Was the Morris High School Class of 1973 special? Of course every graduating class of our school is special. Each one had/has its own distinct qualities with distinct experiences in the growing-up years. Can kids today even relate to the fears of boys back in the day? The fear of being drafted and sent to Vietnam? I think the worst of that was over by the time we actually reached graduation day of 1973. Not that Southeast Asia conflict was over, mind you. The fall of Saigon happened in 1975. Man is such a fallible creature.
Today our democratized media exposes us to all kinds of absurdities in the human condition. Perhaps I'm alluding to our national government leadership. But there's nothing like the angst of fearing the military draft during Vietnam. We continue to pay the price for that war even today. Many men who survived it were never the same. The most offending politician was Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat. How? Why?
But the Morris High School Class of '73 concluded its high school journey with a decent amount of pride and resolution for the future.
I met up with one of my classmates recently for a graduation reception. This was in my neighborhood of Northridge Drive. Craig Murphy and I sat together at this wonderful event. I told the father of the grad how Craig and I had completed high school together. And then without missing a beat I asked Craig to recite the class motto of the Class of '73. I knew he'd have this at the tip of his tongue. He recited: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."
Pretty edgy, eh? It was a trait of baby boomers back in the day to be edgy, unconventional. Well, even boat-rocking. You had to be there? Maybe.
The boomers were so plentiful. We saw the rapid growth of state colleges because of us. And now look what's happening: St. Cloud State will be tearing down about half its campus. Of course they still need the money to do this. And they're trying to get it from their usual donors. How discouraging: donating $ to tear down a campus they supposedly love. But the leadership there has made it clear: the old "glory days" are not coming back.
Today our high school is "Morris Area High School" and we're joined in athletics by Chokio-Alberta. A very nice arrangement. I had the pleasure of attending the recent C-A graduation at the Chokio building. For so many years I covered the C-A graduation for the Morris newspaper when the event used the Alberta building. Same with Homecoming coronation and pep fest and basketball. Bleachers on just one side of the gym. But remember: for a big part of Morris school history, bleachers were pulled out on only one side for GIRLS basketball. And that actually surprised me considering that Morris with its UMM fashioned itself as such a progressive place. Chalk it up as a mystery.
The MHS Class of '73 is up in years and our ranks are getting thinned by the toll of time and the inevitability of death. We can report that recently we have lost Helen Loher and Sue Sullivan. RIP re. both. I didn't know Sue back in the day. I knew Helen somewhat. Eventually we retreat into the mists of time.
Edie Martin spoke for us at graduation: "Don't be a milquetoast!"
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com
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