A few years ago, Duane Larson, our classmate, sold Nick's Hamburger Shop after he had owned it for a number of years. One "highlithght" of his tenure occurred in 1985 when Coca-Cola introduced the "New Coke". I believe Duane was so outraged at the "new and improved taste" that he no longer sold any Coke products in the shop. He was not alone in his evaluation of this ghastly fiasco (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7209828/ns/us_news/t/it-seemed-good-idea-time/#.UlrG91MoGyI). In 2004, Duane sold the shop to Dick Fergen.
Dick was the eldest son of Jim Fergen, the owner of Fergen's Menswear in downtown Brookings. He graduated in 1960, and was a very talented athlete, playing all three major sports of that time. He held the school record in the 120 yard high hurdles that Bob Adams, a year ahead of us, would eventually break. Dick was good friends with one of my older brothers (they both were somewhat wild in their high-school years, to put it mildly). Dick would often tell us of the numerous athletic stories, particularly those concerning track and field, that Guy O. Karnes would spin during some free time while at school.
Guy O., I believe, was an outstanding track and filed coach in Minnesota (was it Shattuck Academy?) before he came to Brookings. Some of his athletes were among the best in the country at the high-school level. One memorable story he told us concerned a trip that his team was taking. After competing, they went to a restaurant to replenish their systems. If their teams were like ours when we were in high school, the athletes all were given pretty much the same standard meal. Guy O. noticed one boy eating by himself in a corner. Guy O. went over to inquire if anything was wrong. The boy had ordered his own meal, a nice, juicy steak. When the meal came, guy O. told the boy "Thank you," and informed the young man that his meal would be forthcoming, and and that he could eat it with his teammates, while guy O. would happily finish off the steak.
Dick had a number of younger brothers, none of whom were in our class, but may have been in classes with our siblings. Dave was about three years younger. He now lives in Volga, and was a long-time employee at the Park and Rec Department after working for a while for his father. He probably helped a number of us when we shopped at Fergen's during our younger days. Tim lives north of town, and is married to Patti Felt's sister. He is an all-around craftsman. He has built some fine homes in the area, but is probably best known for restoring and building cars. Tom is a year younger than we are. In Junior High, we became somewhat friendly because we were both pole vaulters during spring track and filed season. Todd, one of Dick's sons, too, was an accomplished pole vaulter, as well as a fine wrestler. Tom was very acrobatic, and was a talented diver at the pool during the summer. Mike (Tank) has been the owner or Ray's corner for many years, and has done extremely well in that business.
Dick purchased Nick's in 2004, and was able to make a number of changes. If you have been to Nick's recently, it is not the same Nick's that was there when we were in high school or college. He practically doubled the size by incorporating the next-door barbershop into the eatery. The next-door lot to the south was a restaurant that had burned down about 30 years ago, so he made that into an outdoor dining area. He also bought a trailer and a portable grill so he could go on the road and have burger feeds for special events, most notably for tailgating at football games. Dick recognized that Brookings had been good to him, he had sown his wild oats, and it was now time to come home and be an asset to the community. He turned out to be a wonderful ambassador for Brookings (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=18953&page=76).
Unfortunately, Dick was diagnosed esophageal cancer six months ago. He remained as active as his health would allow, but he finally succumbed on October 11, 2013 (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1125980Fergen). Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Dick and his family at this time.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Jim Kortan Into Hall of Fame
A few year ago, the BHS athletic department started a Hall of Fame for athletes, coaches, and others who made a significant contribution to the athletic programs at BHS. A number of categories for the athletes was established, including pioneers, veterans, male, female, coaches, and contributors. The inductees for this year included a member of our own class, Jim Kortan. He joins Lee Colburn, who was one of the early selections to this notable group. (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=18759&page=7; http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=77&story_id=18818) Jim is surely very deserving of this accolade.
Even though Jim and I attended Central Elementary, we never were in the same class, so I never really got to know him very well in grade school. We did however, play on the same midget league baseball team (11-12 year olds). When we were 12, we were on a very good team, the Dodgers. At that time, teams were sponsored by various civic organizations and churches. I believe Mt. Calvary Lutheran was our sponsor. Some of the other players, if memory serves right, were RickWahlstrom, Brian Johnson, Lonnie Herron, and Jim Egeberg. Another good team was the Pirates, featuring Tom Roe and Jerry Tordoff. We played them in the first game of the play-offs. Jerry Tordoff was pitching, but was struggling, and we were defeating them very handily. We were ahead by a comfortable margin, the bases were loaded, and Jim (probably our best player), was coming up to bat. It seemed as if we were about to win and advance. But then the rains came, and we had to replay the game the next afternoon. Tom Roe was the starting pitched in that game, and he was sharp. We were unable to score any runs in those three innings he pitched (pitchers were limited to three innings a game). Jerry Tordoff continued in the same fashion. Our pitchers were not doing too badly, either, allowing them only one run. That one run, however, made the Pirates victorious. I believe the Pirates went on to win the championship.
In 7th grade, the only sport that had competition against other schools was track and field. Jim was fast, so I'm sure was was in some relays or sprints. I believe he also threw the discus. I think his father had thrown it when he was younger. He often worked that event when we had our home meet at SDSU. I'm certain he (Mr. Kortan) even was hit in the shoulder by a flying discus when he was working one meet. He didn't even flinch. When we started tackle football in 8th grade, it became obvious that Jim would be a quarterback. He began to show his football skills very early. When basketball began later in the school year, Jim was on the Jr. Hi "B" team. After the first game against Elkton, however, it was obvious that Jim should be promoted, so he was now on the "A" team. We never had the luxury of having Jim on our team again until we were juniors and in the new school. We were always successful in basketball without him, but when we were all together, a state championship was in the works. That first game was nail-biter. We were in a very close game with Lead, who was one of the favorites. Lead had just taken a one-point lead with very little time remaining. With five seconds left to play, Jim was fouled. He calmly sank both free throws, and we held on for a one point victory. Amazingly, while we went on to win the title, Lead finished in 8th place, failing to win one game. What a difference attitude can make.
In the spring of our senior year, when some of us were searching for summer employment, Jim mentioned to me in homeroom that his mother worked at the Bug Lab north of town, and that they need some young workers out there. He gave me some information, and I had to go up to the college to fill out the paperwork. The man I had to see was Charles Kirchmeier. Coincidentally, his son Tony is also being inducted into this year's hall of fame. Tony was obviously another talented athlete. Like Jim, he was the quarterback on the football team, and helped the Bobcats to their first-ever state football title in the fall of 1983. Their basketball team could not quite duplicate that feat, as they finished third in the state tournament the following March.
Jim was perhaps the best all-around athlete in our class. He was a three-year starter in basketball, the starting quarterback on the football team for two years, and qualified for the state track meet at least twice (I believe). He is truly deserving of this fine honor. Brad Rufer sent me this email (Brad was a running back in the same backfield with Jim):
I saw this in the Brookings Register. I tried to put it on the home site for the class of '69 but had issue. Just wanted to congratulate Jim on such a well deserved honor. I have many good memories of playing on teams that Jim was such a big part of. I wish I could be in Brookings when Jim is honored to celebrate and reminisce with him. I hope to see lots of Bobcats in 2014.
Brad
The inductee in the pioneers category is Donnie Dorn. He was a long-time coach for the Braves midget league baseball team. They always seemed to be competitive, and were sponsored by the Catholic Church, of which he was a faithful member. He attended BHS in the early 40's, and some people say he was an earlier version of Tom Osterberg: quick, fast, and explosive.
The coach selected for induction is Bill Scholten. He had a sister that was a year or two older than we were. His father was a long-time member of the faculty at SDSU in the education department. He was also on the school board for a number of years. It may have been in 1967 that all of the school board members had a son or daughter that was graduating that year. At graduation, each board member was able to give his child his/her diploma. That must be a rare occurrence. Bill was couple of years behind us, but was good friends with Les Odegaard, Steve's younger brother. Bill was fine golfer, and was the golf coach at BHS while teaching social studies in the school system. He retired from teaching a few years ago, but is still coaching. He had some fantastic girls' teams. They were state champs a number of times, and won an incredible number of consecutive conference titles. I believe he was even named national coach of the year once.
The female athlete is Brienne Berseth. She, too, was a talented all around performer in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Her parents are about our age, and attended NDSU. They remember Lee playing basketball for SDSU. Her parents were both teachers in the school system. Her father Steve started in 1972, replacing Franny Dolan as elementary PE teacher. That was my senior year at SDSU, and we refereed the sophomore basketball games together. Her mother Benda was a PE teacher at the Middle School for many years. In 1992, Steve was hired as athletic director at BHS, only the second one since "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He is somewhat of a history buff, and is responsible for originating the Hall of Fame. He has done a tremendous amount of research to gather information on some of the candidates and inductees for this prestigious honor.
Congratulations to all of the inductees for the BHS Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Even though Jim and I attended Central Elementary, we never were in the same class, so I never really got to know him very well in grade school. We did however, play on the same midget league baseball team (11-12 year olds). When we were 12, we were on a very good team, the Dodgers. At that time, teams were sponsored by various civic organizations and churches. I believe Mt. Calvary Lutheran was our sponsor. Some of the other players, if memory serves right, were RickWahlstrom, Brian Johnson, Lonnie Herron, and Jim Egeberg. Another good team was the Pirates, featuring Tom Roe and Jerry Tordoff. We played them in the first game of the play-offs. Jerry Tordoff was pitching, but was struggling, and we were defeating them very handily. We were ahead by a comfortable margin, the bases were loaded, and Jim (probably our best player), was coming up to bat. It seemed as if we were about to win and advance. But then the rains came, and we had to replay the game the next afternoon. Tom Roe was the starting pitched in that game, and he was sharp. We were unable to score any runs in those three innings he pitched (pitchers were limited to three innings a game). Jerry Tordoff continued in the same fashion. Our pitchers were not doing too badly, either, allowing them only one run. That one run, however, made the Pirates victorious. I believe the Pirates went on to win the championship.
In 7th grade, the only sport that had competition against other schools was track and field. Jim was fast, so I'm sure was was in some relays or sprints. I believe he also threw the discus. I think his father had thrown it when he was younger. He often worked that event when we had our home meet at SDSU. I'm certain he (Mr. Kortan) even was hit in the shoulder by a flying discus when he was working one meet. He didn't even flinch. When we started tackle football in 8th grade, it became obvious that Jim would be a quarterback. He began to show his football skills very early. When basketball began later in the school year, Jim was on the Jr. Hi "B" team. After the first game against Elkton, however, it was obvious that Jim should be promoted, so he was now on the "A" team. We never had the luxury of having Jim on our team again until we were juniors and in the new school. We were always successful in basketball without him, but when we were all together, a state championship was in the works. That first game was nail-biter. We were in a very close game with Lead, who was one of the favorites. Lead had just taken a one-point lead with very little time remaining. With five seconds left to play, Jim was fouled. He calmly sank both free throws, and we held on for a one point victory. Amazingly, while we went on to win the title, Lead finished in 8th place, failing to win one game. What a difference attitude can make.
In the spring of our senior year, when some of us were searching for summer employment, Jim mentioned to me in homeroom that his mother worked at the Bug Lab north of town, and that they need some young workers out there. He gave me some information, and I had to go up to the college to fill out the paperwork. The man I had to see was Charles Kirchmeier. Coincidentally, his son Tony is also being inducted into this year's hall of fame. Tony was obviously another talented athlete. Like Jim, he was the quarterback on the football team, and helped the Bobcats to their first-ever state football title in the fall of 1983. Their basketball team could not quite duplicate that feat, as they finished third in the state tournament the following March.
Jim was perhaps the best all-around athlete in our class. He was a three-year starter in basketball, the starting quarterback on the football team for two years, and qualified for the state track meet at least twice (I believe). He is truly deserving of this fine honor. Brad Rufer sent me this email (Brad was a running back in the same backfield with Jim):
I saw this in the Brookings Register. I tried to put it on the home site for the class of '69 but had issue. Just wanted to congratulate Jim on such a well deserved honor. I have many good memories of playing on teams that Jim was such a big part of. I wish I could be in Brookings when Jim is honored to celebrate and reminisce with him. I hope to see lots of Bobcats in 2014.
Brad
The inductee in the pioneers category is Donnie Dorn. He was a long-time coach for the Braves midget league baseball team. They always seemed to be competitive, and were sponsored by the Catholic Church, of which he was a faithful member. He attended BHS in the early 40's, and some people say he was an earlier version of Tom Osterberg: quick, fast, and explosive.
The coach selected for induction is Bill Scholten. He had a sister that was a year or two older than we were. His father was a long-time member of the faculty at SDSU in the education department. He was also on the school board for a number of years. It may have been in 1967 that all of the school board members had a son or daughter that was graduating that year. At graduation, each board member was able to give his child his/her diploma. That must be a rare occurrence. Bill was couple of years behind us, but was good friends with Les Odegaard, Steve's younger brother. Bill was fine golfer, and was the golf coach at BHS while teaching social studies in the school system. He retired from teaching a few years ago, but is still coaching. He had some fantastic girls' teams. They were state champs a number of times, and won an incredible number of consecutive conference titles. I believe he was even named national coach of the year once.
The female athlete is Brienne Berseth. She, too, was a talented all around performer in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Her parents are about our age, and attended NDSU. They remember Lee playing basketball for SDSU. Her parents were both teachers in the school system. Her father Steve started in 1972, replacing Franny Dolan as elementary PE teacher. That was my senior year at SDSU, and we refereed the sophomore basketball games together. Her mother Benda was a PE teacher at the Middle School for many years. In 1992, Steve was hired as athletic director at BHS, only the second one since "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He is somewhat of a history buff, and is responsible for originating the Hall of Fame. He has done a tremendous amount of research to gather information on some of the candidates and inductees for this prestigious honor.
Congratulations to all of the inductees for the BHS Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Southside Reunion
On July 27, 2013, an acquaintance invited me to the "Southside Reunion" to be held at the VFW on Main Avenue. My family moved to Brookings in 1949, almost two years before I was born. They lived at 124 South Main, about two blocks south of the train depot. For a couple of years, my dad ran the little grocery store that was just across the street. I have no recollection of his store or the house that we lived in. However, many pleasant memories of my younger days involve time spent in that area. Foremost is the ball field there. As a young boy, Southside Park (and also the Central school ballfields) was the site of my baseball education. Many others also gained much experience there. Some names that come to mind are Tom and Walt Osterberg, Jerry Moad, Lonnie Herron, David Hansen, and Randy Larson. An older sister and brother also played many softball games there, and not of the slo-pitch variety (that came a few years later).
In the winter, the city flooded the area on the south end of the park, just beyond where the fence would be, for a skating rink. Some of my older siblings learned to play hockey there. They tried to teach me to skate, but those efforts were in vain. Skating was not part of a "balanced" lifestyle for me.
When we started playing little league in 1959, the fields were moved to South Medary, near their present location by the high school and Medary Acres. At that time, they were on the edge of town. The fields were previously located at Pioneer Park. That year, just after we completed second grade, so many boys in our age group (8-10 years old) wanted to play little league that they created two new teams. One of those teams was the Phillies, of which I was a member. We struggled that first season. Many of our players were either playing their first year, or were taken from other teams that had an overabundance of players. Of course, those teams were not going to give up their better players, so our team was comprised of boys whose skill levels (and mine especially) needed a great deal of work. If memory serves right, we won 3 games and lost 11. In the first game of our season, I was chosen to pitch for the first three innings (because of our young age, 3 innings was the maximum one could pitch in a game). We played the Yankees, a very good team, and they beat us mercifully. I think their whole team batted around three times--in the first inning (my pitching was terrible). We could not get anybody out. The highlight of the season was the league tournament. The championship would be played at Southside Park. Not only was the fence farther away than the fields we played on, but the field had lights. The game could go into extra innings and we could still keep playing, and not have the game called on account of darkness (there was no daylight saving time back then). The 8-10 year olds would play the early game, while the 11-12 year olds would play the second game. The goal of every team was to get the chance to play under the lights at Southside Park. We could not play at Hillcrest Park because that field was set up for the older players (the distances between the bases and pitcher's mound and home plate were longer there than at Southside).
In those five years of Little League, the team that I was on never did get to play for the championship under the lights at Southside Park. But we (Aurora Body Shop) did play many slo-pitch softball games there while we were in college. With apologies to those whose names I am omitting, on the team from our class were pitchers Dave Johnson,Walt Osterberg, and Dan Liebing, catcher Harry Rossow, first basemen Jim Kortan and Tom Bozied, second basemen Brad Rufer and Craig Derscheid, third baseman Jim Kessler. In the outfield were Lee Colburn, Bernie Hendricks, Jim Egeberg. My position was shortstop, but some of us also played other positions if someone was unavailable because of work or other conflicts. Tom Hoffman (Paula' s brother), also played in the outfield. Please let me know if I have omitted anyone from this roster.
Our first game was similar to that first little league game mentioned above. We played Spies, a perennial powerhouse back then (Tom Osterberg played for them when they were winning numerous state titles). They beat us something like 44-5. But we got better during the season and during the next three summers. We were capable of giving them a good game eventually. Don't know that we ever beat them, but we came close. We played a number of games at Southside Park during the summers of 1970-73, and had a great deal of fun. The tournaments, especially, were enjoyable, particularly those out of town. Many thanks to Dave Johnson and Aurora Body Shop for sponsoring us those first three years, and to the Townhouse for sponsoring us that final year.
When we were younger, it was common to earn some spending money by having a paper route. My first paper route was on the southside, between Main and Medary. At that time, the edge of town was about fifth street south. There were very few houses south of 5th St. South. Some were on south main, and a few of them were my customers. The farthest south on my route was Mrs. Flitte, whose farm was on 8th street south, which was just a gravel road back then. Between 5th street south and the Flittie farm was the Ward house, about where Medary Elementary is now. To the east was the Christensen house on Medary, right across from the little league fields. Between the Ward house and Christensen house was farmland. In the summertime, if corn was planted there, it was a long bike ride to go from one residence to the other. Some years, though, it was alfalfa, and it could be possible to ride a bike through there, often scaring up a few pheasants. A couple of customers lived at a little apartment house (maybe only four or six units) just north of Southside Park. One name that sticks out is Fortune. Does anyone remember Bobby Fortune? He must have been in some of my grade school classes. He may have had an older sister named Donna, perhaps a year or two ahead of us in school. Right across the street from the park, on the north side, was a small (20 x 20?) stucco or brick building. I can't recall what is was used for, but one winter, it was jammed practically to the ceiling with what looked like jackrabbits. Just happened to be riding my bicycle there the other day, and a crew was putting a new concrete driveway down, so it must have some use still.
Another favorite memory of long ago is the miniature golf course that was located just a block west of Southside Park. It was only there for a short time (maybe a summer or two?), but it was good way to kill an afternoon.
Incidentally, Emmett Earley of our class was named to the committee for next year's Southside Reunion.
Later that evening, ran into Mike and Brenda Andersen at George's Pizza. We had a nice conversation, and wondered if anyone had information about our 45th reunion that is coming up next year. The class of 1979 has already reserved the weekend of the Arts Festival for theirs, so we may have to find another date. There probably will not be very many motel rooms available during that weekend. Does anybody have any information or ideas about what we should do for our 45th reunion?
In the winter, the city flooded the area on the south end of the park, just beyond where the fence would be, for a skating rink. Some of my older siblings learned to play hockey there. They tried to teach me to skate, but those efforts were in vain. Skating was not part of a "balanced" lifestyle for me.
When we started playing little league in 1959, the fields were moved to South Medary, near their present location by the high school and Medary Acres. At that time, they were on the edge of town. The fields were previously located at Pioneer Park. That year, just after we completed second grade, so many boys in our age group (8-10 years old) wanted to play little league that they created two new teams. One of those teams was the Phillies, of which I was a member. We struggled that first season. Many of our players were either playing their first year, or were taken from other teams that had an overabundance of players. Of course, those teams were not going to give up their better players, so our team was comprised of boys whose skill levels (and mine especially) needed a great deal of work. If memory serves right, we won 3 games and lost 11. In the first game of our season, I was chosen to pitch for the first three innings (because of our young age, 3 innings was the maximum one could pitch in a game). We played the Yankees, a very good team, and they beat us mercifully. I think their whole team batted around three times--in the first inning (my pitching was terrible). We could not get anybody out. The highlight of the season was the league tournament. The championship would be played at Southside Park. Not only was the fence farther away than the fields we played on, but the field had lights. The game could go into extra innings and we could still keep playing, and not have the game called on account of darkness (there was no daylight saving time back then). The 8-10 year olds would play the early game, while the 11-12 year olds would play the second game. The goal of every team was to get the chance to play under the lights at Southside Park. We could not play at Hillcrest Park because that field was set up for the older players (the distances between the bases and pitcher's mound and home plate were longer there than at Southside).
In those five years of Little League, the team that I was on never did get to play for the championship under the lights at Southside Park. But we (Aurora Body Shop) did play many slo-pitch softball games there while we were in college. With apologies to those whose names I am omitting, on the team from our class were pitchers Dave Johnson,Walt Osterberg, and Dan Liebing, catcher Harry Rossow, first basemen Jim Kortan and Tom Bozied, second basemen Brad Rufer and Craig Derscheid, third baseman Jim Kessler. In the outfield were Lee Colburn, Bernie Hendricks, Jim Egeberg. My position was shortstop, but some of us also played other positions if someone was unavailable because of work or other conflicts. Tom Hoffman (Paula' s brother), also played in the outfield. Please let me know if I have omitted anyone from this roster.
Our first game was similar to that first little league game mentioned above. We played Spies, a perennial powerhouse back then (Tom Osterberg played for them when they were winning numerous state titles). They beat us something like 44-5. But we got better during the season and during the next three summers. We were capable of giving them a good game eventually. Don't know that we ever beat them, but we came close. We played a number of games at Southside Park during the summers of 1970-73, and had a great deal of fun. The tournaments, especially, were enjoyable, particularly those out of town. Many thanks to Dave Johnson and Aurora Body Shop for sponsoring us those first three years, and to the Townhouse for sponsoring us that final year.
When we were younger, it was common to earn some spending money by having a paper route. My first paper route was on the southside, between Main and Medary. At that time, the edge of town was about fifth street south. There were very few houses south of 5th St. South. Some were on south main, and a few of them were my customers. The farthest south on my route was Mrs. Flitte, whose farm was on 8th street south, which was just a gravel road back then. Between 5th street south and the Flittie farm was the Ward house, about where Medary Elementary is now. To the east was the Christensen house on Medary, right across from the little league fields. Between the Ward house and Christensen house was farmland. In the summertime, if corn was planted there, it was a long bike ride to go from one residence to the other. Some years, though, it was alfalfa, and it could be possible to ride a bike through there, often scaring up a few pheasants. A couple of customers lived at a little apartment house (maybe only four or six units) just north of Southside Park. One name that sticks out is Fortune. Does anyone remember Bobby Fortune? He must have been in some of my grade school classes. He may have had an older sister named Donna, perhaps a year or two ahead of us in school. Right across the street from the park, on the north side, was a small (20 x 20?) stucco or brick building. I can't recall what is was used for, but one winter, it was jammed practically to the ceiling with what looked like jackrabbits. Just happened to be riding my bicycle there the other day, and a crew was putting a new concrete driveway down, so it must have some use still.
Another favorite memory of long ago is the miniature golf course that was located just a block west of Southside Park. It was only there for a short time (maybe a summer or two?), but it was good way to kill an afternoon.
Incidentally, Emmett Earley of our class was named to the committee for next year's Southside Reunion.
Later that evening, ran into Mike and Brenda Andersen at George's Pizza. We had a nice conversation, and wondered if anyone had information about our 45th reunion that is coming up next year. The class of 1979 has already reserved the weekend of the Arts Festival for theirs, so we may have to find another date. There probably will not be very many motel rooms available during that weekend. Does anybody have any information or ideas about what we should do for our 45th reunion?
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A Pearl Harbor Survivor Passes Away
Our prayers, thoughts, and condolences go out to Pat Mehegan and her family, whose father Jean Mehegan, passed away on June 26, 2013, at the age of 93.
His complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1021322Mehegan . About a year and a half ago, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader had a wonderful article on five South Dakota survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941. From the blog dated Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, "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 " Mr. Mehegan started Medary Acres Greenhouse, a business that is still going strong today. I believe they even have a 1950's era pick-up truck (Chevy?) that is used to promote the business, and may even be used in making deliveries. When we were younger, the business was at the edge of town. Today, however, as Brookings has expanded southward, Medary Acres is in the same location, but is well within the city limits, and is bustling with activity during the spring months.
Also passing away recently was Helen Hemmingsen , I believe she was the aunt of Donna Rieck Christensen. If anyone knows if this is incorrect, please let me know. Her complete obituary can be found at http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1017094Hemmingsen. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Donna and her family at this time.
His complete obituary can be found at http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1021322Mehegan . About a year and a half ago, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader had a wonderful article on five South Dakota survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941. From the blog dated Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, "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 " Mr. Mehegan started Medary Acres Greenhouse, a business that is still going strong today. I believe they even have a 1950's era pick-up truck (Chevy?) that is used to promote the business, and may even be used in making deliveries. When we were younger, the business was at the edge of town. Today, however, as Brookings has expanded southward, Medary Acres is in the same location, but is well within the city limits, and is bustling with activity during the spring months.
Also passing away recently was Helen Hemmingsen , I believe she was the aunt of Donna Rieck Christensen. If anyone knows if this is incorrect, please let me know. Her complete obituary can be found at http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1017094Hemmingsen. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to Donna and her family at this time.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Lost and Found
Recently received a note from a classmate concerning Patsy Bates: " She gave me permission to pass on her address etc.. She
was in our class until the 8th grade. She went to a private Catholic
school for her high school years. She is married to Curt Hadland, they live at 15280 Pilar Road N, Scandia, MN 55073. Her e-mail address is: pat.hadland@frontier.com.
She is retired and has had an interesting career. Feel free to contact her for more information." A number of other students were classmates that year, but were not pictured in our senior yearbook. Some of them are Margaret Albright, Diane Baird, Joan Bjordahl, Jerry Briggs, Danny Brown, Patty Erger, Sandy Gabel, Tammi George, Greg Graff, Eddie Hansen, JoAnn Hansen, Mary Hegstrom, Jill Jordan, Lee Larson, Mary McMillan, Sonia Miller, Larry Nolan, Lynette Ostermeier, Leonard Otkin, Bob Pape, Wanda Pike, Betty Rickerson, Vickie Scannell, Carol Schulz, Deborah Sedler, Christine Shaw, Debbie Shirley, Margaret Smith, Susan Stamp, Beverly Sween, Ginger Thompson, Margaret Travis, Jill Wheelborg, Larry Wilson, Steve Wobbema. A number of these may have been here only a year or two, while others may had been classmates since kindergarten. Ginger Thompson, for example, was in my kindergarten class, while Margaret Albright, Diane Baird, Mary McMillan, Sonia Miller, and Susan Stamp were classmates in other years. Greg Graff was in Cub Scouts with some of us. Debbie Shirley, as well as Greg, was always part of our catechism class at church. Margaret Travis's mother was an elementary teacher (6th grade?) for a number of years. Anyone else have memories, fond or otherwise, of these "forgotten" classmates?
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Father's Day
Father's Day was just a few days ago. A recent post noted that Rodney Koehn's father just celebrated his 100th birthday less than two months ago.
What a fantastic milestone. Sadly,this past Father's Day, Mr. Norman Koehn passed away. http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1015729Koehn Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to Rodney and his family. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences also go out to Peggy Bush and her family. Peggy's mother passed away on June 11, 2013. http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1008859WoodBush
In grade school one time (4th grade?), our class took a trip to Sunnyview, where Peggy's family lived.. I was so naive and ignorant that I thought Sunnyview was another little town, somewhat like Aurora.
If memory serves correctly, Peggy was a wonderful artist. She especially was adept at drawing horses. They were so realistic!
Next year will be 45 years since we graduated. Any ideas floating around out there about when we should get together? Any suggestions are welcome.
What a fantastic milestone. Sadly,this past Father's Day, Mr. Norman Koehn passed away. http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1015729Koehn Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to Rodney and his family. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences also go out to Peggy Bush and her family. Peggy's mother passed away on June 11, 2013. http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1008859WoodBush
In grade school one time (4th grade?), our class took a trip to Sunnyview, where Peggy's family lived.. I was so naive and ignorant that I thought Sunnyview was another little town, somewhat like Aurora.
If memory serves correctly, Peggy was a wonderful artist. She especially was adept at drawing horses. They were so realistic!
Next year will be 45 years since we graduated. Any ideas floating around out there about when we should get together? Any suggestions are welcome.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Milestones
Recently, a couple of parents had memorable birthdays. Rodney Koehn's father just turned 100, while Marilyn Anderson's mother reached her 90th birthday. Congratulations, and may they continue to have good health. I believe Rodney's father was an auditor at SDSU for many years. I became acquainted with Marilyn's mom when I taught at the Middle School. She worked with students who had difficulty reading, and did a wonderful job. If memory serves correctly, her husband was in real estate. I believe my parents bought our house from him in 1963, where I am presently residing.
Last month, the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/), which began in 2009, inducted some more bands. One of the bands inducted that first year was the well-known Myron Lee and the Caddies (http://www.myronlee.com/ and http://blog.keloland.com/lund/blog/2009/05/12/myron-lee-and-the-caddies/). In 2010, Marlys Roe and the Talismen became members (http://www.mykxlg.com/marlys-roe-and-the-talisman-come-together-for-50th-reunion-gig-in-brookings/ and http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees/talismen.htm). Pat O'Connell, Kevin's oldest brother, was the drummer for the group. Pat was in the same class as one of my older brothers, and was back in town for the 2013 ceremony. We went down, and had a good time. Don't know if it's old age, but the music was really loud, forcing me to stuff some wadding in my ears to deaden the sound. A number of Brookings people were in attendance because Hort's was inducted in the ballroom and dance hall category (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/2013/horatios.htm) . Many of these bands had played at Hort's, and some of them were inducted this year. In the crowd were Tom Salonen and Mike/Brenda Anderson, who were proudly wearing T-shirts featuring Horatio's.
Passing away recently was Bernie Van Essen (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=970705VanEssen). For most of you, that name probably means very little, but for some of us boys, he was a big part our summers in 1965 and 66. He and Bob Webbenhurst, Nancy's oldest brother, were our teener baseball coaches those years. In 1965, we qualified for the national teener tournament by winning our section tourney in Brookings, (Brookings, Watertown, Sisseton, and Milbank), the state tourney in Madison, and the region tournament at Igloo in the southeast corner of the state. I think it was called Igloo because it was a munitions depot, and the munitions were stored in buildings that looked like igloos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_Ordnance_Depot). We stayed in some old barracks that were there. Only two other teams were in the tournament: Miller, South Dakota and, I believe,a team from Crawford, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford,_Nebraska and http://crawfordnebraska.net/. Fortunately, we prevailed, and were on our way to Hershey, PA, for the national tournament. It was a great time. The bus ride was long, but memorable. We had picked up Judd Bergan, a pitcher from Watertown. He brought along his guitar, playing I'm Henry VIII, I Am by Herman's Hermits regularly. Bob Webbenhurst liked the Kingston Trio, so MTA (he will ride forever through the streets of Boston, he's a man who'll never return) was also played with some frequency. When we stopped to eat, the jukeboxes were quite busy, playing (if memory serves correctly) I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher); Baby, The Rain Must Fall (Glenn Yarborough): What's New Pussycat? (Tom Jones); Satisfaction (Rolling Stones); Catch Us If You Can (Dave Clark Five); Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire); Down in the Boondocks (Billy Joe Royal--this song may have been Walter Osterberg's favorite). We stayed at the Hershey Ballroom, right across from the amusement park. For me, that was the first time I had been more than a couple of hours away from home, so it was a thrill. We also visited the world-famous Hershey Chocolate Factory, and saw how they made some of their products. The Philadelphia Eagles conducted their pre-season football training camp at Hershey, so Bob Webbbenhurst, who played football at SDSU, arranged for Pete Retzlaff (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/846090-crazy-canton-cuts-pete-retzlaff) to visit with us at one of our practices. Pete had played at SDSC (as it was then known) over a decade earlier. He also gave us an autographed picture, which I can no longer find. In the picture above, we are receiving our trophy after the championship game in Igloo. Judd Bergan is the recipient, while in the back are Bob Webbenhurst, Tom Bozied, Phil Trautman, Lloyd Beneke, Doug deBoise, John Iverson, and Bernie Van Essen. In the front are Walt Osterberg, Tim DeWitt, Tom Osterberg, Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Don Tordoff, Jim Arndt, and Randy Hofer. Also going along to Hershey were some of the fathers (Bozied, Kabrud, Buehler, DeWitt? others?) to help as chaperones. At the wake was a scrapbook with a number of pictures and news stories about that team that Bernie and his wife had put together. Looking at that brought back many fond memories.
Last month, the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/), which began in 2009, inducted some more bands. One of the bands inducted that first year was the well-known Myron Lee and the Caddies (http://www.myronlee.com/ and http://blog.keloland.com/lund/blog/2009/05/12/myron-lee-and-the-caddies/). In 2010, Marlys Roe and the Talismen became members (http://www.mykxlg.com/marlys-roe-and-the-talisman-come-together-for-50th-reunion-gig-in-brookings/ and http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/inductees/talismen.htm). Pat O'Connell, Kevin's oldest brother, was the drummer for the group. Pat was in the same class as one of my older brothers, and was back in town for the 2013 ceremony. We went down, and had a good time. Don't know if it's old age, but the music was really loud, forcing me to stuff some wadding in my ears to deaden the sound. A number of Brookings people were in attendance because Hort's was inducted in the ballroom and dance hall category (http://www.southdakotarockandrollmusicassociation.com/2013/horatios.htm) . Many of these bands had played at Hort's, and some of them were inducted this year. In the crowd were Tom Salonen and Mike/Brenda Anderson, who were proudly wearing T-shirts featuring Horatio's.
Passing away recently was Bernie Van Essen (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=970705VanEssen). For most of you, that name probably means very little, but for some of us boys, he was a big part our summers in 1965 and 66. He and Bob Webbenhurst, Nancy's oldest brother, were our teener baseball coaches those years. In 1965, we qualified for the national teener tournament by winning our section tourney in Brookings, (Brookings, Watertown, Sisseton, and Milbank), the state tourney in Madison, and the region tournament at Igloo in the southeast corner of the state. I think it was called Igloo because it was a munitions depot, and the munitions were stored in buildings that looked like igloos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_Ordnance_Depot). We stayed in some old barracks that were there. Only two other teams were in the tournament: Miller, South Dakota and, I believe,a team from Crawford, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford,_Nebraska and http://crawfordnebraska.net/. Fortunately, we prevailed, and were on our way to Hershey, PA, for the national tournament. It was a great time. The bus ride was long, but memorable. We had picked up Judd Bergan, a pitcher from Watertown. He brought along his guitar, playing I'm Henry VIII, I Am by Herman's Hermits regularly. Bob Webbenhurst liked the Kingston Trio, so MTA (he will ride forever through the streets of Boston, he's a man who'll never return) was also played with some frequency. When we stopped to eat, the jukeboxes were quite busy, playing (if memory serves correctly) I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher); Baby, The Rain Must Fall (Glenn Yarborough): What's New Pussycat? (Tom Jones); Satisfaction (Rolling Stones); Catch Us If You Can (Dave Clark Five); Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire); Down in the Boondocks (Billy Joe Royal--this song may have been Walter Osterberg's favorite). We stayed at the Hershey Ballroom, right across from the amusement park. For me, that was the first time I had been more than a couple of hours away from home, so it was a thrill. We also visited the world-famous Hershey Chocolate Factory, and saw how they made some of their products. The Philadelphia Eagles conducted their pre-season football training camp at Hershey, so Bob Webbbenhurst, who played football at SDSU, arranged for Pete Retzlaff (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/846090-crazy-canton-cuts-pete-retzlaff) to visit with us at one of our practices. Pete had played at SDSC (as it was then known) over a decade earlier. He also gave us an autographed picture, which I can no longer find. In the picture above, we are receiving our trophy after the championship game in Igloo. Judd Bergan is the recipient, while in the back are Bob Webbenhurst, Tom Bozied, Phil Trautman, Lloyd Beneke, Doug deBoise, John Iverson, and Bernie Van Essen. In the front are Walt Osterberg, Tim DeWitt, Tom Osterberg, Chip Kabrud, Barry Buehler, Don Tordoff, Jim Arndt, and Randy Hofer. Also going along to Hershey were some of the fathers (Bozied, Kabrud, Buehler, DeWitt? others?) to help as chaperones. At the wake was a scrapbook with a number of pictures and news stories about that team that Bernie and his wife had put together. Looking at that brought back many fond memories.
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