Kasson Mantorville High School - Komet Yearbook (Kasson, MN)

Page 23 text:

Schools resigns to accept a position at Morris. August 14. Rex Allen, singing cowboy, to appear at Dodge County Fair. August 21. C.A. Palmer named Supt. of school in Kasson. New addition to the school system will be the Hot Lunch Pro- gram. The meal will cost the child 2Si if they take milk and 20 without. 1949 A Municipal liquor dispensary was estab- lished in Kasson. 1950 The total population of Dodge County is 12,605. May 4. One bolt of lightning destroyed 11 fine dairy cattle on the Lawrence Janning farm southwest of Kasson a few weeks ago in a severe electrical storm. June 1. County population 12,605-326 less than 1940. Kasson 1,346 and Mantor- ville 477. 1951 February 1. Admiral Beatty, former aide to Navy Secretary, revisits childhood scenes in and around Mantorvillc. August 23. The State Conservation De- partment will be asked to reconstruct the Mantorvillc dam and establish a substantial fish rearing pond there to serve this sec- tion of Minnesota. August 30. Kasson will have a school patrol operating at three busy intersections this year for the first time since 1947. November 1. Haven Kennedy this week an- nounced the sale of his Standard Service station business to Burton Fjerstad, who has been head mechanic at Pietsch Motors. August. A seventy-four foot water tower holding up to 50,000 gallons of water was erected in Mantorville. Also, a new pump which furnishes water to fill the tower was installed. 1952 January. Mr. Arnold Fredriksen of Hay- field and chairman of the Dodge County School Survey Committee, addressed a special public meeting on school reorgani- zation and consolidation. May 1. A joint meeting of Kasson and Mantorville citizens and all residents of sur- rounding country school districts will be held at 8 p.m. next Wed. May 7 in the Kasson City Hall to consider the school district re- organization or consolidation plans. June 12. A bond issue of $27,000. for the Mantorville Street improvement project will be placed before Kasson Village voters in a special election. July 1. The bond issue, if approved, will cover the villages’ share of the cost of widening and paving Mantorville Street, building curb and gutter, and installing a new stormsewer to carry surface water. July 3. Kasson Village residents gave a thumping 201-77 vote of approval for a bond issue of improving Mantorville street. August 14. Kasson’s new well maintained a continuous flow of 525 gallons for 10 hours in a test pump run. August 21. County prepares to welcome Eisenhower and Stevenson. Dodge County hit the front pages of the nation’s news- papers and placed high on radio and tele- vision news programs this week as General Dwight Eisenhower and Gov. Adlai Steven- son agreed to address the National Soil Conservation Day. An unusual 32 page soil conservation magazine will be publish- ed as an official souvenir program for the National Soil Conservation Day and Plow Matches. The magazine will feature a pre- face written by Pres. Harry S. Truman. The event will be held Sept. 5 and 6 on a six-farm layout between Dodge Center and Kasson. September 4. Nation watches Kasson as Dodge County builds Plowville for Nation- al Soil Days. More than 100,000 people are expected to assemble before a large platform to hear Dwight D. Eisenhower (noon) and Adlai Stevenson (4 O’Clock). It will be the largest turn out in midwest farm history-perhaps in the entire century. November 5. Ike,GOP’S sweep county. 1953 March 23. Rural area people oppose con- solidation plan. February 4. Kasson school board vote favors consolidation. April 1. Residents of Mantorville School dis- trict No. 28 voted in a community meeting held March 30,78-70 to consolidate with the Kasson school. April 16. The Kasson Board of Education signed Harold Grudem, superintendent of the Ellendale schools for the past two years, to the position in Kasson vacated by the re- cent resignation of Supt. C.A. Palmer. April 22. Mantorville centennial planned for July 15-18. May 13. The Kasson village council voted to advertise for bids on the necessary equipment for installing a white way lighting system on main street. June 12. Tornadic wind hits Kasson Friday nite. Hundreds of dollars worth of damage in the immediate Kasson vicinity. July 9. Jensen’s millinery quits business after nearly half century in Kasson. July 29. Korean armistice signed. 1954 June 8. The Kasson-Mantorville School con- solidation proposal passed by a vote of 151 to 88. Two hundred and forty voters turned out for the election. The voting Tuesday night will create a new school district out of Inde- pendent Districts No. 30 (Kasson) and No. 28 (Mantorville) and combine rural districts No. 25, 27, 32, 33, 36, 52, 65, 78, 31, and parts of 41 and 66. The county superintendent of schools will issue a new number for this dis- trict. Present plans call for combining the two high schools for the next term by having sen- ior high in the Kasson building and 7 and 8 graders in the Mantorville building. The grades will remain the same. November 11. The K-M High School students held an election to select a nickname for their athletic teams. The students voted unani- mously to use the Ko-Mets with the symbol of the shooting star. The students are using the capital letter K and the capital letter M to designate the two towns in the name. The new school colors were picked by a vote and blue and white were selected. November 18. The Kasson-Mantorville School Board sold six of the rural school buildings that are not being used. 1955 February 17. The Board of Education, in a recent meeting with Mr. Maurice Smith, has made arrangements for the purchase of a fifty- two acre plot of land located on the south side of the Smith property for the sum of $ 14,000.This land is to be used as the site of the new jr. and sr. high school, for an a tide tic field, parking space, and for an agricultural laboratory area. The athletic field would very likely include a lighted football field to enable residents of the area to watch their boys in action, a baseball diamond, a track, and if possible a lighted softball diamond to give adults of the community the opportunity of participating in an evening softball program. March 24. At the last regular meeting of the Kasson-Mantorville Board of Education the architectural firm of Hubert Swanson of Min- neapolis was named to prepare a building sur- vey and draw preliminary sketches for the proposed High School building.

Page 22 text:

1943 Important ration dates: January 1. The 5 percent Victory Tax goes into effect. Your employer will deduct five per cent of your pay from this day on. January 1. Truck operators must have their Certificates of War Necessity. January 3. The first coffee ration coupon, Nov. 27 in the War Ration Book No. 1 ex- pires. This coupon is good for one pound of coffee. January 4. Second coffee ration coupon, No. 28. January 15. Deadline for applying for War Ration Book No. 1 for persons who for one reason or another do not have one now. January 15. Deadline for inspection of truck tires. This is an essential portion of the mileage rationing program, and must be observed, otherwise truckers cannot obtain gasoline. January 20. Second Period Fuel Oil Stamps expire. January 31. Temporary gas permits for truckers expire. January 31. Stamp No. 10 on War Ration Book No. l,good for three pounds of sugar, expires. January 31. Deadline for inspection of pas- senger tires. February 1. Stamp No. 11 in War Ration Book No. 1, necessary for sugar, becomes effective. February 1. Typewriter rationing starts. June 10. Application for Ration Book No. 3 due in the mail. June 17. The hard rain last Friday night cost the farmers of the Upper Zumbro Soil Con- servation District a good deal of valuable topsoil. August 5. War Ration Board 6420 announced from its offices in Mantorville this week that late registrants for War Ration Book No. 3 may apply immediately to their office by mail for the necessary forms and information. August 5. Harley Houston fractured the wrists of both arms in a fall from a saddle horse about 5:30 Monday afternoon. September. Kasson Schools begin the 1943- 1944 term. 313 enroll for this year, 36 less than last year’s total. September 16. Due to the acute farm help situation and a small calendar, there will be no jury called at this time. Axel B. Anderson, Judge. October 21. Ration Book No. 4 will be valid starting November 1. Motorists are cautioned that all gasoline cou- pons in their possession must be endorsed on the face of the coupon with the license num- ber and state. November 11. Winter’s first storm strikes hard, ties up railroad and highway traffice over the weekend. 1945 January. 83 marriage licenses were issued during 1944. Many were issued by Clerk of Court Cowles. A Girl Scout Troop is being organized in Kas- son with Mrs. Homer Mudge as leader. February 22. Extensive improvements at the courthouse are under way. Fire-proof, walk- in vaults will be the result of the renovation. Also new ceilings in the auditor’s office, in the clerk of courts’ office, in the jury room and waiting room, in the Superin- tendent of Schools’ room and also in the county welfare quarters. New linoleum floors in the Superintendent’s room and the front stairs of that area. All new plumbing has been installed in the men’s rest room in the basement. March 1. Kasson welcomes a new business- man. Mr. Fred A. Hagcmann purchased the blacksmith shop of M. Andrew Chris- tofferson, which place of business he had successfully operated for 55 years. March 8. The Mantorville school bus and one of the Kasson school buses ran off the road and were in the ditch Monday. Poor visibility and not being able to see the edge of the road because of the snow caused them to run into the ditch. The Kasson bus was driven by Floyd Wilkie and the Mantorville bus was driven by Floyd Baker. No one was injured in cither bus and both were dug out of the snow and brought into town the same night. The buses are owned by A.L. Folkestad. March 15. Mr. Rollins E. Juhnke, for the past 25 years connected with the Kasson Drug Store as registered pharmacist and clerk, has purchased an interest in the business from Walter E. Anderson and will continue to be found behind the counter of this store. March 31. A law requiring the depressing of headlights on motor vehicles when ap- proaching other vehicles within 1,000 feet, under a revision of the state traffic act passed by the 1945 Legislature took effect today. April 5. Traffic was stopped by the worst storm in 17 years. Wet snow fell steadily for 36 hours during which motorists were warned to stay off the roads. Southeastern Minnesota was covered with a blanket of wet snow that was reported to be from 14 to 17 inches deep in various localities. With the storm starting early Tuesday morning and ending Wednesday afternoon, Kasson and its surrounding area had its worst traffic tieup in many years. The schools were closed, train service was retarded, and the bus service was at a standstill. April 11 .The second annual physical edu- cation demonstrations are to be given by the upper seven grades at the Kasson High School gym. There will be tumbling, marching, games, folk dances, stunts, and relays. Approximately 170 will take part and again they will attempt to show the value and beneficial results obtained by a physical education program. Admission 25 . April 12. The entire Nation mourns the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Death re- sulted from a cerebral hemorrhage at 4:35 p.m. on this day to the President, who was 63 years old. He had been President for 12 years, one month, and nine days. Harry S. Truman becomes the thirty-third Presi- dent of the United States. May 6. Sunday-8:41 p.m. (E.W.T.) The unconditional surrender of the German fighting forces took place in a little red schoolhouse which was the headquarters of General Eisenhower. In a brief ceremony, the greatest and most destructive war in history came to an end. Germany sur- renders. May 24. Superintendent Irvin G. Ander- son resigned his position at Mantorville to ac- cept a position in Harmony Schools. July 5. Mr. August Gehrke has been chosen to head the local school as Superintendent. July 12. Census shows fewer but larger farms. Dodge County has 1747 as compared to 1796 in 1940. July 19. Kasson Public School, with nearly 300 pupils enrolled, has a dental health record of 97% this year. In six of the twelve grades every pupil completed the school year with a certificate of “O.K. teeth”, thus establish- ing a 100% record for the following grades: 2,6,7,10,11, and 12. August 2. Clifford Bucglcr, who has operated the successful Kasson Produce here for three years, announces his affiliation with the Archer Feed Stores organization. He will serve as manager. August 6. Hiroshima A Bomb. August 16. The big news that the world had been waiting three days to hear was broadcast Tuesday evening, and heard in Kasson at 6:00 p.m. World War II ends as Japan surrenders. The good news brought many Kasson citizens out on the streets while bells were rung and sirens blown. September 20. Two of Kasson’s enterprising residents have launched a new venture in business in Kasson. Ben Wrede and Lester Wiborg have purchased one of the lots on Main Street, owned by the American Legion. They plan on erecting a building which will house their business, consisting of the handling of all electrical appliances and electrical con- tract work, and do business under the firm name of Kasson Electric. November 1. George C. Mantor, son of Frank and Martha Mantor, passed away at the hos- pital in his home town of Cherokee, Iowa, Sunday, Oct. 21, after a few days illness, at the age of 70 years. Burial was made in the family lot in Evergreen Cemetery, Mantorville. November 22. Mrs. Marion Bergmann, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. A.G. Peterson, has received notice that one of her poems, “Winter”, has been accepted for publication by the National Poetry Association. Fanned by a 30-mile gale, fire started in the southeast part of the Brewer Implement Co. building at 11:30 Monday forenoon, com- pletely destroying one of Kasson’s oldest enterprises. By one o’clock only the skeleton of the building, which was heavily stocked with International repair parts and machinery, remained. By heroic efforts the men of the local Fire Department prevented the blaze from spreading to the nearby gasoline storage tanks and adjacent buildings. Countywide T.B. tests are to begin next week. T.B. deaths show a decline in the county as the following figures indicate: 1910-1914 41 persons died 1940-1944 Six are taken 1947 March 20. Kasson Raiders defuse Rockets to take District Title in basketball. June 5. The businessmen of Kasson have con- tributed the sum of $470.00 to the Aldolph Oiseth American Legion Post 333, for the purpose of buying flags for the main street of Kasson. Governor Luther W. Youngdahl to address Kasson Graduates June 6. July 10. Supt. Frank J. Fox of the Kasson

Page 24 text:

April 21. Area children to receive polio shots. June 28. Albrights’ Circus appeared in Kasson. July 5. Ground breaking ceremonies for the new 4-H building on the Dodge County fair- grounds at Kasson was conducted. August 22. Leon Joyce and Co. moved their equipment in and started work on the K-M H.S. athletic filed located north of Kasson. School officials plan to have the field seeded this fall. The field is located on property pur- chased from Morris Smith and is one-mile north of Kasson on Highway 57. October 13. The annual free Pancake Day spon- sored by Kasson Commercial Club members. 1956 February 9. School board airs building plans. The building, which would be a U-shaped struc- ture, would include a new auditorium, agri- cultural shop, wood working shop, music rooms, community rooms and classrooms for 500 students. The building is designed so that classrooms could be added on both wings in the future if needed. The total cost of the school broken down would be about $785,000. for the building, $63,000. for the equipment and about $48,000. architect’s fees. Other costs involved would be water supply and sewage disposal for the school and site work around the building. 1957 Streets signs were voted for by the Kasson Council. May 23. Supt. Harold Grudem and Prin. John Morris of K-M both tendered their resigna- tions to the Board. July 11. K-M Board named W.H. Davidson, Superintendent. July 18. Cattle bam goes up at fairgrounds. July 18. Harold Haugo of Lake Mills, Iowa named high school principal. He has been teaching at Starbuck, Minn, for the past 10 years where he was coach and teacher 3 years and has been high school principal for the past 7 years. He is a 1947 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and is married and has four children. 1958 January 23. Hubbell House damaged by fire Saturday evening when fire broke out in a third floor room. $10,000 damage was dis- covered about 7:45. March 6. Junior and Senior High School stu- dents completed their moving operations Tues- day from the Kasson and Mantorville buildings to the newly constructed Jr. and Sr. High School. Gasses were in full swing at the new school on Wednesday. April 24. New K-M School 204 dedicated Sunday afternoon, April 27,1958 at 2:30 p.m. Speaker for the program will be MJ. Haggerty from the Minnesota State Dept, of Ed. This will be followed by building construction re- marks which will be given by Hubert Swan- son, architect The program will close with the Benediction by the Rev. Gabriel Tweet. Construction was made possible by a $900,000 bond issue election held April 3,1956. Total cost of the building was $912,886.00. -construction $546,888 —plumbing and heat $137,775 -electrical $74,933 -temperature control $22,025 —miscellaneous $70,165 -site cost $14,000 -equipment $22,880 December. The Kasson Fire Department moved to its new modern quarters on Main and First Street N.E. The Fire Department was officially organized as early as 1898. Some of the major fires that the firemen battled were the following: the school house fire of 1917; the Brewer Implement Company in 1945; the grandstand at the Fairgrounds 1932,1959; and the Eleva- tor in 1949. 1959 January 15. Burglars broke into the K-M Jr. and Sr. High School office sometime Thursday night or Friday morning and made off with an estimated $ 1,700 in cash and checks from the school vault. The robbers gained entrance by breaking out a window in the front door and then break- ing the window in the office. They then proceeded to chop a hole in the side of the vault which was constructed of two brick walls. One of the men then crawled through the opening and took the money out of the cash box. October 13. Robbers broke into K-M School. They entered the building thru the Northeast corner in the hot lunch- room and knocked a hole in the safe in the Superintendent’s office. About $370 was taken. 1960 Class of 1960 gives sign at H.S. grounds. Kasson’s population is 1,713 and Mantor- ville has only 497 residents, according to the census. The total population of Dodge County is reported to be 13,087. 1961 The Kasson Post Office was built. May 11. New H.S. Band uniforms arrived. The royal blue and white uniforms have a coat that can be worn both open and closed, and shako hats with white plumes. July 13. Grandstand nears completion on the Dodge County Fairgrounds at Kasson. The grandstand will seat about 1200 people and is of concrete and steel construction. November. New robes were purchased for the Senior High Chorus. They are navy in color with a white stole to eliminate the need for identical blouses and shirts worn underneath. 1962 July 20. Burglars broke into the Dodge County Courthouse in Mantorville. October 13. Atty, Gen. Walter Mondale appeared at the Kasson-Mantorville H.S. at a potluck supper. Mr. Mondale’s father previously was pastor at the Kasson Meth- odist Church. March 15. KoMets capture District VIII crown. March 23. Burt P. Sorenson died at his home following a cerebral hemorrhage. Mr. Sorenson operated the Sorenson Mill- ing Co. in Kasson until November of 1959 when he sold the building to the Styline Corporation of Indiana and the milling equipment to the Kasson Elevator Co. May 24. Grand opening of new Erdman Super Market in Kasson. June 7. New Ben Franklin store holds Grand Opening. The store is located in the building formerly occupied by Erd- man’s Super Market. 1963 January 31. K-M High School’s new porta- ble band risers arrived at the school. The risers, which are in 28 sections, will be used for the band’s rehearsing and per- forming They were purchased from the Wenger company of Owatonna. June 6. Bob’s Drive-In, managed by Vern Huse, recruited Mrs. Gloria Engel and Mrs. Shirley Austin to be car-hops while the regular hops attended Baccalaureate Ser- vices at K-M recently. September 19. Plans are being made to restore District 38 school house-known as the Henslin School-erected in 1883 at the cost of $1,000. November 22. Flags were lowered when word was heard around the world that President John F. Kennedy was assassi- nated. 1964 Three voting machines were purchased at Kasson. City mail delivery for Kasson was approv- ed and authorized by the Postal Service Department (to begin May 23). The Municipal Building has been com- pletely remodeled inside and out. July 30. Sigurd Anderson hired as K-M principal. He replaces Harold Haugo, who will serve in the capacity of counselor for the coming year.