Sparta High School - Spartan Yearbook (Sparta, MI)

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C ASS PROPIIECY lt is now five years hence, the year 1960, we are on our way to the annual Sparta P.T.A. talent show. As we turn onto Main Street we see a policeman directing traffic. We stopped for a moment and saw that it was Fred Hug, he was very busy so we didn't stay too long. We were told the location of the new Sparta High School and journeyed on. We drove on and noticed that Dick Shepard has taken over Wahlstrom's Store and that George Blumenstein is selling cars on his own. We also noticed that Thom Barber has taken over Doctor Bull's practice. There's a sign pointing to the douple 'P' Super Market owned and operated by Marshall Penland and Ron Parmeter. We are seated inthe huge S.H.S. auditoriumand the show starts. The Mistress of Ceremonies is none other than Marinell Chase, who is now dancing professionally. She introduces the first act. While the lovely young girl is singing our minds wander, and we remember the times we were on the school stage. We think of Carroll T elder, Arlene Coalter, Kay Kober, Sandy I-lertling, and Noreta Schaefer. We know Sandy and Noreta are both doing nursing work. After the Talent Show we stop back stage to talk to Marinell, she tells us a few of the fellows are making a career of the service. It seems that they're few and far between around home. Those in the service are Bob Beardsley, Gordy Blackmer, Dale Fitzner, Ron Plummer,Don Shangle, Bob Boros, Al Jacoby, and Vance Tawney. Incidentally, Vance and Paul Potts are both Majors. We then decided to go to the new swanky restaurant in town, and noticed on our menus that it is owned by Shirley Stephens and Pat Irish. After we consume our delicious meals of chicken and steak, we then go to the office, which is on the second floor. There we see Bonnilou Cummings, and chat for a few minutes. She tells us she is married now, but in her spare time she manages the restaurant. She remarks that Pat and Shirley will be glad to see us, so we continue on to the office. Shirley invites us in, and we have to wait until Pat gets finished with a telephone con- versation before we can really believe this is happening to us. When we awaken from our daze we ask about their old friends. Pat says that Kay Pinckney, Arlene Hoekwater, Pat Bouwman, Marlene Vogel, and Joan Dewey are married now. Shirley adds that Marge Anderson and Marilyn Ring are married also. The girls then offer to show us around town, and who are we to refuse such an offer ? As we drive through town we see Bill Kutzli all dressed up in black, wondering, we asked and soon found out--Bill is a very serious undertaker. We see a sign in an office window saying Karl Pike, C.P.A. Karl is doing very well for himself, Kathleen Krupp is his very efficent secretary. We then turn left to Birchwood Drive Ca new street in Spartaj where we hear a car horn blare out at us. As it swooshed by us we thought it was Gary Postema, 'but at the rate he was going we couldn't be sure. It seems that Gary is the owner and racer of some stock-cars. Our guess was that he'd forgotten that Birchwood wasn't the last lap! We notice a huge red building The Sargent Beauty School. Marilyn must own that, so in order to persue our job of reminiscing we stop to ask Marilyn a few questions. Once again we recall our stage friends. Carroll is an engineer now, and Arlene Coalter and Kay Kober are famous New York models. We have a cup of coffee and watch the local television show for awhile. Alan Braford is in charge of many of the things that go on behind the camera. After we talk with Marilyn and dis- cover that Phyllis J aeschke, Beulah Herron, Dorothy Schaefer, Frieda Niequist, Jean Graves, Rita Hubert, lla VanNatter, Marilyn Murphy and Joan Pitsch are successful secretaries for large concerns near Sparta, we leave to go for a drive in the country. We pass a large farm with a sign in front saying that it is co-owned by Ron Klenk and Jerry Kober. We journey on down the road. Noticing a man carrying gas to his car, we stopped to give him a lift and who should it be but Jim Whitehouse. .T im tells us that he is farming near by and that the surrounding farms are owned by Marvin Fahling, Floyd Guiles, Dick Alt, John Johnson, John Peterson, and that Don Shepard and Leo Simons own a dairy farm a few miles north, Upon leaving Jim we decided to go out to Don and Leo's farm. Finally we reached the farm and talked to Don and Leo. They told us that they're both married and very happy, and they also told about their old flames and what they' re doing now. Marilyn Pinckney, J errine Armock, Ardean Coster, and Barbara Denhof are all nurses. Nancy Gardner is a child psychologist, and Arden Gunneson is a carpenter. Don says that Lynn Clark is a business adminstrator now and that Phil Barber is

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CLASS III TORY We entered the halls of Sparta High as green little freshmen feeling very very much lost in our spacious surroundings. Oar first objective was a class meeting at which we elected our officers and class sponsors. The officers were: President, Patricia Reister: Vice-President, Nancy Gardner: Secretary, Barbara Scheneman: Treasurer, Kay Kober: the sponsors were Mr. Betchek and Mrs. Sirrine. Qir senators were Janet Stanton, newly elected, and Merle Stark. Money making projects for the year were a scrap drive, selling seat cushions for games, a baby-sitting week, candy and baked goods sales, and sponsoring a dance at the Fun Fest. On March 14 we held our class party, Shamrock Shindig, in the High School gym. We then put our books aside for a surnrner of waiting for our Sophomore year's beginning. When we came back to S.H.S., no longer green freshmen, we held our class meeting. Newly elected officers were: President, Richard Shepard: Vice-President, Merwyn Jacoby: Secretary, Nancy Gardner: Treasurer, Karl Pike: Senator, Ron Klenk. Don Shangle was also elected to senate at a later date. Mr. Tuttle was chosen as a new advisor to replace Mr. Betchek, who was called into the service. Our main money making project this year was selling magazines. Others were selling stationery, cards, baked goods, trojan head pins, nuts, and paper drives. Other points of interest during our Sophomore year were the ordering of our class rings and the class party, Spring Swing. As our second year of high school drew to a close we were preparing ourselves for the next year by deciding to have a nominating committee to select nominees for class officers. When we returned to the halls of S.H.S. we elected by ballot the following class officers: President, Richard Shepard: Vice-President, Phil Barber: Secretary, Nancy Gardner: Treasurer, Karl Pike: Senator, J im Whitehouse. Ready to go to work, we started getting the concession stand ready for the home games. We also had magazine sales, nut sales and pencil sales. Some of the highlights ofthe year were the Junior Play, Men Are Like Streetcars, directed by Mrs. Sirrine. Seniors at last! The year began with the election of officers. We again voted ballot style. Our President was Phil Barber: Vice-President, Jim Whitehouse: Secretary, Nancy Gardner: Treasurer, J ack Scoby: Senator, Ron Plummer. Doughnut sales were the main money making project of our senior year. We also had a work day and sold holly wreaths at Glristmas time. We chose a king, Ron Plummer, and a queen, Arlene Coalter, for the first time in a few years. We presented our senior play, Hillbilly Weddin' . which was a great success. This play was directed by Mrs. Sirrine. We had nominations for the Daughter of the American Revolution Award. Nancy Gardner was chosen as the D.A.R. representative. Our senior pictures were finished by December 17, and we were very happy when our Spartan arrived in May. As we leave the halls of S.H.S. we are full of great expectations as to what the world holds for our future.

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CLASS PROPHECY Qcontinuedj a draftsman. Leo told us that Carolyn Baughan is working for Alan Braford and that Blain Ander- son is in the Wacs. They also asked us if we had seen Dale Allison's new drug store. His assistant is Marilyn Empie. We told the fellows that we hadn't seen the store but would be delighted to-- if they could tell us the way. It's about three miles east on East Division. We then left them in hopes of finding Marilyn and Dale. Half way back to town our motor stopped and we had to phone a garage. We were very much surprised when they sent their chief mechanic, Roger Montgomery, to our rescue. With Roger at the motor we knew we would be ready in a jiffy. Roger fixed the car and told us that Merwyn Jacoby was still studying in college, Merv Witt is an electrician for the television studio, Jack Scoby is prospecting in Alaska, and that we simply must see Owen Shannon's quaint museum. We promised him that we would stop. When we got back to town we immediately went to the museum. We viewed all the articles in the museum and talked to Owen. He informed us that Neil Elve is one of the chief custodians at the school and Mary Kellogg and Barbara Scheneman are teaching there. After leaving the museum we went to the telephone office to make a long distance call to Charla Phinney, who is working in Washington D.C. as an interpretor for Uncle Sam. The young lady that handed us the phone book and told us to give her our number was none other than Janice Bates. While we were waiting for a free line, she told us that Beatrice Jenkins is teaching at Bible College and Merle Stark is a fashion designer. Donna Amburgey is working in the local bank. We completed our call to Charla and went on to the Drug Store. Dale served us a sundae and told us the latest about Sue Ledbetter and Janet Stanton. Sue is studying piano in Europe and Janet is her business manager, We must not forget to tell Dale that Bert Phinney is an archeologist. Marilyn told us how the Drug Store was doing and that Georgia Norton comes in twice a week to do their bookkeeping. Georgia is married now and has triplet girls, aged two, so she doesn't have much time to work. Of course we all know that the Houks are both married and that Jackie Smith and Mary Rem- melts are too. As we leave Sparta we whiz by a huge factory that is owned by Ken Johnson, also, an art school that is owned and operated by Larry Lockard.