High school tennis by Mike

Based on a 1955 Mounder, I think I know the people in this story. (nbruce, blogger)

"I happen to know someone who holds a world record. He holds the record for the world's longest tennis racket throw. (Unsubstantiated of course, it has never been entered into the official record books because, I suppose of embarrassment). My doubles partner in high school had a terrible temper, it was pretty funny, you know? He'd miss a crucial shot in an important match and he'd jump up and down, hit his racket on the court surface, and sometimes break it.

It was all his fault when I began to manifest the same behavior. ( Notice how I'm blaming him). We were in high school and he and I were winning a match against our rival team from Rochelle, Illinois. The coach, Lew Behrens was watching, and one of us settled under a lob in order to put it away for the final point in the first set, and hit the ball on the racket frame, rather than the strings, and the ball went into orbit over the fence and into the adjacent ball field. Well, I turned in anger and threw my racket high and far. It helicoptered onto the roof of the high school. How am I admitting this? Oh, the embarrassment! The coach admonished me, but not too much to affect my game, but he then loaned me HIS racket with the appropriate threat.

After the match, which we fortunately won, without any more foolish tantrums, I had to go fetch my racket somehow. So, I went inside to find the school custodian, Art Goldberg, and borrow a ladder. I found him in a stall in the Men's Room. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Mr Goldberg, where can I find a long ladder?
Art:  It's in the back.... Why do you need a ladder?
Me: Well I need to get on the roof.
Art: Oh, well it is in the back room behind....... Why do you need to get on the roof?
Me:  Something of mine is up there.
Art:  Oh, look in the storage..... What of yours is up there?
Me: My tennis racket.
Art: Oh. Well, get the ladder out and... How did it get up THERE?
Me: Uhhh.. I threw it there, I guess.

 By this time Art flushed and came out of the stall and said, "Oh it's you, Well I'm not surprised. I'll get it for you this time, but next time you'll need a new racket!"

 Bless his heart.

1954 Mounder photos

 

Local Happenings 2015

I gleaned a few tidbits from Dave and Sylvia's Christmas letter about what's going on around town.  I used to rely on Murray Trout for updates on activities in Mt. Morris as he'd ride his bike through town, but he left us a few years ago.

• There is a new Sullivan's Food Store.
• There was a retirement party for Kable Band Conductor, Warren Reckmeyer, who has logged 59 years with the band. Warren was the high school band director when we were in school.
• The class of 1957 had two get-togethers in 2015.
• There is a new Casey's Gas Station/Convenience Store coming to town in 2016.
• Dave has been on the Mt. Morris Planning Commission of the Village Board for 12 1/2 years.
• Sylvia has been playing with the Kable Band for 59 years.

Boy Scout Jamboree by Mike Balluff, memories from 1953

In 1953 I got about as political as I want to get. Let me tell you about it. 

There was a Boy Scout World Jamboree held in Santa Ana, California. I was chosen to be a patrol leader (yay) and my parents put me on a train early in the morning on July 9 in Rockford, Illinois. I left my folks knowing that I wouldn't see them again for 2 weeks. Separation anxiety was short as the train loaded with Boy Scouts from all over northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin left for two weeks of fun on Southern California. We sang songs, played cards, and played pranks on each other. It was fun sleeping in the Pullman bunks. The clack of the tracks, swaying of the cars easily put me to sleep. In 3 days we were in Santa Ana at the Irvine ranch with 50,000 other scouts. We swam in the ocean, cooked our own food, pitched our tents, had trading sessions where we traded things from our home town and state, and great hikes exploring the ranch. The evenings featured stage shows and entertainment by many movie stars, such as Debbie Reynolds, Jimmy Stewart, Roy Rogers , Mitzi Gaynor, Danny Kaye, and others. A bunch of us waited at the gate where the celebs came in hoping to get autographs and Richard Nixon, the USVP came in riding in a convertible limo with his bodyguards. The car stopped right in front of us and one of the bodyguards gave me a stick of Wrigley's spearmint gum. WOW I chewed that gum for 5 days, saving it overnight on the bedpost. From that time on I was a Nixon man! I knew then he didn't have any idea about Watergate!

[This memory first appeared on Mike's Facebook Wall, and is used with his permission.]

Jamboree Road now is one of the major thoroughfares in Orange County, California, running from just west of Irvine Lake, all the way south to Pacific Coast Highway.main street, but in 1953 it was a gravel road through a tent town of boy scouts.





Images are from OC Register story. Patch from Orange Co. Memories.

Here are some photos, including Nixon, from the OC Register.  I wonder if the bartering and trading are  what launched Mike's later antiques career. http://www.ocregister.com/.../webb-649572-jamboree-scouts...

http://www.octhen.com/2006/09/jamboree-road.htm

Back in the day--a memory of Christmas past by Mike Balluff

Christmas when I was a child was going to Grand parents for the whole family, probably 25 aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, etc. We lived in Northern Illinois where we got a lot of snow. Gramma's house was a farm near Byron, Il, about 20 miles from home for us. We would drive in the ice and snow to a bridge, stop, park, and Grandpa would come get us in a single horse drawn sleigh. It would hold 2 adults besides the driver. It was very cold, and Grandpa would wrap us in a very scratchy coarse wool blanket that I remember to this day. The rest of our journey was up a hill, about a mile to the farm. The hill was the reason for parking at the bottom.

Dinner was eaten there in the dining room, consisting of turkey, duck, goose, capon with many sides. The birds were all stuffed with a dressing that had OYSTERS in it. I wondered at the time what those things were, and was flabbergasted that I actually liked those slimy things. The house had no running water to wash dishes or to flush toilets. They brought in water from the well in a tub which was heated on a big wood stove. The toilet was an out house 50 ft from the back door. Much to our (the kids) dismay we couldn't open any of the many presents under the tree until all the dishes were done and food put away. 

Aahhh, those were the good old days. (Originally posted on Facebook; used with permission)

Class of 1957 has a Christmas tree

The Mt.Morris High School class of 1957 offers its Christmas greetings to the village by placing its tree as an addition to the village square band shell collection of holiday trees.

 

 Submitted by Lynne, who still lights up the world.

Three new trees for the campus

Pictured here are three new trees recently planted on the Mt. Morris square, commonly know as "The campus." Several ash trees have succumbed to the Emerald Ash Borer and sadly will eventually need to be removed. A former Mt. Morris resident and alumni of Mt. Morris high school class of 1957 became aware of the situation and generously donated the funds for tree replacement. I chatted with the  nursery guys and had them check out our memorial tree...I am happy to report it is in good health.  Story and photo submitted by Lynne.

Class meets for Halloween breakfast at The Pines

“The Class of '57 had breakfast together Halloween morning at the White Pines Inn...we had ten attending on a typical late fall rainy day...we were a chatty and happy group able to put aside any issues with health we might be dealing with for the day and just enjoyed being together...we briefly talked of our next reunion-our 60th coming in 18 months....time that will fly by...having it again at the Pines was considered as the past reunion memories linger and were recalled as we sat and talked.” [Lynne]

Diane Bechtold Thompson, 1939-2015

Diane M. Thompson - 76 7/28/1939 - 10/5/2015 Mt. Morris, Illinois Mt. Morris – Diane M. Thompson, age 76, died Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 at Pinecrest Manor in Mt. Morris. She was born July 28, 1939 in Sublette, IL the daughter of Jay and Mary Alice (Price) Bechtold. Diane graduated from Mt. Morris High School in 1957. She attended Secretarial School in Dayton, Ohio and was a Secretary for the Air Force Base. She married Jimmy Utley on July 18, 1958. He preceded her on Aug. 28, 1965. She than married Charles Thompson on July 8, 1966. He preceded her on Oct. 21, 1993. Diane worked for Country Companies Insurance as a Secretary, she also worked in the zoning dept. at the court house, retired from the Ogle County Sheriff’s Dept., and was owner and operator of Al’s Place from 1978 – 1993. Diane was a Lioness of the Dixon Lion’s Club, member of the Dixon Elk’s Club, and Rochelle Moose Lodge. She was predeceased by her parents, her 2 husbands, and an infant daughter Debbie. She is survived by her 3 children; Jill (Timm) Carlson of Mt. Morris, Jim (Jessica) Utley of Dixon, and Susan (Dale) Price of Dixon, Brother David (Jan) Bechtold of Norcross, Georgia, 6 grandchildren; Tyler (Liz) Carlson, Trace Carlson, Erica Utley, Rachel (Zack) Jones, Kevin Utley, and Alex Price, 2 Great Grandsons Carter Jones and Emmett Carlson, and adopted son Chris (Becky) Cox. Funeral service will be 7:00 pm, Friday, Oct. 9, 2015 at the Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home, 110 S. 7th Street, Oregon, IL 61061. Visitation will be prior to the service Friday from 5-7 pm at the funeral home. Private burial will be in the Riverview Cemetery in Oregon. A memorial fund is established for the Mt. Morris Ambulance Service or the Pinecrest Manor Good Samaritan Fund.

Class of 1957 has July 4 breakfast at the Mt. Morris fire station

As has become custom, the class of '57 MMHS met for breakfast just as we have done for 57 years on or around the 4th of July... This year we gathered once again at our local fire station. About twelve locals attended plus spouses and siblings with various town folk stopping by to say, "Hello." Good to see everyone and we will indeed do this again next year...The 4th of July was warm, sunny with clear skies . . .something we haven't seen a lot of thus far in our summer...the moon was full and the fireworks were wonderful on such a clear summer’s night...our home town celebration continues with golf tournaments, memorial walks, parade, and yes, even the queen contest...and the fireworks finish--remember what they were like in the '50's?" (Guest blogger, Lynne, with photos by Sylvia and Lynne)

A Mounder 57 fire truck!

Marion and Nancy

Handsome table decorations with a happy Nancy and Moe.

Lynne and Nancy

Must have been a funny story.  Nancy and Moe, Sylvia and Dave.

Ladies Spring luncheon

A few of the ladies of the class of 1957 gathered for lunch on April 4, and for dessert we nibbled what was left of the "photo cake" of the fall reunion.

Update: Class of 57 reunion 57

Class President Mike B. observes: "The 1957 graduating class from Mt Morris High School held our 57th reunion at the fabulous Barnacopia between Polo and Mt. Morris on hiway 64. We had 19 classmates and 2 former teachers in attendance. A wonderful buffet including roast beef and chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, broccoli and cauliflower, Macaroni salad, and soft drinks. For dessert we had cupcakes with a lighted candle on each one. The anniversary cake had a picture of our 8th grade class on it. We sat around and reminisced with guests, the two Warrens, Reckmeyer and Burstrom. It's amazing how young they looked. A tour of the venue provided a great finish to the wonderful evening. Everyone left with a very warm feeling of love and affection for each other. We look forward to the next time we can get together. We have a great class indeed.

Lynne, Nancy, Priscilla and Fran

The pizza dinner before the reunion

Class reunion decorations

Barnacopia, west of Mt. Morris

Marker placed by class tree

Five summers past the Mt. Morris High School graduating class of 1957 dedicated a young maple tree on the campus on our village square-most commonly called “The Campus.” Many mature trees had been destroyed in a recent storm and had been removed. The members of the MMHS class of 1957 thought they would much like to see the trees restored and be a part of this restoration and also memorialize their deceased classmates. Autumn Blaze maple was chosen and classmates donated the funds for purchase. The tree flourished in all seasons, especially in fall as a living memorial to friends. Recently a bronze marker was placed simply stating “Mt. Morris Class of 1957,” thus serving as a reminder to future generations that though we no longer have our high school and we may have lost a few classmates along the way. . . we know not age, nor weariness nor defeat and will not be vanquished. While attending one of the many concerts and programs on the Campus this summer please visit our tree and view the marker.

Nelson Potter, Jr. Obituary

Death of Nelson Potter, Jr.
---------------------
Nelson Thomas Potter Jr., September 22, 1939-May 12, 2013
Nelson, or Tom/Tommy as we knew him growing up, was the son of Nelson and Hazel Park Potter. He was our class validictorian and a wonderfully sweet guy who put up with us as his head was usually somewhere else. He graduated summa cum laude from Monmouth College in 1961 with degrees in philosophy and English. He continued his education and recieved a PhD in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1969. He was a member of the faculty of Philosophy at the University of Nebraska from 1965 until 2010, having served as chair and director of UNL's Centennial Education Program. His specialty was Immanuel Kant.
In 1978 he married Kathleen Johnson and they had a daughter Sophia, a talented musician. In addition to his wife and daughter he is survived by brother Jim and wife Ann, nieces and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Barbara Potter. Interment was in Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska, and the funeral was June 22.
Books of poetry by Ted Kooser have been donated to the Mt. Morris Public Library in his memory by class members. Kathy wrote that Nelson relied on the Mt. Morris Library for interlibrary loan materials to expand his horizons. As his widow and a librarian, she was very appreciative of these gifts in his memory.

Valentine Party