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.