Remembering teachers past

VERNE LEWELLEN was one of the most highly respected coaches to ever come through Chadron High School.

A native of Minatare, he was a standout athlete. During World War Two, “Coach Lew” served with Patton’s 16th Armored Division that helped liberate Czechoslovakia; he then enrolled at Chadron State College after the war. A top flight defensive back at Chadron State, his four pass interceptions in the “Bean Bowl” football game against Idaho State in 1949 established a school record that has never been broken. His superb football career earned him a berth as a charter member of the CSC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Lewellen was also a top notch baseball player and likely could have had a career in the major leagues. After teaching and coaching at Hay Springs for three years, he came to Chadron as basketball coach and taught in Junior High, becoming Principal. He took the Cardinals to three state basketball tournaments, including 1960-61 when CHS won the Class B championship.

Lewellen retired from coaching and left Chadron to become Superintendent at Rushville for five years. He and his wife, Erma, then returned to the “Valley,” where he served 20 years as Superintendent at Mitchell.

A staunch supporter of CSC, he has served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The Lewellens still live in Mitchell, not far from their son Curt and daughter Tammi Greenlee.

A “surprise” tribute luncheon for “Coach Lew” and Erma was held in Chadron on July 8, 2010.

Remembering teachers past

LaVONA SMITH LEMONS taught Home Economics and Physical Education at Chadron High School in the late 1950's.

A native of Crawford and a graduate of what is now Chadron State College, she taught in Grand Island for three years before coming to Chadron High. Con Marshall wrote last year that “she remembers when Cindy Huls dressed up like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and did some tumbling stunts during halftime at a couple of basketball games during the holidays, much to the delight of the crowds…after leaving Chadron, the Lemonses moved to Scottsbluff, where Larry taught special education and physiology for 20 years and LaVona became a stay-at-home mom. While still in Scottsbluff, Larry left education for nine years and became involved in sporting goods sales and management.”

The Lemons family moved to North Platte in the mid-1980s. LaVona became Volunteer Coordinator for North Platte Schools, while Larry worked as the counselor at the Hershey Schools. Their son Jay is president of Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania; daughter Jill is a counselor in Loveland, Colorado, and daughter Holly has a real estate license in Fort Collins. They have seven grandchildren.

LaVona and her husband Larry Lemons were able to attend the joint reunion last year for the classes of ’58 and ’59 at CHS. LaVona

Remembering teachers past

JAMES ZEMAN, a 1956 graduate of Chadron High School, returned to CHS to teach English and Speech in 1960-61 after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree from Nebraska State Teachers College at Chadron in 1960. It would be the first of his 42 years in the teaching profession.

“I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the senior English class that year,” Zeman told us. “I still remember fondly the senior class play, and I can’t forget Murray Schmechel coming out on stage in the barrel in “Tons of Money.” That was Zeman’s only year of teaching at CHS.

He spent the next six years teaching speech and coaching speech activities at Lead (SD) High School while working summers to complete an M.A. in Speech Communication. After a one-year stint back at Chadron State as a one-year replacement, he signed on at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD to teach speech and handle forensic activities. It turned out to be a 34-year gig. He completed a Ph. D. in Speech Communication at Pennsylvania State University and was very actively involved with the South Dakota Education Association for many years.

Jim Zeman retired in 2003 as a full professor at Northern State and spends his time in both Aberdeen and the Black Hills region – as well as a couple of weeks each year on the Oregon coast.

Remembering teachers past

H. A. SCHROEDER was a long-time Superintendent of Schools in Chadron, well-known and high respected throughout the community. A native of Pierce County and a graduate of Wayne College, he was a standout athlete during his years with the “Wildcats.”

After graduating from Wayne, his career in education took him to Scribner, where he was Superintendent for 11 years. Then it was on to Broken Bow for four years; but then he left education to manage a Broken Bow hotel. In 1946, Schroeder and his wife, Opal, came to Chadron, where he had been hired as manager of the Blaine Hotel; however, he was soon recruited to replace the late James Skinkle as Superintendent of Schools.

Henry “Heinie” Schroeder served as School Superintendent from 1947 until 1967.

While a few students over those years got to see the inside of Heinie’s office and experience “character-building” spankings, most knew him as a gregarious and fairly jovial fellow, who – with little prompting – was happy to demonstrate his football skills by punting a ball to the top of the school building. Opal Schroeder taught Kindergarten at East Ward for some 20 years. Their daughter, Susan (Schroeder) Lundberg, was a 1955 graduate of Chadron High School.

Upon retirement, Heinie worked at the Pine Ridge Job Corps Center for a few years. Chadron historian/writer Con Marshall says Heinie played a key role in getting accreditation for the school at the Job Corps Center, which is nestled atop a hill south of Chadron in the Nebraska National Forest.

It wasn’t long, however, before the Schroeders decided to head back to their roots in eastern Nebraska, spending their remaining years in Norfolk.

Heinie Schroeder died in 1983; Opal passed away in 1990.

Remembering teachers past

RON and JANE BECKER taught at Chadron High School for two years – 1958-59 and 1959-60. Jane taught English and Speech; Ron directed the band and choir.

The Beckers grew up in Lincoln and met at the University of Nebraska. As teachers at CHS, they were both involved with many student productions, including God’s Trombones and Carousel. By1960, Jane became a stay-at-home mom to care for their new son. They soon moved to Scottsbluff, where Ron became Director of Instrumental Music for the school system. He took the Scottsbluff band to Washington, DC for the inauguration of president John F. Kennedy in 1961 and to the New York World’s Fair in 1964.

By 1968, Ron Becker began a career in school administration, taking the position of assistant principal at Scottsbluff High School. Shortly after the arrival of their daughter, the Beckers moved to Lincoln, where he was Director of Secondary Education for the Nebraska Deptartment of Education; during this period, he pursued and earned his doctorate at NU. Jane worked for Stanford Research. After Ron’s stint as state director for the North Central Association, the family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1976, and Ron became director of secondary education for the school district. In 1994, he retired, but later went back as assistant superintendent for the Sioux Falls School System for a couple of years. From 1995 through 2005, he served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, traveling the globe in evaluating Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS).

Jane Becker was also at work in the 1990s, specializing in clergy taxes for a Sioux Falls CPA firm. She retired in 1996, but continued to volunteer for the IRS/AARP program.

Active in the arts community of Sioux Falls, Ron was enlisted to serve on the Board of Directors for the Friends of South Dakota Broadcasting, where he contributed his talents for many years – including multiple terms on the national Association for Public Television Stations.

The Beckers live in Sioux Falls.

~

NOTE: Thanks to Con Marshall for providing much of the information contained in this piece.

Remembering teachers past

ROBERTA GROVER was Librarian and also taught English at Chadron High School from 1957 to 1961.

Born on November 29, 1911 on her parent’s country farm south of Beloit Kansas, Roberta (Lukens) Grover graduated from high school in 1925 and from Sterling College, a four-year Christian school located in Sterling, Kansas, in 1933. She had a desire to become a school teacher and had taught at some rural schools even before she acquired her college degree. Roberta quit teaching when she married Oscar Grover, a minister.

They raised three sons, and Roberta went back to teaching high school while her sons were in high school. The family arrived in Chadron, Nebraska in the summer of 1957. She was at Chadron High School for four years before moving to Moberly, Missouri. Some years later, Mrs. Grover retired in her home town, Beloit, Kansas.

Her two oldest sons, Delbert (1958), and Ron (1959) graduated from CHS, and her youngest son, Robert, attended Junior High and two years of high school in Chadron. Both Delbert and Ron were able to attend the CHS joint reunion of the classes of 1958 and 1959 last summer in Chadron.

Mrs. Grover lived at Presbyterian Manor in Newton, Kansas until her death in 1987 at the age of 75.

Remembering teachers past

GORDON “FUZZ” WATTS was one of those rare individuals who seemed endowed with natural talent for just about anything he pursued.

Born in Denver in 1928, “Fuzz” Watts grew up in Sheridan, Wyoming, where he graduated from high school. After a tour in the Pacific as an Air Force cryptographer, he went to college at the University of Wyoming, but soon transferred to NSTC at Chadron, where he was a three-year football letterman.

He married Bonnie Haun in 1951; they had four children: #1-Patti; #2-Debbie; #3-Mike; and #4-Bill. After graduating from college in 1952, Watts signed a contract with Chadron schools and would change the fortunes of Cardinal football – leading the 1954 team to the first undefeated season for Chadron High since 1927. During his 11 years at the helm of the football program, his teams racked up a 79-17-4 record. They won conference crowns nine times and were undefeated in 1954, 1956, 1960 and 1962.

As Athletic Director, “Fuzz” Watts was credited with initiating a very successful high school wrestling program and a popular elementary grade school basketball program. Many players on the 1961 Class B Championship team began playing together in the 3rd and 4th Grades.

For the thousands of students whose lives he touched, “Coach Watts” was a master at motivation. He left CHS in 1965 and worked as a construction boss for several projects and was also Superintendent of Buildings & Grounds at CSC.

Watts died of natural causes on June 18, 1984. He was just 55 years old. Shortly after his death, veteran writer Con Marshall penned this poignant piece about Gordon “Fuzz” Watts for the Chadron Record.

Remembering teachers past

MARGO MEANS McCAWLEY was among the most respected teachers over the years at Chadron High School and Chadron State College.

She was born in Hemingford in 1907, the only child of Fred and Alice Melick. Her father was reportedly the first postmaster of Hemingford. According to the book Hemingford 1886-1985, compiled by Edna Clark, Melick had served as postmaster of Carlyle, which was just east of present day Hemingford. In December 1885, he made application to change the name of the post office location from Carlyle to Hemingford. It was approved, and he became the first postmaster of the new community of Hemingford.

Young Marguerite was reportedly active in a local chapter of Camp Fire Girls and excelled in the classroom, receiving her high school diploma when she was just 15.

After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she worked for about a decade in private business and government before taking a teaching job at Neligh High School for nine years. She came to Chadron in 1957, teaching a variety of “commercial” classes at Chadron High in the basement of what is now the Chadron Middle School. “Mrs. Means” served as sponsor to several groups, including Pep Club and the Cardinal Yearbook Staff.

In 1961, she moved across town to the Nebraska State Teacher’s College and taught business courses for 11 years. She married the college Business Manger Paul McCawley in 1964. Much as she had done at Chadron High, Mrs. McCawley became a favorite with students and staff alike. In 1971, she was named Nebraska Business Teacher of the Year; the following year she was elected to the Chadron Board of Education by what her obituary described as “a landslide.”

Margo and Paul McCawley traveled extensively during their years together. Alas, she also was to wage a lengthy battle against leukemia. She retired from Chadron State College in 1972. Good friend Con Marshall, who has chronicled so much history of Chadron State College and the community, wrote about Margo in 1972 that she was “…an accomplished musician, although she no longer gives lessons and says she now plays only for her own ‘amazement,’ once held a pilot’s license, can read 10 languages, was twice named one of the most popular speakers at Nebraska Girls State, was the first master’s degree recipient at Chadron State to receive all A’s, and has waged a successful battle with leukemia for the past eight years.”

When students from Chadron High School classes of 1958 and 1959 congregated for a reunion last year, no teacher was mentioned more often – or with greater admiration and fondness – than Margo Means McCawley. And as 1960 and 1961 graduates from CHS prepare for their reunion this summer, it seems clear from comments sent to us that Margo was a perennial favorite of students from across the years.

Margo McCawley died in December 1977 in Chadron following a lengthy illness. She was 70 years old.

Remembering teachers past

JAMES A. MYERS was born in Casper, Wyoming, in 1906, but he was raised and spent his entire professional education career in Chadron – serving the Chadron Public Schools for 44 years.

The son of a railroader, Myers grew up at 635 King Street in a house built by his father. That was his address for more than 50 years.

Young Jim went through elementary and secondary school in Chadron, then enrolled at the Chadron Normal College, where he earned his degree in 1928. He signed on as a math teacher at Chadron High School, a job he held for 21 years. For some of those years, he also did double duty as an Assistant Principal. That was followed by some 23 years as CHS Principal – from 1949 to 1972, when he retired.

During those years at Chadron High School, many students knew the Home Ec teacher…..others knew the coaches……others were well-acquainted with the shop teacher. But EVERYONE knew the Principal, Mr. Myers. In those years, it was hard to see him as a fiercely dedicated educator committed to quality education, which he was. He was deeply respected (some might say feared). It took several years for some of us to warm up to this quiet and gentle man who was an effective teacher and administrator.

Myer’s wife, Nellie, taught elementary grades for many years; she passed away in 1969.

Myers was feted at a banquet at the end of the 1972 school year. More than 200 people gathered at the Middle School gym for the “Jim Myers Day” event. Former students and colleagues joined in the celebration, including long-time Superintendent of School H. A. Schroeder.

Former students paying tribute to Myeres included Harold Clark from the class of 1929; Gordon Larson from the class of 1934; Ozzie Ostrander, class of 1947; Mick Megown, class of 1958; Neil Daniels from the class of 1962; Bob Roos, class of 1969; and Jan Baumann from the class of 1972.

While Myers was presented with an engraved wrist watch in honor of his retirement, he made it clear that it’s the good memories he’s taking away that will be most cherished.

“I remembered having looked back at some of the yearbooks in my office, and the thing that made the biggest impression on me was the multitude of fine memories that I’ll be taking with me,” said Myers.

Myers moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1972 to be near his son, Ralph, and family. Dr. Ralph Myers was a research chemist for Crown-Zellerbach paper products. Jim Myers died in 1990

Remembering teachers past

As Chadron celebrates its 125th anniversary this summer, there’ll be an abundance of school reunions. It'll be an opportunity to rekindle many memories -- including those of teachers at Chadron's three high schools through much of the 20th century. If you have photos or information about teachers of this era, please E-Mail us. Thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ELAINE STOLLER taught Home Economics and Girls Physical Education in the 1950’s and early 1960’s at Chadron High School.

Since leaving Chadron in 1964, she and husband Ron have lived in Lincoln, Nebraska; Tucson, Arizona; and Columbia, Missouri. They also did a stint in Colombia, South America, where her husband took a two-year assignment with the University of Nebraska. Many folks may well remember Elaine’s husband, Ron, who served several years as the Dawes County Extension agent. We recall crossing paths with him at KCSR Radio, when he would come in to record a weekly radio program.

The Stollers have two daughters – both born in Chadron. Daughter Carol is a nurse and works in Health Administration with Kaiser in Los Angeles; Diane is a general surgeon at Abbott Hospital in Minneapolis. They have five grandchildren.

Recalling her teaching years in Chadron, Mrs. Stoller remembers one incident very vividly. It seems the Phys Ed class was outside playing and “all at once…they put down their equipment and walked off the field to the locker room. I had no idea what was wrong, so I quickly followed them and to my surprise, they had planned a baby shower for me in the locker room. I was pregnant the last semester, and the first pregnant teacher to teach at the high school. Times have changed!”

Then there was the time that the varsity basketball players – just boys back in those days! – taught and coached the girls basketball classes. "As I look back on my years of teaching at Chadron High and remember the wonderful students and experiences, I always thought the students at Chadron could be better disciplined -- but learned after teaching in many other schools that those Chadron students were almost perfect compared to most other places!"

Mrs. Stoller recently spent six months in the hospital, a rehab-center and nursing home following a fractured femur and knee replacement. We’re happy to report, however, that she’s back home now! The Stollers are at home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Remembering teachers past

JIM BUTLER has enjoyed many diverse and interesting experiences – from military service in World War II to distinguished careers in law enforcement to education.

Born in January 1919 along Bordeaux Creek about eight miles east of Chadron, James L. Butler was one of three children born to T.J. and Grace Butler. He, his sister Elizabeth and brother Melvin, all attended country school through the 8th Grade. Young Jim then went to Chadron Prep, where he competed in football, basketball and track before graduating in 1936.

Then he enrolled at Chadron State College and pursued a degree in Industrial Arts.

It was during that time that he played on CSC athletic teams under the legendary Ross Armstrong.

After several jobs, marriage, two children, the death of his wife, and service in the Army Air Corps, he returned to Chadron following World War II. He's in his Air Corps uniform in the photo shown above. Butler remarried in 1946 and graduated from CSC in 1947. After teaching and coaching for a year at Igloo, SD, he was appointed as Dawes County Sheriff, a job he held for 10 years – with lots of memorable experiences!

Many folks will also remember Jim Butler playing first base and other positions for the Chadron Elks baseball team for several years. Check out a few photos from an earlier era in Chadron.

In 1960, Butler joined Chadron Public Schools and held a variety of teaching and administrative positions. He earned school administration certification and his Specialist Degree in Education from Western State in Gunnison, Colorado while working at CHS. In 1985, after 26 years with Chadron Public Schools, Jim Butler retired as elementary principal.

In 1992, he and his wife, Donna, moved to Lincoln. She passed away in 2008. Donna and Jim were married for 62 years.

Jim Butler remains active at 91 years of age. He lives in Lincoln and follows both the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Chadron State Eagles. He has five boys and their families to keep track of: Gary in Savannah, Missouri; Dale in Overland Park, Kansas; Scott in Des Moines, Iowa; Criss in Omaha; and Curt in Lincoln.

Remembering teachers past

CURTIS THOMPSON was one of the longest serving and best-loved teachers and coaches at Chadron High School.

Born at Sargent, Nebraska in 1922, he had a bad left arm that prevented military service, but he was an avid sports enthusiast all his life. He taught school in rural Sioux County in 1942 – before attending the State Normal School at Chadron the following year.

After teaching a year at Sargent, he came to Chadron High in 1945, where he taught for six years before earning his college degree. He coached varsity sports but switched to junior high in the 1950s. We have fond memories of his many diverse and colorful ties! He was assistant varsity basketball coach when the Cardinals won the state Class B basketball title in 1961. That same year, his youth all-star baseball team won a berth in the National Teener Tournament in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

He taught/coached in Chadron for 38 years, the second-longest teaching tenure in the Chadron school system. He was married to Chadron native Betty Rhoads. She was a Registered Nurse at the Chadron Community Hospital for many years. They had two boys, Skip and Gay, and a daughter, Kathy. When Thompson left education in 1984, he and Betty traveled extensively until her death in 2001. Curt Thompson died in 2006. He was 83 years old.

Remembering teachers past

As Chadron celebrates its 125th anniversary next summer, there’ll be an abundance of school reunions. It'll be an opportunity to rekindle many memories -- including those of teachers at Chadron High, Chadron Assumption and Chadron Prep. If you have photos or information about teachers of the mid-20th century....or earlier....E-Mail us. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GLENN MASTERS was on the staff at Chadron High School as the Vocational Agriculture instructor in the 1954-1959 period. He then returned to the university in Lincoln on a fellowship to obtain an advanced degree in agricultural economics.

That stirred memories of his childhood as a Garden County farm boy in the 1930s and the suffering that his parents endured through years of severe drought and economic depression. So he was motivated to find a job where he could better use his new skills toward improving the economic and general welfare of rural populations.

His search led him to a career with the Bureau of Reclamation.

“The bureau specialized in capturing runoff from the mountains each year to provide water for irrigation, municipal and industrial needs, and hydro-electric power generation with the releases from storage powering the turbines,” says Masters, who found himself in Grand Island for a couple of years, then the Pacific northwest, and finally Denver.

That’s where his responsibilities put him in touch with all the bureau planning activities for 17 western states.

“I feel very fortunate to have had nearly forty years in public service, including my time in Chadron.”

Glenn and his wife, Dorothy, live in Littleton, Colorado.

Remembering teachers past

As Chadron celebrates its 125th anniversary next summer, there’ll be an abundance of school reunions. It'll be an opportunity to rekindle many memories -- including those of teachers at Chadron High, Chadron Assumption and Chadron Prep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elmer Dudden taught Vocational Agriculture for three years at Chadron High School (1959-1962) and then returned to school at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

While there, he received an M.S. in Public Administration with a minor in history. In 1965, he began teaching at Lookout Mountain School in Golden, Colorado, a correctional school for delinquent teenage youth. He worked in the Vocational Department there for 27 years. During that time, he married, became a father, and used his free time to build four or five houses.

Retired since 1992, he and his wife, Elaine, continue to live in Golden with a grandchild, Kimberly. They live on a five-acre ranch with four horses. They bought the horses so that two granddaughters could participate in Westernaires, a precision riding group that performs at the national Western Stock Show and regional events.

He is active in both Lions and Optimists service clubs and has served on the local Water District Board for over 20 years. He says he’s also been active in conservative politics. Mr. Dudden says his health is still very good, and he feels blessed for many things – including his experience at Chadron High School. He says he’d enjoy a phone call or visit from any FFA students who were in his classes.

Remembering teachers past

Robert “Bob” Folsom taught music at Chadron High School from 1956 through 1958.

Born in Minnesota, his family moved to Chadron, and he was a 1943 graduate of Chadron High School. During World War II, he served in the Army, but we know nothing about his tour of duty. He returned to Chadron and earned a degree from Chadron State in 1949 – later picking up a Master’s in Music Education from the University of Nebraska.

Besides Chadron, he taught in Ravenna, Nebraska; Trinidad and Brighton, Colorado; and Lewellen, Nebraska. His longest tenure was in Benkelman, Nebraska, where he headed the music program for many years. Folsom married “Modie” (Pack) Wood in 1965 and they happily shared a home until 1999, when health required that he be moved to a nursing home in North Platte.

An avid model railroad enthusiast and amateur radio control pilot, Folsom was also a member of the Benkelman Methodist Church, the Lions Club and American Legion.

According to the Benkelman Post, Bob Folsom died in July of 2000 and was survived by his wife, four daughters and a son, as well as two brothers, a sister, and 15 grandchildren.

...about Miss Koch

So, who was Ross Armstrong? And Beatrice Koch? And Doris Gates?

Anyone who’s ever had a relationship with Chadron State College probably knows who Ross Armstrong was. The long-time coach, Athletic Director, Dean, and foundation administrator impacted the lives of thousands of young men and women – some more than others. Today, most students at CSC know of Armstrong only as the man for whom the Armstrong Building is named.

Names like Armstrong, Kline, Koch, Thoendel, Andrews, Gates, and many others, remain vivid for lots of us – whose ties and associations with the college reach back to the 1950s and earlier.

After meetings last weekend on the CSC campus – recalling several Chadron State faculty members who left their marks on students – I decided to share some thoughts about a few of those teachers who touched my life in a special way. In coming days, we’ll reminisce about some of those folks. But this particular posting will focus on a pert professor who had a big impact on many CSC students – including this writer.

I was only three years old when 51-year-old Beatrice Koch came to Nebraska State Teachers College at Chadron as a member of the English Department. A native of Fullerton, Nebraska, she was a graduate of the University of Nebraska. She later earned an M.A. at Columbia University. After a two-year stint teaching at Rising City, she had moved to Norfolk, where she taught high school from 1920 to 1943.

Among her many students at Norfolk: entertainer Johnny Carson and U.S. Senator Gale McGee of Wyoming.

During World War II, Bea Koch volunteered to work in the Fitzsimons Army Hospital (shown at left) near Denver, but in 1945, she returned to the classroom in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. In 1946, she came to Chadron and would teach English at the college until she reached the Nebraska mandatory teacher retirement age of 70 years.

I cannot remember Miss Koch walking anywhere without a sense of purpose. I still can hear the “clickety-click” sound of her high heel shoes moving her down the hall of the Administration Building at warp speed when I took her Freshman Composition and Introduction to Literature classes in 1961-62. By that time, I had been working as an announcer at KCSR Radio for nearly three years, and I remember Miss Koch taking me aside after one class and gently – but pointedly – reminding me that I had a “special responsibility” since my work on the radio would be heard by many people.

“Take care to do the best that you can,” she admonished me. My frequent relapses with the English language over 50 years in broadcasting would often cause me to be haunted – with appreciation – by Miss Koch’s words.

Forced to step down from teaching in Nebraska, she moved to Huron, South Dakota, and taught another eight years before retiring.

Our long-time friend Jim Zeman, a Chadron native who graduated from the college and went on to a prestigious career on the faculty at Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakota, had at least one class under Koch and remembered her as very much “a traditional English teacher” who was full of energy.

Con Marshall, retired CSC Director of Information, probably knows more about Chadron State College and its graduates than anyone else, told me recently that Miss Koch had a real impact on his career and that "she's a big reason I made it through college."

And Con remembers this anecdote. “She once said that the reason she never married was she’d never met a man she couldn’t live without!” Koch was definitely independent, but not without a sense of purpose – and humor. He also recalls hearing that Miss Koch had a twin sister and that they excelled at tennis as University of Nebraska co-eds. Con concedes that the story may not be verifiable, but I think it's probably true -- or it should be!

Beatrice Koch was active in education for more than half a century, and in 1984 she was awarded the Chadron State College Distinguished Service Award for her significant contribution to the college. She died December 28, 1989.

But I still can hear that clear and forceful admonishment from the diminutive Miss Koch:

“Take care to do the best that you can.”