Saying Good-bye To 2021

Not only are we saying good-bye to the year 2021, but we also remember some notable acquaintances who also said farewell to us.

On December 10, the father of Ron Havermann passed away (https://www.kirkfuneralhome.com/obituary/raymund-havermann).  The funeral was in Rapid City, and was livestreamed (https://boxcast.tv/view/raymund-havermann-133346).  At about 36:15 on the video, Ron speaks for eight minutes.  Ron is easily recognizable, as he seems not to have changed much since he left Brookings.  His younger brother Rick was a student of ours in the mid 70's, graduating in 1978.  He contacted us and brought us up to date on his life since leaving Brookings shortly after graduation.  He indicated that would pass on our condolences to Ron.  We hope that Ron will contact us so we can add him to our class list and perhaps see him at our next reunion.  

My brother-in-law had a masonry business in Yankton in the 1960's, and mentioned to us that Ray was one of the most efficient and meticulous masons with whom he ever worked.  As the obituary and the comments at the service indicate, he took great pride in his work.  

Also passing away on that same date was Wanda (Anderson) Barton (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/wanda-barton).  She was a few years older than we were, graduating in 1965 with many of our older siblings.  While we may not have personally known her, we likely knew of her mother.  Her mother Irene was one of the "lunch ladies" at the school.  Does anyone remember the others?  The 1966 annual has a picture of Bernadene Giesen, Helen MacDonald, Irene Anderson, Della Meyer, and Ruby Nielsen. 

On December 18, the wife of Stuart "Skip" Webster passed away (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/sharon-webster).  While "Skip" taught at the junior high and middle school during our school days, he was one of our 9th grade football coaches, and our JV basketball coach when we moved out to the new high school.  "Skip" was ten years older than we  were, and was a stellar football and basketball player at BHS.  He played alongside Bob Shelden, which made for a formidable duo on the playing fields.  The Webster children were students and athletes of ours during their school days. 

On December 21, we lost Kevin Moad, brother of our classmate Jerry (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/kevin-moad).  He was about seven years younger than we were, having graduated in 1976.  His older sister Diann is married to Jerry Hoffman, brother of Paula (Hoffman) Platz.  

On Christmas Day, Duane (Hoppy) Rykhus passed away (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/duane-rykhus).  He was a science teacher when we were in Jr. High.  He also taught 9th grade science at the new high school for a few years before going into the roofing business full-time.  During his teaching career, he provided numerous students summer jobs for young men who enjoyed(?) crawling over worn-out and tired roofs that needed upgrading.  He was the other 9th grade football coach when we were freshmen.  He, too, was an extremely talented athlete at the high school, college, and master's level, earning national recognition in his later years.  

At the visitation, I met "Hoppy's" younger brother Bill.  He was a basketball teammate of one of my older brothers, and is married to Karen Derscheid, Craig's brother.  She gave me a hint about contacting Craig, so maybe we can add another classmate to our mailing list.  

I was fortunate enough to play city league basketball on teams with "Skip" and "Hoppy."  We were the "Rykhus Roofers" when I first joined.  Some other teachers of note were Dave Walder and Paul Johnson.  When Bernie Hendricks returned from his military service, he played with us for a few seasons.  In later years, we were "Webster Insurance."  "Skip" had retired from teaching/coaching in the late 70's, and became a well-known State Farm agent.  

The Brookings Register today listed an obituary for VerDonna Van Liere (https://www.kirkfuneralhome.com/obituary/ver-donna-van-liere).  That name probably means little to most of us, but it reminded me of my Minneapolis Tribune paper route from the early 60's, as they were one of my customers.  They lived on South Main by the old Sale Barn, as her husband Ray managed that facility.   My route was south of the tracks and from Main to just east of Medary, as that was the edge of town at that time.  One of Ray's sister was Evelyn Edwards, whom some of us may have had for a teacher.  Her brother Bob was couple of years older than we were.  If memory serves me correctly, he was a fine baseball player.  

Our condolences, thought, and prayers go out to these families at this difficult time.  

  

Veterans in More ways Than One

Recently, our class lost a couple of wonderful "veterans," Verna Peterson, the 96-year old mother of Phil Peterson, and Pauline Eggers, the 94 year-old mother-in-law of Peggy (Christie) Eggers.  Our deepest condolences go out to both of them on their loss.  My connections with Mrs. Peterson were minimal, but she and her husband, who passed away nine years ago (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2012/04/phil-petersons-father-passes-away.html), did own Midway Grocery when we were growing up.  

My connections with Pauline Eggers were somewhat more extensive.  Her grandchildren, Erika, Kristin, Jordan, and Adrian, were students of ours a number of years ago.  Their father, David Eggers, was a well-known chiropractor in town, and was featured regularly on KBRK to offer his wisdom and advice for optimizing our health habits.  This summer, I was asked to help out at our church once a month to visit the home-bound.  Mrs. Eggers lived at the United Living Community, which was a favorite place for some of our visits (that facility was part of my paper route in Jr. Hi).  We had some nice conversations with her during those special days.  

Again, our deepest condolences go out to Phil and Peggy.

For Veterans Day, the Brookings Register usually has a supplement that features some of the local residents that have served their country in the armed forces.  Some of our parents have been featured in previous years:  http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-greatest-generation.html, http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2019/11/91-fulfilling-years.html, http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2018/11/another-iron-horse.html, http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2015/11/blog-post_11.html, http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2011/12/pearl-harbor.html

Two of those that were featured this year may be individuals with whom we may be somewhat familiar.  "Farmer, soldier, citizen" is the headline for an article about Mason Wheeler.  He would be the husband of the English teacher that some of us had, Mrs. Janie Wheeler.  Mason graduated from BHS in 1956 and SDSC in 1960 with history and political science degrees.  Since he was a Distinguished Military Graduate from Army ROTC, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Regular Army, reporting to Ft. Hood, Texas (would that have been where he met his future wife?)

He spent a year in Korea, December, 1962 to December, 1963.  He decided to resign his Regular Army commission to return to South Dakota and farm with his father and brother, but still owed Uncle Sam a few years of military service.  He fulfilled that obligation by joining the South Dakota Army National Guard in August, 1964.  Because he desired a promotion to colonel, he transferred to Army Reserve after several years, remaining in that post until August, 1992.  Thus, he had 28 years of Guard and Reserve time and 3.5 years of active duty.  

When he and his wife retired about 20 years ago, they moved into town (I believe they lived across the street from Edgebrook gold course).  Mason continued to stay "employed" by driving truck for the farmers co-op and Mark Jensen Produce.  I would often Mason and Janie at the library.  In fact, the last time they were there, their son Charlie was with them.  Charlie was helping his parents move out to the Black Hills area, where he lives, so that they could be nearer to him and his family.  We wish them the best in their new environment.  https://brookingsregister.com/article/farmer-soldier-citizen

"Citizen soldier, citizen solon" is the headline for Spencer Hawley, who was two years behind us in school.  His father Wayne was a well-known insurance salesman in town, a business that Spencer also found appealing (he has spent 43 years as an account executive for American Trust Insurance).  He, too, was commissioned a second lieutenant when he graduated from SDSU in 1975.  The article says that ROTC was mandatory at that time.  However, that is in error.  ROTC was mandatory up through the 1968-69 school year.  The first year it was optional was our first year there, 1969.  Spencer had several assignments in Korea, and also spent time in Germany. After his commission was up, he spent 30 years in the Guard, and saw major changes in its operation.  No longer would the Guard receive the Army's hand-me-down equipment or receive inadequate funding.  

Spencer also served in the South Dakota House of Representatives for eight years, serving his last four years as House minority leader.  https://brookingsregister.com/article/citizen-soldier-citizen-solon     

    

Remembrance, Reunions, and Homecoming

 Last week on September 24, 2021, funeral services were held for Leona Steen, mother of Teresa of our class.  She passed away about a year ago, but services were delayed because of the pandemic.  It seems that our parents' funerals have fewer people attending, as there do not appear to be very many people still alive who were acquaintances of our beloved parents.  Although the turnout for Leona's funeral and visitation may have been small, our class was well-represented with Barb Koenders and Mike Andersen in attendance.  Also attending were Ted and Lou Eggebraaten.  Lou was secretary to the athletic director during my tenure as an employee of the Brookings school district, so we were well acquainted.  

At the funeral, Teresa gave an eloquent tribute to her mother.  At the visitation, she explained that her husband Russell had some health problems that kept him from attending.  

It just so happened that last weekend was also the 50th reunion for the class of 1971.  Teresa's sister Marci was a member of that class, as was my younger brother Rich.  Fortunately, Rich arrived in time to attend the visitation, and had a good visit not only with Marci, but also with Teresa's brother Randy.  Some of us also had siblings in that class:  Steve Anderson (Marilyn), Bill Antonides (Jim), Helen Beckman (Ken), Phil Boggs (Larry), Gary Buller (David and Diane), David Bush (Peggy), Annette Clauson (Iris), Kay Crase (Cheryl?), Dale Gabel (Sandy), Cheryl Havermann (Ron), Dwight Hajek (David), Tom Hoffman (Paula), Tim Kattke (Sue), Patty Knock (Craig?) Becky Linn (Stew), Lyle Mueller (Eugene), June Perso (Jeanette), Mike Redmond (Sue), Gareth Roberts (Gawain), Bill Robish (Pat), Kathy Rossow (Harry), Kim Rufer (Brad), Fred Sauer (Joanne), Stan Sloat (Donna), Denis Taylor (Kathy), Dave Ulmer (Joe), Dale Vincent (Gary), Gary Voss (Doug), Clark Walz (Stew), Alan Wells (Howard), and Mary Young (Carl).  Also, Joy Christie and Dale Berkland, but they may be cousins to Peggy Christie and Arlo and Arlys Berkland.  My apologies if I am in error or have omitted anyone.  

BHS  this year began a "new" tradition of a homecoming parade.  "New" because, to the best of my limited knowledge, homecoming parades were held in the early 1950's.  The 1951 "Bobcat" states "Homecoming activities got off to a colorful start with the traditional Red and Black Day on October nineteenth.  Almost everyone appeared in various combinations of red and black clothing.  Eight of the most original were awarded prizes.  For the first time in the history of Bobcat Day, coronation, the pep skits, and the parade were held in the morning... In the afternoon, the student body were guests of the State Theatre at a free movie.  That night, at the high school field, the Bobcats met the Yankton Bucks for the homecoming game.  The Bobcats played a wonderful game, to make homecoming a big success, with a 61-0 victory over the Bucks, the largest homecoming score in history.  Everyone enjoyed the fall harvest theme and the music of the Collegiates at the Bobcat dance, the final Bobcat Day activity."  It appears that the parade was held for the next three years, as the 1952, 1953, and 1954 annuals have pictures of the homecoming parade, while the 1955 annual does not, indicating that the short-lived tradition had died out.  The 1950 annual indicates that coronation was held in the evening of October 6.  "A diversified program consisting of introduction of players, skits, pep speeches and awarding of gifts was presented for the enjoyment of royalty.  After that the whole student body had a snake dance to the football field where the band and the cheerleaders led the students in a pep fest around a huge bonfire."

This year's parade was very large, and lasted about  50 minutes.  Most of the entries seemed to be student organizations and athletic teams: football; basketball; soccer; golf; tennis; cross-country; track and field; hockey; swimming; gymnastics; marching band; and dance and cheer teams.  I am probably forgetting some.  Most of those squads have both boys and girls teams.  The middle school and elementary schools even had some entries, as did some of the industries and organizations around town.  The parade seemed to bring the town and schools together and to increase school spirit.  The weather cooperated, which made for a pleasant viewing.  It is hoped that this revived tradition will continue in the future.  

Homecoming has undergone numerous changes since we were in school.  Coronation is now held on Monday.  Each day of homecoming has a theme, such as pajama day or backwards pants day.  The football game is the highlight, but other activities, such as soccer, volleyball, and cross-country also receive prominent exposure.  

For homecoming in the fall of 1973 (my first year in the system), the freshman students were in charge of collecting wood and other combustibles for the bonfire.  They asked me to help them, as I had a pick-up to haul the materials.  They topped off the huge pile with an outhouse they had located somewhere out in the country.  It seems that in later years, outhouses were difficult to locate, so the tradition of having an outhouse on top of the bonfire ceased.  The bonfire tradition, too, had to cease a number of years ago, as it was considered too dangerous.  In its replacement is the burning of the "B," in which a large metal "B"  is covered with oily rags and then lit.  Doesn't quite compare with a huge bonfires of days past.   

As Tears Go By

 Many of us may remember the song "As Tears Go By" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Tears_Go_By_%28song%29) from the mid-60's.  It was first made popular by Marianne Faithful, and then about a year later by The Rolling Stones.  This summer it seems that many tears were shed, as our class members lost not only parents, but siblings and nephews.  Previous posts have mentioned some of these influential and wonderful people.  Sadly, a few more have passed away since then.

Jason Kidwiler, nephew of Mary of our class, and son of Mike from the class of 1968, passed away on August 25, 2021.  Mary and I had a nice visit at the visitation, and caught up on the latest with each other.

  While Mark Kratochvil's mother passed away about a year ago, the funeral services were held September 4, 2021,  Mark has been the motivating force behind our class reunions.  He gets us all organized well ahead of time so we can have some wonderful gatherings.  His sister Ann was an eighth-grader in the 1973-74 school year, and one of my stalwart students my first year of teaching in the Brookings school district.  

It is quite evident Dorothy led a rich and beautiful life, and, along with her husband Don, helped raise a wonderful family.

Randi Luverne (Holden) Behrend was about five years older than we were, graduating from BHS in 1964, just as we were finishing seventh grade.  We probably knew her best as a cheerleader, as we usually saw her at the football and basketball games.  We may have seen her in the hallowed halls of the Jr.-Sr. High school, although our classes were generally confined to the first floor, while the second floor contained mostly senior high classes.  She married Don Behrend, who was in the class of 1965.  Don's mother Barb was "Lefty" Johnson's secretary for a number of years, and likely knew more of what was happening in the school than anyone else.  Barb helped me out greatly during my years at the Middle School, and straightened me out on some of the procedures that made the school function so well.  Don and Randi's children also were students of mine, and it was memorable to visit with them after so many years.  They also chose a beautiful poem in remembrance of a beautiful mother.  

Yesterday, Sept. 2, 2021, I was stunned to read in the Brookings Register that Bob Bozied had passed away. Bob graduated in 1965, the same year as Don Behrend mentioned above.  They, and numerous others in that class, served as inspirations for many in our class, not only because of their artistic and athletic abilities, but also because they were our older siblings.  In that class were these familiar names:  Paul Adamson, Bernadette and Bernadine Ahlers, Judy and Jo Ann Berkland, Eileen Bortnem, Keith and Kermit Bortnem, Bob Bozied, Zoell Colburn, Mitch Egeberg, Richard Graff, Linda Ishmael, Carol and Earl Kallemeyn, Cheryl Kohl, Kandace Kortan, Ann McCone, Connie McKeown, Mike O'Connell, Janeane Perso, Darlene Prussman, George Rickerson, Galen Roberts, Kathy Schroeder, Pat Skubic, Gerald Sloat, Donna Smith, Elizabeth Steen, Roy Taylor, and  Dorothy Workman.  (My apologies if there are any omissions or errors; some of these individuals may be cousins and not siblings)

In grade school, the Bozied lived one house away from our house.  During third grade, Tom and I had Mrs. Peterson for a teacher (her husband was a science and industrial arts teacher in the junior high).  I would frequently stop at Tom's before school so we could watch Captain Kangaroo.  Perhaps about 8:50 we would then walk to school.  When we relayed that information to Mrs. Peterson, she suggested we could wait until 8:55 before walking to school, as we were less than two blocks away.  

Bob was one of those older boys we respected since we were old enough to know what athletics was. He taught us much about the games as we played baseball at the Central School ball fields or football on the Courthouse lawn.  He had to hold back while he was playing, or else we probably would have had to make numerous trips to the hospital emergency room.  For me, he was an outstanding little league baseball player, whose pitching style I tried to emulate, but without much success.  I believe when he was 13, he skipped teener ball (or the equivalent) and went straight to the legion team, whose players were usually 16-18 years old.   His senior year, he was named to the All-State football team of 1964 after leading the Bobcats to 4-3-1 record.   He was also a key player for the basketball team, earning the Hustler Award for a squad that finished 11-8.   The annuals in those days listed the activities that the seniors had been in during their high school years.  Bob's extra-curricular activities were FTA 4; Cue Club 3,4: Monogram Club 2,3,4; Football 2,3,4; Basketball 2,3,4; Track 2,3; Bobcat Staff 4; Class Officer 4; Kiwanian 4: Bobcat Day Attendant 4; Stage Cre 3,4; Vocal Soloist 3; Inst. Ensemble 3.   It's interesting that FTA (Future Teachers of America) is listed first.  In his college days at SDSU, he began preparing for his future, as he was one of the few multi-sport athletes, excelling both in football and baseball.  He then used that knowledge to teach and coach.  (I believe he even helped out Mr. Gibbons one year). As his obituary states, he spent over 50 years in the teaching and coaching profession in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.  He not only taught his students and players, as he also was a great influence on his own children.  I believe his son Tagg played professional baseball.  One time Tagg was playing a minor-league game in Sioux Falls, and a number of locals went down to watch, including yours truly and one of my brothers who had played high school ball with Bob.  It seems appropriate that his funeral would be held at the Aurora Public Schools Stadium at Kinkley High School, 1250 Chambers Rd., Aurora, CO 80011. Our condolences to Tom and Beth and the family on their loss.  https://brookingsregister.com/article/robert-bob-bozied-aurora-colorado

An Unhappy Triad

In college, one of our required coaching courses was Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries.  One of the topics discussed was knee injuries.  Jim Booher (he, along with Tom Osterberg, was on the Spies slo-pitch team that won numerous state titles in the 1970's.  Aurora Body Shop, mainly composed of our class members, played them in our first game ever.  We lost badly; the score may have been 44-4.  As we improved over the years, the scores became closer, but we could never gain the upper hand) was the instructor at the time, and he noted common knee injuries involved the anterior cruciate (ACL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the meniscus.  These three structures were commonly known as the "unhappy triad of O'Donoghue.   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unhappy_triad).  During these past several days, there have been three rather unhappy events for our classmates.  

Last Friday, August 6, funeral services were held for John Steen, brother of Susan (Steen) Tatro of our class (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/john-steen).  He was only 61, so his passing was unforeseen.  It was good to talk with Susan for a short time after the service and express our condolences.  John's daughter Lara was a fine soccer player for BHS about 15-20 years ago.  She played collegiately at Northern State University in Aberdeen, and now teaches and coaches in Sioux Falls.  She will be the assistant soccer coach at the new Jefferson High School this fall. 

On Saturday, services were held at Greenwood Cemetery for Helen Linn Albright, mother of Gerry of our class and Carmen of the class of 1968. 

I believe she is the cousin of Stew Linn's father.  Does that make Gerry and Stew second cousins? (Corrrect me, Stew, if I am wrong)  While there, I was able to visit with Stew's mother and sister.  Stew's mother is 96, and still sharp as a tack.  She has been very involved in the Brookings County Museum in Volga, and showed me some of the genealogy charts, press clippings, and other archives that she has amassed through the years.  She created a wonderful scrapbook of our junior and senior basketball seasons, which are now proudly in Stew's possession.  Every once in a while those articles come in handy at team reunions when we have some differing opinions about what happened during certain games and stages of our careers.  

Gerry and Stew are also related to Bob Shelden, BHS class of 1959.  Bob was an honor student, but was probably better known for his athletic ability.  He earned varsity letters in football, basketball, and track and field four times, one of the few athletes to achieve that feat (another one who did so was ""Bud" Billings, father of Beth of the class of 1970, and father-in-law of Tom Bozied).  I was fortunate to talk with Bob's sister at the reception.  She graduated in 1955, so knew of some of my siblings who were about the same age.  My brother George was senior on the basketball team when Bob was a freshman.  One of my older sisters graduated with Bob in 1959, so we had many fond memories to exchange.  When the "new" high school was completed in 1967, the baseball field there was name in memory of Bob Shelden (https://www.brookingsbaseball.com/page/show/2935139-bob-shelden-field). 

One interesting tidbit about Bob is that he has one of the top single game basketball scoring records for BHS.   While gathering information for our last reunion in 2019, we discovered an article in the paper that Bob scored 36 points in one game when he was only a sophomore.  That was one short of the record that Roger Nelson had set three years earlier.  Lee Colburn broke that record by one  when we played at Pierre our senior year.  Lee's record was finally broken by two in 2013 (thanks to the 3-point shot).  Bob, then, is still number four on the all-time list.  

Points scored	Name	Opponent	Date
40	Connor Beste	Rapid City Central	3-16-2013
38	Lee Colburn	Pierre	2-28-69
37	Roger Nelson	Mitchell	2-19-54
36	Bob Shelden	Watertown	2-7-57
34	Lee Colburn	Huron	12-20-68
34	Brayden Carlson	Mitchell	1-22-2009
34	Brayden Carlson	Pierre	2-6-2009
33	Lee Colburn	Madison	3-5-69
33	Brayden Carlson	Rapid City Stevens	1-30-2009
32	Jeff Booher	Aberdeen Central	1-29-88
31	Arnold Ginn	Huron	2-25-50
31	George Iverson	Rapid City Central	12-27-55
31	Brayden Carlson	Yankton	2-12-2009
30	Arnold Ginn	Webster	2-18-50
30	Roger Nelson	Yankton	12-15-53
30	Bob Shelden	Huron	3-23-57
30	Lee Colburn	Huron	2-7-69
30	Lee Colburn	Belle Fourche	3-14-69

  

Vern Olson and his wife were also at the service and reception.  Vern grew up in the same neighborhood as Gerry, and also had many memorable childhood memories of their times together.  Is it possible for young children to live such independent lives today?  

Yesterday, Aug. 9, Paula Platz informed me that a mobile home in Volga belonging to Walter Osterberg was destroyed in a fire.  Paula's niece (Heidi Hoffman Gullickson) works with United Way here in Brookings, and they are doing their utmost to help Walter out by exploring a number of possibilities.  When they find out more, we sill send out an email notifying everyone what can be done to assist Walter during this tragic ordeal.  

On a positive note, we had a nice turnout at last Thursday's Downtown at Sundown.  Hope to have another nice gathering this week.  

Problems Solved?

 With the help of a more informed friend, we seem to have solved some of the problems involved with posting new items on this blog.  This new Chromebook posed numerous problems in that area.  However, after a few frustrating hours, we seemed to have solved them.  The proof will be if this post publishes.  Pray for the best. 

Four???

Since the Fourth of July was a recent holiday, it seems appropriate that the significance of the number four be a topic for this post.

According to one internet site (https://mysticalnumbers.com/number-4/), there are: four cardinal points (north, south, east, and west);  four winds; four phases of the moon; four seasons; and four elements (earth, air, fire, and water).  Many of you can probably come up with other important topics that contain the number of four. 

On the Fourth, eight  classmates were hosted to a great time by Bob Ishmael and his wife Pam on their acreage east of town.  As my arrival was delayed, a few had left before I arrived.  It was a great time, and Bob, Pam, and I talked for a couple of hours after the others had left.  One of the attendees summed it up by emailing us saying "Thank you, Bob and Pam Ishmael for hosting today's get together.  SO fun!"  Other opportunities for us to convene will be upcoming on five Thursdays beginning July 22 when "Downtown Sundown" returns to Main Street after a one-year hiatus.  The activities begin in the evening at 5:30 and will run until 9:00 pm.  More information can be found at www.downtownatsundown.org.  The Register had an article on the return of this event today, July 16. https://brookingsregister.com/article/dtatsd-is-back

Another significance of the number four is that four of our wonderful mothers have passed away recently in the span of about 5 weeks.  Those outstanding women are Gwen Andersen, mother of Mike (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/gwendolyn-Andersen); Frances Trapp, mother of Yvonne (https://www.rustandweilandfuneral.com/obituaries/Frances--Trapp?obId=21395660#/obituaryInfo); Nona Marshall, mother of Mike (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/nona-marshall), and Elizabeth Christie, mother of Peggy (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/elizabeth-christie). 

My connections with Mike A. during our school days were minimal.  However, his children were students of mine.  His daughter Becca ran cross-country for us, but she loved dance even more, and concentrated on that during her later years, I believe.  Becca and her good friend Abigail Hegerfeld sang "Our Town" at the memorial service.  Abby was also a good hurdler in middle school, but also concentrated on dance in high school. (Can the pictures be enlarged by clicking on them?)

Although her obituary indicates the Trapp family moved to Brookings in 1967, Yvonne (freshman) and her brother Mark (junior) are pictured in the 1966 annual.  While I do not recall Yvonne in any of my classes, Mark was in our P.E. class.  He proved his strength by climbing the rope in the pit without using his legs.  Instead, he held his legs out perpendicularly to his body so they were parallel with the floor. No one else could even come close to achieving that feat.  When we tried, we could not get off the floor. 

However, in the 1967 annual,  neither Yvonne nor Mark are pictured.   In the 19968 annual, Yvonne's picture reappears.  Does anyone know the reason behind her disappearance for one year?  Was her father doing graduate work at another institution?  Did he have a  military assignment that took him away from Brookings?

Frances Trapp Obituary - Madison, South Dakota , Weiland Funeral Chapel | Tribute Archive

Nona Marshall, mother of Mike, passed away on June 19.  At the funeral, I was able to have a nice visit and reminiscence with Mike.  Mike older sister Ginny (class of 1967) passed away a few years ago, and was married to a fellow named Oran Sattler at the time of her death.  From about February 1968 until August 1968, I had a part-time job at the post office (courtesy of Tom Lyons, father of Kris) sorting packages from 5:30-8:00 before school.  Originally, it was only on Saturday.  Gradually, Tuesday and then Thursdays were added.  After the basketball season was completed, my hours were changed from 4:00-6:00 daily except Sunday.  My partner on the morning shift was Oran Sattler, college student, gymnast, and future husband of Mike's sister.  We, too, were able to reminiscence about those days. 

One benefit of that job was that it paid quite well for a high-school student.  One detriment, though, was that it was difficult to stay awake during some classes on the day(s) I had to work before school.  By the time chemistry class started around 3:00, I was ready for a nap.  If Mr. Karnes was showing a film then, I could sneak one in.  Otherwise, I was out of luck.

In my early years of teaching, Mrs. Marshall worked in the resource room at the high school.  The athletic director's office was located in the back of the resource.  When we were in school, that office was located in the boys locker room.  However, with the introduction of girls' sports, the new director wanted everyone to have access to his office, not just the males.  Since he was an outstanding mentor to me, I had the occasion to visit him quite often, especially when he asked me to coach girls' basketball at the middle school level.  Hence, I was able to see Mrs. Marshall quite regularly, and learned what a wonderful person she was.  

On June 20, Elizabeth Christie, mother of Peggy, passed away.  Since they lived in the rural areas, Peggy received a wonderful education through 8th grade (was she was county spelling champion one year?), and then came to 9th grade in the old high school-junior high building.  My contacts with Peggy were minimal during those years.  However, a few years later, Peggy's youngest sister Melissa was in my homeroom during her middle school years. 

 Peggy married a fine fellow named Bud Eggers.  His brother David was a well-known chiropractor in town.  His children, too, were students of ours during their middle school years.  At the visitation, we had some wonderful visits with all of them. 

Did anyone notice that the roses on the Marshall and Christie notices were identical?  Our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to both Mikes, Yvonne, and Peggy during their loss. 

Update July 19, 2021

Forgot to mention that Patricia Ann Knutson, a member of the first class to graduate from the "new high school," sadly passed away about a year and a half ago.  Her memorial service was at the First Lutheran Church in Brookings on June 11, 2021.  We knew her better as Patti Jerde, an energetic cheerleader.  When the class of 1968 had their 50th reunion a couple of years ago, she was planning on attending.  However, her illness prevented her from coming.   She  married Curt Knutson (class of 1966) in the 1970's I believe.  

Curt had several siblings.  Just a couple of years ago, one of his older sisters passed away in Sioux Falls.  At that visitation, I had the chance to talk with Curt.  Patti was also there, so it was a good chance to reminiscence with both of them, as well as Curt's twin sisters in Patti's class, Vicki and Becki Knutson.  They married a couple of Curt's classmates; Darryl Larson, brother of Duane of our class, John Sundet.  Curt's older brother "Sonny" (Stanford) was about the age of a couple of my older brothers. They did a great deal of hunting and fishing together, as well as playing a little basketball.  One of Sonny's daughters was in the first class of 8th graders I taught in the 1973-4 school year.  

Curt's father and my father were also hunting and fishing partners.  In fact, one year, they bought an old school bus and refurbished it into a "camper" and drove it up to Big Stone Lake and parked it there.  If any of the families went fishing up there, they had a place to stay.  It wasn't the Waldorf-Astoria, but it took care of one's primitive needs sufficiently.  

A number of Patti's classmates came back for her memorial service.  In addition to the Knutson twins and their husbands were some of her cheerleader friends and a few members of the championship basketball team of 1968.  

The trip to the cemetery was quite memorable.  Patti's mother (and perhaps other relatives) is buried in a cemetery near Toronto, South Dakota.  When we first stopped at a cemetery near there, it was discovered that it was the wrong one.  The correct one was still a couple of miles away.  In any case, we arrived at the right place.  

Afterwards, there was a gathering at Innovation Village.  Again, it was good to reminiscence with everyone who knew Patti.  Darryl Larson especially had many good stories that we could all relate to.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Apple Does Not Fall Far From The Tree

The May 5th, 2021, edition of the Brookings Register had a picture recognizing the winners of the VFW Auxiliary sponsored Young American Creative Patriotic Art Scholarship.  The first place winner was Kaeley Dixon.  One of our classmates has a rather intimate connection with her.  It was quite obvious to me that upon opening the paper, the picture she had so beautifully drawn was Harvey Schroeder, father of Nanette of our class.  Mr. Schroeder was a true patriot.  A number of years ago, the courthouse made arrangements for a multitude of flags to line their sidewalks for special patriotic holidays such as Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, etc. Mr. Schroeder was out there early in the morning making sure those flags would be displayed for the public and that the town could recognize the sacrifices that our servicemen and women made for their country.  

As the caption states, Harvey Schroeder was Kaeley's great-grandfather.  Thus Kaeley is Nanette's granddaughter.  Nanette is obviously proud of her granddaughter, and deservedly so.  

Kaeley's last name of Dixon intrigued me.  One of her other great-grandfathers was Duane Dixon.  Some of his children were about our age, while some of his grandchildren would have been students of mine when they were in middle school.  Oddly, there are still other connections with our class.  

In the winter of 1968, perhaps sometime in January, my father informed me that the post office was looking for some part-time help on Saturday mornings.  He encouraged me to apply, so I went down to see the postmaster, Tom Lyons, father of Kris of our class.  Fortunately, I was hired, and began working every Saturday morning at 5:30 am.  After a while, they asked me work on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, also.  I did not work directly under Mr. Lyons, but under Mr. Dixon.  After going to work on some of those days, it became difficult later in the day to concentrate in class, as sleep seemed to be taking hold of me.  In fact, while taking the PSAT, I did fall asleep.  Whether or not that affected my score, I have no idea, but my score was rather shameful.  Since chemistry class came at the end of the day, I would be thankful if Mr. Karnes planned to show a film then.  

After basketball season ended, my hours were changed to 4 to 6 after school.  Those hours continued throughout the summer, with occasional stints from 6 to 8 in the morning as needed, such as the influx of catalogs from Montgomery Ward's, JC Penney's, or Sears and Roebuck.  When school started in the fall, though, I had to resign, as I wanted to continue with my athletic activities after school and also get enough sleep to have a productive senior year.  

A number of our parents were also employed at the post office.  Nanette's father worked there, as did the fathers of Teresa Steen and Stew Linn.  I also believe the father of Bob Ishmael was employed there. Bill Rice, the husband of Bernadette Rice, one of our teachers, also worked there.  Overall, it was a good job with great pay and great co-workers.

Just about a year ago, on June 8, 2020, another of our parents passed away.  While his passing was mentioned briefly in previous post (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2020/08/after-long-absence.html), I neglected to include his funeral notice:  

Clayton Sloat  (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/clayton-sloat) was familiar to just about everyone in Brookings. He was the father of eight wonderful children, including Donna of our class. He has been featured on our blog before: https://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2015/01/1941-yearbook.html; https://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2014/01/; https://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2013/11/. After we graduated, he, his wife, and Ed and LaVonne Fuller were regular attendees at Bobcat athletic events. At basketball games, they enjoyed sitting a few rows behind the scorer’s table and politely reminding the officials that they may have been mistaken in their judgments.) I think it was because I had misplaced them.

While cleaning out my vehicle the other day, I found them, and have posted them below: 

Like so many of our parents, Mr. Sloat was a veteran, as indicated in his membership in the VFW and American Legion.  As the links to the other posts indicate, he was a pillar of the community.  

A couple of items stood out for me: 12 great-great-grandchildren and the name of Jim Petrik, one of Mr. Sloat's pallbearers.  Not too many people live long enough to see 12 great-great-grandchildren.  The name of Jim Petrik rang a bell, but I was mistaking it for Jim Peterik (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Peterik), a musician who is about our age and is the author of some popular songs.

While writing this post, more evidence of the excellence and gratitude of our class was exhibited, as five members (Jean McCone Forsyth, Georgia Wright, Diane Sturdevant Rolof, Martha Larson, and David Hajek) replied to the email that we sent out about Kaeley's award.  Thanks to all of you and anyone else who responds with similar acknowledgments.   

   

   

Horsing Around With "Freckles"

 While waiting to get a haircut recently, I picked up a copy of South Dakota Magazine, which features articles that have South Dakota connections.  One of the articles in this edition (July August/September 2020) was written by Chuck Cecil, whose wife Mary is the older sister of the late Cathy (Wilber) Madson of our class.  Cathy's husband Tom was also in our class.  As an aside, one of my sisters was good friends with Mary Wilber in high school, and registered the guests at Chuck and Mary's wedding.

Mr. Cecil had a long career editing and writing for several daily and weekly newspaper in addition to working at SDSU for 23 years.  While at State, he met Bill McCone, father of Jean McCone, also of our class.  Mr. McCone told Mr. Cecil the story of a horse called Freckles, who, in the 1930's, went from the Spink County farm of the McCone family to the stables of Hollywood legend Gene Autry.  Mr. Cecil has written numerous books about life in South Dakota, with a special emphasis on the Brookings area.   His latest book is number 24 and is called Grandpa's Horses, and includes this amazing story about Freckles.  

Thanks to the barbershop for letting me borrow this copy of the magazine.  Hope there are no problems resulting from posting this article.

Another one of the Good Guys leaves us

 Yet another teacher and coach from Brookings High School of the 1960s has died. Ken Thury, passing through our teenage lives from 1967 through 1969, died in the Twin Cities on December 13, 2020, at the age of 89. Here is the obituary:

  https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000377415/

Mr. Thury was able to attend various reunions in Brookings in recent years.  He was pleased when greeted by both team members AND classroom students, remarking that "Even my classroom teaching seems to be well-remembered." A reading  of his obituary condolences in the Minneapolis Star Tribune shows that his later teaching years at Lakeville High School in Minnesota brought out the same comments from students there. In fact, if you read through all 20+ of his obituary condolences, the entirety of his years of teaching and coaching was filled with praise. What a wonderful life he lived! The world could use about a million more Ken Thurys born every generation.

As I told my championship-team friends a few weeks ago, Mr. Thury's enthusiasm for life, young people, coaching and teaching reminds us that we were blessed when he stopped by Brookings for a couple of years.

Join me in honoring him with this suggestion he made just before leaving us:

...try to make everyone smile and be happy.

Raise your next rum and coke as a toast to Ken Thury.