First Cars, Flashbacks, and Sadness

Was getting some minor work done on my car and ran into Pete Leiferman at the garage.  Pete is a younger brother of Kathy, who went with Joe Jensen during our high school days.  We had a good conversation, and were joined later by Ron Dobesh, the owner of the shop.  When Ron first came to town about 40-45 years ago, he had a gas station on the by-pass and the interstate just north of town.  He then moved to the Mobil station at 6th and Medary, just north of Midway Grocery.  Perhaps about 30 years ago he moved to his present location at 316 3rd Avenue, just across from the old Sawnee Hotel.

Ron has a number of older cars, and Pete was teasing him a little about their status.  One of those Ron has is a 1956 black two-door Ford station wagon.  That car ignited two thoughts for me.  The first car that Stew Linn had was a 1956 green Ford.  Seemed to me that it was a manual shift, but can't remember if it was a two or four door model.  The second memory it brought to mind is the summers of 1966 and 67.  During those two summers, Jim Kessler and I worked at the college seedhouse for Dr. Phil Price.  He was the barley expert. We spent most of the summer hoeing weeds on the test plots about a mile east of the seedhouse.  The seedhouse was just north of the dairy bar on Medary.  Our foreman was a college student named Rodney TeKrony, who was a cousin of Bob Kallemeyn.  We would meet at the seedhouse and then we would ride with Rodney to the farm.  Our vehicle was a 1956 black two-door Ford station wagon.  I believe Dr. Price was actually part of the USDA..  A few years later, while working at the Bug Lab north of town, I noticed that same vehicle.    The Bug Lab was also a Department of Agriculture program, so it would have been relatively easy for that vehicle to be transferred out there without a great deal of red tape.

For some reason, it seemed logical to me that the station wagon Ron Dobesh now owned was the same vehicle  that Jim Kessler and I rode in almost daily during those two summers  of 1966 and 67.  When we asked Ron where he had gotten the  wagon, he said he had gotten it out of the trees at the Bug Lab.  It had been "retired" because the engine had failed.  When he inquired about the possibility of purchasing it, he was told that he would have to put a bid in.  His bid of $75.56 was successful, and he was the new owner.  He was able to eventually put a big, powerful engine in there, and it now goes really fast. 

On a sad note, our thoughts and prayers go out to Paula Hoffman.  Her husband, Bill Platz, passed away just a few days ago  (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/argusleader/obituary.aspx?n=william-platz-bill&pid=174253364).  I had recently seen them on a TV commercial.  Can't recall exactly, but it may have been their endorsement of and satisfaction  with a car dealership in Mitchell (Vern Eide?).

A couple of other notables have also passed away recently.  Mary Kay Coughlin  (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=23730&page=80) passed away on Feb. 12.  She was a sister of Francis ("Franny") Dolan, long-time teacher and coach for many of us.  Her husband Frank, whom she had married in 1946, lost his life in the Korean War.  He had also served in World War II (http://koreanwarmemorial.sd.gov/SearchEngineForm/profiles/13.htm).

Also passing away recently was Joan Beckman Smith (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=23701&page=80).  She was a BHS graduate of 1952, and an aunt of Ken Beckman.  Just last fall, Ken's father passed away (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=22232&page=80).  Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Paula and Ken during these difficult times.