Today's society, lack of "follow-through"

Schools and $

The community of Morris sometimes does not set a good example with basic competence. I'm trying to pin down patterns of behavior with the right characterizations. So is it really Morris, a town whose leaders find excuses to leave so often, or more of a societal thing or a generational thing? Maybe older people always speak of the younger folks with a condescending smirk. "We were more responsible" or something in that vein. 

Maybe the lapses are related to this point in time, this epoch. Post-covid. That a factor? The disorientation we might feel from the profound disruption? 

I happen to be fortunate enough to have some financial resources. Enough that they might perhaps do some good. No one can predict the future. I often think we'll get a sudden shocking bulletin about the U of M-Morris. Might the place close for an indefinite time? Be closed while the institution is re-purposed in some dramatic way? 

Might the institution re-start with a clean slate and suddenly treat all of its charges/students equally? In other words, with no special eye for "who they are?" Maybe just admit them based on their potential for doing well in school and later in life. No "branding" of kids based on whatever - race, sexual orientation, you know what I mean. 

The new attitude would be associated with the once-standard ideal of the U.S. "melting pot." Academic people decided in the end they didn't like that. I would suggest it was because the concept is too simple. Didn't give them much to dissect and lecture us about. 

I'd even like to see Native Americans treated like everyone else. The status quo isn't based on a "treaty," is it? If it is, it is probably etched in stone. There's a big difference if it is not. If it is not, then I would suggest that the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action, wiping it out, would absolutely render the policy unacceptable. But academia is most often like a dark and foreboding forest. Like from a Grimm Fairy Tale. So who knows? 

But in all likelihood, some interesting back room discussions may be in the works. Not necessarily here but most likely in the Twin Cities. The latter is where the "big boys" meet. 

Let's weigh more the simple incompetence that can be manifested by people nowadays. I sometimes listen to KFI Radio of Los Angeles from the "iHeart" system. Tim Conway Jr. on his evening show said "there's just no follow-through these days." It stuck in my head. 

Last December I walked out to the UMM campus - I don't have a parking permit - and entered the Welcome Center. If nothing else you should get a warm welcome there. I had the impression that a "kid" was at the front desk. Where was Carolyn Peterson? Oh, the kid wasn't rude or anything like that. He didn't go the extra mile. 

I won't elaborate on my purpose for being there, except to say I had written out a 4-figure check. As a "community person" rather than UMM, I had failed to adequately weigh how the place slows down between semesters. 

I told the desk attendant I had something else to do and that I'd be back later. I walked downtown. I came back. I inquired again about seeing a particular individual. The individual at the time of my first visit was "on the phone." You know how that can go. I remember Jim Morrison telling me he was frustrated when Cullen's was in town: people were "always on the phone," he said. 

I made my second trip back to campus and this time got another little runaround. The individual who might have helped me was tied up again. No one else from that person's department was "in." It was "slow time." I might note that mid-December is when many people make decisions on charitable giving. I departed from the "Welcome Center" having struck out. 

My usual contact person there later contacted me. She coordinated what it was I wanted to do. I like (or have liked in the past) to help UMM as a means of keeping the memory of my late parents alive. This certainly is not for the sake of my own reputation. I have never felt comfortable around most members of this town's "intelligentsia" which is led by UMM. Although, the situation with that is better today than in past epochs of time. Much better, really. 

My December story is not done. My main contact tried arranging for a subsequent email to be sent to me. A receipt. She then tried to confirm that I got it. I had not gotten it. Ah, the gods who float around the U of M like at Mt. Olympus. Can be inscrutable. Eventually my main contact pushed the process to completion. Like pulling teeth. Zeus must have implored the god of bureaucracy. 

I'm not done with storytelling here.

Morris Area School Foundation

Am I really writing about the Morris Area School Foundation here, or am I writing about West Central Initiative (WCI)? Try dealing with one of these entities and you might be confounded. I tried submitting the tax ID number for the Foundation to a Morris bank and was told the number was for WCI. So I chose to assume one was as good as the other. A shrug, maybe. Make it a hail Mary. 

Just assume they are one and the same? I wish this could be spelled out better. 

Last December I contributed a check to the School Foundation and found I should write the check out to WCI. That's what I did. It was essential to include a note specifying that my aim was to help the Morris Area School Foundation. My receipt later did confirm that. Nice to see a basic trace of competence at some point. 

Now, when you seek to contribute $ for the benefit of the public school, you'll have a particular school program in mind, i.e. a priority. I really can't imagine contributing any other way. So I'm thinking music. I know MAHS music is aiming for a spring trip. I was told that I could in fact choose such a priority for my next $ gesture. Unfortunately it's not so simple. 

A sense of logic tells me the Foundation exists for the express purpose of accepting citizens' donations. I am now informed that if you really want to target things as with music, there is an alternative procedure. I just feel all this needs to be spelled out better for the innocent public. 

On Wednesday a very nice individual from the School Foundation, whose name I won't type here because of the generally negative tenor of my comments, drove out to my place to return a 4-figure check I had written. I got scissors and cut it up into little pieces. I had written it out to WCI. At first I was given the go-ahead to do it that way, then a meeting of some kind was held for elucidation, and a reversal was called for. 

 

Jeannie Maanum works in the district business office. She takes care of all the finances for the district. She mentioned that she takes donations frequently for teachers and she is able to issue a letter and receipt to the donor, so that the donor can receive the tax exemption. 

 

I would love to see the MAHS music department make its hoped-for trip to New Orleans in the spring. But now, "Mongo" (my alter ego) is in position to start all over. Imagine having a 4-figure check intended to benefit the school simply returned to you. We might be incredulous. But this is how life can be now. Not always the proper "follow-through" as Tim Conway Jr. would suggest. 

We tread water too often. We won't go the extra mile to consummate. 

However, the School Foundation person did go the extra mile to stop at my residence - credit where credit is due. I am still nowhere with my personal aspirations on this. And with UMM, I have various issues outside of simple incompetence or lethargy at the Welcome Center. Who would want to go in there again? 

I miss Carolyn. I talked to her when she was on a "TV screen" there once - just like on "Star Trek." 

I can't believe that a 4-year college that offers a music major can't have a band and/or choir at graduation. Am I just too old to appreciate these matters? And the UMM Homecoming concert this year included no current students. The concert used to be a big deal. Not only that, I seem to remember it was free. A friend told me there was a ten-dollar admission charge this year. I'm glad I didn't even go out there because I might have flown off the handle. 

You know, UMM wants everyone to just give more and more money. Here's the problem: In order to do that, you have to have a product. 

So, Homecoming was scheduled early for a particular reason? Did it have something to do with the football schedule? Well forget about football. Have a Homecoming soccer or volleyball match. Seriously. Football's stock is sinking all the time. St. Cloud State and Ridgewater-Willmar do not even have football anymore. Sheesh. 

The UMM campus

Have Homecoming when the music department can be prepared. But if music is now a no-show for graduation, can we ever assume it will make a zestful appearance? Ever? Is it dying? Is UMM dying? Or, is UMM as we've known it dying? The campus is too nice to abandon. 

I have theorized through the years that the campus would always need a music department, regardless of how else it functions. Now I'm wondering. A friend of mine accurately describes the HFA building as an "albatross" based on its design. My what an array of issues/problems are presented. And the "real" enrollment sans the online students and PSEO "kids" may be only about 500? 

 

Wash my hands here

Based on my problems in dealing with UMM and the public school foundation, maybe I ought to give money out of state to some institution where nobody knows me or has any opinions about me. How about the University of Idaho? U of Idaho has a music department named for Lionel Hampton. The late Jim Carlson would jump up and click his heels over that! So, that's good enough for me. 

I'm reluctant to give my money to an institution that chooses to give a paycheck to Sue Dieter, who in my opinion occupies a position best described as bureaucratic. 

Idaho? Wouldn't know a soul there. My kind of place. I bet they'd mail me a real nice T-shirt! 

Closing out, let me just say "Mongo just pawn in game of life." An inconsequential grain of sand on the beach.

The University of Idaho marching band. Very nice to have a marching band.
 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tennis shows winning flair vs. Benson/KMS

First of all, my thoughts on the Gophers vs. Northwestern football game of this past Saturday are on my "Morris Mojo" podcast. The link:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brian1610/episodes/Gophers-vs--Northwestern-football-e29otm9 

 

MACA/WCA won a hard-fought tennis dual over Benson/KMS 4-3. Benson as we speak is in the midst of dealing with their nickname/logo situation. Benson is seeking permission from Native American groups to continue with its "Braves" thing, complete with the symbol that has the feathers. 

Well, my reaction is that if Benson gets its way, then what was the purpose of the new state law? Benson has the standard disrespectful symbolism. Apologists for them might say they consulted with a Native American on logo design, to be properly respectful or whatever. 

Can't you see through that? If I'm the Native American who gets approached on this matter, in a patronizing manner, I am not going to want to throw cold water on it. I'd risk drawing some resentment. Because, the school might be forced into a nickname change and that would cost money. It costs more than you might think. 

I think Benson right now is in a game to see who blinks first. And by that I mean, if Benson just balks indefinitely, what happens? What kind of "enforcement?" Put the superintendent or school board chairman in jail? Well that would seem preposterous. But I don't know, we have a former president of the U.S. talking now that if he gets back in, we'll see executions of people, for example General Mark Milley. Treason. 

So our first reaction follows the pattern: "Oh that could never happen." Might we laugh? But as with all Trump things, time passes and then we slowly realize that the scariest scenario is going to happen after all. And so many of the most committed Christians are reluctant to ever counter Trump on anything. Is it time for all good people to begin roundly condemning the Christian faith? I would say "no" but that our attention should turn to the bastardized form of the faith, i.e. MAGA. Will the local Apostolic Christians ever start showing skepticism toward Trump? I'm tired of waiting. 

So my theory is that the Benson school will just delay with its Indian logo thing, "delay" being the Trump kind of tactic, and in the end the state will be forced to move in and spend state money to fix the situation. The Benson school administration will get a pat on the back for doing it this way. But what about the moral question of having held on to the nickname for so long? 

Does it always have to be about money? Well in 2023, I guess yes. 

Native Americans are not mascots.

 

Tigers 4, Benson/KMS 3

The No. 1 singles player for MACA/WCA in this win was Cate Kehoe. Cate wielded a winning racket. She turned back Elle Kletscher of Benson/KMS in a pretty hard-fought match. The outcome: 6-4, 6-4 for Cate. 

At No. 2 singles was my occasional server at DeToy's Restaurant in Morris, Chloe Zimmel. Chloe too had a winning racket. She was pretty dominant vs. Molly Jones with 6-3, 6-0 success. I'll have to congratulate Chloe this weekend. 

We didn't fare so well at No. 3 singles: Lilia Asmus was defeated by Ava Oakes 1-6, 3-6. Our fortunes slipped at No. 4 singles too: Ava Breuer fell vs. Tara Beyer 2-6, 3-6. 

Let's move on to doubles, and here we see Ashley Koehl and Nora Meek at No. 1. The Tiger pair downed Elise Duncan and Kya Oakes 6-0 and 6-3. At No. 2 the Tiger tandem was Izabell Hoffman and Grace Hauglie. The Tiger pair fell to Addi DeToy and Teagan Froelich, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 2-6. Our No. 3 team of Heidi Seales and Ellen Reed defeated Ella McGinty and Megan Anders, 7-5, 6-2.

Final thought

Benson athletic programs have appeared to show some weak areas over the past few years. Volleyball is really down at present. Maybe the school administration there should work harder on those matters than on clinging to a dated nickname/logo.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

The rain, the campus and other things

'Tis the kind of day that brings an expression you might find in Howard Mohr's classic book "How to Speak Minnesotan." I encountered the expression quite promptly first thing this morning. The expression is a question. I don't recall ever having been able to answer it. "Did you hear how much rain we got?" or "How much rain did you get?" 

In a sense I could answer the question by just saying "a heckuva lot," and my exact terminology might not be "heckuva." 

The Saturday night downpour had to be the most intense we in Morris have had in years. One thing I heard in my brief trip downtown for breakfast this morning is that our neighboring community of Hancock was largely spared. We got soaked in Motown. A check of the forecast later last night showed we're in for more of same now. 

It's the time of year to get one's furnace checked in preparation for you-know-what. I was astounded at the sheer length of last winter. Never again will I assume we'll get the reprieve in conditions for March and April. And that will be a downer to file away. Our high school softball season might last a mere one month. Hard to justify the expense of the "softball complex" in light of that. 

People like me with a newspaper writing background tend to be skeptical. It applies moreso to me because my formative years were during some real bad stuff. 

A newspaper writer knows to discard the public comments of so many officials who represent the big public institutions. My segue here is to the topic of UMM and how it is faring. I'm not sure it's even called "UMM" anymore. Such a fluid world we are in now. The fluidity is a downer all by itself. 

I have bent over backwards trying to put on a facade of feeling good about UMM. It is starting to become a headache. It is September and this time of year we get curious about UMM enrollment. All we want is the facts, those of us who might be described as stakeholders. I'm a stakeholder even if I never give another cent. And I may not. 

Remember the op-ed a few months ago by that older dude who represented something called the "Peach?" It was mighty therapeutic for a lot of us to read that. It articulated a lot of what so many of us have been thinking. Thinking but not saying? Why would we have inhibitions? Many Morris "lifers" are well aware that UMM has a rock-ribbed mission of pushing the "liberal arts." The emphasis to the exclusion of any modification has grated on many of us. 

Of course we want to support the institution because of what it means to our economy. I think the original pushers behind UMM coming here felt the essential survival of the community was at stake. We know the original pushers wanted nothing to do with a "junior college." I cannot understand why that was anathema. 

I think it was Vance Opperman - a well-known name although I can't cite his exact claim to fame - wrote that our campus would fit in better as a "state university." And I guess various big shots here including then-chancellor Sam Schuman had a conniption over that, had kittens or whatever. 

Remember when the state colleges sought a name change from "colleges" to "universities?" It seemed so superficial. It didn't appear they changed their functioning at all. They basically came right out and said the name change would help them market themselves better. Basically just prestige? As if that would fool anyone? 

Personally, I don't think Schuman ever got over the goalpost incident here. How could anyone? It happened in 2005. UMM got a lesson on how there are times for the reining-in of student behavior and shenanigans. My late mother said any time there was a dispute between a student and staff member at UMM, the institution bent over backward for the student. Within reason we can cut some slack for students. Within reason. 

Morris sure got its University branch. Important families like the Morrisons were happy and that was understandable. So many years ago. 

A friend told me just a few days ago that at present, the term "college" might actually be seen as desirable versus "university." 

There is an increased emphasis on the practical real world benefits of one's "higher education." One might think this always should have been elementary. UMM saw dividends in the raw liberal arts and there may have been a limited basis for that judgment, over a finite time. And I'll have to point out again that there is nothing inherently wrong with the liberal arts. But we must look at our changing world. It's a world now where just about all the knowledge in existence is at your fingertips with whatever "device" you have. 

Young people can so easily be self-starters to develop whatever knowledge they feel will be constructive for them. And yes they want to learn to produce something in our capitalistic economy. 

The guy who wrote the "Peach" thing came right out and suggested an alternative mission for our campus: be a "technology hub." 

Our UMM campus

As it stands, what are we doing now? In the interest of candor I will say that I shared with a friend the other day about how the UMM campus has been "a haven for aggrieved portions of the population." I mean like young people of color and gays. And of course Native Americans are a pillar here. Bless them and good luck to them but they don't pay tuition. And how much "Native American" do you have to be? Is it the "one drop" thing? I'm told you have to be a quarter. These things can get muddled? 

So are we serving Elizabeth Warren types? Are such folks mooching off us? I agree with much of what Ms. Warren says but she's a fraud if she got favors as a "purported" Native American. 

The late Mike Miller, UMM administrator, told me a long time ago that serious discussions were being had at UMM about whether the free tuition thing should even be supported. OK I give thumbs-down on that. 

What about the Supreme Court ruling nixing "affirmative action?" I laugh because I immediately realized that the clever people running colleges would find "end runs" around that. "Figures lie and liars figure." Jim McRoberts taught me that line. 

It was Donnie Eich who told me that all an education at UMM proves is that "you can read some books and then answer questions about them." Donnie was a tremendous supporter of UMM sports, even the more obscure teams, when his health was better. 

So, I'm a Watergate era writer who just searches for truth. You needn't be any sort of "crusader" to proclaim that aim, just embrace common sense and wisdom. In that vein I share below a portion of an email I received the other day from a friend who I have already quoted in this piece. If this friend is right, the wheels ought to be turning to seek a tweaked mission for our campus. I should say "beloved" campus. I have fallen out of that, and I won't say "sorry."

 

I talked to somebody recently about UMM enrollment, his wife works on campus. He said that even the stated enrollment of 1000 is inflated. That is everyone enrolled at UMM, and includes the students “attending” class online plus the PSEO students. According to him, actual on-campus students number around only 500.

 

Addendum: Another trait of Watergate era journalists: we enjoy the feeling of being "celebrities" as writers. It's an outdated feeling now, when anyone can find a platform for "mass communications." But it was an interesting feeling to have, back in the day. Journalists sped up the U.S. withdrawal from the Vietnam war. We sped up the exit of Nixon from the presidency. We sped up civil rights. What about Trump? Alas, we are in a new age.

 

Addendum #2: I quote again from the friend already quoted in this post. This is from a different email.

 

I remember when UMM was being promised, it was to be a regional 4-year school to accommodate area students who wanted a college experience without having to travel 100-150 miles from home. I wonder what Ed LaFave and the others that promoted UMM back in the day would think now. At the time (late '50s), Morris movers and shakers were presented with a choice: a branch of the U of M or a 3M plant? It was between us and Alexandria, Morris got the school and Alex got 3M.

 

My comment regarding above: My understanding is that the town's leaders were apprehensive about 3M coming here because of fear of unions. But as it turned out, government workers ended up thumping their chest with unions. The public school teachers became the most annoying. 

 

Addendum #3: The headline for this post is a takeoff on the famous song "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" recorded by the Cowsills in the 1960s. You might say it's their signature song.

 

The Tiger football game: loss at DGF

You may click on link below to check out my coverage of the Tigers' football game at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Friday. Tigers were dealt their first loss.

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2023/09/maca-football-has-first-2023-setback.html

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tigers fall to powerful BOLD team

The smart money was going to be on BOLD for Thursday night volleyball action. Of course we don't bet on such things. Let's say BOLD was the "bold" favorite. MACA volleyball is experiencing an uphill campaign in 2023. The Tigers hosted the Warriors at Tiger Center. 

"BOLD" is one of those school names I really don't care for. Like 'MACCRAY." It's a "political" creation meant to not offend anyone in the school's territory, however you define that territory. Boundaries are really not firm nowadays, are they? 

"MACCRAY" makes me think of crayfish! We can associate Bird Island with BOLD, Clara City with MACCRAY. I just happen to know that. Many people might be prompted to ask. But we live with school names such as BOLD and MACCRAY. And "West Central Area" even though that school does not cover all of West Central Minnesota. Morris purports to do quite well with that. 

Let's think of Barrett in connection with "West Central Area." Anything wrong with just saying "Barrett High School?" In a past time the outstate folks might make a clamor about a school name, and certainly the combination of outstate communities. I saw the emotions firsthand. Remember the "Cyrus Task Force?" All of that could have been handled more smoothly and professionally, sans controversy. But such was the nature of those times. 

The Cyrus Task Force ended up with more power than the Cyrus board intended. I guess that was partly thanks to us at the Morris newspaper! Time after time we'd run updates on the Task Force to the point where I joked it would get a front page headline if someone farted. And in the amazing conclusion to it all, the Task Force picked Hancock over Morris! 

That didn't last long. A corps of Hancock-oriented folks got spitting-nails mad. The deal was roundly struck down. Cyrus would have had the elementary school. Meaning, buses would have to deal with the somewhat substandard road that skirts Long Lake. And Hancock parents calling the elementary school would have to deal with "long distance" or so I heard. The public spectacle of it all was avoidable. 

There was a Cyrus-Hancock partnership in athletics for several years. But teams were still the "Owls." I had to deal with one very emotional parent from there on the newspaper staff! Amazing that was countenanced. Yes, Jim Morrison was right when he described himself as a "laissez-faire" manager or publisher of Morris paper. Working for a "family business" has its issues. And by that I mean, lines of authority are not always well-defined. I have a background of more than one job like this. I'll simply trot out an old favorite quote of mine: "Mongo just pawn in game of life." 

As I sit here today, I am an independent unattached journalist. It is Friday. The West Central Tribune website has details only on the BOLD players from Thursday night. BOLD swept the Tigers 25-12, 25-19 and 25-12. BOLD is riding high in volleyball, now with a 14-2 record. The Tigers languish at 5-8. 

Are y'all satisfied with our coach? Just asking. I don't know her. 

Since the BOLD highlights are right in front of me, let's go over them. Kenzie Visser and Alison Kadlec each had two serving aces. Layla Pfarr and Delaney Tersteeg each had one. In my sports reporting background, I have come across both "Tersteeg" and "Ver Steeg." A certain nationality? 

Pfarr was far and away the leader in set assists with 30. And Ady Knake was far and away tops in kills with her 16. Grace Tersteeg had four ace blocks and Tavia Clanton three. Delaney Tersteeg led in digs with 23. 

The West Central Tribune web article had "stats not available" for MACA. The WC Trib continues to errantly refer to us as "Morris/Chokio-Alberta." Sometimes it's "Morris/CA." It is clearly supposed to be "MACA" whether the Willmar paper approves of it or not.

I'm sure if our coach were to call in to the WC Trib, they'd accept it and take notes. Just takes a little effort. C'mon, let's get fired up. 

 

Update: It is almost noon Friday and some MACA highlights from the BOLD match have been posted by kmrs. Thanks. So we see that Brianna Marty had eleven kills for the Tigers, and eight digs. Kaylee Harstad produced eight kills and six digs. Mackenzie Konz added seven digs to the mix, and Ryla Koehler had 14 assists.

  

My blog post on the start-of-week volleyball action - matches vs. NL-Spicer and 'Waska - is on my companion site "Morris of Course." The Tigers beat 'Waska 3-2. You may click to read:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2023/09/maca-girls-fall-to-nl-spicer-defeat.html 

50 years come and gone

Wow! The passage of time is amazing but also something to celebrate. The Morris High School Class of 1973 gathered for the 50-year last weekend. I attended the Saturday portion. Below is from an email I sent to Judy Van Kempen-Soderholm soon after.

 

I want to compliment the organizers of the 50-year because it was done perfectly. Emphasis on informal socializing. Interesting how some grads changed not only in physical appearance but in the basic essence of how they carried themselves. You must have noticed this too. The turnout seemed good although some very well-known members of our class were not there.

So many fascinating personalities in our class, but I suppose all classes of "boomers" were like that. Today all the kids get so much special help with adjustment problems - behavior meds for example - I think it encourages a certain amount of "sameness" or blandness. No one is allowed to get out of line.

Again, great job with organizing the reunion - could not have been better.

 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

The 50-year reunion for Morris High '73

Word is, high school reunions are not the "thing" they once were. Not as popular, not as relevant. A reunion probably does not have to be relevant to anything. Forget it as a means of recollecting things. We can recollect to our heart's content anytime. Word is, the younger alumni of today will re-connect if they want to, using the magic of communications tech. They call it social media. 

My Morris High School Class of 1973 knew of nothing connected to the digital world. People might ask "How did you get by?" People my age will simply say "we just did." 

I remember my father going to his Glenwood High School Class of 1934 reunions. My generation had the lap of luxury compared to what he and his classmates dealt with. 1934: John Dillinger times. So my father had sheer frugality ingrained in him. Never unlearned it. Memorized prices at the grocery store. People of his generation would in many cases pass on that sensitivity to their children. So that might include me. 

People of my father's time learned to never throw anything away. They could take this to extremes. A sea change rolled along where the rapidly advancing tech called on us to regularly discard old generations of equipment and buy the newer, cutting-edge stuff. Then when we felt we were all settled in, change happened yet again! 

A case study: right now as I write this, I'm contemplating if it's time to switch to battery-powered equipment like a mower and even a snow-blower. No more dealing with gas and oil or carburetors that need cleaning periodically. But is battery the answer? Should I wait longer for new advancements? Maybe. 

The Morris High School Class of 1973 had its 50-year reunion over the weekend. I guess my orientation to this was pretty typical. A mesh of mixed thoughts. The high school chapter of one's life has become so remote. Seems almost a perverted sort of dream world. I mean, it was not real life. It was sort of a lab that our parents forced us into. We were too young to live a regular independent life. Or so we assumed. We weren't ready for complete independence, of course. 

We all have bitterness about certain aspects of when we grew up. You're a rare exception of you don't. As I have stated before, I hated how the system forced me to take steadily more "advanced" classes, a progression that left me with greatly diminished self-esteem. Crushed self-esteem, you might say. I have gone so far in the past as to say I wish I had been put in with the literal "retards" just so I could "survive" by any means possible until the age of 18 when I could be "freed" as if from prison. 

I had fully mastered reading, writing and arithmetic before the end of sixth grade. So I implore you to wonder: Aren't there any number of so-called "common" jobs a person might take on, simply with the mastery of those basics? If so, why not leave kids alone a little more, stop pushing them in such an uncomfortable way? What's it to you, Mr. Teacher, if I cannot master "geometry" or "physics" or so many other things? 

I took French and was bored to tears. Later on in life I learned that foreign language classes from that time in my life were really truly pointless. The kids who soldiered through the misery of those classes to get passing grades - even 'A' or 'B' - ended up with what? Nothing. They couldn't "speak French." They had been through myriad lessons on "conjugating verbs." Lots of painful mental gymnastics, which I guess is what high school is all about. 

I never questioned the value of grades K-6 where we had "mother hen" teachers - I mean that as a compliment - who had a sense of what was important. 

It turns out that the foreign language classes of my time were recognized for what they were, eventually. So on came the "immersion" approach which is the only effective one, if your goal is to actually learn to speak the language. My attitude was borne out as valid. 

Geometry? Again I failed to see the point. 

To this day I have my "multiplication tables" memorized. That's thanks to elementary school. I also learned cursive handwriting in the second grade. I mean, so as to be able to communicate in writing. Today the kids learn only how to print? As opposed to cursive? People of the U.S. Civil War era wrote not only cursive, they employed a style that could be downright flowery, even the army generals. 

I don't understand printing as the only approach because it's too slow. Heaven help me and others trying to take notes in a college class by printing as opposed to cursive. But I don't think college classes are near as hard as they once were. The reason is simple: the young population is so much less than when my boomer generation was coming up. There was no issue for the big state colleges of my day attracting enough students. We could flood those places. Instructors could make their classes unpleasant and get away with it. 

Today it appears colleges are practically groveling at the feet of young people to get them to come. Think the teachers would strive to impose unpleasantness under these circumstances? 

Kids graduating high school today are far less likely to even think in terms of college, and the colleges know that. And of course the expense of college, the $ debt acquired, is a huge disincentive. So girls might hook up with wealthy older men as "sugar babies." That is what it has come to. 

 

It comes from somewhere

High school education always reflects what the elders of a society seem to want for the children. The boomers' fathers had experienced World War II and for many, it was a life-defining experience for them. In a perverse way they might have seen it as a valuable thing. "Learn to follow instructions" by being in the military. Some of our elders seemed to worship this attitude. Of course if they got their higher education because of the G.I. Bill, then you couldn't blame them, really. 

I say "perverse" because war is nothing but horrific. Did the boomers' fathers sit idly through Vietnam without uttering words of protest, because they saw the war as analogous to WWII? Fighting evil? That's how war is always sold. 

Talk about a life-defining experience: that's what Vietnam was for my generation. We had to consider the "two sides." And if you were a war skeptic, you risked being labeled a communist or hippie or whatever. Today the U.S. has favorable relations with the same people we were fighting in Vietnam. Almost seamlessly we all came to accept the new attitude. The U.S. lost the war. It becomes little more than a footnote. 

The number of direct U.S. fatalities from the war was about 58,000. If I'm off by about a thousand, it's no big deal, right? What's an extra thousand lost lives? We don't get to hear from the dead. Instead we hear from the survivors, many if not most of whom saw no direct combat. They'll speak for Memorial Day. 

The older I get, the more I view holidays like Memorial Day and Veterans Day as being jingoistic. Out of respect to today's young Asian Americans, let's tone down all the talk about WWII. War is barbaric. It is nothing but a last resort. 

So I'm going off on this tangent because I think the unpleasantness of school life for my generation had a lot to do with older Americans' views about international friction. Always be ready for "the next war." Get the young males to really accept discipline. Make high school courses miserable for the kids because the U.S. was under pressure to "beat the Russians" or "beat the communists" in the Cold War. 

"Communism" is the big boogeyman that has always been looming. I think that is largely because of today's Republicans being so godawful scared of any redistribution of wealth. But it is getting ridiculous: 400 people possess 70 percent of the wealth in America. The vested interests work to protect the model that has made it so. But I don't think our public schools should be set up to accommodate it. 

 

On a cheerful note

Did I enjoy attending the 50-year reunion for my Morris High School Class of 1973 on Saturday? Well yes I did. I missed the Friday portion and I regret that. Why do some people only attend on Friday? People have lots of excuses, I guess connected to our harried lives. Our lives will not be so harried for our 60th. Knock on wood.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Brianna Marty performs 13 kills in 9/12 win

The MACA volleyball Tigers needed some time to summon some winning form in this young season. The season began with three losses which were at the hands of BOLD, West Central Area and Sauk Centre. The ship got righted with a 3-1 win over Benson on Sept. 7. Fans at Tiger Center enjoyed. Alas the Benson team is still known as "Braves."

Success came by sweep in the Sept. 12 home match against Montevideo. More cheers. 

The team's fortunes sagged most recently in a 0-3 loss to Melrose at Melrose. Now the team is hoping to regroup for a Monday match at New London-Spicer. On the next night they'll host Minnewaska Area. 

The Tigers worked in a tournament commitment amid the recent duals. That commitment was hosted by Lakeview on Saturday, Sept. 9. The Tigers fared at .500. We defeated Ortonville and Lac qui Parle, both by sweep 2-0. We came out on the short end against New London-Spicer and Minnewaska (0-2 vs. both). 

Let's focus on the Tigers' sweep over Montevideo, scores of 25-17, 29-27 and 25-12. Brianna Marty was a standout with her 13 kills and 12 digs. The kmrs site summary reports that "Kaylee Harstad had nine while Lauren Hottovy tallied 19 digs with four aces." I'm sorry but I cannot conclude firmly from that sentence. Nine what? Digs? Also: "19 digs with four aces?" Is there such a thing as "aces" when it comes to digs? If I assume anything wrong from a sentence like that I'll look like a dope. And I could get called out. 

The kmrs site article is very brief. It does make clear that Nora Boyle and Ryla Koehler had 18 and 13 assists respectively. Thank you. I wrote far more informative summaries when I was at the Morris newspaper. 

KMRS reported that Monte came out of the night at 1-9, so a struggling season for the Thunder Hawks. I wish the West Central Tribune summary online had included MACA stat highlights. Instead we read "stats not available" for MACA. Shoot. 

The WC Tribune does thoroughly report the Montevideo stats. Let's have a little fun with that. Avery Williams had two serving aces for the T-Hawks, followed by Taya Weber and Maren Nelson each with one. Addie Olson was Monte's go-to setter and she performed 21 assists. Then in hitting, Williams and Nelson were the big forces with eight and six kills respectively. Emmie Koenen had two kills while these T-Hawks each had one: Madison Picht, Teagan Epema and Jessa Norby. 

Koenen was the force in ace blocks with her five. Picht and Olson each had two ace blocks and Nelson one. Epema dug up the ball ten times to lead. Nelson performed nine digs and Williams five. 

The Tigers fell 0-3 to the Sauk Centre Streeters on Tuesday, Sept. 9. It was a sweep for the Streeters at Tiger Center, scores of 25-19, 25-12 and 25-19. Haley Kill pounded down eleven kills for the Tigers. Nora Boyle performed ten assists. Ryla Koehler's assist total was eight. And in digs, Lauren Hottovy was busy with her 23. Brianna Marty went up to perform three blocks. Sauk Centre built its record to 5-2.

Cross country

MACA cross country continues its season in busy fashion. The assignment was to visit Long Prairie-Grey Eagle on Monday. There, Hailey Werk arrived at the finish chute No. 12. Kendal Fischer arrived at the chute 18th. Our girls team was No. 8. West Central Area had the champion girls team. The top individual was Minnewaska's Lauren Ankeny. Her Lakers were runner-up. 

Our boys team was led by Carlos Rivera who was 71st. The Tigers placed 13th. 

MACA cross country was represented in the Mark Alcorn meet held in Holdingford. The action last Thursday had Hailey Werk place 14th. Our girls team was No. 8. Kendal Fischer had a 22nd place showing. Anya Fehr placed 36th. 

Our boys team is struggling to show some momentum. The MACA boys were tenth among eleven teams. We were led by Truett Richardson in 40th place. Ethan Koehler placed 51st and Grady Stallman 54th.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

No change w/ Benson and its Native imagery

No capitulation to the law in Benson

It dawned on me the other morning, I should check and see what's up with the Benson High School nickname and logo these days. I thought surely they would be suppressing the old stuff. Even if a formal change had not been acted upon, maybe they'd be going without a sports nickname for a time. Remember "The Washington Football Team" that tided things over? 

Washington held on to its old name for too long. You might say University of North Dakota did too. There was so much kicking and screaming over the adjustment that was inevitable at UND. There was a school president last name of Kupchella who fought hard against the winds of change, as I recall. I exchanged emails with an op-ed writer who was connected to UND, and this individual responded by saying in part, "Kupchella is hopeless." You might say there was no long-term hope in what the entrenched defenders of the old name were advocating. 

And I might add an even more salient point: Why are school sports team nicknames important in the first place? Why are they needed at all? Don't they seem a little, well, juvenile? 

A UND team was once heckled at an opponent's venue with the chant "smallpox blankets." It should not surprise you that the sport was hockey. Well, hockey people can be a little coarse. If you aren't familiar with the background of the chant, I don't really care to explain here. But it's probably exhibit 'A' for understanding why the old nicknames can no longer be permitted. 

So has Benson High School at least toned things down? Well, no. I really thought they might have taken some cursory steps. It appears no. So the school is clearly tone-deaf. 

As the years have dragged on, I have wondered why Benson was given sort of a pass. Is it because we're so remote out here in Western Minnesota? Surely the school leaders knew some time ago that the hammer was going to come down. If the new laws which have proliferated throughout the states are not meant to apply to what Benson does, then where would they apply? 

Benson has done the boilerplate thing with the old Native American theme. Yes they did consult with one or two Natives along the way, so they feel this gives them an imprimatur. One or two Natives who think it's no big deal should not win the day. 

How can this argument be boiled down? Well I would do it as follows: Native Americans are not mascots. They are human beings like everyone else. Public school administrators should realize this more than anyone. 

Shock at still seeing this

So why the foot-dragging? We can understand why school districts are reluctant to spend extra money when they don't really have to. The administration might reason that even if the nickname and imagery are not totally benign, we can live with it. Just watch everyone's behavior to make sure no disrespectful taunts break out - stuff like that. No Indian headdresses, for sure. No "tomahawk chop." 

I once wrote about the Tomahawk Conference in Minnesota. Has that name been pushed aside? 

The Minnesota "Indian war" of 1862 was a very serious thing. Today we move forward with our rainbow of ethnicities. We are dispensing of old stereotypes. 

Maybe we can still have fun with one or two stereotypes attached to Scandinavians. Big difference with that, though: Scandinavians have never been an aggrieved group in the Upper Midwest. The fun-poking (and exaggeration) of the movie "Fargo" was benign. Actually it was a pretty distasteful movie just with its content. Ah, Hollywood. 

Hollywood of course trampled on us with Indian stereotypes through most of its history. The progressive forces of today are irresistible. It's like having to put on your seat belt. People my age went through great frustration with this. Never mind, just do it. So we must shatter, forget about any of the Hollywood stereotypes attached to Native Americans. 

The story of the Little Bighorn has evolved to where the two sides are now seen as moral equivalents. I remember an op-ed once by someone who was shocked at how the "Crazy Horse Monument" was altering the whole discussion to whether Indians might be seen as rather "the good guys." Today I don't think anyone is shocked by the mere suggestion of that. The battlefield site was once named for Custer with the implication that it was he who needed to be memorialized. Today the "Little Bighorn Battlefield" is used. 

A field guide out there says "this history belongs to all of us." Many of the U.S. soldiers were young Irish immigrants who gravitated to the military because their options were limited. There was discrimination against Irish people. And of course the soldiers were out there on directions from the U.S. government. You might say everyone was a victim. 

Crazy Horse monument

And as the Native narrator in the movie "Son of the Morning Star" said as an epilogue: "It wasn't Custer's last stand, it was ours." The Indians went on to freeze or starve after that. 

Most likely the "last stand" story was myth. No one survived to verify. Forensic research on the battlefield has shown that Custer's unit fell into disarray at the end. Soldiers sought to flee and in vain. Human nature would not allow you to simply sit there and keep firing your gun, when you know this would make your adversary just more pissed off. In the late stages it was obvious the soldiers were going to be overrun.

Little Bighorn became one of the most studied military engagements in history. And had Custer simply waited longer for General Terry and his forces, the whole matter would have been handled more routinely even if sadly for the Natives who were being forced out of their lifestyle. 

A "primitive" lifestyle? Well, that's a judgment. I had an anthropology professor once who would argue we should make no such judgments. 

But the State of Minnesota is making a clear judgment now. It has drawn a line in the sand with regard to high school team logos and imagery. So "it's the law." With an asterisk actually. The new law leaves the door open for the famous Donald Trump strategy of "delay and appeal." So that's what Benson High School is doing. 

In the case of Trump, he might be able to come back as president because of how his lawyers draw things up. We cheered for the dinosaur that ate the lawyer in the original "Jurassic Park" movie. "Weird Al Yankovic" took inspiration for this in song lyrics. "Dinosaurs aren't all bad." 

So I wonder if Benson has its own lawyers hard at work, the usual suspects wearing suits and ties of course. They like getting in front of TV cameras. 

So Benson High School is availing itself of an appeal process. But here's what disappoints me: Could Benson appreciate at least the spirit of the law for now? Get rid of the cotton pickin' feather, because that is precisely the kind of symbol the legal measures are meant to wipe away. Get rid of the old Hollywood-inspired imagery. We are in the year 2023. 

District 777 which is Benson will submit a request to the state's eleven Native American tribes and the Tribal Nation's Education Committee requesting an exemption allowing Benson Public Schools to continue to use the Braves name and logo. The Benson school board recently voted "unanimously" to submit the letter. 

Well, all I can say is this: If these Native American entities actually do approve an exemption for Benson, it's just because they are in the mood to be "nice." I'm not good at predictions but I predict that Benson will be denied. If they are not, then what is the purpose of the law? Again, "Indians are not mascots." 

I wonder what my old friend the late Mike Miller of UMM would say about this. 

If you feel that Indians as mascots is immoral on the face of it, then you might wonder why Benson has not been pro-active from the get-go, regardless of any law being passed. That's sort of where my mind is at.

Just no subtlety at all at Benson High School. Well, we'll see.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tigers host Thief River Falls, win 40-21

The MACA pep band, directed by Wanda Dagen.

An email from a friend this morning (Saturday):

  

I saw you last night in the first quarter, lurking by the RFC wall. But you didn’t stay long. We left at the break between 3rd and 4th quarters – our backs and butts can’t take those bleachers any longer than that. While listening to the game on the car radio on the way home, Torgy was commenting on an attempted field goal by the TRF kicker – 44 yards! And he almost made it – the ball hit the crossbar and double-doinked, only to fall back toward the field. Torgy wondered if the failure was due to the Superior-made goal posts, where the crossbar is square steel instead of round (apparently made that way so that the goal posts can be easily changed from college to high school width). According to Torgy, the goal posts are also much more sturdy than the other style, and can’t be torn down, and then he made a cryptic comment referring “to those familiar with local history.”

 

I'm always pleased to be a "lurker." I miss seeing the late Sean Cady up there. Back when Big Cat first opened, fans were discouraged from standing there.

Traveled "a fur piece"

My old neighbor Les Lindor once wondered why high school sports teams had so many opponents from so far away. A wise man, Les was. Was chairman of our school board. He has gone to his reward. Engineering was his thing. 

Well, our Morris football team did not have to travel on Friday, but our opponent sure did. We hosted the "Prowlers" of Thief River Falls. Thief River Falls! Take a look at the Minnesota map. Imagine driving home to Thief River Falls after the game. Could be a safety risk with getting drowsy at the wheel, eh? But life goes on with high school sports as it is. And that does require a fair amount of travel at times. 

The MACA home opener was last night (Friday) against those Prowlers. I walked from my residence on north end of town to check it out. I like to see how big a spectacle it is. You might say Big Cat is a nice example of the kind of shrines we erect to football. 

The sport is dangerous for all the boys who play it. Some people would tire of me saying this. They might depart from this post right now. They'd say the game was such a wonderful example of civic spirit to showcase Morris. I don't claim these games do not have this type of benefit. I'm only expressing concern about the safety of the young men, the risk posed from the sub-concussive hits. 

I feel better having expressed this concern once again. It's your choice whether or not to heed me. 

I will be sharing here the more standard type of game review. Our school board continues sponsoring the sport of football so I guess I must respect that. You can't fight city hall or the school district. Big Cat is a shrine while the stage at East Side Park, built to accommodate the humanities, sits there as nothing more than a boondoggle. Shows what we value, right? 

A home game might be the most impressive spectacle we see in Morris all year. Civic boosters would smile. I hope none of the boys get hurt seriously. 

So we saw Thief River Falls drawing first blood Friday. It was not an indicator of things to come. The Prowlers struck with a big 46-yard pass. The extra point kick was true. So the score is 7-0. 

I remember thinking that the Thief River Falls players looked small of stature. So it didn't surprise me that the Tigers took control of the game. I checked the population for Thief River Falls and it's about 8700, about what I expected. Their football team packs less of a punch than what I would have expected. Do the boys there weigh priorities other than football, more than here? Just a question. 

 

Tigers take control

There are three MACA touchdowns to review for the second quarter. The tone of the game was truly set. First it was Drew Huebner passing for six to Derek Waldbeser, a big 55-yard hookup. The extra point try was no good. 

Our next two scores were via the run. Owen Anderson broke loose on a 29-yard run for six. Again our extra point try was off the mark. 

Then Huebner got into the end zone from the five. The Tigers made up for the previous extra point failures, sort of, with a two-point conversion pass from Huebner to Jackson Hallman. 

We're up 20-7 for halftime. I salivated a little looking at the burger baskets that were being served. Next time I might bring eight bucks.

Other media

I write this on Saturday morning after first discovering there was no media coverage from the places that would be prime candidates. One of these is the kmrs website. This site is so superior to the newspaper website, it hardly bears mentioning. The paper does not present its site as a real news service at all. We're supposed to "buy" the paper which only comes out once a week. 

As of today the paper has still not shared coverage of the season opener vs. Minnewaska. The coverage will be so late, why bother at all? Does this business merit your financial support even? 

Alas, the radio station site had no coverage as of Saturday morning. Fortunately I picked up some details from another web source. Thank goodness for the existence of that source, apparently non-local, but our coaching staff took the trouble to submit game info there. Thanks tons. 

Last Tuesday I wrote about local media timeliness issues for my companion blog "Morris of Course." You may click to read:

https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2023/09/no-current-newspaper-coverage-of-waska.html 

 

The second half story

Thief River Falls scored its second touchdown to open the second half scoring. This TD was a five-yard run followed by the extra point. 

The Tigers' Waldbeser clutched the football on a scoring run from the two. Our conversion try went awry. 

On to the fourth quarter. With the situation well in hand, the Tigers added insurance points, first with a one-yard run by the QB Huebner. Our extra point kick was good by Riley Saito. This is the first time I have typed Mr. Saito's name. 

Owen Anderson scored on a six-yard run, followed by another successful Saito kick. Thief River Falls scored on a one-yard run followed by a good extra point, making the final score 40-21. Must have been an exhilarated mood among the orange and black partisans.

The statistics

Always nice to have statistics to report. A person who works for the newspaper could be doing what I am doing now. And that person gets paid! Strange world in which we live. But if I worked for the paper still, no way could I incorporate my thoughts about the dangers of football. I could be endangering civic pride, which the media companies exist to prop up, n'est-ce pas? I can only write what I feel is the truth. 

Our quarterback Drew Huebner was effective and efficient in passing the football. He had nine completions in 13 attempts for 210 yards, one touchdown, one interception. 

Owen Anderson was our top ballcarrier. Owen had 13 carries for 79 yards and two TDs. Huebner had eight carries for 22 yards and also scored two TDs. Waldbeser had two carries for 15 yards and crossed the end zone stripe once. Andrew Marty had one carry, eleven yards. 

The Tigers had five members make pass receptions. This list is led by Waldbeser with four catches, 135 yards and one touchdown. Riley Asmus had two catches for 31 yards. Jackson Hallman, Marty and Anderson each had one catch. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Anderson had a sack. Alexander Sperr had two punt returns for 18 yards. He returned a kick for 18 yards. Grayson Gibson had three kick returns for 66 yards. Jack Kehoe was our punter and applied this specialty only once for 36 yards.

Hanging in there

It really truly is a pleasure for yours truly to be continuing to share in a media kind of way about Morris school activities. My background with this goes all the way back to 1972 when I wrote about Tiger football for Morris Sun-Tribune editor Arnold Thompson. 

My 50-year high school reunion is coming up next weekend: MHS Class of '73. 

I ended my newspaper involvement in 2006 on an unhappy note, then I resumed in 2010 with online-only coverage of the Tigers. This way I could experience Big Cat Stadium from a media perspective. Back in 2010 many photographers were still using film cameras. That's what I did. I posted photos on "Flickr." Film faded into obsolescence very rapidly. 

Taking pictures is not even a specialty today. People have their cellphones all over the place. That's great. It's nothing but progress. 

Will the sport of football hang on through all the discouraging attention that comes forth from today's media? I mean, it's all really science - I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. I am in fact trying to enlighten people. Really it's total positivity. I am blessed to have never played the game. Boys could play volleyball like the girls.

Here's a pep band photo that shows director Ms. Dagen more up-close. She is a very dynamic and talented person. And "orange" spells school spirit! (Del Sarlette photo)

 

Addendum: The top story on the Stevens County Times site as I publish this is: about UMM golf? Like that's a really big deal for area residents? You click on the link and it just takes you to a page from UMM's own site. Maybe UMM should try to steer everyone to the actual UMM site in the first place. Tell the newspaper to take a hike.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com