Auburn Snow and School Days

Last week I wrote about Antioch school and a couple of people asked some questions, so I'll continue a bit more with elementary school.

Snow Days and School Routines

Record Snowfall of 32 inches in Auburn, January 1948.  Fun Snow Day!

Snow Days, what fun for children!   The above photos are from the 32 inch Auburn snowfall in January 1948 with Margene, Karen, a neighbor boy, and Grandpa Gene using  his farm scoop.   They also show the Little House at 1406 I Street and the neighborhood. 

When we were in elementary school in Auburn, we did get a day off now and then. We'd listen to the radio carefully to hear about our school, we'd cheer, and then listen again, just in case there was an error!   It's the same today only with TV and other kinds of messaging.


The normal daily schedule at Antioch School was very strict.   Classes began at 9:00 AM with the ringing of the brass bell by hand.  When the weather was really bad (and most kids walked to school) they did let us in to wait in the large center foyer.  We wore rubber galoshes over our shoes as boots.  Sometimes they were very hard to put on!  When "shoe/boots" first came out, all the mothers thought it was ridiculous.  Why would you ever want another pair of shoes for a child?  Just doesn't make sense!! Girls wore a wool bandanna (that came untied easily) because knit hats were only for boys then. Although girls always wore dresses or skirts to school, we did wear corduroy pants or lined snowpants under our dresses to cover our legs in the winter. How stylish!

Margene and I walked home for lunch for 12 years.  Grandma Marge  always had everything ready for us so, in our younger years, we'd have plenty of time to squeeze in some piano practice before heading back to school at 1:00 PM.  She made seer-sucker bib aprons for Marge and me with a rick-rack initial on the front. Just couldn't let us drip tomato soup on our clothes! What I remember most about lunch was that we always had dessert!  Usually it was a fresh homemade pudding such as cornstarch, chocolate, cup custard, tapioca, or raisin bread.  Delicious! 

If, for some reason, Mother wasn't home, I went to the Glen's or a friend's house for lunch.  In order to take a sack lunch to elementary school, you needed a REALLY good reason and a note from your parent, of course!  Kids whose mothers worked went to a grandparent's house (and I'll bet they didn't practice the piano).  A few children were allowed to bring their lunch regularly, but not many.  The teachers needed a break!!

In Junior High and High School, we still walked home for lunch but things were much different.  Joe and Anne were eager to see us.  After Margene left home, I spent lunch time working with Anne and her guitar!  click to enlarge

Anne and Joe November 1957, ages 1 and 4.

In 1960 Auburn had a monster snow and ice storm.  And this time we took at least one photo of the giant icicles on the house at 1011 15th Street.  You can also see the back of the J.W. Kerns house (Grandpa Gene's grandparents).  More about them in a later post.  KEE

Icicles on the house at 1011 15th Street in January 1960

Here are some more recent snow photos with the little kids in Indiana, and Ohio, 2009.

Elementary School in Auburn

Here are some of my reflections of what we called "Grade School" in Auburn from 1948-1954.  Margene, Joe and Anne can add their thoughts when time permits. Photos are from "Auburn, Now and Then" by Kevin Casey, on-line searches,  and the family archives. KEE

Elementary School in Auburn


 

Antioch School, Central Ave, Auburn NE built in 1897.

 Throughout the 20th Century, Auburn had two public elementary schools.   All children who lived north of 16th Street (that's us) attended Antioch school while those who lived south of 16th attended Athens School.  These two schools were built in 1897/1898 for a cost of about $8000 each.  Grandpa Gene and siblings attended the country school near the farm and then St. Joseph's School in town until it burned. All this is subject for other posts.   Uncle Dick went to Athens for a few years.  The younger McPherren girls started in Antioch (Aunt Donna, Maxine, and Helen) but Grandma Marge was at the high school when they moved to Auburn (8th or 9th Grade, I think!)

By the time Margene, Karen, and Joe were ready for school,  the building had interior toilets in the basements and drinking fountains!

Typical type of classroom with desks and slate boards

The girls entered Antioch through the door on the left and the boys on the right.  We lined up outside until the custodian rang the antique brass bell (by hand) when we walked in an orderly fashion (?) up the half-flight of stairs to the first floor for Kindergarten, First, and Second and then up a huge flight of stairs for Grades  3, 4 and 5.  There were four classrooms on each floor so the extra room on the first floor was for activities and on the 2nd floor for music.  Between the classrooms were long hallways where the children hung their coats and took off their galoshes.    Inside the classrooms,  we sat in wooden desks that were mounted on boards.  And of course, we had slate blackboards similar to the on-line photo.

Typical school supplies

In my second grade class, Mrs. Mildred Humphrey taught 33 children who wrote on Big Chief tablets, drew with crayons, and ate the school paste! Some, like me, licked their fingers discretely but often those silly boys would gulp a whole mouthful!

Karen and 2nd Grade Class 1950

Miss Grace Corners

One of the iconic elementary school teachers who taught Margene, Karen, and Joe was Miss Grace Corners.  She was in the school system for decades teaching 3rd Grade and serving as principal.  If you have any stereotyped images of an old maid school teacher, she embodied them all!  Many students (and their parents) shuddered when 3rd Grade began because she was known as a very strict disciplinarian.   In addition, since her handwriting was distinctive and perfect, she expected the same of her students.

Deep in the boxes of Ely archives, I found my report cards along with a note from Mother who said she sent each of us all our report cards. (Who will post one?)  Looks like I had a tough time at the first of the year.  Wonder if it is too late to appeal those marks?   In the academic areas I was fine.  Perhaps she changed the seating arrangement!  Wow, look at the wording of items they evaluated!  (click to enlarge)

Karen's 3rd Grade Report Card (partial)

Here is Joe as he started kindergarten with little sister alongside wishing him well.  The building was much the same as it was 60 years earlier.

Joe on his first day of school, Sept 1958, Antioch School

In the late 1950s, the city voted for a bond issue to finance two new buildings.   The new names, Sheridan and Calvert, were based on the tiny villages that were merged to form the county seat and new town, Auburn, in 1882.  Joe will probably remember the construction site overtaking the playground and the actual move mid-year I think.   Here is little Anne ready to begin Kindergarten.  I was off to college that year.  Joe was in 3rd Grade with the one and only Miss Grace Corners! 

Anne on her first day of school, Sept 1961, age 5, new Sheridan School

Mr. Hutton Teaches the Four Elys

The four of us, Margene, Karen, Joe, and Anne were in the Auburn School System for a total of 31 years.  We had only a few common teachers in all those years.  The most notable one was the iconic high school mathematician, Mr. Kenneth Hutton.  His recent death has allowed us to reflect on his influence on each of us. 

You've all heard the stories, imitations, and Kenny-ism's that are such a part of each of us. But since we all respect him as an outstanding teacher, he has earned a spot on the EFB.

Mr. Hutton was very strict in class, expecting the full attention of all students, all the time. Thus, this photo from May 1970 is particularly noteworthy since Joe just couldn't focus on the graph with a photographer in the room!  (click to enlarge)

The article appeared in the Omaha World Herald "Magazine of the Midlands." The purpose was to showcase the Math-Science Club from AHS and their trips and activities. In reading through it, I see that membership was dependent on a student having a 3.0 GPA and if his/her grades dipped at any point, membership ceased! Wonder who wrote the by-laws for the club? Joe and Anne participated in the MSC and its many fund raisers and trips. I believe Grandma was a driver for one trip to Colorado and one trip to Washington DC with the students. (After the Washington DC trip, Grandma, Anne and a carload of girls stopped in Martinsville VA to visit the Eichstadts, probably 1972.)

Margene and I were at AHS before the days of the Math-Science club. Our standard curriculum was Algebra 9th Grade and Plane Geometry 10th Grade. In my day many students continued with Algebra II as juniors, and Trigonometry/Analytic Geometry as seniors. These were my favorite classes and all taught by Mr. Hutton. Years later when teaching college students, it was clear that my foundation in math was much better than many others. Principles that I initially learned from Kenny Hutton just popped into my head throughout my teaching career.

When I entered 9th Grade, I was eager but apprehensive about having Mr. Hutton for Algebra. At that time he was the only math teacher in the school. Things had to be done his way...because "that's our policy." It was unimaginable to walk into class without all of the homework completed, even if you had had to consult with friends during band class. He expected more than you thought you could deliver. Then when you did it, you were amazed, happy, and inspired.

To be truthful, Mr. Hutton really wasn't the most popular teacher in the school as many students just couldn't take it. But, he certainly was the most imitated teacher. His nicknames changed over the years from Porky, to Chops/Chopper, to many more.

Beyond all this, though, Mr. Hutton was very dedicated to his profession and the students of Auburn High School. He had a major positive effect on the lives of those he taught.

Here are a couple of clips from Facebook:

From Anne: I was so sad to learn last night that one of the greatest teachers ever, Mr. Kenny Hutton, is very ill. Though we gave him a hard time back in the day, he truly was a passionate educator and mathematician. He accepted nothing less than top effort from every student. Here's to you, Mr. Hutton (and all the axioms you insisted that we memorize.) You had a profound, remarkable effect on the world, and we are grateful.

From Joe:  The recent death of my famous HS Math teacher, Kenny Hutton, has prompted many memories of him and appreciation of his rigor on my career and life.  He was an amazing teacher and quite a man.

 OBITUARY 

  Kenneth R Hutton - January 06, 2011

1925-2011

Kenneth Robert Hutton was born in Nemaha County, Nebraska, south of Auburn on August 22, 1925, to Bert F. Hutton and Jeanne Marie (Migot) Hutton. The Hutton family farmed southwest of Howe. Kenneth attended Champion School and graduated from Nemaha High School in 1942. Following graduation, he was appointed Clerk of the County Court for five years.

He enrolled at Peru State College and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in education with honors in 1950. He attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where he earned his Master of Education degree in 1956. He also attended Cornell and Stanford Universities working toward his Doctorate in Science and Mathematics. However, he was unable to complete his doctoral dissertation due the illness of his parents.

Kenneth was baptized December 19, 1926, and confirmed April 2, 1939, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Auburn where he was an active member his entire life. He enjoyed teaching confirmation classes and Sunday school, sponsoring the Luther League, serving on the church council, and singing in the church choir.

On July 16, 1977, Kenneth was married to Joyce L. (Kennedy) Hall at the Congregational Church in Sabetha, Kansas. Kenneth welcomed Joyce’s two children, Randall and Susan Hall, making the family complete.

Mr. Hutton’s teaching career began in 1950 at Missouri Valley High School in Iowa. In 1951 he began his long tenure teaching mathematics in Auburn High School where he helped to organize the Math-Science Club. Numerous trips to Colorado and Washington D.C. with the Math-Science Club and receiving Teacher of the Year at the state level were highlights of his teaching career. Mr Hutton retired in 1991 after teaching high school for 42 years. Being reluctant to retire and moved by his passion for teaching, he taught math classes at Peru State College and later supervised student teachers for 16 more years until 2007. Ever the teacher, Kenneth mentored a middle school student the past three years. His delight was in helping any student he could, and he enjoyed visiting with all his former students.

Kenneth was a willing faithful volunteer as an active member of Kiwanis Club for 56 years, a member of the Auburn Community Builders, and chairman of Sheridan Cemetery Association.

Having been raised on a farm, he looked forward to spending time working outdoors. He was fond of gardening and yard work and enjoyed purchasing and refinishing antique walnut furniture.

On the late afternoon of January 6, 2011, Kenneth passed away at Bryan East Hospital in Lincoln after an illness of nearly three weeks. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Chet, Floyd, and Frank; sisters Ottis and husband Julius Bergmann, Ilma and husband Walter Schlange, Lucille and husband Floyd Bohlken, and Ruth Ima and husband Clyde Baade. Surviving is one brother, Raymond, of Auburn. In this last years, Kenneth especially enjoyed being with Raymond working on the farm and taking trips to Nemaha.

Also surviving are his wife Joyce; step-son Randall and wife Denise Hall of Sabetha, Kan.; step-daughter Susan and husband Mike Knox of Omaha; step-grandchildren Micah, Matthew, and Meggie Hall, and Daniel and Elizabeth Nelson, and Brandon, Taylor, and Tanner Knox.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Auburn officiated by Rev. Bud Christianson assisted by Rev. Greg Berger and Rev. Delvin Hutton. Special music was performed by Edith Schlange and Donna Caspers on the piano and organ, and John Lauber sang a solo accompanied by Mary Lauber.

Pallbearers were Ron Bergmann, Lynn Pyeatt, Allan Hutton, Glen Baade, Jake Hutton, Ron Spry, and Jeremy Allen.

Burial followed in Prairie Union Cemetery near Shubert, Nebr.

Services were entrusted to Hemmingsen Funeral Home of Auburn.

 

Being Cool with a Mule

Note from Karen: I'm hoping that others can remember more about Grandpa's Ear.   


Being Cool With a Mule

A farm accident that occurred in June 1931 could have been far worse than it was.  Now it is a part of our history.  Grandpa Gene was 16 years old and had just completed 10th Grade at St. Joseph's School.  The family lived in Auburn and the boys went to the farm every day to work.  Although the Elys and most other farmers had tractors, they still used horses and mules for some tasks. I faintly remember seeing some plows for horses in the back shed at the farm with those far-from-comfy metal seats.  However,  I'm really not sure what type of equipment they actually had in 1931.  Can anyone fill in any more details on this???

For a 5th Grade school assignment on Dec 11, 1953,  I interviewed my dad about his ear.  This yellowed paper was tucked into my baby book (which hadn't been updated since I was 8 months old).  I'm guessing this was a rough draft because there are some spelling errors that Mother would certainly have made me correct and also there isn't a grade on it.  I do remember copying and recopying assignments often!  Nevertheless, most of the facts are included.  I note that he told me the story in a funny, rather than scary, way!  How typical!

       A Big Bite

When my Dad was working in a field, he had a big suprize.  He was working some mules to pull a hay mower.  He was hitching the mules to the mower and was pulling the yoke up and one mule bit off his right ear.  He decided to go down to the  house and get a doctor.  The lady that was there thought she would drive him to town.  She wore out a battery in the car so Dad got out and cranked the car to get it started.  The lady had forgotten to turn the key.  They went into town and Dad was operated on.  They graffed some skin off his shoulder so they they could cover the ear.  When he came out of the operating room, he felt so bad because he didn't get the hay mowed.  I have a Dad with 1 1/2 ears.

Nemaha County Herald June 8, 1931

When Grandpa was coaching High School in Michigan City, IN one day his football players asked him about the ear.  He had a good story ready, perhaps one he and ND friends had jointly authored on one of those long train rides!  The story was that during the ND-Army game in New York, 1937, the Army mule got loose and bit off his ear!  Great story!  So the mule and the ear part were correct, but the rest of the scenario was only slightly altered.  The story eventually made it to the HS newspaper and the coach had to offer a "small correction."

Throughout the years, Grandma tried to make sure Grandpa was always photographed from his left side and the ear doesn't appear in many photos.

Gene Ely, 1952, in Auburn

But here's one, actually the best photo I've run across, and the incredible shirt is just a bonus from the 1950s.  As you can see, the "bite" was just a diagonal off the top back of his ear.  It healed completely and would hardly be called a disfigured ear.  He joked that he'd never be able to wear glasses, but when the time came, that wasn't a problem either.

Ely Family October 1953.  Joe (1 week old)

When Joe was born in Nebraska City in 1953, the attending doctor (probably Dr. Fenstermacher , who had lived in Auburn for several years) came in with a report to the mother.  He said  "I'm glad to tell you the baby has two normal ears."  Mom laughed and said "What?"  He replied, "Your son has not inherited Gene's ear."  She quickly told him that the ear was from a mule accident.  He had known us for quite a few years and had always assumed the ear was a birth defect.

Gene Ely in the Tack Room, 1985.

The only other "ear discussion" I can remember came from our long-time family physician and friend, Dr. Paul Scott, who had assumed that it was a frost-bitten ear, very common in those days, as "real men" didn't cover their ears in winter.   Dr. Scott thought it was just a consequence of the Ely toughness!

More Gene Ely cool

I recall several incidents of Grandpa's "cool," a couple of which I will share here.

The first one was the time that Grandpa had to dump an entire truckful of corn into the big silo. Brian and I were about 9 years old, and perhaps sensing an opportunity for a couple of city kids that may never come again, he allowed us to get into the back of the truck and immerse ourselves in the entire load of kernels.

The truck was HUGE, or so it seemed to us, as we could bury ourselves up to our necks in the stuff. We got corn in our shoes, socks, shirts, and were covered in dirt, but we'd never had so much fun before. I think it was the first time I realized that a grandparent could be "cool."

Incident number 2:

In the summer of 1979 I was 15 years old, and had gotten my driver's permit just a few months before (in January). We made our annual trip to Auburn in August, which was always the highlight of the year for us three Dean kids; an added benefit for me that year was being able to drive around town and at the farm. Not by myself, of course, but with Grandma or Grandpa riding shotgun, ready to take over and save us all if needed.

Grandma was always patient with me, but visibly skittish, as one would expect with a brand new driver at the wheel. Grandpa, however, was his usual calm self, only offering occasional helpful suggestions like "use your directional here," or "turn on your brights at the turn." His calm demeanor made me more at ease myself, and conveyed a wonderful sense of trust in my still-developing skills as a young driver.

We drove his pickup truck a lot around the farm, occasionally going over ditches and through ravines, where he showed me how to use the 4-wheel drive and how to use the manual shift when I needed to. We went up and down the roads, running interference for farm equipment, and doing the myriad other things that I could never experience on the roads back in southern California. I remember his advice to stay as far to the right of the road as I could when we neared the top of a crest, and then to return to the middle of the road when we reached downhill or flat ground. It was invaluable instruction.

To the coolness part... We were driving around near the goat 80, me at the wheel, and him checking some figures on a sheet of paper. I guess he was doing some kind of cattle count, I don't know, but whatever it was, he was doing his job, and I was doing mine. At one odd turn, I managed to drive us into a closed-off section just past a large tree, where I stopped the truck in front of a fence. I could go no further forward, and the tree was partly blocking my way out from behind. I could not turn around, as there was no room. I had "wedged" us into this spot, and to make matters worse, there was mud underneath the tires, making it rather slippery.

I put the truck in park. A little embarrassed, I said, "I think we're stuck, Grandpa. How do I get out of here?"

He looked up from his sheet of paper, rolled his window down, stuck his head out, and briefly surveyed the situation.

"Yep," he said, "you've got a problem," and continued on with his paper full of cow figures.

That was it. No instructions on how to get out, no advice, no suggestions, nothing. And, just as importantly, no anger, no admonishments, and no judgment, either. Just me in the driver's seat, and him with his paper of numbers. He'd already told me everything I needed to know over the previous three days that I'd been driving, and he was content to let me work this one out for myself.

Which I did. With liberal use of the 4-wheel drive, and several (hundred) shifts from reverse to drive to reverse again, I managed to extricate us from the muddy dead end and get us back onto the blessed gravel road.

He never said a word about it, and didn't need to. But as a brand new driver, that was probably the most pride I'd ever felt in my own abilities, like a 4-year-old who has just learned to tie his own shoes. I did it All By Myself, and I had Grandpa to thank for it.

That, to me, was the very essence of cool.

The Original Cool

Happy Birthday to Gene Ely, the Coolest!

January 8, 2011 would have been the 96th Birthday of our dear Daddy/Dad//Grandpa/Great-Grandpa, Gene Ely, who was the original Mr. Cool, long before the term was invented.  He had swagger with deep love for his family.  I'll give you a couple of examples from my more recent digs into the family boxes.  Also you might look at his 94th Birthday, and You with Your Grandpa.   We all can celebrate January 8th in our own special way, feeling his love that endures.

Since most of you call him Grandpa, that's the term I'll use mostly.  

In January 1931 when Grandpa would have been in 10th Grade and had just turned 16, his coolness was documented in the Nemaha County Herald.    He was still at St. Joseph's School because he went to Auburn High School for his last two years.  

40 Years Ago  (meaning Jan 1931)

Gene Ely, Lanning Andrews, Cyril Thorburg, James Wheeler and Miss Lotta Oliver started for Beatrice Tuesday night to see the basketball game.  They went in the Ely Chrysler sedan with Gene Ely driving.  When at the Rohrs railroad crossing, the brakes failed to work and the car plunged through a fence and turned over twice.  But Gene, with his usual good judgment, picked a soft place to land, which in this case was a big pile of pumpkins made nice and soft by alternate thawing and freezing.

   
In addition to being cool, he also did very cool things.  Here is one example:

 On Easter week-end 1967, I went home from KU having just completed a major hurdle in the Ph.D. program.  I was driving an old Falcon station wagon that Grandpa has "forgotten" to trade in when he bought a new pick-up about the time I graduated from Marquette in 1965.  Usually when I went home he took my car to Deb Falk for repairs and to the Schneiders for a tire check, and usually he paid for it too.  But this time, he came home with a light blue Mustang!  Of course, I cried.  I just couldn't believe that this was for me!  Grandpa had been talking to his friend Floyd Pohlman who happened to have a "used" Mustang that he daughter didn't like after a mere 400 miles.  He worked out a deal so that the payments were well within the graduate stipend I had at the time.   So when he got home with the car, he muttered something about the Falcon being unreliable with a huge smile.  Now I ask you.... how cool is that???

I'm planning to share more with you in the next few weeks, as I'm on a roll for scanning and writing stuff now.   So for starters on the new EFB, what examples do YOU have of this birthday boy being cool?

Changes for EFB

  Update Your Information So You'll Enjoy These Family Photos and Stories

Engagement Party (with jello) nearly 50 years ago!

Later this week I'm going to be posting more family photos on EFB and making it private.  Changes in the internet make this a good idea at this time.


Check your profile, e-mail and other information so we have you properly registered.  All family members will be made authors. You might want to be a follower, so you'll know when something is posted.

Karen (11)  and Joe (4 months)

 Hopefully, this will be a good way to share what I have in some big purple bins (purchased by Brian, thanks!) in our storage area.


Love,  Karen