As The Year Winds Down

Personal responsibilities have prevented any recent posts, but some good news has occurred in the last month. 

The BHS football team capped off a fine season, earning runner-up honors in the "11AA" state football playoffs on November 16.  Their only loss in the regular season was to Pierre by a rather lop-sided score, something on the order of 53-7.  Both teams were clearly much better than all of the other teams in "11AA" this season (Pierre handily won most games by 45 points or so, even winning one game 103-0).  It was almost guaranteed that they would meet for the championship.  Normally, these championship contests are held at the DakotaDome on the campus of USD because weather can be a factor at this time of the year.  This year, however, the "Dome" was undergoing some remodeling, and would not be available for the play-offs.  Instead, the games were held on the SDSU campus.  Fortunately, the weather cooperated.

The Bobcats played better than most people expected.  Many people thought that if the 'Cats could be within four touchdowns, they would be doing quite well.  They only came up short a couple touchdowns and some extra points, falling 32-16 to the Governors. 

When the all-state "11AA" team was announced a couple of weeks ago, it was no surprise that Pierre and Brookings dominated the selections.  Pierre had nine players on the first team, while the Bobcats had six.  Yankton has five players selected, while Mitchell, Sturgis, and Huron had four each.  Douglas had three, while Spearfish had one. 

The winter activities are just getting started.  Gymnastics is off to a strong start, as usual.  The wrestling team has some outstanding individuals, but is lacking the numbers to adequately fill out the roster at this time.  As the younger wrestlers gain some experience, they may occupy some of those empty slots by February.  Both basketball teams have played a couple of games.  It seems too early to predict how much successful in terms of wins and losses each will have; success, though, is not always measured by that statistic. 

As always, death has reared its ugly recently.  Some familiar faces that have passed away are Rachel (Borstad) Schoepf, Terry Aulner, Doyle Hicks, Ron Olson, Leroy DeBeer, and Adele Sudlow.

Rachel Borstad graduated from BHS in 1959 (Joan Webbenhurst , Nancy's sister, was in that class.  She was the sophomore English teacher for some of us during the 1966-67 school year.  Also in that class were "Skip" Webster and Bob Shelden, two rather talented athletes).  Her parents were Bennie and Barb Borstad.  Bennie sold cars for Kjellsen's for many years.  (My first car, a 1954 Chevy, was purchased from him).  I believe both were rather talented bowlers.  Rachel married Gary Schoepf, whose father Harold owned Harold's Printing.  In the mid-60s, Harold's Printing sponsored an independent basketball team, aptly named the Harold Printers.  They won a number of independent state basketball championships in the mid-60's.  Many players had recently used up their eligibility at SDSU, so they were able to continue to play at a competitive level for another year or longer.  Skip Webster was a mainstay on that team.  Bob Jostad also played some with them.  (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/rachel-schoepf)

Terry Aulner was a year behind us in school.  His dad worked at the Ford Garage, so he seemed to inherit his father's love for cars.  My memory of him is that we were in the same Cub Scout troop.
His daughter Chris was student of ours about 20 years ago.  (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/terrence-aulner) 

Was Doyle Hicks the man who changed the records in the juke-boxes when we were in high school? I believe at that time the business was owned by Elmer Cummings.  Did he then later purchase the business?   (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/doyle-hicks)

Ron Olson owned the Pheasant Café on South Main, just across from the Purple Cow, which he later purchased and rename the Barrel Inn, after the one in Sioux Falls.  (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/ronald-olson)

Leroy DeBeer was an outstanding athlete in White, playing in the late 50's.  Later, he played basketball at General Beadle in Madison, now known as Dakota State University.  Those of us who played slo-pitch softball after high school graduation ran into Leroy very time we played a tournament, as he and his brother-in-law Roger Nelson umpired all of the tournaments in the area.  His wife was a BHS graduate of 1962.  Stew Walz had a brother in that class, as did I.  Was Tom Bozied's sister in that class?  An annual is not handy, so finding those connections will have to be a project for another day.  (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/leroy-debeer)

Adele Sudlow was known as a fantastic piano teacher.  Perhaps some in our class knew her in that respect.  When some relatives were here a few years ago, we visited the Ag Heritage Museum.  There was a magnificent display of pictures of South Dakota farm life that, I believe, her husband (and perhaps she) had taken.  (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/adele-sudlow)

 Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the families at their loss.

If  something important happens that requires a post, we will comply.  If not, we hope that everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy new year. 

Death Again Hits Close To Home

Today's (Nov. 5, 2019) edition of the Brookings Register contained the obituary for Chuck Kohler, brother of Jim in our class (https://www.feigumfh.com/obituary/charles-kohler).  Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Jim and his family at this difficult time. 

Charles Carr Kohler, 62, passed away October 31, 2019, in Sioux Falls at Avera Health due to complications with pulmonary embolism. A visitation will be held from 12:00-2:00pm, Thursday, November 7 at Calvary United Pentecostal Church, followed by a memorial service at 2:00pm. A luncheon after the memorial service will be served at Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center Museum in Ft. Pierre.
Charles (Chuck) was born on November 29, 1956, in Minneapolis, MN, to Dr. Paul and Phyllis Kohler and was raised in Brookings, SD. In 1978, Chuck moved to Pierre, SD, where he became owner of the Country Kitchen Family Restaurant. After moving to Pierre, Chuck met the love of his life, Joan (Opbroek) Kohler, and in 1981, they began a beautiful journey of a blessed marriage. Three of their greatest blessings were their children: Bethany, Steven, and Lisa.
Chuck’s priorities in life were simple: faith, family, and friends. His life was forever changed for the better when he received the gift of the Holy Ghost at Calvary United Pentecostal Church and many of his most precious moments were in the house of God. He was dedicated to his family and enjoyed taking his grandchildren to the park and to feed the geese at the capitol lake pond. His friends, often receiving a daily phone call from him, knew him as a kind man who enjoyed playing golf, pool, and pinochle.
Grateful for having shared Chuck’s life is his wife of 38 years, Joan Kohler; his children, Bethany (Kirk) Peters, Steven (DeLacie) Kohler, and Lisa (Dan) Park; grandchildren: Levi and Isaac Peters; Austin, Logan, and Brooklyn Kohler; and Dawson and Paisley Park; mother: Phyllis Kohler; brothers: Jim (Mary) Kohler, Paul (Cleo) Kohler, and Tom Kohler; sister: Nancy (Rick) Stubbs; and numerous other nieces and nephews. Preceding Chuck in death was his father, Dr. Paul Kohler.

A Nation Mourns

Today is Friday, November 22, 2019.  56 years ago was also Friday, November 22, 1963.  Probably all of us can remember exactly where we were when we heard that our president had been assassinated during the noon hour.  No more needs to be said to remind us of that fateful and tragic day in our history. 

91 Fulfilling Years

One of the effects of being in activities during our school years is that we make friends with those in other classes.  How many lifelong friendships have been formed because we were on the same athletic teams, debate squads, band and choir groups, school clubs, church affiliations, and other similar organizations?

Our teener baseball team of 1965 consisted of 15 boys ages 13-15.  Because some of our birthdays fell just before or just after the cut-off date for starting school, there was a gap of four school years between the older and younger players.  As previous posts have indicated (https://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2013/05/), we did have a rather exceptional season that summer.  One of the many key players on that team was Barry Buehler, who was a year ahead of us in school.  Barry was a talented all-around athlete, competent in football, basketball, and track and field. 

On our trip to Hershey for the national teener baseball tournament, a number of fathers acted as chaperones.  One of those fathers was Barry's dad, Russ.  Russ was an extremely likable and easy going individual.  He traveled extensively in his work and cautioned us that prices out east would be considerably more than they were here in South Dakota. He was a very loyal supporter of our team, and became friendly with all of the players. 

As will happen to all of us someday, Russ passed away on October, 27, 2019, at the age of 91.  His funeral was on October 31, 2019, in the Peterson Chapel at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls.  Many of the residents were in attendance, and were generous in their praise of Russ.  He always seemed to have a smile on his face and sincerely cared about the other people that were living there. 
Numerous people of those situations when Russ was so helpful to them, and took the time to really listen and take a genuine interest in what they had to say. 

Barry related how his father was only 15 when he enlisted in the Navy during World War II.  That naval experience, plus his penchant for traveling, seemed to have rubbed off on Barry.  After high school graduation, he and Al Larson hitch-hiked across Europe.  Does anyone remember when they came back and talked about their experience during as assembly at the high school our senior year? 
It seems to me that they told us that someone on the German Autobahn was giving them a ride, but seldom was watching the road.  It turned out that this man had designed that stretch of the road, and knew it like the back of his hand. 

It was great talking to Barry and reacquainting with him and his younger brother Bob, who was a year behind us.  Russ's obituary below indicates what a wonderful person he was.  Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the family. 

 

 

September Sadness

The month of September was not very kind to the BHS class of 1969.  Not only did we lose of couple of magnificent mothers, we also lost a beloved classmate. 

On September 3, Elaine Fae Jensen, mother of Judy, passed away.  She was another one of our mothers who was an alumna of BHS, graduating in 1944.  After graduation, she attended Madison Eastern Normal (later General Beadle, later Dakota State College, and now Dakota State University) and received her teaching certificate.  After teaching in Spencer, SD, for one year, she married Russell Jensen, and they farmed in Brookings for over 20 years. 

Her father was Erza Norris, which would make him Judy's grandfather.  He was a custodian in the school system for a number of years.  The 1956 annual shows him along with Roy Draper, Tony Hey (pronounced "hi"; he was a neighbor of ours and my confirmation sponsor in 1961), Leo Melicher, and R.C. Townsend. Mr. Draper remained in that building when it became a middle school in 1967, and was there until perhaps the mid-70's.  It seems that Mr. Norris and Mr. Melicher were the custodians for Central Elementary, as I can recall seeing them in the building during our grade school days. I always thought, though, that his name was spelled Ezra.  Perhaps I had dyslexia and did not know it. 

Her brother Vernon, I believe, was a minister in town, while her brother Roger worked at Bozied's Conoco for a time.  When Tom Bozied and Steve Odegaard worked there, they were known to perhaps tease Roger a little more than necessary.   

Judy and I were often in the same homeroom in high school, as homerooms were assigned alphabetically.  Consequently, our pictures. too, were always next to each other in the annuals.  I did not get a chance to talk at length with Judy, but her son Aaron, who is a minister, gave a nice eulogy for his grandmother. 

Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Judy and her family. 

Two days later, on Sept. 5, we lost one of our own when Jim Bortnem passed away.  Most of us were not aware that he had been struggling recently.   His son Travis was a student of ours, and indicated that his father had succumbed to cancer (at least that is the impression I had.  My hearing seems to have deteriorated over the past few years). 

 

Did anyone else notice the similarity between the poems for Elaine Jensen and Jim Bortnem?  

 

Jim was a late bloomer.  Since he lived in the neighborhood, some of us often shot baskets at his house.  Jim wanted so much to play basketball in high school, but he indicated to us one time that Mr. Thury thought Jim lacked experience, so Jim was cut.  In Jim's words, "How do you get experience if you keep getting cut?"  When he went to school in Kansas, he was able to achieve his dream.  I believe he did quite well down there. 

 

There is a picture in the front of our senior annual.  It is not the aerial photograph of the high school inside the front cover.  It can be found a couple of pages later, with a brief paragraph on one page reading,

 

This is BHS... 

 

Sometimes feelings and sentiments are not best expressed in writing, for some impressions and experiences are so uniquely individual that words can not convey the entire scope of our emotions.  Although poets are rare among us, there are a few who cannot understand pictures; a photograph captures forever a memorable moment, and holds time still.  As a favorite melody brings to mind the almost forgotten moments, a picture can represent and recall things as they once were.  Remembering the joys, the anxieties, the loves, and the expectations of the year let these photographs be a reminder of these days...  

 The FALCON

Independence, Mo.

 

Not the Biggest

But the Best

 





On the next page and one-half, there is a silhouette of a male student standing in hallway, hand on his hips and looking out the doors toward the parking lot.  The picture can be interpreted in many ways, but it seems to be saying " Okay, world, here I come.  I have completed my high school education, and I am ready to take on the challenges that await me." 

  
I was told by a reliable source that the individual pictured is Jim Bortnem.  In the past few years, I would occasionally run into him once in a while around town.  Jim appeared to value his privacy.  We ran into each other late at night at the grocery store because both of us liked to avoid the crowds.  Perhaps his illness caused him to miss our reunion a month earlier.

 Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Jim and his family. 

Three and one-half weeks later, on Sept. 30, Bonny Bork, mother of Carol, passed away.  A post a few years back noted her involvement with over 14,000 births at the Brookings Hospital (https://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2016/01/14000-babies-true-patriot.html). 

Carol's brother Bob was on our Phillies little league baseball team (8-10 year olds).  He was probably the best outfielder we had.  In one game he made a terrific catch of a long fly ball right at the fence, perhaps preventing a home run.  When were moved up a division (11-12 year olds), he was on the Pirates.  One year, we played them in the first game of the play-offs.  We were beating them soundly.  The bases were loaded and Jim Kortan was coming up to bat.  Then the rains came, washing out the game.  We had to replay the game the next afternoon.  It was a really good game, and the Pirates won 1-0.  My behavior must not have been very gentlemanly, as Rick Wahlstrom's mother really scolded me for being such a poor sport in a losing cause.

 

Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Carol and her family. 

 

Today, October 23, the Brookings Register had an obituary notice for Darlene Gulseth, mother of David of our Class.  https://www.kirkfuneralhome.com/obituary/darlene-gulseth 

 

I was not a close friend of David's, but I do remember that he was in my phys ed class one year (7th grade?) when Mr. Dolan was our teacher.  We spent some classes learning to jump rope in various ways:  both feet at a time; alternating feet; one foot continuously; crossing our arms over each other; going backwards; and any other imaginative way we could think of.  David was perhaps the best one in our class no matter which way we jumped.   He was exceptionally skilled at doing double jumps; he could do more consecutive ones than any of us.  A double jump is twirling the rope around twice during one jump.  Many of us could do one jump and then lose our balance.  Some could do a few more before falling over.  David, however, seemed to go on endlessly, only stopping after a couple of dozen or so (it can be rather exhausting, as the rope has to be twirled really fast, which tires out the arms).  He was able to tuck his feet up under his hips without losing his balance.  At the end of that unit, Mr. Dolan had our class do a little performance at half-time of one of the high school basketball games up at the SDSU fieldhouse (the barn). 

 

We do not have an email address for David to extend our condolences to him, but the obituary indicates that his address is Fishers, IN.  We will pursue that clue and see if we can contact him and express our condolences on the loss of his mother.  If anyone else has further information, do not hesitate to let us know. 

 

Before Title IX

Caution:  is that a French Horn tooting in the background in the previous post?

Title IX was part of the Educational Amendments of 1972 signed into law on June 23 of that year (https://www.justice.gov/crt/overview-title-ix-education-amendments-1972-20-usc-1681-et-seq).  It mandated that girls' athletics programs be offered in the public school system.  Before then, there were some girls athletic competitions, but they were not endorsed and sanctioned by most high school athletic associations.  Some states, such as Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma, were known for their 6 on 6 girls basketball teams.  These were sanctioned, but were played under different rules than what the boys had.  After Title IX was implemented, these states (Texas in 1978, Iowa in 1993, and Oklahoma in 1995) phased out the 6 on 6 play and replaced it with regular 5 on 5 competition.

Most people, though, have probably forgotten that girls played basketball in South Dakota in the 1920's.  My mother was in high school then, and in her yearbook, one of her teammates said she was the best dribbler on the team.  Wish that I would have inherited that skill.  Evidently, it was decided that such rigorous activity was deemed injurious to their health, so the those programs were dropped. Below is a typical picture from that era. 

 

In South Dakota, then, there were a few athletic competitions offered for girls until the passage of Title IX..  However, they were not sponsored nor sanctioned by the South Dakota High School Athletic Association.  These unsanctioned events (to the best of my limited knowledge) were gymnastics and track and field.  There were just a handful of schools that participated.  In 1968, for example, the state gymnastics meet was held at SDSU.  According the Brookings Register of Jan 31, 1968, schools that would be participating were Britton, Brookings, Milbank, Rapid City, Sioux Falls Lincoln and Washington, and possibly Aberdeen, Huron, Lead, Lemmon, and Madison.  In 1969, participating schools at "the fourth annual South D.G.W.S. High School Girls' Invitation Gymnastics Championship at South Dakota State University" were Britton, Brookings, Huron, Lead, Pierre, Sioux Falls Lincoln and Washington, and Rapid City. It appears that there were three divisions:  Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced.  Jackie Ramey of Brookings placed second in the Intermediate Division on Vaulting. 

In 1969, a girls state track and field meet was held in Yankton.  Tyndall placed first, while the Brookings team of Jean Holzkamp, Ruth Shubeck, and Jackie Ramey captured runner-up honors. 

It is easily noticed that Jackie Ramey was quite talented.  Many of us may not have realized just how gifted she was, as there were not many opportunities for girls to display their athletic skills in those days in comparison to today. 

When Brookings High School started its athletic hall of fame about 15 years ago, it appeared that any candidates for the girls portion of the hall would be those girls who competed after Title IX was implemented, as there were really no records to be found of those unsanctioned competitions before 1972.  That omission, however, was rectified this past August, when Jackie was one of the former athletes inducted into this year's hall of fame.  Her track and field marks would compare favorably with those of today.  With the better facilities and training methods that we have today, she may have achieved performances that would still be some of the best ever in Brookings High School.

Other inductees were Steve Holwerda, class of 1981;  Bill Iverson, class of 1962; the state championship basketball team of 1962; and  Dellas Cole, long-time sportscaster for KBRK.  Steve lettered in four different varsity sports:  tennis, cross-country, basketball, and track and field. Bill lettered in football, basketball, and golf.  Also attending from that 1962 team were Gary Schutjer and Henry Nelson.  Gary was a first team all-state pick, while Henry was honorable mention. All three of them were starters and played key roles for the team.  Other members of that team were Ron Otterness, Jim Nelson, Reed Sanderson, Bill Gamble, Don Dahl, John Murphy, Doug Lakman, Dave Brust, and Tim O'Connor.

Congratulations to all of this year's inductees. 

         

Look Out! Ethical Dilemma Ahead! What would YOU do?

Let's just say, hypothetically, that you were the caretaker of a blog featuring news about your high school classmates.  (Just randomly picking a town in America, let's say your high school was, oh I don't know, Brookings, SD, Class of, perhaps, 1969.)  And let us further conjecture that YOU YOURSELF  were to receive a well-deserved award by a large university in that town.  Here's the ethical quandary:  Do you announce YOUR OWN great honor on the very blog you maintain?
Is that not vanity?
What about the virtue of humility?
What to do!  What to do!

Luckily, we have historical precedent for such a predicament!  By sheer random chance, the very blog you are reading at this moment has a caretaker who will be honored (by the very university mentioned above! What are the odds!) as the 2019 recipient of the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence.  Your very own John Iverson's 33+ years of coaching basketball, cross country and track and field are being recognized at the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame Banquet on November 9th.

John's answer to the Ethical Dilemma appears to be ... Toot Not Thine Own Horn!   

Well, doggone it, someone should toot that horn.  Let's all do so.

Here is the Brookings Register announcement of the event:

https://brookingsregister.com/article/iverson-to-receive-ralph-ginn-award

Join me in congratulating John

for a well-deserved award!

Class of '68 meets at Skinners

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to ... nope, not the Forum.  (That would be a musical, for goodness sake!)  

No,  A funny thing happened on the way to ... Pizza King!  Jeff Neuberger, BHS Class of '68 alumnus, was visiting Brookings  from his home in Spokane, WA.  What began as a few guys meeting for pizza while he was in town on September 19th, turned into a mini-reunion for several Class of '68ers, courtesy the magic that is Facebook.

Prior to his arrival, Jeff had announced the gathering on Facebook's  Brookings High School class of 1968  page, which brought in several more classmates and other guests.  The accompanying picture shows (almost) all attendees:  Carmen and Barry Howe, John Iverson, Steve Hayes, Bob Adams, Mike McClemans, Sandy Frie-Smith, Randy McClagan, Erv Colbeck (husband of Betty Becker), Dave Spaulding, Diane (Stratton) Melby.  Missing from the photo is the guest of honor, Jeff Neuberger.  He, in his role as Best Photographer of Reunions Worldwide, was taking the picture.  It was an even dozen BHSers discussing everything from a few current events to our collective amazement at how much corporal punishment was allowed in schools of our day.

The gathering took place at Skinners, south a few storefronts from Pizza King.  Skinners does not mind small groups showing up and ordering a few pizzas from elsewhere, as long as the drinks come from Skinners.  Nice!

Check out that Brookings High School class of 1968 Facebook page occasionally.  You may be able to join one of these short-notice mini-reunions.  Bring your memories!

A True Classic Car Lover

Recently, the brother of our classmate Susan Steen Tatro, Jim Steen, passed away Recently the brother of our classmate Susan Steen Tatro, Jim Steen, passed away (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/james-steen). He influenced manyJim was in the last graduating class (1967) from the old high school.  He was active in FFA, and was also the manager for the state champion wrestling his senior year. Those of us around town, though knew of his love fof classic cars.  As his obituary states, "he restored and sold many vehicles.  Jim took great pride in his community and was always trying to make an impact on young people's lives."   He influenced many young men to the thrill of restoring older cars, including a few who were former students of mine.  He and Emmett Earley helped me when I purchased one of the old classics many years ago.  He was active in the local car club, and assisted in the organization of the Brookings Car Show held annually early in June.  Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Susan and the rest of the Steen family. 

Tunr! Turn! Turn!

Many of may remember that song from 1965 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4).  While this past weekend was a wonderful time for many of our classmates, these words  revealed their truths and eternal wisdom, as the mother of Nancy Westbrook passed away on August 1 (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/maureen-westbrook).   Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Nancy at this difficult time. 

 

While doing some preparatory work for our reunion, I came across numerous articles and pictures indicating her skill as a seamstress.  She and her daughters won many awards in  the South Dakota Make-it-Yourself with Wool contest.  She and her husband were also skilled bridge players, and they frequently were noted as winners in the local duplicate bridge gatherings in the Register. Their eldest daughter Anne has returned to Brookings, and seems to have taken after her parents, as her name is often mentioned in the duplicate bridge news.  It seems that she is often a partner with Donna O'Connell, wife of Pat, Kevin's older brother. 

 

We also learned of the passing of another classmate almost two years ago (thanks to Sandy Davis Meisenheimer for notifying us).  Robert E. (Bob) Lee passed away almost two years ago (https://www.starherald.com/obits/robert-e-bob-lee/article_84fe8a12-49d8-5108-947f-9b2696ede574.html). 

 

 

It seems that he was in grade school with us for at least a few years.  Was he also the student manager for our JV basketball team in 1967-68?  Now we know why no one could locate him for this past reunion.  Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to his family as well. 

 

At our reunion, we remembered 19 classmates who had passed away.  Sadly, that number has grown by one. 

An August Beginning To August

While much planning, preparation, and perhaps frustration went into our class reunion that was held this past weekend,  the end product was well-received.  With 70 classmates and 30 spouses, plus a few teachers, the venues were jovial and enthusiastic.  We all became reacquainted with each other, as some of us had not seen each other in many years.  A great deal of thanks to those who worked so faithfully and diligently to track down a number of classmates, some of whom, over the years, had vanished from our radar. 

Thursday a number of classmates came early and had a grand time at Downtown Sundown, a city-sponsored activity on 5th St. between Main and 3rd Ave. Perhaps 25 came early to enjoy the festivities with a dozen or so of the locals.  Food and drink were available, along with some live music.

Friday night was a wonderful pizza feed at Mark Kratochvil's house/garage.  Perhaps 60 or so nourished themselves on the pizza and various liquids.  "Cody" (Marv Sherrill), came down from Watertown and rehashed some memories from his first teaching and coaching experience.  Many do not know that he had an outstanding career as a wrestler at SDSU.  We were hoping he would return on Saturday, as there were some old Brookings Register articles that featured him.  However, he had other commitments. 

Saturday was a busy day.  We met at Paula (Hoffman) Platz's house for a little breakfast and remembrance ceremony.  Afterwards, a few of us went for a bike ride around the Dakota Nature Park (http://www.cityofbrookings.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/45).  Vern Olson took us on a bumpy bike ride.  Fortunately, there were no casualties, although one rider experienced some embarrassment when his bike tipped over.

Nick's, as is customary for any reunion in Brookings, was the meeting place around noon.  Afterwards, about 30 ventured out to the high school for a 75 minute tour.  The school has about doubled in size since we started there in 1967.  One of the unexpected visitors was Mr. Thury.  He had connections with the principal, Mr. Paul von Fischer.  They knew each from Lakeville, MN; Mr. Thury was an economics teacher, and Mr. von Fischer was one of his students. 

That night was the main event at the 9 Bar (so-called because it opens at nine each night).  In addition to Mr. Thury, the other teachers who graced us with their presence were Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jostad. Mr. Les Tlustos, and Mr. Duane Rykhus.  A few others indicated that they would attend, but the class of 1974 also was reuniting that weekend, so those teachers may have gone there.  Mr. Thury and Mr. Tlustos, our basketball and wrestling coaches, respectively, had some kind words to say about us.  We thank those teachers for taking the effort to rehash old times with their former students and athletes.  It appears that a reunion will again be held in five years. 

Sunday morning concluded the activities with a breakfast at the Children's Museum (https://prairieplay.org/), formerly Central Elementary.  Many of us went to grade school there.  By chance, Mr. Dale Larson, who was responsible for transforming the former school into a museum, was there having breakfast with Mr. Jostad.  He graciously provided a tour of the facility, which some of us had not seen in over 50 years.  A big thank-you for his efforts. 

There were very few quiet moments during all of the festivities, indicating that everyone seemed to be enjoying each other's company.  The pictures indicate how glad we were to be together again.  We hope to see each other again in five years.  (It may take some of us that long to recover from this reunion.)