Of the 45 members of the class of 1977, 17 reunited at Neisen’s near St. Peter on November 19.
They were, front row: Teresa (Meyer) Baker, Terri (Hobson) Horn, Crystal (Olson) Janzen, LeAnn (Zimmerman) Sexe, Jeanne (Lyons) Queen and Patricia (Rohlfing) Stocker. Back row: Michael Baker, Shannon (McCabe) Baker, Carolyn (Schmidt) Penning, Scott Tolzmann, Roxanne (Kletschka) Tolzmann, Mark Hankins, Thomas Hobson, Michael Miller, Michael Germscheid, Gerald Flowers and Jerome Schmidt.
Other members of the class of ’77 were Jeanette Anderson, Tim Derner, Paul Dickie*, Mary Jo Bender, Becky Bennett, Cheri Biehn, Debbie Gish*, John Christenson, Tom Corrow*, Bill Heitner, Susan Davis, Larry Hoppe, Diane Krenik, Rick Lloyd, Curt Perkins, Karil Perkins, Gerard McCabe*, Theresa Quiram, Peggy McCabe, Jolene Richter, Lester Roemhildt, Dwight Traxler*, Susan (Rohlfing) McCabe*, Jim Wade, Julie Schleeve, Mark Zimmerman, Suzi Struck and Tim Thieman (*indicates deceased).
Richter was homecoming queen. Candidates were Peggy McCabe and Shannon McCabe. Tolzmann was homecoming king. Candidates were Derner and Germschied.
The comedy “Gramercy Ghost” was the all-school play. Christensen played the ghost. Tom Hobson, Krenik, Tolzmann, Mike Baker, Cindy Schmidt and Shannon McCabe also acted in it. The Argonaut was the school newspaper. Terri Hobson was its Editor in Chief.
Glen O’Connor’s football team had an “inglorious” 0-9 record. Derner and Christensen were its captains. Christensen was out with an injury for all but one game. Other seniors included Hoppe, Tolzmann, Hobson, Corrow, Dickie, Miller, Perkins and Roemhildt.
Nancy Hanson’s volleyball team had a successful 7-3 season. Seniors on the team were Susan Rohlfing, Struck, Peggy McCabe and Olson.
Mike Harrington’s boys basketball ended the season 5-16. Seniors on the team were Roemhildt, Perkins, Tolzmann and Hobson.
Hanson’s girl cagers finished the season 11-8 and were second in the Valley Conference. Struck, Rohlfing, Olson and Gish were the seniors on the team.
Ken Schmdit’s baseball team was 7-7. Tolzmann, Corrow, Hoppe and Perkins were seniors on the team.
Derner was student body president. Tolzmann earned the Androli award. Krenik won the Best Thespian and Best Chorister awards. Terri Hobson won the school's Voice of Democracy contest and placed second at the state level.
Delmar Klundt was school superintendent while Larry Corrow was high school principal and Mel Goede was grade school principal. Board members were Nancy Krenik, Donald Ponwith, Dale Lloyd, Bill Hankins, Francis Zimmerman and Ken Koppelman.
After 27 years, it was Elaine Block’s last year as special ed teacher. Other educators were Virginia Grabow (librarian), Karla Richardson, Cindy Williams and Joyce Dornquast (English, speech, history), Gary Jordahl, Larry Johansson, Larry Hohnstadt and Schmidt (science and math), Geraldine Davis (business), Margie Cooney (home economics), Dorothy Baker (choir), Hanson and Harrington (PE and health), O’Connor and Jim Rusch (history and geography), Pat Kortuem (industrial arts) and Charles Dodson (band).
Bus drivers were Leroy McCollum, Elwin Sohm, Audrey Gibbs, Gary Haase, Josephine Schmidt and Art Vail. Secretaries were Anna Hardy and Marilyn Schmidt. Custodians were Barney Wendelschafer, Tony Beer and Elmer Oldenkamp.
Lorna Quiram taught remedial reading. David Doft was a shared social worker. Cooks were Mary Ann Heitner, Lorraine Struck, Esther Regenscheid and Gladys Grice.
Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” was the top song in May. You could listen to it on KSTP or WDGY.
Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand
With an equal opportunity
For all to sing, dance and clap their hands
Boxing movies were popular. “The Greatest,” the Muhammad Ali story, was the top film when the class graduated. “Rocky” was on tops for most of the rest of the year. “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “Three’s Company” were the most watched on television.
Students spent their free time at the Kato Ballroom, at the St. Peter Hardees, in the poolroom behind Zabel’s barbershop or at Zimmerman’s Skelly gas station a half a block up the street. Mark Zimmerman worked on his 340 Duster there. You could talk to your friends on CB radios.
On the national scene. Gerald Ford was duking it out with Jimmy Carter to keep his presidency.
(Reunion photo courtesy of Jeanne Queen).
Homecoming royalty Jolene Richter and Scott Tolzmann.