocaust-survivor-to-give-speech-at-south-dakota-state-university/). Despite the mistreatment she, her twin sister, and others endured, she found the strength to forgive her tormentors (http://kindnessblog.com/2015/01/02/forgiveness-is-free-lessons-from-a-holocaust-survivor-by-tyler-tucky/). She had a fantastic quote that was cited in the paper the next day. I had cut it out and put it in my billfold, but I seem to have misplaced it or lost it.
Does anyone remember the words to the school song? (The music and words are located on the inside front cover of the annual--http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/250549?page=2) During my teaching days, there would be pep assemblies at the local schools during homecoming week, and the cheerleaders would hand out little slips of paper with the words to the school song. When the pep band would play, the students were encouraged to sing along. It seems, though, that over the years, the lyrics changed slightly. The original opening line was "Brookings High here's victory for you, red and Black you must carry thru." I remember it as "Brookings High School victory for you, Red and Black we must carry thru. " Later on, we sang "Though that line holds tight, we'll show that same old kind of Fight, Fight, Fight," whereas they now sing "Though that line holds tight, we'll show that same old Fight, Fight, Fight." Not a big difference, but the second difference especially just doesn't sound right to me. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on this. In a similar vein, seemingly to add spirit and pep to the athletic contests, the "Bobcat" mascot was created by the class of 1945. The mascot seldom seems to appear anymore. He/she may come out of hiding during homecoming week, but otherwise seldom makes an appearance. Wasn't there a controversy with our mascot when we played the Flandreau Indians during the 1968 regional basketball championship?
The faculty for this year included some familiar faces: Geraldine Crabbs, Wilmer Davis, Ralph Ginn, Ruth Helland, Harlan Klug, Frances Malmstrom, and Arne B. Larson. Some of these esteemed teachers may have been in their first year in the Brookings system, but "Molly" Malmstrom and Ruth Helland had already been here for a few years. Our senior annual is dedicated to these fine mentors. Miss Malmstrom began teaching at BHS on September 8, 1942. Did Miss Helland start at the same time? Her dedication states that she taught at BHS for 26 years, thus making her debut in 1943 (1969-26 = 1943). However, she is also listed as yearbook advisor from 1942-1966. Did she take a year's leave of absence to work on an advanced degree? Was there a misprint? Mr. Horrigan was no longer teaching; as he had been promoted to principal, a position he would hold for another ten years.
Geraldine Crabbs, Ralph Ginn, and Harlan Klug later moved to positions "on the hill" as Mr. Karnes referred to SDSU. Miss Crabbs was in the Physical Educations department, Mr. Ginn was a long-time football coach, and I believe Mr. Klug was in the chemistry or biochemistry department. Each of them, if memory serves right, is honored in some way by the university.
Wilmer Davis was the ag teacher, but this must have been his last year, as Robert Thompson is listed as ag teacher in the 1946 annual. Mr. Davis had relinquished his teaching position because he had the foresight to recognize the value of hybrid seed corn, so he started the Sokota Seed Company. I believe Mark Kratochvil's father also played an important role in that firm. A number of area teenagers probably earned some spending money working in their test plots, detasseling corn to help maintain pure genetic lines. Their first location was on Front Street near the tracks and the viaduct on 6th Avenue, just a block from Main Avenue. Our house was just down the block. When it was detasseling time, the kids would ride in the back of the farm truck (grain truck?) that had the wooden sides on the back. Would that be allowed today? When it was drying time for the harvested corn, the ground would be noticeably enriched with the reddish remnants of the corncobs. One of our neighbors had a farm east of town, and he would sometimes burn his corncobs in his coal furnace. Since we also had a coal furnace, he would generously give us some of his surplus. Eventually, that area became too small, and the business relocated to 2nd St. South on the west side of Medary. The Sokota name no longer exists, as they were bought out some years ago. The sign now reads "Syngenta".
Was this Arne B.'s first year, or had he been there since 1941, when the previous director, "Prof" C. E. Franklin moved on? This article--http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/arne.html--gives the answer to that question.
The school board had had some turnover since 1941. Still on the board were Mrs. Shea, a housewife, Mr. Cheever, a banker, and Mr. Doner, the registrar at SDSC. New to the board were Mr. Beatty, who owned Beatty's Jewelry. He replace another businessman, Mr. Blauert, who was a grocer. Mr. Carl Kjellsen, the Chevrolet dealer, replaced Mr. Johnson, the Ford dealer. Also pictured is Mr. Eberle. Anyone know what his line of work may have been?
Of the ten honor students pictured, there is only one boy. Did the war effort have some effect on this?
Some of the seniors who may have connections to us include Marvin Berkland, Harry Birath, William Buller, Rich Durland, Donna Korte, Barbara Morrison, Donna Revell, George Stratton, Jeanne Nannestad, and Donald Iverson.
Are Arlo and Arlys Berkland any relation to Marvin? Harry Birath was a talented athlete, and worked at Northwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) in Brookings for a number of years. His sons were just a little bit younger than we were. William Buller is the father of Doug and Diane Buller. Their younger brother looks remarkably like their father. Rich Durland, I believe, is the uncle to Pat and Mike Durland. Pat was a year ahead of us, and Mike was in our class. They farmed south of town, but when the interstate came through, they may have lost a large part of their land. Did losing that land necessitate their move? The pastor of Mt. Calvary Luther Church for a while was Carl (Karl?) Korte? Might she be a close relative? Barb Morrison is the sister Mrs. Herb (Phyllis) Lakman. Mr. and Mrs. Lakman were our next door neighbors for about ten years when we lived by Sokota. Their children were Doug (class of 1963, and a member of 1962 State "A" basketball team) and Patty (class of 1968, the year in which BHS won another State "A" basketball title). Phyllis was instrumental in helping to save the old high school building about 10-15 years ago. There was talk of demolishing it for various reasons, but she and some other concerned townspeople spearheaded an effort to save the original school. The annex was torn down, but the original structure has now become the home of a number of offices and apartments. Appropriately, it is referred to as the "1921 Building," as that is the year it was constructed. Sadly, Phyllis passed away just a few days ago. Visitation was today, and the funeral is scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 29. The big white apartment building a block south of the high school was called the "Revell Apartments" in our day. It seems logical that Donna Revell would be the daughter of the owners. There is a new government building on that site today, but the apartment building was saved and moved to a lot on 2nd Street South, about a block west of Southside Park. I seem to recall a miniature golf course there for a couple of years when we were younger. Most of us probably remember Juel's Shoe Store. Before that, though, I believe it was Stratton's Shoe Store. Would George Stratton have been a son of the owner? I have a brother named Donald, but he is not the same one as pictured in this annual.
The connection with Jeanne Nannestad has somewhat of a personal flavor to it. According to the annual, she moved here from Clear Lake her senior year. In the fall of 1968 during our senior year, our cross-country team competed against the Clear Lake team. They had a couple of good runners, one of whom was named Steve Nannestad. Shortly after graduation, in June, 1969, some of us ran the "Jack 15," a road race from White to the Campanile, a distance of about 15 miles. We passed Steve Nannestad after perhaps 5 miles. He did not pass us again. When we arrived at the finish line, we saw that he had already arrived. When the awards were passed out, he received one. We then told the race director that he cheated. He had caught a ride after we had passed him, and then hopped out sometime before the finish, giving the impression that he had run the entire distance. He at least had the courage to admit that he cheated, unlike others who have similarly behaved (http://sports.rightpundits.com/?p=1571 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_Ruiz). When Jim Egeberg and I were freshmen at SDSU, we ran on the cross-country team. Jim was good enough to be a top runner, whereas I was not. Steve Nannestad was one of our teammates. Letter were awarded to the top seven runners on the team. One of our teammates was a top runner for the first three-fourths of the season, but than suffered an injury. His spot was taken by Steve Nannestad for the last two races of the season. Guess who got a letter?
The French teacher in previous years was Eva Bucknam. She also taught English, and was still teaching in 1945. However, she is no longer listed as teaching French, and there is no La Cercle Francaise, French Club, pictured in the annual. It seems that Los Amigos, under the direction of Miss Malmstrom, has replaced the French Club. Did the administration foresee the direction in which our country and culture was headed? Latin, the other foreign language, underwent a reorganization and even sponsored their first-ever dance in January.
A couple of athletic-related events caught my eye. The captain for the next year's football team was John DeWitt. Dan DeWitt was a couple of years older than we were. Some people said he was the second-best heavyweight wrestler in the state, but he was only on our "B" team because his competition was the best in the state in Stan Whitmore, the state champion that year. Tim DeWitt was a little younger than we were, and played on our teener baseball team that went to Hershey, PA in 1965. Their dad was Jerry DeWitt, and I thought he was a brother to John. John DeWitt would later coach at Watertown High School. He may even have been the coach when we were in school. The basketball pictures indicate that the games were played in the Central gym. There were even portable bleachers set up on the stage to increase seating capacity, although in this annual there do not seem to be any photos indicating this.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
1941 Yearbook
The 1941 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/122643?page=0) was quite a departure from previous yearbooks. The cover was rather intriguing. In most other years, the cover was rather plain, perhaps some geometric design and an outline of a Bobcat. This year's cover, though, has an outline of a tree (oak?) with three or four diagonal slices to represent the seasons. Much of the tree is bare, signifying the fall after the leaves have fallen; a smaller section is covered in snow to symbolize the winter; and a similar sized section is leafing out to represent the spring.
The annual is dedicated to Mr. C. D. "Prof" Franklin, who had directed the music department for the last twelve years. Would Arne B. Larson have replaced him? The other teachers we would know would be Mr. Bell, Mr. Horrigan, and possibly Mr. Herold.
Some of the seniors that year were parents of some of our classmates, while others may have been aunts and uncles. Do any of these names ring a bell? Don Ahern, Margaret Allstot, Joe Berge, Roger "Budd" Billings, Chester Bortnem, Dean Christie, Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Gordon Duff, Bruce Miller, Robert Norton, Violet Prussman, Betty Ray, Robert Sexauer, Ivan Steen, Wayne "Husker" Steen, Esther Sterud, Lyle Stewart, and Dale Wagner.
There was a Cherylnn (sic) Ahern a year ahead of us. Could Don have been her father? I seem to recall seeing that family at church and catechism classes. Roger Billings was the father of Beth Billings, wife of Tom Bozied. He was an outstanding athlete, earning 12 letters in football, basketball, and track and field. To the best of my knowledge, he was the first athlete to accomplish this feat. Gordon Duff was on the school board in the mid-60's. The 1967 annual states "This was the year that each school board member presented his son or daughter with a diploma." The other member of the board that year were Joseph Thelen, Marvin Scholten, D. E. Kratochvil, and Charles Roberts. Can you recall the names of their sons/daughters who graduated that year? If you don't have an annual handy, you could give this link a try--http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/24964?page=0.
Lyle Stewart was the owner of Stewart's Construction in Brookings for almost 40 years (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341838). Chester Bortnem and Dean Christie must be related to the numerous and talented Bortnem and Christie students who traversed the halls of BHS during the 60's and 70's. Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Violet Prussman, and Esther Sterud are likely to be related to some of our classmates.
A few of our parents were seniors that year. Bruce Miller is the father of Steve in our class. He was a physics professor at SDSU, and was also a member of the Prairie Striders Running Club, so we became rather well-acquainted in the 70's. He was one who preferred to wear no socks with his running shoes, even when it was 20 below. He helped to measure some courses for the local road races. With his background, he was as painstakingly accurate in his measurements (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338774). Wayne "Husker" Steen is the father of Teresa. He was a long-time employee at the Post Office, manning the front window for many years. He appears to have been quite the athlete in high school (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=342042). Robert Sexauer is from the Sexauer family and was a well-known and respected individual throughout the area (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338689).
Robert Norton is the grandfather to four of my nieces and nephews. He worked in the clothing business for a number of years, and was good friends with "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's father.
Bobcat Day of the 1940-41 school year appears to have been greeted by the infamous "Armistice Day Blizzard" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/122643?page=30; http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dvn/?n=armistice_day_blizzard). Judging by the background, the dance looks as if it were held in the "Pit."
Since the next annual listed is the 1945 edition, it may be appropriate to list any juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who may have connections to our class.
The freshmen include Robert Bartling, Norman Hendricks, Harvey Mills, James Moriarty, Cliff Kellogg, Clayton Sloat, Dean Sanderson, and Ivan Sundal. Mr. Bartling was a son of the original owners of Bartling's Furniture and Funeral Home. He and his older brother Lawrence ran the store while we were growing up, (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339179) and were very active in the local running club, the Prairie Striders, which originated in the late 60's.. We were about the age of many of their children.
Harvey Mills was also active in the Prairie Striders. In his later years, he turned to cycling, and did very well on the national level. He started Mills Construction, and built many of the houses in East Acres, the area east of Hillcrest Elementary School. The business is still around, and has branched out into apartments and rental units.
James Moriarty was a brother of John Moriarty, the owner of a number of businesses in Brookings, including Ben Franklin and Campus Pharmacy. Cliff Kellogg, I believe, was the father of Wayne, who was a year ahead of us, Stuart, a year behind us, and Stephanie, three years behind us. Dean Sanderson was a brother of Cecil, father of Reed, Mark, Kwen, Laun, Jan, Terry, Joy, and Dell. Ivan Sundal's daughter Julie was three years behind us in school. It appears that many of us had younger brothers and sisters in that same class.
At least three of our parents were in that freshman class, also. Norman Hendricks (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341390) was the father of Nancy. Clayton Sloat is the father of Donna. Marilyn Steinlicht is the mother of Glenda Adamson (http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html).
In that sophomore class was Glenda's father and husband of Marilyn Steilicht, Royal Adamson. Also in that class was a Wanda Hanson. I believe the maiden name of Brad Rufer's mother was Wanda Hanson. Could this be his mother? There was also a Randall Otteson; would he be Alan's father? Marion Johnston (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339184) was the father of Pam in our class, and Greg, who was a year ahead of us. Their younger sister Jodi was a student of mine in the late 70's, early 80's. Mr. Johnston worked at Sokota Hybrids, which was located on 2nd Street South near Medary. My Minneapolis paper route in the early 60's was in that neighborhood, and Mr. Johnston was the person who paid me when it was time to collect.
While doing some research on Pam's father, I noticed he had a sister Kathryn, who married Charles Chester (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339131), who was a junior that year. One of Charles' sisters was Myrth Rae, who would have graduated in 1938. We knew her as Mrs. Brchan. Her daughter Julie was a year ahead of us. In the '66 and '67 annuals, she is pictured as the typing teacher. She later became the librarian at the Middle School when the "new" high school was built. Had I known she graduated from BHS in 1938, I would have picked her brain, as we taught in the same building until her retirement. Sadly, she passed away nine years ago (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_MBrchan172).
In addition to Mr. Chester, some of the juniors who may be of interest include Betty Jean and Elizabeth Buller (aunts of David and Diane?), Virgil Eclov (Mark Eclov was a year ahead of us), Glen Frie (brother of Sandy Frie?), Ed Gilbert (would this be "Slim"Gilbert, a policeman or probation officer when we were in school?), Robert Langner (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1340894), father-in-law of Mike McClemans, Marjorie LeFevre (of the Lefevre Motors family?), Joe Moriarty, and Fred Sylvis. There was a Sylvis family in the 50's that lived at 206 6th Avenue, across the street from my family , and just a couple of blocks south of Central Elementary.
The annual is dedicated to Mr. C. D. "Prof" Franklin, who had directed the music department for the last twelve years. Would Arne B. Larson have replaced him? The other teachers we would know would be Mr. Bell, Mr. Horrigan, and possibly Mr. Herold.
Some of the seniors that year were parents of some of our classmates, while others may have been aunts and uncles. Do any of these names ring a bell? Don Ahern, Margaret Allstot, Joe Berge, Roger "Budd" Billings, Chester Bortnem, Dean Christie, Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Gordon Duff, Bruce Miller, Robert Norton, Violet Prussman, Betty Ray, Robert Sexauer, Ivan Steen, Wayne "Husker" Steen, Esther Sterud, Lyle Stewart, and Dale Wagner.
There was a Cherylnn (sic) Ahern a year ahead of us. Could Don have been her father? I seem to recall seeing that family at church and catechism classes. Roger Billings was the father of Beth Billings, wife of Tom Bozied. He was an outstanding athlete, earning 12 letters in football, basketball, and track and field. To the best of my knowledge, he was the first athlete to accomplish this feat. Gordon Duff was on the school board in the mid-60's. The 1967 annual states "This was the year that each school board member presented his son or daughter with a diploma." The other member of the board that year were Joseph Thelen, Marvin Scholten, D. E. Kratochvil, and Charles Roberts. Can you recall the names of their sons/daughters who graduated that year? If you don't have an annual handy, you could give this link a try--http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/24964?page=0.
Lyle Stewart was the owner of Stewart's Construction in Brookings for almost 40 years (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341838). Chester Bortnem and Dean Christie must be related to the numerous and talented Bortnem and Christie students who traversed the halls of BHS during the 60's and 70's. Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Violet Prussman, and Esther Sterud are likely to be related to some of our classmates.
A few of our parents were seniors that year. Bruce Miller is the father of Steve in our class. He was a physics professor at SDSU, and was also a member of the Prairie Striders Running Club, so we became rather well-acquainted in the 70's. He was one who preferred to wear no socks with his running shoes, even when it was 20 below. He helped to measure some courses for the local road races. With his background, he was as painstakingly accurate in his measurements (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338774). Wayne "Husker" Steen is the father of Teresa. He was a long-time employee at the Post Office, manning the front window for many years. He appears to have been quite the athlete in high school (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=342042). Robert Sexauer is from the Sexauer family and was a well-known and respected individual throughout the area (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338689).
Robert Norton is the grandfather to four of my nieces and nephews. He worked in the clothing business for a number of years, and was good friends with "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's father.
Bobcat Day of the 1940-41 school year appears to have been greeted by the infamous "Armistice Day Blizzard" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/122643?page=30; http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dvn/?n=armistice_day_blizzard). Judging by the background, the dance looks as if it were held in the "Pit."
Since the next annual listed is the 1945 edition, it may be appropriate to list any juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who may have connections to our class.
The freshmen include Robert Bartling, Norman Hendricks, Harvey Mills, James Moriarty, Cliff Kellogg, Clayton Sloat, Dean Sanderson, and Ivan Sundal. Mr. Bartling was a son of the original owners of Bartling's Furniture and Funeral Home. He and his older brother Lawrence ran the store while we were growing up, (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339179) and were very active in the local running club, the Prairie Striders, which originated in the late 60's.. We were about the age of many of their children.
Harvey Mills was also active in the Prairie Striders. In his later years, he turned to cycling, and did very well on the national level. He started Mills Construction, and built many of the houses in East Acres, the area east of Hillcrest Elementary School. The business is still around, and has branched out into apartments and rental units.
James Moriarty was a brother of John Moriarty, the owner of a number of businesses in Brookings, including Ben Franklin and Campus Pharmacy. Cliff Kellogg, I believe, was the father of Wayne, who was a year ahead of us, Stuart, a year behind us, and Stephanie, three years behind us. Dean Sanderson was a brother of Cecil, father of Reed, Mark, Kwen, Laun, Jan, Terry, Joy, and Dell. Ivan Sundal's daughter Julie was three years behind us in school. It appears that many of us had younger brothers and sisters in that same class.
At least three of our parents were in that freshman class, also. Norman Hendricks (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341390) was the father of Nancy. Clayton Sloat is the father of Donna. Marilyn Steinlicht is the mother of Glenda Adamson (http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html).
In that sophomore class was Glenda's father and husband of Marilyn Steilicht, Royal Adamson. Also in that class was a Wanda Hanson. I believe the maiden name of Brad Rufer's mother was Wanda Hanson. Could this be his mother? There was also a Randall Otteson; would he be Alan's father? Marion Johnston (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339184) was the father of Pam in our class, and Greg, who was a year ahead of us. Their younger sister Jodi was a student of mine in the late 70's, early 80's. Mr. Johnston worked at Sokota Hybrids, which was located on 2nd Street South near Medary. My Minneapolis paper route in the early 60's was in that neighborhood, and Mr. Johnston was the person who paid me when it was time to collect.
While doing some research on Pam's father, I noticed he had a sister Kathryn, who married Charles Chester (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339131), who was a junior that year. One of Charles' sisters was Myrth Rae, who would have graduated in 1938. We knew her as Mrs. Brchan. Her daughter Julie was a year ahead of us. In the '66 and '67 annuals, she is pictured as the typing teacher. She later became the librarian at the Middle School when the "new" high school was built. Had I known she graduated from BHS in 1938, I would have picked her brain, as we taught in the same building until her retirement. Sadly, she passed away nine years ago (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_MBrchan172).
In addition to Mr. Chester, some of the juniors who may be of interest include Betty Jean and Elizabeth Buller (aunts of David and Diane?), Virgil Eclov (Mark Eclov was a year ahead of us), Glen Frie (brother of Sandy Frie?), Ed Gilbert (would this be "Slim"Gilbert, a policeman or probation officer when we were in school?), Robert Langner (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1340894), father-in-law of Mike McClemans, Marjorie LeFevre (of the Lefevre Motors family?), Joe Moriarty, and Fred Sylvis. There was a Sylvis family in the 50's that lived at 206 6th Avenue, across the street from my family , and just a couple of blocks south of Central Elementary.
Friday, January 9, 2015
75 Years Ago
The Bobcat yearbooks of this era were usually dedicated to an individual or individuals who had some effect on the lives of the students. The 1940 annual (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/32650?page=0) contains separate dedications for the boys and girls in the school. The boys are recognized first for their athletic achievements. Credit is then given to the FFA for having a large (the largest in the state, with over 70 members) and active chapter, and for helping the music and speech departments achieve outstanding success. They are also recognized for their gentlemanly manners, as they have been "ready and willing escorts for the fine ladies of our high school." The girls, too, are recognized for their athletic prowess in GAA and in their tumbling program. Their homemaking skills were especially noted, and their musical talents contributed greatly to the fine arts programs. They played a large part in the success of the speech programs and the school paper. They were also instrumental in publishing the annual.
It has escaped my attention that the superintendent, Mr. J. E. Martin, attended Kansas State, while the principal, Mr. M. A. Lynott, studied at Yankton College. It is a strange coincidence that the athletic director who took over for "Nig" Johnson has connections to both of these schools. Mr. Jim Holwerda replaced "Nig" in the fall of 1973. He attended Kansas State and played on their nationally ranked basketball teams of the late 50's. His college coach was "Tex" Winter, who later was the coach at Washington. Mr. Winter recruited Lee Colburn, but Lee chose to remain in town at SDSU. Mr. Winter was also an assistant to Phil Jackson, who won numerous NBA championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of us may have seen him play in the "Barn" while he was in college, as he played for the University of North Dakota. (http://www.biography.com/people/phil-jackson-224897#synopsis) Before coming to Brookings, Mr. Holwerda was the basketball coach at Yankton College, where he fielded some very strong teams in the NAIA division. Mr. Holwerda was very influential in my early years of teaching and coaching.
The senior class president was Hugh Barnett. He and his wife farmed north of town, and had seven children. The oldest was a couple of years behind us in school. Several of his children were students of mine. (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_HBarnett33) The secretary-treasurer of that class was Cecilia Moriarty. She was a brother to John and Paul, who have played major parts in developing Brookings. ((http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1460002Multhauf))
Another name that may be familiar is Eivor Birath. He brother was Harry, who worked at the Northwest (now Wells Fargo) for a number of years. He had two sons who graduated in 1970 and 1971. Eivor was actually born in Sweden (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1043818).
Olin Gile was also a member of that class. He was also a noted farmer in the Brookings area. His two daughters Judy, class of 67, and Kathy, class of 65, were a few years older than we were. I became acquainted with Kathy when both of us worked at the "Bug Lab" north of town in the early 70's. I believe he was known for his Christmas light display. People used to come from miles around to enjoy his light show.
The student body president was Gene Waltz. He was the owner of Waltz Hardware downtown. Daughter Sherry was a year ahead of us, while son Randy was two years behind us (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338747).
The "Hall of Fame" included Hugh Barnett (most representative senior boy, most perfect gentleman, and most reliable), Cecilia Moriarty (prettiest girl, second most perfect lady), while the most perfect lady and president of the homemaking club was Mary Connelly (Robyn's aunt?).
Zerl Frie was the editor of the Broboca. Could this be a sister of Sandy Frie, who graduated in 1968? Among the seniors were three Morrisons, Dorothy, Howard, and Phyllis. Phyllis would marry Herb Lakman, and lived next door to us for about 10 years. They had a son Doug, class of 63, and a daughter Patty, class of 68.
The only two faculty members we would likely know would be Mr. Horrigan and Mr. Bell. Mr. Horrigan attended "State", and earned two letters in basketball, while Mr. Bell attended Northern in Aberdeen, and earned three letters in football. I knew that they had coached before becoming administrators, but I did not know they played collegiately.
As noted above, BHS has had some fine musicians. The 1940 band was led by six majorettes (do high school bands even have majorettes anymore?), and received national recognition when they "appeared before us on the screen in a newsreel, taken by Paramount Studios during Hobo Day." Remember seeing those newsreels at the movies when we were younger?
Since there were relatively few extra-curricular activities compared with today, some of the clubs had rather large memberships. As mentioned, FFA had over 70 members, the most of any FFA chapter in the state. The Latin Club had 54, while the French Club had 25.
Intramurals were not confined to just a few sports. Included in the list of activities were hockey, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, basketball, a kicking contest (football?), and a free-throw contest. The president of the Monogram Club, which oversaw the intramural program, was Clarence Sturdevant, father of Diane of our class. The vice-president was Gene Waltz, who is remembered above.
The athletics' section contained not only the pictures of the teams and the season results, but also a brief summary of each game. Football games were likely played at Pioneer Park, as the bandshell is in the background of the team picture. Varsity basketball games appeared to have been played at the Junior High (Central Elementary), while freshman games were played in the "Pit," according to the pictures. It is interesting that in basketball, the varsity defeated the alumni for the second year in a row, while the "B" team wins of 24-0 and 14-1.
Since the annuals were issued at the end of the school year, the track and field results were from the previous school year. At the meet in Estherville, Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob") captured first place in the shot put, as did the football relay team. Anyone know what a football relay is? Did they use a football instead of a baton? We sometimes have throwers relays at our meets. The shot-putters and discus throwers for each team put together 4 X 100 meter relay teams, but they use a regular relay baton. We have also had a banana relay, in which a banana is used instead of a baton. The winner is not necessarily the team crossing the finish line first. The winner is the team whose last runner eats the banana first after crossing the finish line.
It has escaped my attention that the superintendent, Mr. J. E. Martin, attended Kansas State, while the principal, Mr. M. A. Lynott, studied at Yankton College. It is a strange coincidence that the athletic director who took over for "Nig" Johnson has connections to both of these schools. Mr. Jim Holwerda replaced "Nig" in the fall of 1973. He attended Kansas State and played on their nationally ranked basketball teams of the late 50's. His college coach was "Tex" Winter, who later was the coach at Washington. Mr. Winter recruited Lee Colburn, but Lee chose to remain in town at SDSU. Mr. Winter was also an assistant to Phil Jackson, who won numerous NBA championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of us may have seen him play in the "Barn" while he was in college, as he played for the University of North Dakota. (http://www.biography.com/people/phil-jackson-224897#synopsis) Before coming to Brookings, Mr. Holwerda was the basketball coach at Yankton College, where he fielded some very strong teams in the NAIA division. Mr. Holwerda was very influential in my early years of teaching and coaching.
The senior class president was Hugh Barnett. He and his wife farmed north of town, and had seven children. The oldest was a couple of years behind us in school. Several of his children were students of mine. (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_HBarnett33) The secretary-treasurer of that class was Cecilia Moriarty. She was a brother to John and Paul, who have played major parts in developing Brookings. ((http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1460002Multhauf))
Another name that may be familiar is Eivor Birath. He brother was Harry, who worked at the Northwest (now Wells Fargo) for a number of years. He had two sons who graduated in 1970 and 1971. Eivor was actually born in Sweden (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1043818).
Olin Gile was also a member of that class. He was also a noted farmer in the Brookings area. His two daughters Judy, class of 67, and Kathy, class of 65, were a few years older than we were. I became acquainted with Kathy when both of us worked at the "Bug Lab" north of town in the early 70's. I believe he was known for his Christmas light display. People used to come from miles around to enjoy his light show.
The student body president was Gene Waltz. He was the owner of Waltz Hardware downtown. Daughter Sherry was a year ahead of us, while son Randy was two years behind us (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338747).
The "Hall of Fame" included Hugh Barnett (most representative senior boy, most perfect gentleman, and most reliable), Cecilia Moriarty (prettiest girl, second most perfect lady), while the most perfect lady and president of the homemaking club was Mary Connelly (Robyn's aunt?).
Zerl Frie was the editor of the Broboca. Could this be a sister of Sandy Frie, who graduated in 1968? Among the seniors were three Morrisons, Dorothy, Howard, and Phyllis. Phyllis would marry Herb Lakman, and lived next door to us for about 10 years. They had a son Doug, class of 63, and a daughter Patty, class of 68.
The only two faculty members we would likely know would be Mr. Horrigan and Mr. Bell. Mr. Horrigan attended "State", and earned two letters in basketball, while Mr. Bell attended Northern in Aberdeen, and earned three letters in football. I knew that they had coached before becoming administrators, but I did not know they played collegiately.
As noted above, BHS has had some fine musicians. The 1940 band was led by six majorettes (do high school bands even have majorettes anymore?), and received national recognition when they "appeared before us on the screen in a newsreel, taken by Paramount Studios during Hobo Day." Remember seeing those newsreels at the movies when we were younger?
Since there were relatively few extra-curricular activities compared with today, some of the clubs had rather large memberships. As mentioned, FFA had over 70 members, the most of any FFA chapter in the state. The Latin Club had 54, while the French Club had 25.
Intramurals were not confined to just a few sports. Included in the list of activities were hockey, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, basketball, a kicking contest (football?), and a free-throw contest. The president of the Monogram Club, which oversaw the intramural program, was Clarence Sturdevant, father of Diane of our class. The vice-president was Gene Waltz, who is remembered above.
The athletics' section contained not only the pictures of the teams and the season results, but also a brief summary of each game. Football games were likely played at Pioneer Park, as the bandshell is in the background of the team picture. Varsity basketball games appeared to have been played at the Junior High (Central Elementary), while freshman games were played in the "Pit," according to the pictures. It is interesting that in basketball, the varsity defeated the alumni for the second year in a row, while the "B" team wins of 24-0 and 14-1.
Since the annuals were issued at the end of the school year, the track and field results were from the previous school year. At the meet in Estherville, Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob") captured first place in the shot put, as did the football relay team. Anyone know what a football relay is? Did they use a football instead of a baton? We sometimes have throwers relays at our meets. The shot-putters and discus throwers for each team put together 4 X 100 meter relay teams, but they use a regular relay baton. We have also had a banana relay, in which a banana is used instead of a baton. The winner is not necessarily the team crossing the finish line first. The winner is the team whose last runner eats the banana first after crossing the finish line.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
1939 Bobcat
A couple of interesting features stand out in the 1939 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/62447?page=0). On page 13, there is a color photograph of the front of the high school. The picture is facing northwest. The photographer must have been standing near the corner of 7th Ave. and 4th St., or just south of the Presbyterian Church, perhaps on the northeast corner of the courthouse lawn. Another color picture can be found on page 37. It appears to be a close-up taken from the same general vicinity. A few students are shown exiting the front doors and having a pleasant conversation. We thought it was rather innovative when, in the 1967 Bobcat, there was supposed to be a two-page color picture of the BHS band standing on the west courthouse lawn, with the front of the High School in the background. However, there was some mishap when the annuals were printed, and the picture was in black and white. As a correction, we were given the actual color photo (11' X 17'?) as an insert to place into our annuals. It was thought this may have been the first time a color photograph had appeared in one of the annuals. Little did we know how wrong we were.
The school board members were rather well-known throughout the town. Dr. Doner, for whom the Doner auditorium on campus is named, was the president. He was also the registrar at SDSC. Did Brian Johnson's father become registrar when Dr. Doner retired , perhaps in the early 60's? Another member was R. R. Blauert, a local businessman. I believe he was one of the owners of B and J Wholesale, where my father worked when our family moved to town in the late 40's. It later became James Wholesale. Perhaps the most interesting member was Mrs. C. D. Shea. It was rather uncommon for women to be elected to office back then. In the early 70's, there was much publicity when Ruth Alexander was elected to the school board. Finally, a number of people proclaimed, a woman was elected to the school board, and Brookings was overcoming its sexist attitude.. A number of people thought she was breaking new ground. Many of those people, however, had not done their homework. Mrs. Shea was not a lone exception. In the 50's, a number of women served on the school board. Some names that come to mind are Mrs. Farnham, Mrs. Flittie, and Mrs. Masson. Some of them even served as president. It seems that Brookings has recognized the abilities and contributions of its females citizens longer than some would want to admit.
In addition to Mr. Horrigan, another member of the faculty that year was Mr. Virgil Bell. He was not listed in the last annual of 1935, so was this his first year at BHS? In addition to teaching general science and biology, he was also an assistant football coach and freshman basketball coach.
Some of the 1939 seniors who may have some connection to those in our class or our friends may be Betty Alexander, Lynn Allison, Edwin Berkland, Marshall Biggar, Robert Bishman, Wayne conn, Lawrence Duff, Claire Eclov, John Flittie, Delbert and Dolores Gustafson, Mildred Hill, Glen Lerass, Richard Lindsay, Hazel McCord, Robert Madson, John Moriarty, Harold Niklason, Vernon Norris, Paul Prussman, Clarence Steen, Robert Stewart, and Robert Vessey..
Paul Prussman is the father of Dennis in our class, while Lynn Allison is the father of Marilyn. Bob Vessey is a name few, if any, may know. He was the father-in-law of Coach Lynn Frederick. Coach Frederick has been a highly-respected basketball coach in the state for almost 40 years. He came to Brookings as the head boys coach and middle-school science teacher in 1983. He was another one of my mentors in both the teaching and the coaching professions.. The 1986 Bobcats were runners-up in the boys state tournament, the 1987 team were champions, and the 1988 team finished third. At that 1987 tournament, the 1962 state champion Bobcats had a 25 year reunion, so it was very gratifying for them to personally witness another championship effort.
Robert Stewart is the same Robert Stewart that taught biology and coached at BHS for a number of years. In the latter part of his career, he was a guidance counselor (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). John Moriarty is still around. His family had the Ben Franklin store when we were younger. He also had the Campus Pharmacy and the drug store in the Red Owl building when Red Owl moved to Main and 7th Ave. His son Greg was a year ahead of us, and was in the same Cub Scout troop that a few of us were in.
Is Harold Niklason connected to Nick's Hamburgers? Was his father the one who started the shop, and then later turned the reins over the Harold? (http://www.johnsonhenryfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=301858&fh_id=11672) Would Robert Madson be the father of Tom, Bill, and Dave Madson? (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341896) Vernon Norris struck a note with me. There was a custodian at Central Elementary named Ezra Norris. When Tom Bozied's dad had the Conoco station at 6th and Main, one of the guys who worked there for a few years was a Roger Norris, a brother to Ezra, I believe. Tom used to pick on Roger rather unmercifully. Steve Odegaard may also have treated Roger rather playfully. Would Vernon have been a brother to these two? Would Marshall Biggar have been the father to Dave and Doug Biggar. Dave graduated in 65, while Doug was a year ahead of us.
As usual, the activities of the seniors throughout their high school years are listed. What is rather intriguing, though, is that there is a personal touch added to their list of accomplishments. Is there a hidden meaning to some of them, such as "They raise nice blondes in Volga, don't they;" "One of our rural sheiks," "Footprints in the sands of time, if they are big, you'll know they're mine," "No man ever became extremely wicked at once."
A number of music pictures were taken on the stage over at the new Junior High building (later to become Central Elementary, and now the Children's Museum of South Dakota). The JHS insignia on the stage curtain is clearly visible.
The Broboca, the school newspaper, was under new management this year, and was published weekly in the Monday edition of the Brookings Register. One organization that escaped my attention in previous years was the Latin club. It appears that Latin was not offered until 1935, when a Mrs. Mauch was listed as the Latin teacher. Did it take a few years to gather up enough interest to form a club?
Some other interesting facts are that school started Sept. 6, 1938, and enrollment was about 500 students. The population of Brookings is considerably greater today, perhaps four or five times larger, but enrollment now is not quite 1,000. FFA had about 80 members (the largest in the state?), and won state and national honors. There was an alumni basketball game, which the alumni losing for the first time. There was also a "B" squad state basketball tournament. Results were not listed. A Passion Play was held on Sept. 28-29.
The 1987 Bobcat basketball who were state champions also played an alumni game that season. There was an opening in the schedule, so the AD arranged an alumni game as the first game of the season. "Older" alumni played the sophomores, while "younger" alumni played the varsity. I believe Tom Osterberg; Bernie Hendricks, and Lorre Colburn from our era played. The alumni came out victorious against the future state champs. Good thing the game was the first one of the season. If it had been played later in the year, it's doubtful if the older generation could have prevailed.
A Passion Play was presented at the high school in the mid-50's. It may have been about 1957 or 58. I distinctly recall watching it in the Central gym. When Jesus arose from the tomb, the actor portraying Him pushed a heavy slab to the stage floor. A booming sound echoed throughout the gym, and still rings in my ears yet today. It seems to me that they even had brought live animals for the performance.
The school board members were rather well-known throughout the town. Dr. Doner, for whom the Doner auditorium on campus is named, was the president. He was also the registrar at SDSC. Did Brian Johnson's father become registrar when Dr. Doner retired , perhaps in the early 60's? Another member was R. R. Blauert, a local businessman. I believe he was one of the owners of B and J Wholesale, where my father worked when our family moved to town in the late 40's. It later became James Wholesale. Perhaps the most interesting member was Mrs. C. D. Shea. It was rather uncommon for women to be elected to office back then. In the early 70's, there was much publicity when Ruth Alexander was elected to the school board. Finally, a number of people proclaimed, a woman was elected to the school board, and Brookings was overcoming its sexist attitude.. A number of people thought she was breaking new ground. Many of those people, however, had not done their homework. Mrs. Shea was not a lone exception. In the 50's, a number of women served on the school board. Some names that come to mind are Mrs. Farnham, Mrs. Flittie, and Mrs. Masson. Some of them even served as president. It seems that Brookings has recognized the abilities and contributions of its females citizens longer than some would want to admit.
In addition to Mr. Horrigan, another member of the faculty that year was Mr. Virgil Bell. He was not listed in the last annual of 1935, so was this his first year at BHS? In addition to teaching general science and biology, he was also an assistant football coach and freshman basketball coach.
Some of the 1939 seniors who may have some connection to those in our class or our friends may be Betty Alexander, Lynn Allison, Edwin Berkland, Marshall Biggar, Robert Bishman, Wayne conn, Lawrence Duff, Claire Eclov, John Flittie, Delbert and Dolores Gustafson, Mildred Hill, Glen Lerass, Richard Lindsay, Hazel McCord, Robert Madson, John Moriarty, Harold Niklason, Vernon Norris, Paul Prussman, Clarence Steen, Robert Stewart, and Robert Vessey..
Paul Prussman is the father of Dennis in our class, while Lynn Allison is the father of Marilyn. Bob Vessey is a name few, if any, may know. He was the father-in-law of Coach Lynn Frederick. Coach Frederick has been a highly-respected basketball coach in the state for almost 40 years. He came to Brookings as the head boys coach and middle-school science teacher in 1983. He was another one of my mentors in both the teaching and the coaching professions.. The 1986 Bobcats were runners-up in the boys state tournament, the 1987 team were champions, and the 1988 team finished third. At that 1987 tournament, the 1962 state champion Bobcats had a 25 year reunion, so it was very gratifying for them to personally witness another championship effort.
Robert Stewart is the same Robert Stewart that taught biology and coached at BHS for a number of years. In the latter part of his career, he was a guidance counselor (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). John Moriarty is still around. His family had the Ben Franklin store when we were younger. He also had the Campus Pharmacy and the drug store in the Red Owl building when Red Owl moved to Main and 7th Ave. His son Greg was a year ahead of us, and was in the same Cub Scout troop that a few of us were in.
Is Harold Niklason connected to Nick's Hamburgers? Was his father the one who started the shop, and then later turned the reins over the Harold? (http://www.johnsonhenryfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=301858&fh_id=11672) Would Robert Madson be the father of Tom, Bill, and Dave Madson? (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341896) Vernon Norris struck a note with me. There was a custodian at Central Elementary named Ezra Norris. When Tom Bozied's dad had the Conoco station at 6th and Main, one of the guys who worked there for a few years was a Roger Norris, a brother to Ezra, I believe. Tom used to pick on Roger rather unmercifully. Steve Odegaard may also have treated Roger rather playfully. Would Vernon have been a brother to these two? Would Marshall Biggar have been the father to Dave and Doug Biggar. Dave graduated in 65, while Doug was a year ahead of us.
As usual, the activities of the seniors throughout their high school years are listed. What is rather intriguing, though, is that there is a personal touch added to their list of accomplishments. Is there a hidden meaning to some of them, such as "They raise nice blondes in Volga, don't they;" "One of our rural sheiks," "Footprints in the sands of time, if they are big, you'll know they're mine," "No man ever became extremely wicked at once."
A number of music pictures were taken on the stage over at the new Junior High building (later to become Central Elementary, and now the Children's Museum of South Dakota). The JHS insignia on the stage curtain is clearly visible.
The Broboca, the school newspaper, was under new management this year, and was published weekly in the Monday edition of the Brookings Register. One organization that escaped my attention in previous years was the Latin club. It appears that Latin was not offered until 1935, when a Mrs. Mauch was listed as the Latin teacher. Did it take a few years to gather up enough interest to form a club?
Some other interesting facts are that school started Sept. 6, 1938, and enrollment was about 500 students. The population of Brookings is considerably greater today, perhaps four or five times larger, but enrollment now is not quite 1,000. FFA had about 80 members (the largest in the state?), and won state and national honors. There was an alumni basketball game, which the alumni losing for the first time. There was also a "B" squad state basketball tournament. Results were not listed. A Passion Play was held on Sept. 28-29.
The 1987 Bobcat basketball who were state champions also played an alumni game that season. There was an opening in the schedule, so the AD arranged an alumni game as the first game of the season. "Older" alumni played the sophomores, while "younger" alumni played the varsity. I believe Tom Osterberg; Bernie Hendricks, and Lorre Colburn from our era played. The alumni came out victorious against the future state champs. Good thing the game was the first one of the season. If it had been played later in the year, it's doubtful if the older generation could have prevailed.
A Passion Play was presented at the high school in the mid-50's. It may have been about 1957 or 58. I distinctly recall watching it in the Central gym. When Jesus arose from the tomb, the actor portraying Him pushed a heavy slab to the stage floor. A booming sound echoed throughout the gym, and still rings in my ears yet today. It seems to me that they even had brought live animals for the performance.
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