CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU?

To Jerry Pfeiffer and John Patton (2 JP's)- gotcha! - we see you following the blog, but we don't have your email addresses - please send it when you have a chance (were out of stamps and postage is going up) Thanks, The Committee

Tom Weniger

4/28/09

After Reading Tom Lee's Post I thought... what a boring life I have had!! God! I envy him! Then Ross says I look great in my picture and haven't aged a bit. Well the picture is 6 years old, so I thought I should probably update it in an attempt at full disclosure. So I dug around...

After being voted “least likely to succeed” by the Jr High principle (Lee Knego?), I spent a few years doing my best to fulfill that calling. After living in Utah with my pal Randy Ramsley for a number of years, I moved back to Sioux Falls where my parents (like many others) had transferred while working for the telephone company.

In 1979 I moved to Western Wisconsin, and have lived in Eau Claire for 25 years. Mike Vlahakis landed in Eau Claire in the mid 80s, and has kept a home down the road from me when he wasn't on the road touring with various groups. We consider it healthy and make it a point to call each other every couple of years. I remember when we were teenagers we played in “competing” bands. I played in The “Beliefs” with Ron Deoring, Dan Frank and Bob Peitz. Mike played in some lame band whose name (as you can imagine) escapes me. The other person I have stayed in touch with is Bill Holmes. Bill and Mike shared Best Man duties at my wedding 20 years ago. Bill has lived in Denver for something like...60 years, and I believe the distance and lack of free plane tickets has kept our relationship fresh. At 39 I went back to school and received a degree in computer technology, after which I spent 14 years working at Cray Research helping to make supercomputers. In 2000 I went back to school again, and received a degree in business. I now work in the Veterinary software industry, where I am ‘running out the clock” to retirement.
I am very excited to be invited back to visit all of my classmates and childhood friends.
Cheers
Tom Weniger
tomweniger@sbcglobal.net

Lee Weber

Lee Weber has been a secondary social studies teacher since 1974. He has taught in three different schools, including Armour, South Dakota; South Sioux City, Nebraska; and since 1991 at the Malcolm Price Laboratory School at the University of Northern Iowa. He is active in Teacher Education as well as teaching at the high school level.
Lee and his wife Lou live in Cedar Falls, IA. Lou is a librarian at Price Lab School. They have five children: one son is a local cook at a Casino in Waterloo; a second son is a Professor of Environmental Policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh; a daughter is getting her graduate degree in Technical Theater at Indiana in May of 2009, and will teach at Milliken University in Decatur, Illinois next fall; a third son is a chemical engineer in Cedar Rapids, IA. One son still has two more years left in high school.
Lee has also coached high school golf since 1980 (I know that’s hard to believe for Dave Padrnos, Jim Binder, Steve Cromwell, and others! He’s not very good, but he can talk a good game.) Dad and son were a part of the first state championship in golf for Northern University High School in 2008. . Both are hopeful for more success the next few years.
Lee and Lou may not get to the reunion, as they have TWO kids getting married this summer. If we miss the party, please know that we are there in spirit. If any of you are in the vicinity of Cedar Falls/Waterloo, please look us up.

62 Strike-outs In One Game

No–this isn’t a typo, and it also is not a story about the author . I spent some time with my Dad recently and we began reminiscing about when Cliff Hicks and Bob “Spud” Grosshuesch umpired baseball games in the area. Both of these SD Baseball Hall of Famers had a sincere interest in promoting the game, and in developing local talent. My Dad reminded me that Spud Grosshuesch holds a record that will most likely never be broken.
How is this linked to the YHS Class of 1969? Bob Hicks’ father is Cliff Hicks, and Pam Grosshuesch’s father is Bob Grosshuesch. Pam has some great memories of traveling to towns like Menno, Crofton, Scotland, and Tabor, while her Dad played or coached. Even prior to her being born, Spud set pitching records at SDSU, and was drafted by the St Louis Cardinals.
Oh, what about those 62 strike-outs....?
Spud pitched for Bonesteel, SD around the time most of us in the YHS Class of 1969 were born. Bonesteel and Platte played one Saturday, and at the end of 15 innings, the score was tied at 1-1. The game was called until the following Saturday, when Spud pitched another 13 innings, and the game ended when Bonesteel won by a score of 5-4. The scorebook was checked later, and it was discovered that Spud had pitched all 28 innings, and he recorded the win with an astonishing 62 strike-outs, in a single game. Today’s superstars can’t even come close to a record like this.
We have seen quite a change since we were kids. It was no problem to ride the bikes over to Fantle or Westside Parks, and as long as we were home by “when the streetlights came on”, our “folks” didn’t worry about us. We had great fun going to the ballgames in those little towns, or shooting the .22 at gophers in a pasture. What a simpler time.
What great memories......come to our reunion and share some more !!!
Oh, and ask about Bob Hicks pitching several innings right handed, and then switching gloves and pitching more innings with the left hand.....or Don Baker’s curved “fungo” bat, or.....

Written by Mike Oleson, with help from Wilbur Foss.

Colleen Menke

Hey there Class of '69.
After returning to Yankton in 1970, I stayed there for the next 25 years, married and divorced, raised 1 son, Heath and was pretty much sure I would be the "dog lady on Mulberry Street for the rest of my life. I lived in the house I grew up in and had 4 retired racing greyhounds that loved to meet and greet everyone. In 2003 I met a wonderful man from Sioux Falls. We married in 2005. He was the father of 6 with 2 still at home. I transferred from the Human Services Center to the Peniteniary in Sioux Falls to continue working as an RN with the state. In 2007 several really great things happened. We had the arrival of 2 granddaughters- his oldest daughter and my only son- and I retired after 33 years with the State of South Dakota. I spend my days now taking care of the grandbabies. We love to camp and will be staying at Chief White Crane at the lake for the reunion. Would just love to have anyone come out and visit.
Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Sue Scoblic Morrison

Hi Classmates! I'm still on the farm, and married to Jim Morrison. We have two college aged kids. Kelli is almost 22, and is a first year Senior at SDSU. It's been tough for her to settle on a major. She changed many times. She's finally back to a Biology major with a Zoology minor. She'd like to work with exotic animals.
Patrick is 20. He's at Mom and Dad's school, USD. He's a triple major at this point. He received a Neuharth Scholarship, and is currently News Editor for the Volante.
I'm still teaching, and by the looks of my IRA; I may be at it for a few more years. Jim is still farming. He seems to find more and more recreational time every year. I'm really jealous.
I'm looking forward to reconnecting with all of you this summer. See you in July.

Patricia Callaghan

Not much to say I live in Boise,Id and I work for St.Luke's Hospital as a Hospice RN. Married,no kids. We have a couple of strays cats that allow us to live with them. We enjoy living in the Northwest and with any luck I will get to retire around age 70 and then the plan is to move to the Oregon coast.