Kelso High School memories: 1940 to 1944
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 4:45 PM PDT
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E-mail this articleCelebrating Kelso's 100th graduating class
Peggy Smith Williams, Class of 1942
There are so many memories I have
of all the friends who made us laugh.
The girls wore wooden shoes, skirts and sweaters.
The boys wore cords, the dirtier, the better.
Each graduating class’ picture hung on the walls
of one of the school’s very long halls.
The wood floors were oiled in the old school
and our senior class walked out to Crystal Pool.
We were juniors on Dec. 7, 1941
when several boys left, one by one
To answer the call of Uncle Sam.
Some never returning, as was their plan.
One of our young teachers, Richard Sloat,
joined the Marines and a letter to him I wrote.
Two weeks after getting a reply,
the Daily News printed on Seipan he had died.
But now 66 years have come and gone
since the class of ‘42, to which we belong
Signed each others yearbooks and cried
as we hugged and said our last goodbyes
These “last goodbyes” were not to be
Graying hair, blurring eyes that can still see
We still meet each month
Walkers, canes or walking well, we are the lunch bunch.
Kathleen Waite
Our story begins at Kelso High School in the fall of 1943. These were the war years and many families were struggling. Ours was no exception. Shortly after my father entered his junior year, his only surviving parent passed away. The army was set to draft him so he enlisted in the Navy. His last memory of school before leaving for active duty was playing in the Kelso-R.A. Long Thanksgiving Day game. He left the next day.
Coach Schroeder, knowing dad had no home to return to after the war, encouraged him to come back to Kelso to finish high school. When the war ended, dad did come back to Kelso, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder, who opened their home and gave him a place to live and the opportunity to finish high school. Dad remembers, of course, the time honored traditions; such as the Thanksgiving Day game, but for him it was a teacher, coach and wonderful man who made his high school years most memorable.
Our story then moves to the 1960’s, when I walked through the same doors of Kelso High School from which both of my parents graduated. Many of my teachers remembered my parents. When I walked into Mr. Piper’s classroom, he said, “So, you’re Johnny Ellis’ daughter! I’ll be watching you!” My memories consist of the Thanksgiving Day football games, post-game dances, rooter buses and again the wonderful dedicated teachers.
And the tradition continues. My daughter graduated from Kelso High School in the 1990’s and her children will begin Kelso High School in five years.
The one thing remaining constant throughout our four generations is the caring, compassionate men and women who have given themselves to see that we leave with an education that will make us happy, productive citizens. Teachers like Emmett Schroeder, Walt Piper, Tom Gennette & George Simonson may have set the standards for the next generation of teachers, who set the scale for the next generation. Our hats off to all of you who have made us proud to wear the Blue & Gold. Thanks for the memories!
Carmen McAuliffe Wallace, Class of 1944
As a majorette in my sophomore year, it was more than a thrill to march from Kelso High, when it was on the hill, down the steps that led to the football field. It almost felt like being at Notre Dame. Though they were all exciting, the most thrilling game was of course the Thanksgiving Day game against R.A. Long.
One Thanksgiving game as a Song Queen (that’s what we called them in those days), I took my neighbor’s Scottie dog, dressed him in plaid, put him on a leash and took him to the Kelso/Longview game as our Mascot in 1944. Our neighbor’s husband saw a picture in The Daily News of me and the dog and said to his wife “that Scottie looks just like my dog” and she laughed and told him that I had taken the dog as our mascot to the big game.
Another Thanksgiving Day memory — my brothers Bill and Dick McAuliffe hid mom’s turkey at our grandmother’s house next door. When we came home from the big game for turkey dinner, the turkey was missing. We all had a good laugh at her expense. Another great memory of the Turkey Day game.
Some outstanding classmates from 1944 were: Bob Berry from West Point, Bob (Sid the Superkid Synder) Senator; Jack Preston; Pat Yaden Hanson; Barbara Wenaweser Adams; Larry Wolf; Betty Mills Crawford and other great friends.
I remember being nominated as a Highland Lassie. I didn’t win but it was quite and honor! I had two beautiful girls and my “Big Sisters,” Evelyn Hockett, Virginia Harris. They took care of me and showed me around the school, and I love them very much. Virginia’s father owned the Kelsoian Tribune.
Some outstanding teachers I remember were: Dick Sloat, who was killed in WWII; Ms. Grendahl (Drama), who picked me to play the older sister in “Junior Miss”; Ms. Carlson (home economics); Mary Eden (shorthand), who was a wonderful teacher who helped me become a secretary; Mr. Walgren (chemistry); Mutt Schroeder (football coach); Lee Sonnendecker (basketball coach); Walt Piper (football coach and math teacher); Ms. Tryzinka, who loaned us girls her clothes and took us to plays; Ms. Marcellus; Ms. Bostrom; Ms. Martin (known as “Legs” by the boys when she sat on a tall stool with her legs crossed); Ms. Brown and others I fail to remember.
I ended up marrying T.W .Wallace from the Class of 1941 Kelso, who was All-State champion in basketball. He passed away in 1984. His granddaughter, Sara Burgoyne (class of 2003), also was named to the All-State basketball team. Sara and her sister Jessica (class of 2004) will escort me to this year’s graduation ceremony, where I will represent the class of 1944.
Pat Yadin Hanson, Class of 1944
I was born in South Kelso and went to the old Wallace grade school.
I remember the warmth and smell of the sawdust furnace room. With nine children — usually two years apart — we were in the Kelso schools for years. And my dad expected the best. If you got an “A,” why wasn’t it an “A-plus”?
We walked to school in every kind of weather — to Allen Street and up the concrete steps to Carl Puckett Junior High and Kelso High. All three schools were old buildings with lots of character, great teachers (Frank Punches was my favorite) and if you applied yourself, you got an A-1 education.
What memories of the old Schroeder Field. You always wore a yellow mum corsage with the big blue K at the Thanksgiving games. There were no concession stands in those days. The Kappuses lived nearby and Mrs. Kappus would let us pop popcorn on her wood stove, which we sold at the games.
And the school rivalry... games at Vancouver were the worst as they always started fights down there. Kelso-Longview games were pretty intense, too, as I remember the girls getting into a big fight. There was no love lost until we all graduated and attended Lower Columbia Junior College, where we all became the best of friends — the rivalry forgotten.
These were World War II days with all the sacrifices and rationing. I would never have made it without my wooden shoes (now called clogs). I was a yell leader in junior high and we wore our usual clothes — no fancy uniforms — and if we jumped too high and our panties showed, we were so embarrassed.
My younger brother had a music class assignment to write words to music for a new school song for junior high. I helped him. He won and “V-V-V- for Victory” became the new song, patterned after our war slogan.
We graduated in the war days of 1944. The school year of 1943-1944 I was elected student body vice president with Jack Preston as president. Jack was drafted midterm and after a special assembly wishing him goodbye and good luck, I took over as Kelso High School student body president. I often wonder if anyone else had my experience due to the draft.
God love our departed classmates and teachers from World War II who made the ultimate sacrifice for a better world for the next generations.
Bob Berry, Class of 1944
A classmate was kind enough to send me clippings from the May 11 Daily News concerning the anniversary of Kelso High. As a former reporter for the News, I was shocked that in your historical highlights you omitted WWI and WWII. Gordon Quarnstrom and Carlton Moore (himself a Kelso grad) would not have omitted those significant events. (I am assuming WWI impacted the school as WWII certainly did.)
When the Class of ’44 was graduated, there were 90 girls and about 30 boys at the graduation ceremony. Most of the boys had left for war; one was already dead. Coach Schroeder had to coach basketball and football because Coach Sonnedecker was in uniform.
We listened to President Roosevelt’s famous speech during fourth period, Dec. 8. In Coach Sonnedecker’s class of World History, where I listened, every boy and the teacher saw service. One was killed. There was no high school annual for ’43 because of the war. (The class of) ’44 was permitted one of 24 pages but it had to have a different name than the regular annual. So we named it the Bagpiper. It had to be printed in Kelso but Mr. Umbaugh contracted it out to the News to do. But that was kept secret. Out of that class came Senator Sid Snyder (Bobby Snyder for those of us from Wallace School.)
I might add that the Class of ’44 has had a five-year reunion every five years beginning in 1949. Some of us are looking forward to our 65th next year and I would expect Betty Mills to play her violin.
— Robert W. Berry, Brigadier General, United States Army (Retired).
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