The Class of 1963

Polaris scans by Jim Bittner, Class of 1963

The Class of 1963 is planning its 50th reunion Aug. 23-24.
Click here for more details.

Larry Ackerman, Carol Adams, Charla Ainsworth, Mike Althoff, Jerry Anderson, David Arola, Diane Arola, Richard Arola,

Mike Baker, Vicki Baumgartner, Jim Bear, Larry Beard, Dick Beldt, Jack Bell, Doug Bender, Don Bennett, Karen Bertram, Barbara Bierce, Kathy Bihl, Bob Bishop, Jim Bittner, Keith Biehinger, Dennis Bokemeier, Robert Bons, Janice Bookman, Dan Bowman, John Boyer, Terry Brick, George Brinkmann, David Bruce, Mary Margaret Bruce, Bill Brunka, Lilas Bucher, Grant Burckhardt, Gerry Burkhalter, Jim Byrnes,

Janet Carpenter, Donna Clark, Barbara Clark, Joyce Clark, Ron Colberg, Cathy Collins, Nancy Coomber, Linda Crain, Homer Cunningham, Dorothy Curran,

Bill Dame, Carol Datt, David Davidson, Bonnie Davis, Sally DeVon, Terry Diehl, Gary Dieterman, Janet Donaldson, Jerry Donmeyer, Mary Dorsey, Gary Dotson, Caroljean Downey, Bonnie Downing, Donna Doyle, Pam Dreibelbis, Ralph Durham,

Bob Earle, Bob Eaton, Tom Eberle, Dave Edler, Richard Eells, Cheryl Ehrlich,

Carol Fambro, Brian Finkbeiner, Janet Firebaugh, Kay Fishburn, Kathryn Flack, Cheryl Flint, John Fluegel, Lyle Fogel, Bill Foley, Doug Frank, Diana Frank, Todd Fritz,

Wendy Genant, Bill Gelwicks, Bill Gift, Steve Goethe, Ginger Gramley, Dan Grow, Janis Guenzler, Roger Gugger, Carole Gustafson,

Lorraine Haas, Jim Halzel, Arlyn Hansen, Diane Hansen, Dennis Harnish, Paulette Harnish, Diane Hart, Karen Hartsough, Vicki Harvey, Jim Hawes, Kathy Hayes, Russel heck, John Heidenreich, Don Heilman, Larry Heinrich, Vicki Heisler, Geraldine Henning, Earl Herman, Pam Hitchner, Alice Hoffman, Curtis Hollister, Everett Holmes, Jane Hopke, Donald Hornung, Gary Hower, Gary Hutmacher,

Cheryl Ibler, Tom Ibler, Bruce Ilgen,

Vada Jacobs, Jean Janicke, Eddie Johnson, Lauren Johnson, Paulette Johnson, Tom Johnson, Nelson Julius,

David Kaiser, Deanna Kaiser, Barbara Kaney, Dick Kater, Randy Keith, Judy Kerchner, Richard Kerr, Wayne Kiefer, Linda Kinman, Judy Klahsen, Pam Kleckler, Connie Klever, Suzanne Koppein, Pat Kubly, Richard Kuehl, Jim Kuhlemeier,

Richard Lamb, Janice Lamm, Lyn Landwere, Yvonne Lang, Jim LaShelle, Diane Lawson, Jim Lee, Eva Lenoir, Dennis Leopold, Nate Linder, Gloria Long, Ray Loring, Charles Love,

Mary McDonald, Dennis McFerrin, Don McNutt, Malcolm McPherson, Jim Marr, Lynda Marsh, Alice Matts, Don Maves, Duane Meinders, Jim Mellnick, Richard Memmer, Dave Merrill, Sharon Mertens, Pam Messing, Jane Metzler, Don Meyers, Pat Meyers, Bruce Miller, Clinton Miller, Craig Miller, Tom Miller, Diane Mitchell, Judy Mostman, Robert Moss, Kathy Munz, Gary Myers, Vicki Myers,

Meribeth Nelson, Frances Nesbitt, Charles Nunemacher,

Barbara Olson, Jean Olson, Miriam Oltmann, Doug Opel, Jane Osborne, Wayne Ortmeier,

Doug Paulson, Preston Pearson, Tom Peiper, Terry Penticoff, Karen Pepperman, Dan Perkins, Joellyn Perry, Jerry Peters, Richard Phillips, Jucy Picking, Roger Piefer, Diane Pinnow, Ronnie Popp, Lorna Prasse, Donna Pratt,

Keith Raftree, Betty Reed, Karlyn Reed, Richard Reel, Linda Reiter, Sara Reutner, George Rinehart, Gerry Roe, Charles Ross, Rose Ann Ross, Jackie Roth, Sandra Rotmeier, Rosalind Ruhl, Maynard Runkle, Duane Rupnow,

John Sabin, Jim Sarles, Sue Satterfield, Barbara Sauer, Jananne Schiesser, Marcia Schirmer, Sue Schmelzle, Eric Schnierla, Elaine Schoonhoven, Sylvania Schoonhoven, Terry Schoonhoven, Roger Schultz, Jim Scott, Deanna Shay, Roger Shelly, betty Shipp, Ron Shippy, Larry Shultz, Allen Smith, Shirley Solace, Loretta Stabenow, Larry Stake, Marlin Stebbins, Judy Steve, Susan Stover, Tanys Strawn,

Helen Terhark, Jim Thruman, Laurie Toelle, Susan Toelle, Leon Trush, John Tucker,

Roxie Van DeWater, Glen Van Dyke, Mary Van Loh, Lynne Vehmeier, Delaine Vohlken,

Judy Wagand, Michele Waller, Steve Waller, Wayne Walker, William Ward, Sandra Weaver, Jim Weckerly, Gary Wegner, Carolyn Wescott, Quitman White, John Wiegmann, Alice Wienand, Harvey Wilhelms, Pat Wilson, Alex Winters, Dave Winters, Diane Wolfe, Peggy Wolfe,

Richard Yahnke, Diane Young, Jane Young, John Young, Connie Youngblood,

Richard Zellweger.

The Polaris Staff

The Pretz News Staff

Select 1963 Seniors.
The handsome fellow at upper right scanned these for us.

The Junior Class play.

The Senior Class play.

Basketball in the old gym.
#13 is Preston Pearson.

(My parents had season tickets in the old FHS gymnasium. They went to all the home games, and in the 1951 State Championship season, went to all the away games, as well. My father, Ralph Bike, a 1931 graduate, is visible at the far left of the photo, in the front row of the balcony. I'm sitting to his left, in the glasses & white shirt.)

Carol Fambro wrote asking for photos to show her granddaughters, who are also cheerleaders.

Jim Bittner provided these scans.

The 1963 Pretzel Cheerleaders: Clockwise from bottom left, Barbara Sauer, Donna Pratt, Vicki Myers, Diane Arola, Cheryl Ehrlich, and Carol Fambro. The Junior Varsity cheerleaders are: front row, Elise Rimington, Martha Griffo, and Marilyn Brinkman; back row, Barb Bicker, Steph Woods, and Sue Stackhouse.

The 1963 Student Council. The leaders, shown in the photo at bottom left are Laurie Toelle, secretary; Dewey Meinders, president; and Mike O'Mara, vice-president.

Carol Fambro in the Student Council.

Donna Doyle went on to a distinguished career as a musician and professor with the Aaron Copland School of Music. She is a prize-winning pianist and orchestral violinist. She attended the Juilliard School, and studied in Paris and New York. She has a private studio where she teaches conservatory sutdents in theory and ear training. There is a nice bio and photo of her here.

Marcia Shirmer has also had a distinguished career in music. She has served as the executive director of the Boulder Bach Festivel. She holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance. More info on Marcia here.

Jim Bittner has a PhD in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin, and has taught at various colleges and universities in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Jim was also a Fulbright Lecturer at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, and at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic.

115th Anniversary, 1848-1963
St. John United Church of Christ

Jim Mertins, Class of 1972, found a copy of the Journal Standard from December 31st, 1963.

The paper, reproduced below, showed the top stories of 1963. The biggest story of the year was that Kelly-Springfield would be opening a plant in Freeport and the first tire rolled off the line on December 19, 1963.

Notice the price of the paper was seven cents.

January 16: Freeport has the lowest recorded temperature in the state at -24 degrees.

March 18: First set of triplets born in a Freeport hospital to Mrs. William Brokhausen.

April 16: City Council approves holding 154 acres as an industrial park for Kelly-Springfield plant location.

May 31: Fairbanks-Morse announces the closing of the Freeport plant, transferring operations to Beloit.

June 13: Postmaster Theron Tavenner announces the ZIP code 61032 assigned to the Freeport area.

July 19: Mayor Joe Shelly reminds tavern owners they could lose their license if they don't serve all customers alike without racial discrimination.

August 6: Assistant Chief of Police Earl Marsh promoted to Chief's position.

September 23: J. C. Penney Co. announces it will build a new store at the Freeport Shopping Mall located in the Crestwood area.

October 15: Assistant Police Chief Karl Stroh resigns the department rather than face charges "conduct unbecoming to an officer" including failing to report his knowledge of a house of prostitution.

November 22: President Kennedy murdered in Dallas. Arlens Department Store announces plans to build on South West Avenue

December 19: Robinson's Women's Wear is picketed by the local chapter of Freedom of Residence.

December 21: Picketing called off at Robinson's Women's Wear after they agree to hire a Negro clerk for the holidays.

Top of Page 1 on December 31, 1963.

Bottom of Page 1

Movies playing at the Patio and Freeport theaters on December 31, 1963.

My father's 1963 license plate.

Harold Kissell bought a truck & trailer in Maryland, which issued 20-day temporary cardboard plates. Now my math isn't superior, but if you add 20 days to the issue date, June 22, 1963, do they really expire on July 17? Just wondering.

My 1962-1963 bicycle license plate.