Clear Lake High School Class of 1960

An idea.... tell us what place in Clear Lake brings you a special memory. Was it the Corner Drug Store (our version of Happy Day's Arnold's?) or the Lake Theater? The Lighthouse? Iceskating? Bayside Amusement Park? The 4th of July? What comes to your mind first when you think back to growing up in Clear Lake besides walking uphill both ways to school!! haha

My Memories of growing up in Clear Lake were of fresh air, room to breath, a clean lake to swim in and boat on.  More importantly was the feeling of security to leave your keys in the car, your front door unlocked.... to let the children go off to play without the worry's parents have today.  I felt so fortunate to have a horse and be able to ride through the woods, out in the country and even along the shore of the lake.  I cherish those memories of growing up.. of good friends, safe surroundings and a wonderful school system.   When I think back to each of you, I have memories of happy times.  I can't imagine growing up anywhere more wonderful than Clear Lake in the 50s.  Remember Halloween?  Oh what fun we had going all over town Trick or Treating.  The parade on the 4th and being able to ride my horse in it, the fireworks... the first snow, the day the ice went out of the lake.  Oh those moments to remember. I remember the wonderful dances at the Surf Ballroom.  The great bands that played there that we were so lucky to hear, Stan Kenton, Glen Miller.... the oldies and the wonderful 50s music.   There are so many more memories that gives me the warm fuzzy feeling that I know we all share because we all were privilaged to grow up in Clear Lake Iowa.  I'm sure I'll be back to add more and I hope you all will add your thoughts as well. Mason City was Meridth Wilson's River City but Clear Lake was ours.... then, now and always will be.

I moved to Clear Lake in March of my 8th grade.  Oh my, I still remember how scared I was.   It was like a HUGE school compared to Garner.  :-)    But you all made me feel right at home in just a short time in that school up on the hill, I think it was called Central - right? I remember being teased by the "upper  classmen" about coming to town (since I lived on a farm) on Saturday night to get groceries.   It was a good thing I didn't let it bother me.   Ludwig Wangberg was always so much fun in band.   And Mr. Gillespie - what a great guy.   Even though I had a terrible time with Spanish!  :-)    I'll never forget the day Mr Smith called down on the intercom and asked Mr. Gillespie something.   Mr. Gillespie answered him in Spanish.   There was a silence and then Mr. Smith said, "SIGH SENOR."   We all cracked up. And of course, MISS GOLDBERG!!!!   I can hear her say,  "Now students, remember time is money!"   Anyone remember that?   And no one could beat Janice McCray in the typing tests.   I think she typed about 90 wpm on the manuel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I was sick the day we moved to the new school so I missed out on the fun.   Of course, most of us remember the Buddy Holly tradgey.   None of us could believe it had happened when we heard it at school the next day.   I had introduced them all at the teenage dance the night before.   That was a thrill.   I am so glad we have Julie to put this website together.   It has brought a lot of us so much closer.   Thanks Julie.

Bert Barne

Bob Schram

Memories that had long faded are starting to come back to me since you all started this nostalgia stuff.  Playing in the orchestra at the Band Shell in City Park by the lake, hanging out at the Corner Drug and the Barrel Drive- In on the North Shore, delivering newspapers on the North Shore,and spending my profits on chocolate donuts at Whitke's, driving on the ice and ice fishing in the winter, pheasant hunting on our farm east of Clear Lake, the house on Mars-Hill on North Shore Dr, working at old Thompson's Fruit Market, and at Whitke's on weekends, duck hunting in ventura marsh.  Working at Trax gas station, pumping gas ...but most of all dating the little gals from Ventura...I wish I knew then, what I know now.... would have bought a house on the lake and held onto it... could retire in style.  You know what, sounds like we all turned out pretty good!!!!  Thanks for involving me in all this.     Bob Schram.............e-mail  bob@bobschram.com

Earliest memories of school were at Lincoln Elementary. I wouldn't tell anyone my last name. I told them it was a naughty word. I remember games of girls chasing boys and boys chasing girls and playing ding dong with the merri-go-round.   Remember the "Silver Boot" driven-in?  I wanted so badly to be a carhop but I was hired to be the "soda jerk". It was probably for the best,  I never could make change. The next summer I worked at the "Outing Club" It was a blast!. The 4th of July has my best memories: Jim and I climbed on top of one of the carnival trucks and had a bird's eye view of the fireworks one year. I can remember watching the hula hoop contests on top of the Barrel Driven-In. The last summers before going off to the U.of I. I worked at Witke's We got to see all the Miss Iowa contestants first thing in the morning. ........... Julie... I remember you teaching me how to say your name... Ears, Nose, Neck!!  It worked and I've never forgotten that.  Thank you so much for your memory Julie.

It's no wonder that I find myself driven to spend my summers by a lake, when I look back and remember my childhood in Clear Lake.  Morning doves cooing, always reminds me of waking up in the summer, knowing that I didn't have to go to school, climbing back into my wet bathing suit and heading right back to the lake bright and early for swimming lessons.  We often didn't go home at all for lunch, just swam all day.  When we got home, our parents weren't particularly worried about us, we had been safe all day.  If we weren't swimming, we usually spent the day around water, walking halfway to Mason City following the outlet, finding frogs, turtles and little minnows.  Or, exploring the woods north of the railroad station before the highway and the Barrel Drive In were built, especially in the spring to find dogtooth lilies or crocuses.  Or how about riding around the lake on our bikes with a bologna sandwich and a banana broiling in a sack lunch in the basket.  Or, wading to the island to spend the day exploring the old ruins there.  We had it made!   The worse thing I remember happening was the epileptic boy that drowned under the swimming raft.  Looking back, it probably was caused by the harassment derived because he was different, but it impressed me profoundly.  As a swimming instructor and lifeguard later, we certainly didn't have to deal with "Baywatch" calamities, but the beach was the place to be.  Do you think all the baby oil/iodine solutions that we doused our skin with prevented our skin from falling off our bodies?  I still love lying in the sun, although not all day anymore, and usually under an awning, but there is something soothing and restive about taking in the rays. We used to ride bicycles, without helmets, all day, all over town without incident, except the time I collided with an opening car door.  Ouch!  Remember the old saying, "Look Ma, no hands!"  We were good!!  Our mothers didn't have to walk us to school, how we ever got there on time, I'll never know.  And walking, we used to walk everywhere, even at dark and not be afraid except of the boogey man.  Maybe we should have been more afraid.  The Saturday afternoon matinee cost 10 cents, popcorn 10 cents and redhots were a nickel.  My allowance was a quarter and I always blew it all for Wild Bill Hickock or Gene Autry!!   Do you remember playing jacks or marbles outside during recess?  Or playing horses with Connie McIlvain.  She always got to be the stallion of the herd.  Miss Dorr...boy could that woman use a ruler across your knuckles!!  Gentle Mrs.Christ in fourth grade and then Mr. Conroy in fifth.  Wow he was a handsome man!  But my very favorite was Miss Dittsworth.  She is the first teacher that realized that I was an artist.  Remember the Friday afternoon Fly Ups, kind of like Jeopardy but about geography.  The pilot, co-pilot and passenger (top three) won all the candy collected during the week!  I wonder is Andorra is still the smallest country in the world.  I try not to miss Jeopardy now!  Mr. Lace was the greatest art teacher and Miss Johnston with her sorority pin right on the end of her boob, bouncing around the gymnasium.  You suppose it was from her sorority sister? Marlene Risvold started that whole sexual thing by blowing up a condom at lunch hour and batting it around like a balloon at Middle School; that's about the time we all found our hormones and moved on to High School Think of all we learned from these teachers, Harry Gillespie told us that a seven minute nap before supper was enough; Mr. Howard taught us appreciation of Peanuts; Miss Friedman taught us to color coordinate our wardrobes.  How many of you have thanked Miss Goldberg who taught us all how to find home row; Hi Tri taught us how to dress for high tea, very useful now; Coach Brandt taught the guys how to be jocks; and Mr. Engen and Mr. Wangberg were our mentors in music appreciation.  Most schools don't even have music or art programs anymore.  We were blessed!! Ah, Bayside, now that is where we all learned to rollerskate and romance.  And riding the old roller coaster or hitting enough balloons to win a teddy bear for your sweetheart were our biggest challenges.   Of course, people who weren't raised in Clear Lake can't understand our attraction to a midway on the Fourth of July, or the fireworks displays that put us front and center, on land or in a boat, watching some of the most spectacular pyrotechnic shows available.   And, the Surf Ballroom, do you all know that Glen Miller's Orchestra is playing at the Surf on Sunday night, August 7th, as we finish our reunion?  I contacted the CL Chamber of Commerce and they sent an envelope of "stuff" that really shows you everything that is going on in our little "town" now.  No wonder the rooms are about all gone for each weekend in the summer.  People from around the world travel to CL for "50's in February" with tickets at $70 in honor of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.  How many of you attended that concert in 1959? No matter where Dan and I have travelled, people have heard of Clear Lake, IA because of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper's last appearance there.  We ran into a mechanic in Superior WI who worked on the heating system on their bus.  They couldn't get the part needed into Superior early enough for them to make the Clear Lake concert, so they left Superior and travelled to CL without heat in their bus that fateful February 2, 1959.  That is why they split up and some went by plane to Fargo for their next gig on Feb. 3rd.  Who would have known!

Some of us would get together and play poker in the evenings. Would usually last most of the night.  That was long before Texas Hold-um.  We would meet at Jerry Bisgroves house and play around the kitchen table.  The Bisgrove "farm"  was located out by the freeway on the north side of 18.  That would be where restraunts, gas stations, realestate offices, and a housing development are  now located.  Usually sometime during the night some of the girls would show up to try to "distract" us from our game.  When we got hungry, we would hop in Jerry"s dads old pick-up and head out to the hay field behind the farm.  One or two ridiing in the back carrying a loaded shotgun.  A pheasant would stick its head up and we would have a tasty meal for the table prepared by Jerry's Mom. Awww---the good ol' days.

For those of you who went to Lincoln School or to Zion Lutheran Church, I had a long chat with Maren Hinderlie a few months ago.  Her father was pastor at Zion Lutheran and during that time he was instrumental in the church sponsoring a family from Latvia, twins Ursula and Udo Stungevitz, not sure I spelled that correctly, also attended Lincoln School.  Anyway,Maren was quite a story teller.  If I remember correctly, the teacher (Miss Carlson, 1st grade?) would let her tell her story each Friday afternoon before dismissal.  Anyway, she has been a storyteller all these years, going around the country to various storytelling conventions/meetings/events or whatever they are called. Does anyone remember getting caught sliding down the banisters at Lincoln School and then being punished by the principal, Miss Anderson?  We had to stay after school and slide down the banister, getting paddled each time we came down.  And how about having to scrape gum off the bottom of the desks when you got caught talking in study hall?  I remember that from high school, the old high school.  And I also remember those #@&%* box elder bugs that used to come in the open windows when school was back in session in the fall.  I still hate those things.  In fact I'm cringing right now.  Oh, ick. Well, I guess I got carried away.  But, hope you enjoyed some of the memories.  Love, Pat