Blake School - Reflections / Call O Pan Yearbook (Hopkins, MN)

Page 15 text:

5 BUILT AND ACULTY ORGANIZED Autumn at Blake before the science wing was added One of the new additions to the faculty that year was no less a person than Noah Foss, who retired early in the 1950’s after nearly forty years of teaching at Blake. Noah discovered early in the game that students had found it so easy to divert kindly Mr. Blake from the subject in hand that they absorbed during classes more information about skunks and other denizens of the north woods (Mr. Blake’s specialty) than they had about irregular verbs. He set about teaching Latin so that it would stay taught—and made a very g xxl job of it. Frank Smoycr and Bob Blanpicd joined up at the same time and as long as they were on the faculty, students argued as to whose was the more cutting sarcasm. It was in this year that the school colors were changed from blue and gold to brown and white and the school divided against itself for intramural competition. Through these doors 856 graduate have walked Junior School in early 19J0’s.

Page 14 text:

Air view of Blake in 1920's Fieldhouse before driveway was paved in foreground BLAKE'S NEW HOM “The trials of that first year at 1803 were countless. The class rooms were inadequate and draughty, the four young male teachers shared quarters in the school building and knew no privacy during school hours, a certain vendor of |x j corn anti ice cream cones made a habit of enriching himself at recess hour at the expense of innumerable digestions. “Interest and faith in the school grew, anti the trustees determined to delay no further in taking steps toward securing a suitable site and building. After careful consideration, it was decided to adopt the “country day school idea, the success of which Mr. Newton had observed in several cities in the cast. With this in mind, a careful canvass of possible locations near the city was made, convenient transportation and healthful surroundings being prime requisites. A suitable site bctw-ccn the Intcrlachcn Club and Hopkins on the Minnetonka Trolley Line was secured, and early in the spring of 1912 work was started on the first section of the building. This section extended as far as the present Trophy Room. The second year of The Blake School l cgan September 25, 1912, in its beautiful new home. The senior department doubled its numbers, anil the capacity of the new building was taxed from the day of opening. The Junior School continued at 1803 Hennepin Avenue, as it was felt that the young boys should not spend the entire day away from home. “It was in 1912 that Mrs. M. B. Koon, Mrs. C. C. Bovey, and Mrs. C. I). Vclic, in memory of the late Judge Koon, donated a sufficient amount of money to give the school a good working library. The chapel in those days was held in the room which we now use as a library, with the library of that period just back of it and separated from it by a screen which ran the full length of the platform.

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STUDENT COUNCIL AND UNION ORIGINATES “The football team that year was chiefly notable for the introduction of mastodonic foe Moore and dimu-tivc Vincent McLanc. Joe was never gentle, on the Held or off. His feats of strength on the gridiron were innumerable. Vince, on the other hand, was at this time as small as Joe was big. anil was just beginning his illustrious career as probably the fastest, shiftiest, and headiest quarterback that ever ran a Blake team. “Games were played with both the first ami second teams of West High. Central High, St. Paul Academy, Galahad School in Hudson, Wisconsin, anil the second team of Shattuck. Words arc all but powerless when one tries to describe the hazards and thrills cxjKrricnced by those rash enough to attempt the drive to Hudson for the Galahad game, even when undertaken in a Peerless like the one advertised in the CALL O PAN of that year. I he trip required an early morning start. Roads were like the corduroy trails in the heart of the logging country. Speeds of twenty to twenty-five miles an hour were the height of recklessness, often resulting in the ditching of the car. Lunch was invariably taken along just in case of delay—and was almost invariably needed. A tour to Hudson without at least one puncture was looked upon as a miracle. However, by careful planning one could arrive in time for the game at two in the afternoon. And what a fair picture was presented by the flowing veils of the ladies streaming yards behind the cars as they sjK-d along at ten anti twelve miles an hour, skilfully guided by men who would have hxjkcd determined if one had been able to penetrate the disguise afforded by voluminous dust coats and goggles which