Those 70ish Girls

Jim Anderson ’63

On April 12, 1961, members of the Murdonga Club and the Murdo Lions club organized an athletic banquet—the featured speaker for the evening was Palmer “Pete” Retzlaff , SDSU great and All Pro tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles.  “Pistol Pete” or “The Baron” played fullback at SDSU and set records in the shot and discus in track.  The Ellendale, ND native died in April, 2020. 

GLORIOUS MUD,  Gregg J Brunskill, ‘59

In spring 1958 several of my high school cronies (who shall remain nameless for good reasons) built a rocket out of some old rusty pipe and plumbing connections, filled with some magnesium filings and sugar, a lot of sulphur, and a fuse made out of waxed butcher paper. I lit the fuse and ran for cover, and a large explosive roar filled the hot dry air of western South Dakota.  This juvenile episode was really the fault (gift) of our science teacher, Mr. Charles Staudenbauer, who had started his lecture in sophomore chemistry class with some photographs of the Russian rocket that carried the first ever satellite (Sputnik) into space.

AS I REMEMBER IT, Paul Anderson, ’32.

The second year of high school I stayed with the county auditor (A. P. Whitney) and helped both at home and in the courthouse.  The third year of high school Frank McCurdy and I stayed with Mrs Ray Judd until  Christmas.  The second half of the school year I stayed with Leo Lemmel and Harry Egerdal at Tillie Jackson’s.  Board and room was then $1.00 a day.

My senior year, brother Walter, started school, and we stayed with our pastor Reverend Burkhardt in a house across from the high school. 

Jim Anderson ’63 

As twelfth man on the 1962 MHS basketball team, student manager Jerry Volmer and I were bringing up the rear as the team entered the Sioux Falls arena ( by a side or back door it seemed) for our first game of the state tourney against Pine Ridge.  A MHS grad appeared out of the shadows just as were were ready to enter and said, “Jerry let me help you with those warm-up jerseys”.   He grabbed a  couple of them and in the door he went.  He saw a very exciting, but for Murdo, disappointing game—without a ticket!