25 Years Ago - 1984

The co-valedictorians for the Staples High School Class of 1984 are Andrea Toedter and Ellen Weyer. Salutatorian is Joy Prindle.

Joe Joerger was surprised to receive the Educator of the Year award from the student council.

The United States Achievement Academy announced that Kyra Odden, a tenth grader at Staples High School has been named a 1984 United States National Award winner for a second consecutive year. Kyra is the daughter of Kathy and Rick Odden.

Excerpt from Looking Back (1934): "Following a lovers' quarrel early Wednesday morning, a Staples man, angered at his girlfriend's refusal to marry him, slashed her throat with a safety razor blade. She is recovering slowly and Dr. Cook says she has a moderate chance to recover."

50 Years Ago - 1959

The annual Poppy Day campaign held last Friday by members of the American Legion Auxiliary resulted in $127.70 in contributions.

Commencement exercises at Staples High School May 27, will bring the graduation of a class of 92 seniors.

This week the Staples Theatre will feature "Pork Chop Hill" starring Gregory Peck.

"Sea Fantasy" was the theme chosen by the juniors for the 1959 Junior- Senior Prom on Friday evening, May 15.

REMINISCENCES: Memorial Day and weekend as well as Poppy Day carried some traditions for my family like many families in Staples, way back when I was a child.

On Poppy Day my father and mother would get their poppies and display them for as long as they lasted. Sometimes a couple weeks. My father wore his in the band of his hat and my mother would attach hers to her clothing. It seemed that everywhere you looked people wore them for a long time but especially on Memorial Day.

I remember going to see the veterans who were part of the Memorial Day ceremonies. I marched in the band and played the hymns. These were serious times as many of my classmates' fathers and some mothers had been in World War II and Korea. There were also many WWI veterans around at that time. Some of them had obvious scars from battle and some suffered from what was explained to me as "shell shock." These veterans were held in high esteem and they and the rest of the townspeople walked the cemetery visiting graves of fallen war vets.

I was what is now termed a child of the sixties which meant I was raised with visible reminders of the horrors of war, the civil defense sirens and practice drills and fallout shelters, home bomb shelters against the communist threat and the opinion that every other possible solution should be tried before our country considered war.

Some of our age were accused of being draft dodgers and maybe they were, maybe not - but the time of speaking out had come as well as another "police action." Our heroes had gone through horrors and we lived in fear of invasions and possible bombings and suddenly there was another fight in a place we had not heard of.

It wasn't that I thought our military was wrong, it was that the price that was paid was so horrible. My eyes have always filled with tears at hearing or singing the National Anthem, I have cried over a school mate killed in Viet Nam, and have felt the gut-wrenching, stomachturning fear as I watched the kids of recent years go from graduation to Afghanistan and Iraq. I pray for peace.

Those of you who are military or ex-military should go to Centennial Auditorium for the Commencement Concert, Friday, May 22, 7:30 p.m., and stand when they play your military anthem. Let us applaud you and those who were with you when you were there for us. It's only a very small thanks for a big contribution.