Teenage Scrapbook Images 1952-53 8th Grade-Part 5

 

Teenage Scrapbook Images 1952-53 

8th Grade-Part 5

The cover of the booklet we each got for our 8th grade graduation

There was a page with the Class Motto, Flower, Colors, and Class Officers - very much like my Dad’s eighth grade program 28 years earlier…

The Class Roll.        [Click on image to get a larger image.]

 

The program from graduation, slightly abbreviated, came next . It lists who read which thing at the time.

After Larry did the Welcome, it appears I read the Class History next, after the snare drum solo by Jon. This is my copy showing where we found errors in the mimeographed sheets, so that I could read it correctly. The one in the Booklet was uncorrected... ;-)

After the Girl’s Sextet sang, Larry read the Class Will, followed by the Boy’s Chorus.

Doug read the Class Prophecy…

There was a page, a handwritten poem, of “our song” sung to the tune of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Signatures in upper left of first sheet are teachers...
The last two pages had all of our signatures, and notes from a few! ;-)

See you down the road...  ;-)

 

Teenage Scrapbook Images 1952-53 8th Grade-Part 4

 

Teenage Scrapbook Images 1952-53 

8th Grade-Part 4

Yes, in the fall of 1952 I won/earned a stuffed elephant, but not a Steiff like in this photo. It was about this size, I still have it in a box somewhere… it was for selling magazines for Curtis Circulation during the Presidential campaign… top salespersons in Practical Sales Week had choice of Donkey or Elephant. Since I was supporting Gen. Eisenhower, I chose an Elephant. We did see the man who would become President later on at a whistle stop in Perry, as I recall. My elephant was not this fancy!! ;-)

 

When I first saw this certificate in the scrapbook, I thought it was the eighth grade diploma… no, just the achievement award for good sales….. but…

The Diploma was there… earned at the end of the year.

Here is the graduation program cover, and the cover of a congratulatory card I got from my Aunt Irene, Dad’s sister. Much appreciated.

The interior of the card, with signature.

The interior of the program with the list of events and all the class members.

Next time I will share the Red Cover Booklet we all made for each of us. It has the History, Will, Prophesy, etc. and more…


See you down the road… ;-)

Teenage Photos 1952-53 8th Grade-Part 3

 

Teenage Photos 1952-53 

8th Grade-Part 3

Continuing b&w photos from Scrapbook…

Nancy Bolger by the west Gym door.

Marcia Textor walking across the street - sometimes photos were fuzzy… darn!

Merlyn Seastrom and Janice Turner by the west Gym door.

Teacher Ms. Pat Kennedy and classmate Marcia Textor in the classroom at teacher's desk.

Teachers Mrs. Patrick and Ms. Pat Kennedy walking up the sidewalk to school. 

This concludes the b&w photos in the scrapbook. More Scrapbook contents on 8th Grade to follow, next Tuesday, in part 4.

See you down the road...  ;-)

Teenage Photos 1952-53 8th Grade-Part 2

 

Teenage Photos 1952-53 

8th Grade-Part 2

Scrapbook from Eighth Grade and High School
Source of photos and memorabilia in next several posts

The rest of these b&w photos were in the scrapbook - l0 in all, 5 here, 5 next time…
Random order…

Bunch of older guys by the west Gym door…
Three Seniors on left: Don Roberts, Jerry Simon, Bob Bolger. Two Freshmen on right: Gary Hilgenberg, Merlyn Seastrom

The rest of my 8th grade classroom… earlier photo had me at far right, last desk.

Here are: Marilyn Peterson, Jerry Scott, Ramona Palmer, Doug Drake up front. Behind him is Jon Crisman. Nancy Bolger just beyond Jon's head, Gary Hoover, far right, Larry Turner's back between Jon and Gary, it appears. Charlotte Shirbroun is behind and to left of Nancy. Gerald Palmer far back on right, between Larry and Gary.

Cousin Gary HIlgenberg by the west Gym door.

Jon Crisman (in front) and cousin Dennis Ford crossing street toward that West Gym door, from playground area.

Juanita Pierce and Nancy Bolger (in back) also along west side of schoolhouse.


…to be continued on Thursday…


See you down the road…  ;-)

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase…“run into town”

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase…“run into town”
 

This thought ran through my mind, and then, I thought of the Bill Holland, aka billybuc, Writing Challenge to ‘write about your childhood.’ My problem was, I have (In my mind, anyway) almost no recollections of my childhood, except those prompted by photos… and there are not a whole lot of them, to tell the truth. Now, if childhood includes High School, then, there are quite a few more memories. I’ll let that mull a bit, as I consider the phrase, ‘run into town.’

My use of the term “run into town” was in the context of needing to pick up a prescription from Walgreens in South Town Center of Hollister, about 5 miles away, with no other reason to go out. By the way, ‘run’ implies drive the car, not literally run… for you purists out there! ;-)

I have better photos of me and the 49 Chevy, but this is what popped up when asked; kind of liked the end of the slide film effect!! ;-)

I have become increasingly aware of phases used throughout a long life that make little real sense standing alone to be analyzed but seem perfectly logical in context, in conversation. Larry used one last week that was new to me, but perfectly meaningful to him, since he had heard it his entire life. He put a rock behind the camper so it would not roll away, he ‘scotched it’ he said. I had never heard the term, but he had… We always called the accelerator pedal in the car a ‘foot feet’ - now, where did that come from???

From 1942 to 1957 I lived on my Mom and Dad’s farm that was four miles east and three miles north of Coon Rapids, Iowa (“town”). From 1942 to 1952, while the school I attended, Willow #3, was open, I had thought that going into town was mostly a Saturday night grocery shopping and social evening. However, in reviewing the diaries my Mom kept (from 1932 to 1999) I got a very different impression. My Mom was a town girl, a Coon Rapids girl. Her mother and father lived in Coon Rapids. The rental farms my Mom and Dad, Eileen and Pete, lived on were closer to town by about half. It turns out from reading the diaries, there was a constant back and forth among them throughout. “I’m going to ‘run into town’” happened with great frequency, not just when needing a part or some grocery item. Often I was carted along, outside of school times, into town and dropped off at grandma’s house… much more than I would have guessed.

This just confirms my lack of memory of those early years. Once schools consolidated and I went to town for eighth grade, I remember these things occurring regularly. Both Mom and Dad were active in school board business, in the rural district and in the consolidation. Dad was President of the Coon Rapids School Board the year I graduated, in May 1957, and handed me by diploma. I do have many memories of those last five years in town school. I’ll have to be selective at that point if I write something about the time.

With these caveats in mind, I think I can respond to the challenge from Bill Holland, aka billybuc, to write a HubPages article: Childhood - a Memoir - Response to a Challenge. I am certainly going to give it a try. I’ll come back and post the link here, if I do! ;-)

See you down the road… ;-)

55th H.S. Class of 1957 Reunion - Coon Rapids, Iowa

55th H.S. Class of 1957 Reunion

Coon Rapids, Iowa

On Sep 7-8-9 Nancy and I were in Iowa to attend our 55th High School Class of 1957 Reunion - we were in the same class together, of course. I didn't take as many photos as I sometimes do, so some of them aren't as good as I sometime get, but these I have are pretty neat!

[For reference, our Class of 1957 on the Alumni Wiki;  An earlier relevant web page]

Probably the biggest surprise, for us, was getting to meet the daughter of our good friend in High School, Marcia Textor, who died in a car crash in 1972 (her obituary is as the end of the 2nd link, above), when her daughter, Melinda, was 2 years old.

Here are Nancy and Melinda early in the evening. Later, they had a chance to really exchange memories of Marcia.

 Melinda came to our reunion with Marcia's sister, Sue Textor Carl. It was really neat to talk to her, as well. [She was in my brother Jim's class; they had their 50th reunion the prior weekend!]

Here Sue is talking to Andy Kretzinger.

When the class members lined up for a class picture, Melinda was kind enough to take some on my camera. Here were the four that came out best - we each had trouble standing still all at the same time!  ;-)

Photo 4

From left: Marilyn Anderson Taylor; Madelyn Kraft Forehand; Bill Nye; Ruth Anderson Jensen; Andy Kretzinger; Dennis Ford; Doug Drake; Bill Smith; Dick Whitefield; Gary Hoover; Nancy Bolger Smith; Jerry Scott; Larry Turner; Alice Christy Williams, Gerald Palmer

Photo 3

Photo 2

Photo 1

There were several other visitors from other classes ('55-'60 or so) - here are a couple of those, I didn't get them all...

Bob Whitten ('59) with Gary Hoover:

Peggy Troutman and her husband with Bill Nye, on right.

Dennis, Dick and Nancy just after the class photos were taken... before dinner...

About the same time, Larry Turner and Alice Christy Williams. Alice was good enough to coordinate the reunion (Ruth helped her, arranging the caterer, among other things). Alice had a short program after dinner.

Here are Marilyn and Nancy

During the program, Dennis Ford got a 'door prize' for being the oldest (no photo); Jerry Scott won for both the 'youngest' and for traveling the furthest this time - thus, the 'pacifier' and the 'motorcyle.'

Andy Kretzinger, and his wife, Kathy (left), received the 'rabbit' stuffed animal for having the most combined children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

This part of the reunion in these photos was on Saturday evening, at the Country Club at the Coon Rapids Golf Course. On Friday night, some of us gathered for supper at the Coon Bowl III (no photos). On Sunday, another mix of folks were invited to Lake Panorama for brunch and a boat ride (we came home).

If others have posted photos, I hope they will leave a link in the comments!  ;-)

A good time had by all!  ;-) See you all, and more, we hope, in five years!  ;-)