County schools bustled with activity in 1957

Today our sentimental journey is taking us to 1957 for a look a two events taking place in our county schools.

Our first item appeared in the Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1957, Marion Star with this headline: “Claridon School’s Senior Class Will Present Comedy.”

Claridon school’s senior class will present a three-act comedy, “Headin for the Hills” Friday night in the school auditorium at 8 p.m.

Having lead roles are: Margo Thompson, Diana Smith and Bud Chapman. Others in the cast are Nancy Jo Ruth, Marilyn Bowman, Margaret Young, Gene Zachman, Nancy Knickle, Judy Roush, Rebecca Gleason, Bob Smith, Nancy Earl, Rodney Beechum, Dick Frazier, Gary Fields, Bill Green, Earnestine Haycook, Paul Klinefelter, Les Yager, John Zimmerman and Doug Butler.

Action in the comedy centers around two orphaned sisters whose only living relatives are members of a hillbilly family who run a general store in Lone Mule, Tennessee.

Willed their father’s fortune, the sisters live comfortably until they discover they must spend their summers in Lone Mule or forfeit the money.

Director of the three-act production is Mrs. Francis Strine. Tickets may be purchased from any senior or at the door Friday night. Price is 30 cents for students and 60 cents for adults.

Our second item for today appeared in the Marion Star on Saturday, May 11, 1957, with this headline. “County Track Meet Slated In Prospect Next Tuesday.”

Prospect High School’s defending county track champions have been installed as favorites to repeat in the annual Marion County track meet scheduled Tuesday at Prospect Community Park.

Preliminaries in the 100, 220 and 440-yard events are to get under way at 4 p.m. The field events will be run off after 2:30 with the finals in the running events slated to begin at 6:30 and finish under the lights.

A junior high school meet will be held along with the senior high competition. A trophy will be presented the junior high winner. Both the winner and the runnerup in the high school division will receive trophies. Medals will be awarded the individual winners in each division with ribbons going to the second place finishers.

The junior high thinclads will appear in only 12 events while 14 will be staged by the high school athletes. The younger tracksters will not compete in the high hurdles or mile run. Dick Fetter of the Richwood High School athletic program will serve as the starter.

Claridon, LaRue and Pleasant have showed signs of some strength and are the top choices to cause the Bulldogs trouble.

Two new county records went into the books after last year’s meet and one mark was equaled with the champion Prospect team setting all three. Bob Rodgers, now a member of the Detroit Tigers farm system, established two of them. Rodgers equaled an eight year-old record in the shot put with a 47-2 heave. Gene Fleming of Caledonia had the same mark in 1948. The Bulldog ace established an outright mark in the 180-yard low hurdles, completing the run in 21.5. The other record was by the Prospect mile relay team, with a clocking of 3:44.9.

Other record holders in the county track meet and the year in which the marks were set are as follows: broad jump, Don Almendinger of Prospect in 1932, 20-8; pole vault, Jim Cusick of Pleasant in 1942, 11-1½; discus, Gus Van Kleek of Caledonia in 1939, 140-9½; high jump, John Craycraft of Morral in 1953, 5-8¼; 120-yard high hurdles, Craycraft in 1954, 16.4; 100-yard dash, Bob Kaelber of Waldo in 1941, 10.3; mile run Lud Knickel of Caledonia in 1942, 4:50.1; 880-yard relay, Henry Knickle of LaRue in 1938, 2:08.2, and the 220-yard dash, Kaelber in 1941, 23.3.

Stan Kirby, coach of the Pleasant High School entry, holds the record in the 220-yard low hurdles. He toured the course in 1944 with a 27.5 time. That event, however, was discontinued in 1951.

And I will add, what a great event, which, sadly, no longer happens. 1957 was a good year.

Phil Reid writes about Marion County history.