CLASS HISTORY Class of 1947 Rutland Iowa School
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It was indeed a frail boat that embarked on the rough sea of education in the fall of 1935 with Miss Goodell as pilot, cook. And head boss. Her helpers were quite numerous in fact about seven of them if my memory serves me right. Namely Leo Dean Wallukait, Roger George, Virgil Larsen, Carol Gene Heim, Naomi Torkelson, Doris Saxby, and Carol Anders. The ship often rocked and many times it looked as if we might fall over board, but with much persuasion and help from our teacher and our parents we reached the port of second grade. Here we were joined by James Gregory and Miles Bristol. This proved to be a fairly smooth journey with our now familiar pilot Miss Goodell again at the wheel. Over smooth seas we sailed calmly and surely into port three, all of us with the exception of Miles Bristol. In the third grade we obtained a new pilot Miss Rogness. This always puts a damper on us for awhile until we find out just how many phantoms deep we are and if our pilot knows just how to sense sharks, sand bars, and signs of mutiny. It took this very important group about two years to get our pilot straightened out and accustomed to our way of doing things. The fourth port was an eventful one. To start with we had many interesting additions to our crew. Not only were we rich in new men, but in intelligence and ideas. Among these new comers were Ruby Hood, Joan Christensen, and Betty Jergens. I still feel strongly about one of these people as she somehow took possession of my back row seat in the corner where I had had such privacy in the past and had been able to deposit all my waste paper out the window. The pilot again was Miss Rogness who guided us into the fifth port and told us she would meet us all in port next fall. This next rip was not so smooth. New members were Maxine Schaffer and Arthur Erhardt. Maxine caused a few of the boys in the class some sorrow realizing that she would only be with us a short time as her father was working on highway three and would not reside here long. In the sixth year of our journey the ship was manned by much the same crew as the year before except for Maxine Schaffer and Arthur Erhardt who left us. The big difference in the trip was that our pilot was a man. Mr. Goodwin. Well, I must say we were not too successful in working him over so that he fit into our ideas of our needs as Miss Rogness had been. The pilot got into more than one argument with us and with men in other ports. However, we steamed into port seven with never a rig or a piece of the sail missing. Here we gained another helper, Cleo Noble. Our new pilot this trip was Miss Olson. We were quite safe for a time on that trip as our pilot had the misfortune to break her arm in a bicycle accident, and the danger of a clip on the ear was practically null and void. On reaching the eighth port we thought we were really old salts. We knew all the answers. There was little need for a pilot (so we thought) but the company felt differently about this so Miss Lindgren was chosen to direct us. Here extra help was hired Donna Peltz and Bernard Whisinand and Eldon Schultz. However Leo Dean Wallukait left us so we needed all the extra help we had been able to hire, to make the next port where we were to have a brand new ship. I need not tell you that the old one was dilapidated, full of battle scars and badly in need of repairs. With a brand new shiny ship and three new officials—Miss Fosdick, Mrs. Alstott and W.Myer we added Dean Carlson, Arlo Tubbs, Virginia Watts, Dean Hanson and Alice Schoon to the crew. Except for all the fun the upper class men had at our expense and the last half of the year when we lost Mr. Myer to the Navy, our trip was a pleasant one. Betty Jergens stopped for awhile on an island to join us again later. Dean Hansen and Bernard Whisinand left us for good. In our tenth trip we lost Donna Peltz. This year Mr. &Mrs. Price and Miss Monson took over the steering of the boat. It was often choppy and rough out at sea and in our geometry class it looked as if some one might leave via of the porthole often. On the eleventh trip Betty Jergens was rescued from the savages of the island, while Virginia Watts fell into the hands of the cannibals. Humboldt High to be exact. Alice Schoon started to work for another gang. In our eleventh trip many of us didn’t receive any medals for cooperation. Here the pilots were often faced with mutiny and a few trials had to be held when we reached port. On the final trip we find two of the original crew still with us, Roger George and Virgil Larsen. Our pilots are Mr. and Mrs. Fisk and Miss Divine. The trip has been pleasant and we are happy to have reached a destination that will be more or less permanent for a while in the future. Needless for us to call your attention to the fact that only the brave and strong were able to be on the deck for all twelve trips. No wonder Virgil and I often crow a bit. Roger George |