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PROFILE UPDATES


•   Betty Underwood (March)  10/6
•   Sam Richards  7/10
•   Bonne Brubach (Dethlefs)  6/30
•   Mary Shoning (Klauer)  2/25
•   Judith Kempton (Ray)  2/3
•   Susan Hansen (Ullrich)  1/22
•   Dick Stone  7/23
•   Carol Headid (Border-Stone)  1/24
•   Beverly Miller (Mestelle)  9/21
•   Dixie Hesse (Class Of 63) (Hesse)  8/22
Show More

WHERE ARE THEY NOW


WHERE WE LIVE


Who lives where - click links below to find out.

6 live in Arizona
2 live in Arkansas
10 live in California
12 live in Colorado
7 live in Florida
1 lives in Idaho
59 live in Iowa
2 live in Louisiana
1 lives in Maryland
1 lives in Massachusetts
1 lives in Michigan
12 live in Minnesota
4 live in Missouri
8 live in Nebraska
1 lives in New Mexico
3 live in North Carolina
5 live in Ohio
3 live in Oregon
4 live in South Dakota
1 lives in Tennessee
6 live in Texas
1 lives in Virginia
1 lives in Washington
1 lives in Germany
1 location unknown
97 are deceased

MISSING CLASSMATES


Know the email address of a missing Classmate? Click here to contact them!

Welcome to the East High Class Of 1964 web site. We will be adding classmates and updating information as we get it so stop back at any time to see the progress!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

60th Reunion Registration is now live!!!!!!!!!!!!

The East High class of 1964 will hold their 60th reunion Thursday, October 10, 2024 through Sunday, October 13, 2024.  Click here for further details and to register. 

 

Monthly Class Get-Togethers
 
Girls of 64 
The next outing for the Girls of 64 will be held at The Don'$ Sports Bar & Grill (formerly Clyde's near the Explorers baseball stadium) on Wednesday,  October 16th starting at 11:30 Please RSVP with Susan Ullrich at 712-574-4641 no later than Monday October 14th.
 
 
Class Coffee Hour
The next monthly all-class coffee hour will be held Wednesday, October 2nd at Perkins, Morningside location to discuss all the world's problems.  It will start at 9:00
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sioux City Flood Update

June 24, 2024 SCJ

"Residents of Sioux City’s Riverside area were forced to head to shelters or stay with friends and family after flooding made them evacuate their homes.

Sioux City officials say the Big Sioux River in Riverside crested at 45 feet Monday morning, which was higher than what officials expected and higher than the previous record of 37 feet. This resulted in emergency evacuations starting at 2 a.m. Monday.

As floodwaters rose, rescue crews went door-to-door by boat evacuating people from their homes and making sure no one was left behind.

“We did assist 17 people out by boat or by walking them this morning. Yeah, everybody’s been great about it,” said Sioux City Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Kevin Keleher.

By Monday afternoon Sioux City Fire Rescue had visited 68 homes. Most were already empty. But in four cases, first responders had to rescue people still in their homes.

Firefighters on scene said they’ve seen floodwaters contained to low-lying areas south of River Drive. They hope quickly floodwaters will recede, which would be welcome news for folks forced out of their homes.

“We’re hoping here at some point, hopefully within the next day that even this part of Riverside quits creeping up and starts to subside,” said Keleher.

As of 2:45 p.m. Monday, the Big Sioux was at 44.5 feet, which is about one-half foot lower than the highest point. Water continues to overtop the levee on North River Drive, and it is anticipated to do so for several hours. Pumps are still being used to keep water levels near South River Drive as low as possible. Once the water stops entering the levee area, it will take several hours for the pumps to lower the water level.

There have been no injuries reported as of 5 p.m. in Riverside but officials are still urging the public to stay away from the Riverside area and any other flooded areas. Crews are performing damage assessments in Riverside.

The Red Cross and medical personnel are at the Tyson Events Center to assist those displaced. Further information is expected to come in concerning long-term recovery for those affected. A request for a Governor’s Disaster Declaration has been submitted and approved and is awaiting Presidential approval. This would allow federal resources to assist with local damage and recovery."

To our knowledge, we have two classmates that live in the Riverside area...Nancy Palmer Bradshaw and Susan Porter Steemken.  Both of them have reported that they are fine!

The McCook Lake area, near North Sioux City, was hit hard...houses washed away and roads washed out.  Parts of North Sioux City are also affected.  So far the Dakota Dunes area has not flooded, possibly partially due to the decision that was made to allow water from the Big Sioux overflow to be directed toward the McCook Lake area.

The problem is caused by parts of southeastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa being hit with a massage amount of water over a 3 day time period.  We're talking some areas receiving 12-16 inches of rain in those 3 days.  So the rivers that flooded in those areas flow down and empty into the Missouri River at Sioux City so it's a mess in the area.

The Okoboji area has been affected.  Lots of docks will have to be replaced.

If you would like to view several news stories about the conditions in the area, I would suggest https://www.ktiv.com/

Marie Haley Celebrates 90th Birthday

Marie Haley, a lifelong resident of Sioux City, will celebrate her 90th birthday on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023.

Marie would enjoy hearing from her friends and family via a card shower. Please send cards and birthday wishes, along with your contact information, to: 2562 Pierce St. #419, Sioux City, IA 51104.

Marie was educated in the Sioux City Catholic schools from K-12. She was a graduate of Bishop Heelan Catholic High School and Briar Cliff College, and received a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. She spent a combined 47 years as an educator and librarian in the Sioux City Community Schools and Bishop Heelan Catholic High School. Marie remains active in her retirement community.

9/9/23 SCJ

The USS Sioux City is decommissioned sooner than expected.

On Monday (August 14, 2023), the USS Sioux City will be decommissioned, mothballed after less than five years of service.

Source of pride

The news, which spread on Aug. 4, shocked local residents who had excitedly followed news of the ship since its naming was announced in February 2012, through its construction and January 2016 christening at a Wisconsin shipyard until it officially joined the Navy fleet on that November day in 2018 at Annapolis, Maryland.

They had helped raise a significant portion of the $800,000 needed for commissioning, plus more than $250,000 to create a legacy education fund to help USS Sioux City crew members and their families pay for educational expenses. Ship commanders and crew members who visited Sioux City received celebrity treatment, and the ship's sailors of the year were honored each fall at the Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner.

"This community did what it always does, it stood up to say thank you to the men and women who serve in our armed forces, and I could not be prouder of the way Sioux City and Siouxland responded to and supported this ship and the crew," McGowan said.

No longer wanted

It obviously takes more than support from a namesake city to keep a ship among the Navy's active fleet, and the USS Sioux City was among a group of littoral combat ships, LCS for short, that had come under scrutiny.

The LCS was conceived as a small, fast ship that, thanks in part to a jet propulsion system, could maneuver in shallow, or littoral, waters closer to shore than other Navy ships. It was designed to be reconfigured quickly to take on various missions rather than serve only one specific purpose.

But the Freedom class variant to which the USS Sioux City belonged was plagued almost from the start with mechanical issues that cost millions of dollars to repair, making it a target for criticism from military experts, some of whom said the ships were a waste of money and were no longer wanted by the Navy.

Counter drug trafficking

During its service, the USS Sioux City participated in counter drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea, on one occasion in 2021 working with the U.S. Coast Guard to stop two vessels and seize approximately 1,080 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $44 million.

Last year, the USS Sioux City was the first LCS to operate with other Navy vessels in the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf. The ship returned to Mayport from that mission in October.

August 12, 2023 SCJ

Sioux City Council approves rezoning request to turn the former East Junior High School into $17 million apartment project

The Sioux City Council's approval of a rezoning request Monday will allow a developer to move forward with plans to convert the former East Junior High School into 38 apartment units. 

Commonwealth Development Corporation of America plans to invest $17 million in the project, which will include a mix of apartment units ranging from one to four bedrooms. The property consists of the former school, 1520 Morningside Ave., and adjacent parking lots at 1525 S. Saint Aubin St., as well as 3814 and 3918 Peters Ave.

The council voted unanimously to rezone the property from Public Institutional and Neighborhood Conservation to General Residential. The project's site plan will come back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review. 

Before the vote, Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr asked Tyler Sheeran, vice president of development for Commonwealth Development Corporation of America, whom the apartments would be marketed to.  

"It is IRS section 42 housing," Sheeran said. "So, looking at Woodbury County, specifically, we're targeting individuals making $68,880 on an annual basis -- that's pre-taxed. So, as long are you're making less than that, which equates to about $33 an hour, you'd be eligible."

"What are you going to do with the old auditorium?" Mayor Bob Scott asked. 

Sheeran told Scott the auditorium would be left open for tenant space. He said the building will contain a leasing office, a community room and a kitchenet for tenants to enjoy.

"The hope is to kind of maintain the historic structure inside. That said, we will be doing some extension rehabilitation there," he said. "The units, when you walk in them, they'll still have the historic feel. We'll still have a lot of state-of-the-art finishes your average renter would like to see right now." 

The former East Junior High School closed in 1972. In 1985, the Sioux City School District sold the property to Western Hills Area Education Agency. The Education Agency sold the property to Morningside Preservation, LLC in 2021, according to the Sioux City Assessor's website.

SCJ March 14, 2023

 

Class of 1962 60th Reunion September 23-24 2022

Back row: Andrea Snave Kingery, Sam Peterson, Ken Lewis, Jim Clark, Jerry Forbes, Jim Sorenson, Mike Boulden.

Middle row: Jean Pease Jewel, Betty Hair Dutcher, Bob Larson, Tom Reisdorph, Gerry LeMoine, Gary Jones, Howard Peterson, Jack Holloway, Sharon Brown Flick.

Front row: Cindy Davies Lachnit, Gloria Jacobson Klein, Diane Prescott Strait, Margaret Boe deBuhr, Gale Olsen Peterson, Cheryl Nichols Fisher,  Carol Voloshen DeSmet, Michelle Bocian Patton

Girls of 64 Luncheon - July 21, 2022

The Girls of 64 held their monthly luncheon in Sioux City on July 21st.  An out-of-town visitor, Mary Shoning Klauer was in town from San Diego and joined them.

Attendees were (l-r): Judy Robbins Skoglund, Caroline Stoddard Petersen, Barb Miller McKenney, Linda Clausen Camarigg, Mary Shoning Klauer, Pat Collins Westbrook, Cheri Monlux Joslin, Carol Headid Border-Stone, Beverly Johnson Eliason, Sue Hansen Ullrich, Karen Molstad Riley, and Sheryl McKnight Collins. 

 

Is Everyone Paying Attention?

Neil Johnson found this photo of Mr Wall in a senior English class.  Joyce Vales Wagner and Sandra Franken Sorensen and I think Ric Van Haitsma don't seem to be too interested.

Dana Wall Obituary

Dana Wall, 89, of Sun City Grand, Arizona, passed away from a heart attack on May 17th, 2022.

His many friends and loved ones, many having returned home for the summer, and scattered across the United States and Canada, are invited to celebrate his life, leave comments, and add pictures on the Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel web site: www.caminodelsol.com. (Click on “obituary” at the top center of the page, click on Dana’s photo, click on “share memory.”)

We look forward to sharing and hearing memories from Dana's full life as a student, teacher, soldier, adjunct professor, school district administrator, writer, poet, consultant, speaker, on-camera interviewer, and friend.

Dana was born in 1933 to Harold and Ila Wall in Sioux City Iowa. His father, Harold, owned the “Wall Violin Shop,” a Sioux City landmark for many years.  He graduated from Central High School in 1951 and received a B.A from Morningside College in 1954. He went on to earn his Master's Degree and complete numerous additional graduate hours through the University of Minnesota, University of South Dakota, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University. From 1955 –1957 he served in the US Army and was stationed in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Schwaebisch Gmünd, Germany and separated with the rank of Sergeant. 

From 1957-1968 Dana was a Jr. High and High School English teacher in Sac City, Iowa (1957-1959) and Sioux City, Iowa at East Junior (1959-1962) and East High School (1962-1968).  His teaching in Iowa was interrupted for a year when he was awarded a Fulbright teaching grant to Great Britain and taught at the Edinburgh Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland from 1965-1966.  He became the Sioux City Community Schools English division head from 1967-1975 and then served as the English coordinator/consultant for the Western Hills Area Education Agency from 1975-1990. He was also an adjunct instructor at Morningside College and Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa and an instructor for the Iowa Writers’ Project at the University of Iowa.

During his career, Dana won a variety of awards and honors, published numerous articles and books, and was a speaker at scores of conferences and special events. This included serving as president of the Sioux City Toastmasters' Club in 1963, receiving a "Special" National Defense Education Act grant for composition, serving as president of the Iowa Council of Teachers of English (ICTE) from 1971-73, serving on the Sioux City Art Center Association Board from 1980-1983, and receiving the ICTE "Distinguished Service Award" in 1981. 

Dana was an excellent writer and published scores of articles, columns, and books. A sample includes “School Zone,” a regular column of Sioux City Community School news, and "Wall Den Notes," a regular humor column, in Sioux City Magazine. His article, “The Secret of the Stradivarius Sound,” was published by Newsweek Magazine on October 28, 2002. He was a contributing writer of educational materials to accompany Iowa, Portrait of America, a television series on Turner Broadcasting Network He also served as a reader/consultant for several Prentice Hall textbooks. His booklet, Iowish: What It Is and How to Speak It, had featured articles published twice on the A.P. wire service and in The New York Times. The popularity of the humorous guide to speaking like a native Iowan was so popular, he went on to write similar booklets for other regions, including Speaking' Mizzuran, Gobi Gred: How To Sound Like a Nebraskan, and Mare Kin: The Language We Speak Instead of English.  

After retirement, Dana and Barbara moved to Hideaway Acres near Yankton, South Dakota to enjoy boating and hiking and relaxing in their cabin on Lewis and Clark Lake. While there, he published a Hideaway Acres Newsletter and was elected to the Hideaway Acres Association Board of Directors and served as Vice President from 1996-2000.

In 2003, they moved full time to Sun City Grand, a retirement community in Surprise, Arizona. Dana continued to write and publish articles and also became an on-camera interviewer and program narrator for local access television, TV 22.  He also created and instructed a memoir writing class for the Sun City Grand Lifelong Learning Academy, through Arizona State University and was later appointed to the Board of Directors of the Arizona State University Lifelong Learning Academy.

Creative to the end, in April of 2022, Dana entered his first poetry slam.  He was the oldest participant and his dozen short selections were received with enthusiastic applause.  Among them was his most recent pun-filled limerick, "Alphabetigull.” 

 
Snoopy, of course, is a B-gull,
Jonathan Livingston, a C-gull.
But we all can rejoice
That the gull of our choice
Is the stately American E-gull.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Barbara; his son, Steve and daughter-in-law, Cheryl Ann; daughter, Cheryl Lynn; and grandson, Dave.

 

2011 East Grad Shelby Houlihan Sees Olympic Competition Ban Upheld

Shelby Houlihan received some unfortunate news on Wednesday.

The East High School grad announced on social media that she lost her appeals and her ban from Olympic competition was upheld, meaning she’ll have to wait until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles to become eligible. 

“I was told from the start that it was a long shot; it’s extremely hard to overturn these cases and I shouldn’t get my hopes up,” said Houlihan on an Instagram post. “I had to try anyway. I had to fight for myself, my career, and my reputation because I am innocent. The truth hasn’t won here and that’s devastating.

“Up until this point, I had been advised to lay low and not say or do anything in order to not jeopardize my appeal process,” Houlihan added. “I think this was best because I also wasn’t ready to talk about it. I needed time for myself to process everything that’s happened and to start working on how to move forward. I appreciate people being understanding and giving me the space for that.”

Houlihan tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone back in Dec. 2020, and she appealed that suspension to a Swiss court. 

The Court of Arbitration of Sport, which is based out of Switzerland, heard Houlihan’s appeal. 

May 20, 2022 SCJ

 

The Vietnam Memorial Wall  

A little history most people will never know.  Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall

There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010.

The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties.

There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.  Our classmate, Jim Balch was 20 years old.  8,283 were just 19 years old.  The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.  12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.  5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.  One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.

997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam.  1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam.

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.

8 Women are on the Wall, nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.

The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths.

The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415 casualties were incurred.

For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.

 

Charlie (Chuck) Andersen's Viet Nam Experiences

The class of 64's own Charlie Andersen was interviewed by one of the local TV stations regarding his Viet Nam experiences.  Copy the following link, and paste it into your browser.  Charlie's interview lasts 3 minutes.  You will have to put up with a short commercial prior to Charlie's interview starting.

https://www.siouxlandproud.com/video/veterans-voices-remembering-vietnam/6319778/   

 

 

Tour of Sioux City

For those of you that have not visited Sioux City in a while, here is a 7 minute tour of the city. 

The Warrior Hotel renovation is nearly complete! 

After being a downtown eyesore for over 40 years, the final product of the Warrior Hotel, located at 6th and Nebraska, is about to be realized.  Watch a five minute video tour of the facility, hosted by Amy and Amrit Gill, whose vision has made it possible.  

 

East High Students Show There Is Hope For Our Youth and Young Adults!

Several of our class roving reporters (Janene and Paul Rehder in North Carolina, and Glenn Perrin and Linda Lou Ellard in New Mexico) filed Christmas Day reports that they saw a report that day on "CBS This Morning" that mentioned how students from East High School in Sioux City started a pen pal program with a local senior facility, Bickford Assisted Living & Memory Care.  

In doing research, I found that the reports were originally broadcast on the three local TV stations in the March-May timeframe, with "CBS This Morning" showing it again in a segment on Christmas Day.

Today I talked to Deb Conley, the Life Enrichment Coordinator at Bickford, to see what the current status of the program is.  Deb said that the pen pal program is still VERY active.  The latest event with the East High students and residents of Bickford was a inflatable Christmas costume parade.  The students put on the costumes and marched in front of the two buildings on Bickford's campus.

Below are two links regarding the program.  One from the local ABC station, and the link to CBS This Morning.  Each story is a little different.  You will have to put up with a 15 second commercial at the beginning of each.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/student-pen-pals-help-senior-citizens-cope-with-coronavirus-isolation/

To our roving reporters, we thank you for your working on Christmas Day, but no, you will NOT receive double pay for working on a holiday.  Your pay will be the same as always!

Mr. Mel Forsling Has Passed Away

Melvin G. "Mel" Forsling, 96, died Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at his residence in Sioux City.

Service will be at 11 a.m. on Monday at Redeemer Lutheran Church with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. Due to construction at the church, please enter at door number "6." Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Christy-Smith Funeral Homes, Morningside Chapel, 1801 Morningside Ave., with a prayer service at 5:30 p.m.

Mel is survived by his daughter, Lynne (Rich) Draper of Omaha, Neb.; son, Steven Forsling of Grand Junction, Colo.; grandchildren, Kamden Draper, Kaley Draper, Dustin Forsling, and Angel Gentry; five great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; and a half-brother, Glen.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be directed to Redeemer Lutheran Church or Sunrise Retirement Community.

Editor's Note:

Mr. Forsling was my favorite teacher in high school.  I had him for Physics and I was NOT looking forward to taking the class.  However, Mr. Forsling made it a super interesting class that I throughly enjoyed.

I would see Mr. Forsling, and his wife before she passed, at several Morningside College events in the last 10 years.  His mind was still very sharp.  He was always surprised when I referred to him as "Mr. Forsling".

His wife Elaine passed away in April 2017.  They were married for 69 years when she passed.  

They lived the last years of their lives in The Pointe at Sunrise Manor.

 

 

Renaldo Keene Article and Passing Announcement

Renaldo Keene graduated with the class of 65, but he was a member of our class until around the 9th grade, when due to illness he had to temporially drop out of school.  When he was able to start school again he became part of the class of 65.

Renaldo passed on February 7, 2020 and his services will be in Virginia on February 20th.  Interment will follow the service in Quantico National Cemetery. 

After graduation from East High he joined the Marine Corps. Renaldo spent 35 months in Vietnam and retired from the Marine Corps as a Master Gunnery Sergeant in 1990. He then wrote for Leatherneck Magazine during retirement.

Below is an article on Renaldo that was printed in the SCJ on March 13, 2013:

If he hadn't grown up in Sioux City, Renaldo Keene said, he might not be the award-winning writer he is today.

“I owe everything to my family and to the teachers I had at Hobson (Elementary), East Junior and East High schools,” the retired Marine told me Tuesday from his home in Stafford, Va. “They made me into a standup guy and to do the things you were supposed to do.”

Keene received the 2012 Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Col. Robert Debs Heinl Award for history writing. The foundation presents the annual award to a Marine or civilian in recognition of exemplary work in advancing and preserving Marine Corps history, “giving prime consideration for high literary quality and originality.” Keene was the first staffer at the corps' Leatherneck magazine, where he's associate editor, to win the prestigious honor.

The foundation recognized him for his two-part series on World War II battles on the small Pacific islands of Saipan and Tinian in 1944. He accompanied two veterans back to the islands in 2011, where he related their firsthand accounts and delved into the islands' history and what they're like today.

“One of the guys had talked about how terrible a place it was. When he went back, he was amazed at how beautiful it was,” Keene said. "It's kind of like Hawaii with a hometown atmosphere."

As he has done in some other stories, he found a way to “put in a plug” for his hometown. Saipan, he wrote, is home to 62,392 people, while Tinian has about 3,000.

“By comparison, the population of Middle America’s Sioux City, Iowa, with 83,262 people, is only slightly more.”

He can’t pinpoint why he wanted to become a Marine, only that he always did. His late father, Alan Richard Keene, stormed the beaches at Normandy on D-Day during World War II. Dad, he thinks, wasn’t thrilled at the decision of his only child to become a Marine. His mom, Lucy, just worried about his safety.

This past Sunday, he returned from a two-week visit to Vietnam to write a story about Marines who fought in the Battle of Hue during the Tet offensive. In 1968, he arrived just after the battle so has firsthand memories of what occurred.

Two of his three sons joined the Marines but have since entered civilian life in Virginia. His other son and daughter also live in the area, along with three grandkids. His wife, their children and other family members attended the awards ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps outside the Quantico Marine Corps Base. Keene received a medal and had his name engraved on a brick set in a walkway around the museum. 

Although he could retire altogether, he has no plans to do so since he gets paid to do what he loves – write for a living.

“Besides,” he joked, “nobody’s shooting at me.”

SCG March 13, 2013 

 

Barb Miller McKenney's Dancing Talents Still Being Displayed

Deep in a rehearsal mode, Barb McKenney is getting in touch with her inner alley cat.

"You have to think like a cat and you have to move like a cat," the Hinton, Iowa, woman said as she taught steps to a group of tap dancers at the Siouxland Center for Active Generations. 

"Barb is so good at moving like a cat," Sharon Georgeson said in admiration as the song "Alley Cat" played in the background. "My dogs at home would be very confused."

McKenney is the instructor and team leader for a weekly class taught at the 313 Cook St. center.

"We call ourselves the Center Stage Tappers," McKenney said with a laugh. "We used to call ourselves the Happy Hoofers but changed it for obvious reasons."

A dancer since childhood, the 70-something McKenney has been teaching the Tuesday dance class for years.  

"My mom got me into dancing as a 

little girl," she explained. "Then, it was for fun. Now, it is for fun and for exercise."

McKenney isn't kidding. She and her fellow tappers quickly move from routine to routine, all set to such songs as "Cab Driver," "Sugar" and, even, Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman."

"You're getting a nice physical workout but you have to remember complicated moves while dancing to the music," she noted.

This is especially true for the times in which the Center Stages Tappers perform at the Siouxland Center for Active Generation's Fall Follies or whenever they book a gig at a school, church or retirement community.

For McKenney, creating choreography allows her to teach others what she loves to do.

"When I was small, I had curly hair just like Shirley Temple," she remembered with a smile. "Then you grow up, get married, and the things you enjoyed as a girl become just a distant memory."

"Being able to dance again makes me feel like a kid again," McKenney said.

 

 

 

Jerry's Pizza (aka Morningside Pizza) Celebrating 60th Anniversary

Back in late summer of 1959, Jerry and Ilene Foister hopped in their car for a drive around Sioux City.

The couple happened upon a vacant storefront at 1417 Morningside Ave. 

"We were out for a ride one day and I saw that building for rent and I said to Jerry, 'We should start a pizza house,'" Ilene Foister, 86, recalled in a recent interview. "About a month later we had a pizza house." 

At the time, Jerry worked as an insurance agent. Ilene Foister has "no idea" where she got the idea to start a pizzeria. She may have been inspired by other, early restaurants that served pizza in Sioux City -- the dish wasn't nearly as ubiquitous as it is today, but it was quickly developing a following. 

"I didn't like pizza at all, so that wasn't the reason," she quipped.

At the time, she wasn't even sure how to make a pizza. 

"At 3 o'clock I made the first pizza and we were opening at 4. I put it in the oven, I had no idea how much cheese to put on it, and a man came in and he said, 'I want to buy that first pizza,'" Foister recalled. "I said, 'Well I don't know what it's going to be like, the cheese is running all over the oven.' He said, 'I don't care, I want to buy it.'" 

The business, originally called Morningside Pizza, became known as Jerry's Pizza in 1980. One of the most ubiquitous eateries in Sioux City, Jerry's turns 60 years old this year.

Jerry Foister died unexpectedly in 1989 at age 60, and Ilene Foister is now retired. The family business today is operated by their sons, Mike and Terry, Mike's wife, Barb, and Terry's wife, Diane.

Terry and Mike were 8 and 9 years old, respectively, when the restaurant opened. They've spent their entire careers at Jerry's Pizza, except for stints serving in the Army and Navy, respectively. 

Their children and some of their grandchildren also have shared in the fourth-generation pizza legacy. Having as many hands on deck as possible is a necessity in a business where timely service is essential.

"One of my father's favorite phrases was, 'I don't care how, we just need to get the job done!'" Mike Foister recalled. 

In the early days, Jerry and Ilene Foister used a shoebox as a cash register and a card table to roll the dough, according to Jerry's obituary. At the time of his death, the family operated five locations, including one in Le Mars and one in South Sioux City. 

The family has since pared back to two stores -- the original one in Morningside and a location at West 25th Street and Hamilton Boulevard.

The Foisters' pizza parlor was innovative from its earliest days. Years before pizza delivery was a bring-your-own-car proposition, Jerry's kept a fleet of delivery vehicles. Their auto insurance company put the kibosh on this practice years ago.

"My father was the first person to ever deliver food in Sioux City," Mike Foister, 68, said. "Somebody'll question that I'm sure."

Though he was hesitant to provide the information, fearing someone may challenge his math, Mike Foister suggested that over 60 years the family has used about five to six million pounds of cheese for its pizzas. 

To commemorate its major milestone, Jerry's plans to make a sizable donation to GiGi's Playhouse in Sioux City. A portion of all pizza sales on Thursday, Sept. 5 will go to the nonprofit organization, which provides programming and arts education for people with Down syndrome. 

"I have a great-niece that has Down syndrome," Barb Foister said. "We were trying to give something back to our community. And that money does stay here." 

Most of us over 65 were Home Schooled  in many ways

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL  DONE.

"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

My mother taught me RELIGION.

"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My father taught me about TIME TRAVEL.

 "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My father taught me LOGIC.

"Because I said so, that's why."

My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .

"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My mother taught me FORESIGHT.

 "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My father taught me IRONY.

"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.

"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.

"Just you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.

"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.

"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.

"If I told you once, I've told you a million times, don't exaggerate!"

13. My father taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

 "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

 "Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.

"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16.My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.

"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING

"You are going to get it from your father when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.

"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.

"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My father taught me HUMOR

"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.

  "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22.My mother taught me GENETICS.

  "You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS

"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

Younkers Department Store Has Closed

(Mall exterior view)

(Downtown store interior view)

After more than seven decades in Sioux City, it appears Younkers department store will close its doors for good this summer.

The only two bids for Younkers' Wisconsin-based parent company, Bon-Ton Inc., as part of a bankruptcy auction were liquidators.  Barring a last-minute reprieve, the storied retail chain seems destined to shut down all of its operations.

Younkers has given notice to its Sioux City employees, the city and state that its Southern Hills Mall close will shut down beginning June 5, costing 84 employees their jobs.

Losing Younkers will be a major blow to the indoor shopping center, where the department store has served as one of its anchors since the mall opened in 1980.

Younkers has had a presence in the Sioux City market since 1947 when it acquired the Davidson Brothers Co. department store downtown. Davidson Brothers origins date back to 1881 when Russian immigrant Ben Davidson moved to Sioux City and began selling wares out of his home. Two of his brothers eventually also migrated to the states and joined the business and helped it grow.

For 22 years, after the Younkers sale, the combined downtown store operated as Younkers-Davidson before the latter name was dropped in 1969.

Younkers operated two stores in Sioux City from 1980 until 2006 when it shuttered its downtown store at Fourth and Pierce streets. HOM Furniture now occupies the space.

Bon-Ton, whose brands also include Boston, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Bergner's, and Herberger's, had hoped the financially-troubled company could be saved by a joint bid by several mall owners.  That group included the owner of the Southern Hills Mall, Washington Prime Group. However, the deal fell through after a federal judge barred Bon-Ton from paying the investor group a $500,000 fee as compensation for its due diligence costs.

Younkers' imminent departure will leave Sears as Southern Hill Mall's last original anchor. Target, which left the mall after building a standalone store in the nearby Sunnybrook Plaza, was replaced by JCPenney, which previously had a store downtown.

April 17, 2018 SCJ

Jim Ashmore's Vietnam Experience

The Sioux City Journal ran a series of stories on local guys about their experience on serving in Vietnam.  The October 1, 2015 article is about our own Jim Ashmore.

Jim Ashmore doesn't mince words when asked why he joined the Iowa Air National Guard 185th Tactical Fighter Group.

"I joined to avoid the draft and avoid going to Vietnam," Ashmore said.

He laughed before adding, "It didn't work."

Ashmore, a 1964 East High School graduate, attended Nettleton Business Training College in Sioux City and completed a two-year accounting program. He signed on at Williams & Co., a CPA firm, and joined the 185th in May 1966.

"In January 1968, we were activated," he said, noting how the USS Pueblo had just been taken by North Korea.

Ashmore shipped out in May 1968, headed for Phu Cat, Vietnam, in the central part of the country. He flew on a cargo plane overseas.

"I was not familiar with Phu Cat," he recalls. "It was like we weren't supposed to know. I stepped off the plane and it was a different world."

Ashmore, 21, was assigned to outside receiving. Anything that came to the base and weighed more than 50 pounds passed through Ashmore's work station. Everything but munitions entered the base at Phu Cat through his place in the supply chain.

"Within our first week, the base came under mortar attack," he said. "We were sleeping, I remember. I also know we were in the bunkers before the sirens went off. I could hear the debris from one of the mortar hits."

Ashmore took extra weapons training a short time later. He soon was called to join a police squadron that helped surround the perimeter of the base, offering an extra level of protection.

He served in his supply role for 12 months, save for a five-day period of "rest and relaxation" in nearby Sydney, Australia.

At Christmas, Ashmore saw entertainers Bob Hope and Ann-Margret, who dropped by for a holiday show.

Ashmore wrote letters home at least once a week, including those to Jan Fletcher, who would one day become his wife.

"I was with guys from Sioux City, friends of mine, and that alleviated homesickness," he said.

"I had a job to do and I did my job during the day and then went to the NCO club at night," he said. "For being in Vietnam, it wasn't that bad compared to a guy going through the jungle."

A low point in his tour came when a letter arrived from Sioux City. It told of one of Ashmore's buddies, a soldier who did go through the jungle in Vietnam, a soldier who ended up losing part of one of his legs. The tale still saddens Ashmore, causing tears to well in his eyes as he stopped talking.

Ashmore befriended a man who was hired to offer interpretation services on the base at Phu Cat. Ashmore and a fellow soldier traveled to the man's village in Vietnam to deliver lumber that U.S. soldiers were going to discard.

"When we saw their village, we could appreciate what this lumber meant to them," he said. "Their living conditions were so primitive."

If Ashmore took home a lifelong lesson when he left Vietnam on May 14, 1969, it would involve that notion of appreciation.

"What I did gave me an appreciation for veterans in general and for what my uncles went through (in previous wars)," he said from his home in Sergeant Bluff. "It also gave me an appreciation for what I have. I think people in the U.S., at least some people, don't realize how good we have it."

Ashmore received the Commendation Medal for outstanding performance in the line of duty, a medal he thinks has something to do with the extra training he took and the work he did to help guard the perimeter of the base.

Interestingly, Ashmore never owned a firearm, either before or after his military service.

He arrived back in Sioux City in mid-May 1968. His parents greeted him at the airport, as did his grandmother, a brother and his brother's family.

Jan Fletcher stood with a friend in Morningside as the plane circled over Sioux City and descended toward the airport. She and Jim would go out on a date the next night.

Jim Ashmore returned to work at Williams & Co. two weeks later. After he and Jan watched Neil Armstrong step foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, Jim Ashmore took his own "giant leap." He asked Jan to marry him.

The parents of two and the grandparents of five, the Ashmores recently celebrated their 45th anniversary.

(In addition, if you go to http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/vietnam/video-vietnam-veteran-jim-ashmore/youtube_5b4e0dee-b4e3-5dbe-a33c-514d11aae5cc.html you can watch a video interview with Jim.)

October 1, 2015 SCJ

Class of 64's Port-A-Potty Guy

Tom Lindblom sure knows how to make an entrance. After all, not too many people drive into Cottonwood Cove Park, hauling 20 portable toilets.

"People seem to love the slogan on the back of our big truck: 'Yesterday's Meals-on-Wheels,'" Lindblom said with a laugh. "Yeah, you gotta have a sense of humor when you're in this line of work."

Since 1969, Lindblom Services has been responsible for portable toilets, urinals and handicapped-accessible lavatories at construction sites as well as outdoor festivals like Dakota City's Cottonwood Days.  "Cottonwood Days is actually one of our smaller events," Lindblom said. "We also have the contract for such events as Saturday in the Park, River-Cade and (the outdoor concerts at) Hard Rock Hotel & Casino that keep us very busy in the summertime."

Certainly no Johnny-come-lately, Lindblom, 69, came into the latrine business strictly as a sideline.

A longtime Sioux City firefighter, he actually began pumping septic tanks for residential homes.

"Back then, firefighters worked a schedule where they were on duty for 24 hours and then off for 48 hours," Lindblom remembered. "That gave me plenty of time for a second job."

Gradually, his sideline became his main job and, over time, he acquired nearly 500 portable toilets.

"It's a dirty job but somebody's gotta do it," Lindblom added. 

Over the years, Lindblom said he's noticed construction workers treat portable toilets better than festival attendees.  "You treat them better if you know you'll constantly be using one," he speculated.  Yet Lindblom said he's finds more interesting things left behind following a festival.

"In general, we've found plenty of cellphones, keys and wallets left in portable toilet," he said. "We return all of that to the event organizers.  "But Lindblom said he has also found beer cans, beer bottles, diapers and, even, bras left inside outdoor commodes.  "You never know what you're gonna find," he said. "Let's just leave it at that."

"It's only when you're in the hot sun and have plenty of beer in you that you'll be happy they are plenty of facilities around you," he said.

Classmate Crowned Miss Iowa

Markie Anderson, 20, of Sioux City, won the Miss Iowa crown Sunday night at Arnolds Park.  She represented Morningside College in the pageant.  She will compete in the Miss U.S.A. contest in Miami.  She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Keith R.W. Anderson, 4748 Mayhew Drive.

Well...this was an article in the Sioux City Journal in June 1967, but our congrats still go out to Markie!

Marvin Smith Obituary

Marvin L. Smith, 91, of Sioux City, passed away on April 17, 2019 at Countryside Care Center.

Memorial services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at First Christian Church. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel. Online condolences may be directed to www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Marvin Smith was born on Jan. 20, 1928, in Colfax, Iowa, the son of Arnold and Veronica (Harkins) Smith. He moved from Colfax to Newton, Iowa, where he attended grade school. At the age of 14, the family moved to Des Moines where he graduated from Des Moines East High School in 1945.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in September 1945 at the age of 17. He served in the Occupation Force in the Far East (China and Japan). He was discharged in February 1948. Marvin received his bachelor's degree from Drake University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his senior year. He received his master's degree in biology from Drake University in 1958.

Marvin married Doris Patterson on May 31, 1953. They had two sons, Lolane and Dorin Smith. Doris died on Nov. 29, 1967. Marvin married Rosalyn Jenson (his wife of 49 years) on July 12, 1969. They had a daughter, Telene Smith.

Marvin taught high school science course at East High School for 29 of his 35 teaching years. He taught at Leeds High School for two years and, before that, for four years at Chariton (Iowa) High School. He was considered a gifted teacher who not only taught students science but taught them how to study. Marvin received the Distinguished Educator Award from Morningside College in 1983 and prior to that was named the Outstanding Young Educator by the Sioux City Jaycees.

In the summer, Marvin held many different jobs including tumor research, Youth Conservation Corp leader and National Science Foundation advanced education.

Marvin was a member of Tri Beta honorary biological society, Phi Beta Kappa and First Christian Church in Sioux City. At First Christian Church, he served as property chairman, vice president of the congregation, deacon and worked many volunteer hours for the church at their fund raising stand at Tyson Event Center. He was chairman of the fundraising committee for many years.

Marvin enjoyed hunting and fishing during all seasons. He especially enjoyed duck and turkey hunting with Mel Forsling and Lee Olsen. When not hunting or fishing, Marvin loved spending time in his garage. He was very inventive and creatively solved many mechanical problems. Garage time was his time to relax and think.

Marvin is survived by his wife, Rosalyn; three children, Lolane and his wife, Debbie of Des Moines, Dorin and his wife, Carrie of Carlisle, Iowa, and Telene and her husband, Mike Bettcher of Oshkosh, Wis.; seven grandchildren, Kayla Smith, Jerod Smith and his partner, Megan Kelly, Shanen and her husband, Beau Ebersole and Dorisa and her husband, Michael Simpson; great-grandchildren, Addie, Jo and Wyatt Ebersole, Lilly and Ashton Simpson, and Charlotte Smith; a brother, Jack Smith and his wife, Teresa from Robins, Iowa; and a brother-in-law, Duane Patterson from Melbourne, Iowa.

Marvin was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Jerry Smith; and his first wife, Doris.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Marvin's name may be directed to the First Christian Church Building Fund.

Royce Barnum Obituary

Royce W. Barnum, 82, of Sioux City, passed away Sunday, January 20, 2019 at a local hospital. A funeral service will be held Thursday, January 24 at 10:00 AM at St. James United Methodist Church. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4-7 PM at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. Online condolence may be made to www.meyerbroschapels.com. Royce was born on October 25, 1936 in Council Bluffs, IA. He moved with his father and mother Roy and Laura Barnum, to Sioux City, IA in 1938, where he has resided ever since. He married Charlene Wilmarth on August 9, 1964. They had two daughters: Rebecca Coleman, a music teacher and secondary school band director in Edmond, OK, and Rachelle Barnum, a history teacher at Sioux City West High School. Charlene Barnum retired as an English teacher at Sioux City North High School in June 2002. Rebecca Coleman and her husband Ronnie, are the parents of the Barnum’s only grandchildren: Raquel Elizabeth and Royce Michael, nephew: Steve Wilmarth, Mason City, IA, nieces: Dr. Linda Wilmarth, Eden Prairie MN; Susan (Chris) Baker, Oxford, IA; sister-in-law: Karen, Mason City, IA. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law; Dr. Charles Wilmarth of Mason City. Royce Barnum taught from September 1959 to June 1994 (35 years) at Sioux City East High School. He taught English, speech, journalism, drama, debate, sociology, and minority cultures during his career. He was the East High debate coach from 1959 to 1975 and was adviser to the school newspaper, the East High Tomahawk from 1962 to 1976. Minority Cultures was introduced as a new course in the Sioux City School System in 1973. Mr. Barnum wrote the curriculum for the course and taught the first class that year. Minority Cultures was later offered at all three public high schools in Sioux City. Mr. Barnum also wrote the curriculum for his speech, debate, journalism and sociology classes. From 1973 until 1994, Mr. Barnum was the public Information Director for East High School. He wrote a weekly column, East Word, which first appeared in The Morningside Shopper and later in The Sioux City Journal. The column, now written by other teachers, continues today. Mr. Barnum served on several committees dedicated to improved communication between the school system and the general public. Mr. Barnum was a charter member of the Sioux City School System Multi-Cultural, Non-Sexist Committee, established in 1973. The committee was a precursor to what today is a fully funded Educational Equity Department. Mr. Barnum’s interest in human rights issues grew out of his work as a teacher. His classroom and committee work motivated him to become more involved in the community. Mr. Barnum was first appointed by the Sioux City Council to be a Sioux City Human Rights Commissioner in 1974. He was vice-chairperson of the commission from 1989 until 1992. He served as chairperson from 1992 to 1996 and again from 1998 to 2002. In April 2002, Mr. Barnum was elected to be the chairperson for the 2002-2003 year. Through the years, Mr. Barnum has been an advocate for human rights and for the commission. Mr. Barnum was the chairperson of the commission’s Universal Human Rights Day Committee and had participated in the commission-sponsored culture fair. He appeared in commission public service announcements and on local talk shows, championing human rights and attacking hate crimes. Mr. Barnum was a member and President of the Siouxland Diversity Coalition, a local group that meets monthly to discuss human rights concerns, plans, and programs. Mr. Barnum was an advocate for making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a city holiday and for including sexual orientation as a protected class in the Sioux City Human Rights Ordinance. Under his leadership, the commission introduced Eracism stickers to the Siouxland Communities, schools and social agencies. The Eracism stickers are the visible result of the human rights campaign of discrimination elimination through communication. In 1968, Mr. Barnum authored a history of the Sioux City chapter of the NAACP, of which he is a member. He has written several letters to editors, press releases, and speeches furthering the cause of human rights in Sioux City and the surrounding area. He is the published author of January Tribute, a poem honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. It is, perhaps, through the use of the written and spoken word that Mr. Barnum has made his most consistent gains. From 1951, when he was a freshman in high school, until 1971, Mr. Barnum was a part-time staff writer and copy editor for the Sioux City Journal. As a student and later as a teacher, Mr. Barnum worked nights at the newspaper. During the summers, he was a full-time staffer. Mr. Barnum was a member of by-laws revision committees for both the Sioux City Human Rights Commission and the Siouxland Diversity Coalition. Mr. Barnum graduated from Sioux City Leeds High School in January 1955. He received his B.A. degree from Morningside College in January 1959. He began work on his M.A. degree at Florida State University from January 1959 to June 1959 where he served as debate coach and graduate assistant. He received his M.A. degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1962. He had done post-graduate work at Morningside College, University of South Dakota, University of Iowa, and the University of Oregon. Mr. Barnum was a member of the 174th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the Iowa National Guard from 1954 to 1959. He was a member of the 9690th U.S.A.F. Reserve Squadron from 1959 to 1962. Mr. Barnum’s memberships, past and present, include: Sioux City Education Association, Iowa State Education Association, National Education Association (Life Member); at various times from 1964 to 1996, deacon, elder, president of the congregation, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); from 1996 to present, member of the St. James United Methodist Church; past board member and current member of local chapter, NAACP; Siouxland Diversity Collation; Study Circles on Racism; graduate of Sioux City Police Citizen Academy, 1996. Local recognition from commission and city council for human rights work; Sioux City Jaycees Outstanding Young Educator Award, 1971; Morningside College Distinguished Teacher Award Finalist, 1988 and 1992; Morningside Lodge #615 Teacher of the Tear Award, 1992; Parade Marshall (with wife, Charlene), Morningside Days, 1995; Friends of Iowa Civil Rights State Award for Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to Civil Rights in Iowa, 1999; East High School Homecoming Parade Marshall (with wife, Charlene), 2002; HRC Conference Room named in his honor, 2002; appointed to originate and develop Task Force Friend, an advisory agent to the HRC, 2002. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. James United Methodist Church.

Lloyd Pippett Memories Told At His Funeral

[Editor's Note:  Lloyd Pippett taught at East High until 1961 so he would not have taught any of our classes.  However, he had three sons: Craig (class of 62), Denny (class of 65) and Clarence (class of 68).  For those of you that played football, you may remember him as he attended many practices.  He also was a member of Sioux City's 174th Tactical Fighter Wing that was activated during the Vietnam War.]

A pair of giants in the life of the Rev. Tom LoVan died on Sunday. One, former Iowa Gov. Robert D. Ray, 89, welcomed thousands of Southeast Asians to Iowa in the 1970s, including 289 members of LoVan's extended Tai Dam family.

The other: Lt. Col. Lloyd Pippett, 93, a Sioux Cityan whom LoVan met 49 years ago as Pippett helped direct the 174th Tactical Fighter Wing of Sioux City in the Vietnam War.

LoVan presided over Pippett's funeral on Saturday at Morningside Lutheran Church, a church Pippett served as congregation president three times, at ages 62, 72 and 82.

"I was 8 or 9 years old, a little boy in 1969 when I met Lloyd Pippett," LoVan said. "I was at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, Laos, where my parents worked. A U.S. general's daughter somehow showed up in Saigon and the general told the colonel (Pippett) to get her out of Saigon."  Pippett arranged for a flight into and out of Saigon. Once they had the general's daughter, they flew to the U.S. Embassy in Laos. LoVan and his brother met the helicopter as it landed.  "I was standing there watching this 18-year-old blonde girl get off the helicopter," LoVan said. "And then came Lloyd Pippett. Being at the Embassy, we were used to seeing Marines with M-16s. This was the first time I saw a lieutenant colonel dressed like a soldier. I remember his green uniform, his hat and the pistol he carried at his side."  Pippett extended his right hand, introducing himself to the boy.  "Lloyd shook my hand," said LoVan. "As an Asian boy, I had a weak handshake. Lloyd looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Shake hands like a man!'"  It was a line Pippett used throughout his life. 

In 1997, Pippett and members of Morningside Lutheran Church called LoVan to become an associate pastor for their congregation in Sioux City. "I recognized Lloyd right away when I was called to come to Sioux City," LoVan said. "I told him we had met before."

Pippett asked the pastor if he was the little boy at the U.S. Embassy in Laos. Said LoVan, "I told Lloyd I was that little boy. And I said, 'You scared the heck out of me!'"

The crowd assembled for Pippett's funeral laughed at the line and several others LoVan shared about his friend. LoVan said Pippett took him to lunch a couple of years ago before "Pip" moved to Houston to be close to his son, Clarence Pippett.  "Tom," LoVan recalled Pippett saying, "if I die, you bury me. There will be no Psalm 23. And, don't say any good things about me!"

LoVan begged forgiveness for sharing tales of Pippett's military, civilian and church leadership. He talked about the skill the former East High teacher demonstrated in building and renovating components of the church he loved.

"He built for me a rack to display my clothing as I traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada to explain our Southeast Asian Lutheran Ministry," LoVan said.

And when a trip to Hawaii for Lloyd and Ruby didn't come to fruition a few years ago, Lloyd took the money they'd set aside for the vacation and handed it to LoVan, giving him the go-ahead to use the funds to help build a church in Cambodia.

The church and the saving grace of a savior meant the world to an old soldier who did his share of praying while sleeping under a truck and going without a hot shower or hot meal for more than a month in Germany during World War II. He made it home from two wars and gave thanks for every day.

"Lloyd ordered Bibles for his men in Vietnam," LoVan said. "He read it cover to cover four or five times and wanted others to do so."  Pippett got the Bibles into Vietnam by having the boxes marked, "Medical supplies."

LoVan smiled as he considered the convergence in death of two forces in his life, men of strength and compassion who worked to better the lives of others. One served as governor; the other, as a teacher, an officer and a friend.  Said the Rev. Tom LoVan, "Those men, they had a great impact on my life."

SCJ July 15, 2018

Trip Down Memory Lane to the tune "Sioux City Sue"

If you click on the following link you will see some familiar scenes around Sioux City.  Hopefully you will remember them anyway!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjYpwawAWJY&feature=youtu.be

Iowa Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Includes 3 of Our Classmates

In 2003 a group by the name of The Rockers was inducted into the Iowa Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.  Included in the group were 3 of our classmates: Ric Van Haitsma, Gary Murkins, and Roger Rothwell.

Other East High grads that were members of the group were Reuben Hanson (63), Mike Erskine (65) and Jim Shea (65).

 

United Flight 232's Crash in Sioux City 25th Anniversary

The 25th anniversary of the crash of United flight 232 at the Sioux City airport was held Saturday, July 19, 2014.  Bob Hamilton (class of 65) was the Sioux City fire chief at that time and is part of the article.  Bob passed away on May 9, 2015

From left, photographer George Lindblade, former Briar Cliff University psychology professor Tom Padgett and former Sioux City fire Chief Bob Hamilton are shown Friday at the United Flight 232 exhibit in the Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation in Sioux City. The three said their involvement in the aftermath of the crash of United Flight 232 changed their lives in ways they didn't expect.

A quarter-century after a DC-10 crashed at Sioux Gateway Airport, a trio of community leaders said their involvement changed their lives in lasting, unexpected ways.

"You value more of what you have," retired Sioux City fire Chief Robert Hamilton said. "You think more about appreciating each day."

Hamilton, who retired in 2006, said the lesson to live one day at a time was reinforced in 2009 when he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. Despite some immune system issues, he said he is doing well.

Former Sioux City mayor and councilman Tom Padgett still thinks about those who lost loved ones on July 19, 1989, when United Airlines Flight 232 crash-landed. While 184 passengers and crew members survived, another 112 people perished. He clearly remembers their grief. 

"That space at the airport has become hallowed ground," said Padgett, who initially helped counsel some families who took emergency shelter at Briar Cliff University, where he was a psychology professor.

George Lindblade and his staff at G.R. Lindblade & Co. in Sioux City still receive requests for videos they produced in the wake of the crash, "Alert 3: The Crash of Flight 232" and, 10 years later, "Lessons Learned." His staff assisted with providing information for investigators that was used in the National Transportation Safety Board's hearings and by various companies.

"I made a lot of friends over the years because of this," including responders in other cities and Flight 232 Capt. Al Haynes, Lindblade said. It was an outcome he didn't anticipate.

Of the three Sioux City residents, only Hamilton, now 67, went to the airport after the plane crashed that day. On the scene, he helped staff the command post with representatives of multiple agencies from the tri-state region. 

"When Flight 232 crashed, we had a plan in place. We had done a comprehensive drill in the fall of 1988 with other agencies," he recalled. "We learned from that and then fine-tuned it. It was a great learning tool for us. 

"It was a very horrific event," Hamilton said. "We saw the worst type of trauma. Then, there were the people who walked out uninjured."

He, like many other responders, stayed overnight to secure the aircraft and plan for what they would do the next day, which included searching the fuselage in daylight for missing passengers. Afterward, all responders were mandated to attend a counseling session and were encouraged to seek therapy to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. It wasn't only the first responders who sought counseling, but some of their families as well. Hamilton attended only the required session.

Padgett, meanwhile, was asked to provide grief counseling for families and survivors who stayed at Briar Cliff, which became a makeshift sanctuary. United Airlines flew family members to Sioux City.  

The first family he talked to was "totally in shock," Padgett, now 70, said. "The other family (included) the husband and the father of one of the victims. The father was very angry at Sioux City. ... There wasn't much you could say to him. He needed to get his anger out."

Since his teaching background was not in clinical psychology but in experimental psychology, he switched to transporting those staying at the college -- picking them up at the airport, taking them to hospitals to see family members who were receiving treatment or running other errands. Counselors from Briar Cliff, other agencies and the University of South Dakota stepped in to offer therapy.

"Just because I teach psychology, I was supposed to counsel these people who just lost their wife or mom," he said. "That was hard, but I saw a tremendous pulling together of people and groups."

When the crash happened, Lindblade's studio was at 420 Jones St. near the Sioux City Convention Center, which was serving as a headquarters for the technical investigators.

"We had a very large printer, and the investigators started using us as an auxiliary office," said Lindblade, now 76. "We followed it through the NTSB hearings and also videotaped the hearings for them and helped put together the exhibits. ... When the final decision was made to take the aircraft pieces to a salvage yard, we had to make a topographical photograph of the debris."

The Lindblade crew also worked with General Electric, which manufactured the fan disk that blew apart, severing all the jet's hydraulic lines, and McDonnell Douglas, manufacturer of the DC-10.

During the past 25 years, the Lindblade staff has sent thousands of copies of the "Alert 3" video to agencies across the country, Canada and even France to use as an educational piece to illustrate how Siouxland pulled together to respond to the crash. The National Civic League presented Sioux City with the All-American City recognition in 1990.

"Volunteerism was at its height," Lindblade said. "It's never been duplicated and never will. If people take that same mindset, we could accomplish anything."

"It was just a miracle that lives were saved that day," said Hamilton. "If you didn't believe in a higher power before the crash, you did afterward due to the number of people who lived."

July 16, 2014 SCJ

East High Art Teacher James Goff Article

Outside, like a lion, March roared into Siouxland last Saturday, bringing more than four inches of snow and frigid temperatures with it. But as evening drew nigh, the wintry landscape turned still and silent in the wake of the storm.

It was just the kind of scene that would have stirred James F. Goff from the comforts of home to travel the back roads of Woodbury County with his wife, Florence, by his side. She said he didn’t like shoveling the snow, but he sure liked looking at it.

The late artist, known by his signature as J.F. Goff, found beauty in rural landscapes, dotted by leafless trees and decrepit old barns that looked like they might just cave in at any moment. Using watercolor paints, he captured the scenes on paper with such dimension and detail – down to a single shingle and the finest of twigs.

Every area needs someone like J.F. Goff to see and feel the special quality of that place, curator Todd Behrens told the crowd at the Sioux City Art Center. These people had braved Saturday’s snowy roads to attend the opening reception for Still and Silent Places.

On view through June 1, the exhibition celebrates the work of J.F. Goff with 35 of his watercolor paintings. More than 20 local collectors contributed to the display.

Organizing the exhibit, Behrens had access to hundreds of images, thanks to the painter’s son Jim Goff. Since his father’s passing in 2007, he has catalogued more than 650 paintings.

As an art teacher at East High School for nearly three decades, Goff knew how to handle most mediums, but watercolors were his favorite.

While the reception attracted admirers of the late Sioux City painter’s work, it also prompted a Goff family reunion.

Without hesitation, Kate Goff, who lives in Brussels, Belgium, returned stateside for the opening night of the exhibition and gathered in the third level gallery with six of her siblings and more members of the extended family.

“It’s my dad,” she said. “He was a wonderful man, the most important man in the world.”

Before this exhibition came to life, Florence Goff had only gotten a glimpse at some of her husband’s paintings.

“He’d paint them and take them to the gallery,” she said, adding that they’d soon be gone. “Some of them are kind of new to me too … It’s nice that he’s being recognized after all these years. You get this many in one place, it’s kind of amazing.”

Above article was in the Sioux City Journal March 7, 2014

Jim Henry, the 'Canyon Kid' and Siouxland TV Pioneer Has Died

Jim Henry, a Siouxland television pioneer and icon, died Thursday, January 30th, surrounded by family members at an assisting living facility in Midland, Mich. He was 90.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Henry came to Sioux City to train as a bombardier at the Sioux City Army Air Base (now the Iowa Air National Guard 185th Air Refueling Wing). He was later stationed in England and flew 25 missions aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress.

He returned to Sioux City following the war, got a job at a Weatherwax's men's store and soon helped start the Sioux City Community Theatre, appearing in the theater's first production in 1948.

Henry made a name for himself on the local stage and the success helped him land a television role as the "Canyon Kid" host a children's show at KCAU-TV in 1953, not long after the station began broadcasting.

He filled the airwaves and did community events, parades and promotions for KCAU until 1985, hosting an estimated 70,000 children as the "Canyon Kid," the affable cowboy with the Brooklyn accent.

In 1989, Henry went to work for KTIV in Sioux City and would host the station's "Around Siouxland" program until 2004, retiring from television at the age of 80.

He and his wife Karen Henry moved to Midland, Mich.,in 2013 to be close to their son, Jason Henry. Karen Henry said Friday that her husband died peacefully on Thursday night. She said Jim's funeral will take place in Sioux City, although arrangements with Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel of Sioux City are still being made.

"He loved his career, he loved Sioux City and he loved Iowa," Karen Henry said Friday morning. "That's why we're bringing him back to Iowa."

 

Listen To Your Favorite Songs

To listen to your favorite songs from the good old days, go to the following website:  http://www.1959bhsmustangs.com/VideoJukebox.htm

Once there you can click on the "To Visit 60s JukeBox Click Box" button to listen to the top 60s songs by year.

Enjoy!

 

Here's a great video that will bring back lot's of memories of the 50's.