It so often happens at Christmastime that we can renew old contacts and friendships. So I went to First Lutheran Church for the Christmas Day lunch and had just such an opportunity. This wasn't just any old contact, it was a fellow Class of '73 member! Yes, "Morris High School" from the days before the "Area" term got wedged in. And, before our teams came to include Chokio-Alberta. It appears to be a wonderful partnership now.
But in 1973 we were "Morris High School" and the school song could be performed as written. So we'd chant "M-H-S," something that became unacceptable years later. Are the fans singing a "bastardized" version of the song now? Too harsh a word I guess. The composer Bob Schaefer wrote it to be sung a certain way.
I'm not even sure of the precise way the song starts out now. Is it with the initials "MAHS" or "MACA?" I think it would have to be. The only events for which I am present are football games. I head over to Big Cat on game night and stay around long enough to at least get a feel of things, make note of the fan turnout. After halftime you can enter for free.
I did get lucky once or twice last fall and found I could traipse in at an unattended entry - probably a mistake. That was nice for me because the burger baskets were still available. And I had some great conversations with people including the mom of the quarterback who talked about how much she enjoyed my newspaper coverage from when she was a Chokio-Alberta student! Many press clippings of my work are stored all over Stevens County and elsewhere, I'm sure.
I do not observe well enough to know how exactly the school song is sung now. I will say it's nice we have our own school song rather than to use a recycled college fight song. The worst would be the "Minnesota Rouser" not because it's bad but because it has been done to death. UMM chooses to uses it. I'm told that choice was made to impress on everyone that we really truly are part of the U of M.
The original head of the school thought it important that UMM establish its own distinct identity. A different attitude later took over. It doesn't matter much, I guess.
In the days before UMM had its own website, yours truly generated a lot of sports coverage for the Morris paper. It was never as consistent as it should have been. I didn't pretend it should be consistent. Jim Morrison just kind of let me make my own way. So when I developed rapport with Perry Ford, the result was some pretty generous coverage of UMM men's basketball.
A colorful guy, Ford was, and he has gone on to the next life. He would absolutely not have been comfortable with UMM shifting to a lower-caliber conference. These days the Cougars play the likes of - it pains me to say - Oak Hills Christian from way up north.
Nothing against private colleges or even colleges with a religious theme. But Oak Hills Christian is notorious as a totally gay-bashing place, totally beyond reason. I'm no gay activist but I have to almost laugh at the irony here: an absolutely gay crusading institution like UMM, waving the flag for all that stuff as it were, playing the arch enemy of gay rights in Oak Hills Christian. We have had a game against them this season right here at the UMM gym.
I remember when Ford really put his heart into the "Midnight Madness" event that officially began hoops season. Close to Halloween - some fans availed themselves of wearing costumes! Great opportunities for photos naturally. I remember a nice little "gremlin" posing with Chuck Grussing for me!
The Christmas lunch
I was so delighted to join the party of the Larson family of Donnelly on Christmas afternoon. We're talking Jane Larson who just happened to be queen of the 1972 Homecoming for '72-73 year! I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jane's mom Gloria. Back in the day they were quite associated with Donnelly. Jane and I discussed how the Donnelly kids had a real group identity then. We can easily reel off their names now.
I reminded Jane that the Donnelly elementary basketball team had cheerleaders! Their home venue was the Donnelly town hall. Donnelly has gotten so much mileage out of that building. Was a WPA project during the Depression. Thank God we had Roosevelt as president.
Jane's married name today is "Sassenfeld." She's the same old Jane. And me? She and others can judge.
I began my writing for the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper when I was in high school. I left the paper in 2006 which was premature. Some things in life are out of your control.
Our Morris school went through a real rough period in the 1980s. It was hard to steer clear of all that at the newspaper. I am delighted to report today that our Morris school seems quite happy and top-notch.
I am happy to be an occasional financial benefactor for the instrumental music program. And my days as a journalist are not over! Today I write online and when I get the opportunity, I can do a pretty good job for MAHS and MACA activities. Give me access to the raw material and I can deliver.
My high school class of '73 will fade with time as all generations do. We all go through the same phases. I'm not sure we can characterize any one generation as having special qualities. The parents of Jane and I were in the celebrated "Greatest Generation." Well, they got through the Depression and won World War II. But frankly I think any generation would have reacted the same way to the same circumstances. Heck, the men of the Greatest Generation got drafted into military service, a great many of them anyway. They did what they had to.
My generation suffered greatly through the calamitous Vietnam war.
But on Christmas Day of 2024 it was best to focus on the present, to celebrate the present. We cannot repeat the past although we can learn from it. Now we guide the next generation along. In the meantime it's "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." Hey, that was the official motto for the 1973 graduating class of MHS! It was not routine getting that motto to pass muster with school administration!
My class was said to be a little quirky. Truth be told, every class is the same and every generation the same. We are just called upon to react to different stimuli.
Now let's say Happy New Year!
Addendum: Seeing Jane's mother was such a blessing because I'm sure the numbers of Class of '73 parents are greatly thinned. Do the math. It was a delight for me to sit next to Gloria at the Christmas Day lunch! Jane, myself and Craig Murphy used to argue about whether there was such a thing as "moose meatloaf!" I really think Jane and Craig were goading me. These discussions happened in junior high in a class taught by Grace Zeiher.
Grace would pass away not long after we had her. We can remember her so well. Junior high: that can be a mortifying experience for many! Perhaps I'm hinting that it was for me. We had Bill Coombe as a teacher, for whom our football field would later be named. Oh, let's not forget Marilyn Syverson who most definitely is extant!
RIP Craig Murphy's spouse Joanie.
Gary wore an ankle brace in kindergarten. He would go on to become one of the most noteworthy athletes ever for Morris. He "disappeared" for a few years while he attended St. Mary's!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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