V1930-01G2

Second Grade fall 1930 to fall 1931

The Model-A was in full production having replaced the Model-T the last part of 1928. The new Chevrolet looked much like the Model-A. The Dirt Storms phenomena had just started, clouds of Red/Black dirt coming up from the south. Sometimes we were sent home early. The storms got worse before they got better. Drought & Dust only compounded the effects of the stock market which was in a free fall. Soon families would sell out and migrate westward. We were all poor but didn't know it, we thought we were the luckiest kids in the world.

Second Grade Class: Miss Marie Reed was a wonderful teacher though a bit on the impatient side if someone caused trouble. We learned to be on the alert for her quick temper, but we felt she was fair and trying to do what was best for us – we all liked her.

OCS, Second Grade Class, Miss Reed Teacher.

#	Row 1	Row 2	Row 3	Row 4
1	Phyllis Green	Elaine Bradley	Robert Jorn	Bernard Michels
2	Veneta Kump	Marjorie Johnson	Phyl Cramer	Robert Brown
3	Agnes Johnson	Marie Johnson	Noel Thompson	Addison Cathcart
4	Alice Beardsley		Bud Weir	Bb Berkholder
5	Joan Woodward	Mildred Armstrong	Cleo Fisher	Freddy Bond
6	Tracy Carver	Betty Dyer	Ba Burkholder
7	Virginia Harmon	Dorothy Carter	Bill Murphy
8	Ruth Casper	Ila Chilson	Darrell Landau
9	Alice Comer	Vede Nielsen	Vincent Landau
10	La Verda Towel	Elsie Dodd	Vergil McKinsey
11		Doreen Paddock	Harwood Benton
12
13		Violet StClair

Francis Bendon, Katy Thummel & Gorden Lippleman were known to have been in this class but are not in this photo. Francis Bendon thinks Row 2 #11 may be her rather than Doreen Paddock, but others think this is Doreen. Howard Towel was probably no longer in the class. Cleo was able to place names with photo's others could not recall.

The families of many in the class moved on shortly after the photo in 1931 and were never heard from that we recall. Woodward became a ferry pilot during WWII flying planes from the states to England. I believe Addison Cathcart was killed in the early part of WWII.

Class Mates, Class of 41, who had been in the same class since Kindergarten

#	Row 1	Row 2	Row 3	Row 4
1	Agnes Johnson	Katy Thummel	Ira Liadig	Joe Ridgeway
2	Doreen Paddock	Charlote Stevenson	Letha Shoeni	Vergil Mc Kinsey
3	Darrell Landau	Elaine Bradley	Marian Cathcart	Vincent Landau
4	Alice Beardsley	Ila Chilson	Bess Beardsley	Cleo Fisher
5	Marjorie Johnson	Mildred Armstrong	Ila Landau	Bob Jorn
6	Francis Bendon	Virginia Harmon	Fay Paddock	Phyl Cramer
7		Marie Johnson	Harry Mahan	Gordon Lippleman

I had lined up with the other boys on the back row and was “ordered” to sit up in front. I believe those in front were all born in January – that the photo was instigated by parents also in the photo.

The above photos were a topic of conversation during an alumni get together in 1992. Those present of this group were: Cleo Fisher, Joe Ridgway, Elaine Bradley, Francis Bendon & Darrell Landau. Those persons plus the following were present for the 50th reunion in 1991: Alice Beardsley, Marjorie Johnson, Katy Thummel, Phyl Cramer. The following had passed on: Vergil McKinsey, Vincent Landau, Bob Jorn, Gordon Lippleman, Marie Johnson, Ila Chilson.

Miss Reed’s Second Grade class was held main floor front, second room from the east. An old report card shows there were 40 students started and 43 finished. Grade distribution at start was 1-13-25-1-0, at end was 7-9-17-10-0. I received U= Unsatisfactory for Whispering, and not working to maximum ability; a pattern that seemed to repeat. My best grades were in Spelling, which is hard to believe as my spelling has always been abominable.

Some were going hungry: Memories are different for each of us. I was called out in the hall, in private, to receive a ration of milk, to be consumed on the spot. I have no idea who was responsible for the plan & milk donation. After a couple times I was told I’d not be called out any more. Miss Reed explained this was for some who were going without breakfast, and she knew I had breakfast. That’s when I first realized some had serious problems making ends meet. We kids didn’t “talk” about this – we had sense enough to not “gossip” about the misfortune of others. We the lucky ones better appreciated the plight of others.

Seeking Attention: One cold morning about 1 hour after start of school one of the girls on the back row held up her hand to get Miss Reeds attention, though she waved frantically and we were all aware Miss Reed had seen her, Miss Reed ignored her. This was not unusual as there were some 39+ kids in the class with many waving their hands to answer a question.

I was the slowest: We were often told to go to the black board in groups of about 4 to 6 at a time and do arithmetic. Miss Reed would call out a list of numbers and when she'd say go we were to add them. Virgil McKinsey was excellent at this. I was not. At times I could go very fast but if I thought to see if I was right I'd loose it. To know I was right I moved at a slow pace, the natural frequency of my thought processes seemed to be slow – I didn’t trust a fast answer, but a slow answer was usually right though Id be one of the last to finish. Others noticing how slow I was caused Miss Reed to comment: though Darrells the slowest, his answers are always right. This was of little consolation to me, I was convinced I was not very bright and that Vergil was very smart. There after being slow caused me to feel others were smarter than I, that I had to plug along and use tenacity to succeed.

Embarrassing Event: Miss Reed may have been concentrating on the progress of some of the students with the belief the girl on the back row could wait till Miss Reed was ready. But those of us who could see the girl wave out of the corner of our eye realized it was urgent. In fact we were becoming upset Miss Reed, that she was being rude by not acknowledging the girls arm waving which became more frantic. Then all of a sudden the girl no longer able to hold it – she pee’d her pants. It was embarrassing for all of us...... steam rose from the warm urine as it spread from her bench seat to the floor. Students called out Miss Reed! Miss Reed! Abruptly aware Miss Reed hurried to the girl apologizing and apologizing as she hurried and helped her to the door. They were gone for some time before Miss Reed returned. Many of us felt Miss Reed should have known, feeling the girl had done everything permitted within the rules of discipline. In fact the incident reveals that none of us would have thought of getting up an leaving w/o first obtaining permission. A few years later we would have left the class quietly if necessary, but not in Miss Reeds Second Grade class.

Split Class: The class was so big that we were soon split up into a full grade of all in the same grade and a mixed grade with some from two adjacent grades. This might have accounted for why not all persons were in the class photo who were in the same class room.

Howard, 1989, Second Grade Class mate: I stopped at the Oberlin Donut Shop for a visit with my cousin Don Kump. We were seated at a table just starting our chit chat when a fellow came in – I thought I should know. He stopped at the counter and was asked, "What'll you have, the usual $2.10 hamburger and cheese sandwich?" The fellow nodded yes and was told, "coming right up."

He paid for it in exact change, turned and sat down at a table to eat his lunch.

The image of him there at the counter lingered. He was well dressed. At least he had been when he and his apparel became one, perhaps a week prior. It looked as if he'd slept in them for that long, the soiled sleeves didn't seem to bother him; probably didn't have a wife to pester him about such minor details. He was trim with a weathered quizzical look on his face as if already pondering the next move in his day. His thoughts were busy. He had miserly contributed the coins to pay for his $2.10 lunch. He was old enough to recall when they provided better meals for 25 cents, inflation had certainly distorted the cost of eating out.

He didn't linger while he ate, or show any interest in anyone else, as if he didn't have time to waste. When he got up and left I turned to Don and said, "Who was that?" "Howard", was the answer then seeing my puzzled look said, "Howard Toll." I exclaimed, "Well, I'll be, I haven't seen him for years! Howard was in my class when we started Grade School!" Don said, "Hm, I've wondered about how old he is."

I continued, "We had an exercise room in the basement of the Grade School equipped with a wrestling mat etc. We kids would go down there and work off our excess energy especially when it was wintry outside. One time Howard pulled a knife on one of the kids. They had probably been teasing him about being so dumb, kids can be cruel at that age; we were perhaps 2nd or 3rd grade then. Some one hurried upstairs for Miss Reed to come quick. She talked Howard into letting her have his knife. From then on us kids and the school system were a bit wary of Howard."

"They sent Howard away, for tests and observation I guess. About a year later he was back. He went to school for about two more years, repeating the same class. After a time, by mutual consent, he no longer had to go to school."

"He became a real hustler. We kids would watch him work the peanut-gum ball machines. He found he could cycle and cycle a machine, w/o adding coins, and get it to pay out a peanut. We marveled at his diligence for such a meager reward. In a way this commitment and energy applied to such tasks had it's way of commanding our respect. No one teased him anymore, we each in our way rooted for him."

Later he sold newspapers, candy, cigars, etc. at the Livestock Sale Barn. From this he learned to make change and became astute in the value of a coin.

Don said, "There's more up there than some might think." I looked at Don waiting for him to continue. "After his real father died his mother and a fellow that had a farm lived together and Howard lived with them. Howard's step father had some horses and Howard thought he might like to ride one. Upon asking his step father if he could have a horse, he was put down with, "Naw Howard, your to dumb to ride a horse." About a year later his step father had to fix some fence and asked Howard to help him. Howard responded, "Naw, I'm too dumb to fix fence."

Don and I had a good chuckle over that. I felt reminded of another unique Oberlin character named Lonnie Beers. Life in a small town is full of characters & such stories. Don's one of the best story tellers, with the characters of these stories sometimes us, those with a full deck, supposedly.

Armistice Barbeque put on by American Legion

enlarged view of Rell at right