Faculty Archives

September 28, 2010September 28, 2010

Miss Alene Sadler: Most Influential

When the Class of 1965 filled out the bio information for the 20th reunion in 1985, 18 students listed Miss Alene Sadler as their most influential teacher.

She was one of the toughest and best teachers I had. Miss Sadler was not one to trifle with lightly. After she marked one of my answers wrong on a test, I brought in a stack of books the next day to prove my point. She conceded that I was correct, but I had a clear sense that I may have won the battle, but the war was going to be distinctly unpleasant.

Missouri Teacher of the Year

I did a Missourian search, but couldn’t find an obit or any current information on Miss Sadler. There were lots of stories going back to 1925 about her musical performances, but little about her teaching. She WAS named Missouri Teacher of the Year in 1964. Looks like we were fortunate enough to catch her in her prime.

Comments from the Class of 65

Charlie Baldwin: She was an excellent instructor who demonstrated the ability to teach subject matter in a very interesting fashion while at the same time developing positive relations with students. She has been a very good role model for me during my career.

Vicky Berry Dereign: The teachers who influenced me were Miss Sadler and Miss Sivia, they set a standard for me after which I have tried to pattern my own teaching. (Humorous memories: “I remember how Kenny Steinhoff used to argue about everything, including the pros and cons of kissing.”) [Editor’s note: I have no idea what she’s talking about.]

Lee Dahringer: …for developing an appreciation of and an interest in effective communication and analytical thought.

Put my brain to work

Peggy Estes Goddard: She was creative and caused me to really put my brain to work.

Connie Hall Schwab: Her efforts helped me to realize that proper English and grammar are essential in every aspect of one’s life.

Marsha Harris Vangilder: Taught me to read – just for pleasure.

Alice Lynn Snell: The skills that she stressed have had a lasting effect and have helped much in my career.

Love of students

Marsha Marshall Gutshall: Her love of the students and her strong desire to impart knowledge.

Connie Nelson Copsy: She treated us as adults and prepared us for college, while still getting the information across.

Mary Ponder Wyss: I still recall and utilize many of the things learned in her class.

Victoria Roth Hardy: Most influenced by Miss Sadler’s exposure to the Humanities and the Arts. [Vicky] had fond memories of Miss Sadler’s harp player.

Michael Seabaugh: … for her being able to open up the world in all its glorious depth and breadth.

Ken Steinhoff: She tried to teach me how to express myself clearly on paper.

March 5, 2010

Joni Tickel DID Have Big Hair; PE Uniform Girls Identified

When I ran the photo of Coach Jane Womack and two girls in Central High School PE uniforms, I said I didn’t know who the girls were and asked for help identifying them.

The electrons had barely enough time to go squirting down the Internet pipes before the answer started coming back.

I was right about Coach Womak, said Libby Koch, who had her for PE and Government.

Bill East said the girls were Rosanne Hecht (center) and Joni Tickel.

I made the mistake of questioning his judgment by saying, “I’ll concede that MIGHT be Rosanne, but I don’t recall Joni ever having Big Hair.

Almost immediately he fired back, “Check out 1964 Girardot, p. 106, bottom, and p. 107, top.

Bill East must have the doggone Girardot memorized

Joni looks more Frizzy than Big Hair in this homeroom picture, but her hair color looks close to the PE photo. It certainly moves her into the realm of possibility, particularly when Sally Bierbaum Dirks chimed in to support Bill.

Patti fisher Caid, who was a Notre Dame student and shouldn’t have a dog in this hunt, posted, “There you go Ken, two against one! The odds are not looking good.”

By the time Jane Neumeyer and Sheila Hopkins Phillips weighed in on Bill’s side, I gave up.

Here’s Page 107 of The Girardot showing Roseanne Hecht

I ran the bottom of the page because it has a picture of Bill and Terry Hopkins on it. Both of them are frequent contributors to this site, so you might want to know what they looked like. OK, and the Barringer Twins are in the picture, too. That, of course didn’t influence my decision to run the picture.

Bill’s easy to pick out. He has the same expression in the picture I shot of the Teen Age Club dance that was moved to a bank parking lot. He’s in the right center of the first picture at this link.

Joni Tickel and Bill Withers as Royalty

I checked my 1965 Girardot and Wife Lila’s 1966 yearbook without seeing this picture, so I don’t know what the event was. Since she’s wearing short sleeves, I’m thinking it may have been a spring event that happened too late to make the yearbook. Ideas, anyone? Bill?

December 29, 2009October 16, 2021

Some of My CHS Teachers Taught My Dad

Margi Whitright left a comment on my Helen Ketterer story: We loved these pictures of Miss Ketterer. Who went to Central and DIDN’T have to interact with her at some point? She was working at Central when my mother was a student there. Mother was born in 1914 and said Miss Ketterer was very young when she went to work there, obviously.

I pulled out my Dad’s 1931 Girardot.

Holy Cow! Helen Ketterer wasn’t the only faculty member that was there when my Dad was in high school. I recognized five names. [Update: Bill East pointed out one that I missed: Cornelia Gockel, who taught Business.]

Here are three pages from Dad’s 1931 Girardot

Note Irene Smith, above. We knew her as Irene Wright. Also Cornelia Gockel

Above page shows Miss Ketterer.

This page has Edna Haman, Mary Z. Reed and Clara Krueger (more about her later). I like the comment by math teacher J. Ross Adams: Hope we’ll all soon be riding airplanes, don’t you?

Miss Krueger’s retirement party in 1963

The Southeast Missourian’s Out of the Past column, produced by Sharon Sanders, contained this note:

75 years ago: May 24, 1927

Cape Girardeau Central High School Chapter of National Honor Society has been organized, with school receiving its charter last week; charter members of society are Mildred C. Johnson, Mary E. Drum, Ruth Berry, Lucy J. Vangilder, I. Duard Meyer, Dorothy H. Samuels, Vera E. Kasten, Aleene Kimmick, and Helen M. Ketterer; sponsor of local chapter is Clara Krueger.

December 28, 2009February 24, 2021

Helen Ketterer’s Other Side

I’m still trying to organize the stacks of negatives. For the most part, I’m setting all the sports pictures aside for now because there are so many of them. The next task will be to try to figure out which ones are from Central High School games and which aren’t. There should be some kind of law passed that uniforms have to have school names or emblems on them.

Who IS this woman?

I was just about to pitch this roll of wrestling pictures onto the ‘Later’ stack, when my eye was drawn to a fan in the bleachers in this sleeve marked January25, 1967.

Could that really be Helen Ketterer, who worked in the principal’s office?

I don’t think I ever saw Miss Ketterer smile or change expression in the office. She was always to-the-point and strictly business.

Of course, if you had to deal with as many high school students as she did, you’d probably be a little jaded, too.

It just goes to show that sometimes you don’t know folks as well as you thought you did. For example, I never knew Wife Lila was a bloodthirsty, raving maniac until I took her to her first live hockey match at Ohio University. I suddenly looked at her in a whole new light.

Helen Ketterer died in 1979

I did a search of The Southeast Missourian’s database, but it only goes back to 2002. Nothing relevant popped up. I sent a message to Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders asking if she had any info. She didn’t find anything going forward from 1991, but did see that Helen Ketterer was listed in the Social Security Death Index as having died in 1979.

This morning, Sharon sent me a copy of the March 25, 1979 obit:

Miss Helen Ketterer, 812 N. Missouri, died Thursday at her home. She was 68 years old.

Miss Ketterer was born on June 13, 1910, in Cape Girardeau and was a life-long resident. She was preceeded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ketterer.

She graduated from Central High School and was employed for approximately 40 years as a secretary at Cape Central High School, retiring about five years ago.

Miss Ketterer was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish and was an active member of both the St. Francis Medical Center Auxiliary and the Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary.

Graveside services will be conducted at 10 Monday morning with the Rev. Bernard P. Degan officiating. Walther Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. There will be no visitation.

A gallery from the wrestling match

Here’s a collection of photos from the match. As always, click on any image to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the picture to step through them.

Let me know if you recognize the wrestlers, and I’ll post an update.