We'd Recogniz Her Anywhere: Joan Wiederhoft Davis

She towered over us in so many ways. You couldn't miss her in any classroom and you'd still recognize her today. Joan Wiederhoft was as quiet as anyone in the class, but she always arrived with a smile on her face.

We'd Recognize Him Anywhere: John Hendrikson

Scary-smart, Professor John Hendrikson was another of those faces you saw everywhere in Central High School in the mid-1960s. And don't we recall that he rode his motorcycle around Aberdeen, terrorizing the nuns and students at Presentation College near his northside home?

Post your comments and memories of John below.

1966 CHS Grad Gives Commencement Address to 1993 Graduates

Mike Baldridge correctly guessed the identity of the 1966 grad who gave the CHS commencement address to the class of 1993.

Tim Schreiner was editor of the Oakland, CA, Tribune when he returned to Aberdeen to give the commencement address to Central's 1993 graduates. Speaking to a packed Civic Auditorium audience of graduates and parents,

He told them that life after high school begins a totally new life in which all previous problems and faults can be forgiven and forgotten. He told the graduates they could make anything of their life -- as long as they wanted it enough.

Schreiner mentioned 1966 graduates Dennis McDermott, who was the Central High Band director in 1993, and his late-friend Dan Cavanaugh, who was in the audience and who was the highest ranking manager in the phone company in eastern South Dakota at the time. "Dan Cavanaugh couldn't change a lightbulb when we were in high school," Schreiner joked with the graduates. "Now he's running the phone company."

Schreiner also mentioned the "spiders" and the "cranberries," two 1966 groups that wore letterman-type jackets with black leather sleeves. The spiders jackets were gray with black sleeves and the cranberries wore wine-color jackets with black sleeves. Some of the faculty thought the groups were gangs and gave them their names, which stuck. "We were just having fun," Schreiner said, "but some teachers thought we were serious."

A career journalist who worked at KELO-TV, KSFY-TV, Schreiner was the top editor at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader before becoming one of the founding staff of USA Today. He was Sunday City Editor and Special Projects Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and Editor-in-Chief of the Oakland Tribune before moving to magazine journalism in the mid-1990s.

He edited and managed Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding magazines before becoming editorial director of a company that published 12 different home design magazines. At the S.F. Chronicle, he edited a Pulitzer Prize winning series of architecture criticism. Before retiring 18 months ago, he spent the final two years of his career as Professional-in-Residence at the Journalism School at Louisiana State University. He was awarded a Bronze Star during his service in Vietnam.

Gene Autry Visits The Orpheum Theater

In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Hollywood western action heroes such as Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Tex Ritter, and Gene Autry made personal appearances before their young fans at small town movie theaters across the U.S.  This was true at the Orpheum Theatre in Aberdeen on Saturday mornings.   The picture with Gene Autry and Mike Guttmann was taken sometime between 1947 and 1953.  Thanks to Paul Guttmann Solomon, we get to recall this interesting story.  Paul remembers that local dairies sponsored these visits and children were encouraged to collect as many milk carton tops as possible.   He also recalls that one of these stars rode his famous horse across the stage of the Orpheum Theater!  Could that be Trigger or Champion?
 
Paul welcomes hearing from classmates who also recall those Saturday mornings.  What years did those appearances take place, which stars do you recall seeing, and what other memories about these cowboy stars can you share?  

Please share your memories by posting below: