V1934-01G6

Sixth Grade, fall 1934 to fall 1935

Miss Gladys Wiruth was our teacher, there were 30 students that started and finished; grade distribution was 1-7-18-4-0 to start and 0-5-18-7-0 at the end. Again I was rated Unsatisfactory for whispering needlessly and giving up too Easily. All of us liked Miss Wiruth very much but I certainly didn't impress her as being a good student as my grades were all in the middle of the pack.

OCS Football Team 1934 Edwin Hitchcock Coach back left, I’m front left

Grade School Sports: Sports began in the 6^th grade for most of us -- that's when we could go our for the team. Our NW Kansas League included Grade Schools in the contests between schools. The entire community got behind the teams, especially the High School teams. This become a tradition about the time of WWI when roads were built and Cars became available to haul players and fans. Oberlin had one of the best records in the league, trophies were proudly displayed in both Grade and High School. When we were able to go out for the team in Grade School we felt as of we had entered manhood.

“Hitchie” Edwin Hitchcock who live north across Oak St on the east corner was the grade school football coach. His kids played with my little sisters and Hitchy was a friend of the family. Hitchy took an interest in all us young kids about town and we prized his attention and council. Hitchy was in charge of activities on the playgrounds north of our grade school, he did an excellent job of it providing the opportunity for all to participate. He thus introduced us to the various sports before we were old enough to go out for the sport. During football scrimmages I assumed the roll of being the center because that's what I'd learned to do at pre school age for the neighbor kids on our dead end street at S. Buffalo.

Shot Put: Before old enough to go out for sports us neighbor kids rigged up basketball goals on the side of the garage and made our own Practice Field in our corn field, the lot to the west of our house. Smiling Sam Francis was Putting the Shot hoping to make it to the Olympics. Many of us kids were tying to emulate him & tried to Put the Shot, but it was too heavy for us. Hitchy made me a Shot-Put by boring holed in a Croquet Ball Dad provided & filled the holes with Lead. Thus I had something heavy for my growing anatomy.

Pole Vault: We rigged up vertical poles and a cross bar for high jump and pole vault. We used a couple of left over 2x4's for the vertical pieces and a whip like branch from a tree for a cross piece till one of the kids found a small but long bamboo pole. Kids of all ages practiced high jumping, competing against them selves, we kept the dirt spaded up to make a soft place to fall. We soon became more interested in pole vaulting. I got the bamboo pole that had come in the center of a new rug the folks had purchased. It was the biggest we could find. It was bigger at one end and served quite well for us little kids. Some of the older boys that came by brought their own "Stick", an envied and prized item purchased especially for the task. I had put the stuff up for the second summer and prepared things for practice. It was summer time and school had not yet started. I found I had much improved from the year before and was practicing how to swing my body up above the height of the pole. I'd felt the pole begin to split at the small end and had taken the precaution to tape the pole with Friction Tape.

This tape, before the days of plastic, was woven cotton cloth saturated with sticky black substance. It had been intended for use on electrical wiring but being cheaper than bandaging tape was used for ball bats and vaulting poles to improve grip and prevent splintering.

I felt I was really making progress with my new found method, after having watched how older boys had done it, and was putting all my running speed & strength into it. I had just lifted myself up to head height ready to twist & push up when the pole completely buckled under me! I fell back with a Thud! I landed hard on my back between the shoulder blades with feet up and arms out. I rolled over but found I couldn't breath, I managed to make it toward the house and fell on the lawn still struggling to breath. It was an awful feeling and I wasn't aware of what could be wrong! Then I managed a tiny breath then a bit more each breath in & out more than the prior one. Breathing had started none too soon, I believe I was near passing out. My gosh but it felt good being able to suck in lungs full of air which I did as I lay back on the lawn. Looking up at the sky recuperating I realized, the wind had been knocked out of me. Otherwise I didn't seem hurt by the jolt. There after I'd never use an untested pole.

Hitchy entered me in pole vault for our Grade School team. I could sometimes place but never first place in a meet.

Horse Shoes: A place to pitch horse shoes was set up on the west end of the lower play ground. It evolved into a special kind where a pocket became dug out in front of the stake and the fellows learned to take advantage of this. One of the older fellows Dean Fringer became awesomely accurate at making ringers. He'd toss the shoes flat side down, teeth up and let the shoe land as much as two shoe lengths in front and slip open end up the slope to snag snuggly about the stake. He'd hold the shoe in his right hand with open end out about chest high, taking aim, then let the shoe fall and his arm swing back before following through to deliver the shoe. The shoe would make a 3/4 turn and land flat to slid on to the stake. It always seemed so smooth as if nothing to it. In time I learned to emulate his method. Others I watched tried all kinds of ways to make a ringer. Some let the she flip end over end, some tossed them with teeth down giving them an extra spin with their finger hooked onto one end.

I had asked Santa to bring me some Horse Shoes and he did, thus our gang had a place to play horse shoes in our own practice field.

When in the 8th grade at a county contest held on our play ground I entered the horse shoe pitching contest and won a Blue Ribbon. Adults from about the county ran each event which was open to all challengers. I held back till the others had tried before stepping up to try. We were given three tries with four shoes each time. It was really no contest because I had the distance and the throw calibrated. I piled the shoes on top of each other. All would have been ringers except that following ringers sometimes knocked a prior ringer off. I felt it was very unfair because those from country schools had not been able to practice as I had, without competition there was little to enjoy about the win.

Later when in college we set up to play horse shoes in back of the place where we stayed. I came in last!! Joe Ridgway & Oral Brunk readily beat me. I just couldn't find the range, my arm was no longer calibrated for the distance and turn of the shoe. I realized my anatomy had been changed by lifting 100 lb cream can's and 100 lb sacks, the supple dexterity of my throw had become muscle bound.

Football, the Premier Sport: Before old enough to go to school I'd gone with my parents to watch a high school game. At that time all the kids ran out on the field and played, some throwing balls to one running to catch the pass. I ran and played to the maximum of my energy & speed finding it an exhilarating experience. From then on I sought to one day play on the football team with the big fellows.

Water Boy: While in the forth and fifth grade Virgil McKinsey and I were water boys for the high school football team. When ever there was a time out we'd carry a white gallon jug of water by a leather strap through the handle out to the team members who would take a swig when ever they desired. I don't recall how this started, only that I was asked if I'd like to be a Water Boy. Thus it was that at an early age Virgil & I became acquainted with the teachers, the band and football team.

The high school teams at the time just prior to this were sometimes made up of big farm kids who had put in four years but kept a few unfinished classes so they could still play on the team. The state eventually set up rules which precluded this. The DCHS teams were some of the best there were and would play the College team at Hays Ks often being the winner. The county population was about 13,500 vs less than 5000 now. It was also a time when all farm work was done by hand. Farm boys were very strong of necessity because they did lots of walking and lifting. Most milked cows each day and had a powerful grip. Generations of kids since would simply be no match unless they participated in special work outs the equivalent of 12 hour days of hard labor.

Classroom Training: When finally able I was full of enthusiasm. Hitchy was a good coach. He conducted classes and made hand outs for us to learn from. We were first taught on paper the proper way to block when in the line, and in open field. We were also taught the best ways to get passed a blocker. Later outside we practiced the methods till they became instinctive.

Twisted Knee: Bill Smick & Charles Maddox were 8th graders when I was in the 6th. Charles lived across the street south from the grade school, I lived a block south & half a block west and Bill two blocks south of the grade school. We could play after school till it got dark and make it home for supper on time. Bill & Charles had been receiving Hitchy’s training and were all eager to try it out. Bills father Calab Smick was the Superintendent of the School System, held in high esteem by all who ever attended the school. Bill had almost grown up on football from the time he could walk. He carried the enthusiastic passion from his father. Bill & Charles were practicing tackles in the parking at Charles house when I came by on my way home. It was about dusk. I watched and let them tackle me a time or two. The Bill said, "OK guys, let me show you a new way to tackle, you need to grab hold and twist at the same time. Darrell stand right there and I'll show you how, Chuck, you watch. With that Bill came and grabbed me about my lower left leg and gave a twist. Abruptly I was in agony! I was still facing forward but my leg had been twisted 180 degrees and headed backward. As I yelled Bill let loose and my leg popped back in place. While I fought off the pain and ache in the pit of my stomach Bill & Charles were aghast at what happened. Bill was fully aware my leg had been twisted backwards. They were almost speechless, asking if I could stand, could I walk, was I alright! I hurt too much to talk and just wanted to get home where I could lay down. I told them I'd be alright mostly because it hurt so bad I didn't want any help. I slowly hobbled the 1.5 blocks home and laid down. Mom put hot towels on it and called Hitchy. Hitchy came over and by then it had began to swell. Hitchy said there was little a Dr could do as it seemed to be in place all right, we'd just have to wait and see, that it would take a couple of weeks before we'd know. This was when I was in the 5th grade, I had a year to get it back in shape so I could play. Later in high school Bill was to have his knee sprained and had a terrible time getting through his last season. He looked up at me after it happened and said now I know how it feels. I was lucky, I was young enough and able to take care of my leg enough that it was in good shape by the time I started playing ball. But for Bill it was his Sr. year and he chose to keep playing though in much pain.

One team for offense & defense: At that time there was only one team, the best 11 players who played the entire game on offense and defense. Substitutions were made to let someone rest, to provide instructions, to save an injured player, or give the new fellows experience, and if too far ahead so as not to embarrass the other team. There fore everyone learned both offence and defense. These fundamentals made the difference between our wining or loosing in a close contest.

At that time the center passed the ball between his legs to the one in the back field who was to receive the ball. The one in the quarter back position called the count then most often became a running back blocker. Sometimes we played what we called a Double Wing back. and sometimes an L. The double wing back arrangement provided the best protection for punts and passes, for variety running plays were also included. The L formation permitted better concentration of running backs and more options for who received the ball at the snap.

Throwing Passes between Legs: There were two demands for passing accuracy, the one throwing the forward passes and the one throwing passes between his legs. These skills were practiced but not taught. My specialty became accurately throwing the ball between my legs. I was able to refine this during grade school. I practiced hitting a spot in a punters hands or the holder for place kicks. I could almost always hit a persons hand when held as a target. However I was most valued by the persons playing in the backfield as being one who could properly lead them. The person who was to carry the ball would start at a dead run for where the play was to go. I would often throw the ball at a 45 degree angle at a place in front of the runner about 2.5 feet above the ground. The ball carrier found that he could expect the ball to hit the pocket his hands-arms formed when keeping his focus on what was ahead. I was to play in first team games while still small for this reason.

On defense I played over center in the center of the line. I was to learn the finer art of doing this when in grade school and was able to apply it later in high school.

My First Real Football Game: The first game was almost the last. One of our first games had been at Norton the first county seat to the east. Harland Ray was the Norton coach who I was to later meet at Lincoln NB when in service. I was playing center though one of the smallest on the squad. Charles Maddox was in the eighth grade and played center on the first team. The Norton team had taken the ball at the far end of the field and were making their way down 5 to 10 yards at a time to a Touch Down. They were about 20 yards away when Eddie pulled Charles and sent me in. He didn't expect me to stop them but he wanted to enhance Charles enthusiasm and method for stopping them.

I felt very small compared to the others, my uniform was an old style, one of the high schools rejects, I could almost swim in it. It was a night game before the high school team came on. It was cold out. I saw the Norton team pause for me the substitute to take my place. I could see the big fellow calling signals look at me and grin before ducking his head into the huddle to call the play. (I saw him after WWII and almost went up to say hello, but he would not have remembered that game.) I just knew the play was going to come down right over me in the center of the line. As yet uninitiated I decided my best bet was to just keep low so they'd have trouble taking me out, to just hold the ground I was on. Sure enough, the play came right down over me. I had almost gone down on the ground to keep in place and came up when I could see the ball carrier coming. Wham his knee gave me a sock on the jaw and bowled me over. The ball carried had gone down but I was in a daze and almost sick at my stomach. My gosh I'd never been hit that hard before. Suddenly I had severe reservations about my desire to play football, but this was a poor time to quite! But being out on the field among the big boys I couldn't tell Hitchy I wanted out of the game. In fact Hitchy probably never even saw the play intending to send Charles right back in.

I finally mustered the courage to get back in my position. I reasoned my only hope is to stop them so they go run the ball somewhere else. If they could run over me I'd be hit like that again and again, I just had to discourage them from clobbering me till Hitchy took me out; at that point I didn't care who won the game, this was a matter of personal survival. They tried to come over me through center again but I managed to pile them up without being kicked in the head again. After two times with no gain they decided going through the little guy was not worth pursuing so ran the ball elsewhere. Hitchy kept me in the game because we managed to stop their drive to the goal line. When we got the ball he pulled me out. By then I had been blooded, my pulse rate and dander were up and the hard won success had lifted my spirits. I'd gone from ready to turn tail to ready to take em on no matter how big.

I was to learn that even experienced players always dread the first play of the game, the body and mind need to come up to a combative mood. Thankfully I was never hit that hard again. I was grateful football became a milder before Hitchy pulled me out.

The hurt that came in later games was from playing when injured. I played most of one season with a sprained ankle. The most hurt was from a thy pad that came loose and felt as if hit by a 2x4 across the leg, but as each down progressed the pain was worked out.

Hitchy and later Alex Francis the High School coach emphasized to us that we needed to learn how to take a hit and how to fall. This behavior became instinctive and served us all well. Later when in service playing touch football one of the fellows came up to me with a big grin saying you can always tell who did and who didn't play football. I grinned back, it was something you recognize but cannot explain.

Becoming Blooded: The term becoming Blooded had real meaning. We used to practice up on the hill west of the grade school, then a pasture. The first team had new football uniforms but the remainder of us had loose fitting canvas uniforms with felt sewed in for pads. The main problem was that there were no knee pads because there was no elastic to hold the pant legs down. Each of us soon had badly skinned knees. These would scab over during the night and we'd take care sliding legs in/out of the legs so as not to snag them and pull the scabs loose. Next day at practice we dreaded the first contact blows because in the skirmishes we'd soon have the scabs torn off and knees/elbows bleeding again. We discovered that once bloody and by the pounding in a combative mood we were ready to have at it and paid no attention to our open bleeding bruises. We well understood that you had to get blooded before you could really play ball.

By the time I left high school there had been a tremendous improvement in how they made football uniforms, and they were to improve much more in later years. The fellows playing hard football in those old uniforms really were a tough bunch.

Phyllis, Sport, Darrell, Laddie, Jr Nitch, Marjorie

These photo's were taken in our back yard by the back porch. Our dog Sport lived under the porch and it was arranged to provide him protection in the winter even during a storm. Dad built this house about 1932-1933, these photo's show the back yard was still dirt in 1935..

DCHS High School Band on Main Street Oberlin, KS 1935

Practicing for Tri State Band Contest Enid Oklahoma

Front row Drum majors: Virgil McKinsey, Bud Raymond, Darrell Landau

Grade School Drum Majors in High School Band Vergil McKinsey and I were in the same class from kindergarten through High School. We were playmates, in sports, band, summer, winter. We had a special kind of bond, enhanced by our days of being Grade School Drum Majors in the High School Marching Band plus playing Cornets with the big kids in the Concert Band.

The summer of 34, when starting the fifth Grade, Virgil McKinsey and I decided we should learn how to play instruments and be in the band. Virgil's folks bought a Cornet for him and my folks a Conn Trumpet for me, a Trumpet was simply a long version Coronet. Bert Hostinsky was the new High School Band Master and was drumming up business starting us grade school kids early so there would later be an improved high school band.

Bud Raymond was Drum Major of the High School Band. Someone had the bright idea that there should be two little boys as drum majors on each side of him. Virgil McKinsey came by and said Bert Hostinsky wanted to see us about being drum majors and brought with him two batons consisting of a turned wooden head mounted on a pool stick. The pool sticks came from Jay McKinsey, Virgils Dads, Pool Hall & Paul Sandy the Manual Training Instructor/Basketball coach turn the heads and mounted them. Thus we were equipped with batons when we went to see Bert.

Bert Hostinsky

Bert had us go by the old high school building a couple days a week to learn how to twirl them. Thus it was that when in the sixth grade we went with the High School Band to Enid Oklahoma for a Tri-State band contest where our band won first place for our class. We practiced in the streets, sometimes going down main street, figure 1. We posed before the trip for our bands picture in front of the Grade School, figure 2.

Those were the dust storm/depression years. I'm sure there were sad experiences for many adults but us kids seemed to remember only happy things. The only sad images are of the long faces if we lost a ball game, our mutual buddy Joe Ridgway took such losses to heart, helping Virg and I to apply some philosophical perspective.

Virg and I had some marvelously happy times "practicing twirling" in the basement of the Old High School. When in Grade School and excused for "Band Practice" for an hour most days right after lunch, sometimes for marching and sometimes for concert. Later we had to practice playing with the band, tooting our cornets.

There was a wonderful period of time when we had the Old Stage at the East end of the Old High School basement all to ourselves. This is where the wrestlers would practice, a wrestling mat was always in place. We were isolated from the band by curtains, always drawn, which separated the wrestling area from the basketball/band area.

At that time Bert Hostinsky had the band practicing the William Tell Overture. It was a Contest number for Concert Band. I have no recollection of practicing twirling the batons, except to maintain the pretense of such. We'd become too excited running, tumbling, jumping about on those mats to the music of William Tell!! It was like a license to "play hooky" with the luxury of the place and invigorating music all to ourselves. There was no need of electronic amplifiers in the confines of that small gym. Our youthful fantasies and energy soared. We'd work up a sweat with vigorous physical activity enhanced by the exhilaration of our imaginations! It was an experience only he & I shared.

Bert Hostinsky and Alex Francis, the football coach, were significant influences on our lives. I was not the least surprised that as an adult Virg went into coaching. Alex was an inspiring example. I'm sure Virg passed along to other young men this heritage we experienced and absorbed in those years.

Though we were classmates & team mates in sports, it was the band experiences that permitted us to revive old times with the exchange of a grin. Bert was way ahead of his time; we were playing the Big Band, Duke Ellington, etc music, as it was being written; we were living in the Big Band Era..

Thus it was that when several years later on the parade ground at New Haven Conn listening to the "sounds" of the Glenn Miller band; it seemed as if Verg should be there. It's difficult to convey to someone else, when circumstance uniquely shared, refreshes the memory of a buddy. I never got to tell Verg about that experience, he would have grinned ear to ear to have seen it. I was the Cadet Adjutant for the parades. As such one is simultaneously a participant and observer watching the parade. It was a unique experience. The Glenn Miller band had been playing for these parades till just before I arrived. The band members left behind continued to play his music, the same music Bert had us playing. Because of our Drum Majors experience, marching in those parades seemed natural. It was as if Bert was running the Band and Virgil was nearby with that mischievous "give it ago" grin that could convey more than a bushel of words. In reality Vergil was in the Marines and Bert an Intelligence Officer in Italy.

To all of us in the Band Bert was an inspiration and a marvelous person. He was very intelligent and a bit high stung, keeping it inside so that he seemed cool on the outside. I came to know him very well, and he came to depend on me. But that story began in the 8 th grade.

Vergil is now gone, along with our buddies of those day's Vince Landau, Bob Jorn, Paul Nitch Jr. To me they will never really be gone, they will always be close companions in my minds eye. We experienced a kind of Tom Sawyer / Huckleburry Finn relationship as times swept us into a new era. We enjoyed the "new" grade school building the "new" high school building, new talkies in the old theater.... the sound and taste of a freshly opened bottle of 5 cent pop, desert to a nickel candy bar, carefully unwrapped and savored. Of playing marbles... the sight of the "old stand pipe" coming home in the school bus from a sports trip. Winter sliding down the grade school hill, running & piling double on sleds to go further. The noon whistle... the pause to check our dollar "pocket watches". Being grade school water boys for the high school football team, playing football on the newly sodded field. Halloween cleanups followed by pep rallies. The thrill of wining a Band contests, a ball game, tooting our coronets at a pep rally......

We were so pleased that Verg, Joe & Jean Ridgway, Mary & I were able to get together here in California for the visit a few years before Vergil died. Conversations picked up as if they had never stopped.... The next day Verg came for a visit. I had just purchased a computer and showed him how to cause it to spell VERGIL backwards, vertical, diagonal... Like the buddy of old he played like he enjoyed it, I'm sure he did. It was mutual. Then unexpectedly he was gone.

DCHS Band 1935 Bert Hostinsky Director with Oberlin Band in front of Grade School in home made uniforms prior to Tri State Contest Enid Oklahoma. Bert Inspired them to win 1st place in their class. In deep Depression at this time – compounded by drought and dust storms – yet our entire focus was on winning the band contest which we did.