Class of 1955 Class Will
This should generate some interesting conversation at the Reunion!
(If you need to enlarge the type to read, Hold down the SHIFT Key and tap the + Key )
Class of 1955 Prophecy
This too, should make an interesting discussion as to the accuracy
of the Prognostication then in comparison to what really happened!
I am sorry that I can't scan a better rendition of the above
pages but it is very difficult to scan from a bound book without distortion.
Both of the above submitted by Laverne (Bean) Hahnr
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BHS 1977 REUNION PROGRAM
(Submitted by Lavern (Bean) Hahn)
Listed below are those who attended this REUNION!
(Too many have went to the Happy Hunting Ground)
(Submitted by Lavern (Bean) Hahn)
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8Th Grade Graduation Program May 17, 1951
Inside of above program
This copy above was very faded and I have restored it as much as possible.
(Submitted by Lavern (Bean) Hahn)
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FOUR YEARS LATER...THE ABOVE CLASS GRADUATED
BHS GRADUATION PROGRAM 1955
Inside of 1955 Program
(Submitted by Lavern (Bean) Hahn)
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Our beloved Berkeley High School - Brand new in 1937
Wasn't she a Grand Ol' Gal ?
Our beloved BHS 60 years later
Makes you want to cry to see our Grand Ol' Gal in such a state of disrepair. This is called progress caused by the Airport expansion. It was totally demolished shortly thereafter as well as the Elementary School and the New High School. All that's left now are our memories but they can't demolish them as we will always remember her well!
I have to quit...I'm getting sentimental...
PROGRESS...BAH HUMBUG!
(Submitted by Helen (Daugherty) Barnes)
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Class of 1955 reunion in 2002 at Cuivre River State Park
This was the 47th anniversary for the Class of 1955. Now, those that come to our consolidated reunion will be celebrating 62 years since graduation day at BHS. Welcome to the "Last Hurrah Reunion". We will have some who will be remembering back 70 years since their last days of strolling the hallowed halls of our beloved BHS.
(Submitted by Jean (Miller) Webb)
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Class of 1956 Roster found!
(Submitted by Dean Deimeke)
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A rare copy of the 1945 Graduation Program
This was undoubtedly drawn by Norman Rockwell!
(Submitted by Charles (Bill) Sowders)
CLASS OF 1947
(Submitted by Azlee (Bean) Tucker)
A copy of the Class of 1947
Graduation Program Found...
(Submitted by Azlee(Bean)Tucker
The above Graduation Program and the TROUBADOUR were rather Spartan as availability of publishing facilities were still not up to speed. This year (1947) was the first publication of our yearbook (TROUBADOUR) after WW II.
(Left Click on any picture below to enlarge for easier reading)
If you need additional enlargement, Hold down your Control Key(Ctrl) and tap your Plus Key (+) for further enlargement.
See what I mean about being SPARTAN!
In the upper right hand picture, you will see Jason Smith who looks like a midget next to Jim Sontheimer. The teachers (Bottom Center) are: R to L - Rufner, Statler Gill and Martin Moore
(This copy of the 1947 Troubadour
submitted by Azlee (Bean) Tucker)
Berkeley Junior and Senior High School - c. 1954
Submitted by Elaine (Combs) Noble
1942 Red Schoolhouse 6th Grade Marble Champion
The game of marbles was the game of choice among the boys in my school days. When I was in the 6th grade, Miss Edmonds (who later became Mrs. Penhale) organized a School Wide Marble Contest. After many playoffs, I had the distinct honor of beating Principal Charlie Humphrey, to win the Red Schoolhouse Marble Championship.
For this one and only championship of my life, I received a paperback copy of Ripley's "Believe it or Not". This was during WWII and there was a shortage of most everything. Miss Edmonds knew I liked to read so she found this book and presented it to me as my prize. I couldn't have been prouder unless it had been a box of Hershey Bars. (Hershey Bars were almost non existent, as Hershey was too busy making C-Ration chocolate bars for the GI's during the war). Eleven years later, when in Korea, I think I got some of those Hershey Bars in my C-Rations, as they were like biting a bullet.
A small bit of interesting of trivia:
Miss Edmonds became Mrs. Penhale, she married an engineer who worked for Curtiss-Wright, which later became McDonnell Aircraft. Mr. Penhale worked on the design of the XP-55 Ascender. Many of us watched the prototype fly around the city of Berkeley and wondered if it was flying backwards. It was the strangest looking aircraft we had ever seen. The fact that Mrs. Penhale's husband was working on this project piqued our interest in that strange airplane. It had a canard wing in front with wings behind and a pusher propeller. It was basically mimicking the Wright Brothers air frame design, only on steroids!
Joe H. Sowders
Class of 1950
Another Bit of Berkeley City History
The area of Berkeley City at one time was called Kinloch. Later, when Airport Road was built, the area became known as NuRoad. Airport Road started at Florissant Road in Ferguson and ran to Natural Bridge Road. Lambert Field now had better access and was owned by the City of Berkeley, when the city was founded. It was later confiscated by St. Louis City, who wanted the revenue for their coffers and used their corrupt manipulative power to take it away from Berkeley City.
In 1938, George Pfitzinger, Joe M. Sowders, Charles & Nellie Hamilton and some more that I don't remember, got together and organized the City Of Berkeley.
George Pfitzinger was the first Mayor, Joe M. Sowders was the first Chief of Police, Charles Hamilton was the first Street Commissioner and August Bohning was the first City Judge. Our home served as City Hall, Police Court, Jail and Police Headquarters.
My mother and I painted the first City Limit signs in our basement. They read:
City of Berkeley
Cars 30 MPH
Trucks 25 MPH
Times were tight in 1938 and the City of Berkeley operated on a shoestring. The Street Department bought a Roller with a blown engine and several men from Berkeley installed a salvaged truck engine to make it usable. If my memory is correct, I believe the mechanics were Ray Schuler and Bill Viehman . The Roller was parked in Pfitzinger's parking lot for this conversion and it was convenient to Pfitzinger's Tavern. When they needed to slake their thirst and cool their parched throats with a cold Budweiser, it was a short walk.
I have the journal listing the first Police Department's tickets issued. Each policeman received $3.00 for all tickets issued. One of the most common infractions of the law was, "Parking without lights". In those days, autos had parking lights and Berkeley City had the best "Lover's Lane" on Brown Road. Those that chose to park along Brown Road and didn't leave their parking lights on while doing what "Lovers" did in those days; could be interrupted and issued a summons to appear in Judge Bohning's court on Friday night. On one particularly good night, one policeman was quite prolific in writing tickets and made $3.00 a pop! In those days, that was good money. A policeman could make more money in an evening than many made in a full work week.
Berkeley City was too poor to have police cars so each policeman used his own car for patrol duty. They all had to have a spotlight, a red light and a siren installed. The $3.00 ticket fee they received was to cover the cost of operation and equipment they had to install on each personal car. Gasoline was 12 to 14 cents a gallon.
It was fun to grow up in Berkeley City. Times were tough in the 30's and we were all poor and didn't know it. Our lives were simple and uncrowded. People were much closer in friendship and we knew most everyone in town.
In 1938, Charles "Slim" Lindbergh came to Lambert Field for some affair. My father, Joe M. Sowders was Chief of Police at that time and he was the welcoming committee of one . . . actually, two counting me. Lindbergh arrived in a Yellow Staggerwing Beechcraft (Model D-17) and when he crawled out, I knew why they called him "Slim". He was very tall, but I was very small (age 6). As I looked up at him, he seemed a giant to me. He patted me on the head and I wish I could remember what he said to me; but that has long been purged from my memory cells.
We used to watch the air races from Ray Schuler's farm, which overlooked Lambert Field. Endurance flights were also part of the air race program. Some of the old aircraft flew night and day, for as long as the fuel and motor oil lasted. My love of airplanes began very early in my life. Lambert Field had a Ford Tri-Motor Aircraft that gave a 30 minute "Hop" for $1 a couple. I was small enough that I didn't count as a passenger and sat on my dad's lap. I looked out the window and was fascinated by those small cars on the highway. My dad explained to me those cars were on Hwy 66 and were full size cars that just looked small from up here in the air. That began my love of flying and it has never stopped. I started taking flying lessons at age 14. I worked as a "Line Boy" after school hours, servicing airplanes at Interstate Airmotive on Lambert Field. In exchange for washing airplanes, I accumulated free flying hours. Those were the happiest days of my life. If my beat up old body would allow it, I would still be flying airplanes today. Ah . . . what fond memories!
Joe H. Sowders
Class of 1950
A tribute to T.L Holman - Supt. of Berkeley Schools
Berkeley City was too poor to have police cars so each policeman used his own car for patrol duty. They all had to have a spotlight, a red light and a siren installed. The $3.00 ticket fee they received was to cover the cost of operation and equipment they had to install on each personal car. Gasoline was 12 to 14 cents a gallon.
It was fun to grow up in Berkeley City. Times were tough in the 30's and we were all poor and didn't know it. Our lives were simple and uncrowded. People were much closer in friendship and we knew most everyone in town.
In 1938, Charles "Slim" Lindbergh came to Lambert Field for some affair. My father, Joe M. Sowders was Chief of Police at that time and he was the welcoming committee of one . . . actually, two counting me. Lindbergh arrived in a Yellow Staggerwing Beechcraft (Model D-17) and when he crawled out, I knew why they called him "Slim". He was very tall, but I was very small (age 6). As I looked up at him, he seemed a giant to me. He patted me on the head and I wish I could remember what he said to me; but that has long been purged from my memory cells.
We used to watch the air races from Ray Schuler's farm, which overlooked Lambert Field. Endurance flights were also part of the air race program. Some of the old aircraft flew night and day, for as long as the fuel and motor oil lasted. My love of airplanes began very early in my life. Lambert Field had a Ford Tri-Motor Aircraft that gave a 30 minute "Hop" for $1 a couple. I was small enough that I didn't count as a passenger and sat on my dad's lap. I looked out the window and was fascinated by those small cars on the highway. My dad explained to me those cars were on Hwy 66 and were full size cars that just looked small from up here in the air. That began my love of flying and it has never stopped. I started taking flying lessons at age 14. I worked as a "Line Boy" after school hours, servicing airplanes at Interstate Airmotive on Lambert Field. In exchange for washing airplanes, I accumulated free flying hours. Those were the happiest days of my life. If my beat up old body would allow it, I would still be flying airplanes today. Ah . . . what fond memories!
Joe H. Sowders
Class of 1950
A tribute to T.L Holman - Supt. of Berkeley Schools
I have asked Jerry Holman to submit a bio of his Father, T.L. Holman...
It is lasted below. Thanks Jerry!
Mr. King - Berkeley High School Principal
A stern look was all he needed to quell any situation!
Mrs. Imogene Holman - One of my favorite teachers!
Mrs. Holman and I were always experimenting with some new and better ways for Art projects. One project required etching a copper disk with acid to burn in a pattern. The acid gave off some awful fumes and from then on, we took this procedure outside. This copper disk was then made into a serving tray that I still have laying around somewhere. Today, the EPA and HAZMAT would be called in and the school would be evacuated. Times have really changed.
Our Senior Prom owed a lot to Mrs. Holman; as she helped us create a Hawaiian Luau setting with palm trees made from scraps of paper and whatever we could find. I remember driving downtown to get empty wine bottles to hold candles for each table. Mrs. Holman was very creative and could always conjure up some prop we needed for atmosphere.
Joe H. Sowders
Class of '50
