DHA LXXXIX
(11/11/2004)

Calendar

Nov. 11: Holiday: Open 9-4. Sundays: open 9-4. Regular board meeting, Nov. 17, noon, Kountry Kookin' Cafe, Viborg. Visitors welcome. Nov. 25, Holiday, open 9-4; DHA Christmas Tree Contest, Sun. Jan. 2 p.m. (open 9 to ?)

Meeting

The DHA met noon, Nov. 3, at Kountry Kookin Cafe. Present: directors Melanie Parsons, Toots Peterson, Lester Lauritzen, and Grant Petersen. Also Palmer and Marjorie Peterson, Donna Petersen, Richard Skola.

Meeting devoted to the double-barreled fund-raiser, catered supper and music and metal-wall-art raffle, at the museum Sat., Nov. 6, starting at 6:30 p.m.

In addition to Saturday's activities, major concern was on the need to develop continuing and major sources of funding for continued development of the present building, the moving of the last usable rural school building in the country, etc.

Work continues in developing the western portion of the museum building, as time and funds permit.

Mange Tak

For visitors to the museum, their and other contributions, for items made available for the museum, and for the offers to inform DHA historians of families and community information needing preservation. Mimeographed VHS in-school newspaper, 1941-42.

(LRL note: If last weeks VHS Journalism Class 1938 can be likened to the first volume of a 2 volume set of books, then the following may be considered the second volume of the set of recollections. Again, I have questions I can't answer, and wish someone could.)

I believe that by our senior year, 1941-42, Miss Hagen had been replaced by a Miss Piersol? She likely was responsible for this project, and served as advisor.

In the "old school," the big brick 3-story school, the students had assembly in the disks in the seating area facing the stage. (The stage, behind the curtains, was used for typing class.) As this area could not seat all the students, Seniors had assembly in room 4. As the desks in the classroom did not have room for storage, seniors kept their books and supplies in a set of steel lockers in the corridor outside room four. When not in class, seniors studied in vacant desks in the main assembly area.

The second or third day as a senior, I was studying at a desk just inside the double-doors from the corridor. I saw one of my female classmates come down the stairs from the office, and approach me. (Who?) She asked if I would be interested in being on the staff of a school newspaper. Though I (and my parents) had had no use for extra curricular activities, I thought that this might be interesting. She then assigned me to do a story on high school enrollment. I went to the office and received permission to count the registration cards we had completed the first day of school. So many freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Then I saw the box with the cards remaining from the year before, counted the, and did a comparison for the story. I really felt that I was providing some news or information.

But, from then on, writing something, anything, for each issue was hard labor. Not being involved in any activity, I had no observations to write about.

Does any one remember how frequently the paper was printed?

Only once thereafter did I have a topic, which I have forgotten. We also had a new man teacher that year. Was his name Merten Meineke? For some reason he sometimes addressed me as McGillacuddy. Who was McGillacuddy? As this teacher was likely coach, could McGillacuddy have been some sports personality?

Once Mr. Meineke told me, or a few of us, of something that had happened to him (maybe over the weekend or at Christmas?). I wondered if I dared write about a teacher. I finally did, and apparently it went well. But, can anyone tell me his story?

Who was the teacher that started and supervised the staff? Who else was on the staff? Who were the editors? Typists doing the mimeograph stencils? Who did the printing, etc.? Who were the officers of the staff? Were not members of class 42-43 also on staff? What other projects did the staff do? How often and where did the staff meet?

There was a rule that missing two assignments got one kicked off the staff, but I managed to write "something" for each issue. How often was it published?

Does any one have copies of our newspaper?

In the Museum

Shelf shows coffee grinder at left, an assortment of coffee pots, coffee servers, and double boilers. The museum has a couple of additional coffee grinders of different types.