September 10, 2011
- We have learned
of the passing Thursday of Lou Feldman who was a
long time Rolfe resident and veterinarian. We
are expecting a notice in the Ames Tribune.
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August 18, 2011 Readers
may have noted the lack of new postings. Although there
have often been long spells in the past with no new
material, this situation is different.
With Helen Gunderson's July 1 resignation as editor,
following 12 years of founding and editing the site, we
are not sure what direction to go, who will lead us,
and/or who will do the work that she was doing of
maintaining the site. Yes, in the
long piece she wrote on July 1, she said may
occasionally submit a new essay or YouTube video. But
essentially, the future of this site is in question.
One possibility is to maintain the current material
as an archive but make one, basic, interactive page
where visitors can submit information. The down side is
that the page could be vulnerable to intrusion by the
wrong people with the wrong kinds of postings. So it
would need to be restricted only to pre-approved
posters, or some one would need to monitor it. Randy
Martin, our Web site host, says there are options. But
fans of the site would need to be willing to donate
funds to pay a programmer to design the interactive
page.
If you have suggestions or are willing to help ensure
the future of the site, please contact
Randy or
Chris Simonson, our
Memorial Board editor. |
July 1, 2011
- We have heard of the deaths of Ardys Boyd (1950s music
teacher), Florence McVey ( long-time Rolfe resident), and
Patty Bailey, daughter of 1950s superintendent, Ralph
Mortensen.
- Editor Helen Gunderson has submitted her resignation and
another long, rambling Blog-like piece called "Endings."
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Endings |
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Endings happen.
Sometimes slowly and after a long slide or decline. Sometimes
suddenly. My friend, Mary, and her husband Craig lost both of Mary’s parents within the last year–her father after a
lingering illness several months ago, and her mother, who was 75 and
fully engaged in life, was found dead not far from the campground while on a
camping trip with Mary and Craig a few weeks ago.
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Also, today is the
one-year anniversary of the death of my father, Deane Gunderson, who
graduated from Rolfe in 1935 and was 91 years old. My mother, Marion
Gunderson, died in 2004 at the age of 85. An anniversary of a
death can trigger poignant feelings, prompt a reassessment of
priorities, and add an extra layer of meaning to current events.
Last week, while a friend, Shelli, and I gardened, we noticed
that Lacy, a third chicken in my flock of laying hens I had
gotten two years ago, looked like she was going to die. |
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Goldie, a Buff Orpinton, had died last year, and Rita Jane, a Rhode
Island Red, had died just weeks ago. Goldie’s death threw me into
deep grief. Yes, she was "only" a chicken, but having pets was
something new for me in recent years, and she was the first of my
chickens and cats to die. I took Rita Jane’s death more matter of
factly.
more |
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March 22, 2011
Jerry Farlow of the RHS class of 1955 and
currently a professor of mathematics at the University of Maine
in Orono has sent us a fifth essay. Thanks Jerry. This Web site
wouldn't be what it is without the support of people such as
you. We also welcome essays from other RHS alums, friends of the
school, and those associated at one time or another with the
Rolfe community.
My Dog Ate My Homework:
Muskrat Ramble at Pilot Creek
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There are a couple of
prerequisites necessary for a small town to
receive a Five-Star rating for kids. The first
is a creek running through town, the second a
railroad track or two, preferably one with a
trestle where kids can live out exciting
(foolhardy) fantasies, waiting for the sound of
a distant train whistle, causing them to scatter
like rats escaping a sinking ship. |
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had all those and more. Rolfe was also blessed
with two ponds, Howland's pond on the north side
of town and Thompson's pond on the west. It was
well-known that Howland's pond harbored crawdads
that could snip off a toe without giving it a
second thought. It was a heart-beating
experience to raft on Howland's pond, looking
down in a foot of water at the little buggers,
knowing they would claw you to shreds if you
fell in. Then too, according to my sources,
Thompson's pond was a hundred-feet deep in
places, making winter skating particularly
exhilarating. There wasn't a boy (even some
girls) that grew up in Rolfe before the age of
the Internet, Facebook and the iPod Touch that
didn't spend half their youthful years exploring
every nook and cranny of those places.
more |
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March 11, 2011
- We have added the
obituary for Eldon
Obrecht who died on Monday.
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Editor's corner by Helen Gunderson
In the middle decades of the
Twentieth Century, one might never have known
that Rolfe High School once sported a girls
basketball team. But a photo that I discovered,
perhaps in the 1970s, in my parents' archives in
an upstairs bedroom at their farm provides
evidence that the school did sponsor a team
early in the century. I assume we had the photo
because my great aunt, Ruth
Gunderson VandeSteeg, was on the team.
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1908 RHS girls basketball team.
Left to right: Vinnie Doe, Ruth Gunderson VandeSteeg, Lena Wiegman
Vaughn, Coach Stella Hoover, Anna Brinkman Vaughn, May Brinkman Caffrey,
Lucille Charlton Hall. |
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The rumors in the 1950s had it that 1.) some
Iowa girl had been killed during a game and 2.)
strenuous sports activity could be detrimental
to a girl in later years–something about
inhibiting her ability as a grown woman to have
children.
more
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1971 RHS Girls Basketball Celebration
Forty years later
after its epic season and trip to state, the
1971 RHS girls basketball team is
on the road again. Assistant coach,
Denny Duerling,
has informed us that on April 16, 2011, many of
the players, managers, faculty, and cheerleaders
from the 1971 team will travel back to Rolfe.
It will be a day of activities
at the RAM Event Center, aka the RHS gym,
for them and members of the community to reunite
and celebrate that era of Rolfe history.
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Celebrating Rolfe's
1971 Girls Basketball Team,
the Community, and an Era
1-3 pm: gathering for the
1971 RHS girls basketball team,
cheerleaders, managers, faculty and
people who feel a close association
to them.
The following are
open to the Public.
3-5 pm: scrimmages according to the 6-on-6 player
rules.
4-6 pm: baked potato dinner with
funds raised donated to the RAMS Events
Center and Rolfe Betterment, Inc.
6 pm: a presentation,
conversation, and video.
1971 RHS girls basketball state
qualifying team. Front row left to
right: Michele Pomerenke Piprude, Joyce
Baade Coburn, Louise Gunderson
Shimon, Carol Wiegert Franken, Karen Brinkman
Vinson, Laurie
Brinkman Jensen. Back row: assistant coach
Dennis Duerling, Jean Brinkman
Longnecker, Lynn
Robinson, Linda Pedersen Tutt, Lynn Neugent
Debel, Julie Brinkman Mintz, Jeanell
Winkleblack Piconi, head coach Al Van Houten.
Click on photo for larger view. |
Denny
Duerling's email also says that
Louise
Gunderson Shimon (RHS 1973) of Perry is spearheading
the event with help from Laurie Brinkman Jensen
(RHS 1971) of Ames. Feel free to check the
official listing of information that
Duerling submitted. Let
us know if you have photos, videos,
perspectives, or other items to post on this Web
site about the
history of Rolfe girls basketball.
Thanks. |
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March 9, 2011 |
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Eldon R. Obrecht, 90, of Iowa City, died on Monday, at Oaknoll
Retirement Center in Iowa City. Services are pending with Gay &
Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service. He was born in Rolfe in 1920
and graduated from Rolfe High School in 1936. |
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According to a
biography of Eldon written by Mario Chiarello, Eldon's
father ran the local movie theater, and his first piano lessons
were given by the pianist who supplied the music for the silent
films.
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In 1936, Eldon played the double bass in the RHS orchestra
that participated in the national music contest in Madison,
Wisconsin. |
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It earned a superior rating in Class C
competition. Eldon went on to study music at the University of Iowa and
became a renowned performer, composer, and teacher. He retired
from the university in 1990.
obituary |
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March 8, 2011 |
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Lenny White, age 67, of the RHS class of 1963 died on
March 5 at a Sioux Falls hospital. He had farmed in the
Rolfe area, and made himself at home both in
Wahpeton near Milford, Iowa, and in Rolfe. |
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Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Powers Funeral Home
in Rolfe. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday
at the Shared Ministry of Rolfe with Rev. Charles Miller
officiating. Burial will be in Clinton-Garfield
Cemetery.
more |
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Ivadel Cleal Porter, who is perhaps Rolfe High School's
oldest living alumna, turns 100 today. Ivadel graduated
in 1928 and lives in Iowa Falls. She is the second
of five siblings: the late Vera Cleal Boos, the late
Richard Cleal, Dorothy Cleal Ingebritsen (Belle Vista,
Arkansas), and the late Don Cleal.
They all graduated from Rolfe, and their parents were
Arthur and Matilda Cleal. |
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Ivadel's niece, Joan Cleal Drieth (RHS 1962), says, "Ivadel
is truly an amazing woman. Still drives, lives alone,
plays bridge every week, does her own grocery shopping
and cooking, often entertains friends and relatives and
is in excellent health." We hope to get more information about Ivadel. But for
now, readers may be interested in a
letter that she sent to her classmates in 1941. It
was part of the RHS Class of 1928 time
capsule that was
opened in recent years.
Greetings can be sent to Ivadel at 2217 Washington; Iowa
Falls, Iowa, 50126. |
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March 6, 2011 |
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The aerial photo on left
is of the west side of Rolfe in the 1930s. The pond is
in the bottom, left corner with an orchard in the upper,
left corner northeast of the site of current swimming
pool. It is from the
Iowa Geographic
Map Server. Click photo for a
larger view.
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For visitors who love to look at old photos,
especially aerial shots taken in various decades of
a town or parcels of land, check out the
Iowa
Geographic Map Server, a project of the Iowa
State University Geographical Information Systems. Not so many years ago, a person would have
needed to search at the State Historical Society
or University of Iowa Library or contacted the
USDA photo service or National Archives to have
access to these kinds of old photos unless they
were lucky and had copies in their family
archives or in the attic of the county USDA
office. The map server sure makes photos (at
least low resolution files) available almost on
demand; however, the controls for the Web site
take some experimenting. We would like to offer
tips, but we also find it daunting to try to
explain how to use the site. But try it for
yourself. You should be able to get the feel of
it.
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March 6, 2011 |
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Yvonne Christensen (Graeber) Buckingham of the Rolfe High School
class of 1935 died on January 10 after being hospitalized for
several days. |
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March 3, 2011
- A new documentary film called "Green Fire:
Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time” will
be shown twice in Ames in upcoming days. Perhaps
a Rolfe group such as a 4-H club or the public
library could arrange a viewing and discussion.
But even if you cannot attend a screening of the
entire show, you may appreciate the
trailer.
In Ames, it will be showing at 1 p.m., Sunday,
March 6 in the Farwell Brown Auditorium at the
public library as part of an annual "Ames Reads
Leopold" event. A panel discussion, readings of
Leopold's works and refreshments are planned, in
addition to the film screening. The event is
free and open to the public.
It will also be showing at 5 p.m., Monday, March
7 in Benton Auditorium of the Scheman Building.
Leopold biographer Curt Meine will present his
views, followed by the film, a reception and
entertainment. This is part of the Iowa Water
Conference, but this session is free and open to
the public.
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
is supporting both events.
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March 2, 2011
- The
introductory story about women,
landownership, and farming and
another story
about Helen Gunderson and Betsy Dahl that aired
on Iowa Public Radio's Morning Edition this week
are posted on the
Harvest
Public Media Web site. The audio versions
are more thorough than the text versions. The
IPR interview program on the same topic, that
included Helen as one of the guests, can can be
found at the
Talk of Iowa
program page.
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February 26, 2011
- Two pieces about women landowners and
farmers will be aired on Iowa Public Radio’s
Morning Edition program this coming Monday and
Tuesday. The Monday piece will be an
introduction to the topic. The Tuesday piece
will focus a little on Helen Gunderson (RHS
1963), who owns land in the Rolfe area and is
the editor of this Web site, but mainly on Betsy
Dahl, daughter of Kathy Ives Dahl (RHS 1965) and
Gary Dahl. Betsy is transitioning 180 acres of
Helen’s farm land in the Rolfe area to organic
growing practices. Also, it is anticipated that
Helen will be interviewed for a few minutes on
IPR’s
Talk of Iowa program sometime around 10:30
am on Tuesday. The other guests for Tuesday’s
Talk of Iowa program will be: Corry Bregendahl,
with Women, Land and Legacy at Iowa State; Leigh
Adcock, of the Women, Food and Agriculture
Network; Laura Krouse of Abbe Hills Farm in Mt.
Vernon; and perhaps Lois Reichert, a goat farmer
in Knoxville. Eventually, when the shows are
archived, we will find and post the URLs for
Monday’s and Tuesday’s programs.
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February 13, 2011
- Outdoor gardening is not that far away. If you are a
gardener, you might like to check out a
site where you can determine the last frost date for
this spring and first freeze date for next fall, then visit
an interactive gardening
timetable
for starting seeds. Of course, you could turn to wise
neighbors in your community who could give you even better
advice. And you might be able to find a neighbor or
greenhouse business that would be willing to use seed that
you choose and start some indoors for you.
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February 12, 2011 — Editor's
corner by Helen Gunderson |
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The imminent arrival of
Valentine’s Day gets some people thinking of the
color red, yummy-but-not-so-healthy desserts,
heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, candlelight
dinners, cupids on Hallmark cards, and
romance between two people of the opposite sex.
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This past week, not thinking of V-Day at the time, I
cooked my first batch of beet borscht for 2011. It’s
a great winter menu item, warm and hearty with a
jewel red color. So why not think of it as a V-Day
treat. BTW, for all you folks who turn up your noses
at the thought of vegetables, especially the likes
of beets, the borscht actually tastes great. Maybe
some day, I will write the story of how I learned to
like beets in the 1970s. Prior to some friends
farming the garden in my back yard in Fargo and
giving me fresh beets to try, I turned my nose up at
beets, too.
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February 11, 2011
- Today's edition of the Des Moines Register had a link
to an
interactive map showing the results of the 2010 census
and the percentage increase or decrease in population for
each of Iowa's 99 counties. Pocahontas County had the
greatest amount of loss of any Iowa county. Its population
decreased from 8,662 in 2000 to 7,310 in 2010. That's a loss
of 15.6 percent. But it's not the first time the county has
led the state in population decline.
- We've posted a
historical chart of changes in Pocahontas county
population, number of farms, average size of farms, and land
values from 1860 to 2010.
- We've also found an interesting map of Iowa's
2010 land values and another map of the
percentage change in land values from 2009 to 2010.
- Also, this past month, the Palmer-Pomeroy and Pocahontas
Area Community School Districts voted to merge. There was a
story in the Register the day of the vote and a follow
up
story.
- And it sounds like the Pocahontas school district is
well underway with building a new high school building.
January 30, 2011
We have posted a large portion
of an interview with Marjorie George Simonson, who died in
December.
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1948 |
1995 |
Marjorie George Simonson
RHS class of 1947 |
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section 1 (length: 13:28)
section 2 (length: 12:48)
section 3 (length: 11:05) |
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obituary |
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Interviewed at her home in Des
Moines in 1996 by Helen
Gunderson for Helen's
documentary
project about the road she
grew up on southwest of Rolfe.
Marjorie begins by talking about
the farm where she lived in the
1940s.
Four
short pieces have already been
part of the RHS Web site audio
gallery. |
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| January 27, 2011 |
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Doris Henderson, age 84, of Fort Dodge, formerly of Rolfe, passed away on
Tuesday, December 28 at the Paula J. Baber Hospice Home in Fort Dodge. She was
born September 19, 1926, at Plover. She was the daughter of Fred and Leta
(Heathman) McKim. |
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Doris graduated from Plover High School. On November 14, 1948,
she married Lawrence Henderson at Plover. In 1954, they moved to
Rolfe and continued farming. In 1996, they moved to Pocahontas.
Lawrence passed away in 2005. In 2006, Doris moved to Fort
Dodge.
Doris and Lawrence were the parents of Allen Henderson
(RHS 1970) and Connie Henderson Boyd (1974).
obituary |
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Eldridge Kipfer, age 89, passed away on
December 18, 2010, at the Pocahontas Community Hospital.
He born
on March 14, 1921, near Rolfe to Noah and Bertha (Birky) Kipfer. Eldridge was
educated in area country schools and graduated from Rolfe High School in 1938.
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He served in the Navy during
World War II in the Northern Pacific then returned to the Rolfe
area. On June 6, 1948, he married Bonnie Philp at the United
Methodist Church. They farmed near town, and Bonnie worked along
side Eldridge in the operation of the farm. They also had two
sons: Paul (RHS 1971) and Todd (RHS 1973). Eldridge and Bonnie
lived on the farm until 1986, when they moved into Rolfe.
Eldridge retired from farming in 1992. Bonnie passed away on
January 11,
2010.
obituary |
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January 26, 2011 |
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Marjorie L. (George) Simonson, age 80, of the Des Moines area,
passed away on December 23 at Iowa Lutheran Hospital. |
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She was the daughter of Lyman and Arlene George who were
farming in the Laurens area when she was born in 1930. Then the
family farmed southwest of Rolfe, where Marjorie was a
member of the RHS class of 1947.
obituary |
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