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| Man of the hour in 1960 |
The photo above makes abundantly clear that Truman was once a high-profile fixture. It doesn't get more high-profile than a basketball championship. How many of us are blessed by being the focus of such a triumphant scene, as what you see above? Words cannot describe the satisfaction that accrues.
The photo was taken in 1960. How many of us have personal memories of the basketball venue in use by the Tigers at that time? A dwindling circle to be sure. It was at the place that came to be known, in its declining years, as the "elementary auditorium." I always had some trouble with the term because I remembered the place in its heyday when grades K-12 were handled in one place. An asterisk there, because Longfellow Elementary School in west Morris was a supplementary resource.
The old auditorium or auditorium/gym was art deco in its design. Therefore it had distinction, was a shame it had to come under the wrecking ball. We were told it could not be maintained all by itself. It was part of a complex that had been expanded upon in erector set style. Not the most ideal way to develop a place. Some people in the community held out hope for "re-use." I thought those people were seeing unicorns.
It was sad to see the place go to ruin rather than to be torn down expeditiously. I was in there once when the deterioration was quite advanced. A Morris police officer opened the doors one day for yours truly and some friends from out of town, one of whom was a high-ranking law enforcement person. Ah, "connections." But it was a depressing little visit.
Local authorities I'm sure would not have been pleased about me visiting, what with my reputation of being a journalist. But there I was watching the pigeons flap around inside the old auditorium. A place where so many unique memories had been made. You could close your eyes and imagine Truman Carlson's basketball team bringing waves of cheers back around 1960. The year was a turning point one for this community, as the longstanding WCSA was being phased out. We would welcome the University of Minnesota as a real miracle for keeping the community viable.
In 1960 we also saw the presidential race between JFK and Richard Nixon. Within a couple years we had to lose sleep over the Cuban missile crisis, part of the Cold War that really colored our whole culture. The notion became pervasive that we had to "beat the Russians." Were we really justified in having such a sense of conflict? Or was it a case of the military industrial complex?
The military industrial complex is a beast that demands we be ever-vigilant against new enemies or boogeymen. Such as, the feared "domino effect" of communism in Southeast Asia. What a price we paid for that.
Such "macro" distractions were worrisome. The "micro" life here in Morris could be quite joyous. You might need reminding that the old basketball gym was rather like what you saw in the movie "Hoosiers." People sat in the auditorium seats to watch, as well as from bleachers on the opposite side of the gym, remember? Harriet Stevenson told me the bleachers weren't even there when she was in high school. She said "there was just a wall." The band room was down the hall from the gym - just go down some steps. Steps/stairs were all over the place.
Basketball and wrestling were the winter sports and basketball was boys-only until, I believe, 1972. The '72-73 year was when I was a senior.
It was in 1968 that basketball found its new home in the present-day school complex. Strange how that gym seemed like a quantum leap when it opened, yet today it seems essentially forgotten. We have the much newer, far more spacious varsity gym which is a part of what is basically the elementary school. We voted for the "new elementary school" but heavens to Betsy, we got a whole lot more than that.
I remember the late Tony O'Keefe being puzzled about what we ended up getting, because it seemed like "a new high school too." I mean, with new band and choir rooms. Was there even a pressing need for the new band and choir rooms? I remember taking photos there when the place opened, to impress on the public just how far-reaching the new resources were going to be. The public seemed quite happy with it all.
But gone are the days when the '68 gym would be "the place to be" on Friday night in winter, the ear-popping strains of a pep band tune coming forth. And hey, Truman Carlson was so often the one helping make sure a rope was put up right after game's end to ensure people would not walk on the gym floor. A little assistance from Wally Behm.
Behm was a cornerstone for the growing-up experiences of the Morris baby boom population. He had a rather ignoble exit and that was unfortunate. Education eras come and go and they can present adjustment challenges for administrators. What a different world we had then with girls sports in their awkward fledgling state. It had to be that way because the girls had no prior background for development. I remember Dave Leuthard the ref saying "you have to call traveling every time or they'll never learn."
Oh, forget hockey as a prep sport, it was a ragtag "sandlot" type of sport for years. I covered it for the paper at that level. Then the sea change came with the indoor arena. Do we all take this for granted now?
No high school swimming or gymnastics. Advocates for these programs forged ahead. We congratulate them but with a big note of caution too: sports is not everything. A little pushback has to come with advocacy for music and theater. It's a battle sometimes I'm sure. Is there any sort of organized music program for high school age kids in summer? We sure have sports and sports camps.
I drop a comment occasionally on behalf of music but I get the typical Morris response, which amounts to a shrug of shoulders. The sports advocates sure aren't shrugging shoulders.
Truman Carlson was also the one on whose shoulders it fell to inform fans at the 1968 gym that they could not leave to use the bathroom until halftime! Can you believe it? You know, that gym should have been designed just a few feet wider. I once heard that the bleachers in the '68 gym were the cheapest available. This ought to register.
So, a belated happy birthday to Truman Carlson. I'm quite sure I know who he voted for in 1960. And in all subsequent elections! I have had a few conversations with him.
We got JFK in '60. He lasted only three years as president. I was a third grade student at Longfellow School when word of the assassination came out. My teacher, Lillian Pederson (later Ehlers, who lived to over 100) was called into the commons area, then she returned with a grave demeanor and informed us what had happened in Dallas TX. I can't remember if we were excused early. What an unforgettable day. And then we watched continuously on TV. I remember where Dad and I were sitting when we watched live as Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed.
Final notes: The friend who emailed me about Truman's birthday also informed that Truman lives at Legacy in Morris now. There he joins Helen Jane Morrison who has reached her 100th birthday. What a treasure trove of background these two individuals have in connection to Morris! Helen Jane's passion is the U of M-Morris. Did I mention that Truman's academic teaching area was biology? He was athletic director for a time. So much ground to cover here. Because of him, I know what a "Rhesus monkey" is!
We miss Truman's late wife Edna. I knew his son Dave fairly well, trombone player, Class of '71. I remember him playing trombone on "El Cumbanchero!"
Two posts today (Friday)
I am also posting on my companion blog site, "Morris of Course," on this very lousy weather day (Friday). So this is politics: a critical appraisal of our congressperson Michelle Fischbach. She has been an affront to good sense on at least two fronts. I don't think Truman Carlson would agree with me, but I do invite you to read my post. Thanks a lot. Here's the permalink:
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| The Pylin! What a gem of a memory from back when the high school was at its former location. The Pylin was your classic drive-in restaurant. Complete with car-hops. Right out of "American Graffiti." It was along East 7th Street, as was the Dairy Queen and Stark's Grocery. I bought my baseball cards at Stark's, nickel a pack! |
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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