When the Cleveland Class of 1973 graduated, Secretariet started on the path to a Triple Crown, NASA launched Skylab, and the Watergate hearings dominated daytime TV.
“The Poseidon Adventure” and “High Plain’s Drifter” were among the top movies, and the Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein,” Paul McCartney and Wings’ “My Love” and Elton John’s “Daniel” topped the Billboard 100.
Clothing had colorful patterns. Bell-bottom pants and earth shoes were popular. Girls wore their hair long and parted in the middle, while mutton chop sideburns were popular with boys.
A small but enthusiastic group of the class of 1973 and spouses attended its 50th reunion on August 5 and 6. It included, from L-R, front row: David Conner, Deb (Struck) Gehrke, Pat Meyer, Steve Alinder and Howard Baker. Back row: Rebecca Krenik, Donna (Jewison) Hewitt, Jim Kluntz, Diane (Germscheid) Van Sickle, Russ McCabe and Dave Rohlfing.
Other members of the class were Dean Ballman, Cindy Biehn, Karen Derner, Donna Flowers, Jerry Harty, Betty Hoffman, Terry Kranz, Norm Lloyd, Ann McCabe, Paul McCabe*, Dan Olson, Tim Page*, Mike Palmquist, Gary Perkins, Bruce Ponwith*, Raymond Rodriquez, Robert Rohlfing, Randy Schleeve, Paul Schulz*, Winslow Schultz and Julie Smith. (*Indicates deceased; long-time classmates Jack Harmon, Steve Christensen and Pam Duckett are also deceased.)
Friday night reminiscing
On Friday night, class members met at Lake Washington County Park, where they sat around a campfire and reminisced.
Lloyd was class president and homecoming king. Struck was the homecoming queen. The football team went 6-3, the basketball team went 2-6, and the baseball team was 0.500. Title nine had not gone into effect; girls had no organized sports and were relegated to cheerleading.
Lloyd was named to the All-Conference team in football, basketball and baseball and was the Valley’s football MVP. Olson was also an All-Conference football player. Page was the baseball team's MVP.
Larry Corrow was the high school principal, and Wallace Davidson was superintendent. The “Cle-Hi Chatter” was the student newsletter. The farce “Charley’s Aunt” was the senior class play with ‘Brazil: where the nuts come from’ its quotable line. Prom evening began at the Happy Chef. The dance in the gym had a garden motif, complete with a goldfish pond, bridge and fountain.
Robert Rohlfing took home the Best Musician award while Struck was named the Best Chorister. Hoffman baked her way to the Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow award. Connor was named the Outstanding Science Student.
Lloyd won the Androli Award. Honor graduates were Connor, Struck, Germscheid, Jewison, Krenik, Robert Rohlfing and Ann McCabe. Germscheid gave the honor’s address.
Saturday school tour and dinner
The following Saturday afternoon, Greg Davis (CHS 1967) gave an informative tour of the school’s new and 1991 school additions and the sections that existed back in 1973 as well. The group was impressed with how the facilities have expanded and changed.
After the tour, class members attended a social hour and dinner at Kokomo’s Bar and Grill in Cleveland. During the evening, they reminisced again, this time with memories triggered by photos and memorabilia displayed on several tables.
Later, Alinder gave the class members a “pop quiz” on Cleveland trivia. Questions included: What was the price of a California Burger at Morson’s Café ($0.75)? What, didn’t you get at Hobson’s Cafe with your hamburger (a bun; it came on bread)? And what was the name of the candy bar school bus drivers gave you, as you got off the bus for Christmas vacation (Nut Goodie)? Kluntz was the winner of the contest and received the door prize.
Krenik, Jewison Hewitt, Russ McCabe and Alinder organized the reunion.
Information and group photo contributed by Steve Alinder.
The class of 1973: from L-R, front row: Donna Jewison, Cindy Biehn, Ann McCabe, Dianne Germscheid, Karen Derner, Donna Flowers, Rebecca Krenik and Betty Hoffman. Second row: Winslow Schultz, Dave Rohlfing, Dan Olson, Gary Perkins, Howard Baker, Terry Kranz, Debbie Struck and Robert Rohlfing Row 3: Jerry Harty, Paul Schulz, Steve Alinder, Tim Page, Julie Smith, Raymond Rodriquez, Russ McCabe and Dean Ballman. Back row: Jim Kluntz, David Connor, Randy Schleeve, Paul McCabe, Pat Meyer, Norm Lloyd, Bruce Ponwith and Mike Palmquist.
Debbie Struck was the homecoming queen while Norman Lloyd was the homecoming king. Around them are candidates Dan Olson, Becky Krenik, second grade attendants Marti Blaschko and Kim Wendelschafer and candidates Diane Germscheid and Russ McCabe. The Clippers beat St. Clair 26-6 in the homecoming football game.
Senior gridders were, from L-R, front row: Howard Baker, Winslow Shultz, Jerry Harty and Dan Olson. Back row: Norman Lloyd, Russ McCabe, Bruce Ponwith, Pat Meyer and Tim Page. Besides St. Clair, the Clippers beat Morristown, Henderson, Wellcome Memorial, Minnesota Lake and Waldorf-Pemberton but lost to Amboy, Nicollet and Mankato Wilson. Lloyd and Olson were named to the All-Conference team, and Lloyd was the conference MVP.
Football coach Glen O’Connor and assistant coach Jim Rusch.
Superintendent Wallace Davidson, high school principal Larry Corrow and elementary principal Mel Goede kept the students and school system in line.
School Board members were Wallace Davidson, Leo Koppelman Sr., Don Ponwith, Dale Lloyd, Bill Hankins, Francis Zimmerman and William Grice.
Getting students to and from school and events were bus drivers Robert “Buck” Wendelschafer, Elwin Sohm, Arthur Vail, Audrey Gibbs, Dale Rogers, Josephine Schmidt and Leroy McCollum.
Cooking hot lunches for hundreds of students each school day were Daisy Hoffman, Gladys Grice, Ester Reginscheid, Ruth Davis, and Lorraine Johnson.
Keeping the school building clean and functioning were Elmer and Joyce Oldenkamp and Tony Beer.
Marilyn Schmidt and Anna Harty’s duties ranged from punching lunch tickets to answering phones to keeping books.
Gary Jordahl taught life science, earth science and physical science. Mike Bedford taught life science, biology and chemistry. Larry Hohnstadt taught math, geometry and physics. Larry Johansson instructed algebra and math. Virginia Grabow was the librarian.
Mrs. Geraldine Davis taught business courses, including typing, shorthand, bookkeeping and office practice and also advised the "Cle-Hi Chatter" student newsletter. Jim Rusch taught history, geography and social studies and supervised elementary physical education. Glen O’Connor taught history, social studies and driver education.
Nancy Hanson and Mike Harrington instructed physical education. Marge Cooney taught home economics and art. Kathy Swanson taught elementary music and directed the junior high and senior high choirs. Pat Kortuem taught industrial arts. Charles Dodson directed the elementary, junior-high and senior-high bands.
The “English Quartet” included Lenz Rademacher (American history, speech and English), Rick Searing (English and history), Karla Richardson (English and journalism) and Cindy Williams (English, communication and speech).
Cagers Dan Olson, Steve Alinder, Norm Lloyd, Russ McCabe and Bruce Ponwith.
Robert Rohlfing, Dave Rohlfing Jerry Harty, Steve Alinder, Jim Kluntz, Diane Germscheid, Norm Lloyd and Debbie Struck in “Charley’s Aunt.”