Box Elder High School - Bear Paw Yearbook (Box Elder, MT)

Page 43 text:

:mice 716943 -as-J I,'u gp EV Aw N BACK ROW! NR. MOGEN-SPONSOR, CHARLES GENGER, STEVE BRIGGS, KAREN DOOLITTLE, ANNA FREIER, MARSHALL FRAZIER. FRONT Row: SAMUEL GALSAVY, BOBBY ALLEN, MYRTLE BELCOURT, MARY NAGAMITSU, BILLY COWAN. Wwtuq THIS YEAR WE STARTED OUT WITH ELEVEN STUDENTS SEVEN IN THE EIGHTH GRADE AND FOUR IN THE SEVENTH. THE EIGHTH GRADE STU- DENTS WERE ANNA FREIER, KAREN DDOLITTLE, MARY NAGAHITSU, MYRTLE BELCOURT, STEVE BRIGGS, MARSHALL FRAIZER AND WALTER THORN. BODDY ALLEN, BILLY COWAN, SAMUEL GALBAVY, AND GENGER COMPOSED THE SEVENTH GRADE. WALTER LEFT RIGHT THE FIRST OF THE YEAR AND LORRAINE AND PHYLLIS HAULE US IN JANUARY. OUR MAIN EVENT SO FAR THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A BASKET WHICH WE SPONSORED IN NOVEMBER. SOME OF THE STUDENTS HELPED MRS. CORBETT'S ROOM W SINGING FOR THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM. CHARLES AFTER JOINED SOCIAL ITH THEIR

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WILLIAM T. COVAN, 77, PROMINENT Box ELDER MERCHANT AND RANCHER AND ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN FIGURES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORTHERN MONTANA, PASSED AWAY JANUARY I8, IN A HAVRE HOS- PITAL. MR. COVAN HAD BEEN IN FAILING HEALTH FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THE DEATH OF MR. COWAN STILLED ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE VOICES IN STATE CIRCLES. HE HAD SERVED AS STATE SENATOR FROM HILL COUNTY FROM I92l TO 1933 AND DURING THE YEARS HE SERVED IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE HE VAS RECOGNIZED AS A FIGHTER FOR PROGRESSIVE LEGISLATION. IT VAS PRINCIPALLY THROUGH THE EF- FORTS OF MR. COVAN THAT NORTHERN MONTANA COLLEGE VAS FOUNDED ON SEPTEMBER 24, I929. KNOWN AS 'THE FATHER OF THE MARIAS PROJECT,' MR. COWAN SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY WAS CONNECTED WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE PROJECT WHICH IS COMING INTO REALIZATION. HE VAS IN- TERESTED IN RECLAMATION AND SERVED ON MANY KINDS OF COMMITTEES DEALING VITH IRRIGATION. UNTIL HE VAS RECENTLY HOSPITALIZED MR. COVAN HAD DEVOTED LONG HOURS TO WORK ON THE MARIAS EN- DEAVORING TO GET CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MR. COWAN DIED ON HIS 52ND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND HIS FA- THER DIED 26 YEARS AGO TODAY. MR. CoVAN'S DEATH SHOCKED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN HILL COUNTY AS THE SAD WORD RAPIDLY SPREAD. HE WAS DESCRIBED AS A SQUARE SHOOTER AND A MAN OF PATIENCE AND RICH HUMOR. NO BANOUET OR OTHER GATHERING VAS A HUGE SUCCESS UNLESS 'BILL' VAS ON HAND ro PRESENT VORDS OF WISDOM MADE SPARKLING WITH HIS KEEN WIT- HIS ANECDOTES ABOUT THE EARLY HISTORY OF NORTHERN MONTANA VERE FAMOUS. AS A STORE OPERATOR, MANY PERSONS HAD AN OPPOR- TUNITY TO COME IN CONTACT WITH HIS COURTESY AND FAIRNESS AND AS A RANCHER HE COULD TALK WlTH AUTHORITY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF THE LIVESTOCK BUSINESS AND THEIR SOLUTIONS. MR. COWAN VAS IDENTIFIED WITH THE GROWTH OF MASONRY IN THIS SECTION OF THE STATE. HE VAS CHAIRMAN OF THE NASONIC WELFARE ASSN. OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. MR. COWAN VAS A PAST MASTER OF TREASURE LODGE NO. 95 OF BIG SANDY, THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND OTHER MASONIC BODIES. HE WAS ALSO AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE HAVRE ROTARY CLUB.