Faculty Flashbacks: Ron Stocking

Ron Stocking, who taught American History and English and who was an assistant coach in football and track and field, remains friends with many of his students from our era, including Bob Couser, Chuck Keeler, George Amundson and Mike Breidenbach.

The man we called Mr. Stocking is also one of the few 1966 teachers who is still alive. Stocking lives in Burnsville, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis.

He was a dedicated mentor and coach for many football and track athletes, especially those who were linemen in football and competed in weights, such as shot put and discus in track.  He was one of the faculty who really cared about his students and athletes -- and wanted to attend our reunion but was unable because of family commitments.

Please post your stories and memories about Ron Stocking below or on the reunion's Facebook page.

Gary Sharp: We'd Recognize Him Anywhere

Gary Sharp, was another of our classmates  — like Nancy Wendy, Roger Warfield, Gwen Ryman, Alan Peck, Linda Peck and others —who lived on a farm just outside of town. His father's place was five miles east and was known as Sharp's Dairy Cattle.

Graduating from Central was the biggest challenge facing Gary in those days. Gary was thinking more about 4H than English class. Gary says Willard Ellis told him, "Your time in 4H and traveling probably gives you a better education than missing two days of school anyway."

His long career in 4H culminated in being South Dakota 4H president in 1965.

"I met a lot of people, and to this day I have a lot of friends throughout South Dakota whom I met through 4H," Gary says. Those friends include his wife, Donna, who he met as a teen attending a conference in Brookings. They later reconnected during a college Block and Bridle meeting at SDSU.

SDSU named Sharp an Eminent Farmer/Rancher in 2014. He is a member of SD Farmers Union, SD Cattlemen's Association, and the state and national Holstein Association. In 1997 the Sharp family received the South Dakota Outstanding 4H Family of the Year and in 2002, Gary was awarded the Northeast South Dakota Agri-business of the Year.

Nancy Wendt Thiex: We'd Recognize Her Anywhere

Nancy Wendt was that math-smart quiet one who rarely made a peep in class, but she went on to become a highly respected professor of veterinary science at SDSU. She was named one of the Outstanding Young Women of America in 1984.

After graduating from Northern State College in 1970, and getting a Master of Education from SDSU in 1972 and a Master of Science there in 1974, she took a job as a photographic chemist at the EROS Data Center north of Sioux Falls.

In two years she was back at SDSU as an instructor, and then she worked her way up as an assistant professor, an associate professor and finally a full professor in the analytical services laboratory of the Veterinary School.

She's been given many distinguished service awards in feed science and veterinary science and has authored several books and academic journal articles.

She's also the mother of three children.

Rory King Remembers the Orpheum Theatre

By Rory King        Email Post 

I have some great memories of the Orpheum theatre.  I grew up about two blocks away, on Kline Street (right across the street from Roosevelt School—where Miss Mortrude tried to teach kindergarten to quite a few of us terrorists!).   

In addition to the wonderful movies (I never missed an Audie Murphy movie—he was the Congressional Metal of Honor winner who became a movie star and starred in his own biographical story, “To Hell and Back”), the Orpheum had the best buttered popcorn in town.  

My Dad would give me an extra dime if I would walk down to the theatre and buy him a box and walk it back home.  One night, I strolled in to the house and handed him an empty box.  I had tucked the box under my arm, munching on the box of milk duds my dime had purchased, and the box had come open and all the popcorn spilled out on my way home.  Shades of Hantzel and Gretl! 

When our community theatre group was looking for a new home, we really wanted to purchase the Orpheum.  Both the stage and the house were better suited for community theatre.  We just couldn’t get the job done, and the Orpheum was sold and torn down.  We then settled on the Capitol, and were able to raise the money and launch the remodeling project.

There was also a question asked about our first “kiss.”  No, it wasn’t in the balcony of either the Orpheum or the Capitol! My first kiss was a stage kiss—Dianne Evenson (Rest in Peace) in “Wonderful Town” at the Civic Theatre—where, incidentally, I also smoked my first cigarette-- in Tennessee  Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”  Like Bill Clinton, I didn’t inhale!   Theatre can give rise to all sort of vices! 

Rory King.

Please Add Your Own Post to the Aberdeen Class of 66 Blog

Want to add your own post(s) to the Class of 66 blog? We'd like this to be a product of everyone's input. Join Carole Tonigan and Alice Laird Rapport, who have added their own posts.

All you have to do is write a post in an email, put a suggested headline in the subject line and send it as an email to aberdeenclassof66reunion.author@blogger.com. 

Put your own photo with it if you'd like, or we'll try to find one that's appropriate to your post. We'll check spellings and "publish" your post on the class blog. 

This is meant to be our group of classmates talking to each other. Join in. Let us know what you're proud of in your life or honors you've been given or just any news you'd like the class to know about. 

Which 1966 CHS Graduate Returned to Give the 1993 CHS Commencement Address?

Can you name the 1966 Central grad who was invited to give the 1993 CHS Commencement address?

For the answer click: http://aberdeenchsclassof1966reunion.blogspot.com/2016/06/1966-chs-grad-gives-commencement.htmlhttp://aberdeenchsclassof1966reunion.blogspot.com/2016/06/1966-chs-grad-gives-commencement.html

Possible Items for Museum Display

 
by Alice Laird    Email Post


I love all of Carole's ideas. Here are a few additional items I've thought of: school books, newspapers with big stories featured (Beatles arrival in USA, Kennedy assassination, etc.), typewriter, transistor radio, television, popular clothes/shoes. I don't know how available these items might be, but even pictures of some of them would be fun. 

Thanks, all! Alice L

Need Ideas for the Dacotah Prairie Museum Exhibit at the Reunion

 by Carole Tonigan

So here goes...this is my first attempt to post to the CHS blog. I have had help from Terry, who has encouraged me and said it is very simple and that he and the committee are hoping that many of you will also take the plunge and do it. He said the process is very easy...just create an email like you normally do and send it to aberdeenclassof66reunion.author@blogger.com and the rest is taken care of for you. The committee wants you to remember that this is our site and a great way to share our thoughts and memories.

I had some thoughts about things that we should have displayed from the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Love the idea of the prom dress and fun glasses. Other things that come to mind would be the old hair dryers, big hair curlers, CHS sweatshirt, gold and blue Pom Poms, a Letterman's jacket, old 45 records and record player, old movie star magazines, a Princess telephone, a Twister game, etc. I am sure that there are many other things that you all can think of and would like to be included in the display. The committee would like you to post your ideas..so please post a comment to the Blog.

See you soon.   Carole

Let's Hear It for Our Reunion Decorators: Jan and Kathy

Kathy Anderson Schaunaman, top, in 1966 and five years ago.
Jan Brandner Heier, bottom, then and now.

Our reunion decorators have a special room planned for us at our 50-year reunion on June 10-12 at the Ramkota in Aberdeen. Kathy Anderson Schaunaman and Jan Brandner Heier are in charge of the atmosphere for our special weekend. They put a lot of work in on this, so if you like the room, be sure to let our two extraordinary decorators know how much you appreciate their work while you're in town.

Remembering Going To The Theater in 1966?

Aberdeen had many great theaters one could attend, including the Capitol, the Orpheum, the Lyric, and the World.  Unfortunately, they have gone away except the Capitol remains on Main Street, as strong as ever.  Who can forget Paul Guttmann Solomon’s father, Michael Guttmann, running the Orpheum Theater and Mike Baldridge was a fixture there as an Usher.  Let’s ask Mike Baldridge to share his memories from the Orpheum with us!

Orpheum Theater

Lyric Theater

Capitol Theater

Michael Guttmann

Mike Baldridge

 

We'd Recognize Her Anywhere: Gwen Ryman Heyd

Here's another of those always-smiling faces from the Aberdeen CHS Class of 1966: Gwen Heyd, or Gwen Ryman, as we knew her then. Quiet and smart, she came to school every day from her family farm south of town, and brightened every classroom she stepped into. Share your memories of Gwen in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.

First Graders' Identity Revealed, with a Bonus Photo

Some of you guessed the identity of some of your CHS classmates in this 1955 Sacred Heart School first-grade photo. Incredible how much we changed from 1955 to 1966, a mere 11 years.

Here are their names:

Row closest to the camera, left to right: Bob Couser, Judy Hanson (graduated from Mount Marty HS), Sherry Fitch (left before HS), Rory King, Not Sure, Alice Laird.

Next row, left to right: Kevin Callaghan (left before 66), Not Sure, Paula Fettig, Gail Fulker, Jack King and Richard Artz.

Farther back, third row, left to right: Janice Brandner, Not Sure, Tom Guhin, Not Sure.

Second to last row: Richard Herges, Sally Holzer, Not Sure, Thomas Hartung, Duane Gilmour.

Last row: Not sure.

If you can fill in any of the blanks, please let us know.

Thanks to Bob Couser for this photo.

And, here's a bonus photo. Jan Brandner Heier with the teacher, Sister Morris. Great smile and terrific curls.

Hello Mates from Carole Tonigan

Hello Mates, from Carole Tonigan

I have been in email communication with Alice, Bob Couser, and Terry Rawstern re: the upcoming CHS class reunion.  They are so enthused regarding the event and even more enthused to facilitate an ongoing connection with classmates "forever".  They want to make the event fun, but also want the reunion to be where everyone feels a part of it and has a say in what goes on, to have fun and share moments of the past as well as ideas and plans for the future reunions...to celebrate vs. just an event....  They are so involved in planning the blog, FB, you tube videos, etc.  Amazing effort.

They have asked that I encourage classmates to please enter comments and vote as that is how they will know your thoughts....so if you have time and interest, I know they would love and appreciate it...they are putting in so much effort for all of us.

I know some of you are not able to make it, and we are feeling sad about that.  Even though you won't be there in person, they want to include you as possible thru the blogs, some photos and videos.  Again, they would love your input re: ideas, thoughts, photos, funny stories, etc.

I do not have many email addresses, so please also share or send me other emails.

For those of you attending, it won't be long...gonna be fun.

Best,
Carole

Reunion Saturday Night Program Finalized

Here is the program for Saturday night's festivities at the Aberdeen Central High School Class of 1966 reunion. Before the program, doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for social hour, followed by a group dinner. And don't forget, on Friday, June 10, there will be a cash bar and hors d'oeuvres from 6 to 10 p.m. On Sunday morning, there will be a class breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. All events are at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel at 1400 8th Avenue NW in Aberdeen.  

First Grade Photo: Can You Identify Any of These Later-to-be 1966 CHS Grads?

Which 1966 CHS grads can you identify in this First Grade photo from Sacred Heart School?

Who in this first grade class at Sacred Heart School in 1955 can you recognize that graduated in the CHS class of 1966?

Hint: All had last names that ended in the first half of the alphabet. 

We'll check back in with more hints if you can't guess.

Dakotah Prairie Museum Exhibit at CHS 66 Reunion: What Would You Like to See?

The Dakotah Prairie Museum is putting together an exhibit for our reunion with artifacts from the era when we were in high school. As a sample, they put together a trophy, a prom dress and a team photo. What other artifacts would you like to see. The museum has a sizable repository of recently acquired 1960s memorabilia, so they can provide much of what we want to see.

The Dakota Prairie Museum is preparing a poster board filled with pictures from the Class of 1966 for our reunion.  They have also agreed to put together a couple of tables with items from that time.  They showed us a mini display with a Prom dress, trophy and picture. 

They are ready to put together a real display but would like ideas of what we'd like to see. The football and other sports stuff is obvious, as is a letter jacket. But they could use some ideas from the women of the class.

Alice Laird Rapport suggested anything to do with fashion, such as clothes, shoes, purses anything to do with hair -- like blow dryers or rollers, phones, or magazines.

Other things you'd like to see? Comment below or on the Facebook post.

Robert J. Couser: Central High School Hall of Fame Inductee

In September of 2011, Bob Couser was inducted into the Aberdeen Central High School Hall of Fame for his academic achievements during his career as a neonatal doctor in Minneapolis.

As a new doctor, Couser joined the newborn intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis in 1984. During his long career at Children's, he served as medical director of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit and as director of clinical neonatal research. His department took part in several national clinical trials during his tenure as director as well as the hospital's own clinical trials.

Under Couser's directorship, the center was the first in the upper Midwest to use a new technique called "surfactant therapy" in the treatment of preterm newborn infants, as well as providing ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) therapy to newborns and applying a new treatment for perinatal asphyxia.

The center under Couser's direction was the first in Minnesota to separate conjoined twins. He authored more than 30 research articles as well as co-authoring a book on the use of drugs in newborn intensive care units.

He retired from Children's Hospital on January 1, 2010 and now lives in Aberdeen.

We'd Recognize Her Anywhere: Laurie Dano

Those bangs -- and that smile. Another classmate who always seemed to be in the middle of the fun. Dancing. Laughing. Conspiring. Snarking. Laurie should have been one of the women on "Sex and the City." And who among us wouldn't recognize her 50 years later? And if you see her, could Linda Hunstad be far behind?

We'd Recognize Him Anywhere: LeRoy Suiter

He was the quiet but tough presence in the back of the classroom. LeRoy Suiter, resilient and loyal and kind friend to all.

Let Your Vote Be Counted

The CHS Class of 1966 now has the ability to poll our Classmates to find out how they think on subjects to help guide and direct the programs and events you want to see happen.  To become part of this, all you have to do is click in the poll to register your answer.  Prior to the Reunion we are going to have some fun polls where the results will be announced at the Reunion on Saturday night.  Like any other poll if you do not take the time to click on a choice, your thoughts will never be known.  Take a few seconds to participate and enjoy the fun.  If you have any questions that you would like asked, send them on to us.   In the future we will be able to send poll questions out by email or our class newsletters.  Look to the right side of this page and join your Classmates in the fun.