Pete Gefroh

Some school superintendents come, and some school superintendents go. Pete Gefroh was one of those school superintendents that came......to New Leipzig and who had what I consider to be a seminal influence on virtually every single one of the kids graduating from that school for as long as he was there.

My sophomore year I was the school reporter. Mr. Gefroh was, along with his superintendent responsibilities, also the typing teacher. In typing class, I typed up my submission for the school paper. This particular month, there wasn't really a whole lot to talk about. So, in a typical sophomoric fashion, I proceeded to put into words the blase' month by stating something to the effect, "same old school, same old students, same old routine, same old teachers." Rather innocuous don't you think? Not so to Mr. Gefroh. Not only did he tell on me to my folks, but he also called me on the carpet for being so disrespectful to staff.

Looking back on it now, I can see, given the times and how social mores were just a tad more respectful in nature than they are nowadays, how my naive, sophomoric statements could have been misconstrued to be disrespectful in their intent. The reality couldn't have been further from the truth, but they could be, and were, construed as such by Mr. Gefroh.

Mr. Gefroh, however, had the integrity and the determination to back up his staff and he called me out on my transgression.

I'd have to say that in some ways, Mr. Gefroh was one of the more influential mentors who gave me pause to think and then rethink putting words to paper before actually doing so. At the time, I was flabbergasted, upset, embarrassed, and totally flummoxed by his reaction to what I had written. Truth be told, I was actually pretty pissed off!

My parents, when informed by Mr. Gefroh, of my bad reporting, before reacting as some parents might have done by grounding me or something far worse than that, sat me down for a "talk". We discussed honesty, integrity, tastefulness, rudeness, and much more at the kitchen table. When all was said and done, it was agreed, although reluctantly by me, that I owed the school staff an apology. I couldn't send a global email (no computers at that time which would have kept it much more obscured from the public eye), so the next best thing was to write, and have published in the next issue of the school paper an apology and retraction - one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, much less write for everyone to see.

Nothing more was said. The deed was done. Apology accepted - at least that's what I had to assume. None of the staff said anything about it to me.

From that moment on, every article I wrote for the school paper, every essay I wrote for any class I was enrolled in, whether in high school or college, all the lesson plans I prepared during my teaching days both in public and adult education, and all the technical writing I did for the agencies I worked for got a little extra consideration from me on whether or not it was worded the way it should be. I still struggle with this "affliction", if you want to call it that, to this day. Re-reading something until it becomes a blur is now my norm. Re-checking for anything that might offend, that might be misconstrued is almost an obsession, pretty much all thanks to Mr. Gefroh - and I mean that with all due respect for someone who taught me a valuable lesson in human interaction at a very young age.

So, thank you Mr. Gefroh for all you did for New Leipzig High School, and for me in particular.

Mom

This photo has always been a favorite of mine. Mom used to talk a lot about her horses and how much she loved riding them. One of the stories I remember vividly is the one she told about sighting a tornado bearing down in her direction. She was riding on the old road east of the farm, and when she saw the tornado, she took off at a gallop for home. In turning the corner into the farmstead, she says the horse lost its footing, fell sort of like a dog or cat trying to make a corner on a slippery wood floor, made it back up, and got home ok. She also says she didn't fall off in the process although, by all rights she should have. Luckily, the tornado missed the farm and everyone in the area around there survived, as well.

April 30 is Mom's birthday. She was born on that day in 1923. She passed away December 11, 2006 and is at rest with Dad at Ft. Logan National Cemetery.

There are so many pleasant, warm, and wonderful memories of Mom that I really don't know where to begin or end.

Mom, I miss you and always will.
Your loving son, Jerry

Mom: Addendum

Where to start? I didn't do an interview with Mom like I did with Dad. So, this has to come from my own memories of her stories and lore being passed down to me. I hope I get it right - depending on siblings and relatives to help out here if they see something not quite accurate or completely remiss.

As stated, Mom was born April 30, 1923. She was born in Elgin, North Dakota to Oscar and Lela Pearl (Eaton) Zacher.

She had two brothers, Arleigh and Lorin, and three sisters, Lorraine, Roberta, and Jeanne.

I haven't been able to find a photo of the family that includes Aunt Jeanne, but I do have this one with the four other children:

For all you relatives, you get to guess who's who in the photo above. I'll keep on looking for one with Aunt Jeanne and will insert it if, and when, I find it (or someone else has one and is willing to share - c'mon all you relatives! Ya gotta have one somewhere). In the meantime, this photo includes Jeanne, but not Lorraine or the boys:

Edited to add: I knew it! I just knew it! Ask a relative, and it shall be answered! My cousin, Ardis Storms (Arleigh's daughter) provided me with the following pic of the whole fam damily:

They lived on a farm about 6 miles north of Elgin on a stream bank above Antelope Creek.

The farm buildings were made from a combination of sandstone and dirt with whitewash plaster as a covering. Some are still standing although the last time I saw them, they were in pretty bad shape.

The thing I remember most is the cottonwood trees across the creek. The story, as I remember it, is that Grandpa Zacher's Dad, Christian Zacher, planted those trees. They provided a cool respite during the hot summer months, and during the winter, we'd play amongst them, these tall sentinels of the prairie protecting the farm and that way of life.

Grandma Lela passed away when Mom was 19 from diabetic insulin shock, if I remember correctly. Mom always said if they'd had access to the medical procedures that were ultimately developed, her Mother wouldn't have died as young as she did.

Her Mother's death had a profound effect on Mom. She never really talked about it all that much, but when she did it was with a modicum of sorrow and a burden of responsibility in ways only those who went through similar situations back in those days really truly understood. Her Dad remarried eventually to Regina Rivinius, the Grandma that I knew and loved.

And now for some really cool photos from the archives:

16th birthday party

Junior High School (can you find her?)

This one is sooooo cool. Written on the back is "Best wishes Sis. Adeline Bell (Teacher), Lorretta Weiss, Gwen Zacher, Roberta Zacher, Eleanor Sprenger, Erna Weiss. Hillbilly singing group from Antelope District Country School North of Elgin, ND".

Mom and "bestie", Vivian Gustafson. I believe this photo was taken in 1937 (there's a huge "37" written across the back of the photo). I remember going to Fred and Vivian's farm a couple of times during the dead of winter to visit. Other than that, all I can say is that Mom and Vivian remained friends long after high school.

Sweet 16 and I can only assume never been kissed! We'll never know.

High school graduation photo, 1940.

I think Mom went to Dickinson State Teacher's College right out of high school, but I could be wrong. Here she is with some of her friends.

On the back of the following photo, it indicates it was taken in 1942 in Richmond, CA when Mom worked for Standard Oil. This was during World War II, and that's why I'm a little confused on sequence of events. If she went to college right out of high school she must have taught after her stint in Richmond. She only taught for one year if I remember right. She married Herbert Hochhalter August 31, 1946.

All the photos in this post are pre-Herbert and pre-kids. I wish now I'd done the same thing with Mom that I did with Dad. Those of you reading this having memories, please consider sharing.

Love and miss you, Mom!