This is a Blog site created by Bob Reed (in Florida) for folks who live--or used to live--in Marcus, Iowa. Its purpose is to exchange notes, news, remembrances, and thoughts about life in and about Marcus, or news about one's family, friends or acquaintances.
Monday, May 02, 2005
May 2005 Discussion
This discussion thread is now closed....feel free to browse but go to the current discussion thread to pick up the conversation.
As many of you may realize, the History Channel is saluting VE week. I thought it might be a nice touch to recall VE Day, as it affected Marcus. As a fifteen year old, I remember the news about Germany's surrender being hailed with great joy in our fair home town. EVERYONE, except the Marcus Volunteer Fire Department, thought a fitting form of celebration would be to build a bonfire in the main intersection downtown. Cardboard boxes, wood crates, paper, anything of a combustible nature, were piled high in the intersection and set afire. The Fire Department, fearing the fire would buckle the cement took quick action, unleashing the fun killing talent of a large fire hose. Not to be easily deterred, the revelers discovered a cache of rotten tomatoes behind one of the grocery stores [ yes, there was more than one grocery outlet]. There ensued a battle, not so royal, between the tomato bandits and the firemen. Suffice it to say, the water is mightier than the tomato. When the smoke had literally cleared; everyone wandered aimlessly in a state complete awe. The war was partially over. I additionally thought it might be a nice touch if, after sixty years, someone reading this blog spot might get access to the American Legion records in Marcus and post the names of the Marcus lads killed in action, wounded in action and taken prisoner of war during World War II, so that their memory might redefine the character of the young men and women of Marcus who found fit to risk their future for the benefit of our Nation. Earl Rae
Many folks cite “Mr B” (now at Buena Vista) as the best high school music teacher in the history of Marcus. Probably so. But there was an earlier fella that was—in my opinion-an equally outstanding teacher.
While Jerry Bertrand was superb in instrumental music, our “Mr B” excelled in vocal music. So I can’t resist chiming in with Margaret Dorr and Earl Rae and Don Peters in remarking about our high school quartet and the outstanding career of Elmer Bjornstead and his impact on the students of our era in Marcus.
Our “Mr B” was the sole music teacher at our small MHS in the late ‘30s and early ’40s. (We seldom had more than 100 students). He began to teach Earl and me trombone, Don the clarinet, and Billy McDaniels, the baritone horn while we were in junior high.
Mr. Bjornstead (a short, slim, good-looking Scandinavian) was a recent graduate of St Olaf College and its famed music school and choirs. He married a local girl, left for service in the Navy during WW II, and returned after the war.
Earl, Don, Billy, and I had been the high school quartet during my freshman year in 1945 under a teacher by the name of Rudd. As Earl noted, I sang second (lead) tenor. When Bjornstead returned in 1946, he listened to us once and then had Billy switch and sing second tenor and put me in the baritone part. Don continued to sing bass with his wonderfully deep voice and Earl (“The Joker”) soared above us with his beautiful high tenor. The new blend was remarkable!
We sang spirituals, pop tunes, barbershop, sacred songs, and novelty numbers all over northwest Iowa. We appeared as the Marcus Co-op Elevator Quartet, the Methodist Church Quartet, the American Legion Quartet—assuming the sponsorship of any group who wanted to associate with us or call us their own. We sang for the Barbershop Chapter in Sioux City and warbled in Storm Lake, Spirit Lake, Cherokee, and even in far-off Des Moines, as well as at lotsa’ functions in Marcus.
We took the only firsts in the district and state high school music contests in 1947, competing against 34 other quartets. We had a great blend.
And we did cut a record. Don once said he had it somewhere. I’d be afraid to listen to it now, for I’m sure the memories of our sound are better than we actually sounded. And recordings weren’t too good in those days.
We sang a cappella. Bjornstead was passionate about encouraging singing with no piano or other accompaniment. He believed in pure voices blending in succulent harmony without the props of instrumental help. He also used this classic St. Olaf technique in his Marcus large groups—the Boys and Girls Glee Clubs and Mixed Chorus—and with the Girls Trio and Girls Sextet.
Bjornstead got more than 50 percent of our little student body involved in his band and vocal program. He taught small-town/farm kids who didn’t sing, how to sing. Like all good teachers, he paid particular attention to the less skilled among us. Many were patiently taught to read music—“when the notes go up, you go up.” This wonderful achievement stays with young people for the rest of their lives.
And our “Mr B” taught us the delight of singing with verve, using crisp diction while attending to changing dynamics. He made us sing in tune—his thumbs-up always at the ready when we started to flat. And he taught us to love the songs we sang and to sing with joy!
Not surprisingly, the MHS vocal music groups in the years between 1946 and 1949 won dozens of other firsts at district and state contests. In the large-group competitions, “Mr. B” would give us a quiet pep talk before we went on-stage and, fired up, we knocked the judges dead! We wanted to live up to his expectations!
The written evaluations from the judges were laudatory—“Outstanding!” “Incredible music!” “Superb!” We used to joke that if he were our football coach we’d have been undefeated. He was an inspiring leader!
In nearly all the contests, the MHS large groups were the only ones to receive the top rating. We were so far above the rest of the aggregations that we raised the bar in the competitions and felt we had failed when we shared a first with another school on two occasions.
The competition was heavy. According to my old copies of the school newspaper (The Eaglet) the MHS large groups were up against as many as 46 other schools in some district contests and more than 20 in the state contests. We beat ’em all—mostly!
The Boys Glee Club was particularly successful. With only 22 members, we took the only firsts in both district and state competitions (against more than 30 other glee clubs) in all three years of Mr. Bjornstead’s tenure. The judges praised our enthusiasm!
They made some changes in the contest rules in 1948, which limited the Mixed Chorus to 40 members. “Mr. B” was distraught over having to make some cuts in the group for the contests. But everyone sang at the winter and spring concerts in Marcus.
His success was, of course, noticed, and he left our town to become the head of the Vocal Department at West Des Moines—one of the largest schools in the state. We kids presented him with an engraved watch and serenaded him with an impromptu version of “Elmer’s Tune” (a pop song of the era.) at his final spring concert in 1949.
He lasted a couple of years in the big city and then he and his family moved to La Jolla, California, where they opened a music store. His wife’s parents had retired to that beautiful spot. I visited him there and he told me that the continuing battle at West between the athletic coaches and the music department for rehearsal/practice time for students who wanted to participate in both extra-curricular activities wore him out. It was no fun anymore.
His fondest memories were of his years in Marcus. He still had the watch we had given him.
At an MHS reunion of three classes from that period a few years ago, the 125 folks present voted for the most influential teacher they had in their high school years. It was modest Elmer Bjornstead.
He touched many lives for he was a gentle, charismatic leader and a dedicated, wonderful teacher who left a whole bunch of his students with a love of singing for the rest of their lives. Personally, he was my role model.
I wanted to be a high school music teacher like him. He made me take vocal lessons at Buena Vista, arranged for some small future scholarships at Morningside and Coe, and reluctantly supported my audition/admission to the Naval School of Music. Fate took me in another direction, but I will never forget him.
Our “Mr B” died two years ago. He is survived by their two children.
For a look at how the Boys’ Quartet and other music groups looked in those years, go to
Bob and Margaret, remember Carl Zender and Elmer were close friends. If you were involved with music you could not come out for athletic practice until you finished music rehearsal Likewise. I remember leaving the halftime huddle under the goalposts to play trombone [in football uniform] for halftime band performance. They worked very close together. I ran into Mr. Bjornstadt in a sheet music store in Des Moines when I was attending Drake. We had a long visit about Marcus. Elmer married a Hamilton [can't recall her first name] who lived across the street from us with her parents. Bob, you did forget to mention Elmer also guided our Mixed Quartet of Vera Grauer, Beth Raetz, Don Peters and myself. We won division one ratings at contest also. Everything he directed came out harmonically tuned. By the way, we were almost undefeated in football without him. earl rae
I find the entries about the music program so very interesting. It's amazing how this man's influence was felt in the generations since then because Marcus has had a long tradition of outstanding musical talent. This appreciation for music was passed down with each generation. I also fear cuts in music at schools across the country with the emphasis on testing, testing, and more testing.
When you add a comment, there is an instruction that says you can use some HTML tags. So in order to make a clickable link in a comment, you have to add some simple tags. I can't display them here, so I wrote this quick page to illustate.
Be careful though, a single misplaced quotation mark or other punctuation will screw it up.
Also, when you write a comment on the blog, there should be a button to allow you to preview your comment and see if it works like you think it will. If it doesn't work, go back and edit the comment further.
I was told that Mr. Rodriguez wrote a book about his experiences coming from Cuba to the U.S. Does anyone know the title and if it is possible to get a copy?
Dear Julie--Mr. Rodriguez did write a book about his experiences in America. I have a copy, the name is Gracias, America! It is copyrighted in 1978 and dedicated to his wife, Marta on their 38th wedding anniversary. I am happy to say that my copy is autographed, but I have no idea if copies are still available. I still correspond with his wife at Christmas time. I've been enjoying the postings on this site and many of them have brought back some great memories. I graduated with your sister Mary and I was one of those detasslers that rode in the back of a grain truck over to Storm Lake with Mary and Jean. It was awful if if rained and they put the tarp over the top. The year of 1968-69 was a great one for blizzards as well. A lot of times the boys and girls bb teams practiced together in order to have enough players to scrimmage. A few times players who lived in the country were brought to town on snow mobiles for games that winter. My dad Don Steffen, was on the local fire dept. for many years. Did anyone else out there have a fire phone in their house? Just a Little about my family. This nw Iowa girl was transplanted to se IA 33 years ago this August. We live just a hop, skip and a long jump from Iowa City in the town of Columbus Junction. Our youngest son attends Iowa (currently a jr) and lives just a few blocks east of John's Grocery if that rings a bell with any of you Iowa alums. Our daughter, lives in N. Liberty so is close as well and our oldest son lives in Grinell where he teachers in the middle school. My husband and I are both teachers in the local school system, trying to make sense of all the new federal mandates! Well, I did not mean for this to be quite this long. Thanks for setting up this sight. I've really been enjoying it! Sincerely, Marcia Steffen Pavey
Thank you so much for the interesting info, Marcia! Of couse I know who you are... your mom taught piano lessons to my sister, Nancy, and I for several years. And I truly wish I had continued the lessons. I will have to see if the Marcus Library has a copy the next time I am home. There's another great place that Marcus should be proud of: the library. I still enjoy going there when I return home, and it is especially interesting to take out a book and to look at the names on the check-out cards. I have found my name in them from years ago several times.
Arlene Bird passed away very early in the morning today---May 10. I know that many of us had BIRD family members as classmates and friends so I wanted to pass this on....funeral is suppose to be Friday FYI.
Hello, Marcus: My name is John Carlson and I'm the state columnist at the Des Moines Register. Heard about this site and think it's wonderful. I'd like to write something about it in my column. I'd especially love to hear from Bob Reed, who I understand is the founder of the site. (Please shoot me your phone number, Bob, so I can give you a call.) Also, anybody else who'd like to chat is welcome to contact me. My e-mail is: "jcarlson@dmreg.com". Phone 515-284-8204. Many thanks, and congratulations on a first-rate way to keep in contact with the home town from afar.
Welcome to Marcus "cyberspace" and thanks, John, for covering this. It's a wonderful thing Bob Reed has done for our hometown of Marcus. The present and past residents of many other Iowa towns will enjoy this as much as we all do once they find out about it.
John Carlson's very nice article about this blogspot appeared in the Register this morning (Sunday - May 15th). My brother Kurt will post it here. In the meantime you can find it on the Register's website, too. (Google "Des Moines Register" to find it.)
Maybe a few other Marcusites will now suface and post here. Fred
Fred Dorr---I do apologize for mispelling your last name. My brother Warren used to write a column for the Marcus News in the late '30s. it was called "Paper Wads--Thrown By I.Ben Told" One of his quips was that "Marcus has more Dorrs than windows." I should have known better. Blame it on only one cup of coffee this morning. Sorry!
I enjoyed reading the comments about what talented musicians seem to come from Marcus. The early training I received — especially from Miss Linda McClain in the mid-70's — was a great foundation on which to build. I now work in the Washington, DC area as a professional opera singer. In addition to a busy solo performing schedule, I also manage a small regional opera company which features the works of composer Giacomo Puccini. (Check out our website at PucciniAmerica.org.) I utilize the piano skills taught to me by Gail Steffen (Hi, Marcia!), as I accompany my studio's voice students each week. Marcus provided me with a musical heritage of which I can be proud.
What a nice article and the ripple effect is even better. Julie Viney, I remember you because I was a friend of Ruth Willems and she would often stop to talk with you. Wish she could see this website to connect with you. And Kay Krekow, how wonderful! I think I remember hearing you sing at the 125th at an all-faith church service at the fairgrounds? You were in Steve Snyder's class and you were in Magrigal too. I will definitely look at your website. Congratulations! D.C. is great!
Margaret Dorr! Thank you so much for the copy of Mr. Rodriguez's book ... ask and you shall receive. My sister Jean says she has her copy of the book. Hmmmm, what planet was I on? Which reminds me, as I look at those incredible photos of the blizzard of 1975 ... a storm of major proportions and what are my historic recollections? ... I remember being "bummed out" that the phone lines had gone down and that I was stuck out on the farm for ... was it a week? ... during my senior year of high school with no social life whatsoever.
Brett and Kurt---You guys think you have a corner on sneaking into the old Holy Name basement gym? This little ole Methodist boy and friends snuck through that or a similar window in the early 40's. We broke a window with a basketball. I mentioned it to my folks at dinner that night, and they made me go up to see Father Macelvoy (sp?) and pay for the window out of my allowance. Shaking with fright, I knocked on the door of the parish house and confessed my sin. Father Mac patted me on the head,complimented me for being honest and sent me on my way. I just about turned Catholic after that.
Brett: Is the guy name "CURLY" from Chicagoland still a member of the Globetrotters? I think his last name is Johnson if I am not mistaken. I use to play ball with him when he was back in Chicago. Ask him about all of the games at the EastBank Club when you see him some time. He is a heck of a player and can really handle the ball. BTW.........did you ever work for the Suns?
Margaret. The Holy Name "gym" we snuck into in the '40's was in the basement of the church. It was a multipurpose "Hall" with a basket at one end. As you noted your kids snuck into the "new" gym.
Brett: That's right......everyone called him "BOO".....he was a great guy to play ball with. Man he can do some tricks with the ball and he is a quick feller! FYI.........the owner of the SUNS and his "SON" Brian Colangelo (SP) who runs the franchise now if I am not mistaken had two (2) daughters that my brother Kurt and I went to school with at Baylor. If you ever meet Kathy Colangelo ask her about her foxy red convertible Ford Mustang she drove around campus. Ironically one of my best friends in Chicago and her family are best friends with the Colangelos from their Chicago years. What a small world!!!!
I too read the DM Register and found out about this site. I can't believe Dad never told me about this.
My name is Sue (Beaton) Sand. It is fun and interesting to read what everyone is saying. It brings back memories and a few laughs.
Julie Viney: Say hi to your sister for me. I remember playing with her at church all the time. I think Mom and Dad (Chuck and Eleanor) still have the picture of us in front of the church. I may have been about 4.
Brett: Missed you at the class reunion. If you are interested in information about the Marcus Picnic, just give my parents a call. They live in Phoenix and are pretty active in getting the picnic coordinated. They should be listed in the phone book, or just email dad at cnbeaton@juno.com.
I look forward to continued success of this sight.
I'm not certain about procedure here, but I want to get in on this conversation. I'm Bob Meyer. I lived in Marcus from 1946 till about 1961. My dad was Rueben Meyer, the pastor at Peace Lutheran Church. I picked up this blog through the DM Register article, sent to me by my mother-in-law Lucille Ott of Cherokee. I was interested in Lenora Brown comment. I have two mmries: the one was when she and Stan got married. Stan took some ribbing from the football team about running off with the prettiest teacher on the staff. the second one is about losing teams and winning teams: There were some winning teams. I think I remember one when I was a freshman and sat on the bench until the last 2 minutes of the game. But I also remember some losing teams: we went for two entire seasons without winning one game. I probably learned a lot more during those seasons than I ever have during an subsequent winning season. Great blog--I'm going to keep in touch.
Hi, Small world...I remember a very attractive and popular gal that married Stan. Stan was Pres of Seerly Hall when I was at...now UNI. We were frat brothers and my senior year of 51-52 the Lambda Gamma Nu frat joined the internaitonal...TKE
Stan was also selectd Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities as was Darrel Hendrickson (oops..and me).
Lenora, you may remember Sunny Braack from Davenport. Her younger sister, Lois, and I married in 1953. I lost Lois after 3 1/2 year struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)the 17 of May
Great memories of Marcus and UNI and later U of Iowa. I will probably think of your maiden name..but put it on the Blogg, OK?
Don Peters, Marcus, '47, UNI,52
PS Stan was one handsome lad and one hell of a football playler and a great guy.
This is Jeff Ruden, another class of '84 member. Seeing the Holy Name photo not only reminded me of sneaking in the gym but also of playing baseball there almost every summer day. Since there were no fences, you got a home run if the baseball went over the alley or hit the roof of the gym. It's good to read all of your comments - I look forward to reading more.
I am following Max Reeds' directions on how to respond to the blogger. Max, or someone let me know if this is the correct way. This is my first attempt and as I have said before I have a webtv which isn't as sophisticated as apc. Thanks again for you help!
Kim: I, too, have great memories of Kid's Korner. It usually went like this... after supper, on a hot, muggy summer night my dad would throw a bunch of us kids into the back of his pickup (you'd get turned in to public safety officials for that now, probably) and take us there for ice cream. He'd find somebody to talk to and we'd have cones, malts, shakes, or sundaes.It was best after dark, because then the lights of that little store would really stand out. From the back of the pickup you always knew, without looking, when you were there because the sound of the tires would change as we pulled off the hard surface street into the gravel parking. I now live in a city where no one can see stars anymore because of all the glare of the street lights. But on those summer nights in Marcus the stars would look like you could reach up and pull them to you. Then, when we got home if it was particularly hot (pre-central air conditioning) we'd get blankets and sleep out all night on the lawn. It started out as a great idea. In the morning when we woke up covered in dew and stiff from laying on the ground all night, it was another matter. I remember all the night sounds when we slept outside, too. Train whistles, dogs, owls, cars, grain elevator noises, and the "gooney" birds that swept the night sky looking for bugs.
Yes, Kid's Corner was a big part of summer for lots of us in Marcus. Nice that you tried to preserve it, Kim. Sorry it didn't work out. As you note, though, it'll always be tucked away in our memories.
And one other memory, relating to my Dad's pickup - As I presume it may still be, the "quarter mile" for drag racing was either north of town past Sands' or immediately west of town on what I think was blacktop then. Although in the mid-60's no one I ran with drank or smoked, and "drugs" were unheard of, we did drive fast. My dad's El Camino was very competitive in the quarter mile. Not long after he bought it he was at the DX gas station one day getting new tires for it. He was complaining to Charlie A. and Ed Hagey about them breaking down so quickly. Years later Edgar laughingly told me that, "all the guys at the service station knew Melvin's boys were running that little truck hard, but they just couldn't bring that up as they knew how much trouble [we'd] be in with [our] dad." I thanked Edgar then and I thank him again now. Fred
I guess I haven't written in awhile because of all the craziness of the last few weeks of school. However, the Kids Korner stories were great! Loved hearing about its final resting place among the trees. Anyway, what a great place. I guess we farm kids had our share of Kids Korner treats, but I do remember it (for some odd reason) on the evenings after huge storms had gone through. We'd pile in the car to check out the neighboring fields and "assess the damage." Anyway, we knew it usually meant more than a car ride. With any luck we'd end up at Kids Korner where I loved the root beer floats ... and blowing through the straw into the float so the soft ice cream plopped around in the cup. I just realized I haven't had one in decades! I loved the yellow lights around the place and the slamming screens when your order was pushed out. It's wonderful to hear all of these new voices too. And Kurt, thank you for the photos of the baseball diamond south of Holy Name. That was the big kids' playground after lunch, so only 7th and 8th graders played there. So many kickball, soccer, and baseball games played there ... and so many scrapes and bruises and memories. My grandparents lived across the street, so in the summer time we had free rein to play kick the can with my cousins. What a playground!
I must say reading the threads re the Kid's Korner made me reflecct on my days as a Sioux City Journal carrier..........."SKINNY" loved his St. Louis Cardinals and always had the radio tuned into their games. Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and all of the other greats....everytime I delivered the paper there I got a malt and a chance to listen to the Cards. Boy it was a blast when they played my "GIANTS" that was a treat listening to them for a few minutes before I had to head off.
Speaking of the Giants "Skinny" was shocked when I told him I got to go to St. Louis when I was in the 4th grade and go into the Giant's dugout and meet the team and get Willie May's autograph prior to the Card's/Giant game. My first cousin David Dorr was a sports writer for one of the St. Louis papers and pulled this off......meeting Willie Mays who was my hero and chat with him was something else for a 4th grader from Marcus, Iowa. Still have the autograph framed..........it says: To Willie: Best Wishes!
Willie Mays
Now how I got nicknamed Willie is a whole other story!
Julia: Your grandparents lived across the street from the playground which meant every summer of so the "EAGLE" girls would come visit their grandparents. They sure were sweet! Where are they all living and how are they doing BTW..........tell them hello for me.
One last post for now. Anyone on here ride in the very first RAGBRAI? After that first day I told my parents to never give me that for a birthday present again. Between the Missouri River Valley, hills of Kingsley/Pierson area, and the Little Sioux River Valley around Quimby.......well on a 1000 lb-2 speed Schwinn Bike I was pretty much hating life. I did make history though so I guess it was worth it and at 14 years of age I didn't know any better!
Who is this infamous RAGBRAI rider? I was a RAGBRAI wannabe. My dad took a picture of me on my bike with all the bike riders behind me on the highway north of town, but I don't think it was the first, maybe the second or third? It went through Marcus the summer of 1975. Then I tried again about 8 years ago with my then 12-year-old daughter. We spent the first night in a tent during a thunderstorm complete with sirens as we watched the sky for tornadoes. I don't think either of us fell asleep that night. The next day she crashed and burned before we hit LeMars, so we had to cut our ride short at Floyd Valley Hospital. I'm still planning to do a "real" RAGBRAI. I guess it's coming close to Marcus again this summer. About ten years ago, I had a boss who was an avid bicyclist and I told him all about RAGBRAI. (That year they were advertising for a rider from Rhode Island so that they'd have riders from all 50 states, so it was covered daily in the Providence Joural) Anyway, I ran into him last year and he was so excited to tell me that he and a friend had actually done RAGBRAI the summer before. This New England native was gushing about the people he had met and the places he had stayed. He was even hoping to do it again. Is anyone planning to ride this year?
I was hoping my Aunt Bernadette might even enter this site at some point to get in the conversation. Her daughters live from Delaware to Alaska and two live near her on Long Island. I think those girls met more people in Marcus on their visits than I ever did. They were all animal lovers and I still remember how they brought a puppy back to grandma's one day on their travels around town. Of course, we got talked into taking it home. They wrapped a ribbon around its neck and gave it to my mom for her anniversary. My mom just rolled her eyes because we never had much luck with dogs on the farm. However, Toby ended up being the most lovable dog we ever had and my brother Bob's constant companion ... and I know my mom missed him when he finally died.
That was me.........Phil Dorr....messed up with the name thing. I still have the hardest time with Julia since growing up with you I always new you as Julie! BTW.....get sis "NANCY" on here when you can. Was there a Mary Eagle in that gang? She was awful nice. Where is she living and wasn't that family from the east coast thus your getting so far away from Marcus without every returning? BTW........the first RAGBRAI was in '73 if I am not mistaken and when they came through Marcus in '75 I will never forget we set up our water truck by the water tower and had it filled with watermelons which we then handed out free of charge "by the slice" to the riders. Did the whole ride in 2000..........nothing is free anymore. This year the first day is from Le-Mars to Sheldon and was planning on doing it again this year until my niece messed up the plans by getting married over this same time frame. Oh well.....my daughter is 7 and I am making plans to do it with her either next year or the year after...will never forget in 2000 a dad and his 9 year old daughter from Portland, OR did the whole trip......that 9 year old never complained and road hard the whole way.....she was tough! Her dad told me this wasn't too bad as they had been training in the mountains around the Portland area.....man could she pedal!
Julia: If you are ever looking for a Ragbrai group to ride with let me know. I don't ride, but one of my best friends here in Des Moines is a woman about 60, in terrific shape, and has ridden about 17-18 Ragbrai's. She and a group from Delaware, the Blue Hens, ride together. They are primarily writers and lawyers. You'd love the group. (For her 60th birthday, she and a group of girlfriends rented a local dance hall and everyone showed up in some form of dance-related garb. She was a flapper, her kids and their friends showed up as the Village People, Fred Astaire and Ginger were there and on and on. She danced solid for almost 4 hours.) She's an author - published several books. They've ridden in Maine, the Alps, Oregon Coast and most recently Banff in Canada. That's why I don't ride with them, they are serious riders, but a ton of fun. If you ever want to communicate directly with her, let me know. I'll pass on her email address. She's from small town Iowa and very modest - great sense of humor. Her son received his PhD from Princeton in Astrophysics and now works for the Jet Propulsion Lab in California. Wants to be an astronaut someday. He was a state champion 800 runner and missed qualifying for the Olympics in the 800 by a fraction of a second. Ran with the New York Athletic Club when he lived on the east coast. His sisters attended Brown and Tufts. The amazing part, when you are around my friend and her husband, you'd never know that about them. They are just down home, great people. But, she does love to ride, so if you ever want to join her group you sound like you'd fit perfectly - same interests. Let me know. Fred
Message from Lenora Brown to Margaret Dorr That was interesting that your so Tom rmembered me. Someplace I have a picture of the class taken outside that building. I'll see if I can still find it. Are the buildings still there? Do you remember Spin from the newspaper, or Howard and Floy Johnson, or Maggie Drefke? Howard had the hardware store there. I keep trying to remember then name of the Dr. who delivered our first child. It was not Joynt, I think it began with a B. Stan spent his last working years as Mayor of Marshalltown. Then the Alzheimers took over. We had a great life together and it all started in Marcus, IA Thanks again for the repy!
Being back in Marcus to visit for a week has allowed me to do a little bit of research on some of the pictures that Kurt has posted to the site. The firemen in front of the then new fire truck in 1956 are from l to r back row: Fritz Wilkens, John Clarkson, Howard Peavey, Elmore "Boots" Wallin,Doc Weidemeyer, Herman Fischer, Harry Nelson, Hans Delaney and Loren Stowater. Front row from the left are Ray Gates, Wendel Grauer, Paul Hatz, Roger Leavitt, Kenneth Pallesen, and Felix Trinen. Thank you Fred Wilkens. Craig Dorr provided the names of the 1947 Glee Club memebers: back row from left, Don Peters, Linn Simons, Chuck Christensen, Lyle Rae, Leon Ebert, Bob Reed, Bill McDonald, Conrad Dorr, Chuck Beaton, Marv Ebert. Front row are Don Geringer, Jim Apel, Ronald White, James Baclaw, M. Seel, Don Barnes, Ted Nelson, Don Heesch, and Ken Pitts. It is quite amazing some of the stories the "boys" at the Family Table restraunt remember over their coffee every morning. For those who have not been back for a while, the Family Table is located where Kids Coner was all those years ago. As I remember it, it was Lon Brownmiller who was the avid baseball fan, not Skinny. One thing is certain, there was always a game on when you walked up to the window.
Regarding Kids Korner...I guess just about everybody has memories of that great place. $.30 cent malts and $.30 cent taverns were sure nice. Kids Korner was a very important place about 9pm almost every night in late August after the two-a-day football practices. Seemed as if everybody stopped in on their way home. Also, I was wondering if someone could help me with my poor childhood memory....but, before Kids Korner was located out by the water tower...(and remember when we briefly had two water towers? The silver one with the red top and the green one?)...anyway, wasn't it located on the vacant lot west of the Marland Theater in the early '60's? (Under the white pillar arch called Sjostrom Park..which is now the car lot for Hesse?
Dan: I forgot about Lon Brownmiller being a big fan but SKINNY loved the CARDS more than anything from my experiences with him at Kid's Korner.........I delivered the "AFTERNOON" addition of the SCJ to his business more than a few times!!!!
Tell us where you are living again Dan as I forgot what you said. Me....downtown Chicago directly across the street from the Lincoln-Park Zoo and the park itself.
All this talk about Kids Korner--that is recent history. In the late forties and early fifties, we went to Fred's on the corner just across main street from the bank. In thin even the 30 cents fof a malt was too much. We had cherry cokes. And downstairs were two establishments: a barbershop (I have forgotten the name of the barber) and a pool hall. It was hard going in the pool hall because there was so much smoke in there and so little ventilation that your mother would smell it on your clothes when you got home.
Brett, Yes I am still a Dodger Fan. Since the Jackie Robison era and Bobby Thompson's 'shot heard around the world' in 1951 and that still hurts. So have been for well over 50 years. We started out great this year but now struggling. They will get it together I hope by the middle of June. Jeff Spieler (Merle and Linda's son) his wife Cara, Fern and I are going to Kansas City to see them. Back in the 70's we used to get a group of 10 or more and get a great discount on Ozark Airlines and fly to St. Louis to see them play. Jim Lens a Cardinal Fan and I usually got this going. I remember one time we had 18 or 19 guys on the trip. Great times. Hope things are well with you Brett and your family. Take care
Enjoy watching Cesar Isturis the starting shortstop for the Dodgers. His brother Maicer started until recently---currently out on IR--for the Los Angeles Angels..........They are brothers from a small farm town in Venezuela and best friends of some of my dear friends from Austin, TX. Actually have met Maicer.......great guy and so unassuming. Speaks very little English but loves to play baseball. BTW......Larry Dorr recently replaced the hip of Mrs. Tommy Lasorda........does the name Tommy Lasorda ring a bell. Larry is very good friends needless to say with Tommy and his wife. Larry is my Uncle Everett's son and lives in La Canada---suburb of L.A.........Google his name and read about Larry....amazing what he is doing and has done out in L.A. and throughout the world
I'll bet there were at least 3 watertowers in Marcus history. An early one was made of brick and stood on the corner of the playground of the public school in the center of town. It was torn down late in the '30s and the bricks were used to construct the Municipal Building.
The Sjostrom Park was the scene of Saturday night band concerts in the '30s. Some folks enjoyed the music in cars parked around the park and signaled their appreciation of a number by honking their horns. The band was made up of local high school kids and some adults.
The park was also the site of the annual visit of the George B. Sweet Players--a summer traveling tent show of lectures, plays, and music in the '30s and '40s. They were "professional".
The name of the barber who owned the shop underneath the building that now houses the Marcus News was Chels Metcalf. His 1940's sign(at street level) boasted that it was "The World's Only Barbershop Under The Sidewalk". (No one ever challenged that.)
The name of the claustrophobic pool hall next door to that underground barber shop was "The Victory Billards." Chuck Rosberg and I got banned from it FOR LIFE in 1946 by the proprietor--Gene Shields--for setting off a stink bomb in the joint one afternoon. It was great fun watching all the old cardplayers and pool hall habitues pour out of the place and scramble up the stairs. My mother beamed her approval of our punishment when she heard about it. She sought out and thanked "Mr Shields". It didn't help much. We patronized Flannigan's (now the Hawkeye)after that.
Chuck Rosburg was my best friend. We grew up together and he threw passes and I caught ‘em for the MHS Eagles. We both made second-team All Northwest Iowa, graduating in 1949. He was the salutatorian of that class and a natural-born, very intelligent leader. And he became one of our home-town heroes.
Chuck went on to be an excellent halfback at Buena Vista College on a football scholarship, graduating with a B.S. in 1953. He joined the Air Force that year and did graduate work in meteorology. He earned his pilot wings in 1956 and also earned his navigator wings.
Chuck served in the Strategic Air Command for six years, flying B-47’s all over the world. In 1963 he was accepted into the prestigious USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California and after this training flew many secret missions in U-2s. He later served in Vietnam as a fighter pilot, flying 100 combat missions during his tour of duty.
On his return to the States, he was again a test pilot, and while on temporary duty in England, he was fatally injured while piloting a Hawker-Siddlely Harrier on January 27, 1969. This was an experimental Vertical Takeoff and Landing jet.
He had 3,780 flying hours in eight different aircraft and was a Senior Pilot. He had received many medals, including the AF Commendation Medal, the Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Chuck was an accomplished chess and bridge player, winning many all-service competitions.
After his death, a few of us guys started the Charles R. Rosburg Athletic Foundation. It awards scholarship money to the best scholar-athlete of the senior class at MMC High school and is awarded every year.
Chuck and Shirley (Mayer -- his high school sweetheart) had five children. Shirley lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their daughter, Major Julie Rosburg Keck, followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating from the Air Force Academy and serving many years as a navigator during a distinguished Air Force career.
On this Memorial Day, I can’t help thinking about my best friend and all the Marcus lads who lost their lives serving our country.
Bob, you are pretty close, however, "Mr. Shields" was actually "Gene Tschill", who had immigrated from Europe, He was the "best" billiard player in a town tht had a number of good players and might have been better if he had Larry Dorr about to reconstruct his bad knee. He got about by bending over and holding his knee joint with his left hand. Kurt. Chuck Rosburg was who you thought him to be. He was an outstanding math student, played football at Buena Vista, and had a "never give up" state of mind. My understanding is that he was scheduled to enter the Space program when his vertical takeoff tests were complete. Carl Mayer, Chucks brother-in-law from Maarcus, could fill you in on details. By the way Bob, how would it look on your resume' to have iat noted you had been "banned" in Marcus; Boston maybe, but Marcus. Earl Rae
As many of you may realize, the History Channel is saluting VE week. I thought it might be a nice touch to recall VE Day, as it affected Marcus. As a fifteen year old, I remember the news about Germany's surrender being hailed with great joy in our fair home town. EVERYONE, except the Marcus Volunteer Fire Department, thought a fitting form of celebration would be to build a bonfire in the main intersection downtown. Cardboard boxes, wood crates, paper, anything of a combustible nature, were piled high in the intersection and set afire. The Fire Department, fearing the fire would buckle the cement took quick action, unleashing the fun killing talent of a large fire hose. Not to be easily deterred, the revelers discovered a cache of rotten tomatoes behind one of the grocery stores [ yes, there was more than one grocery outlet]. There ensued a battle, not so royal, between the tomato bandits and the firemen. Suffice it to say, the water is mightier than the tomato. When the smoke had literally cleared; everyone wandered aimlessly in a state complete awe. The war was partially over. I additionally thought it might be a nice touch if, after sixty years, someone reading this blog spot might get access to the American Legion records in Marcus and post the names of the Marcus lads killed in action, wounded in action and taken prisoner of war during World War II, so that their memory might redefine the character of the young men and women of Marcus who found fit to risk their future for the benefit of our Nation. Earl Rae
ReplyDeleteOUR “MR B”
ReplyDeleteMany folks cite “Mr B” (now at Buena Vista) as the best high school music teacher in the history of Marcus. Probably so. But there was an earlier fella that was—in my opinion-an equally outstanding teacher.
While Jerry Bertrand was superb in instrumental music, our “Mr B” excelled in vocal music. So I can’t resist chiming in with Margaret Dorr and Earl Rae and Don Peters in remarking about our high school quartet and the outstanding career of Elmer Bjornstead and his impact on the students of our era in Marcus.
Our “Mr B” was the sole music teacher at our small MHS in the late ‘30s and early ’40s. (We seldom had more than 100 students). He began to teach Earl and me trombone, Don the clarinet, and Billy McDaniels, the baritone horn while we were in junior high.
Mr. Bjornstead (a short, slim, good-looking Scandinavian) was a recent graduate of St Olaf College and its famed music school and choirs. He married a local girl, left for service in the Navy during WW II, and returned after the war.
Earl, Don, Billy, and I had been the high school quartet during my freshman year in 1945 under a teacher by the name of Rudd. As Earl noted, I sang second (lead) tenor. When Bjornstead returned in 1946, he listened to us once and then had Billy switch and sing second tenor and put me in the baritone part. Don continued to sing bass with his wonderfully deep voice and Earl (“The Joker”) soared above us with his beautiful high tenor. The new blend was remarkable!
We sang spirituals, pop tunes, barbershop, sacred songs, and novelty numbers all over northwest Iowa. We appeared as the Marcus Co-op Elevator Quartet, the Methodist Church Quartet, the American Legion Quartet—assuming the sponsorship of any group who wanted to associate with us or call us their own. We sang for the Barbershop Chapter in Sioux City and warbled in Storm Lake, Spirit Lake, Cherokee, and even in far-off Des Moines, as well as at lotsa’ functions in Marcus.
We took the only firsts in the district and state high school music contests in 1947, competing against 34 other quartets. We had a great blend.
And we did cut a record. Don once said he had it somewhere. I’d be afraid to listen to it now, for I’m sure the memories of our sound are better than we actually sounded. And recordings weren’t too good in those days.
We sang a cappella. Bjornstead was passionate about encouraging singing with no piano or other accompaniment. He believed in pure voices blending in succulent harmony without the props of instrumental help. He also used this classic St. Olaf technique in his Marcus large groups—the Boys and Girls Glee Clubs and Mixed Chorus—and with the Girls Trio and Girls Sextet.
Bjornstead got more than 50 percent of our little student body involved in his band and vocal program. He taught small-town/farm kids who didn’t sing, how to sing. Like all good teachers, he paid particular attention to the less skilled among us. Many were patiently taught to read music—“when the notes go up, you go up.” This wonderful achievement stays with young people for the rest of their lives.
And our “Mr B” taught us the delight of singing with verve, using crisp diction while attending to changing dynamics. He made us sing in tune—his thumbs-up always at the ready when we started to flat. And he taught us to love the songs we sang and to sing with joy!
Not surprisingly, the MHS vocal music groups in the years between 1946 and 1949 won dozens of other firsts at district and state contests. In the large-group competitions, “Mr. B” would give us a quiet pep talk before we went on-stage and, fired up, we knocked the judges dead! We wanted to live up to his expectations!
The written evaluations from the judges were laudatory—“Outstanding!” “Incredible music!” “Superb!” We used to joke that if he were our football coach we’d have been undefeated. He was an inspiring leader!
In nearly all the contests, the MHS large groups were the only ones to receive the top rating. We were so far above the rest of the aggregations that we raised the bar in the competitions and felt we had failed when we shared a first with another school on two occasions.
The competition was heavy. According to my old copies of the school newspaper (The Eaglet) the MHS large groups were up against as many as 46 other schools in some district contests and more than 20 in the state contests. We beat ’em all—mostly!
The Boys Glee Club was particularly successful. With only 22 members, we took the only firsts in both district and state competitions (against more than 30 other glee clubs) in all three years of Mr. Bjornstead’s tenure. The judges praised our enthusiasm!
They made some changes in the contest rules in 1948, which limited the Mixed Chorus to 40 members. “Mr. B” was distraught over having to make some cuts in the group for the contests. But everyone sang at the winter and spring concerts in Marcus.
His success was, of course, noticed, and he left our town to become the head of the Vocal Department at West Des Moines—one of the largest schools in the state. We kids presented him with an engraved watch and serenaded him with an impromptu version of “Elmer’s Tune” (a pop song of the era.) at his final spring concert in 1949.
He lasted a couple of years in the big city and then he and his family moved to La Jolla, California, where they opened a music store. His wife’s parents had retired to that beautiful spot. I visited him there and he told me that the continuing battle at West between the athletic coaches and the music department for rehearsal/practice time for students who wanted to participate in both extra-curricular activities wore him out. It was no fun anymore.
His fondest memories were of his years in Marcus. He still had the watch we had given him.
At an MHS reunion of three classes from that period a few years ago, the 125 folks present voted for the most influential teacher they had in their high school years. It was modest Elmer Bjornstead.
He touched many lives for he was a gentle, charismatic leader and a dedicated, wonderful teacher who left a whole bunch of his students with a love of singing for the rest of their lives. Personally, he was my role model.
I wanted to be a high school music teacher like him. He made me take vocal lessons at Buena Vista, arranged for some small future scholarships at Morningside and Coe, and reluctantly supported my audition/admission to the Naval School of Music. Fate took me in another direction, but I will never forget him.
Our “Mr B” died two years ago. He is survived by their two children.
For a look at how the Boys’ Quartet and other music groups looked in those years, go to
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet01.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet02.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysgleeclub03.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/mixedchorus04.jpg
Bob Reed
Bob and Margaret, remember Carl Zender and Elmer were close friends. If you were involved with music you could not come out for athletic practice until you finished music rehearsal Likewise. I remember leaving the halftime huddle under the goalposts to play trombone [in football uniform] for halftime band performance. They worked very close together. I ran into Mr. Bjornstadt in a sheet music store in Des Moines when I was attending Drake. We had a long visit about Marcus. Elmer married a Hamilton [can't recall her first name] who lived across the street from us with her parents. Bob, you did forget to mention Elmer also guided our Mixed Quartet of Vera Grauer, Beth Raetz, Don Peters and myself. We won division one ratings at contest also. Everything he directed came out harmonically tuned. By the way, we were almost undefeated in football without him. earl rae
ReplyDeletehere's some clickable links to the photos:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet01.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet02.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysgleeclub03.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/mixedchorus04.jpg
I find the entries about the music program so very interesting. It's amazing how this man's influence was felt in the generations since then because Marcus has had a long tradition of outstanding musical talent. This appreciation for music was passed down with each generation. I also fear cuts in music at schools across the country with the emphasis on testing, testing, and more testing.
ReplyDeleteHi Kurt,
ReplyDeleteWhen you add a comment, there is an instruction that says you can use some HTML tags. So in order to make a clickable link in a comment, you have to add some simple tags. I can't display them here, so I wrote this quick page to illustate.
Be careful though, a single misplaced quotation mark or other punctuation will screw it up.
Also, when you write a comment on the blog, there should be a button to allow you to preview your comment and see if it works like you think it will. If it doesn't work, go back and edit the comment further.
Happy posting...you can write HTML!
Is that LBJ in the front row and the second person from the right? What was he doing in Marcus?
ReplyDeleteI was told that Mr. Rodriguez wrote a book about his experiences coming from Cuba to the U.S. Does anyone know the title and if it is possible to get a copy?
ReplyDeleteDear Julie--Mr. Rodriguez did write a book about his experiences in America. I have a copy, the name is Gracias, America! It is copyrighted in 1978 and dedicated to his wife, Marta on their 38th wedding anniversary. I am happy to say that my copy is autographed, but I have no idea if copies are still available. I still correspond with his wife at Christmas time. I've been enjoying the postings on this site and many of them have brought back some great memories. I graduated with your sister Mary and I was one of those detasslers that rode in the back of a grain truck over to Storm Lake with Mary and Jean. It was awful if if rained and they put the tarp over the top. The year of 1968-69 was a great one for blizzards as well. A lot of times the boys and girls bb teams practiced together in order to have enough players to scrimmage. A few times players who lived in the country were brought to town on snow mobiles for games that winter. My dad Don Steffen, was on the local fire dept. for many years. Did anyone else out there have a fire phone in their house? Just a Little about my family. This nw Iowa girl was transplanted to se IA 33 years ago this August. We live just a hop, skip and a long jump from Iowa City in the town of Columbus Junction. Our youngest son attends Iowa (currently a jr) and lives just a few blocks east of John's Grocery if that rings a bell with any of you Iowa alums. Our daughter, lives in N. Liberty so is close as well and our oldest son lives in Grinell where he teachers in the middle school. My husband and I are both teachers in the local school system, trying to make sense of all the new federal mandates!
ReplyDeleteWell, I did not mean for this to be quite this long. Thanks for setting up this sight. I've really been enjoying it! Sincerely, Marcia Steffen Pavey
Thank you so much for the interesting info, Marcia!
ReplyDeleteOf couse I know who you are... your mom taught piano lessons to my sister, Nancy, and I for several years. And I truly wish I had continued the lessons. I will have to see if the Marcus Library has a copy the next time I am home. There's another great place that Marcus should be proud of: the library. I still enjoy going there when I return home, and it is especially interesting to take out a book and to look at the names on the check-out cards. I have found my name in them from years ago several times.
Arlene Bird passed away very early in the morning today---May 10. I know that many of us had BIRD family members as classmates and friends so I wanted to pass this on....funeral is suppose to be Friday FYI.
ReplyDeleteHello, Marcus: My name is John Carlson and I'm the state columnist at the Des Moines Register. Heard about this site and think it's wonderful. I'd like to write something about it in my column. I'd especially love to hear from Bob Reed, who I understand is the founder of the site. (Please shoot me your phone number, Bob, so I can give you a call.) Also, anybody else who'd like to chat is welcome to contact me. My e-mail is: "jcarlson@dmreg.com". Phone 515-284-8204. Many thanks, and congratulations on a first-rate way to keep in contact with the home town from afar.
ReplyDeleteI'll post it Kurt.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Marcus "cyberspace" and thanks, John, for covering this. It's a wonderful thing Bob Reed has done for our hometown of Marcus. The present and past residents of many other Iowa towns will enjoy this as much as we all do once they find out about it.
Fred Dorr
John Carlson's very nice article about this blogspot appeared in the Register this morning (Sunday - May 15th). My brother Kurt will post it here. In the meantime you can find it on the Register's website, too. (Google "Des Moines Register" to find it.)
ReplyDeleteMaybe a few other Marcusites will now suface and post here. Fred
Great article in the Des Moines Register! Thanks to Fred Door for setting it up!
ReplyDeleteFred Dorr---I do apologize for mispelling your last name. My brother Warren used to write a column for the Marcus News in the late '30s. it was called "Paper Wads--Thrown By I.Ben Told" One of his quips was that "Marcus has more Dorrs than windows." I should have known better. Blame it on only one cup of coffee this morning. Sorry!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the comments about what talented musicians seem to come from Marcus. The early training I received — especially from Miss Linda McClain in the mid-70's — was a great foundation on which to build. I now work in the Washington, DC area as a professional opera singer. In addition to a busy solo performing schedule, I also manage a small regional opera company which features the works of composer Giacomo Puccini. (Check out our website at PucciniAmerica.org.) I utilize the piano skills taught to me by Gail Steffen (Hi, Marcia!), as I accompany my studio's voice students each week. Marcus provided me with a musical heritage of which I can be proud.
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice article and the ripple effect is even better.
Julie Viney, I remember you because I was a friend of Ruth Willems and she would often stop to talk with you. Wish she could see this website to connect with you.
And Kay Krekow, how wonderful! I think I remember hearing you sing at the 125th at an all-faith church service at the fairgrounds? You were in Steve Snyder's class and you were in Magrigal too. I will definitely look at your website. Congratulations! D.C. is great!
Very nice article in the Register. Nice to see some comments that show what a great community we have.
ReplyDeleteOnly one question. I would like to know. Where do I farm near Marcus? I must have missed something the last few years.
I got a good kidding at the Family Table about that.
Jack Clarkson
Jack, someone probably mistook you for a dairy farmer, knowing you have a lot of "pull" in the old hometown. Hope you make Phoenix this fall. earl rae
ReplyDeleteMargaret Dorr!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the copy of Mr. Rodriguez's book ... ask and you shall receive.
My sister Jean says she has her copy of the book. Hmmmm, what planet was I on?
Which reminds me, as I look at those incredible photos of the blizzard of 1975 ... a storm of major proportions and what are my historic recollections? ... I remember being "bummed out" that the phone lines had gone down and that I was stuck out on the farm for ... was it a week? ... during my senior year of high school with no social life whatsoever.
Brett and Kurt---You guys think you have a corner on sneaking into the old Holy Name basement gym? This little ole Methodist boy and friends snuck through that or a similar window in the early 40's. We broke a window with a basketball. I mentioned it to my folks at dinner that night, and they made me go up to see Father Macelvoy (sp?) and pay for the window out of my allowance. Shaking with fright, I knocked on the door of the parish house and confessed my sin. Father Mac patted me on the head,complimented me for being honest and sent me on my way. I just about turned Catholic after that.
ReplyDeleteBrett:
ReplyDeleteIs the guy name "CURLY" from Chicagoland still a member of the Globetrotters? I think his last name is Johnson if I am not mistaken. I use to play ball with him when he was back in Chicago.
Ask him about all of the games at the EastBank Club when you see him some time. He is a heck of a player and can really handle the ball.
BTW.........did you ever work for the Suns?
Margaret. The Holy Name "gym" we snuck into in the '40's was in the basement of the church. It was a multipurpose "Hall" with a basket at one end. As you noted your kids snuck into the "new" gym.
ReplyDeleteBrett:
ReplyDeleteThat's right......everyone called him "BOO".....he was a great guy to play ball with. Man he can do some tricks with the ball and he is a quick feller!
FYI.........the owner of the SUNS and his "SON" Brian Colangelo (SP) who runs the franchise now if I am not mistaken had two (2) daughters that my brother Kurt and I went to school with at Baylor. If you ever meet Kathy Colangelo ask her about her foxy red convertible Ford Mustang she drove around campus. Ironically one of my best friends in Chicago and her family are best friends with the Colangelos from their Chicago years. What a small world!!!!
I too read the DM Register and found out about this site. I can't believe Dad never told me about this.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Sue (Beaton) Sand. It is fun and interesting to read what everyone is saying. It brings back memories and a few laughs.
Julie Viney: Say hi to your sister for me. I remember playing with her at church all the time. I think Mom and Dad (Chuck and Eleanor) still have the picture of us in front of the church. I may have been about 4.
Brett: Missed you at the class reunion. If you are interested in information about the Marcus Picnic, just give my parents a call. They live in Phoenix and are pretty active in getting the picnic coordinated. They should be listed in the phone book, or just email dad at cnbeaton@juno.com.
I look forward to continued success of this sight.
Sue
I'm not certain about procedure here, but I want to get in on this conversation. I'm Bob Meyer. I lived in Marcus from 1946 till about 1961. My dad was Rueben Meyer, the pastor at Peace Lutheran Church. I picked up this blog through the DM Register article, sent to me by my mother-in-law Lucille Ott of Cherokee. I was interested in Lenora Brown comment. I have two mmries: the one was when she and Stan got married. Stan took some ribbing from the football team about running off with the prettiest teacher on the staff. the second one is about losing teams and winning teams: There were some winning teams. I think I remember one when I was a freshman and sat on the bench until the last 2 minutes of the game. But I also remember some losing teams: we went for two entire seasons without winning one game. I probably learned a lot more during those seasons than I ever have during an subsequent winning season. Great blog--I'm going to keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteMay 21, 05
ReplyDeleteTO: Lenora Brown
FROM Don Peters, S.D.,Ca
Hi, Small world...I remember a very attractive and popular gal that married Stan. Stan was Pres of Seerly Hall when I was at...now UNI. We were frat brothers and my senior year of 51-52 the Lambda Gamma Nu frat joined the internaitonal...TKE
Stan was also selectd Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities as was Darrel Hendrickson (oops..and me).
Lenora, you may remember Sunny Braack from Davenport. Her younger sister, Lois, and I married in 1953. I lost Lois after 3 1/2 year struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)the 17 of May
Great memories of Marcus and UNI and later U of Iowa. I will probably think of your maiden name..but put it on the Blogg, OK?
Don Peters, Marcus, '47, UNI,52
PS Stan was one handsome lad and one hell of a football playler and a great guy.
This is Jeff Ruden, another class of '84 member. Seeing the Holy Name photo not only reminded me of sneaking in the gym but also of playing baseball there almost every summer day. Since there were no fences, you got a home run if the baseball went over the alley or hit the roof of the gym. It's good to read all of your comments - I look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteJeff:
ReplyDeleteWhere are you living these days for those of us not in the loop?
I am following Max Reeds' directions on how to respond to the blogger. Max, or someone let me know if this is the correct way. This is my first attempt and as I have said before I have a webtv which isn't as sophisticated as apc. Thanks again for you help!
ReplyDeleteJulie Cronk:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the addresses. I'll see that Margaret and Cathy receive them.
Kim: I, too, have great memories of Kid's Korner. It usually went like this... after supper, on a hot, muggy summer night my dad would throw a bunch of us kids into the back of his pickup (you'd get turned in to public safety officials for that now, probably) and take us there for ice cream. He'd find somebody to talk to and we'd have cones, malts, shakes, or sundaes.It was best after dark, because then the lights of that little store would really stand out. From the back of the pickup you always knew, without looking, when you were there because the sound of the tires would change as we pulled off the hard surface street into the gravel parking. I now live in a city where no one can see stars anymore because of all the glare of the street lights. But on those summer nights in Marcus the stars would look like you could reach up and pull them to you. Then, when we got home if it was particularly hot (pre-central air conditioning) we'd get blankets and sleep out all night on the lawn. It started out as a great idea. In the morning when we woke up covered in dew and stiff from laying on the ground all night, it was another matter. I remember all the night sounds when we slept outside, too. Train whistles, dogs, owls, cars, grain elevator noises, and the "gooney" birds that swept the night sky looking for bugs.
ReplyDeleteYes, Kid's Corner was a big part of summer for lots of us in Marcus. Nice that you tried to preserve it, Kim. Sorry it didn't work out. As you note, though, it'll always be tucked away in our memories.
And one other memory, relating to my Dad's pickup - As I presume it may still be, the "quarter mile" for drag racing was either north of town past Sands' or immediately west of town on what I think was blacktop then. Although in the mid-60's no one I ran with drank or smoked, and "drugs" were unheard of, we did drive fast. My dad's El Camino was very competitive in the quarter mile. Not long after he bought it he was at the DX gas station one day getting new tires for it. He was complaining to Charlie A. and Ed Hagey about them breaking down so quickly. Years later Edgar laughingly told me that, "all the guys at the service station knew Melvin's boys were running that little truck hard, but they just couldn't bring that up as they knew how much trouble [we'd] be in with [our] dad." I thanked Edgar then and I thank him again now. Fred
I guess I haven't written in awhile because of all the craziness of the last few weeks of school. However, the Kids Korner stories were great! Loved hearing about its final resting place among the trees. Anyway, what a great place. I guess we farm kids had our share of Kids Korner treats, but I do remember it (for some odd reason) on the evenings after huge storms had gone through. We'd pile in the car to check out the neighboring fields and "assess the damage." Anyway, we knew it usually meant more than a car ride. With any luck we'd end up at Kids Korner where I loved the root beer floats ... and blowing through the straw into the float so the soft ice cream plopped around in the cup. I just realized I haven't had one in decades! I loved the yellow lights around the place and the slamming screens when your order was pushed out.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to hear all of these new voices too.
And Kurt, thank you for the photos of the baseball diamond south of Holy Name. That was the big kids' playground after lunch, so only 7th and 8th graders played there. So many kickball, soccer, and baseball games played there ... and so many scrapes and bruises and memories. My grandparents lived across the street, so in the summer time we had free rein to play kick the can with my cousins. What a playground!
I must say reading the threads re the Kid's Korner made me reflecct on my days as a Sioux City Journal carrier..........."SKINNY" loved his St. Louis Cardinals and always had the radio tuned into their games. Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and all of the other greats....everytime I delivered the paper there I got a malt and a chance to listen to the Cards. Boy it was a blast when they played my "GIANTS" that was a treat listening to them for a few minutes before I had to head off.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the Giants "Skinny" was shocked when I told him I got to go to St. Louis when I was in the 4th grade and go into the Giant's dugout and meet the team and get Willie May's autograph prior to the Card's/Giant game. My first cousin David Dorr was a sports writer for one of the St. Louis papers and pulled this off......meeting Willie Mays who was my hero and chat with him was something else for a 4th grader from Marcus, Iowa. Still have the autograph framed..........it says:
To Willie:
Best Wishes!
Willie Mays
Now how I got nicknamed Willie is a whole other story!
Julia:
ReplyDeleteYour grandparents lived across the street from the playground which meant every summer of so the "EAGLE" girls would come visit their grandparents. They sure were sweet! Where are they all living and how are they doing BTW..........tell them hello for me.
One last post for now. Anyone on here ride in the very first RAGBRAI? After that first day I told my parents to never give me that for a birthday present again. Between the Missouri River Valley, hills of Kingsley/Pierson area, and the Little Sioux River Valley around Quimby.......well on a 1000 lb-2 speed Schwinn Bike I was pretty much hating life. I did make history though so I guess it was worth it and at 14 years of age I didn't know any better!
ReplyDeleteWho is this infamous RAGBRAI rider? I was a RAGBRAI wannabe. My dad took a picture of me on my bike with all the bike riders behind me on the highway north of town, but I don't think it was the first, maybe the second or third? It went through Marcus the summer of 1975. Then I tried again about 8 years ago with my then 12-year-old daughter. We spent the first night in a tent during a thunderstorm complete with sirens as we watched the sky for tornadoes. I don't think either of us fell asleep that night. The next day she crashed and burned before we hit LeMars, so we had to cut our ride short at Floyd Valley Hospital. I'm still planning to do a "real" RAGBRAI. I guess it's coming close to Marcus again this summer.
ReplyDeleteAbout ten years ago, I had a boss who was an avid bicyclist and I told him all about RAGBRAI. (That year they were advertising for a rider from Rhode Island so that they'd have riders from all 50 states, so it was covered daily in the Providence Joural) Anyway, I ran into him last year and he was so excited to tell me that he and a friend had actually done RAGBRAI the summer before. This New England native was gushing about the people he had met and the places he had stayed. He was even hoping to do it again.
Is anyone planning to ride this year?
I was hoping my Aunt Bernadette might even enter this site at some point to get in the conversation. Her daughters live from Delaware to Alaska and two live near her on Long Island. I think those girls met more people in Marcus on their visits than I ever did. They were all animal lovers and I still remember how they brought a puppy back to grandma's one day on their travels around town. Of course, we got talked into taking it home. They wrapped a ribbon around its neck and gave it to my mom for her anniversary. My mom just rolled her eyes because we never had much luck with dogs on the farm. However, Toby ended up being the most lovable dog we ever had and my brother Bob's constant companion ... and I know my mom missed him when he finally died.
ReplyDeleteJUlia:
ReplyDeleteThat was me.........Phil Dorr....messed up with the name thing. I still have the hardest time with Julia since growing up with you I always new you as Julie! BTW.....get sis "NANCY" on here when you can. Was there a Mary Eagle in that gang? She was awful nice. Where is she living and wasn't that family from the east coast thus your getting so far away from Marcus without every returning?
BTW........the first RAGBRAI was in '73 if I am not mistaken and when they came through Marcus in '75 I will never forget we set up our water truck by the water tower and had it filled with watermelons which we then handed out free of charge "by the slice" to the riders. Did the whole ride in 2000..........nothing is free anymore.
This year the first day is from Le-Mars to Sheldon and was planning on doing it again this year until my niece messed up the plans by getting married over this same time frame. Oh well.....my daughter is 7 and I am making plans to do it with her either next year or the year after...will never forget in 2000 a dad and his 9 year old daughter from Portland, OR did the whole trip......that 9 year old never complained and road hard the whole way.....she was tough! Her dad told me this wasn't too bad as they had been training in the mountains around the Portland area.....man could she pedal!
Julia: If you are ever looking for a Ragbrai group to ride with let me know. I don't ride, but one of my best friends here in Des Moines is a woman about 60, in terrific shape, and has ridden about 17-18 Ragbrai's. She and a group from Delaware, the Blue Hens, ride together. They are primarily writers and lawyers. You'd love the group. (For her 60th birthday, she and a group of girlfriends rented a local dance hall and everyone showed up in some form of dance-related garb. She was a flapper, her kids and their friends showed up as the Village People, Fred Astaire and Ginger were there and on and on. She danced solid for almost 4 hours.) She's an author - published several books. They've ridden in Maine, the Alps, Oregon Coast and most recently Banff in Canada. That's why I don't ride with them, they are serious riders, but a ton of fun. If you ever want to communicate directly with her, let me know. I'll pass on her email address. She's from small town Iowa and very modest - great sense of humor. Her son received his PhD from Princeton in Astrophysics and now works for the Jet Propulsion Lab in California. Wants to be an astronaut someday. He was a state champion 800 runner and missed qualifying for the Olympics in the 800 by a fraction of a second. Ran with the New York Athletic Club when he lived on the east coast. His sisters attended Brown and Tufts. The amazing part, when you are around my friend and her husband, you'd never know that about them. They are just down home, great people. But, she does love to ride, so if you ever want to join her group you sound like you'd fit perfectly - same interests. Let me know. Fred
ReplyDeleteMessage from Lenora Brown to Margaret Dorr
ReplyDeleteThat was interesting that your so Tom rmembered me. Someplace I have a picture of the class taken outside that building. I'll see if I can still find it. Are the buildings still there? Do you remember Spin from the newspaper, or Howard and Floy Johnson, or Maggie Drefke? Howard had the hardware store there. I keep trying to remember then name of the Dr. who delivered our first child. It was not Joynt, I think it began with a B. Stan spent his last working years as Mayor of Marshalltown. Then the Alzheimers took over. We had a great life together and it all started in Marcus, IA
Thanks again for the repy!
Being back in Marcus to visit for a week has allowed me to do a little bit of research on some of the pictures that Kurt has posted to the site. The firemen in front of the then new fire truck in 1956 are from l to r back row: Fritz Wilkens, John Clarkson, Howard Peavey, Elmore "Boots" Wallin,Doc Weidemeyer, Herman Fischer, Harry Nelson, Hans Delaney and Loren Stowater. Front row from the left are Ray Gates, Wendel Grauer, Paul Hatz, Roger Leavitt, Kenneth Pallesen, and Felix Trinen. Thank you Fred Wilkens.
ReplyDeleteCraig Dorr provided the names of the 1947 Glee Club memebers: back row from left, Don Peters, Linn Simons, Chuck Christensen, Lyle Rae, Leon Ebert, Bob Reed, Bill McDonald, Conrad Dorr, Chuck Beaton, Marv Ebert. Front row are Don Geringer, Jim Apel, Ronald White, James Baclaw, M. Seel, Don Barnes, Ted Nelson, Don Heesch, and Ken Pitts.
It is quite amazing some of the stories the "boys" at the Family Table restraunt remember over their coffee every morning. For those who have not been back for a while, the Family Table is located where Kids Coner was all those years ago. As I remember it, it was Lon Brownmiller who was the avid baseball fan, not Skinny. One thing is certain, there was always a game on when you walked up to the window.
Dan Steffen
Regarding Kids Korner...I guess just about everybody has memories of that great place. $.30 cent malts and $.30 cent taverns were sure nice. Kids Korner was a very important place about 9pm almost every night in late August after the two-a-day football practices. Seemed as if everybody stopped in on their way home.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was wondering if someone could help me with my poor childhood memory....but, before Kids Korner was located out by the water tower...(and remember when we briefly had two water towers? The silver one with the red top and the green one?)...anyway, wasn't it located on the vacant lot west of the Marland Theater in the early '60's? (Under the white pillar arch called Sjostrom Park..which is now the car lot for Hesse?
Dan:
ReplyDeleteI forgot about Lon Brownmiller being a big fan but SKINNY loved the CARDS more than anything from my experiences with him at Kid's Korner.........I delivered the "AFTERNOON" addition of the SCJ to his business more than a few times!!!!
Tell us where you are living again Dan as I forgot what you said. Me....downtown Chicago directly across the street from the Lincoln-Park Zoo and the park itself.
From Bob Meyer
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about Kids Korner--that is recent history. In the late forties and early fifties, we went to Fred's on the corner just across main street from the bank. In thin even the 30 cents fof a malt was too much. We had cherry cokes. And downstairs were two establishments: a barbershop (I have forgotten the name of the barber) and a pool hall. It was hard going in the pool hall because there was so much smoke in there and so little ventilation that your mother would smell it on your clothes when you got home.
Brett, Yes I am still a Dodger Fan. Since the Jackie Robison era and Bobby Thompson's 'shot heard around the world' in 1951 and that still hurts. So have been for well over 50 years. We started out great this year but now struggling. They will get it together I hope by the middle of June. Jeff Spieler (Merle and Linda's son) his wife Cara, Fern and I are going to Kansas City to see them. Back in the 70's we used to get a group of 10 or more and get a great discount on Ozark Airlines and fly to St. Louis to see them play. Jim Lens a Cardinal Fan and I usually got this going. I remember one time we had 18 or 19 guys on the trip. Great times.
ReplyDeleteHope things are well with you Brett and your family. Take care
Jack Clarkson
Dodger Fan
Jack:
ReplyDeleteEnjoy watching Cesar Isturis the starting shortstop for the Dodgers. His brother Maicer started until recently---currently out on IR--for the Los Angeles Angels..........They are brothers from a small farm town in Venezuela and best friends of some of my dear friends from Austin, TX. Actually have met Maicer.......great guy and so unassuming. Speaks very little English but loves to play baseball.
BTW......Larry Dorr recently replaced the hip of Mrs. Tommy Lasorda........does the name Tommy Lasorda ring a bell. Larry is very good friends needless to say with Tommy and his wife. Larry is my Uncle Everett's son and lives in La Canada---suburb of L.A.........Google his name and read about Larry....amazing what he is doing and has done out in L.A. and throughout the world
I'll bet there were at least 3 watertowers in Marcus history. An early one was made of brick and stood on the corner of the playground of the public school in the center of town. It was torn down late in the '30s and the bricks were used to construct the Municipal Building.
ReplyDeleteThe Sjostrom Park was the scene of Saturday night band concerts in the '30s. Some folks enjoyed the music in cars parked around the park and signaled their appreciation of a number by honking their horns. The band was made up of local high school kids and some adults.
The park was also the site of the annual visit of the George B. Sweet Players--a summer traveling tent show of lectures, plays, and music in the '30s and '40s. They were "professional".
The name of the barber who owned the shop underneath the building that now houses the Marcus News was Chels Metcalf. His 1940's sign(at street level) boasted that it was "The World's Only Barbershop Under The Sidewalk". (No one ever challenged that.)
The name of the claustrophobic pool hall next door to that underground barber shop was "The Victory Billards." Chuck Rosberg and I got banned from it FOR LIFE in 1946 by the proprietor--Gene Shields--for setting off a stink bomb in the joint one afternoon. It was great fun watching all the old cardplayers and pool hall habitues pour out of the place and scramble up the stairs. My mother beamed her approval of our punishment when she heard about it. She sought out and thanked "Mr Shields". It didn't help much. We patronized Flannigan's (now the Hawkeye)after that.
Hey Kurt –
ReplyDeleteChuck Rosburg was my best friend. We grew up together and he threw passes and I caught ‘em for the MHS Eagles. We both made second-team All Northwest Iowa, graduating in 1949. He was the salutatorian of that class and a natural-born, very intelligent leader. And he became one of our home-town heroes.
Chuck went on to be an excellent halfback at Buena Vista College on a football scholarship, graduating with a B.S. in 1953. He joined the Air Force that year and did graduate work in meteorology. He earned his pilot wings in 1956 and also earned his navigator wings.
Chuck served in the Strategic Air Command for six years, flying B-47’s all over the world. In 1963 he was accepted into the prestigious USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California and after this training flew many secret missions in U-2s. He later served in Vietnam as a fighter pilot, flying 100 combat missions during his tour of duty.
On his return to the States, he was again a test pilot, and while on temporary duty in England, he was fatally injured while piloting a Hawker-Siddlely Harrier on January 27, 1969. This was an experimental Vertical Takeoff and Landing jet.
He had 3,780 flying hours in eight different aircraft and was a Senior Pilot. He had received many medals, including the AF Commendation Medal, the Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Chuck was an accomplished chess and bridge player, winning many all-service competitions.
After his death, a few of us guys started the Charles R. Rosburg Athletic Foundation. It awards scholarship money to the best scholar-athlete of the senior class at MMC High school and is awarded every year.
Chuck and Shirley (Mayer -- his high school sweetheart) had five children. Shirley lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their daughter, Major Julie Rosburg Keck, followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating from the Air Force Academy and serving many years as a navigator during a distinguished Air Force career.
On this Memorial Day, I can’t help thinking about my best friend and all the Marcus lads who lost their lives serving our country.
Bob, you are pretty close, however, "Mr. Shields" was actually "Gene Tschill", who had immigrated from Europe, He was the "best" billiard player in a town tht had a number of good players and might have been better if he had Larry Dorr about to reconstruct his bad knee. He got about by bending over and holding his knee joint with his left hand. Kurt. Chuck Rosburg was who you thought him to be. He was an outstanding math student, played football at Buena Vista, and had a "never give up" state of mind. My understanding is that he was scheduled to enter the Space program when his vertical takeoff tests were complete. Carl Mayer, Chucks brother-in-law from Maarcus, could fill you in on details. By the way Bob, how would it look on your resume' to have iat noted you had been "banned" in Marcus; Boston maybe, but Marcus. Earl Rae
ReplyDelete