Luckey Historical Society Presidents Letter – May 2013

 

Troy-Luckey High School The Class of 1947

         Memories of Imogene Krift (nee Broka) from “Troy-Luckey High School Oral History Project, Jan. 2008” Prepared and Submitted by; Jean Blechschmidt of Bowling Green, OH, Edited for print by S. Predmore

Favorite Memories

         “I guess one of my favorite memories is of the good teachers that we had. From Elementary up to the time we graduated. The elementary teachers, if you had a problem you were one-on-one until you knew exactly what needed to be done. They were great teachers. The high school teachers they always won my heart too, because they were very caring. They were always there, the support was always there.”

 

High School Classes

         [ I took a class] “to be a secretary or work in some type of business. Dora Shaw was the teacher and she was just really great. She has passed on too. When you think of these people who were special in your life in school.  [In her class we learned] “typing, shorthand, ledger work, how to do payroll, there were just many things in that class to prepare you for a job like that.  There were boys and girls in the class.”

“Other teachers that I remember would be Mr. Amos, the principal, and then there was Mr. Rider, he was the superintendent and he was a wonderful man.  Mr. Amos was my next door neighbor. I always called him my savior because my dad would chase me around the house, perhaps because I did something I shouldn’t have and Mr. Amos would open the back door and let me go in the house and hide me in the closet.  They

were good. Then I worked as secretary my junior and senior year for the superintendent.  I worked in Mr. Rider’s office. I scheduled appointments that students needed to talk to Mr. Rider and typing like in a general office. I really appreciated it and it was really fun to learn to really apply what you had learned to an actual job.”

Arrangement of the Building

“The superintendent’s office was on the first floor on the east end of the school and the principal’s office seemed to be in the same area. I don’t think that they had a special one for the principal. I think they were kind of in the same office, if I remember right. “

“On the second floor was the study hall, that I do know. Math was on the second floor, oh gosh. Home Ec. was in the basement and that was where we learned to sew and to cook and industrial arts was around the corner right across the hall.  The boys would know we were cooking so they would ask “Anything ready yet?” “Not yet.”  So what we would do then as soon as we would cook something we would make sure there were no teachers around and we would take them food. So that went on for a couple three years while we were in Home Ec.”

 

Teachers at Troy-Luckey

PHOTO above; Prom Spring 1947 Faculty and Spouses. Left to right, Jennie Hobart, Doris Bringman, unknown, Dora Shaw, and Helen Rolfes.

“There was Mr. Swantoosh and Helen Rolfes was our math teacher. A wonderful teacher, you really learned in her class. She would always use the part of my hair in class and I used to think she was picking on me and when we had our first class reunion after graduation I said, “Miss. Rolfes, I have to ask you a question and I said ”Why did you always pick on me when we were in class?’” She said, “I wasn’t picking on you, I never saw a part in anyone’s hair as perfect as yours.” “And that is what she was using me as.” “My first grade teacher was Miss Busdeker, Katherine, and my second grade teacher was Mary Crocker. These were all just great ladies and I am trying to think they might have  been together, second and third, I can’t remember that. Mabel Brown was the sixth grade teacher, I think. They just all were great teachers. Then the seventh grade we just had several like Doyce Filiere for science, I should say high school probably.  I had one teacher I never cared for and that was seventh or eighth grade and his name was Burt G. Foust. We needed to do a book report and my report was on Abraham Lincoln. So I wrote it well and when I got my report back I had an “F”. In class he read things and he did read mine.” He said to me, “You said that Abraham Lincoln used his head for everything, did he pound nails with it? “ “He was just there one year. He was not a very nice person”. “Mr. Rider taught classes but I don’t remember what he taught.”

“Music teacher was Jennie Hobart and she was just wonderful, just wonderful. She had this pitch pipe at which we would always laugh because she would give us our pitch and then she would sing “Come Sing!” And we would say “that is  not the note, you know.” But she was wonderful. It was Mrs. Busdeker at the time and Mary Crocker, Mable Brown of course Mr. Rider was the superintendent and Mr. Amos was the principal and Doyce Filiere was the just one of a kind, a wonderful teacher and a coach and he took us to winning of the big games and that was an exciting times, tournament games and I also baby sat for his two kids.

Mrs. Filiere was a very nice lady. I am sure I am missing people. We had a janitor that was a great guy, a little old man with a mustache. I know Roland Hass and I don’t know who the other one was but they locked that poor man in the boiler room and so they needed the janitor and nobody could find the janitor. Roland and someone else were in on that but we just had good time, good times. I think [the janitor’s name was] Fred Geisbuhler. Poor Fred. He just laughed after they found him. After they finally let him out, but he just laughed and said boys will be boys. “

“Now the kids they don’t have the one on one and the time spent is so short for each one and the teachers have so many things they have to do. Where before the teachers had reading, writing and arithmetic and that was their thing and that is what they did. I think being a teacher when I grew up maybe was the easiest time as far as the teachers because they incorporated themselves in the learning and they were there for us.”

 

Class Parties

         “So many of our class parties we just had a ball and they were such fun, wiener roast.  Chuck Kurfess was in our class and we were at our class party and we were eating hot dogs and we pretended that we had eaten so many and we would say to Chuck, “How many have you eaten?” and he would say, “Well I don’t know how many?” And we would say “Well we have eaten 6 or 8.” And he would start stuffing the hot dogs in, poor guy, and we weren’t eating them we were just trying to get to him. Anyway he finally stopped, he actually ate them, but we just had so much fun. We were a close class and as the years go by when you fade away from all those memories, well you keep the memories but it was just a great time.”

“They [class parties] were out in the Calalpa Grove. One of our class mates lived in a rented house there and that is where we would have our class parties. It would be on Dowling Road close to Luckey Road. I tried to think where else and I think we had them at Chuck Kurfess’s home also.”

 

Tragedy Strikes the Class of 1947

“ My best girlfriend, she was my girlfriend until she met with a tragedy, that was Gretchen Snyder-Musser. She was murdered and she and her husband had a big tackle shop, sport shop on, I think it was rte. 19 out of Oak Harbor close to town. She was a nurse and she worked the late shift but she would always stop at the tackle shop and check the receipts and did not do any billing or anything. These three broke in and they were on drugs and they took her out to a farm just outside of Oak Harbor and they put her up as a target and the coroner said there were many, many, many shots before the fatal shot. I was in her wedding. She was such a sweetheart, three children. So that has been quite a while, her kids are grown and I can’t remember their ages at that time. So that was a tragedy.”

Study Hall

“Our study halls were fun. John Hannan, he liked to throw paper wads and of course Miss Rolfes was the study hall teacher at that time and she would turn around “Who did that?” We just all would be so innocent you know. That was our bad thing, throwing paper wads (the boys, not the girls). Good memories. I know on the boulevard we would congregate and there was one streetlight in front of my house and that is where we would congregate and play football. They would call me Running Deer and I would make the touchdown for the other side. We would just have such a good time. We needed to be in by 8 o’clock and if it got dark we needed to be in by 7. We had to do our homework and there are just so many memories. Good times. “

 

Cheerleading

PHOTO above; Imogene Broka far right, Troy Luckey H. S. football game. 

“Back then the team made the choice of the cheerleaders and Miss Rolfes was our cheerleading advisor. I was a cheerleader in freshman, sophomore and junior years. Senior year I was working. So anyhow, Miss Rolfes would say,  “Now remember girls you need to keep your skirts down.” “Yes, Miss Rolfes.” So when we were ready for the game we would crank our skirts up and they were about here. We knew that we were going to be in for it, we did not keep our skirts as long as they should be. That was just a fun thing.

I really, really enjoyed many, many friends from other schools from being a cheerleader. Our skirts were pleated and they were royal blue. Royal blue and white were our colors. We had a sports sweater that was a pull over with a big “T” on the front and we wore saddle shoes. That was the big thing, saddle shoes. “ [Do you remember any of your cheers?] “Oh, gosh yes.”  “Okay, we’re with you team, we’re with you team so FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. We’re with you team, we’re with you team so FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. Yeah Tri Trojans and none other.” [Another cheer] “Sis boom Bah, Sis boom Bah, Rah, Rah, Rah, Who is this team Tri Trojans, who do you think we are?” “There were four [cheerleaders] all the way through the senior year. “

 

 

Class Trip

         “Our class trip that we took was when we were seniors.” “We went to Washington DC and Gettysburg and we were in the Senate and we got to listen to the pros and cons, there was something going on at that time and we attended a church that was beautiful. The history was really great that we did learn and after really seeing the Senate or the House, you really knew that there were people really working hard so that was an enjoyable trip. In fact, we were the last, we were the last class that was able to take a trip.”

World War II

“I think one thing that I really remember about that [WWII] is just before dark mom would go around and pull all the blinds and I did not really know why and I did not ask her why. What it was I thought afterwards it was for black out. Everybody had to do it, it was not just my home. That was kind of eerie, so that was 1941, 1942. I was about 12 years old I guess. You know you did not hear anything about the war other than the radio. You did not really know all that was going on. I remember Roosevelt talking on the radio, I remember that, but I guess we just went along on our daily things as a kid. [I do remember rationing] Sugar and coffee, what else was it, we had no car, [or need for] gasoline. I know and I have my mother’s, my brother’s and my ration book yet. There are some stamps left in them. [We did not use them all.] I worked at Welling’s store there in Luckey just for food. I won’t go into that. I used to be in the hotel in Luckey and it was a bakery and so I tended the counter and served coffee and I think I got 50 cents for my time. The hotel was right by Farmer’s savings there in Luckey and of course I think the office is still there but the hotel has been gone a long time. But Welling’s store I don’t know if there is a business there or something else. It was right in the middle of town across from the old post office. I did a lot of babysitting, a lot of baby sitting and I cleaned three houses and I think I was 12 or 13 and they were big homes. One home was the superintendent of the Lime Plant and I cleaned 3 houses weekly.” “I baby sat and I was at this couple’s home the night before and that day I baby sat and mom said the next morning when I was getting ready for school and she said that Light and Oneda have a baby girl. I said they do, where did they get it? I didn’t even know that she was pregnant. You did not even notice those things back then. Or you weren’t aware of it maybe.”

PROM SPRING 1946

 

The Prom

“In my class there was 16 and there were 9 girls and 7 boys and we were so worried about the prom, the junior/senior prom. So we lined up and we met at my house and we all walked for our junior prom when we were juniors. Because we wondered where we were going to sit. But they had name cards, so we did get to sit. Well then when I was a senior, my neighbor, John Hannan, he took me to the senior prom and I was very, very proud you know. And it was so much fun. I taught the girls how to dance for the junior prom. I was the only one I guess that could dance. [I taught them] some jitterbug and just the floozy, that was another fast dance and so I did that. I don’t know if they remember that or not but I sure do.  [The proms were held] At the school in the gym. Oh gosh, well they would have crepe paper streamers, the blue and white, and it was nothing like they have now. We thought it was wonderful because we were so excited to have junior/senior prom. I can’t remember but I know there were centerpieces on the table, whatever they were. Like squirrels and things like that. Then we had our dance card and boy we thought we were something. The boys would come around and I want this dance and they would sign it and boy we thought; He wants to dance with me. I wore my same [dress] both years and it was like an organdy, long sleeves, I thought I was really dressed up. I have a picture here of all the girls, we were all lined up. [My dress was] pale blue, full skirt.”

The Cafeteria

Well, I felt it was an honor to be asked to work in the cafeteria. I was the cashier and I got my meals free because I was the cashier, but not only did I cashier but I learned how to can. The two ladies that were the cooks were Mrs. Barber and Mrs. Brinker and they were just gentlewomen. I even helped them can and I think there were other gals or guys that did but I don’t remember for sure. I learned how to can tomatoes and make juice and we canned pears and peaches and these things were used then in the cafeteria for the fruits for kids and I thought it was an honor to be asked to do that. I like figures and I liked to add and so that gave me a learning tool and I certainly never felt bad that I did it because I also got my knowledge of canning from my mom, but that is really where it started was right at school. Well some of the farmers would provide it [the produce] free of charge. They would give it to the school. So I can’t say they got it all as donations but I think a lot of it was donated and it sure beat prepared things and we did not have the prepared things like they have now. You had to do this in order to have the proper foods to make the food for kids.  I did [get out of class] a few times and they would always ask for me. So I would ask the superintendent or the principal and he would say “go for it, that is how you learn girl.” They were very understanding and the two ladies they were just gracious to teach you so that you know how. That was a highlight of my school years too and I felt pretty proud of that. Of course then I bussed dishes too after the kids were all done eating as more were coming through the line. I bussed tables, you know.  [We had no plastic ware] everything was plates and silverware and the whole nine yards. Yes, and like I said it was not prepared foods like they have now. It was made from scratch. They made the best macaroni and cheese, oh my, that was good and vegetable soup, oh yes.

In Conclusion

“So it was a great time. My school years were a wonder time and I have no regrets on anything. You knew where you were to be and what you were to be and you respected your teachers and we had great teachers and they were one on one with us. I think all the other kids would say the same thing from my class. I am just referring to the kids in my class. We were a classy class, we really were. Just a lot of good memories of Troy Luckey High School or I should say Troy Luckey School and High School.  We were born in a good year because it was good times, hard time and good times. I am proud to be a Trojan and I will always be a Trojan at heart.”

PHOTO ABOVE; Imogene (nee Broka) Krift, graduation photo

PHOTO ABOVE; Evelyn Buehrer Wilkens

PHOTO ABOVE; Evelyn Buehrer Wilkens (left) Margaret Christiansen (right)

 

Hope you have enjoyed this special accounting of days at Troy Luckey School.  Give a big thank you to Imogene Krift and Jean Blechschmidt for all of their work. Hopefully this may also inspire you to write down some of those special times for those in the future to enjoy.

 

Our next meeting will be Thursday May 16^th at 6:30 in the Luckey Library.

We need to make plans for our Troy Township Cemetery work day. Bring your calendars so we can set a date.

Over and out,        Sally