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This message forum is an ongoing discussion about anything and just about everything ... within reason.  One thing our class was good at was having opinions.  Almost 70 years of life experience certainly qualifies us as experts on most everything!   Ask a question ... give an opinion ... share some insights ... it's our web site, it's our forum.  That said, it's probably not a good idea to get into arguments about politics, religion, and the like.  While we're experts on everything, we also have a wide range of values and beliefs. This site belongs to all of us ... the whole range ... and we are not here to isolate, alienate, or subjugate anybody.  Of course insults, humiliation, sophomoric barraggadocio, and demented humor is expected behavior among some of us less mature people.
 

Karen Gerstl (LeDuke)

We were the Custer Indians.......Our yearbook was the Warrior

Garry Sellers

Here's a shot at why it was called Custer High School (now part Milwaukee Tech School and the other part Obama grade school!).  The "old" Custer High is, or was at least when I went there, converted to Edison Junior High.  I have a couple of sisters who went  to the "old Custer" in the 50's.  Guess where it 's situated?  Between 36th and 37th Streets, with Rohr Ave to the north and ... (drum roll) Custer Avenue to the south (that's between Villard and Silver Spring).  Guess on which street it's address was ... yes, Custer.  And I think that's how it got its name ... because of the street on which it was built.  Who knows why the street was named Custer?  (Well ... it's as good of a story as any of yours!)

Karen Gerstl (LeDuke)

http://custerhighschool.info/reunion94.html

Check out the above link!  Talks about Custer's early years.....even mentions coach Henderson, Mr Hagopian.

And Shorty's Restaurant and The Ritz Theater.  Boy those names bring back memories!

Beverly Barry

Hey Garry,  What a great website!  Thanks for taking the time to set this up!  What memories.  Look forward to following this site.  Makes me smile going down memory lane!

Tom Winslow

Custer Avenue name:

Gary, Outstanding website!

Following Gary's lead I quit trying to find  the answer at Custer High School sites.  In Carl Baehr's book, Milwaukee Streets: The Stories Behind Their Names,  Baehr speaks of two theories; (1) the usual George Armstrong Custer story, explaining that the North Milwaukee official who named the street, Henry Clay Payne.  He had been rejected by the Union Army and liked to name streets after generals.  In 1892 he named Custer Ave. and Sheridan Ave.

But the story doesn't end there. (2)  Baehr also says, "Tradition and recent histories say that the street and Custer High School  , which used to be on it, were named for Harvey Custer an early settler in the old Town of Granville". [ Somewhere in my often foggy mind, I recall that North Milwaukee was a carve out of Granville], later annexed to the City of Milwaukee..

So, take your pick.  I'd prefer Harvey, but take George if you wish.  Oh, by the way Sherman Blvd. was not so named until 1909 by the Blvd. Park Land Co.  They also named Grant Blvd, one block east of Sherman. Grant Blvd. to the best of my knowledge never had a boulevard. 

If I were to bet I would bet on George......although one could argue that the street was originally named after Harvey, then converted to George in 1892  Alll of that and I'm not wr!iting a paper!

...and yes too much is in italics.  Gary, I turned it on for the book title  Can you tell me how to turn it off? 

"We are the Indians, mighty mighty Indians,,, Everwhere we go people want to know who we are, ...so we tell them....We are the Indians, mighty mighty Indians......"

I CAN'T WAIT !

Tom

Garry Sellers

Now you've got me leaning toward Harvey.  The entire area around 35th and Silver Spring almost up to Mill Road was once known as Thurston Forest.  Two blocks, 33rd and 34th north of Silver Spring (where I lived and my next door neighbor Susan Maertz, as did Jim and Marlene Doege, Don Carstenson, Bill Gregorius and others)  as well as one block on I think 27th and Silver Spring (near Mama Mia's) where Patricia McCarthy lived were all somehow stranded in the Town of Granville.  We went to Carlton Grade School until the city figured it out and sent us packing via bus to Browning at 76th and Silver Spring.  We were annexed into Milwaukee around '58 and that got me to Edison Jr High ... the "old" Custer.  (Mayor Maier lived on the corner of 34th and Thurston!)

(Incidentally, those few streets never had curbs or sidewalks that the city would have put in and don't to this day!)

So I like the idea of Thurston Forest and Harvey Custer ... although it seems weird.

(I've switced back and forth between italics and regular Tom.  Look at the second  line.  Clicking the "I" will turn it on and off.  But I do like the italics on yours.  Makes it look more intellectual and spoken with authority!  Almost spiritual!)

Kenneth Pallaske

Great job on the site, Garry.

I started out going to Wilbur Wright Jr. High then, for some unknown reason ended up finishing Jr. High at Edison. I went to Custer for three weeks to start 9th grade in 1958 when the Milwaukee border changed and the Pallaske brothers were transferred to Granville High - renamed Brown Deer High a couple of years later. After my sophomore year, Milwaukee changed its borders, again. We, brother Jim and me, were forced to transfer to Custer to start our Junior year. All of this while living in the same house on 62nd Street and Carmen. That was a great move for us. I think Custer's 1962 gradusting class is the greatest!

God bless all of you.

P.S. Is saying we were Indians still okay? I'm just saying....I don't want to get into trouble.

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Ken, I was thinking the same thing - about "Indians" being PC - but then there is the story of  the Michigan high school marching band  bearing an Indian tribe name - it may have been the "Pontiac Chiefs" - which was selected to march in the 2009 inaugaral parade. The inaugaral committee "uninvited" them, for fear of offending Native Americans. But the chief of the tribe said he was the only one qualified to decide who could bear his tribe's name, and he would be honored for them to march in the parade. So they were re-invited! I have always thought our name "Indains" and/or "Warriors" honored the courage and strength of Native Americans, and that's the only reason we (and Stanford University) took that name. 

Tom Winslow

Over the years I have thought that within our context it was (and is) a celebration of the "Warrior"  One of the reasons I would prefer  "Harvey Custer" (see below) is that I am not a fan of George Armstrong Custer. I agree with Terri.

At this point in my life I'm not too worried abouI being PC; I am however sensative to not offending people. If I did so I apologize..

Wayne Reineck

Silver Spring was the dividing line between Milwaukee and Granville. Carleton elementary school was a Granville school until sometime around 1949 or 1950. We lived south of Silver Spring so my older brothers went to 36th street school (adjacent to Edison i.e. the old "old" Custer). My older sister had to switch to Carleton when it was annexed to Milwaukee.  

We were the first class to the newly named Edison. Our shop classes the first year were in the basement of 36th street school. The new addition was added when we were in eighth grade. The Edison group had to stay there for their freshman year. I still feel deprived!

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Yes, it is liberating to be old and retired, and not worry about being "PC". (I'm afraid teachers really are under scrutiny!) My husband Jon found the original story I had mentioned, and actually the band from Wyandotte (a tribal name), MI, was told to cover up their patch, depicting an Indian chief, if they wanted to march in the inaugaral parade - and the chief of the Wyandottes interevened. The instigator of the whole issue was a Wisconsinite whose organization protests perceived insults to Native Americans, and other minority groups. But I am also leaning toward the street name, because it is common in Milwaukee for schools to be named after the street they're on. I went to Congress St. School, for example.  At Custer there were NEVER, that I can remember, celebrations of Gen. Custer's life as our school's namesake (grateful for that!) So, "Go Indians!!!!!"

Garry Sellers

Somebody suggested we invite Custer faculty.  I hear from the class of 1972 that Coach Hinchcliffe is going to attend their 40th reunion, ironically on the same night as ours!  We can do that.  Let us know which teachers you know are still around.

Which brings up another question.  Any teachers you remember that had a lasting influence on you over the last 50 years?

Garry Sellers

The new name of Custer is Milw. Campus for Technology,Trades & Media

Meribeth Hodges (Engelfried)

My favorite teacher was Mr Harris.  He taught world history.  He was a tough bird, but made me think "outside the box", even in the olden days. You know what else..I was so surprised to find out Custer is no more, but what happened to the stadium?

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

Merebeth---I hope you remember mr Harris always made us go to the library downtown to do research.  We were hungry and did not have money to buy food. That's when YOU made Judy McDonald be the organ grinder, and I had to be the monkey doing cartwheels, so you could collect money from people walking by.  We did get enough money to stop and eat!   I do remember Mr Harris as a great teacher!  I never did recover from being the monkey. 

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

You have not idea of 'what' includes.  That is the tip of the iceberg.   Merebeth was always getting us in trouble!

Meribeth Hodges (Engelfried)

WHAT!!!!   LOL

Tom Winslow

LOL?  Which one is the "pot" and which the "kettle" ???

Carol Albert (Knutsen)

Both Maribeth and Sandi got me in trouble.

Garry Sellers

We seem to be narrowing into a common theme about Meribeth and Sandy!   We may have to have a discussion about just the two of them and their bad influence on others.  The other one who hasn't spent any time yet on this site is Ken Walter.  He pulled more stunts that would have gotten most of us thrown out! 
And he's still doing it!!!

Meribeth Hodges (Engelfried)

Oh Garry I am so sure you exaggerate!!  Ken was such a sweet young man!!!  He woulldn" get anyone in trouble.

Garry Sellers

LOL  Still naive I see Meribeth! 

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

Meribeth naive?  What about the time she got pulled over by the police for driving crazy, and the next thing I know I am sitting in Mr Michalak's office just because I was in her car.  Meribeth's great acting 'naive' skills got us out of that one. 

Let's hear some good Ken stories.

Tom Winslow

Meribeth naive?  Some people are cleaverer than they first appear !

Kenneth Pallaske

Mr. Harris was a jerk........I guess I am the only one who feels that way. He was the toughest HS teacher I had. I guess I really should not complain, His course was hard, however,  I got a B in his class. Remember he always said, "Nothing is when," after someone would as "when" in a sentence?