Donna Sloat's Mother Passes Away

Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Donna Sloat on the recent passing of her mother. A complete obituary can be found at

http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=13585&page=80

My first memories of Donna go back to the 6th grade. That was about the time many of the country schools were closing. Since they lived on the farm, that may have been her first year at Central Elementary. That was a memorable year for many reasons.

Our teacher was Mrs. Walker. She was fantastic. We had South Dakota history during the first quarter. She had us make a relief map of the state out of bread dough. We used food coloring to indicate the different features. Blue was for bodies of water, green was for the lower elevations, yellow for the higher elevations, and brown for the Black Hills. Because it was made out of bread dough, some of us actually ate parts of it (and lived to make it to junior high)

Later on in the year, she had us give speeches. We had to put our ideas in out-line form on a note card so that we didn't just read it like a report. Lee Colburn gave a demonstration that left a lasting impression. His speech was on the effects of smoking. He had a minnow in a jar of water. He took a cigarette and unrolled it, spilling the tobacco into the jar of water. Almost immediately the minnow, instead of swimming in a leisurely fashion, started to swim crazily, as if it was scared and a larger fish were trying to swallow it. He put it into a clean jar of water so it didn't die.

She also taught us a great deal of English grammar, and had us diagram some rather complex sentences. That foundation proved to be beneficial later. Grammar in Junior High and High School was easier because of her work with us.

She opened up her classroom to some of us in those cold winter months. Lunchtime was actually an hour long, whereas today, it may only be 40 minutes for the elementary and middle grades. She went home for lunch, but would leave her room unlocked so some of us could come up there and play whist, a card game. However, we had to sneak by the teacher on hall duty. We would wait until she walked down to the other end of the hall, and then quickly and quietly run up the stairs to Mrs. Walker's room.

After I started teaching, a couple of Donna's sisters were my students. Her sister Paula was about 10 years younger, and was in the first group of students that I taught (or tried to teach). Also in that class were Sue Redmond's sister Teresa, and Lee Colburn's brother Jon. I went ice-fishing with Lee and his dad a few times our sophomore year. Jon always came along, even though he was only about six at the time. Whenever the Monkees' song "I'm A Believer" was playing, Jon would chime in when they sang "Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer." Incidentally, Davy Jones of the Monkees just passed away yesterday. He was only 66.

I believe Paula was an athletic trainer for the Brandon school system, just outside of Sioux Falls. I would run into her occasionally when our teams played there. I think her children were very talented swimmers. Donna's youngest sister Sharon was also a student of mine.

Up until a few years ago, Donna's parents were regular attendees at Bobcat sporting events. At basketball games, they liked to sit near the team bench and scorer's table. They were frequently accompanied by Ed and LaVonne Fuller. All four of them were very loyal Bobcat backers, and liked to show their support by wearing red and black. They liked to keep the officials on their toes, too. They were very vocal when they referees made a call that they thought was inappropriate.

Again, our thoughts and prayers go out to Donna and her family. She informed me that her parents started dating when they were in the 9th grade, and just recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last December. They truly were a special couple.

Sue Redmond's Mother Passes Away

Our condolences go out to the family of Sue (Redmond) Zimmerman on the death of her mother, Mary Jean (Collins) Redmond. She passed away on January 29, 2012. Her complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=564858Redmond.

I first knew Sue when we were in catechism classes together at church. I then got to know her younger brother Mike when we were seniors. He was a sophomore on our basketball team that year, one of the few non-seniors on the team. We played alongside each other at practice. During games, we frequently sat near Coach Thury in case one of the starters needed a break. We knew that was our role. Even if we didn't get to play much during the game, the coaches emphasized that all of us on the bench were important to the success of the team. Once in a while, we would have a relatively easy victory, so the subs would get to play more than we normally would. One such game was at home against Pipestone, when we won 105-55 (I think).

The athletic department had just purchased reel-t0-reel video camera and monitor. Now we could watch the replay of the whole game right after it was completed. We didn't have to wait for the game film to be processed at Harold's in Sioux Falls, then mailed back to the school so we could watch it five days later. Nor would we only get to view selected parts of the game, as there was only enough film on a reel for about half of the game. It was also relatively to rewind the tape to watch the best scenes again. Stew Linn and Eugene Mueller became rather proficient at using that machine. It's unfortunate that we no longer have copies of those games around. They would make for some enjoyable entertainment today, and certainly would bring back many pleasant memories.

My memory of that Pipestone game is that the subs played much of the game, and played well because we wanted to score 100 points. The varsity had done so the year before at Pipestone, so we felt we could do it again. I believe Mike may have been our leading scorer with 20 points. A year or two ago, the BHS boys basketball team scored maybe 101 points in a game. The present coach thought that might be a school record. He had no sense of history, nor any idea just how talented our team was, and that we had not just once, but twice, scored 100 or more points. And this was before the advent of the 3-point shot! My guess is that we would have averaged at least 5-8 more points per game if the 3-point shot had been in use in our day.

I also believe we four, Mike, Stew, Eugene, and I were roomates during the state tournament. Those were some fun times and some of the most memorable and exciting moments of our high school years.

In that first Pipestone game, in our junior year, I was not on the varsity at that time. I seem to recall that Larry Boggs, Warren Strubbe (anyone remember him? He was only here a short time, but I believe he was a good football player. He was also on the JV basketball team, but he may have moved during the school year), I, and maybe someone else (Walter Osterberg?) drove over to that game, and everyone went nuts when we scored 100 points. Does anyone remember who scored the 100th point? Was it Chip Kabrud? We later heard that on the way home that the bus (the infamous "Yellow Submarine") had some problems, and that another bus had to come and bring the players back home. The "Yellow Submarine" was an old green army bus when the school had purchased it a year or two earlier. I remember taking it to some track meets in the spring of 1967. Marv Sherrill (Cody, to some of us) even drove it. He had a somewhat difficult time, as the gears would frequently grind when he shifted.

Mrs. Redmond was very helpful to my own mother before she passed away nine years ago on Feb. 6, 2003 (incidentally, she was born on Feb. 6, 1911, the same date as Ronald Reagan). Mrs. Redmond would frequently stop over to see how my mom was doing and to keep her company. I'm sure they discussed church-related items, as our parish, St. Thomas More, had just built a new church. My younger brother Rich was in Mike's class, and played on the some of the same baseball and basketball teams. Their baseball team also went to Hershey, PA two years after ours did, and their basketball went to the state tournament, also two years after ours did, and finished third. In the four years, then, from 1968-1971, the Bobcats earned first, second, and third in the state "A" basketball tournament. Can any other school match that feat in the same time period?

Rich was also partners for a while with Don Salonen, Tom's brother. Don is married to Mike's sister Becky. All of those connections probably provided those ladies with many prime topics for conversation.

During my teaching career, I had Sue's children in class. Toby was the name of her son, but the name of her daughter escapes me at the moment. Both bore a strong resemblance to Sue. Particulary striking was their reddish hair. Mike played football and baseball at SDSU, and then taught and coached for a few years in Brookings, marrying June Perso, the sister of Jeanette. Their two boys were also fine athletes. It was a privilege for me to coach them at the middle-school level.

In case anyone is interested, limited hometown news is available at http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_main_page.php

Walter Osterberg's Wife Passes Away

Our condolences and prayers go out to Walter Osterberg. His wife Beverly passed away on January 20, 2012. Her complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/rudesF1/obit.cgi?user=558162Osterberg

Walter must have been, and still is, one of the most-liked members of our class. No one could not appreciate him. We were on the same JV basketball team our junior year, and had a great deal of fun, both in practice and in games. Walter was also a fine baseball player, and played on our teener team that went to Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1965. If memory serves correctly, some of the more frequently played songs that spun on the jukebox when we stopped along the way were "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher, "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis and the Playboys, "I'm Henry The VIII, I Am" by Hermans' Hermits, "Catch Us If You Can" by The Dave Clark Five, "Baby, The Rain Must Fall" by Glenn Yarbrough. Walter's favorite, though, was "Down In The Boondocks" by Billie Joe Royal.

Stew Linn and I were reminiscing last fall, and when he mentioned that he runs into Walt every once in a while in the Hy-Vee grocery store, we both immediately said "Down In The Boondocks." It won't be too long before we can all get together and catch up on what we've been doing these past few years and also to remember the fun times we had growing up in Brookings. In the meantime, feel free to post any comments here. They are most welcome.

Tom Bozied's Mother Passes Away

On January 12, 2021, Leona Bozied, mother of Tom, Donna, Bob, and the late David, passed away. In the 1950's, Tom and I grew up just one house apart from each other a block south of the courthouse. The courthouse lawn and the ball fields at Central Elementary were our playgrounds. Before Tom could play after supper, though, his mother would lead the family in devotions. Her strong faith was highlighted in her obituary. http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidnse1/obit.cgi?user=551870Bozied

When we were in second grade, I broke my arm toward the end of the school year. Fortunately, the cast came off just before the start of the Little League baseball season. However, on that same day, I believe, Tom broke his arm, and had to miss all of the baseball season.

In third grade, we had the same teacher, Mrs. Alma Peterson. Her husband was the science and shop teacher in the junior high. I often would stop at Tom's before school and we would watch Captain Kangaroo until about 8:50, as school started at 9. She told us we could probably watch another five minutes and still get to school on time, so we did.

When we got a little older, Tom may have been one of the first to drive (his dad did have the Conoco station at 6th and Main). When we played teener baseball, I believe he had an old jeep that was started with a hand-held crank. That was about 1965, and that baseball team won the state tournament. One of our coaches, by the way was Nancy Webbenhurst's brother Bob. Winning the state tournament qualified us for the area tournament at Igloo, South Dakota. Igloo was a small town in the southern Black Hills near the Nebraska-Wyoming border. Winning that tournament qualified us for the national tournament in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Tom's dad and a few other fathers were chaperones on that trip. That excursion was quite an experience. Hershey Park had some amazing rides and amusements that were unlike anything that was offered by the carnivals that appeared in Brookings during those years.

There are more stories that could be told, but they can be mentioned at a later time. For those of you who read this, feel free to add your own.

Our condolences go out to Tom and his family at this difficult time.

Pearl Harbor

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader has a nice article on five South Dakota survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941. Included among those is the father of Patty Mehegan. He is now 91. He was living north of Brookings, somewhat toward the Oakwood, I believe. I am not sure if he still resides there. He was quite active in the tennis leagues when he was a few years younger, also, and rather competitive in his age bracket. The entire article can be found at http://www.argusleader.com/article/20111204/NEWS/312040028

High School Remodeling

Brookings High School has undergone extensive remodeling in the past 15 years. It is probably twice as big compared to the days when we attended. The Brookings Register has a short article at http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=12830&page=76

The picture was rather small; it is enlarged, so it is somewhat blurry. The view is from the west parking lot. The east side is completely different. There are some classrooms and another gynmasium, with a big wrestling room upstairs, where the staff parking and front lawn used to be. A big music area has been added to the southwest corner, where the auto mechanics shop was. If anyone gets back to Brookings before our next reunion, stop out. Mr. von Fischer, the principal, would be happy to give you a tour.

Our Condolences and Prayers to Patty Felt

The father of Patty Felt passed away yesterday, November 9, 2011. He was 95 and lived a very active life. His complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=503955Felt
Some of Patty's older siblings were in my older brothers' classes, and I can recall seeing all of their pictures and reading about their achievements in the annuals when I was a bratty little kid, dreaming of the day when I would be in high school and get to be involved in some of those same activities. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Patty and her family at this difficult time.