The 1945 "Bobcat" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/250549?page=0) is appropriately dedicated "to the members of the class of '45 who are serving our nation in its armed forces." Fortunately, the end of World War II was only a few months away. Ironically, yesterday (January 27, 2015), was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the prisoners from the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz--http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-auschwitz-70-years-since-liberation-20150127-story.html). The Wikepedia article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp ) stated "Those too weak or sick to walk were left behind. When the 322nd Rifle Division
of the Red Army arrived at the camp on January 27 they found around
7,500 prisoners and about 600 corpses had been left behind. Among the
items found by the Soviet soldiers were 370,000 men's suits, 837,000
women's garments, and 7.7 tonnes (8.5 short tons) of human hair.[65]
The camp's liberation received little press attention at the time.
Rees attributes this to three factors: the previous discovery of similar
crimes at Majdanek concentration camp, competing news from the Allied summit at Yalta, and the Soviet Union's interest, for propaganda purposes, in minimizing attention to Jewish suffering.[66]
Due to the vast extent of the camp area, at least four different
divisions took part in liberating the camp: 100th Rifle Division
(established in Vologda, Russia), 322nd Rifle Division (Gorky, Russia), 286th Rifle Division (Leningrad), and 107th Motor Rifle Division (Tambov, Russia). [67]."
Two years ago, a holocaust survivor spoke at SDSU (http://ksoo.com/auschwitz-holocaust-survivor-to-give-speech-at-south-dakota-state-university/). Despite the mistreatment she, her twin sister, and others endured, she found the strength to forgive her tormentors (http://kindnessblog.com/2015/01/02/forgiveness-is-free-lessons-from-a-holocaust-survivor-by-tyler-tucky/). She had a fantastic quote that was cited in the paper the next day. I had cut it out and put it in my billfold, but I seem to have misplaced it or lost it.
Does anyone remember the words to the school song? (The music and words are located on the inside front cover of the annual--http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/250549?page=2) During my teaching days, there would be pep assemblies at the local schools during homecoming week, and the cheerleaders would hand out little slips of paper with the words to the school song. When the pep band would play, the students were encouraged to sing along. It seems, though, that over the years, the lyrics changed slightly. The original opening line was "Brookings High here's victory for you, red and Black you must carry thru." I remember it as "Brookings High School victory for you, Red and Black we must carry thru. " Later on, we sang "Though that line holds tight, we'll show that same old kind of Fight, Fight, Fight," whereas they now sing "Though that line holds tight, we'll show that same old Fight, Fight, Fight." Not a big difference, but the second difference especially just doesn't sound right to me. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on this. In a similar vein, seemingly to add spirit and pep to the athletic contests, the "Bobcat" mascot was created by the class of 1945. The mascot seldom seems to appear anymore. He/she may come out of hiding during homecoming week, but otherwise seldom makes an appearance. Wasn't there a controversy with our mascot when we played the Flandreau Indians during the 1968 regional basketball championship?
The faculty for this year included some familiar faces: Geraldine Crabbs, Wilmer Davis, Ralph Ginn, Ruth Helland, Harlan Klug, Frances Malmstrom, and Arne B. Larson. Some of these esteemed teachers may have been in their first year in the Brookings system, but "Molly" Malmstrom and Ruth Helland had already been here for a few years. Our senior annual is dedicated to these fine mentors. Miss Malmstrom began teaching at BHS on September 8, 1942. Did Miss Helland start at the same time? Her dedication states that she taught at BHS for 26 years, thus making her debut in 1943 (1969-26 = 1943). However, she is also listed as yearbook advisor from 1942-1966. Did she take a year's leave of absence to work on an advanced degree? Was there a misprint? Mr. Horrigan was no longer teaching; as he had been promoted to principal, a position he would hold for another ten years.
Geraldine Crabbs, Ralph Ginn, and Harlan Klug later moved to positions "on the hill" as Mr. Karnes referred to SDSU. Miss Crabbs was in the Physical Educations department, Mr. Ginn was a long-time football coach, and I believe Mr. Klug was in the chemistry or biochemistry department. Each of them, if memory serves right, is honored in some way by the university.
Wilmer Davis was the ag teacher, but this must have been his last year, as Robert Thompson is listed as ag teacher in the 1946 annual. Mr. Davis had relinquished his teaching position because he had the foresight to recognize the value of hybrid seed corn, so he started the Sokota Seed Company. I believe Mark Kratochvil's father also played an important role in that firm. A number of area teenagers probably earned some spending money working in their test plots, detasseling corn to help maintain pure genetic lines. Their first location was on Front Street near the tracks and the viaduct on 6th Avenue, just a block from Main Avenue. Our house was just down the block. When it was detasseling time, the kids would ride in the back of the farm truck (grain truck?) that had the wooden sides on the back. Would that be allowed today? When it was drying time for the harvested corn, the ground would be noticeably enriched with the reddish remnants of the corncobs. One of our neighbors had a farm east of town, and he would sometimes burn his corncobs in his coal furnace. Since we also had a coal furnace, he would generously give us some of his surplus. Eventually, that area became too small, and the business relocated to 2nd St. South on the west side of Medary. The Sokota name no longer exists, as they were bought out some years ago. The sign now reads "Syngenta".
Was this Arne B.'s first year, or had he been there since 1941, when the previous director, "Prof" C. E. Franklin moved on? This article--http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/arne.html--gives the answer to that question.
The school board had had some turnover since 1941. Still on the board were Mrs. Shea, a housewife, Mr. Cheever, a banker, and Mr. Doner, the registrar at SDSC. New to the board were Mr. Beatty, who owned Beatty's Jewelry. He replace another businessman, Mr. Blauert, who was a grocer. Mr. Carl Kjellsen, the Chevrolet dealer, replaced Mr. Johnson, the Ford dealer. Also pictured is Mr. Eberle. Anyone know what his line of work may have been?
Of the ten honor students pictured, there is only one boy. Did the war effort have some effect on this?
Some of the seniors who may have connections to us include Marvin Berkland, Harry Birath, William Buller, Rich Durland, Donna Korte, Barbara Morrison, Donna Revell, George Stratton, Jeanne Nannestad, and Donald Iverson.
Are Arlo and Arlys Berkland any relation to Marvin? Harry Birath was a talented athlete, and worked at Northwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) in Brookings for a number of years. His sons were just a little bit younger than we were. William Buller is the father of Doug and Diane Buller. Their younger brother looks remarkably like their father. Rich Durland, I believe, is the uncle to Pat and Mike Durland. Pat was a year ahead of us, and Mike was in our class. They farmed south of town, but when the interstate came through, they may have lost a large part of their land. Did losing that land necessitate their move? The pastor of Mt. Calvary Luther Church for a while was Carl (Karl?) Korte? Might she be a close relative? Barb Morrison is the sister Mrs. Herb (Phyllis) Lakman. Mr. and Mrs. Lakman were our next door neighbors for about ten years when we lived by Sokota. Their children were Doug (class of 1963, and a member of 1962 State "A" basketball team) and Patty (class of 1968, the year in which BHS won another State "A" basketball title). Phyllis was instrumental in helping to save the old high school building about 10-15 years ago. There was talk of demolishing it for various reasons, but she and some other concerned townspeople spearheaded an effort to save the original school. The annex was torn down, but the original structure has now become the home of a number of offices and apartments. Appropriately, it is referred to as the "1921 Building," as that is the year it was constructed. Sadly, Phyllis passed away just a few days ago. Visitation was today, and the funeral is scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 29. The big white apartment building a block south of the high school was called the "Revell Apartments" in our day. It seems logical that Donna Revell would be the daughter of the owners. There is a new government building on that site today, but the apartment building was saved and moved to a lot on 2nd Street South, about a block west of Southside Park. I seem to recall a miniature golf course there for a couple of years when we were younger. Most of us probably remember Juel's Shoe Store. Before that, though, I believe it was Stratton's Shoe Store. Would George Stratton have been a son of the owner? I have a brother named Donald, but he is not the same one as pictured in this annual.
The connection with Jeanne Nannestad has somewhat of a personal flavor to it. According to the annual, she moved here from Clear Lake her senior year. In the fall of 1968 during our senior year, our cross-country team competed against the Clear Lake team. They had a couple of good runners, one of whom was named Steve Nannestad. Shortly after graduation, in June, 1969, some of us ran the "Jack 15," a road race from White to the Campanile, a distance of about 15 miles. We passed Steve Nannestad after perhaps 5 miles. He did not pass us again. When we arrived at the finish line, we saw that he had already arrived. When the awards were passed out, he received one. We then told the race director that he cheated. He had caught a ride after we had passed him, and then hopped out sometime before the finish, giving the impression that he had run the entire distance. He at least had the courage to admit that he cheated, unlike others who have similarly behaved (http://sports.rightpundits.com/?p=1571 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_Ruiz). When Jim Egeberg and I were freshmen at SDSU, we ran on the cross-country team. Jim was good enough to be a top runner, whereas I was not. Steve Nannestad was one of our teammates. Letter were awarded to the top seven runners on the team. One of our teammates was a top runner for the first three-fourths of the season, but than suffered an injury. His spot was taken by Steve Nannestad for the last two races of the season. Guess who got a letter?
The French teacher in previous years was Eva Bucknam. She also taught English, and was still teaching in 1945. However, she is no longer listed as teaching French, and there is no La Cercle Francaise, French Club, pictured in the annual. It seems that Los Amigos, under the direction of Miss Malmstrom, has replaced the French Club. Did the administration foresee the direction in which our country and culture was headed? Latin, the other foreign language, underwent a reorganization and even sponsored their first-ever dance in January.
A couple of athletic-related events caught my eye. The captain for the next year's football team was John DeWitt. Dan DeWitt was a couple of years older than we were. Some people said he was the second-best heavyweight wrestler in the state, but he was only on our "B" team because his competition was the best in the state in Stan Whitmore, the state champion that year. Tim DeWitt was a little younger than we were, and played on our teener baseball team that went to Hershey, PA in 1965. Their dad was Jerry DeWitt, and I thought he was a brother to John. John DeWitt would later coach at Watertown High School. He may even have been the coach when we were in school. The basketball pictures indicate that the games were played in the Central gym. There were even portable bleachers set up on the stage to increase seating capacity, although in this annual there do not seem to be any photos indicating this.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
1941 Yearbook
The 1941 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/122643?page=0) was quite a departure from previous yearbooks. The cover was rather intriguing. In most other years, the cover was rather plain, perhaps some geometric design and an outline of a Bobcat. This year's cover, though, has an outline of a tree (oak?) with three or four diagonal slices to represent the seasons. Much of the tree is bare, signifying the fall after the leaves have fallen; a smaller section is covered in snow to symbolize the winter; and a similar sized section is leafing out to represent the spring.
The annual is dedicated to Mr. C. D. "Prof" Franklin, who had directed the music department for the last twelve years. Would Arne B. Larson have replaced him? The other teachers we would know would be Mr. Bell, Mr. Horrigan, and possibly Mr. Herold.
Some of the seniors that year were parents of some of our classmates, while others may have been aunts and uncles. Do any of these names ring a bell? Don Ahern, Margaret Allstot, Joe Berge, Roger "Budd" Billings, Chester Bortnem, Dean Christie, Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Gordon Duff, Bruce Miller, Robert Norton, Violet Prussman, Betty Ray, Robert Sexauer, Ivan Steen, Wayne "Husker" Steen, Esther Sterud, Lyle Stewart, and Dale Wagner.
There was a Cherylnn (sic) Ahern a year ahead of us. Could Don have been her father? I seem to recall seeing that family at church and catechism classes. Roger Billings was the father of Beth Billings, wife of Tom Bozied. He was an outstanding athlete, earning 12 letters in football, basketball, and track and field. To the best of my knowledge, he was the first athlete to accomplish this feat. Gordon Duff was on the school board in the mid-60's. The 1967 annual states "This was the year that each school board member presented his son or daughter with a diploma." The other member of the board that year were Joseph Thelen, Marvin Scholten, D. E. Kratochvil, and Charles Roberts. Can you recall the names of their sons/daughters who graduated that year? If you don't have an annual handy, you could give this link a try--http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/24964?page=0.
Lyle Stewart was the owner of Stewart's Construction in Brookings for almost 40 years (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341838). Chester Bortnem and Dean Christie must be related to the numerous and talented Bortnem and Christie students who traversed the halls of BHS during the 60's and 70's. Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Violet Prussman, and Esther Sterud are likely to be related to some of our classmates.
A few of our parents were seniors that year. Bruce Miller is the father of Steve in our class. He was a physics professor at SDSU, and was also a member of the Prairie Striders Running Club, so we became rather well-acquainted in the 70's. He was one who preferred to wear no socks with his running shoes, even when it was 20 below. He helped to measure some courses for the local road races. With his background, he was as painstakingly accurate in his measurements (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338774). Wayne "Husker" Steen is the father of Teresa. He was a long-time employee at the Post Office, manning the front window for many years. He appears to have been quite the athlete in high school (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=342042). Robert Sexauer is from the Sexauer family and was a well-known and respected individual throughout the area (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338689).
Robert Norton is the grandfather to four of my nieces and nephews. He worked in the clothing business for a number of years, and was good friends with "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's father.
Bobcat Day of the 1940-41 school year appears to have been greeted by the infamous "Armistice Day Blizzard" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/122643?page=30; http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dvn/?n=armistice_day_blizzard). Judging by the background, the dance looks as if it were held in the "Pit."
Since the next annual listed is the 1945 edition, it may be appropriate to list any juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who may have connections to our class.
The freshmen include Robert Bartling, Norman Hendricks, Harvey Mills, James Moriarty, Cliff Kellogg, Clayton Sloat, Dean Sanderson, and Ivan Sundal. Mr. Bartling was a son of the original owners of Bartling's Furniture and Funeral Home. He and his older brother Lawrence ran the store while we were growing up, (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339179) and were very active in the local running club, the Prairie Striders, which originated in the late 60's.. We were about the age of many of their children.
Harvey Mills was also active in the Prairie Striders. In his later years, he turned to cycling, and did very well on the national level. He started Mills Construction, and built many of the houses in East Acres, the area east of Hillcrest Elementary School. The business is still around, and has branched out into apartments and rental units.
James Moriarty was a brother of John Moriarty, the owner of a number of businesses in Brookings, including Ben Franklin and Campus Pharmacy. Cliff Kellogg, I believe, was the father of Wayne, who was a year ahead of us, Stuart, a year behind us, and Stephanie, three years behind us. Dean Sanderson was a brother of Cecil, father of Reed, Mark, Kwen, Laun, Jan, Terry, Joy, and Dell. Ivan Sundal's daughter Julie was three years behind us in school. It appears that many of us had younger brothers and sisters in that same class.
At least three of our parents were in that freshman class, also. Norman Hendricks (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341390) was the father of Nancy. Clayton Sloat is the father of Donna. Marilyn Steinlicht is the mother of Glenda Adamson (http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html).
In that sophomore class was Glenda's father and husband of Marilyn Steilicht, Royal Adamson. Also in that class was a Wanda Hanson. I believe the maiden name of Brad Rufer's mother was Wanda Hanson. Could this be his mother? There was also a Randall Otteson; would he be Alan's father? Marion Johnston (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339184) was the father of Pam in our class, and Greg, who was a year ahead of us. Their younger sister Jodi was a student of mine in the late 70's, early 80's. Mr. Johnston worked at Sokota Hybrids, which was located on 2nd Street South near Medary. My Minneapolis paper route in the early 60's was in that neighborhood, and Mr. Johnston was the person who paid me when it was time to collect.
While doing some research on Pam's father, I noticed he had a sister Kathryn, who married Charles Chester (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339131), who was a junior that year. One of Charles' sisters was Myrth Rae, who would have graduated in 1938. We knew her as Mrs. Brchan. Her daughter Julie was a year ahead of us. In the '66 and '67 annuals, she is pictured as the typing teacher. She later became the librarian at the Middle School when the "new" high school was built. Had I known she graduated from BHS in 1938, I would have picked her brain, as we taught in the same building until her retirement. Sadly, she passed away nine years ago (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_MBrchan172).
In addition to Mr. Chester, some of the juniors who may be of interest include Betty Jean and Elizabeth Buller (aunts of David and Diane?), Virgil Eclov (Mark Eclov was a year ahead of us), Glen Frie (brother of Sandy Frie?), Ed Gilbert (would this be "Slim"Gilbert, a policeman or probation officer when we were in school?), Robert Langner (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1340894), father-in-law of Mike McClemans, Marjorie LeFevre (of the Lefevre Motors family?), Joe Moriarty, and Fred Sylvis. There was a Sylvis family in the 50's that lived at 206 6th Avenue, across the street from my family , and just a couple of blocks south of Central Elementary.
The annual is dedicated to Mr. C. D. "Prof" Franklin, who had directed the music department for the last twelve years. Would Arne B. Larson have replaced him? The other teachers we would know would be Mr. Bell, Mr. Horrigan, and possibly Mr. Herold.
Some of the seniors that year were parents of some of our classmates, while others may have been aunts and uncles. Do any of these names ring a bell? Don Ahern, Margaret Allstot, Joe Berge, Roger "Budd" Billings, Chester Bortnem, Dean Christie, Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Gordon Duff, Bruce Miller, Robert Norton, Violet Prussman, Betty Ray, Robert Sexauer, Ivan Steen, Wayne "Husker" Steen, Esther Sterud, Lyle Stewart, and Dale Wagner.
There was a Cherylnn (sic) Ahern a year ahead of us. Could Don have been her father? I seem to recall seeing that family at church and catechism classes. Roger Billings was the father of Beth Billings, wife of Tom Bozied. He was an outstanding athlete, earning 12 letters in football, basketball, and track and field. To the best of my knowledge, he was the first athlete to accomplish this feat. Gordon Duff was on the school board in the mid-60's. The 1967 annual states "This was the year that each school board member presented his son or daughter with a diploma." The other member of the board that year were Joseph Thelen, Marvin Scholten, D. E. Kratochvil, and Charles Roberts. Can you recall the names of their sons/daughters who graduated that year? If you don't have an annual handy, you could give this link a try--http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/24964?page=0.
Lyle Stewart was the owner of Stewart's Construction in Brookings for almost 40 years (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341838). Chester Bortnem and Dean Christie must be related to the numerous and talented Bortnem and Christie students who traversed the halls of BHS during the 60's and 70's. Margaret DeBlonk, Betty Jean DeWitt, Violet Prussman, and Esther Sterud are likely to be related to some of our classmates.
A few of our parents were seniors that year. Bruce Miller is the father of Steve in our class. He was a physics professor at SDSU, and was also a member of the Prairie Striders Running Club, so we became rather well-acquainted in the 70's. He was one who preferred to wear no socks with his running shoes, even when it was 20 below. He helped to measure some courses for the local road races. With his background, he was as painstakingly accurate in his measurements (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338774). Wayne "Husker" Steen is the father of Teresa. He was a long-time employee at the Post Office, manning the front window for many years. He appears to have been quite the athlete in high school (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=342042). Robert Sexauer is from the Sexauer family and was a well-known and respected individual throughout the area (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338689).
Robert Norton is the grandfather to four of my nieces and nephews. He worked in the clothing business for a number of years, and was good friends with "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's father.
Bobcat Day of the 1940-41 school year appears to have been greeted by the infamous "Armistice Day Blizzard" (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/122643?page=30; http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dvn/?n=armistice_day_blizzard). Judging by the background, the dance looks as if it were held in the "Pit."
Since the next annual listed is the 1945 edition, it may be appropriate to list any juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who may have connections to our class.
The freshmen include Robert Bartling, Norman Hendricks, Harvey Mills, James Moriarty, Cliff Kellogg, Clayton Sloat, Dean Sanderson, and Ivan Sundal. Mr. Bartling was a son of the original owners of Bartling's Furniture and Funeral Home. He and his older brother Lawrence ran the store while we were growing up, (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339179) and were very active in the local running club, the Prairie Striders, which originated in the late 60's.. We were about the age of many of their children.
Harvey Mills was also active in the Prairie Striders. In his later years, he turned to cycling, and did very well on the national level. He started Mills Construction, and built many of the houses in East Acres, the area east of Hillcrest Elementary School. The business is still around, and has branched out into apartments and rental units.
James Moriarty was a brother of John Moriarty, the owner of a number of businesses in Brookings, including Ben Franklin and Campus Pharmacy. Cliff Kellogg, I believe, was the father of Wayne, who was a year ahead of us, Stuart, a year behind us, and Stephanie, three years behind us. Dean Sanderson was a brother of Cecil, father of Reed, Mark, Kwen, Laun, Jan, Terry, Joy, and Dell. Ivan Sundal's daughter Julie was three years behind us in school. It appears that many of us had younger brothers and sisters in that same class.
At least three of our parents were in that freshman class, also. Norman Hendricks (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341390) was the father of Nancy. Clayton Sloat is the father of Donna. Marilyn Steinlicht is the mother of Glenda Adamson (http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/adamson-marilyn/article_a62c081c-4d98-566e-8dcd-19362885311f.html).
In that sophomore class was Glenda's father and husband of Marilyn Steilicht, Royal Adamson. Also in that class was a Wanda Hanson. I believe the maiden name of Brad Rufer's mother was Wanda Hanson. Could this be his mother? There was also a Randall Otteson; would he be Alan's father? Marion Johnston (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339184) was the father of Pam in our class, and Greg, who was a year ahead of us. Their younger sister Jodi was a student of mine in the late 70's, early 80's. Mr. Johnston worked at Sokota Hybrids, which was located on 2nd Street South near Medary. My Minneapolis paper route in the early 60's was in that neighborhood, and Mr. Johnston was the person who paid me when it was time to collect.
While doing some research on Pam's father, I noticed he had a sister Kathryn, who married Charles Chester (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=339131), who was a junior that year. One of Charles' sisters was Myrth Rae, who would have graduated in 1938. We knew her as Mrs. Brchan. Her daughter Julie was a year ahead of us. In the '66 and '67 annuals, she is pictured as the typing teacher. She later became the librarian at the Middle School when the "new" high school was built. Had I known she graduated from BHS in 1938, I would have picked her brain, as we taught in the same building until her retirement. Sadly, she passed away nine years ago (http://www.rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1261_MBrchan172).
In addition to Mr. Chester, some of the juniors who may be of interest include Betty Jean and Elizabeth Buller (aunts of David and Diane?), Virgil Eclov (Mark Eclov was a year ahead of us), Glen Frie (brother of Sandy Frie?), Ed Gilbert (would this be "Slim"Gilbert, a policeman or probation officer when we were in school?), Robert Langner (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1340894), father-in-law of Mike McClemans, Marjorie LeFevre (of the Lefevre Motors family?), Joe Moriarty, and Fred Sylvis. There was a Sylvis family in the 50's that lived at 206 6th Avenue, across the street from my family , and just a couple of blocks south of Central Elementary.
Friday, January 9, 2015
75 Years Ago
The Bobcat yearbooks of this era were usually dedicated to an individual or individuals who had some effect on the lives of the students. The 1940 annual (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/32650?page=0) contains separate dedications for the boys and girls in the school. The boys are recognized first for their athletic achievements. Credit is then given to the FFA for having a large (the largest in the state, with over 70 members) and active chapter, and for helping the music and speech departments achieve outstanding success. They are also recognized for their gentlemanly manners, as they have been "ready and willing escorts for the fine ladies of our high school." The girls, too, are recognized for their athletic prowess in GAA and in their tumbling program. Their homemaking skills were especially noted, and their musical talents contributed greatly to the fine arts programs. They played a large part in the success of the speech programs and the school paper. They were also instrumental in publishing the annual.
It has escaped my attention that the superintendent, Mr. J. E. Martin, attended Kansas State, while the principal, Mr. M. A. Lynott, studied at Yankton College. It is a strange coincidence that the athletic director who took over for "Nig" Johnson has connections to both of these schools. Mr. Jim Holwerda replaced "Nig" in the fall of 1973. He attended Kansas State and played on their nationally ranked basketball teams of the late 50's. His college coach was "Tex" Winter, who later was the coach at Washington. Mr. Winter recruited Lee Colburn, but Lee chose to remain in town at SDSU. Mr. Winter was also an assistant to Phil Jackson, who won numerous NBA championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of us may have seen him play in the "Barn" while he was in college, as he played for the University of North Dakota. (http://www.biography.com/people/phil-jackson-224897#synopsis) Before coming to Brookings, Mr. Holwerda was the basketball coach at Yankton College, where he fielded some very strong teams in the NAIA division. Mr. Holwerda was very influential in my early years of teaching and coaching.
The senior class president was Hugh Barnett. He and his wife farmed north of town, and had seven children. The oldest was a couple of years behind us in school. Several of his children were students of mine. (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_HBarnett33) The secretary-treasurer of that class was Cecilia Moriarty. She was a brother to John and Paul, who have played major parts in developing Brookings. ((http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1460002Multhauf))
Another name that may be familiar is Eivor Birath. He brother was Harry, who worked at the Northwest (now Wells Fargo) for a number of years. He had two sons who graduated in 1970 and 1971. Eivor was actually born in Sweden (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1043818).
Olin Gile was also a member of that class. He was also a noted farmer in the Brookings area. His two daughters Judy, class of 67, and Kathy, class of 65, were a few years older than we were. I became acquainted with Kathy when both of us worked at the "Bug Lab" north of town in the early 70's. I believe he was known for his Christmas light display. People used to come from miles around to enjoy his light show.
The student body president was Gene Waltz. He was the owner of Waltz Hardware downtown. Daughter Sherry was a year ahead of us, while son Randy was two years behind us (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338747).
The "Hall of Fame" included Hugh Barnett (most representative senior boy, most perfect gentleman, and most reliable), Cecilia Moriarty (prettiest girl, second most perfect lady), while the most perfect lady and president of the homemaking club was Mary Connelly (Robyn's aunt?).
Zerl Frie was the editor of the Broboca. Could this be a sister of Sandy Frie, who graduated in 1968? Among the seniors were three Morrisons, Dorothy, Howard, and Phyllis. Phyllis would marry Herb Lakman, and lived next door to us for about 10 years. They had a son Doug, class of 63, and a daughter Patty, class of 68.
The only two faculty members we would likely know would be Mr. Horrigan and Mr. Bell. Mr. Horrigan attended "State", and earned two letters in basketball, while Mr. Bell attended Northern in Aberdeen, and earned three letters in football. I knew that they had coached before becoming administrators, but I did not know they played collegiately.
As noted above, BHS has had some fine musicians. The 1940 band was led by six majorettes (do high school bands even have majorettes anymore?), and received national recognition when they "appeared before us on the screen in a newsreel, taken by Paramount Studios during Hobo Day." Remember seeing those newsreels at the movies when we were younger?
Since there were relatively few extra-curricular activities compared with today, some of the clubs had rather large memberships. As mentioned, FFA had over 70 members, the most of any FFA chapter in the state. The Latin Club had 54, while the French Club had 25.
Intramurals were not confined to just a few sports. Included in the list of activities were hockey, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, basketball, a kicking contest (football?), and a free-throw contest. The president of the Monogram Club, which oversaw the intramural program, was Clarence Sturdevant, father of Diane of our class. The vice-president was Gene Waltz, who is remembered above.
The athletics' section contained not only the pictures of the teams and the season results, but also a brief summary of each game. Football games were likely played at Pioneer Park, as the bandshell is in the background of the team picture. Varsity basketball games appeared to have been played at the Junior High (Central Elementary), while freshman games were played in the "Pit," according to the pictures. It is interesting that in basketball, the varsity defeated the alumni for the second year in a row, while the "B" team wins of 24-0 and 14-1.
Since the annuals were issued at the end of the school year, the track and field results were from the previous school year. At the meet in Estherville, Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob") captured first place in the shot put, as did the football relay team. Anyone know what a football relay is? Did they use a football instead of a baton? We sometimes have throwers relays at our meets. The shot-putters and discus throwers for each team put together 4 X 100 meter relay teams, but they use a regular relay baton. We have also had a banana relay, in which a banana is used instead of a baton. The winner is not necessarily the team crossing the finish line first. The winner is the team whose last runner eats the banana first after crossing the finish line.
It has escaped my attention that the superintendent, Mr. J. E. Martin, attended Kansas State, while the principal, Mr. M. A. Lynott, studied at Yankton College. It is a strange coincidence that the athletic director who took over for "Nig" Johnson has connections to both of these schools. Mr. Jim Holwerda replaced "Nig" in the fall of 1973. He attended Kansas State and played on their nationally ranked basketball teams of the late 50's. His college coach was "Tex" Winter, who later was the coach at Washington. Mr. Winter recruited Lee Colburn, but Lee chose to remain in town at SDSU. Mr. Winter was also an assistant to Phil Jackson, who won numerous NBA championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of us may have seen him play in the "Barn" while he was in college, as he played for the University of North Dakota. (http://www.biography.com/people/phil-jackson-224897#synopsis) Before coming to Brookings, Mr. Holwerda was the basketball coach at Yankton College, where he fielded some very strong teams in the NAIA division. Mr. Holwerda was very influential in my early years of teaching and coaching.
The senior class president was Hugh Barnett. He and his wife farmed north of town, and had seven children. The oldest was a couple of years behind us in school. Several of his children were students of mine. (http://www.eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=1252_HBarnett33) The secretary-treasurer of that class was Cecilia Moriarty. She was a brother to John and Paul, who have played major parts in developing Brookings. ((http://rudesfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/RudesF1/obit.cgi?user=1460002Multhauf))
Another name that may be familiar is Eivor Birath. He brother was Harry, who worked at the Northwest (now Wells Fargo) for a number of years. He had two sons who graduated in 1970 and 1971. Eivor was actually born in Sweden (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=1043818).
Olin Gile was also a member of that class. He was also a noted farmer in the Brookings area. His two daughters Judy, class of 67, and Kathy, class of 65, were a few years older than we were. I became acquainted with Kathy when both of us worked at the "Bug Lab" north of town in the early 70's. I believe he was known for his Christmas light display. People used to come from miles around to enjoy his light show.
The student body president was Gene Waltz. He was the owner of Waltz Hardware downtown. Daughter Sherry was a year ahead of us, while son Randy was two years behind us (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=338747).
The "Hall of Fame" included Hugh Barnett (most representative senior boy, most perfect gentleman, and most reliable), Cecilia Moriarty (prettiest girl, second most perfect lady), while the most perfect lady and president of the homemaking club was Mary Connelly (Robyn's aunt?).
Zerl Frie was the editor of the Broboca. Could this be a sister of Sandy Frie, who graduated in 1968? Among the seniors were three Morrisons, Dorothy, Howard, and Phyllis. Phyllis would marry Herb Lakman, and lived next door to us for about 10 years. They had a son Doug, class of 63, and a daughter Patty, class of 68.
The only two faculty members we would likely know would be Mr. Horrigan and Mr. Bell. Mr. Horrigan attended "State", and earned two letters in basketball, while Mr. Bell attended Northern in Aberdeen, and earned three letters in football. I knew that they had coached before becoming administrators, but I did not know they played collegiately.
As noted above, BHS has had some fine musicians. The 1940 band was led by six majorettes (do high school bands even have majorettes anymore?), and received national recognition when they "appeared before us on the screen in a newsreel, taken by Paramount Studios during Hobo Day." Remember seeing those newsreels at the movies when we were younger?
Since there were relatively few extra-curricular activities compared with today, some of the clubs had rather large memberships. As mentioned, FFA had over 70 members, the most of any FFA chapter in the state. The Latin Club had 54, while the French Club had 25.
Intramurals were not confined to just a few sports. Included in the list of activities were hockey, volleyball, boxing, wrestling, basketball, a kicking contest (football?), and a free-throw contest. The president of the Monogram Club, which oversaw the intramural program, was Clarence Sturdevant, father of Diane of our class. The vice-president was Gene Waltz, who is remembered above.
The athletics' section contained not only the pictures of the teams and the season results, but also a brief summary of each game. Football games were likely played at Pioneer Park, as the bandshell is in the background of the team picture. Varsity basketball games appeared to have been played at the Junior High (Central Elementary), while freshman games were played in the "Pit," according to the pictures. It is interesting that in basketball, the varsity defeated the alumni for the second year in a row, while the "B" team wins of 24-0 and 14-1.
Since the annuals were issued at the end of the school year, the track and field results were from the previous school year. At the meet in Estherville, Bob Stewart ("Biology Bob") captured first place in the shot put, as did the football relay team. Anyone know what a football relay is? Did they use a football instead of a baton? We sometimes have throwers relays at our meets. The shot-putters and discus throwers for each team put together 4 X 100 meter relay teams, but they use a regular relay baton. We have also had a banana relay, in which a banana is used instead of a baton. The winner is not necessarily the team crossing the finish line first. The winner is the team whose last runner eats the banana first after crossing the finish line.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
1939 Bobcat
A couple of interesting features stand out in the 1939 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/62447?page=0). On page 13, there is a color photograph of the front of the high school. The picture is facing northwest. The photographer must have been standing near the corner of 7th Ave. and 4th St., or just south of the Presbyterian Church, perhaps on the northeast corner of the courthouse lawn. Another color picture can be found on page 37. It appears to be a close-up taken from the same general vicinity. A few students are shown exiting the front doors and having a pleasant conversation. We thought it was rather innovative when, in the 1967 Bobcat, there was supposed to be a two-page color picture of the BHS band standing on the west courthouse lawn, with the front of the High School in the background. However, there was some mishap when the annuals were printed, and the picture was in black and white. As a correction, we were given the actual color photo (11' X 17'?) as an insert to place into our annuals. It was thought this may have been the first time a color photograph had appeared in one of the annuals. Little did we know how wrong we were.
The school board members were rather well-known throughout the town. Dr. Doner, for whom the Doner auditorium on campus is named, was the president. He was also the registrar at SDSC. Did Brian Johnson's father become registrar when Dr. Doner retired , perhaps in the early 60's? Another member was R. R. Blauert, a local businessman. I believe he was one of the owners of B and J Wholesale, where my father worked when our family moved to town in the late 40's. It later became James Wholesale. Perhaps the most interesting member was Mrs. C. D. Shea. It was rather uncommon for women to be elected to office back then. In the early 70's, there was much publicity when Ruth Alexander was elected to the school board. Finally, a number of people proclaimed, a woman was elected to the school board, and Brookings was overcoming its sexist attitude.. A number of people thought she was breaking new ground. Many of those people, however, had not done their homework. Mrs. Shea was not a lone exception. In the 50's, a number of women served on the school board. Some names that come to mind are Mrs. Farnham, Mrs. Flittie, and Mrs. Masson. Some of them even served as president. It seems that Brookings has recognized the abilities and contributions of its females citizens longer than some would want to admit.
In addition to Mr. Horrigan, another member of the faculty that year was Mr. Virgil Bell. He was not listed in the last annual of 1935, so was this his first year at BHS? In addition to teaching general science and biology, he was also an assistant football coach and freshman basketball coach.
Some of the 1939 seniors who may have some connection to those in our class or our friends may be Betty Alexander, Lynn Allison, Edwin Berkland, Marshall Biggar, Robert Bishman, Wayne conn, Lawrence Duff, Claire Eclov, John Flittie, Delbert and Dolores Gustafson, Mildred Hill, Glen Lerass, Richard Lindsay, Hazel McCord, Robert Madson, John Moriarty, Harold Niklason, Vernon Norris, Paul Prussman, Clarence Steen, Robert Stewart, and Robert Vessey..
Paul Prussman is the father of Dennis in our class, while Lynn Allison is the father of Marilyn. Bob Vessey is a name few, if any, may know. He was the father-in-law of Coach Lynn Frederick. Coach Frederick has been a highly-respected basketball coach in the state for almost 40 years. He came to Brookings as the head boys coach and middle-school science teacher in 1983. He was another one of my mentors in both the teaching and the coaching professions.. The 1986 Bobcats were runners-up in the boys state tournament, the 1987 team were champions, and the 1988 team finished third. At that 1987 tournament, the 1962 state champion Bobcats had a 25 year reunion, so it was very gratifying for them to personally witness another championship effort.
Robert Stewart is the same Robert Stewart that taught biology and coached at BHS for a number of years. In the latter part of his career, he was a guidance counselor (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). John Moriarty is still around. His family had the Ben Franklin store when we were younger. He also had the Campus Pharmacy and the drug store in the Red Owl building when Red Owl moved to Main and 7th Ave. His son Greg was a year ahead of us, and was in the same Cub Scout troop that a few of us were in.
Is Harold Niklason connected to Nick's Hamburgers? Was his father the one who started the shop, and then later turned the reins over the Harold? (http://www.johnsonhenryfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=301858&fh_id=11672) Would Robert Madson be the father of Tom, Bill, and Dave Madson? (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341896) Vernon Norris struck a note with me. There was a custodian at Central Elementary named Ezra Norris. When Tom Bozied's dad had the Conoco station at 6th and Main, one of the guys who worked there for a few years was a Roger Norris, a brother to Ezra, I believe. Tom used to pick on Roger rather unmercifully. Steve Odegaard may also have treated Roger rather playfully. Would Vernon have been a brother to these two? Would Marshall Biggar have been the father to Dave and Doug Biggar. Dave graduated in 65, while Doug was a year ahead of us.
As usual, the activities of the seniors throughout their high school years are listed. What is rather intriguing, though, is that there is a personal touch added to their list of accomplishments. Is there a hidden meaning to some of them, such as "They raise nice blondes in Volga, don't they;" "One of our rural sheiks," "Footprints in the sands of time, if they are big, you'll know they're mine," "No man ever became extremely wicked at once."
A number of music pictures were taken on the stage over at the new Junior High building (later to become Central Elementary, and now the Children's Museum of South Dakota). The JHS insignia on the stage curtain is clearly visible.
The Broboca, the school newspaper, was under new management this year, and was published weekly in the Monday edition of the Brookings Register. One organization that escaped my attention in previous years was the Latin club. It appears that Latin was not offered until 1935, when a Mrs. Mauch was listed as the Latin teacher. Did it take a few years to gather up enough interest to form a club?
Some other interesting facts are that school started Sept. 6, 1938, and enrollment was about 500 students. The population of Brookings is considerably greater today, perhaps four or five times larger, but enrollment now is not quite 1,000. FFA had about 80 members (the largest in the state?), and won state and national honors. There was an alumni basketball game, which the alumni losing for the first time. There was also a "B" squad state basketball tournament. Results were not listed. A Passion Play was held on Sept. 28-29.
The 1987 Bobcat basketball who were state champions also played an alumni game that season. There was an opening in the schedule, so the AD arranged an alumni game as the first game of the season. "Older" alumni played the sophomores, while "younger" alumni played the varsity. I believe Tom Osterberg; Bernie Hendricks, and Lorre Colburn from our era played. The alumni came out victorious against the future state champs. Good thing the game was the first one of the season. If it had been played later in the year, it's doubtful if the older generation could have prevailed.
A Passion Play was presented at the high school in the mid-50's. It may have been about 1957 or 58. I distinctly recall watching it in the Central gym. When Jesus arose from the tomb, the actor portraying Him pushed a heavy slab to the stage floor. A booming sound echoed throughout the gym, and still rings in my ears yet today. It seems to me that they even had brought live animals for the performance.
The school board members were rather well-known throughout the town. Dr. Doner, for whom the Doner auditorium on campus is named, was the president. He was also the registrar at SDSC. Did Brian Johnson's father become registrar when Dr. Doner retired , perhaps in the early 60's? Another member was R. R. Blauert, a local businessman. I believe he was one of the owners of B and J Wholesale, where my father worked when our family moved to town in the late 40's. It later became James Wholesale. Perhaps the most interesting member was Mrs. C. D. Shea. It was rather uncommon for women to be elected to office back then. In the early 70's, there was much publicity when Ruth Alexander was elected to the school board. Finally, a number of people proclaimed, a woman was elected to the school board, and Brookings was overcoming its sexist attitude.. A number of people thought she was breaking new ground. Many of those people, however, had not done their homework. Mrs. Shea was not a lone exception. In the 50's, a number of women served on the school board. Some names that come to mind are Mrs. Farnham, Mrs. Flittie, and Mrs. Masson. Some of them even served as president. It seems that Brookings has recognized the abilities and contributions of its females citizens longer than some would want to admit.
In addition to Mr. Horrigan, another member of the faculty that year was Mr. Virgil Bell. He was not listed in the last annual of 1935, so was this his first year at BHS? In addition to teaching general science and biology, he was also an assistant football coach and freshman basketball coach.
Some of the 1939 seniors who may have some connection to those in our class or our friends may be Betty Alexander, Lynn Allison, Edwin Berkland, Marshall Biggar, Robert Bishman, Wayne conn, Lawrence Duff, Claire Eclov, John Flittie, Delbert and Dolores Gustafson, Mildred Hill, Glen Lerass, Richard Lindsay, Hazel McCord, Robert Madson, John Moriarty, Harold Niklason, Vernon Norris, Paul Prussman, Clarence Steen, Robert Stewart, and Robert Vessey..
Paul Prussman is the father of Dennis in our class, while Lynn Allison is the father of Marilyn. Bob Vessey is a name few, if any, may know. He was the father-in-law of Coach Lynn Frederick. Coach Frederick has been a highly-respected basketball coach in the state for almost 40 years. He came to Brookings as the head boys coach and middle-school science teacher in 1983. He was another one of my mentors in both the teaching and the coaching professions.. The 1986 Bobcats were runners-up in the boys state tournament, the 1987 team were champions, and the 1988 team finished third. At that 1987 tournament, the 1962 state champion Bobcats had a 25 year reunion, so it was very gratifying for them to personally witness another championship effort.
Robert Stewart is the same Robert Stewart that taught biology and coached at BHS for a number of years. In the latter part of his career, he was a guidance counselor (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341374). John Moriarty is still around. His family had the Ben Franklin store when we were younger. He also had the Campus Pharmacy and the drug store in the Red Owl building when Red Owl moved to Main and 7th Ave. His son Greg was a year ahead of us, and was in the same Cub Scout troop that a few of us were in.
Is Harold Niklason connected to Nick's Hamburgers? Was his father the one who started the shop, and then later turned the reins over the Harold? (http://www.johnsonhenryfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=301858&fh_id=11672) Would Robert Madson be the father of Tom, Bill, and Dave Madson? (http://rudesfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=341896) Vernon Norris struck a note with me. There was a custodian at Central Elementary named Ezra Norris. When Tom Bozied's dad had the Conoco station at 6th and Main, one of the guys who worked there for a few years was a Roger Norris, a brother to Ezra, I believe. Tom used to pick on Roger rather unmercifully. Steve Odegaard may also have treated Roger rather playfully. Would Vernon have been a brother to these two? Would Marshall Biggar have been the father to Dave and Doug Biggar. Dave graduated in 65, while Doug was a year ahead of us.
As usual, the activities of the seniors throughout their high school years are listed. What is rather intriguing, though, is that there is a personal touch added to their list of accomplishments. Is there a hidden meaning to some of them, such as "They raise nice blondes in Volga, don't they;" "One of our rural sheiks," "Footprints in the sands of time, if they are big, you'll know they're mine," "No man ever became extremely wicked at once."
A number of music pictures were taken on the stage over at the new Junior High building (later to become Central Elementary, and now the Children's Museum of South Dakota). The JHS insignia on the stage curtain is clearly visible.
The Broboca, the school newspaper, was under new management this year, and was published weekly in the Monday edition of the Brookings Register. One organization that escaped my attention in previous years was the Latin club. It appears that Latin was not offered until 1935, when a Mrs. Mauch was listed as the Latin teacher. Did it take a few years to gather up enough interest to form a club?
Some other interesting facts are that school started Sept. 6, 1938, and enrollment was about 500 students. The population of Brookings is considerably greater today, perhaps four or five times larger, but enrollment now is not quite 1,000. FFA had about 80 members (the largest in the state?), and won state and national honors. There was an alumni basketball game, which the alumni losing for the first time. There was also a "B" squad state basketball tournament. Results were not listed. A Passion Play was held on Sept. 28-29.
The 1987 Bobcat basketball who were state champions also played an alumni game that season. There was an opening in the schedule, so the AD arranged an alumni game as the first game of the season. "Older" alumni played the sophomores, while "younger" alumni played the varsity. I believe Tom Osterberg; Bernie Hendricks, and Lorre Colburn from our era played. The alumni came out victorious against the future state champs. Good thing the game was the first one of the season. If it had been played later in the year, it's doubtful if the older generation could have prevailed.
A Passion Play was presented at the high school in the mid-50's. It may have been about 1957 or 58. I distinctly recall watching it in the Central gym. When Jesus arose from the tomb, the actor portraying Him pushed a heavy slab to the stage floor. A booming sound echoed throughout the gym, and still rings in my ears yet today. It seems to me that they even had brought live animals for the performance.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
A Surprising Honor
Another classmate has received a distinguished, but surprising, award. Most of us recognize that our class has some gifted individuals both academically, intellectually, professionally, and athletically. Some have been publicly recognized, while others are quietly honored by their peers. One surprising accolade that was announced recently was Lee Colburn's selection into the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame (http://www.argusleader.com/story/sports/high-school-sports/2014/12/24/high-school-basketball-hall-induct/20848097/). ( It will probably work best to copy and paste this address in the URL at the top of the webpage). It surprised me because I thought he had already been selected for this exclusive honor. He has received so many awards since his untimely passing Dec. 31, 1997, that it seemed only natural that he should be a member of this esteemed group. Obviously I was mistaken. Here is a little article written for one of the groups to which he belongs (http://www.sdshof.com/inductees/lee-colburn/). Most of the honorees for this year's South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame are probably unknown to many us, but there may be a few names that trigger our memories.
John Eidsness was just finishing up his senior at State when Lee was a freshman. so they played together for only one year. John wasn't the quickest player, but he was a deadly shooter. We enjoyed watching him when we were in high school. He and Denny Womeldorf made a great combination at the guard spots for the Running Rabbits. It seemed as if they could run all day and not get tired. When Lee was being recruited, there were some concerns, because Lee was a guard in high school, that he would not be able to handle the ball very well against quality guards such as Eidsness or Womeldorf. However, Lee told us that Coach Marking, who was recruiting him, said that he was capable of handling that responsibility right now, as a high-schooler. He really did not have to worry, as he continued to grow and really did not play guard in college. His experience in high school, however, proved most beneficial when he competed as a collegian. John Eidsness also played some baseball and football while at State, and became an assistant basketball coach at SDSU for a few years after graduation. He and Tom Osterberg played on the same independent basketball team for those years, I believe. Did they also play on the Spies slo-pitch softball team? He lived next door to Mr. and Mrs. Guy O. Karnes. During my first year of teaching, I relied on sporadic visits to Mr. Karnes to help me through the tough times. If the weather was nice, the Eidsness family would often be outside with their young child. Can't remember if the child was a boy or a girl.
John was also a fine baseball player, pitching and probably playing shortstop if he was not pitching. He played Legion ball for Canton. They also had another pitcher named Ray Johnson, I believe. He was fast, and drew the attention of some major league scouts. The state "A" Legion Tournament was held in Brookings in 1966. Canton had won the "B" division, so they were eligible to play in the "A" tournament. They competed well, but were unable to overtake Rapid City for the championship.
Mike Freier is a name that stood out in the 1967 State "B" tournament. He was a fantastic shooter. He went to Yankton College and played for Jim Holwerda. Mr. Holwerda became the athletic director and later girls basketball coach at BHS when "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He taught me a great deal about the game. He told me that Mike Freier did not play much in college because he did not know how to get open. Evidently, in high school, he could get open by just standing around. It seems that they did not play defense with the same intensity in the small schools as they did in the larger schools. If you read the link above about Lee's induction into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, you may have noticed that in high school, he was recruited by Tex Winter of Washington. Tex Winter was Mr. Holwerda's college coach at Kansas State in the 1950's. He later was an assistant with Phil Jackson when Mr. Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a number of NBA championships. Without Tex Winter, Phil Jackson likely would not have had the success he did.
One of those girls we coached against was Amy Burnett. She was somewhat of a combination of Barry Howe and Joe Jensen. She scored more points than Joe or Barry did because she was their main player. Her team did not have the balance that our 68 and 69 teams did. She was bigger and stronger than most of the girls she played against. It would not be surprising if she learned to play the game competing against boys whenever possible. She was also a talented thrower in the discus and shot put on their track and field teams.
Vince Whipple was in the state tournament record books for a long time. He held the record for the total number of points scored, 79, in the championship rounds of the State "A" tournament for many years.
Chuck Iverson graduated the same year as Lee. He is no relation to me. Our senior year, we scrimmaged Chuck and his Vermillion team in our gym about a week before our first game. He was about 6'8" so he made Joe look somewhat small. He played collegiately in his hometown, as did Lee. He and Lee faced off many times during their four-year careers. Chuck still is in the record books as one of the the all-time leading rebounders in the now-defunct North Central Conference. Chuck, too, may have had a pro tryout. He was drafted by Seattle as the 73rd pick in the fifth round. Lee was drafter in the fourth round as the 58th pick by the Rockets (http://northcentral.prestosports.com/Record_Book/08_Updates/08_MBB.pdf--this website is amazing! Phil Jackson was a dominant player in the conference in the mid-60's; John Eidsness was the best field goal and free throw- shooter in 1969; if one is a history junkie, one could spend many hours on this sight). What is really eerie, though, is that Chuck Iverson's daughter married the son of Mike McClemans, who was a year behind us in school. Mike told me some of the details, but I couldn't keep everything straight, as Mike tended to get off-track in his narration.
John Eidsness was just finishing up his senior at State when Lee was a freshman. so they played together for only one year. John wasn't the quickest player, but he was a deadly shooter. We enjoyed watching him when we were in high school. He and Denny Womeldorf made a great combination at the guard spots for the Running Rabbits. It seemed as if they could run all day and not get tired. When Lee was being recruited, there were some concerns, because Lee was a guard in high school, that he would not be able to handle the ball very well against quality guards such as Eidsness or Womeldorf. However, Lee told us that Coach Marking, who was recruiting him, said that he was capable of handling that responsibility right now, as a high-schooler. He really did not have to worry, as he continued to grow and really did not play guard in college. His experience in high school, however, proved most beneficial when he competed as a collegian. John Eidsness also played some baseball and football while at State, and became an assistant basketball coach at SDSU for a few years after graduation. He and Tom Osterberg played on the same independent basketball team for those years, I believe. Did they also play on the Spies slo-pitch softball team? He lived next door to Mr. and Mrs. Guy O. Karnes. During my first year of teaching, I relied on sporadic visits to Mr. Karnes to help me through the tough times. If the weather was nice, the Eidsness family would often be outside with their young child. Can't remember if the child was a boy or a girl.
John was also a fine baseball player, pitching and probably playing shortstop if he was not pitching. He played Legion ball for Canton. They also had another pitcher named Ray Johnson, I believe. He was fast, and drew the attention of some major league scouts. The state "A" Legion Tournament was held in Brookings in 1966. Canton had won the "B" division, so they were eligible to play in the "A" tournament. They competed well, but were unable to overtake Rapid City for the championship.
Mike Freier is a name that stood out in the 1967 State "B" tournament. He was a fantastic shooter. He went to Yankton College and played for Jim Holwerda. Mr. Holwerda became the athletic director and later girls basketball coach at BHS when "Nig" Johnson retired in 1973. He taught me a great deal about the game. He told me that Mike Freier did not play much in college because he did not know how to get open. Evidently, in high school, he could get open by just standing around. It seems that they did not play defense with the same intensity in the small schools as they did in the larger schools. If you read the link above about Lee's induction into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, you may have noticed that in high school, he was recruited by Tex Winter of Washington. Tex Winter was Mr. Holwerda's college coach at Kansas State in the 1950's. He later was an assistant with Phil Jackson when Mr. Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a number of NBA championships. Without Tex Winter, Phil Jackson likely would not have had the success he did.
One of those girls we coached against was Amy Burnett. She was somewhat of a combination of Barry Howe and Joe Jensen. She scored more points than Joe or Barry did because she was their main player. Her team did not have the balance that our 68 and 69 teams did. She was bigger and stronger than most of the girls she played against. It would not be surprising if she learned to play the game competing against boys whenever possible. She was also a talented thrower in the discus and shot put on their track and field teams.
Vince Whipple was in the state tournament record books for a long time. He held the record for the total number of points scored, 79, in the championship rounds of the State "A" tournament for many years.
Chuck Iverson graduated the same year as Lee. He is no relation to me. Our senior year, we scrimmaged Chuck and his Vermillion team in our gym about a week before our first game. He was about 6'8" so he made Joe look somewhat small. He played collegiately in his hometown, as did Lee. He and Lee faced off many times during their four-year careers. Chuck still is in the record books as one of the the all-time leading rebounders in the now-defunct North Central Conference. Chuck, too, may have had a pro tryout. He was drafted by Seattle as the 73rd pick in the fifth round. Lee was drafter in the fourth round as the 58th pick by the Rockets (http://northcentral.prestosports.com/Record_Book/08_Updates/08_MBB.pdf--this website is amazing! Phil Jackson was a dominant player in the conference in the mid-60's; John Eidsness was the best field goal and free throw- shooter in 1969; if one is a history junkie, one could spend many hours on this sight). What is really eerie, though, is that Chuck Iverson's daughter married the son of Mike McClemans, who was a year behind us in school. Mike told me some of the details, but I couldn't keep everything straight, as Mike tended to get off-track in his narration.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Badger Clark and Jim Duffey Connection
When we were in grade school, one of our teachers (was it the music teacher, Mrs. Engberg? {thank, Brian}) often mentioned that Badger Clark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Badger_Clark) was the first poet laureate of South Dakota. There have only been a handful of them in the state. He was followed by Adeline Jenny, Audrey Visser, Mabel Frederick, and David Evans. Mr. Evans, whom some of us may have had for a teacher when we were in college at SDSU, recently retired. (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/10/03/state-poetry-society-searching-new-poet-laureate/16655829/)
The Argus_Leader reported today, Dec. 6, 2014, that a new poet laureate had been selected, and she has ties to Brookings. (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/12/04/nea-grant-gives-sd-poet-greatest-gift-time-write/19899785/) Her father is James Duffey, who was a year ahead of us in school. He is not pictured, though, in the 1968 yearbook. Does anyone know why not? From all indications, he was a brilliant student. As a junior, he was in the National Honor Society, and was an award-winning member of Kinetic Club and JETS (Junior Engineers Technical Society). Both of these clubs were under the guidance of Mr. Karnes. At the 1967 South Dakota Science Fair, Jim's project entitled "A Multi-Band Phased Vertical Array for the Amateur Radio Bands" earned him a two week Navy Cruise and the Bell Award. The minutes of the 53rd annual meeting of the South Dakota Academy of Science for the following year 1968 (http://www.sdaos.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Vol%2047%201968/68MIN.pdf) state that "Mr. Guy Karnes reported on the Bell telephone Award awarded last year to Jim Duffey, a junior at Brookings High School. This was the first year for the award in this area. The 1967 minutes authorized three students and three instructors to go on the trip. The president noted that the new Junior Academy members should look into the possibilities for continued aspects for next year. Mr. Marvin Hanson of Huron College has the details for the present plans for this award. Next year there will be three competitions in Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City. This would not be connected to the Academy. The following year the next three larger schools would enter competitors for the award with other high schools furnishing competitors for the award in future years."
The minutes of the meeting stated that "The trip was most enjoyable, and both Mr. Duffey and Mr. Karnes report that they had never received such "red carpet" treatment. They were picked up at their homes by a Northwest Bell car and taken to the Sioux Falls Airport where they were seen off by Northwest Bell officials...They flew by jet to New York...Following a luncheon on May 15, they were taken by bus to the Research Laboratories at Murray Hill, New Jersey."
Jim himself had this to say: "The trip to Murray Hill Research laboratories was most enlightening and very educational. The particular research visit was tailored to each boy's individual interest. I was interested in electronics. Among the research facilities I visited were those dealing with the development of semiconductor material, evolutions of various telephones, and computerized speech. One of the most interesting parts of the Murray Hill visit was the dinner with a number of research scientists, some of whom we had heard speak earlier. Here we had the opportunity to visit with these men and ask questions. The trip was most interesting, and I sincerely hope the Bell Telephone Company continues this program so that many other boys may have the opportunity to visit the Murray Hill Laboratories."
James, however, was not the only Brookings High student to make an appearance at the Science Fair that year. Randy Christensen and Ron Haverman received a $25 AAAS award for their project Studies of Electric Fields of Force"; Jan Roberts received a merit award for his project "pH Relationships of Chemical Complexes; Dan Lutter entered his project "Ultra-Sensitive Microphone Using an Insulated Gate Transistor." Dan was also nominated for the presidency of the Academy.
What is interesting is that the 1967 meeting was held in the Christy Ballroom on the campus of SDSU, and was welcomed by President Briggs, father of Janice of our class. Also noteworthy is that the Junior Academy of Science held its banquet at the First Methodist Church at 6:30 on April 28. Mr. Karnes was given a "large cake...in appreciation for the work he did for the Junior Academy."
Also notable were the names of the many professors associated with the Academy, some of whom were parents of our classmates. Some of these professors may have been our teachers if we attended SDSU. Do any of these names ring a bell? Walt Morgan (he was also selected President for the upcoming year), Elmer Johnson, Gerald Myers, Paul Springer, H. M. Briggs, Bernard Brandwein, Robert Dahlgren, Bill Wadsworth, Keith Morrill, Duane Acker, Glenn Alcott( we had a Mrs. Alcott for 7th Grade English--any connection?), Orville Bentley, B. L. Brage, Charles Carlson, Art Dracy, Hans Graetzer, Al and Yvonne Greichus, Andrew Halverson, Emil Hargett, David Holden, H. L. Hutcheson, Les Kamstra, Paul Koepsell, Ray Linder, Bill Lytle, Melvin Manning, Don McRoberts, Paul Middaugh, Ray Moore, Floyd Parker, Don Progulske, M. Roller, R. J. Wahlstrom and V. S. Webster. Surprisingly, Jim Duffey's father, George, is not a member. Had he retired by then? New members for the next year included Henry Gehrke, Jr., Bob Kieckhefer, Chuck McMullen, and Jim Worman.
There is also a mention of the passing away of lifetime member C. M. Groethe of Sacramento, CA. Would this be any relation to the Groethes that we would know? In addition to Kathy in our class, there was a Carol Groethe when we were in grade school. anyone remember her? She may have moved away after 4th grade. Did she live near Pioneer Park?
One of the high school teachers listed is Jim Martin of Belle Fourche (we defeated them in the semifinals of the State "A" basketball tournament our senior year 69-58). He would move to Brookings later that summer to replace Mr. Karnes and Mr. Friend as Chemistry teacher. He retired in the late 80's and still lives in Brookings.
The members of the Academy from BHS in 1967 were Randy Christensen, Dale Coulter, Doug Dahl, Jim Duffey, John Finn, Dennis and Tom Fox, Ron Haverman, Mary Ellen Josephson, Jan Roberts, and Stan Skubic. From Todd County there is a Rebecca Tlustos. Mr. Tlustos, the wrestling coach our senior year, actually does have a daughter Rebecca, but she graduated from Brookings in the 80's.
In 1968, senior Gregg McCarty appears to be the only BHS member of the Academy. His presentation, which was delivered at the Huron Arena, was entitled "A Study of Four-Substitute Pyridine N-Oxide Complexes with Zinc." Dennis Fox, another senior, also had a presentation on "Dependence of Viscosity on Temperature." Gregg must have been rather busy his senior year. He was also on the debate that was runner-up in the state tournament. The team placed first at Fargo, SF Lincoln, USD, Watertown, Yankton, Morningside (Sioux City), Big 10 (Brookings), and Divisional (Huron). They were runners-up at Augustana, NFL (Aberdeen), and State. Also on that team were Dave Pearson, Phil Kohl, and John Richards. It appears that some competitions allowed for more than four debaters. Pictured in the annual as champions at the Morningside Debate Tournament are Patty Hauschild and Karen Shaw, along with the four boys and Mr. Klassen. Well done, folks.
While searching out the above information, another surprising website appeared (http://sigmaxi.sdstate.org/about1.htm). In addition to those professors named above, some familiar names may be Harold Bailey, George Buntley, Paul Collins, Chris Dinkel, George Duffey, Harold Froslie, William Gamble, Raymond Kinch, Bruce Miller, Jesse Rawson, William Rogoff, Jack Runkles,and Frederick Westin.
My encounters with Jim Duffey were virtually non-existent. One memory, though, remains vividly in my mind. In the spring of 1963, when we were in 6th grade, Lefty Johnson had visitation day for the 6th-graders who would be 7th-graders the next school year. He wanted us to get a sense of what Jr. High would be like as we changed classrooms every hour. A 7th-grader would escort about six students as they would follow a brief schedule in a typical day of 7th grade. We would spend perhaps 5-10 minutes in each class. Jim Duffey was one of the chaperones the afternoon our class visited. When we were in Mr. Kabrud's geography class, the topic had something to do with the Soviet Union. Mr. Kabrud said that the word "Soviet" could be pronounced either of two ways: Soe-vee-et or Sah-vee-et. Jim asked Mr. Kabrud which one he preferred. I think the answer was the former.
Does anyone know where Jim Duffey is now. It would not be surprising if he has a Ph.D in some engineering field, and he is either a research scientist or a professor at a university somewhere. Why is he not pictured in the 1968 annual? Did he graduate early? If anyone has any information, don't hesitate to let the rest of us know.
The Argus_Leader reported today, Dec. 6, 2014, that a new poet laureate had been selected, and she has ties to Brookings. (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/12/04/nea-grant-gives-sd-poet-greatest-gift-time-write/19899785/) Her father is James Duffey, who was a year ahead of us in school. He is not pictured, though, in the 1968 yearbook. Does anyone know why not? From all indications, he was a brilliant student. As a junior, he was in the National Honor Society, and was an award-winning member of Kinetic Club and JETS (Junior Engineers Technical Society). Both of these clubs were under the guidance of Mr. Karnes. At the 1967 South Dakota Science Fair, Jim's project entitled "A Multi-Band Phased Vertical Array for the Amateur Radio Bands" earned him a two week Navy Cruise and the Bell Award. The minutes of the 53rd annual meeting of the South Dakota Academy of Science for the following year 1968 (http://www.sdaos.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Vol%2047%201968/68MIN.pdf) state that "Mr. Guy Karnes reported on the Bell telephone Award awarded last year to Jim Duffey, a junior at Brookings High School. This was the first year for the award in this area. The 1967 minutes authorized three students and three instructors to go on the trip. The president noted that the new Junior Academy members should look into the possibilities for continued aspects for next year. Mr. Marvin Hanson of Huron College has the details for the present plans for this award. Next year there will be three competitions in Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City. This would not be connected to the Academy. The following year the next three larger schools would enter competitors for the award with other high schools furnishing competitors for the award in future years."
The minutes of the meeting stated that "The trip was most enjoyable, and both Mr. Duffey and Mr. Karnes report that they had never received such "red carpet" treatment. They were picked up at their homes by a Northwest Bell car and taken to the Sioux Falls Airport where they were seen off by Northwest Bell officials...They flew by jet to New York...Following a luncheon on May 15, they were taken by bus to the Research Laboratories at Murray Hill, New Jersey."
Jim himself had this to say: "The trip to Murray Hill Research laboratories was most enlightening and very educational. The particular research visit was tailored to each boy's individual interest. I was interested in electronics. Among the research facilities I visited were those dealing with the development of semiconductor material, evolutions of various telephones, and computerized speech. One of the most interesting parts of the Murray Hill visit was the dinner with a number of research scientists, some of whom we had heard speak earlier. Here we had the opportunity to visit with these men and ask questions. The trip was most interesting, and I sincerely hope the Bell Telephone Company continues this program so that many other boys may have the opportunity to visit the Murray Hill Laboratories."
James, however, was not the only Brookings High student to make an appearance at the Science Fair that year. Randy Christensen and Ron Haverman received a $25 AAAS award for their project Studies of Electric Fields of Force"; Jan Roberts received a merit award for his project "pH Relationships of Chemical Complexes; Dan Lutter entered his project "Ultra-Sensitive Microphone Using an Insulated Gate Transistor." Dan was also nominated for the presidency of the Academy.
What is interesting is that the 1967 meeting was held in the Christy Ballroom on the campus of SDSU, and was welcomed by President Briggs, father of Janice of our class. Also noteworthy is that the Junior Academy of Science held its banquet at the First Methodist Church at 6:30 on April 28. Mr. Karnes was given a "large cake...in appreciation for the work he did for the Junior Academy."
Also notable were the names of the many professors associated with the Academy, some of whom were parents of our classmates. Some of these professors may have been our teachers if we attended SDSU. Do any of these names ring a bell? Walt Morgan (he was also selected President for the upcoming year), Elmer Johnson, Gerald Myers, Paul Springer, H. M. Briggs, Bernard Brandwein, Robert Dahlgren, Bill Wadsworth, Keith Morrill, Duane Acker, Glenn Alcott( we had a Mrs. Alcott for 7th Grade English--any connection?), Orville Bentley, B. L. Brage, Charles Carlson, Art Dracy, Hans Graetzer, Al and Yvonne Greichus, Andrew Halverson, Emil Hargett, David Holden, H. L. Hutcheson, Les Kamstra, Paul Koepsell, Ray Linder, Bill Lytle, Melvin Manning, Don McRoberts, Paul Middaugh, Ray Moore, Floyd Parker, Don Progulske, M. Roller, R. J. Wahlstrom and V. S. Webster. Surprisingly, Jim Duffey's father, George, is not a member. Had he retired by then? New members for the next year included Henry Gehrke, Jr., Bob Kieckhefer, Chuck McMullen, and Jim Worman.
There is also a mention of the passing away of lifetime member C. M. Groethe of Sacramento, CA. Would this be any relation to the Groethes that we would know? In addition to Kathy in our class, there was a Carol Groethe when we were in grade school. anyone remember her? She may have moved away after 4th grade. Did she live near Pioneer Park?
One of the high school teachers listed is Jim Martin of Belle Fourche (we defeated them in the semifinals of the State "A" basketball tournament our senior year 69-58). He would move to Brookings later that summer to replace Mr. Karnes and Mr. Friend as Chemistry teacher. He retired in the late 80's and still lives in Brookings.
The members of the Academy from BHS in 1967 were Randy Christensen, Dale Coulter, Doug Dahl, Jim Duffey, John Finn, Dennis and Tom Fox, Ron Haverman, Mary Ellen Josephson, Jan Roberts, and Stan Skubic. From Todd County there is a Rebecca Tlustos. Mr. Tlustos, the wrestling coach our senior year, actually does have a daughter Rebecca, but she graduated from Brookings in the 80's.
In 1968, senior Gregg McCarty appears to be the only BHS member of the Academy. His presentation, which was delivered at the Huron Arena, was entitled "A Study of Four-Substitute Pyridine N-Oxide Complexes with Zinc." Dennis Fox, another senior, also had a presentation on "Dependence of Viscosity on Temperature." Gregg must have been rather busy his senior year. He was also on the debate that was runner-up in the state tournament. The team placed first at Fargo, SF Lincoln, USD, Watertown, Yankton, Morningside (Sioux City), Big 10 (Brookings), and Divisional (Huron). They were runners-up at Augustana, NFL (Aberdeen), and State. Also on that team were Dave Pearson, Phil Kohl, and John Richards. It appears that some competitions allowed for more than four debaters. Pictured in the annual as champions at the Morningside Debate Tournament are Patty Hauschild and Karen Shaw, along with the four boys and Mr. Klassen. Well done, folks.
While searching out the above information, another surprising website appeared (http://sigmaxi.sdstate.org/about1.htm). In addition to those professors named above, some familiar names may be Harold Bailey, George Buntley, Paul Collins, Chris Dinkel, George Duffey, Harold Froslie, William Gamble, Raymond Kinch, Bruce Miller, Jesse Rawson, William Rogoff, Jack Runkles,and Frederick Westin.
My encounters with Jim Duffey were virtually non-existent. One memory, though, remains vividly in my mind. In the spring of 1963, when we were in 6th grade, Lefty Johnson had visitation day for the 6th-graders who would be 7th-graders the next school year. He wanted us to get a sense of what Jr. High would be like as we changed classrooms every hour. A 7th-grader would escort about six students as they would follow a brief schedule in a typical day of 7th grade. We would spend perhaps 5-10 minutes in each class. Jim Duffey was one of the chaperones the afternoon our class visited. When we were in Mr. Kabrud's geography class, the topic had something to do with the Soviet Union. Mr. Kabrud said that the word "Soviet" could be pronounced either of two ways: Soe-vee-et or Sah-vee-et. Jim asked Mr. Kabrud which one he preferred. I think the answer was the former.
Does anyone know where Jim Duffey is now. It would not be surprising if he has a Ph.D in some engineering field, and he is either a research scientist or a professor at a university somewhere. Why is he not pictured in the 1968 annual? Did he graduate early? If anyone has any information, don't hesitate to let the rest of us know.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
80 Years Ago
In 1934, the population of Brookings would have been about 4,700 or so (The census for 1930 was 4,376, and for 1940 it was 5,346, an increase of 22.2%). Statewide, though, the population decreased 7.2% during that same time, from 692,849 to 642,961. Among the 4,700 residents of Brookings were 130 students entering their senior year at BHS. What might the student population at the college have been? My meager computer skills were unable to find that figure, but would a good guess be around 500 to 600?
The statewide decrease in population can be attributed to the weather, the dirty 30's, that so many likely heard about as we were growing up (http://truedakotan.com/photos/true-dakotan-photo-gallery/the-worst-day-of-the-dirty-thirties/). As juniors, we read about the plight of the Joad family as they left Oklahoma in search of a better life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath).
The 1934-35 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228488?page=0) followed the same format as previous years. The classes that were taught by the staff of 20 teachers were English, French, music, ag, home ec, science, geometry, Latin, PE, math, history, commercial, and manual training. On the school board were some prominent citizens of their day who left their mark on the community. Mr. Bibby was the president, while two of the other five members were Mr. Bartling and Mr. Doner. Mr. Bibby had the dairy, Mr. Bartling was associated with the furniture store and funeral home, while Mr. Doner was a key figure on campus. The Doner Auditorium in the Administration Building was named in his honor.
The seniors that may have some connections to those in our class might be Marien Alexander, Avis Bortnem, Robert Lee, William Prussman, Clarice Sterud, Boyd Vick. A few other seniors who piqued my interest were the three Houglands: Euneva, Geneva, and Gladys. There was a Hougland family that was a neighbor of ours for a number of years. Mrs. Hougland had been a one-room country school teacher, and when consolidation took place in the early 60's, she taught at Central for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hougland have passed away, and the house is now being restored to its original condition by the Fishback family. There is also listed a Hazel Norton. Might this be a sister of Bob Norton, who worked many years in the clothing business, as did "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's dad (more on him later)? He definitely worked at Fergen's, and may also have been employed at Quail's and Wilson's. There was also a Ruby Pickett. Roger Pickett was employed at the Post Office for a number of years. Would there be some kinship between those two?
The next Bobcat annual listed on this website (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192?startYear=1965&endYear=1969&type=DisplayChannel&cp=aff&s=80481&a_tid=79648&communityId=9192&hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1416941831688) is for the year 1939. Some juniors listed in the 1935 Bobcat that may be known to us are Harvey Behrend, Vernon Rude, Omar Otterness, Vivian Ray, Ernest Steen.
One of Harvey's sons Phil was a year ahead of us in school. Another son John graduated in 1967. Was their older sister Janet, who graduated in 1965? Vernon Rude is from the Rude family having the furniture store and funeral home. If memory serves correctly, he was also the country coroner for a number of years. Vivian Ray's father owned Ray's Drugstore. She, too, became a pharmacist I believe. She married Walt Distad, and was the mother of Linda (class of '66) and Rod (class of '70).
Mentioned in a previous post were three, and perhaps four, members of the sophomore class of 1935 who were parents of our classmates. Others who may be of interest are Orville Berkland, Elizabeth Bibby, Arnold deBlonk, John Durland, Kenneth Linn, Doug and James Rosheim, Dorothy Sexauer, Erwin Steen, Judith Vick, Lorran Sterud, and Wayne Waltz. Missing from the sophomore class are Naiem Bozied, father of Tom, and Elsie Clark, father of Emmett Earley, Jr.
Is Arnold deBlonk the father of Arnie deBlonk who was a year ahead of us in school? He was also in our Cub Scout troop when we were in grade school.
Does anybody remember Mike and Pat Durland? Mike was in our class, while Pat was a year ahead of us. The lived on a farm south of town, and moved (to Idaho?) around 1966. Did the building of Interstate 29 take away a good portion of their farmland, causing them to move elsewhere? In a book on the history of the Catholic Church in Brookings, Jack McClemans, father of Mike (who was also in our Cub Scout troop and a year ahead of us in school), notes that on Sunday afternoons, the priest, Fr. Dooley, would ride his horse and buggy "to the Floyd Durland farm where he spent the night and said Mass and heard confessions on Monday morning...On Monday afternoon, he continued east to my great-grandmother's home, known as the O'Brien homestead. He spent Monday night with them...On Tuesday he headed north toward Aurora...By the middle of the week, his journey would lead him back to Brookings." Mike and Pat were in our catechism classes at church, and their uncle Bob was in the ag engineering department on campus. Bob played football in the early 50's on some fine Jackrabbit teams. There used to be an alumni football game to start the season; Bob played until he was perhaps 35.
Wayne Waltz would later become the owner of Waltz Construction (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=385180) . They have done a number of large projects in Brookings.
Was Kenneth Linn the father of Stew? Was Judith Vick the aunt of Patty? Were the Rosheim boys related to the Rosheim triplets (Joe, Mark, and Myron) who were a couple of years behind us in school?
The freshmen that year that may have some connections to our class include Betty and David Alexander, Art Behrend, Meryl Beals, Albert Bortnem, Morrell Connelly, James Finn, June Grommersch, Ray Horn, Mildred Moad, Duane Rude, Delmer Pittenger, Leon Steen, and Grace Wilber.
Art Behrend was the wife of Barb Behrend. She was the secretary for "Lefty" Johnson for a number of years. Their children were Patsy, Tom, Don, and Rob. Robb was quite a bit younger, graduating around 1980, while the others graduated in the early to mid 60's.
Does anybody remember Clara Beals? She lived in a big old house on 6th Street, a couple of blocks west of the swimming pool. It wasn't the prettiest house around; we may have even thought it was haunted when we were younger. Would Meryl Beals any relation?
James Finn (http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3136&page=80) was the father of Jim, John (http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WISTCROI/2002-09/1031001687), Mary, Dan, and Patti. Jim and John were a couple of years older than we were. Patti graduated in 1980, and became one of the outstanding athletes ever at BHS. She was on some state championship track and field teams, set a number of records in track and field, some of which still stand today, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. James' wife Marion (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16363&page=80) was one of our catechism teachers (8th grade?) at church.
Morrell Connelly, better known as "Buck", is the father of Robyn. His father was the chief of police in Brookings for a number of years. Buck served his country admirably in WWII, and was richly rewarded for his bravery (http://en.ww2awards.com/person/38625).
June Grommersch, I believe, married Clyde Helsper, and is the mother of Rich Helsper of the BHS class of 1970. Didn't Mrs. Helsper play the organ at the Catholic Church for a number of years?
Ray Horn (http://www.millerfh.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=780132) was the husband of Jeannette Horn, who taught sophomore English at BHS for about 20 years, from the early 60's to the early 80's (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2014/11/crazy-lady-day-at-bhs.html#comment-form).
One rather striking athletic fact is that the football team played the "State" frosh, only losing 21-6. Bobcat Day that year was on Saturday, Oct. 13, with the football game taking place at 3:00 at State Field. After the game, which Flandreau Indians won by a score of 13-7, the Bobcat Day Banquet was held in the basement of the Methodist Church. In attendance were the Flandreau football team, coach, and principal, as well as BHS students, teachers, and alumni.
Some of the track and field records would still be competitive in many meets today. Perhaps the most amazing one is the football throw of 196' 6". That's over 65 yards! It was interesting, too, that intramural track and field was required for sophomores and freshmen. When we were sophomores, the 1967 Bobcat had this little item on the varsity track team: "Is compulsory track the thing for Brookings High School? We did beat Volga and Clear Lake in a triangular meet but then again we were beaten by Madison and we failed to do well at the Madison Invitational. Bob Adams set a record in the low hurdles, and Alan C. Parker set one in the 2 mile run, probably because this was the first year for this event. Bob Adams and Jay Leibel qualified for the State Meet and both placed. Adams took fourth in the low hurdles and Leibel took fifth in the high jump."
The statewide decrease in population can be attributed to the weather, the dirty 30's, that so many likely heard about as we were growing up (http://truedakotan.com/photos/true-dakotan-photo-gallery/the-worst-day-of-the-dirty-thirties/). As juniors, we read about the plight of the Joad family as they left Oklahoma in search of a better life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath).
The 1934-35 Bobcat (http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Brookings-High-School/228488?page=0) followed the same format as previous years. The classes that were taught by the staff of 20 teachers were English, French, music, ag, home ec, science, geometry, Latin, PE, math, history, commercial, and manual training. On the school board were some prominent citizens of their day who left their mark on the community. Mr. Bibby was the president, while two of the other five members were Mr. Bartling and Mr. Doner. Mr. Bibby had the dairy, Mr. Bartling was associated with the furniture store and funeral home, while Mr. Doner was a key figure on campus. The Doner Auditorium in the Administration Building was named in his honor.
The seniors that may have some connections to those in our class might be Marien Alexander, Avis Bortnem, Robert Lee, William Prussman, Clarice Sterud, Boyd Vick. A few other seniors who piqued my interest were the three Houglands: Euneva, Geneva, and Gladys. There was a Hougland family that was a neighbor of ours for a number of years. Mrs. Hougland had been a one-room country school teacher, and when consolidation took place in the early 60's, she taught at Central for a number of years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hougland have passed away, and the house is now being restored to its original condition by the Fishback family. There is also listed a Hazel Norton. Might this be a sister of Bob Norton, who worked many years in the clothing business, as did "Buck" Connelly, Robyn's dad (more on him later)? He definitely worked at Fergen's, and may also have been employed at Quail's and Wilson's. There was also a Ruby Pickett. Roger Pickett was employed at the Post Office for a number of years. Would there be some kinship between those two?
The next Bobcat annual listed on this website (http://www.classmates.com/places/school/Brookings-High-School/9192?startYear=1965&endYear=1969&type=DisplayChannel&cp=aff&s=80481&a_tid=79648&communityId=9192&hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1416941831688) is for the year 1939. Some juniors listed in the 1935 Bobcat that may be known to us are Harvey Behrend, Vernon Rude, Omar Otterness, Vivian Ray, Ernest Steen.
One of Harvey's sons Phil was a year ahead of us in school. Another son John graduated in 1967. Was their older sister Janet, who graduated in 1965? Vernon Rude is from the Rude family having the furniture store and funeral home. If memory serves correctly, he was also the country coroner for a number of years. Vivian Ray's father owned Ray's Drugstore. She, too, became a pharmacist I believe. She married Walt Distad, and was the mother of Linda (class of '66) and Rod (class of '70).
Mentioned in a previous post were three, and perhaps four, members of the sophomore class of 1935 who were parents of our classmates. Others who may be of interest are Orville Berkland, Elizabeth Bibby, Arnold deBlonk, John Durland, Kenneth Linn, Doug and James Rosheim, Dorothy Sexauer, Erwin Steen, Judith Vick, Lorran Sterud, and Wayne Waltz. Missing from the sophomore class are Naiem Bozied, father of Tom, and Elsie Clark, father of Emmett Earley, Jr.
Is Arnold deBlonk the father of Arnie deBlonk who was a year ahead of us in school? He was also in our Cub Scout troop when we were in grade school.
Does anybody remember Mike and Pat Durland? Mike was in our class, while Pat was a year ahead of us. The lived on a farm south of town, and moved (to Idaho?) around 1966. Did the building of Interstate 29 take away a good portion of their farmland, causing them to move elsewhere? In a book on the history of the Catholic Church in Brookings, Jack McClemans, father of Mike (who was also in our Cub Scout troop and a year ahead of us in school), notes that on Sunday afternoons, the priest, Fr. Dooley, would ride his horse and buggy "to the Floyd Durland farm where he spent the night and said Mass and heard confessions on Monday morning...On Monday afternoon, he continued east to my great-grandmother's home, known as the O'Brien homestead. He spent Monday night with them...On Tuesday he headed north toward Aurora...By the middle of the week, his journey would lead him back to Brookings." Mike and Pat were in our catechism classes at church, and their uncle Bob was in the ag engineering department on campus. Bob played football in the early 50's on some fine Jackrabbit teams. There used to be an alumni football game to start the season; Bob played until he was perhaps 35.
Wayne Waltz would later become the owner of Waltz Construction (http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=385180) . They have done a number of large projects in Brookings.
Was Kenneth Linn the father of Stew? Was Judith Vick the aunt of Patty? Were the Rosheim boys related to the Rosheim triplets (Joe, Mark, and Myron) who were a couple of years behind us in school?
The freshmen that year that may have some connections to our class include Betty and David Alexander, Art Behrend, Meryl Beals, Albert Bortnem, Morrell Connelly, James Finn, June Grommersch, Ray Horn, Mildred Moad, Duane Rude, Delmer Pittenger, Leon Steen, and Grace Wilber.
Art Behrend was the wife of Barb Behrend. She was the secretary for "Lefty" Johnson for a number of years. Their children were Patsy, Tom, Don, and Rob. Robb was quite a bit younger, graduating around 1980, while the others graduated in the early to mid 60's.
Does anybody remember Clara Beals? She lived in a big old house on 6th Street, a couple of blocks west of the swimming pool. It wasn't the prettiest house around; we may have even thought it was haunted when we were younger. Would Meryl Beals any relation?
James Finn (http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=3136&page=80) was the father of Jim, John (http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WISTCROI/2002-09/1031001687), Mary, Dan, and Patti. Jim and John were a couple of years older than we were. Patti graduated in 1980, and became one of the outstanding athletes ever at BHS. She was on some state championship track and field teams, set a number of records in track and field, some of which still stand today, and is a member of the BHS Hall of Fame. James' wife Marion (http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=16363&page=80) was one of our catechism teachers (8th grade?) at church.
Morrell Connelly, better known as "Buck", is the father of Robyn. His father was the chief of police in Brookings for a number of years. Buck served his country admirably in WWII, and was richly rewarded for his bravery (http://en.ww2awards.com/person/38625).
June Grommersch, I believe, married Clyde Helsper, and is the mother of Rich Helsper of the BHS class of 1970. Didn't Mrs. Helsper play the organ at the Catholic Church for a number of years?
Ray Horn (http://www.millerfh.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=780132) was the husband of Jeannette Horn, who taught sophomore English at BHS for about 20 years, from the early 60's to the early 80's (http://classof69bhs.blogspot.com/2014/11/crazy-lady-day-at-bhs.html#comment-form).
One rather striking athletic fact is that the football team played the "State" frosh, only losing 21-6. Bobcat Day that year was on Saturday, Oct. 13, with the football game taking place at 3:00 at State Field. After the game, which Flandreau Indians won by a score of 13-7, the Bobcat Day Banquet was held in the basement of the Methodist Church. In attendance were the Flandreau football team, coach, and principal, as well as BHS students, teachers, and alumni.
Some of the track and field records would still be competitive in many meets today. Perhaps the most amazing one is the football throw of 196' 6". That's over 65 yards! It was interesting, too, that intramural track and field was required for sophomores and freshmen. When we were sophomores, the 1967 Bobcat had this little item on the varsity track team: "Is compulsory track the thing for Brookings High School? We did beat Volga and Clear Lake in a triangular meet but then again we were beaten by Madison and we failed to do well at the Madison Invitational. Bob Adams set a record in the low hurdles, and Alan C. Parker set one in the 2 mile run, probably because this was the first year for this event. Bob Adams and Jay Leibel qualified for the State Meet and both placed. Adams took fourth in the low hurdles and Leibel took fifth in the high jump."
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