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Easter Sunday is my oldest daughter's birthday. But, there will not be any celebrating outside of wishing her a Happy Birthday. First, she's a Corpsman at Camp Pendleton. Even though most of the Base is on stand down, the Corpsmen are not. Also, being a Chief means more work for her, too. Six days after Easter, will be a year since my son died; so, no celebrating. I have a copy of the Coroner's which states cause of death as accidental drowning. There is a 10 second video of his going into the river. His co-worker who took the video didn't know what he had until looking at it. My son very obviously jumped. I saw the video at my son's Celebration of Life. My daughter visited me 6 weeks ago; and, when my son's death came up , she told me that she, her sisters and my Ex had discussed this. I told her that my youngest brother and I had also talked about it. We all agree that it was what I've heard called a 'spur of the monemt suicide' He was in good health and making good money; so, who knows.

04/09/20 11:00 PM

#2827

Lauren,

We really feel for you on the loss of your son. A couple of years ago, while we were in Wisconsin visiting our friends and relatives on our annual trip, we'd visited our eldest granddaughter and her husband and their beautiful baby girl. After a couple of weeks in the Waukesha area, we moved on to the west to visit our friends and relatives in the NW part of the state. A couple of days into that part of the trip, we received a call from our obviously shaken daughter. Our grandson-in-law had committed suicide. Our daughter couldn't bring herself to tell us anymore than he'd died during that call. We cancelled the rest of our planned stops and headed back to the SE part of the state for more than a week. He was a Lieutenent on the Waukesha Sheriff's Department. We'd only met him twice before that week, but he gave no indication he might be considering such a drastic step. They lived in Jackson and a local patrol officer found him slumped over on a park bench. He'd shot himself with his service weapon. He left behind our granddaughter, his baby girl, and two other beautiful little girls and a son by his previous marriage. We'd already "adopted" those bonus great-grandkids and stay in touch with them through their mom on a regular basis. They still don't understand why their daddy left them, and we don't either. Since then, our granddaugter, who is a 911 dispatcher, has become involved in an organization of spouses of law-enforcement officers who have committed suicide. We never realized that it's a BIG problem all over the country for all types of first responders (including 911 dispatchers.) Wish we knew of a "cure" for it, but it's beyond understanding for us.

04/10/20 07:41 PM

#2828

Barbara Blair (Brenzel)

Lauren,

My heart goes out to you. My father committed suicide shortly after my daughter was born - so very many years ago now. I knew he was depressed, starting with the death of my mother a few years previously, but I never dreamed in a million years that he thought of suicide, The shock was so great as well as the loss,

It is difficult for me to write this and I am hoping that it will help you in some small way. It does get easier as time goes on. I will never say that the pain goes away - it only lessons. I have found that it does help to talk about it and also to be able to reach out to others that you know are hurting. There are many that are hurting.

I do want to say a thank you to you, Garry, for keeping this website going and foe all the kooky things you post on it. Very appreciated!

A Blessed Easter to all.

Barb

04/11/20 03:15 PM

#2829

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

04/14/20 06:04 PM

#2830

Garry Sellers

With all the humor we've posted about the virus I've been concerned that we may have a classmate directly impacted by its spread. Well ... it's happened.

On Easter Sunday Terri Levenhagen Hoorstra's husband Jon succumbed to the ravages of the virus and his long, valiant battle with COPD. Jon did not pass alone. Terri and their son were by his side. Terri has posted more details on her Facebook page.

I know all of her friends and especially her classmates who have seen Terri's thoughtful contributions to this website over the years send her our warm and caring hugs.

04/14/20 09:20 PM

#2831

Thank you for the kind words, Garry. Actually Jon had caught a different virus - not corona - on Feb. 2, just ahead of the COVID epidemic. It was identified as "metapneumo". It is also a newer virus, discovered in 2003. It is supposed have mild symptoms for healthy people, but like COVID, wreaks havoc on people with compromised health. So with Jon's COPD, it really destroyed the little bit of breathing he had left. I caught it too, and even with my mild athsma that hardly ever bothers me, I was coughing and wheezing for 2 weeks. I take my hat off to the wonderful medical staff at Kaiser LA Medical Center. They took amazing care of him, and happily set up his laptop for Face Time calls after we were banned from visiting. He was like part of their family by the time he was there 2 months! And now they are battling the "other" virus, and had a lot of good practice doing so with Jon.

04/15/20 10:33 AM

#2832

I didn't need to hear that. Saturday will be a year since my son died. It still feels like yesterday. You have my deepest heartfelt sympathy. Here is a hug from me ((((( Teri )))))

04/23/20 05:04 PM

#2833

Crisis, what crisis?

04/24/20 03:39 PM

#2834

Our home was directly across the street from 36th Street Elementary School. Part of the playground and a small parking lot separated it from what was then, Custer High School. We moved there from the South Side (near 23rd and Greenfield) in the summer of 1953, when I was in the middle of 4th grade. When I "graduated" from there at the end of 6th grade, I attended Custer High School for the first semester in 7th grade. I was elected to the CHS student council while I was still 11-years old. I felt out of place at the meetings, but a couple of the seniors, made special efforts to include us in discussions and welcome us to the school. After that summer vacation in 1955, my older brother and his classmates all moved to the new CHS we all graduated from. All of a sudden, I was back to reality and there were only 8th and 9th grades at Edison. Those couple of years were memorable, because, despite removing the top four grades, they began enlarging the school to nearly twice its former size. That activity began with demolishing the north end of the building. Every time the wrecking ball hit, everyone would cringe. Several times, there was a lineup at the pencil sharpeners as a lot of leads were broken in the process.

I didn't know Roger Pederson yet, but had his dad as my metal shop instructor in 8th grade at Edison. My dad was also an Industrial Arts teacher, and he and Rodger's dad were good friends. The first semester of 7th grade, I had Mr. Eberhart for wood shop. He and my dad had been roommates in college at Oshkosh State Teachers College. The 2nd semester, when all the destruction began, we took our shop class in the basement of the old 36th Street School. My cousin (in-law), the late Tom Williams, was the teacher in that shop for several years. When I moved into the new CHS in January, Mr. Eberhart became my drafting teacher.

Rodger and I first met on the stage crew, as I remember. He worked at a hobby store at Capitol Court. Think it was called the Hobby Horse. He introduced me to my first wife, but I won't hold that against him.

The old 36th Street School was torn down a few years later, well after I'd graduated from CHS. My dad had retired by then and he used to walk over there and "supervise" the destruction. Actually, he talked the crews out of some of the materials, like oak and maple, that were going to be trashed. We still have some of that material that was made into various projects by him, my brother, and me.

04/27/20 07:38 PM

#2835

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

Bill I loved your post about the history of the 36th street school. So much fun to hear about your ties to 'Shop' classes and Rodger Peterson. Fun.

Garry you mentioned that you wondered how gymnastics was going to hold up during this crisis. I guess time will tell. Many of our club programs will not make it through this shut down. Club owners are better coaches than business minds. They love the sport and the kids they work with, but forget that they have to operate to make money. Clubs are having many virtual workouts with their gymnasts, and having virtural competitions with video's of their routines. Judges are judging on line for free. Judges generally are not in the business of judging for the money either. We just love our sport.

I worry about our NCAA Gymnastics Programs that have really been building on successful TV coverage. I have had the incredable experience of judging many NCAA National Championships and awarding a fair share of 10's. I can tell you it is just as exciting for the judge as it is for the gymnasts and crowd. I sure hope it survives. One note: I met a Big Ten Football official at a party, and as shy as I am, I asked him how much money he made officating a game. He said 85. Oh $85. No $8,500. And I said I got paid 65. He said oh $6,500. Nope $65! ALL his expenses where paid for. I got $100 to cover my drive to airport and parking, local transportation at out of town meet,and food. They did cover my hotel room. Big Ten Football vs Women's Gymnastics.

At the Olympic level there are many questions. The most important question is will our GOAT Simone Biles continue on for an extra year. She was set to retire in 2020. So hope she can hang in there. I have been involved in the sport for over 60 years and there has never been another athlete in our sport who has dominated like she has. She does skills that no one in the world can do. I love to watch her compete because she does her routines with joy. I sure hope I see her in Toyko. If you have ever been to Japan, you know how well they know how to get things done well. These Olympics will be amazing for everyone to enjoy.

Sorry go on for so long, but gymnastics has been one of my passions. I guess Garry will never ask me a question again.

Everyone stay safe and healthy!

05/02/20 06:40 PM

#2836

05/07/20 12:05 PM

#2837

Garry Sellers

Lauren, or maybe it was you Jim - Was it you who lived on 35th Street near the streetcar turn around at Silver Spring? If you read the new tab "Originis of the "Custer HS" name" in the left hand column, you'll see a photo I found online showing a streetcar parked on 35th in front of the K&K Food Mart. My folks had an account there and all we had to do was walk in with my Mom's shopping list and they'd get it for you and put it on our bill. Next door was a bakery that wafted of all manner of sweet pastries. My Dad would go there every Sunday before church and bring home chocolate covered Long Johns and Crawlers ,,, still warm!!!

05/07/20 05:25 PM

#2838

Garry,

That was I who lived on 35th where the streetcar reversed, and before the 'bus stop turned the corner round.'

Next to it was Serchan's (?) drug store toward Silver Spring, and George's barber shop, the bakery, and ??? that had different things in it.

We had one of those accounts too. Was great for adding cookies to whatever I was sent there to get. They had those cookie bins were the cookies were loose and you could grab one or two. A frequent trip was to get 'thirty cents worth of Thuringer's sliced summer sausage.'

One of my early money making adventures was to snow shovel that waiting area, and the sidewalk, on that corner around Bergeman's store. Isn't it amazing how between K&K, Serchan's, and Bergeman's, we managed to be able to get just about anything we needed, and only needed to go to Villard once in a while to do the BIG shopping.

See that mailbox, next to the person standing on the corner? I can't tell you how many times I either crashed into that involuntarily, or voluntarily grabbed it to keep from flying onto Silver Spring, when I was roller-skating, full speed, around that corner.

05/08/20 10:56 AM

#2839

Garry, Actually, Jim and I both lived on 35th. I lived a block South of Silver Spring, across from Smith Park, until I was 10. I remember that the house shook whenever a streetcar went by. There was a vacant lot on the corner of 35th and Sheridan, then our house. I was 7 when a house was built on the vacant lot. When we moved, we moved a whole block West, to the Northwest corner of 36th and Sheridan. I remember being sent to the K&K when I was 7 or 8 and trying to get the person on the register to wait on me. That was when you could send a little kid to the store without worrying about something happening to them. There was George's Barber shop, the K&K and Serchen's ( not sure of the spelling ) Drug store.

05/09/20 09:36 PM

#2840

05/15/20 09:07 AM

#2841

Kenneth Pallaske

I lost my nephew two days ago. He was just 31 years old. Michael was the youngest son of my youngest brother, Greg. He was a severe alcoholic and suffered complete liver failure. In addition, Mikey lost the function of his kidneys, had pneumonia and was on a ventilator. In the 10 days he was in the hospital, he stayed in a medically induced sleep. His family decided to take him off of the ventilor when it became clear he was not a candidate for a liver transplant. If you know someone with an addiction, please seek help before it is too late. Thanks.

I lived at 62nd St and Carmen. My story of my roots never getting established. I started Jr high at the new Wilbur Wright for 7th grade. For 8th grade we were transfered to Edison. In 1958 we started high school at Custer. That lasted for 3 weeks. Somehow the borders changed again and we were transfered to Granville HS. (Later changed to Browndeer HS). In 1960, the borders were changed again and we started our junior year back at Custer, where we graduated with the 1962 class. BTW, my oldest brother, Bill, was in the first graduating class at Granville. No wonder I was so messed up.

05/15/20 03:37 PM

#2842

Garry Sellers

Ken - Sorry about your nephew. Doesn't matter the reasons, a loss hurts, especially at 31.

And thanks for shedding light on that age old question, why is Ken so messed up? Just kidding. Our two blocks off of Thurston, 33rd and 34th plus a half a block on 27th and Silver Spring where Pat McCarthy lived, were in city schools and then they discovered we were in Granville and transferrred us from Carlton to Browning 3 miles and an interminable bus ride away. Then we got "annexed" and shifted to Edison. To this day those streets don't have curbs or sidewalks because Granville was too cheap and Milwaukee didn't give a rat's behind. Well, actually Mayor Maier lived on the corner of 34th but didn't have enough pull to get his street fixed!

And now, thanks to you,, I have a rational as to why I'm such a mess. Not sure my wife is buying it though!!! Maybe you could put in a good word for me with her.

05/16/20 01:17 PM

#2843

Ken, I'm very, very sorry to hear about your nephew. He may have been 31; but, to us, at our age, he was still a child. It always hurts more to lose a child. Tomorrow will be a year since my son died. Actually, he drowned on April 18th; but, his body wasn't found until May 17th, his 36th birthday. So, that's the date that the coroner used. Even after a year, it's still very hard to talk about it. Regarding Mayor Maier, during the riots, we didn't worry too much, because Maier only lived a block away from us. it was probably the most protected couple of blocks in the city. I don't know how many of you noticed that after the riots, there was an unmarked squad car parked outside of Maier's 24/7, until he left office.

05/16/20 02:19 PM

#2844

Ken, Garry,

I think it's obvious that those municipalities and school districts had a premonition of what was coming, and were saying to each other - "We don't want them, you take them." "No, not here, you take'em . . . ," until you guys finally came up enough to go to Edison/Custer. Obviously, you were on the wrong side of the "tracks," but the "tracks" were Silver Spring Dr.

05/16/20 05:09 PM

#2845

I never knew that Mayor Maier lived that close to us. Guess I never really thought about it. During the period I began to care about government and when I left Wisconsin, I didn't really care that much, but thought Maier did a pretty good job, in general. He couldn't do anything to make winter warmer, so we headed South!

05/17/20 05:29 PM

#2846