Rembrandt Remembers – 80 Years of Small Town Life
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Rembrandt School Song Purple and white, we’re fighting for you, We’ll fight for all things that you can do, Basketball, baseball, any old game, We’ll stand beside you just the same, And when our colors go by We’ll shout for you, Rembrandt High And we'll stand and cheer and shout We’re loyal to Rembrandt High, Rah! Rah! Rah! School colors: Purple and White Nickname: Raiders and Raiderettes Rembrandt Remembers: 80 Years of Small-Town Life Compiled and Edited by Helene Ducas Viall and Betty Foval Hoskins Des Moines, Iowa and Harrisonburg, Virginia Copyright © 2002 by Helene Ducas Viall and Betty Foval Hoskins All rights reserved. iii Table of Contents I. Introduction . v Notes on Editing . vi Acknowledgements . vi II. Graduates 1920s: Clifford Green (p. 1), Hilda Hegna Odor (p. 2), Catherine Grigsby Kestel (p. 4), Genevieve Rystad Boese (p. 5), Waldo Pingel (p. 6) 1930s: Orva Kaasa Goodman (p. 8), Alvin Mosbo (p. 9), Marjorie Whitaker Pritchard (p. 11), Nancy Bork Lind (p. 12), Rosella Kidman Avansino (p. 13), Clayton Olson (p. 14), Agnes Rystad Enderson (p. 16), Alice Haroldson Halverson (p. 16), Evelyn Junkermeier Benna (p. 18), Edith Grodahl Bates (p. 24), Agnes Lerud Peteler (p. 26), Arlene Burwell Cannoy (p. 28 ), Catherine Pingel Sokol (p. 29), Loren Green (p. 30), Phyllis Johnson Gring (p. 34), Ken Hadenfeldt (p. 35), Lloyd Pressel (p. 38), Harry Edwall (p. 40), Lois Ann Johnson Mathison (p. 42), Marv Erichsen (p. 43), Ruth Hill Shankel (p. 45), Wes Wallace (p. 46) 1940s: Clement Kevane (p. 48), Delores Lady Risvold (p. 52), Doris Hill Best (p. 54), Dorothy Olson Cerny (p. 56), Orin Peterson (p. 57), Gerald Holm (p. 59), Jamae Johnson Lyman (p. 61), Shirley Siefken Beneke (p. 61), Maudie Mae Burch Sennert (p. 62), Orris Haraldson (p. 65), Delores Cain Jensen (p. 65), Esther Lerud Gilbertson (p. 66), Francis Peterson (p. 67), Orville Mosbo (p. 67), Roger Mickelson (p. 73), Ralph Haroldson (p. 74), Edith Breckenfelder Brake (p. 76), Ronald Haraldson (p. 78), Dick Johnson (p. 80), Mitchell “Bud” Cannoy (p. 81), Jerry Madsen (p. 84) 1950s: Roger Pewsey (p. 85), Ruth Ann Olson Mickelson (p. 86), Phyllis Obman Thayer (p. 87), Bill McGrew (p. 88), Darlene (Suze) Johnson McGrew (p. 90), Don Whitaker (p. 91), Clarence Madsen (p. 93), Dick Frederick (p. 94), Jean Hegna Obman (p. 96), Marlys Pingel Gregg (p. 97), Shirley Mavis Butts (p. 98), Velta Beimanis (p. 99), Bob Hauser (p. 101), Marjorie Walter-Litman (p. 102), Marlene Foval Eddie (p. 104), Barbara Hoover Range (p. 106), Betty Mavis Cole (p. 107), Bob Peterson (p. 109), Ken Green (p. 110), Wilma Stange Hale (p. 111), Bob Kirkpatrick (p. 112), Derwyn Anderson (p. 113), LaVonne Williamson Taylor (p. 114), Mike McGrew (p.117), Rosalyn Green Coward (p. 118), Rosemary Jones Kirkpatrick (p. 121), Sharon Breckenfelder Stanberry (p. 123), Bernie Cremers (p. 127), Cordy Peterson (p. 129), Janice Youngberg Peterson (p. 130), Jeanette Brazel Steffens (p. 131) iv 1960s: Betty Foval Hoskins (p. 132), Beverly Hegna Ruff (p. 136), Dee Gustafson Ryan (p. 137), Eldona Pingel Hahm (p. 142), Eloise Mosbo Obman (p. 144), Jerry Hegna (p. 148), Keith Stroup (p. 150), Larry Hauser (p. 152), Pat Mosbo Meckstroth (p. 152), Jeanette Anderson Anderson (p. 155), Linda Stratton Renshaw (p. 158), Lois Wright Yocum (p. 164), Ed Nielsen (p. 168), Lenora Odor Peterson (p. 174), Sandra Hegna Taylor (p. 176), Sherry Enderson Haviland (p. 177), Carol Halvorson Martin (p. 178), Helene Ducas Viall (p. 178), Jerry McKibben (p. 183), Larry Frederick (p. 189), Pat Teague (p. 190), Bill Henley (p. 201), Jim Graeber (p. 201), Rosalyn Hadenfeldt (p. 203), Hal Christianson (p. 204), Jim Larson (p. 205), George Engebretson Jr. (p. 207), John Binder (p. 215), Peg Hadenfeldt Mosbo (p. 217), Sandra Eastman Mastaw (p. 219), Paul Ducas (p. 220), Rolf Mosbo (p. 227), Sandy Smith Hook (p. 230), Bill Smith (p. 231), Peggy Cavanaugh Robinson (p. 231), David Mosbo (p. 232), Judy Skov Reiling (p. 233) Margaret Mosbo Blomberg (p. 234) 1970s: Valerie Haraldson Mosbo (p. 236), John Olson (p. 244), Lester Ness (p. 245), Barb McKibben Binder (p. 246), Bob Bentley (p. 252), Shirley Morse Dodd (p. 253),Susan McClintock Tigard (p. 255), Betty McKibben Branhagen (p. 256), Mary Ness Ward (p. 265), Jim Mickelson (p. 266), Keith Zorzoli-Morse (p. 268), Deb Wellmerling Hanson (p. 270), Erik “Hondo” Mosbo (p. 271), M. Kim “Bez” Combes (p. 273), Syd Peterson (p. 277), Sharon Cavanaugh Gray (p. 277), Dana Rath Rebhuhn (p. 278), Dee Rath Felici (p. 280), Kathy Morse (p. 281), Steve Mickelson (p. 282), Carol Reiling Johnson (p. 282) III. Teachers Esther Thorson Mosbo (p. 285), Dorothy Lean Rystad (p. 286), Howard Knutson (p. 287), Jeanne de St Paer Green (p. 288), Wilbur Waggoner (p. 289), Carlos Bryan (p. 290), Marlys Biggins Faber (p. 292), Myron Teague (p. 293), Helen Bryan (p. 297), Ken and Ruth Brower (p. 298), Margaret George (p. 209), Dorothy Parker (p. 300), Chuck Skogerboe (p. 301), Cleone Schneck (p. 302), Joann Oatman (p. 303), Duane Rath (p. 304), Roberta Rath (p. 305), Jimmie Joe Gillespie (p. 306), Wayne (Ole) Johnson (p. 309), and Umpire Larry “Pete” Peterson (p. 311). IV. Centennial Related: Eloise Mosbo Obman (p. 313), George Engebretson Jr. (p. 315), Pat Teague (p. 318), Myron Teague (p. 321), Helene Ducas Viall (p. 322), Rolf Mosbo (p. 325) V. Conclusion Betty Foval Hoskins . 326 v Introduction - Helene Ducas Viall "What did you do in such a small town?" "How could you get a decent education in such a small school?" "What was it like growing up on a farm?" "Why do you go back to Rembrandt reunions?" Most of us have been asked these questions through the years but have found it very difficult to put the answers into words. Why? Maybe the answers are better expressed as stories and experiences. Many of us raised our children in cities, so their world was very different from ours. We experienced a true “community,” even though we probably didn't realize or appreciate it at the time. Many who left found that the rest of the world wasn't as trusting, encouraging, or safe as our hometown. We also discovered that the high expectations in Rembrandt were not universal. When Eloise Mosbo Obman and I visited in preparation for the Rembrandt Centennial pageant in 2001, one idea led to another. We asked Myron Teague, our band director in the late 1950s, if he would come back to direct the band for the “Concert in the Park” scene. His response: “that would be a hoot!” When I asked a number of his former students (from 40 plus years ago) to come and play together again under his direction, I didn't think of it as being unusual—I just thought it would be fun. As part of the pageant publicity, we contacted several radio and TV stations. After the Centennial a Des Moines radio newsperson was amazed that people actually came back to play. She asked, “Why would anyone want to come back to such a small Iowa town, especially one whose high school closed 22 years ago?” In preparation for a live interview, I sent a mass email asking the band members, “Why did you come back?” I received a wonderful response from Betty Foval Hoskins, in which she put into words the essence of what growing up in Rembrandt meant to her. I suggested that she write a book, and together we decided to compile this book of memories. I was convinced that people would be interested in knowing more about life in rural Iowa. Contacting alumni and teachers, first by letter and then often by phone, was a real pleasure as people responded enthusiastically to the idea of a book. The element of trust amazed me. All I had to say was that I grew up in Rembrandt, and they were willing to trust Betty and me with their memories. The 158 people who wrote represent every graduating class from the mid-1920s until the high school closed in 1979. Some were hesitant to write because they didn't think they had anything special to say. A typical comment was, “I enjoyed growing up there, but I didn't do anything different from anyone else.” Then they would tell me wonderful stories about growing up in Rembrandt. Realizing that our combined effort would be special to all of us, they agreed to share their thoughts and experiences, even though many said, “I'm not much of a writer.” This book is not only for us and for future generations to enjoy, but it is also a tribute to those who have gone before us. vi I felt very strongly that this book needed to be written—stories of ordinary people living ordinary lives. It is a snapshot of time, of place, and of values, that is not so common anymore. As Cordy Peterson wrote, “In a small town with a small school enrollment, we didn't realize that something really good was happening to us. And weren't we lucky. The never-to-be duplicated setting of which we all were a part is priceless.” A Note on Editing: The arrangement of the stories in this collection is according to teaching or graduation year, even if the contributor did not graduate from Rembrandt but attended school there. For the most part, the stories remain as submitted; changes have been made in order to maintain consistency in word usage, in formatting, and in grammar and punctuation. We have wanted to hear different voices by letting contributors tell their own stories in their own ways.