Month: January 2026

Those 70ish girls…MHS/JCHS Memories…pt 2

Mary Francis McNinch

Gregg J. Brunskill ‘ 59 from Glorious Mud.

“My grandparents bought me a new Olds Raphael Mendez trumpet, which was easier to play than my uncle’s old Silver Conn horn.”  I helped to form a school jazz band ( The Hungry Seven) so we could play for local dances in our regional small towns.  I also played Taps with the local VFW Riflemen and Color Guard at dozens of small town lonely cemeteries on Memorial Day.” 

Paul Anderson ’32 from As I Remember It.

In 1928 not very many farmer boys went to high school, but my folks always insisted that we were all to go on to school.  I really don’t know why they decided to send us boys to Murdo, instead of Draper but they did.  I was the smallest and undoubtedly the most frightened boy in Murdo that eventful fall day.  Pa had made arrangements for Bryan Schaeffer who ran Francis-Schaeffer Hardware store, for me to work for my room and board.  My big sisters had convinced me that I had to take my books home every night to study.  I did survive, however, and by the end of the week had made many new friends and hardly wanted to go home.

 Jim Anderson ’63

I can still see Harvey Deidtrich standing in front of his math, physics/chemistry classes playing his imaginary violin when we complained about homework.  And who was it that put the copy of PLAYBOY in the study hall magazine rack after they had ripped the cover off? 

Katherine Prahl Patterson ’56

Evelyn Kuhrt was our class advisor ( class of ’56).  When we built a float we worked all week on it.  We worked on the float in Kuhrt’s garage.  One night 2 or 3 boys went into the house and raided the refrigerator.  The class was in trouble the next day as they had eaten Bill’s lunch. and the Kuhrt’s could not go to the store to replace the ingredients for the lunch.

Those 70ish girls…MHS – JCHS Memories, pt 1

Mary Francis McNinch2 Comments

I will be publishing some  stories submitted by Murdo High School and Jones County High School alumni in anticipation of the All School Reunion to be held July 17-19.

Gregg Brunskill ’59

One of the traditions in the Murdo High School is that the juniors would decorate the school gymnasium for the senior prom dance in the spring. My class decided to decorate the gym in a jungle theme. I borrowed my father’s cattle truck and two of my classmates came with me down to the floodplains of the White River where we cut down two dozen 10-12 m high cotton wood trees, maybe 20-30 cm in base diameter. We were hauling them to town but we were intercepted by the town sheriff, Ben Arndt in his Sheriff car with sirens and flashing lights on top. Apparently we didn’t have the correct red reflectors or flags on the trees sticking out the back of the truck box. We told Ben why we were doing this. He nodded and grinned and got a big red flag out of his car trunk, tied it on the longest tree and then led us back to the school gymnasium with his sheriff car flashing lights.

Linda Anderson Nill ’68

In 1968 our senior class had a practice/student teacher for English class- Mr. Sprigler. We were winding down our final year in high school so when he asked a question, no one answered. He got very angry, upset and finally used the d**n word. His eyes got huge and he left the room. I wonder if he ever became a teacher.

Doug Tedrow ’64

In the fall of 1961 the class of 1964 as sophomores, and perhaps other classes as well, were mercilessly ill behaved towards the English teacher, whose name I have forgotten and who was nearing retirement age. The teacher resigned mid-year and was replaced by Miss Herzog for the second half of the year. In the fall of 1962 Miss Walbrecht arrived and the teacher grapevine had done its work by that time. During the first class of the fall, Miss Walbrecht delivered a 50-minute disciplinary lecture and laid down the law. Calvin Blom walked out of the room with me and said, “I came out of there feeling a little weak.” Other than that, we thought she was pretty cool as she arrived driving a two-tone yellow and white 1957 Chevrolet four door sedan. Miss Walbrecht later to become Mrs. Peter’s after marrying Howard Peters who operated the Sinclair station, finished the rest of her career at MHS/JCHS. Many years later while visiting my parents I met her in the Super Value and told her she was the best English teacher I ever had.

Mrs. Peters

Those 70ish Girls – Aloha and Mahalo – Pt. 2 – By Valerie Halla

Valerie Halla

Someone said that I was bragging about being in balmy sunny Hawaii, while many people are stuck in the snow, lots of it, and frigid weather in the States. That’s true. I’m bragging, boasting and laughing about your plight. It is flippin’ cold, windy and wintry in many areas of the country. I’m really not bragging. I feel sorry- no, I don’t on second thought. I’m having too much fun in Kauai. It is, after all Paradise,

A beach across the street. Come on, let’s walk to it.

Come with me, let’s imagine that we are there. Come out onto the lanai. It’s early morning. Oops, first get your sandals on or your flip flops and grab your morning tea – or coffee or – Mai tai. Slide the screen door open. It’s okay to wear what you had on yesterday or even wear pjs. Step down onto the carpets outside and sit on one of the comfy chairs. Set your drink down.

Do you feel it, that warm air? That almost heavy tropical breath of fresh atmosphere? Then you start to relax even though you just slept solidly like a baby.

It’s paradise. It’s beyond description. It’s the island life. Look out there beyond the railing of the deck.

A little green gecko crawls on the plant below and you look out at the lush green yard and up to the mountain and waterfall beyond.

A picture cannot picture it like the real image.

Oops- this picture is out of order. It’s not in our backyard but it is nearby in a park for which you need reservations. We will get to that in Part 3.

This house is at the end of the highway almost and across the highway is the beach.

It’s called sand, different than snow.

This is another beach farther away. But you get the idea.

This was taken on our first morning as we had arrived in the dark the night before. We were in awe. The beach and ocean kinda work their magic on your psyche… if you let it.

Makes you want to just stare and take time to take it all in.

I’m unable to find words. If I’m bragging, then that’s what happens when you fall under the spell of Hawaii. I won’t apologize. This island in particular was mesmerizing. It’s called The Garden Island for a reason.

Aloha til next time.

Those 70ish Girls – Aloha and Mahalo PART 1 – by Valerie Halla

Valerie Halla1 Comment

Paradise out our backyard. The lanai was our best friend every day.

After losing my husband this spring and trying to write the next chapter in my life, I decided to travel more. For my first Christmas without him in 53 years, I planned a trip to Kauai in Hawaii after discussing it through several texts with my three adult kids. The preface to my story wrote itself slowly, but the story got off the ground eventually and we were on our way.

Everyone at Li’hue Airport as well as on the plane said Aloha and Mahalo over and over til I internalized the meanings of those two words: Hello and thank you.

Jeep rental – alias magic carpet – with Matt driving and Morgan navigating.

Matt and Morgan here in the front seat of our rented jeep with me and Matt’s girlfriend in the back seat. We were driving away from the airport ready to take on 10 days of island life, sunshine, beaches, flip flops, shorts and swimsuits. Our story was just beginning.

We drove an hour on a narrow road with a rainstorm following us to the end of the highway. Morgan saw the address and gate to our destination.

We awoke to paradise the next morning on Kauai.

Our first day at our house. My oldest son checking out the waterfall up on the mountain. He said he had looked forward to this trip for months. I can see why.

The yard at our Airbnb had lush plants, trees, mountains and chickens. Even a stray donkey came by.

Wild donkeys come and go. Even a cow and calf visited.

We were here first. Mooove on out!

Back in the planning stages months ago, I had told my three kids that I’d pay for the Airbnb rental and they would have to pay for their flights. We would share food expenses. My daughter and her young family couldn’t come. My two sons came with one girlfriend and we amazingly met on December 17 at Lih’ue Airport in Kauai. That in itself was a major accomplishment because everyone lives in different cities in CA plus everyone is busy at this time of year.

You can maybe guess what the first place was where we stopped. Costco? No first we rented a Jeep Wrangler. So cute and shiny new. Then we went to scenic Costco.

The parking lot in Kauai, Hawaii at Costco.

We stopped to shop after our long flights to Hawaii and bought something to eat and drink at Costco, not really into the island vibe yet. We bought a lot since four adults buy what they want and what they’re used to eating in the States.

One son flew from San Francisco, one son and his girlfriend flew from Los Angeles and I flew in from San Jose. Then we were off down the highway which traces the North shore of the Pacific Ocean and followed GPS all the way. The clouds opened up to greet us with a downpour and my oldest son did a great job driving with his brother navigating on a narrow highway where we searched for our Airbnb house amongst the jungle like growth and gorgeous trees. Now this was a true adventure.