Hosted by Bill Weber
To Contact Me.
Click Here
Dear Bill,
We want to make you aware of, and thank you for the happiness that you've brought to one special Glendale alumnus. Our daughter, Arvilla, lives in Milwaukee and calls weekly on her Uncle Ed at the nursing home, helping him when needed. His only child, Janet, lives in Oklahoma. When Arvilla was here last wekend, I printed out the reunion account so that she could take it back to share with him. Today she called and said that she doesn't know of anything that he has enjoyed more. He recognized many names, and had a story to to accompany a number of them. The old frame school was also one of the things he remembered.
Yes, the committee surely merited a blue ribbon for outstanding service. Without a great deal of experience in arranging affairs such as that, they did a bang-up job !! Bill, you're not the only one who has some regrets. There were a number of people that I missed seeing; Lucile expressed the same. And, of course, I missed greeting you, but I did have a a few (all too few) words with Thema. Incidentally, did I ever mention that Mavis was my 8th grade teacher? I recall the Thanksgiving vacation in 1942 when she "ran off" to St. Louis to marry Ken. Memories! Memories!
On Saturday, the 21st, we will be in Willton at the American Legion Clubrooms for an Eckelberg reunion. This is a gathering of the children of my father's siblings. It should make for quite a crowd; there were nine in his family.
How we enjoy your website! I'll try to be your "eyes and ears" in Onalaska. Marie
>****************************************************************************
*************************************************************************************
_____________
L-R: Eva Weiland, Allen Weiland, Norma, (Weiland) Bernhardt, Naydean
Weiland, Robert Weiland, Ethel Stanek, Floyd Cook, Verta (Sake) Schoenberg,
Lois (Cuenot) Cook, Thema (Tompkins) Weber and William Weber
_____________
It was about a year ago that, Norma (Weiland) Bernhardt called a few old classmates together and ask them what they thought of having a Glendale School Reunion. Now mind you, this was about 37 years after the last person attended the Glendale State Graded School in 1963. After some consultation among the friends she had called together it was decided to "Go For It"
A committee of four was set up consisting of 2 former students of the school besides herself that had attended there about the same time. These were Lois (Cuenot) Cook and Thema (Tompkins) Weber as well as a teacher (Verta (Sake) Schoenberg, who was a teacher there at about the time the school closed.
It was a formidable task. Records were searched, people were contacted and finally the committee came up with a list of names that they used to send out invitations to some seventy people urging them to notify any other family members who had attended the Glendale School. These invitations were sent out sometime in mid April of this year 2001.
As was to be expected at that early date the response was slow in coming but as the days drew nearer and the enthusiasm built the response became amazing and by the time of the reunion there were 134 dinner reservation.
The final count yesterday was that there were two who had registered that did not make it and six walkins that had not registered. Making a total of about 132 students and seven former teachers in attendance.
One of the highlights of the renunion was the fact that Elinor (Miller) Murphy who is in a nursing home was able to get there for a couple hours to visit with many of us who knew her. She was the only person there who attended the old frame school building prior to the present building. We hope to have a picture of her and more of her story when we get the other photos back
It will be several days before I get the rest of the photo's back that I took on my regular camera so this will be an ongoing report for the next week or so. We will move this story over to the Glendale Reunion page where we will leave it for a couple of weeks as for those who have friends or family that might like to read it.
To the Eckelberg family I want to say I had intended to get a photo of all of you and somehow in the activities slipped up. I think that you had the most family members (6 by our estimation) of any family that attended the Glendale School. There were the three brothers, Robert, Raymond and Reinhold and three girls Ruby Butterfuss, Lucile Hemmerley and Marie Neitzel. If any of your familes have a photo taken of all six or seperately I would certainly would like to have a copy to post on this site. My sincere apology for slipping up on this important item in this historic event.
e It really was a great day for a lot of us. A lot of thanks and appreciation to those (Wonderful Little Old Ladies) Norma , Lois, Verta & Thema who put it all together. Also much appreciation to the lovely delightful food served by those wonderful cooks at the Elroy Legion Hall. It amazes me that there is something about "Our Good Old School Days" that is able to bring students of all ages, even out of nursing homes, to attend such get togethers.
In closing I want to invite all of you reading this to keep in touch and for those of you reading it in the newspaper I invite you to click on my WEB site at www.cyberspaceadventures.com for further details of this historic event. _____________
L-R:Darlene Davis, next her Mother, Alice (Krueger) Prell, then Maleda
(Silha) Poss, Ethel Stanek, Grace (Kobernick) Schell, Verta (Sake) Schoenberg,
Patricia Stratman and Anabel (Silha) Poss.
Back Row: Bob, Reinold and Raymond
Front:Ruby Butterfuss, Marie Neitzel, Gladys Kraus and Lucile Hemmerly.
All In Attendance at Reunion Except, Gladys Kraus.
Thanks Marie For Contributing This Photo.
Lloyd Welcomed All In Attendance
Introduced The Former Teachers
Introduced Members of the Planning Committee.
Introduced Students In Catagories of Ten Year Periods
Starting With 1920-1930 and so on through 1960.
I am not quite sure on this, but in a quick review of those standing from the 1920-1930 period, The class I started school with in 1926 had the most class members present for that period. There were 6 of us present they were:
Richard Campfield, Arlene (Walker) Carlson, Robert Eckelberg, Robert Popp, Katherine (Knutson)Schultz and me, Bill Weber
There was some discussion on whether there should be future reunions and the response was somewhat positive but no one stepped forward to lead the next renunion so it was sort of left hanging.
Thanks was extended to all who had helped put the reunion together and to all people who had taken the time and money to attend the reunion. The program closed with a school song that, Reinhold Eckelberg, had brought in called the "Glendale School Song" which he said, Lillian Heim, had written the words to and was song to the tune of the old army song. "The Cassions Go Rolling Along.
The formal part of the Program being over the students and teachers got together greeting and hugging each other and the room was filled with a steady sound of talk and laughter as old met not so old. Most of us in attendance being from 50 years to about 90 years.
In looking over the list of attendees I was able to come up with a rough estimation of the following:
There were students and teachers from about 38 localities throughout the United States. The biggest conscentration was in the Kendall(42), Tomah(27) Maauston & Elroy (5 each), New Lisbon (4) with one or two within each of the other 33 locations.
_____________
There were a number of other interesting photo displays, by Butch and Darlene Rieck, Verta Schoenberg, Richard Campfield and Elinor Murphy. ___________
****************************************************************************
**********************************************************************************
***************
Chicken & Swiss Steak
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Salad & Vegetable
Rolls
Beverage
*****************
PROGRAM:
Welcome by Lloyd Chase
Silent Prayer
Meal
Introduction of Teahers
Introduction of Committee
Poem
Introduction Of Attendees (By Year They Attended)
Questions, Comments
Future Reunion Plans?
School Song
Visiting Time
Jim Schroeder says School House will
be open to anyone wishing to visit it.
*******************************************************************************
Hello, Bill,
My sister, Lucile, informed me of your website, and I've been enjoying reading the news, especially about the upcoming reunion. Gilbert and I have a few names to add to the "past teacher" list. Gilbert remembers Nettie Prevay ( Pre-vay'). That is a phonetic spelling; he can't recall, with certainty, how her name was spelled. He remembers her as his 5th grade teacher, preceding Lillian Heim. That would have been the school-year of 1927-28. I remember Thelma (Oftedahl) Grovesteen as my fifth grade teacher, s-year 1940-41; Barbara Eberdt, 1941-42. Florence (Dwyer) Jirschele taught in the lower room in the early forties. I am not certain about the specific years. I only know she taught there when I was in the upper grades. We're looking forward to the event with great anticipation!
Marie (Eckelberg ) Neitzel
__________________________
Dear Bill,
Yes, you may use my e-mail. It won't threaten anyone's security, I'm sure. After I sent that, my memory "dug up" a couple more names that may ring some bells; Grace Cassels as Monroe Cty. Supt. of Schools, and Ollie Swanson as County Supervising Teacher. The day that they visited, we had better be on our best behavior, or else !! When I was in the lower room, I can recall a visit from Mr. Landgraff, who was WI. State Supt . of Schools. That was quite a journey at that time, considering the gravel roads and vehicles of the day. It's going to be a memorable day for all of us, I'm sure. Is a sing-a-long of "School Days" on the program
EDITORS NOTE:
Hi! Marie "School Days" is not scheduled but I imagine could be included
if requested. Reinhold Eckelberg, brought in a song he said they sang when he was there and Lillian Heim had written the words> It is entiteled "Glendale School Song" sung to the tune: "The Caissons Go Rolling Along". Which is on the program. I Will Be Posting The Luncheon Menu & Program Next Week.
***********************************************************
Contact Me At:
Bill Weber
_________________