Jackson Cheerleader Clinic

1964 Jackson HS Cheerleader Clinic 12

In the summer of 1963, I was working for Dad’s construction company unloading trucks, chopping weeds with a scythe in the hot, hot sun and doing other unpleasant tasks.

In the summer of 1964, I was working for The Jackson Pioneer covering dull stuff like county commission meetings and … cheerleader clinics. I was pretty much sure which career path I wanted to follow.

“Yell Along with Herkimer”

Our sister paper, The Advance Advocate, ran the same photo as The Pioneer on September 2, 1964, but had a longer cutline:

“Approximately 400 high school cheerleaders from throughout the Southeast Missouri district, including nine cheerleaders from Advance High School, attended a special clinic Tuesday in the high school gymnasium at Jackson. The clinic, sponsored by the Missouri High School Activities Association, was directed by L.R. Herkimer, executive secretary of the National Cheerleaders Association.

“The Advance cheerleaders are Linda Croy, Kathy Rhodes, Sandra Ward, Judy Croy, Jill Jenkins, Linda Holland, Stephanie Strobel, Sondra Harnes and Sharon Sims.

Speaking of cheerleaders, does anyone have any idea who these girls are?

Cheerleader clinic photo gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger (but, please overlook the dust spots), then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.

 

Jackson High School 1964

1964 Jackson HS

There were photos of a cheerleader clinic (more about that on another day), football practice and this frame in a sleeve marked 1964. The cheerleader shots ran in the Sept. 2, 1964, Advance Advocate and the September 4 Jackson Pioneer, so these must have been shot at the end of the summer or at the start of school.

I guess I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to document a moment of smalltown wholesomeness on the front steps of Jackson High School. Wife Lila said those white shoes were “costume de rigueur” for our era. I guess I didn’t pay much attention to shoes ’cause I didn’t even notice them.

I hope players were sharper than their pictures.

1964 Jackson HS 4Shooting night football had all kinds of difficulties, but I can’t explain why most of the these afternoon football practice shots are, to put it kindly, unsharp.

Other Jackson High School photos

Football practice gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.