Turn! Turn! Turn!

It seems rather appropriate that during most of December, 1965, this song (Turn! Turn! Turn!) by the Byrds (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=turn+turn+turn+by+the+byrds&qpvt=turn+turn+turn+by+the+byrds&FORM=VDRE) was number one on the Billboard charts.  As the introductory lyrics indicate:

                             To everything (turn, turn, turn)
                             There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
                             And a time to every purpose, under heaven

                             A time to be born, a time to die
                             A time to plant, a time to reap
                             A time to kill, a time to heal
                             A time to laugh, a time to weep

 

52 years later, these ancient words from the Book of Ecclesiastes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn!_Turn!_Turn!), written perhaps 2800 years ago, still remain timeless and prophetic.  Christmas is a time for many of us to gather around with family members and celebrate the birth of Christ according to one's traditions.  When we were younger, we usually thought of receiving gifts; as we have matured, we more likely are thinking of returning the favor and giving gifts to our spouses, children, grandchildren, and those most dear to us. Nature, however, sometimes throws us a curveball, and injects some sadness into this glorious season.

 

This Christmas, some of our class members have experienced this sadness personally.  A previous post has recalled the passing of James Vincent, father of Gary.  Recently, two other classmates have also been affected by the death of a parent.  Marilyn (Allison) Gisi recently lost her step-mother, while Brian Johnson lost his mother.  Our condolences to both of these classmates on their losses. 

 

It was wonderful visiting with Marilyn.  Since high school graduation, we had only seen each other at the 20th class reunion in 1989.  She has retired after teaching kindergarten for some 22 years in Topeka, Kansas.  When many of us were that young age, we did not even have kindergarten, particularly those who attended the one-room country schools, as Marilyn had. 

 

My memories of  half-day kindergarten are playing in the sandbox, fingerpainting, taking naps on the little rugs we had, milk-breaks, recess, listening to Miss O'Toole read stories, learning our numbers and letters, and putting away the tinkertoys after playtime.  There was one boy in our class who was somewhat of a smart-aleck.  He would often correct Miss O'Toole when she was reading a story about Native Americans and their wigwams.  He would shout out "tepee" when she said "wigwam." She was gracious enough to accept the correction for the first few times.  After that, however, it was easy to tell that she was getting a little irritated at his grandstanding.  This same boy showed off by trying to drink his milk faster than everyone else.  One day, he drank it too fast.  As they were lining up to go out for recess, he was standing behind Bill Sherman, who was first in line.  He asked Bill if he could go first instead.  Bill kindly let him.  Not two seconds later, the boy vomited.  Miss O'Toole then sent him home, which was only two blocks away.  That does not seem to be the procedure that would have to be followed today.   

 

Now, kindergarten seems much more geared to academics, as the students begin to read and do simple arithmetic problems.  Is that a good thing?  To the best of my memory, we were not pushed like that, and our class did not fare too badly academically. 

 

Was also able to have a good conversation with Marilyn's brother, who was two years older.  Their family was one of the early ones to settle in Bookings county.  There was an Allison land office at one time on the corner of Main and 3rd., across from the old Montgomery Ward's Store (according to today's  Register of Dec. 30, 2017, the Montgomery Ward's store went out of business 50 years ago).  There was also an historic Allison house located a couple of blocks east on 3rd street (kitty-corner from our house).  It was removed a number of years ago to make room for the new public library.  Adjacent to that house was a small wooded area that served as a fort and playground for  us boys who lived in the neighborhood during the 50's.  This "forest" was cleared perhaps in the early 60's, becoming a vacant lot  for a few years, and providing a temporary field for impromptu football and baseball games.  In the mid-60's, it was graveled over and became a parking lot.  During that time, there was an old green army bus parked there for a few days.  That bus later became the infamous "Yellow Submarine" that some BHS athletic teams used to transport them to their games.  It made its last trip to Pipestone during our junior year.  The boys on that bus can tell that story much better than I can. 

Below is a picture of the Allison house and the land office.  The grey area on the right of the house looks to be a flaw in the film.  The Allison name in the bottom picture is difficult to see, and appears under the words "FOR SALE" and above the word "LAND."  According to the website https://www.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf , this building was the land office for Andy and William Allison from 18880-1925.  Other additional businesses were also located on the premises.   An A. B. Allison is listed as having Sioux Valley Land and Loan company there in 1901.  In 1917-18, A. B. Chase had a real estate office there.  Any relation to Cheryl Crase of our class?  Some other notable business located there were Cook's Café (1950-54), which later moved to 407 Main, and Austin Food Store (1954-58), which later relocated to 813 Medary Ave.  The Cook's legacy is still to be found across the street, as a small eatery called Cook's Kitchen  is a regular gathering place for a number of local celebrities.  Max Austin, owner of the Austin Food Store, was about the age of my father.  Every once in a while, we would get milk there because it was cheaper than Spies.  Austin's price was three half-gallons for $1.00, while at Spies it was $0.40 for a half gallon.  However, we could walk to Spies in about a minute, whereas Austin's was a long ways for an 8-yar old. 

When we were in first grade, the building had outlived its usefulness, and was replaced by a brick building.  This new building had basements apartments, commonly referred to as the Duff apartments.  Near the alley behind this building, Mr. Duff had a long-time tire shop.  I believe he worked up to his nineties, and was the owner of the property.  The bottom part of the caption for the land office photo states the picture was from 1914, and "The fifth and sixth buildings on the block are still standing on Main and are now..."  The rest of the caption was on the next page, and read "Jim's Tap and George's Pizza."   

Some of us may have been students of Brian's mother, Lorraine Johnson.  My recollection is that she taught at Central when we were in grade school, and later moved to Hillcrest.  Before moving to Sunnyview in the early 60's, the family lived on Second Street between Medary and 11th Avenue.  I can recall playing over there one time.  In the summer of 1963, Brian was on our little league baseball team.  We had a really good team with Jim Kortan, Lonnie Herron, Rick Wahlstrom, Jim Egeberg, and some others whose names escape me.  When we began the play-offs, be played the Pirates, who also had very good team.  We were defeating them quite soundly and had a big lead when it began to rain just as Jim Kortan was coming to bat with the bases loaded.   The game was called and had to start over again the next day.  We lost 1-0.  Afterwards, Mrs. Wahlstrom scolded me for being such a poor sport and a poor loser.  She was right, and I slowly started to mend my ways.  It took a few years, as Craig Derscheid's dad reminded again the next year.   Some people are just slow learners.  I should have listened to Miss O'Toole back in kindergarten.  (I was the bratty one who blurted out when she was reading to us, and also the one who drank his milk too fast)

 

 Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marilyn and Brian at this difficult time. 

 

 

 

   

Parents

His name escapes me at the moment, but supposedly a well-known athlete was once asked what made him and other talented performers so proficient at their chosen sports.  His answer was brief and blunt:  "I chose good parents."

Obviously, he was being rather facetious, as it is rather difficult for most people to choose their birth parents.  Our class does, though, seem to have been abundantly blessed to have so many individuals "who have chosen such good parents."  Two of them were noted recently in the local media.

In the December 8, 2017 edition of the Brookings Register, the front-page headline read "Habitat house dedicated in memory of builders."  The Methodist Church "provided $100,000 worth of funding  significant amounts of labor..." for the Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity, and simultaneously honored two deceased members who were long-time volunteers.   Those two men were David McCaa and Lloyd Darnall.  The comments in the paper concerning the efforts of these two men truly display their unselfishness and love of neighbor. 

While Mr. McCaa may be unknown to many of us, Mr. Darnall, father of Sharon of our class, was certainly no stranger.  He became the city engineer for Brookings in 1961, and retired in 1985.  He obviously put his engineering skills to good use, as he is thought to have worked on about 60 of the 66 houses that have been built in the Brookings area, while Mr. McCaa lent his expertise on about 40 of them, 

Lynn Dahl, who began teaching Industrial Arts at the high school shortly after we graduated, said that Mr. Darnall "was a real perfectionist,"  and that, rather than using a level, he would use a plumb box to ensure greater accuracy.  Another volunteer noted that "Lloyd was always the one who laid out all the interior walls in the house.  That's what he liked to do.  And he always measured twice."  A common refrain from  industrial arts teachers is "Measure twice and cut once"  to make everything fit properly.  As the article stresses, Mr. Darnall was a mentor and teacher to numerous individuals.

Even upon retirement, he continued to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, as is evidenced by his work on most of the houses that were built in the area.  "Lloyd was also a specialist at laying that (laminate) flooring,"  Jeff Grant noted.  "At age 90, he was down on his hands and knees laying flooring,"  Dahl added,  "and he could get up, too."  He was able to do this all day long, they said, while most of them could only last an hour or two at the most.   At our age, most of us can probably sympathize with these statements, but Mr. Darnall seemed to defy the aging process.

He was able to accomplish these feats because he kept himself in fine shape.  He would even lead the volunteers in stretching exercises so  they could try to achieve greater agility, efficiency, and flexibility. 

Mr. Darnall, who passed away at the age of 93 on September 10, 2016 (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1851197), is certainly deserving of this honor.  His entire family can be proud of his achievements and the influence he had on their lives and the lives of others in the community.

Another elderly parent who lived even longer was Mr. James A. Vincent, father of Gary of our class.  Mr. Vincent recently passed away on Dec. 4, 2017 at the age of 97 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=33746257_JVincent).  I knew virtually nothing about Mr. Vincent, but in the last few days, have come to respect him tremendously.
His obituary contains a brief recap of his life, but just scratches the surface of his importance to  his family and his country. 

At the visitation, Gary told me how lucky his father was to have had two wonderful marriages.  His father's first marriage of almost 33 joyful years ended when his wife Deloris passed away in December of 1982.  He remarried in October of 1991.  That second marriage had an intriguing twist.  My hearing is not as good as it should be, so I may have misconstrued the story somewhat.  It seems that Mr. Vincent's best friend died, and he ended up marrying his widow.   This marriage lasted 26 happy years.  All the children and step-children noted how enjoyable these years were. 

Gary and I also had an extended conversation about our high school track and field days.  Track and field was probably the weakest sport in the athletics department of BHS in our day.  We both had similar thoughts on the philosophy and training methods of those days.

At the funeral service, Mr. Vincent's stepson gave us a short history lesson about World War II.  As the obituary reads, Mr. Vincent spent about four years in Europe fighting in some of the most  historic battles on the European front. 

Susan, Gary's sister, told us of the enormous garden that Mr. Vincent planted, and the abundant crops that it produced.  One year, he had 76 tomato plants.  She empphasized that they canned not only tomatoes, but so many numerous other vegetables and fruits from their little acreage, that they had jars of canned good coming "up the wazoo."

Mr. Vincent loved to fish, and Gary told a story of the time his father asked him if he wanted to go along.  Even though Gary was recently married, he jumped at the chance.  His wife, though, felt left out, and asked "What about me?"  Mr. Vincent replied, "OK, but I'm not baiting your damn hook!."  As Gary told the tale, his wife outperformed them all, or at least caught the first fish. 

While funerals always carry with them a sense of grief and sadness, Gary recognized that it was time for his father to depart from this earth.  Since Mr. Vincent was still on the rolls of the Aurora VFW (American Legion?) , it was fitting that some of those members were present at the funeral to give a proper military send-off. 

How fortunate Sharon and Gary were to choose such wonderful fathers.  The poem on Mr. Vincnt's obituary sums up a philosophy of life rather succinctly (the images may be rather small; a left-click enlarges them so they may be read easier).

"Red"

On August 25, 2017, five new members and one team were inducted into the BHS Hall of Fame (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2017/08/friday-night-and-lights-are-low.html).    Individual members have been inducted for about a dozen years, while this year was the first time an entire team was honored.   One of those rewarded both for his individual and team achievements (as part of the last boys' BHS track team to win a state championship) was Ron "Red" Erickson.  It was a delight to see "Red" in good spirits and hear about his life growing up in Brookings while attending BHS and South Dakota State College. He also had interesting tales about his teaching/coaching career. "Red" was truly honored and humbled to be welcomed into this elite group. 

Last evening, November 12, 2017, was another time for hearing about "Red's" life.  This time, though, his story was told by his family members.  Unexpectedly, "Red" passed away November 5.  Last night was his visitation.  The family was exceptionally grateful that we expressed our sorrow and condolences.  They especially  emphasized how much it meant for him to be a part of the BHS hall of fame, and how proud and humbled he was to have been selected.  The prayer "Red" selected for his obituary speaks volumes about the integrity of his character.  Would that all athletes had that same philosophy. 

While it is difficult to compare athletes of different eras, our research indicates that "Red's" athletic talents would have been comparable to that of Tom Osterberg of our class.  Tom was inducted last year, and was a colleague of "Red" for a number of years when both of them taught and coached at Madison.  It seems fair to say that "Red" was a larger version of Tom.  Both competed in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball.  While track and field in our high school years was not a strong point in our athletic program, it definitely was in "Red's" day, as verified by their state championship in 1951.  As mentioned above, this was the last year the BHS boys were able to win the trophy trophy because of their running, jumping, and throwing prowess. 

There are some interesting notes concerning his obituary.  The top photo shows "Red" in his black Bobcat basketball uniform.  That picture appears to have been taken in the Central gym.  That jersey may also have been worn by one of our classmates when we were on the Junior High "B" basketball team in our 8th grade year.  In those days, they gave the old high school uniforms that were still usable to the junior high players.   Sometimes, for those of us who still had some maturing to do, our mothers would have to alter them a little bit so they fit somewhat decently.

One can see that there are two pictures (one in the top photo, the other in the bottom photo) taken at Nick's.   If one grew up in Brookings, no explanation is necessary.

He graduated from college the same year we would have started kindergarten. 

By coincidence, the date of his funeral is the date of his birth.  He was just about a week short of reaching his 86th birthday.  One of his casketbearers is Don Larson.  Don was a standout athlete at Madison when "Red" was teaching and coaching there. While at SDSU, he was a standout hurdler and quarter-miler.   He was also in one of my classes at SDSU:  religion with Dr. David Fee.  He has been the men's track and field coach at NDSU for the past 40 years or so, and has done an outstanding job.  They have had phenomenal success during those years, winning numerous conference championships.

 Also noteworthy is that his burial is at Sinai.  His family is buried there, so it seems appropriate that "Red's" final resting place would be with them.  May he rest in peace. 

Whiplash - The Good Kind

Physical whiplash, with its injuries to the neck, is not good.  A brief medical visit with the all-knowing Dr. Google will show that to be true.  But what if you get together with classmates from high school, and bounce back and forth between high school memories and more recent years?  That's MENTAL whiplash, and it's both safe and fascinating.

The last couple of years I have used many excuses to drive out to Brookings from my home in the Twin Cities.  Whenever possible, I set up a meal at Pizza King or Nick's or McDonald's to get together with as many friends as possible.  If I know that a friend from the 1960s will be stopping in Brookings  --or already lives there--  he or she is invited.

The conversations slide in an instant from "Remember when?" to "Where are you now?"  Memories of 50 years ago compete with current circumstances. Topics flow from old classmates ... to young grandchildren, between past reflections ... and recent retirements.  Questions like "Why did you do that back then?" are answered with reasons that tell The Rest of the Story, as Paul Harvey used to say.  Some memories are incorrect, some are repressed, many are exaggerated, others just plain wishful thinking.  Corrections and clarifications are sometimes flattering, sometimes painful, often hilarious.  The past illuminates the present, and a person is thankful for the opportunity to look back.  After all, not all of our friends and classmates are alive, able to do what we are doing in these moments.  This Replay Machine is one of the gifts of growing older.  We are given a small dose ... of wisdom ... and we are grateful.

If you are given the opportunity, gather friends from the past and play Mental Whiplash.  It's good for the soul.

A Day of Contrasts

The funeral for Tom Anderson was held on Friday morning, Sept. 1, 2017.  Tom was a couple of years older than we were, and has been a well-known optician in Brookings since the early 70's.  He was also the brother-in-law of Teresa Steen, who is married to Russ Anderson of the class of 1964.

A few local members of our class, Mark Kratochvil, Jim Kohler, Dennis Audus, and I  were in attendance at the funeral. Many local members of the class of 1964 were also in attendance.  Additionally, many members of the class of 1967 were on hand to pay their last respects. Coincidently, that class was holding a 50th class reunion this weekend.    It appeared that many of Tom's loyal clients were also at the service.

The minister noted how generous Tom was in his profession.  Oftentimes, he stated, individuals might have difficulty paying their bills.  Tom generally absorbed the loss, knowing that forcing them to pay would create even more hardships for them.  He also mentioned how generous Tom was with the use of his lake home and the "toys" that he had amassed, and the enjoyment Tom had when his family made use of them.The minister informed us of a side of Tom that most people were unaware of.  

My last appointments with him were a couple of years ago.  We had some nice talks, and I developed a great respect for Tom and his approach to life.  He lived at Lake Poinsett, and went to church in Estelline, even preaching there on occasion.   Having had some experience in that department, I was greatly impressed. 

Our prayers and thoughts are with Tom's family at this time.

As mentioned above,  Tom's funeral was held on a Friday morning.  That evening, the class of 1967 had a gathering at Lee Kratochvil's home, and enjoyed pizza,  just as our class did last year at his brother Mark's home.  Those two, along with others such as George Ross (also class of 1967) and Paula (Hoffman) Platz of our class, prepared a variety of delicious pizzas for those members in attendance.   Bob Adams, class of 1968, was on the athletic teams with many of those boys, so he was also there.  I agreed to tag along, and was glad I did; I had a great time.

Even though most of them did not know me personally, there was frequently a connection between us. Earl Haddow, for example,  was a neighbor to Ken Beckman.  When we shot baskets in Ken's driveway, Earl would frequently join.us.  Earl also played Little League baseball with us.  We had a comical time reminiscing about those days.

It was truly enjoyable making acquaintances also with:  Neal Asper, Ron Borchardt, Judy Gile, Denny Glaim, Pete Hauff, Sue Horn, Laurie Klinkel, Tony Koenders, Jay Leibel, Terry Liebing, Jon Lundeen, Jerry Martinson, Carol May, Jeanne Ness, Kris Olson, Sheila Parsley, Margaret Pearson, Gary Steen, Jim Steen, Linda Stuerman, Bob Sturdevant, Tim Thorne,  Brian Walsh, Dan Wheeler, Lorna Weise, and Jim Wright.  For a shy guy like me, that was not too bad.  Just off-hand, at least two of our classmates have spouses in this class.  Jim Wakeman is the husband of Carolyn Freyberg, and Mary Moulton is the wife of Gary Steen.  Jim and Mary did not escape my attention, nor did Paula. They represented the class of 1969 quite respectably.

Others that were there (at least I believe I saw their name tags), but with whom I did not converse, were:  Joyce Berge, Lowell Bortnem, Ralph Bortnem, Dan DeWitt, Carolyn Freyberg, Vicki Hillyer, Les Kampen, Carol Langner, Kenneth Myers, Fran Oseby, "Butch" Oseby. JoAnn Perso, Vickie Podgornick, and Ron Thompson. Bob and I did not stay until the end of the party, so others may have shown up after we left. 

A number of familiar names appeared while browsing through the seniors of the 1967 annual:  Ahlers, Allison, Baker, Berge, Berkland, Bjordahl, Bortnem, Bozied, Brown, Cavanaugh, Darnall, Hamilton, Hauff, Hendricks, Herrig, Hoekman, Holm, Ishmael, Johnson, Kallemeyn, Kratochvil, Kruse, Leibel, Liebing, Linder, Marshall, Mehegan, Person, Quincey, Robish, Simmons, Sloat, Steen, Sturdevant, Thompson, Thysell, Vick, Walsh, Wakeman, and Wright.  Some of these are probably cousins, but most of these, I believe,  are siblings of our classmates.

The class of 1967 is perhaps best remembered as the last class to graduate from the "old" high school located at 601 4th Street.  They were also state champs in wrestling, a rather remarkable feat considering that wrestling only started in Brookings a few years previously.

These past few weeks have been rather busy, but extremely enjoyable.  Unless something important comes up, there may not be any posts for a while.  As always, we will have to just wait and see if anything is worth noting.  

 

Friday Night And The Lights Are Low

On last Friday, August 25, five new individuals  and one team were inducted into the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame.  Previous posts have mentioned them, but, once again, they are:  the 1951 BHS track and field team, which tied for the state championship (newspaper articles from the day indicated they won the coin flip for the right to take home the championship trophy); Ron "Red" Erickson, class of 1951; Bob Adams, class of 1968, Lori Andersh, class of 1981; Tim Burns, class of 1988; and Norman "Nig" Johnson, teacher, coach and administrator 1946-1973.

In comparison to last year, attendance was higher.  There were perhaps twice as many in attendance, likely due to the inclusion of the 1951 track and field team.  All of the inductees that were present had many fond memories of their high school days.  As so often happens at gatherings such as this, the stories are somewhat embellished and perhaps exaggerated.  It seems that as athletes get older, their performances get a little bit better than what actually happened.  In any case, it was a wonderful time, and the acceptance speeches given by these new members were extremely enjoyable and enlightening.

There was some severe weather forecast for that night.  The usual procedure is to award the plaques at half-time of the football game.  However, since there was a strong the possibility the game would be called before half-time, the individual plaques were awarded at the pre-game social.  The game was called in the middle of the first quarter, and they did shut off the lights.  Below are a few of the pictures of the festivities that Bob's wonderful wife was able to take.

  This picture shows some of the members (or their relatives) of the 1951 track and field team.  From the left are the son of Dave Christensen, Stan Rishoi, Jerry Danielsen, Duane "Hoppy" Rykhus, Ron "Red" Erickson, and Rosalie Ruth Ann Houk, one of "Nig's" two daughters.  His only son Arnold ("Little Nig") was actually in town earlier, but illness forced him to return home to the Twin Cities.   If you can access this site, you can find a number of BHS annuals from years past: http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192?hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1432789842814

"Red"Erickson is shown being congratulated by the photographer, Dick Turner.  "Red's" loyalty to the Bobcats is shown by choice of attire.  That red and black polo shirt looks great on him.   Dick was a long-time social-studies teacher at the middle school.  He grew up in Madison, and was just a couple of years older than we were.  "Red" actually taught in Madison for a number of years.  Don't know if Dick was a student of his, though.  "Red" did teach when Tom Osterberg was teaching there, however.  I was able to get a chance to talk with "Red" about growing up in Brookings. what a pleasure! One of his best stories was that he could stand at the corner of 6th St. and Medary, walk less than a mile in any direction, and shoot his limit of pheasants.  On "Red's" left is Tim Burns, Bob Adams, and Rosalie Houk.

Here is "Red" standing in front of his plaque.  When we looked at annuals from "Red's" day (late 40's, early 50's), the basketball uniforms looked familiar.  They were the the same ones we wore in 8th grade.  Mine hung down so low on me that my mother had to put a temporary hem in the area around the neck so that the armpits did not droop to my waist.    It seems that "Red" had brought some kind of uniform,  perhaps a track and field outfit, with him that was signed by some of other team members..

Here Bob is talking with Duane "Hoppy" Rykhus.  Mr. Rykhus was Bob's track and field coach for his sophomore and junior years.  Again, his loyalty to the red and black is showing in his choice of attire.    "Hoppy" himself was an outstanding pole vaulter.  He held the South Dakota high school record in that event for most of the 50's, and was the first south Dakota collegian to clear 13 feet.  In those days, the landing pit was sand and sawdust, not the soft foam pits that are available today. One had to know how land to avoid serious injury from those heights.  It was interesting reading the sports pages from old Registers of the 50's.  Not only was "Hoppy' prominently featured and  mentioned in the track and field articles (according to "Red," Hoppy had to win  the pole vault at the state meet in 1951if the Bobcats were to tie for the title), but he also played an important role on the football and basketball teams.  [He was one of our 9th grade football coaches, "Skip" Webster being the other one.  If we would have had someone nicknamed "Jump" for a third coach, we would have had "Hop," "Skip," and "Jump" for coaches (groan)].

These are the individuals that were able to attend.  From the left are "Red" Erickson, Tim Burns, Bob Adams, and Rosalie Houk  Lori Andersh was unable to make it.  Steve Berseth, the coordinator for the Hall of Fame, eventually located her, but not in time for her to make arrangements to be here.  By a strange coincidence, while looking up information from the early 50's, we found that her father competed in track and field at South Dakota State about the same time "Red" Erickson was competing for BHS.  The name Laverne Andersh. Lori's father,  was listed in some of the meets in which "State" competed.  Lori was only here for her junior and senior year, but was a key member on some good cross-country, gymnastics, and track and field teams.  Did she inherit her athletic ability from her father, who ran the two-mile in college?

As for the football game, it was finished the next day.  Yankton had to drive all the way home, and then get up early to make the trip back to Brookings for the 11:00 AM game.  It was great start for the Bobcats, as they won 27-21.  It was their first win since 2015.  They had a rough season last year, not winning a game.This season looks promising.  The games are live-streamed.  Perhaps Bob Adams can comment on how to do this for those who are interesed.

A Hidden Gem?

On a previous post, it was mentioned that Bob Adams, on one of his frequent visits to his old stomping grounds, and I took a tour of the Brookings County Historical Museum in Volga.  Their collection of BHS annuals is even more extensive than the Brookings Public Library.  The 1926 annual is one that piqued my interest.  One of the senior boys in that class was a young man by the name of Niall Tidball.  His father Clyde owned and ran Tidball Pharmacy, which later became Shirley Pharmacy.  The Tidball house was built on the SE corner of 3rd St. and 6th Ave., just south of the courthouse, in the 1920's, and is listed as a historical property in the city of Brookings.  Our family moved into that house in the summer of 1963.  I am fortunate to reside there yet today.

1926 was the last year for annuals to have a name other than "The Bobcat."  Up until then, there was no official name for the athletic teams, so the annuals were given various names.  In 1918, the annual was called "The Bomb;" in 1921, "The Sioux;" in 1926, "The Pheasant."  An explanation given in the 1926 Pheasant says that the high school athletic teams, by a vote of the student body, will henceforth be known as "Bob Cats."  The reason is that Bob Coffey, a star athlete and 1925 graduate of South Dakota State College, had been hired as teacher and coach for the 1925-26 school year.  Because his teams displayed some of the qualities of the feline species, the Register often referred to those teams as "Bob's Cats."  As an aside, there was a sophomore picture of one Marvin Iverson.  That man is my father.  When our family moved into that house in 1963, the attic had numerous copies of old magazines. Some of the National Geographics, for example, preceded World War I.  Had we kept them, they might be rather valuable today.  I seem to recall seeing advertisements for esoteric cars such as the Stanley Steamer and the Hupmobile.

One of the earliest schoolhouses built in Brookings County is also display.  It was in use from 1884-1965, and was located south of Volga.  Perhaps some of our classmates who lived in that area may have been students there at one time.

Another attraction that caught my eye was the Hauxhurst house, built in 1884, and perhaps the first home built in the city of Brookings. It was located in the 500 block of Third Street, just across from where the public library is now located.  As a young boy, one of my best friends lived right next door to the east.  Mayor Homer Dwiggins lived next door to the west.  These houses were all on the same block where Tom Bozied and I grew up.  In the 1950's, Jim Egeberg lived right across the street from that house.

That house was moved to Volga a few years ago when the new government building was built on that site.  The big apartment building on the corner was also relocated part of town, just a block west of Southside Park.   

Many farming inplements were located in another building.  included in these "implements" were four stuffed horses.  One small room  displayed s an array of over 40 different kinds of barbed wire.  If anyone was caught stealing the barbed wire, he would be held in the jail, which also an exhibit in that building. 

Perhaps the most stunning display is the original log house built in 1879 by the Sundet family.  It was located south of Brookings, near the I-29 bridge over the Sioux River.  It actually had an upper floor that appeared to be a bedroom for the parents.  There was also a small crib there, suggesting that the baby of the family would be near the parents if an emergency occurred.  The downstairs contained the living quarters and an additional bed for the older children.

There is a great deal of history in that gem of a museum.  If the history of Brookings County is of interest to you, a trip over to Volga would be well worth your time and effort.  

New Hall of Fame Members Announced

Five new members of the Brookings High School Hall of Fame will be inducted at halftime of the football game against Yankton on Friday, August 25, 2017.  In addition, a championship team will be honored for the first time. This is the link to the Register:  ( you may have to cut and paste the address in your browser) https://brookingsregister.com/article/erickson-adams-andersh-burns-johnson-to-be-inducted-into-bhs-athletic-hall-of-fame

A couple of the honorees may be quite familiar to us; one was a teammate/classmate, while the other was teacher/coach.  Our teammate/classmate is Bob Adams, the fourth member of the 1968 State "A" championship team to be so honored, joining Lee Colburn, Jim Kortan, and Tom Osterberg.  The teacher/coach receiving recognition is Norman "Nig" Johnson (1945-1973).   The other inductees are Ron "Red" Erickson, class of 1951; Lori Andersh, class of 1981; and Tim Burns, class of 1988.

Bob Adams moved to Brookings in 1963, at the start of his 8th grade year, and immediately displayed his athletic and scholastic skills  He was talented enough to play on teams with the older boys.  This prowess allowed him to earn nine varsity letters in football, basketball, and track and field.  He was one of the few athletes of his era who excelled in three sports.

In football, Bob played quarterback for his first two years.  When Jim Kortan earned the starting quarterback position during Bob's senior year, he adapted easily to his new position of wide receiver.  On defense, he used his speed and intelligence to perform most admirably at the safety position, setting a school record of three interceptions in one game.  I believe that record still stands.

In basketball, he was the lone starting senior on the 1968 championship squad.  He was not the most flamboyant or flashiest player, but his steadiness and leadership helped cap off an exciting season for a new coach in a new high school building.

In track and field, he was one of the few members who qualified for the state meet.  He was one of the best hurdlers the school has ever produced, setting two school records in the 120 highs and 180 lows.  His 120 highs record lasted for about 30 years.  If Bob had had the training facilities that the school has today, he probably would still have that record.  His 180 lows record will likely never be broken, as that event has been replaced by the 300 meter intermediate hurdles.

Athletics was not all that Bob was gifted at.  He also was exceptionally blessed musically and academically.  He earned All-State choir honors three times, and was chosen as an All-State soloist.  He was valedictorian of his class, and was awarded a National Merit Scholarship.

Bob attended Hamline University in the Twin Cities, and continued to excel in track and field, specializing in the 440 yard intermediate hurdles, while earning a degree in music.

Ron "Red" Erickson graduated about the time most of us were born.  His career (and hair color) was somewhat of a precursor to that of Bob Adams.  Like Bob, "Red" was multi-talented as an athlete, and  actually outdid Bob one better in the letters department, earning 10 varsity letters.

"Red" was a member of some fine athletic teams.  The football teams on which he played had a combined record of 22-8-1 and won ESD crown.  He played on three basketball teams that participated in the state tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1949 and  3rd place in 1951.  They were also ESD champions in 1951.  To cap off that fine 1950-51 school year, the Bobcats were state champions in track and field.  "Red" was on the 880 yard relay team, which won the meet with a school record time of 1:33.9.  Also during his senior year, "Red" was homecoming Lord.  He continued his athletic career at South Dakota State College, again competing in three sports:  football, track and filed, and baseball.

It was interesting to come across an article of the March 21, 1956 edition of the Register.  It mentions that "Ron Erickson, SDSC athlete and Brookings Cubs centerfielder the past few years, has signed a contract to be head basketball coach at Cosmos, Minn...Cosmos (500 population) is located 65 miles west of Minneapolis.  The town is new and a sportsminded town."

I also believe "Red" taught in Madison, SD for a while..  He was in a class that I took in the mid-70's.   Tom Osterberg taught in Madison for about 35 years.  Did they know each other?

Tim Burns  is the third male athlete to be inducted this year.  Coincidentally, he also has (had?) red hair, as Bob and Ron did.  Some of you may know of Tim's father Bob.  He was a young college professor (political science?) at SDSU when many of us enrolled there after high school.  Although he is officially retired, he is still quite active in the political arena. Tim was another excellent three-sport athlete.  He earned three letters in football.  His senior season was rewarded by earning All-ESD and All-State honors.  Also during his senior year, he was wrestling captain, winning the region at heavyweight, and placing third in the state meet.  In track and field, he was chosen as the most valuable athlete.  He won the prestigious Howard Wood Dakota Relays discus championship, as well as the conference title, while finishing third at the state meet. He was rewarded for his athletic achievements by being named Outstanding Boy Athlete for BHS. That class was somewhat reminiscent of ours.  They had a number of outstanding athletes, had  won the State "AA" basketball championship the year before, and finished third ithat year (1988).  Tim earned four letters in football at SDSU, being named a team captain his senior year.

In the early 1980's (1982 perhaps), Tim was directly involved in a policy change in athletics at the Middle School.  Like a number of boys of that era, he tried out for the 7th grade basketball team. However, the coach was not overly impressed with his skills.  Thus, Tim did not make the team.  Tim's father, who was on the school board on the time, disagreed with the decision to cut players at such an early stage in their development.  Bob Burns made the case that no one should be cut from the squad. At that age, he claimed, it is too early to determine how successful one will be later on in life.  Consequently, a no-cut policy was instituted the next year (1983-84).  For me, that meant a team of about 45 players.  Since there was no one assisting me at the time, I needed help and guidance to come up with a plan that was fair to all involved.  We decided to have split practices.  One group would practice from 3:45-5:00, while the other group would practice from 5:00-6:15.  (Somewhat reminiscent of our second semester Junior English classes.  Remember them?  Half the class would come for the first half of the period, while the other half would come for the second half of the period).  We had a great group of players, and they responded exceptionally well.  When those same players were juniors (1986-7), they accomplished what we did in 1968:  a state championship.      
While the girls in our class may not know much about Norman "Nig" Johnson, the boys likely do. Most of us knew him as the athletic director, a position he held from 1954-1973.  He was also our PE teacher our freshman year. In some of the older annuals, he is listed as a history and/or algebra teacher, I bleieve.  

I have heard that Mr. Johnson grew up in Sinai.  He was an exceptionally talented athlete at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, becoming the first to earn 16 letters at that school.  He started teaching/coaching in Brookings in 1945.  At that time, it was common for an individual to coach multiple sports.  Consequently, Mr. Johnson was assistant coach in football, basketball and track and field.  He became head track and field coach in 1951, remaining in that position until 1965.  (Did Mr. Rykhus take over then for a few years?)  As mentioned above, his 1951 team was state champion, while they were runners-up the next two years.  Some of those member that will be recognized from that championship team are "Red" Erickson, Arnold Johnson (Mr. Johnson's son), Duane Rykhus, Dave Christensen, and Jerry Danielsen. Mr. Johnson also had much success as a golf coach.  He was the guiding hand behind the state championship teams of 1969 and 1970.  The were ESD champs in 1970 and 1971.  Mr. Johnson retired in 1973.  He moved to Arkansas, and I believe passed away while residing  there.  His son Norman (Nig, Jr.), himself a member of the Hall of Fame, and his daughter will likely be receive this award. 

The female athlete is Lori Andersh, class of 1981. The family moved here while she was in high school.  Her father was the postmaster.  He may have taken over for Tom Lyons, father of Kris.  (As an aside, both Bob Adams and I worked at the post office during our junior years.)  As the others were three sport athletes, so was Lori:  cross-country, gymnastics, and track and field.  She was one of the many outstanding female athletes BHS was blessed to have in the early 1980's.  In the fall, she was named the most improved runner on the cross-country team that won both ESD and State championships.  In the winter, she was again voted most improved for a gymnastics team that won the Region meet and finished fourth at the State meet.  In the spring, though, she really shined.  She was a key member of four championship relay teams during her track and field career:  4 x 400; 4 x 800 (twice); and medley.  Like Bob Adams, she was a hurdler (her gymnastics training undoubtedly helped her in this event), setting a school record in the 300 intermediates with a time of 46.6 seconds.  She was quite versatile too, setting another school record in the 800 at 2:20.0.  Her name was etched into the annals as  a member of two relay teams that established school records:  4 X 400 (3:59.9) and 4 X 800 (9:25.83).  The latter was also a state record at the time. 

Congratulations to all of these fine individuals.  If you happen to see this blog entry and are in the Brookings area on August 25, 2017, please join in the festivities.  There will be a social at BHS from 4:30-6:00 pm.  This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet the new inductees.  Following the social will be the football game with Yankton, slated to start at 7:00 pm on the SDSU campus.  The five members will officially be inducted at halftime.







  

Interesting Trivia

As promised, here are some incidental highlights while researching the  Hall of Fame nominees.  The date of the Register will be listed, along with the headline, followed by a brief synopsis of the article.

May 13, 1926 Contracts Are Let for Completion of the Brookings High School Building  When the high school was originally built in 1921, the board evidently lacked enough money to complete the structure.  This contract "provides for the completion of the entire second floor of the building.  The new auditorium will be the chief feature, as it will provide a place for all the school activities--band work, music, debates, public performances, and the like.  It will be strictly up to date and will seat approximately 500.  Seven new class rooms will be aailable, and the domestic science, normal training and physics equipment will all be moved to the new building." 

June 3, 1926  Class of 38 Receive First Holy Communion--Statue of St. Therese also unveiled at Catholic Ceremony
First Holy Communion is a milestone for a young Catholic.One of those young Catholics was James V. Connelly.  Would this be an uncle to Robyn?  One of the two girls who unveiled the statue of St. Therese "The Little Flower" was Mary Connelly.  Would this be Robyn's aunt?  The pastor at that time was Fr. Francis Xavier Dooley.  He was also the pastor when many of us received First Holy Communion.  Below is our First Holy Communion picture.  Can you identify them?  

Summer 1929 (forgot to write the exact date) Several School Houses Reported as the Oldest.
One of those listed is District 79, located south of Volga.  It was erected in 1884.

Nov. 14, 1929  Loses Two Toes  "Milton Moxon, 18-year-old son of Geo. Moxon, is minus two toes on one of his feet, the result of a hunting accident on Sunday.  He was carrying his gun under his arm and is not sure how it happened, but believes that in some way the trigger caught on his jacket and was discharged.  The load struck the two middle toes, and lacerated them so badly they had be be amputated.  He has a mighty sore foot foot, but otherwise is getting along all right."   It just so happened that a couple of days after I had come across this article, there was a couple in the library looking for some historical data on their family.  After we exchanged pleasantries, I found out they were cousins of Tom Moxon. 

 July 31, 1930  Brookings School Had Very Humble Beginning Back in Winter of 1979-80. Two  of the early teachers were Mrs. Horace Fishback and her sister Miss Leona Van Dusen.

May 10, 1934  Some of State's Grid Hopes For Next Season  One of the players pictured is "Arndt, Tackle."  This would be Al Arndt, father of Jim (class of 1968), and owner of Al's Sport Shop, where many of us purchased our baseball gloves, bats, basketball,s footballs, etc.

May 9, 1935  Wm. Connelly Dies at Elkton, Aged81: Was Early Pioneer  This is Robyn's great- grandfather.  Grandson Morrell Connelly ( Robyn's father) was a pallbearer.

May 23, 1935  Local Boys Named on Freshman Crack Platoon at College  Harvey Schroeder (Nanette's father) of Bruce was selected to be a member of the "freshman crack drill platoon of State College...The crack drill platoon is constantly in demand to give exhibitions of their pleasing show at different occasions of the year such as Armistice and Memorial Days, the Military ball and other occasions of the like." 

Mal(sic) 14, 1935 (Should this be May 14?)  New Chief of Police, City Attorney Appointed--Jas. J. Collenny to Head Police, E. A. Berke City Counsel (sic) James J. Connelly is Robyn's grandfather.  He was chief of police for a long time (til early 60's perhaps?)


April 10, 1935  Estelle Dickson Is Captured at Kansas City, Bullets End Career of Husband-Bank Robber   16- year old Estelle Dickson and her 27-year old husband Benny were the pair who robbed the Northwest Security National Bank in Brookings and the Corn Exchange Bank in Elkton.  "Benny's abrupt killing and Estelle's capture elicited little comment in Brookings."  The vice-president and manager of the Security bank stated that "he was glad they got Benny and the capture of Estelle seemed to be the next logical step."

April 13, 1939  Lenore Bork Becomes Bride of Virgil Braley  Would Lenore Bork be a relative of Carol Bork of our class?  One of Virgil Braley sons is Steve Braley, who was a year ahead of us in school. My recollection of  Steve is from Little League baseball.  He was a pretty good ballplayer.   The family moved to Huron around 1963.

April 10, 1930  Why Study Halls Should Be Abolished  This item by a Gordon Olson is an unsolicited editorial from the high school newspaper The Broboca.  It seems appropriate to quote the letter in full (mistakes are as they appeared  in  the original):      
      "Study halls in certain and frequent instances are abstructive to the idea that if the teacher is not in the room, they can raise whoopee!  These tactics do more harm than good.  This condition discourages the studious pupils that want to study.
       Study halls are merely places to study; therefore why should person who do not want to study be required to remain there.
       In the morning before homeroom period the best conditions in regard to quiet and the amount of studying that can be done, exist.
    The elimination of compulsory study halls would also benefit the teachers.  Instead of being required to parole a study hall, they would be able to work with and advise students who need additional instruction.  
     Not only would the faculty benefit, but students would be able to go home, play, work, study in comfort or do many other things more interesting than sleeping in study halls.  This arrangement was successfully tried three years ago.  Why wouldn't it succeed again? 
      The abolition of study halls would shift more responsibility to the students.  This would undoubtedly contribute toward a more successful post--high life, wherein he will be forced to exercise initiative.  
       If we look at the problem solely from the viewpoint of how the presence or absence of study halls affects the students studies, we again find evidence to indicate that these study periods should not be required.
     In that only a few can take advantage of the library at one time and no one can leave the building to seek information, a student sometimes sits and does nothing.  For these reasons as well as others unenumerated, study halls should be abolished."

 April 17, 1939  Letters To The Editor  (From the Broboca)  Open Letter to Gordon Olson:
    Will all due appreciation to the editorial on "Why We Should Abolish Study Halls," this is being written to show the one and only disadvantage.
     The big catch would be sleep!  Where would we of the student body catch up on our sleep if it were not the nice soft, well cushioned seats of the study halls (Oh, yeah!).  Can you think of anything nicer than, after a hard night, to go into study hall and sleep?  No!  We plead with Mr. Lynott and the school board not to do away with our one and only means of getting a bare two hours sleep a day!  Spare us this one meager pleasure that we have from 8:30 a. m. to 4 p. m.  If this is done you will have our hearty and sincere thanks.
                                 
                     (Signed)  Study Hall Snoozer.



  

Summer Recap

Now that summer is just about over, and school has started, it seems appropriate to highlight some of the events that concern some of our class members.

About a dozen years, the activities director at BHS began a Hall of Fame to recognize some of the outstanding athletes, coaches, and other contributors that have played a prominent role in the history of BHS athletics.   Each May since then, a committee of former BHS students has convened and selected those individuals worthy of selection.  Those results will then be announced about a week prior to their induction, which is generally the first home football game of the following season.  Our talented class is fortunate to have had three athletes selected:  Lee Colburn, Jim Kortan, and Tom Osterberg..  When the names of this year's inductees will be released, an entire blog post will be devoted their achievements.

Some of the people on that committee asked me to do some research on some of the nominees.  Since the Public Library has copies of old Registers on microfilm, it was a fairly easy and enjoyable task.  While searching for information on those athletes, I also found some information pertaining to the parents and even grandparents of some of our classmates.  That information, too, will be posted on a later blog entry. 

Meanwhile, this summer has some pleasant surprises.  Bob Adams of the class of 1968 made a number of forays into Brookings.  He frequently visits with some of the locals, such as Mike McClemans and Steve Hayes. We make the obligatory dining excursions at Nick's and Pizza King.  He often brings his bicycle along, so he and I can go for nice rides around the area.  In late June, we met up with Jim Duffey, also of his class.  Jim's father is still going strong in his 90's, and Jim comes back perhaps once a month to keep tabs on him.  We met at Nick's one noon for a couple of hours to reminiscence.  Joining us were Steve Hayes and Craig Steen.   We swapped some great stories about growing up in Brookings in the 50's and 60's.

On one of Bob's visits, we checked out the Brookings County Historical Museum in Volga.  What a great way to spend an afternoon.  On the grounds there is one of the first schoolhouses in the county.  It was built around 1885, and finally closed down about 80 years later in 1965.  Some of our classmates may have very well attended that school in the 50's and 60's.  Some other trivia will be posted on a later blog.

 In early July, Stan Skubic and his daughter were in town for a few days to help his parents celebrate their wedding anniversary.  It may be their 71st, if memory has not failed me.  Jim Kohler and his wife Mary hosted Stan, his daughter, and a few other classmates for a lovely dinner in their honor.

Also in July, I happened to be in the SDSU library and ran into Patty Vick.  She indicated that her mother was having some difficulties, and that she would be unable to attend the dinner at the Kohler's.  We all hope and pray that Patty's mother is doing better.

In August, John MaComb was pictured on the front page of the Register.  He and another gentleman were shown repairing  broken wheelchairs.  Had I been using my brain, I would have copied that picture and posted it here.  However, my absent-mindedness was showing, and I failed to copy his picture. 

Did anyone make a trip to see the total solar eclipse, or were you already in its path?  



  

It's Not Quite Livestreaming, But it is BHS Basketball from 1968-69

Did you ever wonder if films still exist of that great bunch of basketball players in the Class of '69?  You will recall that those players won the ESD Conference two years in a row, 1968 and 1969.  Runners-up at the Class A state tournament in 1969, they won it all as state champions in 1968.  Good times!  Four of those players ended up in the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame in recent years.

Due to the diligence of the great Johnny I, this blog's owner and caretaker, some of those 16mm films were rescued several years ago, just seconds before becoming dumpster debris.  (Thank you, John!)  John even took on the task of getting those films digitized and onto DVDs for the viewing pleasure of team members and coaches.
 
Now you, interested members of the Class of '69 and anyone else, can check out those same film segments on YouTube.  Several weeks ago, John suggested that I publish those videos, four in all, on YouTube.  If others could publish cat cuties and baby burps, I could certainly learn to publish basketball game footage, right?  After all, YouTube wants people like you and me to contribute content for free, so that YouTube (and its parent, Google) can rake in the dollars on advertising.  More videos, more viewers.  It's all about capturing eyeballs, folks.  So the publishing process is indeed smooth and understandable.
 
Some things to remember:
 
1)  The process of converting 16mm film to a digital format introduces a slow-motion effect in the resulting videos.  Perhaps now, a half century later, we old-codger guys would move at the speed of the videos, but back then, we were fast up and down the floor, and quick underneath the baskets.  Remember us as the young bucks  --uh, Bobcats--  that we were then. 

2)  16mm film was expensive.  The cameraman was instructed to film only action on offense and defense; very few free throws are shown, for example.  If you are conditioned to expect today's livestreaming of athletic events, end-to-end with no interruptions, these videos will look disjointed.

3)  16mm film was expensive.  (Is there an echo in here?)  Color film was most expensive of all,  so black-and-white film served to record athletic events.
 
4)  The first three videos have 10-second gaps (approximately) between the segments.  John Iverson included an excellent 1960's soundtrack on the DVD, but copyright laws being what they are, these YouTube videos have no sound associated with them.
 
5)  All four videos are home games.  As is still done to this day in Jostad Gym, the recording camera faced south, toward the student body seating section.  
Look for classmates ... try to find yourself.

"Trying to find yourself" ... was probably what you were doing half a century ago, too!  

  Select a clip ... make it full screen, maybe ... and enjoy.

 

Revisiting The Nature Park

Last summer, one phase of our reunion activities was held at the Nature Park south of Brookings.  While there, a man was fly-fishing for trout at one of the nearby ponds.  Obviously, there were trout to be caught.  Catching trout is somewhat of a rarity in this part of the state.  Most natural waters get too warm for them to survive for any length of time.  However, last week some of us ventured out to those same ponds, and found at that there were trout galore.  We were catching them like we used to catch bullheads at some of the local fishing spots.  Most of them were thrown back, but a few of the larger ones we kept for some rather nice culinary delights later in the week.  A number of local schoolboys also plied their angling skills, catching them even faster than we did.  Will continue to visit these local waters to see how long this extravaganza will last. 

She Experienced A Century Of History

Another of our esteemed elders passed away recently.  The mother mother of Karen (Thysell) Borsay passed to her eternal reward on April 11, 2017, at the age of 101.  What seems amazing is the history that she experienced during her lifetime, and the accompanying changes that occurred during that span.  Her marriage of 62 years is also a tribute to her faith and belief in the sanctity of marriage.  Not only is she survived by her children Anne, Karen, and Joseph, but she is also survived by her twin sister.  Her husband, who passed away in 2009, was, I believe, an entomologist at the Insect Lab just north of Brookings.  While never working directly with him, I became somewhat acquainted with him while working there during college.  It seems that Alan Leibel's brother Jay worked rather closely with Dr. Thysell, if memory serves correctly.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Karen and her family at this time.

March Madness and Sadness

This computer may have seen better days.  Thus, the few postings lately.

Basketball seems to be a popular topic at this time of year.  The Bobcats boys team was ranked #2 heading into the State "AA" tournament.  They had a stellar season, winning the conference championship.  In the tournament, however, they lost their first game in overtime to Aberdeen Central, 56-52.  They played Rapid City Stevens in the their next game, and came up short by one point, losing 54-53.  They earned 7th place by defeating Harrisburg 71-70 in double overtime.  The senior dominated team, much like ours back in 1969, finished the season with 20 victories, a feat that has been seldom accomplished by any Bobcat team.  The Bobcat girls were in a tough district and region, and were unable to qualify for the state tournament.  There was, however, an interesting article in a recent edition in the Argus-Leader that had connections to the the girls program.

In the mid-80's, the Bobcats had a powerful girls basketball program, achieving national recognition.  A key member of those teams was Amy Mickelson, whose father George was a lawyer in town, and would later become governor.  Amy's two daughters followed in their mother's footsteps, and became talented players, also.  This link -- http://www.argusleader.com/story/sports/high-school-sports/2017/03/25/brecht-sisters-found-love-basketball-family-connection/99584540/    may allow you to view the article.
 

Amy is #52 in the picture above, taken after they had won their second consecutive state tournament.  Her daughters bear a striking resemblance to her.

On the sad note, another one of our beloved parents has gone to her eternal reward.. Janette Perso's mother passed away on St. Patrick's day. http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=06854465_GPerso

A couple of nice comments have been received concerng Mrs. Perso.  One classmate noted

Our family grew up with the Perso’s who lived next to Midway Phil Peterson’s dad.

Often walked June and Jeanette to school.

Their block was the “girls block”: Perso’s, Larson’s, and the McCone’s.

Our block was the “boys block”: Meske’s, Bumgard’s, Foerster’s, Kingley’s, and Boggs’.

We did everything together.

Another email expressed similar thoughts.  "The Perso family lived down the alley from me and I have many fond memories of them.  Appreciate you letting us all know."    

 Mrs. Person was a highly visible member of the community.  Many of her grandsons and great-grandsons were active in athletics at BHS.  She, along with just about all of her daughters and sons-in-law and their children, was a regular spectator at those athletic contests in which they were participating, whether it be basketball, wrestling, football, or track and field.

On behalf of the class of 1969, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Perso family at this time.

On a related note, Arne B. Larson was an institution at BHS.  He arrived here in the mid-1940's, and did wonders for the instrumental music program.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Music_Museum describes the museum he developed after he left Brookings.  Is it a coincidence that his middle name is Baldwin, as in the piano? https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEViNRQdlYYiQAyIUnnIlQ;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTY4NwRfcgMyBGZyA3locy1tb3ppbGxhLTAwNARncHJpZANLaTZqOGxvSFI1dXJsWXRMd1Z1NW5BBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDMARxc3RybAMzOQRxdWVyeQNhcm5lJTIwYi4lMjBsYXJzb24lMjBtdXNpYyUyMGNvbGxlY3Rpb24EdF9zdG1wAzE0OTA2MzMzMjM-?p=arne+b.+larson+music+collection&fr2=sb-top&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004  Andre Larson, one of Arne B's sons, became the first director of the museum.  Unfortunately, he, too, recently passed away.  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/argusleader/obituary.aspx?n=andre-larson&pid=184707354  This link is a wonderful story on the origins of the museum.  http://www.startribune.com/national-music-museum-in-south-dakota-is-a-world-class-trove-of-rare-instruments/401776565/#1

 

The Memories Of Two Fabulous Fathers

It seems that sadness strikes our friends several times within a short span.  Recently, in the last week of January and the first week of February, two of our classmates lost their beloved fathers.  Wes Audus, father of Dennis, passed away on January 26 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=51726587_WAudus).  On Feb. 6, Paul Kohler, father of Jim, went to his eternal reward (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=06418466_DKohler).

My knowledge of both of these fine men is extremely scant.Feel free to add any comments if you have information that would be beneficial for this post.

The boyhood towns of Mr. Audus, Crocker, Lily, and Thorp, were unknown to me.  An internet search revealed that the population of any of these towns  was never more than about 200.  Today, the total populations of all three of these "cities" may not surpass 25.  According to the last census, Crocker had 19 residents, Lily had 4, while Thorp was just listed as a township.  A census was unavailable (at least, I could find no record of one).  Perhaps someone has more knowledge than I about this matter.  As his obituary states, Mr. Audus was very clever and had a knack for creating functional machines out of spare parts. The education he received in those small schools provided him with the fundamental skills to lead a rich life.   

Mr. Kohler was very well-known through his work at SDSU, and he received numerous awards for his scholarship, research, and leadership.  What was truly impressive to me was his ability to shoot a basketball in his later years.  Very few of the top-level athletes at the present, whether at the professional, collegiate, or high-school level, shoot free-throws as accurately as Mr. Kohler did when he was 80 years young.  His performances outshone and amazed all those in his age group who had been gifted athletes in their younger days.  They were in awe that Mr. Kohler could shoot so well at that stage in his life. Some of those former stars that still lived in the area asked me what his background was..  Had he played a great deal of basketball when he was in high school or college?  I could not answer them.  When Mr. Kohler was a youth, it was common to shoot free throws underhanded (granny style is what we called it).  Is that the style he used?  When done correctly, it certainly is an efficient and economical technique.  Perhaps we can corral Jim sometime and find out the answers.  

 Our condolences, thought, and prayers go out to Dennis and Jim at the loss of their fathers, both of whom were known and respected throughout the Brookings community and beyond.