Now that Labor Day has come and gone, summer is unofficially over. While school has been in session for a couple of weeks, it seems that "back in our day," school started after Labor Day. In any case, the quiet days of August have given way to the hectic start of another school year.
One of the more pleasant happenings this summer was reacquainting with amateur baseball and some classmates. We were able to attend most of the Brookings Cubs home games this season. Their schedule was somewhat abbreviated, as there were some nights, due to conflicts, not enough players were available to field a team, whether for the Cubs of the opposition. Because of scheduling conflicts, the Cubs were not at their best for some of their games. They might play terribly, but then turn around and play magnificently a week later. They finished on a high note, garnering second place in the State tournament.
There has also been much construction activity around town this summer. New roads are being built, as the housing boom is spreading rapidly to the south. Many homes are now encircling the areas that once had country schools. Taylors and Christies had farms there when we were in school. Those areas are now dotted with homes. Since Brookings cannot expand to the north, as the university has most of that land, south is about the most feasible direction to expand.
A new interchange is being constructed near the golf course. That project will connect directly to Aurora, so that those who work at Daktronics, Larson's, Twin City Fan, and other business on the east side of Brookings will no longer have to take Highway 14 to get to work or to come into town.
Lastly, and unfortunately, we have lost a number of outstanding people that may have played a part in our lives. My comments on most of these will be limited, as links posted to their obituaries usually contain the necessary information to summarize their lives.
In no particular order, those who have passed away Lyle Allison, Barb Borstad, Judy Schutjer, Jo Ann Satterlee, Royce Emerick, Ken Ivers, Mike Carpenter, Jim Martin, John "Red" Schoon, June Helsper, Patricia Buri, Rachael Grothe, and Orville Gab.
Lyle Allison (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/lyle-allison) Would he be a relative of Marilyn of our class?
Barb Borstad (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/barbara-borstad) had a number of daughters, most of whom were a few years older than we were. One of them married Sid Bostic, the SDSU (at that time SDSC) basketball player who made a desperation half-court shot that helped the Jackrabbits win the small college national basketball championship in 1963, our 6th grade year. He husband Benny worked at Kjellsen Chevrolet for a number of years, and sold me my first car in 1967, a 1954 Chevy Bel Air.
Judy Schutjer (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/judith-schutjer) was quite a bit older than we were. Her brother Gary played on the 1962 bobcat basketball team that won the state championship. He was a first team all-state player, and played college ball at Huron College.
Jo Ann Satterlee (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/jo-satterlee) was the wife of Jim Satterlee, well-known sociology professor at SDSU. Were any of us in his classes?
Orville Gab (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/orville-gab) was a well-respected geography professor at SDSU. His children were students of ours many years ago.
Royce Emerick (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/royce-emerick)was a long-time biochemistry professor at SDSU. His son was a couple of years younger than we were, and was a fine cross-country runner at BHS.
Ken Ivers (https://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/obituary/kenneth-ivers) was another long-time professor at SDSU. He was most known for his work as a counselor. His wife taught Home-Ec in the Brookings school system. For a few years, she was in the classroom right next to mine.
Mike Carpenter (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/michael-carpenter) was quite a bit younger than we were. Most of us, particularly the boys, were more familiar with his father Roger. Roger was a tremendous fast-pitch softball player. He also played city league basketball. In the 70's, he and Mr. Walder, our junior English teacher, had had some fierce battles playing in the old Armory downtown.
Jim Martin (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/jim-martin) was the husband of Reyna, the PE teacher when we were in school. Before Title IX in 1972 mandated equal opportunities for girls in athletics, Reyna had initiated girls athletics in Brookings. There were gymnastics and track and field competitions for the girls while we were yet in school. The Brookings Registers of that era have a number of articles on the success of the BHS girls in those competitions. One name that instantly comes to mind is Jackie Ramey. She was way ahead of her time. Some of her efforts in track and field still rank among the best in the history of BHS athletics (https://cg111.k12.sd.us/GirlsTop10.htm).
June Helsper (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/june-helsper) was the mother of Rich, who was a year behind us in school. During our senior year, Rich asked me if he could borrow my car (the 1954 Chevy that Benny Borstad sold me) during the noon hour. I was trusting, so allowed him to do so. When I went out later to drive home, the gas pedal was stuck, so it was obvious that Rich had really revved up the engine. No damage was done, though.
John "Red" Schoon (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/john-red-schoon) was a long-time resident of Brookings. I first knew him right after high school graduation while working at the Insect Lab north of Brookings. "Red" had quite a history. Even though he had little formal schooling, he was one of the smartest men I knew. As he told us, "I did not have money to buy new things, so I learned how to fix up the old ones." He had a great mechanical aptitude, and was very creative in his problem solving. He was able to save the Insect Lab a great deal of money with some of his clever ideas and proposals. In recent years, he helped me improve the performance and safety of my old classic car. He loved to take rides in it. We even went to a car show in Nebraska a few years ago when he was still in good health. A couple of months before he passed away, we went for a nice drive around the county. He knew so many of the people who lived in the area, as he also had a sodding and tree planting business on the side. He might recall how he planted so many spruce trees at a certain farm, and that the owner wanted them planted too close together, eventually killing some of them off. Recently, I had asked him if he wanted to go for a cruise. He was unable to go, as he had fallen that morning and did not feel right. The last time I called him was on the afternoon of July 22. There was no answer, so I had strong inkling that something was wrong. Little did I know that he had passed away that very day.
Patricia Buri (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/patricia-buri) is probably not a name that is familiar to us. Her maiden name was Anderson, and she graduated from BHS in 1962. Her father Walt worked at Bozied's Conoco for a number of years, and later was employed at SDSU. We often saw him in the "Barn" when we were in college. As her obituary states, she returned to Brookings in 2014. At the time of her passing, she was living at the United Living Community near Pioneer Park. She was friends with "Red" Schoon, who was also living there. In fact, she happened to be waiting outside for a friend to pick her up when I came by to give "Red" a ride around the county. She said she wanted a ride in that car some day. We promised her that she could go with us the next time we went cruising. Unfortunately, that next time never came.
Recently, we mourned the loss of Rachael Grothe (https://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/obituary/rachael-groethe), mother of Kathy of our class. Kathy and I had an enjoyable conversation at the visitation and funeral. As her obituary states, Rachael graduated from BHS in 1938. A little research indicated that Mr. Les Horrigan and Mr. Virgil Bell were teachers at the time, Bob Coffey (from whom the name "Bobcats" was derived) was the coach, and Agnes Schlender was the secretary. Miss Schlender was the secretary for a long time. She lived in the house right next door to ours on third street. Coincidentally, I purchased that house in 1977.
In the 1938 yearbook, Rachael is nicknamed "Rae." Her activities were Orch. 1, 2, 3, 4 (1st violin); Senior Sports Society 4 (SSS was a sportsmanship club); Latin Club 2,3,4 (Miss Briscoe was not the teacher then); Pit Orchestra 4; Student Council 1,3.
Some of the students in that class were Evelyn Algra (when were in grade school, there was an Algra that lived near us on 2nd street near the viaduct); Meryl Beals (any relation to Clara Beals; Clara lived in a rather delapidated house near the swimming pool; we thought it looked haunted); Art Behrend (he was a good athlete, and the husband of Barb, "Lefty" Johnson's secretary for a number of years); John Bibby (local businessman); Don Biggar (father of Dave and Doug, who were a little older than we were? His picture looks remarkably like his son Dave's); Myrth Rae Chester (we would know her as Mrs. Brchan, typing teacher, long-time librarian at Brookings Middle School, and mother of Julie, a year ahead of us in school); Albert Bortnem (any relation to the Bortmens in our class?); Morrell Connelly (father of Robyn; nicknamed "Lars" and not "Buck;" he was Lord of Bobcat Day); Milton Carothers (any relation to the Carothers for whom Carothers Engineering Hall is named?); June Grommersch (she is the June Helsper mentioned above); Jim Finn (his children were about our age); Leland Iverson (don't think he is any relation); Raymond Horn (father of Ray and Sue, who were a little older than we were, and husband of Jeanette Horn, sophomore English teacher at BHS for a number of years); Cleo Kjenslee (there used to be a Kjenslee's Cafe near Montgomery Ward's many years ago); Delmer Pittenger (a brother to Richard Pittenger, Methodist minister here when we were growing up?); Duane Rude (must be part of the family who had the funeral home and furniture store); Athalyn Sanderson (any relation to the Sanderson's of our era?); Leon Steen (any relation to Teresa?); Rachel Trygstad (the Trygstad family were some of the early settlers in Brookings County; they may have originally built a "home" at the Medary settlement); Winston Ullman (any relation to Janice Ullman, the first female student body president of BHS [1951-52?].
Each senior picture had a little poem that seemed appropriate to the student's personality. For Kathy's mom, the poem was "Lovely to look at, Delightful to know, Pleasant to talk with, Don't you think so?"
Juniors that year with familiar names were Lynn Allison, Marshall Biggar (was his older brother Don, the senior? Was he the father of Dave and Doug?), Bob Bishman, Claire Eclov, Delbert and Delores Gustafson, Glen Leraas, Hazel McCord, John Moriarty, Harold Niklason (Nick's Hamburgers), Vernon Norris (he was a custodian at Central for a number of years), Paul Prussman (father of Dennis of our class), Robert Stewart ("Biology Bob" and later counselor at BHS), Robert Vessey (his son-in-law Lynn Frederick was a long-time basketball coach at BHS), Clarence Egeberg (Jim's father), and Lawrence Trudell.
Many of us remember the Junior and Senior class plays that were held in the Central Elementary Gym. Those of us attending Central would often get to see those plays first performed in the afternoon before they would be performed for the public (would those be called dress rehearsals?). In the 1937-38 school year, the Jr. Class play was Anne of Green Gables (https://stageagent.com/shows/play/17473/anne-of-green-gables), while the Sr. class play was Leave It To Psmith [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_It_to_Psmith_(play)]. Those plays were discontinued when we moved to the new high school, and were replaced by all school productions. We thought the first all-school play was The Mouse That Roared (https://www.cottagetheatre.org/the-mouse-that-roared.html; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053084/plotsummary). The annual states "Dramatist Present First All School Play." David Berge had one of the four leading roles; the other three roles were filled by seniors Sherry Waltz, Butch Gottschalk, and Mark Eclov. Other cast members of our class were Helen Sheimo, Carl Young, Jim Kohler, Patsy McKeown, Donna Reick, Kris Lyons, Janette Perso, Mike Kohl, and Alan Leibel.
Little did we know, however, that there had been at least one other all-school play performed 30 years earlier. (Should Mr. Bell have known this, as he was a teacher at BHS then?) In the 1938 annual, the year Kathy Groethe's mother graduated, the all-school play was The Melting Pot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Melting_Pot_(play), performed in the Jr. Hi Auditorium (what we would know as the Central gymnasium).
Other highlights from the 1938 annual note that during homecoming week, after coronation, there was a snake dance to Bobcat Field in Pioneer Park, where the bonfire was held. On Bobcat Day, there was a free movie at the Fad Theater. The football game against Watertown was played in the afternoon at Bobcat Field. The outcome was a 6-6 tie. Afterwards, there was a banquet at the First Lutheran Church at Main Ave. and 7th Street (this was before the First Lutheran Church was at the end of Main on 8th Street). John Bibby was the toastmaster, and guests were the Watertown football team and BHS Alumni.
Oddly enough, a hockey season was started later in February, and a few outside games were played. Again, most of us thought that intra-scholastic hockey only started in the late 1960's or early 1970's. Graduation ceremonies were on May 26, 1938, while senior breakfast was held the next morning. Wonder when that format chnged.
At the end of summer, on August 27, 2022, South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame held its annual banquet. There were several honorees from Brookings that were recognized. The first was the Brookings Girls Team of 1985. That year, they finished a second consecutive season with an undefeated record and were ranked by USA Today as the number 3 team in the nation. Their coach, Jim Holwerda, had replaced "Nig" Johnson as BHS athletic director in 1973. That was also my first year in the system.
Mr. Holwerda taught me a great deal about the game of basketball. In college, he played at Kansas State, where they were a national powerhouse in the late 1950's. He then coached high school in Kansas, before becoming the basketball coach and Athletic Director at Yankton College. Yankton College had some outstanding teams in the late 60's and early 70's, and was one of the top teams in their division (NAIA). He came to Brookings when he knew that Yankton College was having financial difficulties, and reasoned correcty that it would have to close in the near future. Close it did in 1984, and it is now a prison. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankton_College). A quick glance at this website will reveal some notable alumni.
Also honored from BHS was Jeff Booher. Jeff's father Jim was the long-time athletic trainer at SDSU, and was a fine athlete himself. In fact, when then SDSC won the national small-college basketball title in 1963, they had to beat Nebraska Wesleyan to earn a trip to the national tournament. "State" barely won that game. According to Jim, had Nebraska Wesleyan made a last second shot, they would have been going to the tournament in place of SDSC. Jim also was a key player on the Spies slo-pitch softball teams of the 1970's. When David Johnson of our class started the Aurora slo-pitch team composed mostly of guys in our class, we played Spies in our very first game. The score was too much to not enough: something like 44-5. We had all played baseball when we were younger, but slo-pitch was somewhat different. We used a very large ball, and played without gloves, so every time the ball was hit, there was chance that there would be a misplay by the fielder. Eventually, we showed much improvement, and became a quite competitive team. Rather than losing to quality teams by dozens of runs, we might only lose by one or two. We even occasionally beat them, as we did win at least one tournament. More about these outstanding basketball players can be found at https://sdbbhof.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-booklet-for-website.pdf
One of the older players inducted has an indirect connection to BHS. That man is Wayne Thue. On his same high school team was Dave Walder, one of our junior English teachers. In his acceptance speech, he mentioned Mr. Walder repeatedly. Many of us may not have known of Mr. Walder's prowess, but he was a fierce competitor on our city league basketball team in the 1970's. He knew how to play physical, and did not back down from a challenge. Thanks to his efforts, we were quite competitive for a bunch of so-called mild-mannered teachers.
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