Be aware, the "Message Forum" is NOT password protected.  Unlike profiles that are password protected, anybody who gets to this webpage can see what is written here.  Nobody can contact you directly based on this forum unless you reveal your personal contact information.  Use the "Message Center" for sharing personal contact information with another classmate.

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.
 

Janis Schendel (Mueller)

There were some of us who never went to Junior High School.  Nancy Boerst, Susie Lock, Marsha Wheatley, Dan Merkel and myself went to Christ Memorial Lutheran Grade School through 8th grade (on Teutonia just north of Silver Spring).  I remember that in 7th and 8th grade we got to go to a Jr. High for shop classes, sewing and cooking classes.  It was cool to be in 8th grade because we got to sit in the back of the bus.  Some of us went right to Custer for 9th grade.  It depended on where you lived.  Most kids went to Lutheran High School.  In grade school, we played with the kids on our street - mostly in the street - kick ball, baseball, etc.  It was a great block to live on - good friends.  Janet Schultz (class of 63) and I still keep in touch - she stood up for our wedding. 

Dennis Unterholzner

Garry -- You must have missed this week;s memo.  It's pick on Garry week.

Carol Albers (Pederson)

Hi Dennis,

You might be happy to know Mr. Norman is alive and well, sort of (he walks with a cane). I met him at the Captitol Cafe (formally the Grecian Inn) in Brookfied while having breakfast with a large group of retired teachers.  He overheard our conversations and figured out he was in "good" company.  I talked to him several times after that and even invited to the reunion.  He remember Custer as a great place to work and teach, except for Principal Michalek.   He has a delightful sense of humor, but politely declined the invitation to join us for the reunion.

Jim, you continue to amaze me!  Now I am wondering if I am remembering Miss Kapp instead of my mom on the trip!!!!!  She acted just like my mom!  Good Grief!!  See Nancy, my brain misfires too.  I DO remember the newspapers.  I think I rode back to school with them "stuffed" under my skirt to help dry it out.  Oh that was way back in the recesses of my memories.

And Jim,  Miss Freshwater was worth drooling over.  I never noticed the drool, but all eyes (from the guys) seemed to move in unison as she walked in front of the class in the cafeteria.  She was nice besides being cute.

Nancy/Terri  You guys were much better at sewing than I was.  No way did I save anything I made.  I remember making a blue skirt and a white blouse.  We had to model them.  After that they went in the rag bag.  As to aprons, I only remember a yellow one that was very plain, and I think we had to buy it for cooking class.  I kept that one for a lot of years, since I needed the kind that was full coverage.  I'm a messy cook.  Now I am still messy, but no apron.  I still use the Electric Co. Cookie books too.  The Gas Co. had some books, but they had more than cooky recipes in theirs.  (I bet the guys reading this are soooooo.....thrilled by all this information.)

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Garry - yes, sir. I'm chillin'................as ordered.

Garry Sellers

I have just one name to drop on you home ec ladies that will turn you green with envy .... Gretchen Colnick!

Dennis Unterholzner

Now that's a name I haven't heard, much less thought of, for the past 50 years.

Jim Cejka

For the Edison memory-ites, remember Mr. Fenton Fly?

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

OMG! Gretchen Colnick!!! She was the Martha Stewart of Milwaukee TV. She could manufacture anything out of nothing. Okay, I'm impressed.

I didn't have the privilege of classes with Fenton Fly - but he and Mr. Mac were polar opposites when it came to drool material. ""Ichabod Crane" comes to mind when picturing Fenton Fly.

Carol - the yellow aprons! I had mine for many years, replaced by Williams-Sonoma. Can anyone please clarify the noon movies shown at Edison vs. Custer? I remember attending the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Blob; and selling tickets for noon movies at Custer. But I can't remember which movies I saw where. Maybe non-Edisonites can remember?

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Gretchen Colnick, huh? How about Breta Griem?

Marian Schopp (Bringe)

I always wear an apron when I'm doing routine things around the house or even when I am cooking.  The apron has a pocket just the right size for my CD player and I can listen to a juicy audio book by Linda Howard or a thriller by James Patterson and pretty soon all the laundry is folded and put away and I didn't notice the time it took to do the chores 

Marian Schopp (Bringe)

Fenton Fly had an enclosed room at the back of the classroom.  When we wanted to challenge the person next to us to move up a chair in our section, two "musicians" would go into this room, play the same song, then the band members would choose who was the better of the two and then you moved up a chair - or not.

Jim Cejka

Sally,

It's my guess that Mr Fly wasn't on the faculty list because nobody wanted to admit they hired him.

Garry Sellers

Jeanne - I was going to accuse you of inventing a name knowing full well most of us don't have the functioning brain cells to challenge you.  But looky what I found online!  Of course I recognize her!  I apologize for even thinking you were conning me, Jeanne!  I should know better, huh?   Voila  .. .  Breta Griems and friend!

Found it on a website for the "Zonta Club of Milwaukee" which appears to be an early women's business club!  Ever hear of it?  http://www.zontamilwaukee.org/club_history.htm

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Garry,

Thanks for the positive words! Never heard of the women's club that you mentioned. I actually have the same picture of Breta, but my iPad wouldn't let me copy and paste it into this venue. I also have one of Gretchen Colnick. Perhaps if I use a "real" computer, I can put it in a response.

Now, another name...Miss Frances of "Ding Dong School." Although not a Milwaukee-based TV show, it came from our windy neighbor to the south. It was a VERY popular kids show, and both it and Miss Frances were award-winning. I remember it well.

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

Hi Everyone,

I just got back from our post reunion meeting in Milwaukee on Monday, and have great news.  Our committee has all signed on to work on a 55th year reunion.  We plan to keep meeting once every year to keep our group going.  This has been an amazing group of alumni committee members who have had perfect attendance at every meeting.  Everyone worked together to put our 50th reunion together, and still want to keep it going.  You all will be receiving a questionnaire to evaluate our reunion, and ask for suggestions for the 55th.  Awesome!

I have been in contact with the company that is producing the 50th Reunion DVD, and they promised that you will receive your copy within 2 weeks.  We can all catch up with some of our classmates that we didn't get to talk to.  I do not know about you, but it seemed that our time went by much too quickly.

The committee also wanted to express our thank you to Garry for the great web site.  We all read the comments on the message forum, even if we don't always post something.  Keep the conversations going.  We love the trips down memory lane.

See you in 2017!

Sandy Wachs Oldham

Warren De Smidt

All true, Sandy!

Even though I was unable to attend the Saturday dinner, I have thoroughly enjoyed all the website entries and contact updates. A Huge "THANK YOU"  to the entire reunion team. A job extremely well done!!

Thanks again!  

Nancy Davison (Boerger)

Sandy - what great news! You and the rest of the committee - AMAZING.

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

That is great news, Sandy! Looking forward to a reprise of the reunion in 2017. Maybe we'll still be upright and able to put together another dance routine. (I had my doubts about the 100th.) I am so glad because I now have a 5 year lead to find more missing classmates. My sister found Jane Bednarz Holdridge but not in time to tell her about the reunion. I'm sure there are others out there whose trail my sister can sniff out. The whole committee did a fabulous job on the reunion. It was the best ever!  And this website is the best ever - thanks, Garry & Rich. I hope the first person who receives their DVD lets us know in the Message Forum. 

Jeanne,  I do remember Ding Dong School and motherly-looking Miss Frances. She actually rang a bell to start the program. There was also another younger hostess of that program later (or was it another TV school program?)

Breta Griem looks exactly as I remember her. Thanks for the photo, Garry!

Garry Sellers

Jeanne - Just for you and all the other Ding Dongers on this website (which is most of us)!  What show was it that the hostess had a looking glass and peered into my livingroom?  Maybe I'm remembering that from when my kids were little.  It all gets blended together sometimes.   She'd be arrested today for sure!!!

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

Hi Garry,

This ding donger loves your posts on the message board.  Keep it up!

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Garry,

Could the "looking glass" show have been "Romper Room?"

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Yes, Jeanne - Romper Room. As she looked through the glass, she said, "Romper, stomper, bomper, boo - Tell me, tell me, tell me do.. . . " Anyone remember the rest? And that hostess was much younger than Miss Frances (or at least looked much younger at the time - now Miss Frances looks like a "kid" How DOES that happen?)

Dennis Unterholzner

Your're right, Jeanne.  The person had a "Magic Mirror" to see her audience.

Eileen Eigenfeld (Miller)

OK Gang....this is my first post on the forum so please be kind.....!

The Romper Room ditty goes like ths:

"Romper, Bomper, Stomper, do. Tell me, tell me, tell me do. Magic Mirror tell me today, did all my friends have fun at play?"

Carol Albers (Pederson)

Ah Mr. Fly!  My mother, for some reason, felt sorry for him and invited him for supper.  (She was former teacher.  When she married my dad she had to quit.  Women teachers were not allowed to be married.)  Guess she had a soft spot for a young teacher.  I was mortified.  Anyway, after supper he wouldn't go home and finally, I went to upstairs to bed.  Yikes!  Mom always invited my grade school teachers for lunch toward the end of the school year, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

He played bass in an orchestra in Waukesha and would take some of us to see a performance.  I remember going with Cal Engelhart several times.  Mr. Fly would pick us up and drive us there.  Now THAT would be a no no now days.  He was nice enough and maybe that is another reason my mom made him dinner.