A Sudden Loss

After high school graduation, we all went our separate ways.  A number of us went to SDSU, so we were able to maintain some sort of contact for a few years.  Our careers then called us, and we traveled to various parts of the country and the world.  With the advent of social media, many friends have been able to keep in close contact with each other in ways that were unthinkable when we were in school.  This blog has been an attempt to  keep our classes somewhat informed of what we have all been doing and to recall some memorable moments of our youth.  These stories include, as the Wide World of Sports television series advertised many years ago, "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."


Recently, we learned of the passing of Cathy Helfinstine, the wife of David Helfinstine (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=45513928_CHelfinestine).  My knowledge of Cathy is rather scant.  She was a year behind us.  She and David must have been a wonderful couple, as they were together for 41 years.  David attended Central, but we seldom crossed paths.  I can not recall being in the same classes as he was, even in jr. hi or high school. My main recollection of David is this picture from our senior annual:

I believe this picture illustrates David's introduction to the grocery business, an introduction he was to channel into an eventual career.  I think he owned and/or managed a grocery store in Willmar, Minnesota.    
At the visitation for Cathy, David indicated that Cathy had not been feeling well, but he was truly stunned and shocked to find out that she had passed away.    He seemed to be handling himself with great dignity, poise, bravery, and nobility under the circumstances.  It must be indescribable to explain how one feels when suddenly losing a spouse, particularly after having shared 41 years of life together.   Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with David during this sorrowful time.

The War is Over--The 1946 Bobcat

The 1946 Bobcat contains this dedication:  "With their lives, those boys, and thousands others like them, secured for us the privilege of living in peace.  To them, we are deeply grateful.  As a tribute to those boys who died on the field of battle, we dedicate the 1946 Bobcat to the task of preserving peace."  Was not able to find a listing of those boys, but will keep digging.

New faculty members were Mr. Bell and Mr. Karnes.  Mr. "Nig" Johnson was  listed on the faculty roster for the first time, although he was pictured as a coach the previous year.  Perhaps he taught at a lower level.   Also shown as coaching for the first time at BHS was Mr. Francis "Franny" Dolan.

Some of the seniors may be familiar to us.  These include Lyle Allison, Fern Bortnem, Stan Corlett, John DeWitt, Ray Dorn, Jack Earley, Ruth Eclov, Horace Fishback, Elizabeth Fuller, LeRoy Kellogg, Don Liebsch, Floyd and Loyd Minor, Marvin Peters, Beverly Rude, Stan Rymerson, Rueben Steen, and Marlys Trudell.

Would those whose names are in red be related to those of the same name in our class?  Would Ruth Eclov be related to Mark Eclov, who was a year ahead of us, or his younger brother Dan, two years behind us?  I seem to recall them being associated with Donny Dorn, brother of Ray Dorn mentined above.  Donny worked at SDSU and was a little league baseball coach for a number of years.  Mr. Ray Dorn is still active around the community.  Horace Fishback is a member of the Fishback banking family.  He became an extremely accomplished musician (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16164&page=80).  Would Elizabeth Fuller be a relative of Ed (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/memsol.cgi?user_id=338844), who owned Ed's Laundry for about 15 years, and whose wife Lavonne (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_LFuller571)worked at the radio station for a number of years? Mr. Fuller laundered all of the towels the school system provided for the athletes and PE students.  "Nig" Johnson told us on the first day of gym class not to "snap " anyone with a wet towel, or we would be the recipients of one of his "snaps" on our gluteus maximus (or might that be glutei maximi?)  Wasn't there a Mr. Peters who owned or ran the Sinclair gas station on 8th and Medary near campus?  There was a Mike Peters a couple of years behind us, but he is not shown in any annual after 1967.  Beverly Rude was a member of the Rude family that had the furniture store and funeral home.  She married Rich Craddock, a member of the talented 1950 Jackrabbit football team that also featured Bill Gibbons, Warren Williamson, and Bob Durland.  She was a long-time substitute teacher at the Middle School during my tenure there.  Stan Rymerson was a brother-in-law to Cathy Wilber's older brother Art (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1)/obit.cgi?user=908460Rymerson).
Rueben Steen had an insurance business in town; his son Brett followed in his footsteps.  Is he an uncle to the Steen boys who were about our age, and who still have a bookkeeping service in Brookings?
Would Marlys Trudell be an aunt to the Trudells who were also about our age, and whose brother had Esco Metalworks, located right next to Beckman's Implement on Third Street?  She married Galen Kelsey, whose children were a little younger than we were (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338967).

Stan Corlett (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?page=profile§ion=info&user_id=1395069)was a long-time postal worker in Brookings and at SDSU.  He was also very active in the VFW, and was a strong supporter of VFW baseball ("Teeners"--http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=11865).  It was 50 years ago this summer that our Teener team earned a trip to Hershey, PA to play in the national tournament.  

Don Liebsch also spent most of his life in Brookings.  He, too, worked at the post office before he became very active selling insurance (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_DLiebsch798).  My first life insurance policy was purchased from him.

Floyd ( http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_FMinor189)  and Loyd (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341380) Minor had a number of children who were a few years younger than we were.  Most of the boys were talented wrestlers, and, along with two of the Sandersons, contributed greatly to the success of Mr. Tlustos's wrestling teams of the 70's and 80's. 

Many of theses same students were involved in the senior class play  "Headed For Eden" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=32).  This production is not about a snake crawling around seeking someone to devour, but there does some to be some type of criminal element involved.  Perhaps the suspense is the reason for the record attendance.The junior class play was entitled "Are You Mrs. Butterworth?"  (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=32).  The play is described as a mystery-comedy, not some syrupy tear-jerker.

The football and basketball squads had very successful seasons.  The football team had a rough start, but by the end of the year, was rated by the critics as the strongest team around (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=66).  It was difficult to tell by the pictures where the games were played, but the background does look remarkably similar to Pioneer Park.   Home basketball games seem to have been played at Central gym.  That environment proved to be beneficial as the basketball team did even better, winning the state tournament (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/17034?page=68).  However, the tournament results do not appear to be posted. 

The usual number of clubs and organizations are pictured and described.  Band, under the direction of Arne B. Larson , continued to grow, having again a record number of participants.

50 Years Ago

Fifty years ago, we were just completing our 8th grade year at the junior high school.  The ones that taught our section were Mr. Paul Johnson (math), Mrs. Doris Larson (English and SRA reading, I believe), Mr. Duane Rykhus (science), Mrs. Etta Olson (history), Mr. Wesche (art), Mr. Leslie Peterson (industrial arts), and Mr. Jim Klassen (speech).   One of the new teachers was Mrs. Eleanor Cochrane, who taught Home Economics.  She later began teaching at the high school our senior year, and was rather innovative, perhaps because her husband was an education professor at SDSU.  She offered a boys' home ec class for the school year 1968-69.  The 1969 Bobcat stated that "Although it may seem impossible, BHS's Boys' Homemaking classes prepared a complete Thanksgiving dinner.  Each boy prepared one dish for the meals and all helped pay for the 14 pound turkey.  All boys agreed that the best part of the project was eating the dinner.  Boys also had an opportunity to sew in Homemaking.  Homemaking III girls were allowed to work independently.  The only requirement was that a certain number of capsules had to be completed to earn each grade.  Each capsule is a separate project.  All Homemaking classes were conducted on a liberal basis, although the lower classes were operated on a more traditional basis."

A picture of the boys feasting on their culinary delights is shown on page 16 of our senior annual.  From our class are Jim Egeberg, Jin Antonides, Alan Otteson, Mark Denton, Dan Holm, Bob Kallemeyn, Lee Colburn, and Tom Bozied.  

We may have thought Mrs. Cochrane was somewhat old at the time, but she was only  in her early 50's.  After retiring in 1975, she and her husband Maynard retired to Lake Cochrane near Gary, South Dakota, about 40 miles north of Brookings.     She remained very active until her passing on Saint Patrick's Day of this year, shortly after celebrating her 98th birthday (http://www.housemanfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=445187#/obituaryInfo).

Her children were older than we were, so we probably were not acquainted with most of them.  Their youngest son Gene was a senior when we were sophomores, so some of us may have gotten to know him somewhat, as he was on the varsity basketball and track and field teams.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Cochrane and her family.