It was about 50 years ago this month that we had much reason to celebrate. We were getting quite comfortable in our new high school, and we celebrated it in grand style by winning the State "A" basketball title. What a fitting tribute for a new school and a new coach.
A couple of other "firsts" that come to mind during that school year are the introduction of an all-school play to replace the junior and senior class plays, and the production of "Oklahoma," the first musical in the school's history. We had a new language lab that improved our communication skills, although a little bird told me that said communication was not always approved by the teachers. There was also a new scheduling system, with some classes only meeting 20 or 40 minutes, while others met for the full hour.
For some of us, those memories may be faint reminisces of days long past. As someone once said, "If you remember the 60's, you weren't there." However, that reference does not seem to refer to activities that had the blessing and sanction of the local authorities. An achievement as worthy as a state championship is a life-long dream for many, and the result of much hard work and practice. That attitude symbolized our entire class. While it is true that it seems that athletics receives more publicity than other school activities, our class and the class of 1968 also had numerous students equally skilled in areas that receive little public notice. A quick look through the 1968 Bobcat would prove the truth of that statement.
It has been a profound experience perusing the old Registers with others and recalling all of the accomplishments of the BHS students and their families during that school year of 1967-68. While many of those events are probably forgotten, they undoubtedly helped shape us into the people we are today.
Sadly, there have been a few members of our class who have been dealing with the loss of a loved one. On February 26, the mother of Stan Skubic passed away at the age of 94 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=94258197_MSkubic). Stan had come back last summer for his the 71st wedding anniversary of his parents. He had brought along one of his daughters, and Jim Kohler and his wife had them (and yours truly) over for a barbecue. It was not only an enjoyable visit, but also educational. We learned much about his daughter, as she was very gracious to us and reflected well on her parents.
Another classmate saddened by death of a family member was Emmett Earley. (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=14852830_REarley). Rich was a few years younger than we were, and was a fine basketball player while in high school. His sons were students of ours. In fact, his oldest son Austin could almost be Rich's twin.
A couple of other name that may be well-known to us also passed away recently. Bob Reimers (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=30497401_RReimers), who helped start KBRK in 1955, passed away on Feb. 7. We all may have heard him numerous times reading the news on the radio, but he, along with Grant Peterson, also announced the Bobcat basketball games when we were in school. They would often ride along on our away games. If the trip took longer than an hour, we usually were on a chartered Jackrabbit bus. The chairs in the middle could turn around, and a table then could be set up between the facing seats so that the occupants could play cards. I seem to recall our coaches and the radio announcers doing just that on virtually every trip.
Another well-known resident, Roger Carpenter, passed away on March 9 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=09099381_RCarpenter). While he was about 10 years older than we were, he was still active in some recreational sports even after we graduated from high school. In city league basketball, for example, he played into his 30's. I believe Tom Osterberg played with him while Tom was in college. "Carpy." as he was known, could be a force to be reckoned with. Mr. Walder, our junior English teacher, and he would have some fierce battles when they competed against each other. Both liked to get rather aggressive, and tempers could easily flare when those two went head-to-head. I seem to recall in his younger days that "Carpy" would frequently play on an independent team against the college freshman team (Bunnies) before freshmen were eligible to play on the varsity. If SDSU played a team that came in from a distance, they would not bring their freshman, so the Bunnies would play a local amateur team. Some of those independent teams were quite good. "Carpy" was also known as a fine fast-pitch softball pitcher. When fast-pitch died out in Brookings, he took his talents to Sioux Falls. At his visitation, there was a picture of him and his teammates after they earned a trip to the national tournament.
"Carpy" was also a fine bowler, and there were several pictures of him and his bowling teammates and their trophies on display at the visitation.
A couple of other pictures at his visitation caught my eye. There was picture of his junior baseball team that won the city championship in 1951. Also on that team were my two oldest brothers. Another picture showed him fishing with a man named Iver Iverson, age 83. Iver was a cousin to my father.
Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers are with their families at this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment