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We would love to hear from you. Please send comments and memories to: paulsenkathy@gmail.comor davesayer@gmail.com
Kathy Overby Paulsen
Carol Langford Fredrickson and I were both delivered by Doctor Almclov at the Borchet maternity home, a small house across from the fairgrounds in Cooper one day apart in March, 1948. Blair Cussons, our future classmate arrived a month before us. Sandy, my sister, was the first baby born at Cooperstown Hospital three years later.
Mom pulling Sandy and me across town on a snow sled when we were very young.
Twirling (baton) practice with Sandra Iverson when young in front of Berg Gym before the grade schoola addition was built.
Singing a solo, “The Holy City” At one of Elton Oppegard's Music programs in 5 th grade on the Berg Gym Stage by myself.
Going through the Tunnels between the Grade school and The old gym. Do you Remember that? They Were kind of scary and Adventurous for Young kids.
Seeing a couple of High school kids kissing At the entrance to the lunch Room at the end of the tunnel.
Walking across the empty Lot diagonally past Ellingson's old House to go to lunch From jr. high and H.S. to the School cafeteria in the basement of the old gym. And sometimes standing In line and paying for my lunch and having Such extreme cramps That I'd have to leave The line, walk home two blocks And lay on the couch and not move for 45 min. (No one could even talk to me.)
Riding to our church, Trinity Lutheran, and back three blocks On Sundays in our mint green '57 Ford Galaxy station wagon.
Breaking my folks ceiling Light fixture In the new family room By practicing the baton Under it.
Having to put pots all the way across the seam after adding the new family room addition at our house when It first rained hard. Ooops!
Practicing my flute In beginner band in The Berb Gym basement. And trying to get that first sound on a very difficult Instrument.
Having yucky Spanish Rice on Fridays For hot lunch or fish Because the Catholics Couldn't eat meat. The cooks with their Full aprons & hairnets Serving out our portions For lunch in the cafeteria At the grade school.
The girls bathroom In grade school. I remember Exactly how it looked. Looking forward every year To the Skupien's and Corso's Visit to their grandparents next Door, Ben Bendicksons, and Peggy Weitz visiting her grandparents Three houses down the block, The Duffys.
Playing at recess on the Grade school playground. Many girls chasing After Blair Cussons and Chasing him down a stairwell Behind the old school.
Playing on monkey Bars and swings. Never Having the strength to be Good at the monkey bars but always loving the swings. A favorite thing that Patty Haaland and I did was sit on the rubber bottomed Swings, pull them to the opposite Swing poles and twist together. Then we would untwist very Fast. It seems we did that for Years even thought the teachers Didn't like it and thought it Was dangerous. So fun for us!
Hearing the first time About sex from one of The girls on top of the Monkey bars and not believing A word! Not our moms & dad's – no way. Thinking into the Junior high years that You could get pregnant By kissing. Oh,Oh!
Watching my sister Sandy, Ronnie Hegvik's sister, Janell, Dave Sayer's sister, Nicky, Susan Solberg and Debbie Erickson come and go from our house. Sandy was always Surrounded by many friends. Now I know why – She's a great Person. I remember being mad at Her a lot and vice versa when we Were growing up. Today we're Close friends as we share the Same history, parents, and Grandparents to our kids as Well as sharing in the lives Of each neice and nephew.
Moving to Tolna in grade 2 and Fargo in grade 3. Moving back to Cooper in grade 4 And our family moving with the Same moving van as Gary, Glenn, And Gay's family the A.C. Bakken's. Mom told me we even had identical black couches in the van. Dad and Mom buying C&D Market In the Syverson building from Patty Haaland's dad, Perry, a few months After returning to Cooper in 1958. They later doubled the store size By taking over the space of the Store next door in the building and Name it Overby's Market. I would Later work there in high school and After and Sandy drove the delivery truck For Dad because he could teach her To drive with a stick shift.
Our 4 th grade teacher was very strict And we were a little afraid of her. One day she slipped in her high heels On the wood floor and fell flat on her face. Everyone felt bad for her and I think we Liked her a lot more after that fall.
Living back in Cooper I remember the Little skating rink and skatehouse There. Neither the skating rink or warming house were as big as Fargo 's where I had just come from but it was a great place for “wanna be” skaters just the same. Although I hated cold weather skating was fun. Always wanted to skate like the professionals. It was not to be but I did manage a Twirl around or two and going Backwards was a big accomplishment. The skating rink was later replaced With a grocery and variety store near The old bowling alley. ( Even got to skate On a frozen river once or twice on Someone's farm outside of Cooper. That felt like the real thing that Many had probably done long ago.)
Bowling for P.E. at the bowling Alley. Building still there? Still Used for bowling? Bowling was Fun and we got to leave school And go downtown for P.E.
I remember bowling and golfing With my family. That was a Fun family outing although I don't know if anyone besides Dad got good scores. Sandy Maybe did. I know my highest Score ever at bowling was 115.
Back to Berg Gym memories And such, the older brothers & sisters and ther H.S. kids When we were in grade school & junior high keep floating through My memory. Blair's brother, Lance Cussons, Robert Ohman's Older sisters, Patty, Kathy and Jane's older sister, Shirley Haaland Korst, our baton teacher Sandra Iverson, Rhuda Sanderson's daughter, Karen who used to babysit us. (Thank You, Karen, for putting up with Me.) Karla Soma's sisters, Karen And Peggy, Barb Oakley's Brothers Rodney and Terry, Jill Engbrecht's older brother Ronnie, The Savre's, Gary Prahmus, Gary Brown and the Corvette cars. Mary Arneson who married Audrey Steffen's Brother. Clarence and raised their Family near Luverne. On and On – Glen and Susan Solberg's older Sister, Donna who gave me some Voice lessons. Hearing that Mercedes Tang, Susan's Mother, was also in the class of ‘34 With Dad. So was Jean Howden's Dad, Tupper Howden. A handful Of them still get together for reunions Thanks to Mercedes who drives them To Jamestown to see Dad. On a trip home from Wisconsin
We stopped at Tower City and heard About John Savre's accident.
Someone from Cooper called my Dad over to tell him. John was two years ahead of us in school. I remember having my mom sleep With me that week as it as so scary. I also remember going to see the car and going to the funeral. Many times for years after that I would think of him when Driving over that river hill especially after dark. Before that I don't think Any of us realized something like That could happen to someone we Knew that was in school with us.
Would love to hear some more names and Memories of the older kids when We were young. They too must Have great memories of growing Up in Cooper. I had such great memories of learning and practicing cheerleading form Nancy Lee on her back patio before 7th grade.
The Nelson girls who lived above The store, Mavis, Joyce, Marilyn And Diane. Joyce also lived here Many years before moving after Retirement. For a couple years She even lived on our street. Barb Oakley Robertson also lived In San Diego for many years While my kids were growing up Before moving to Texas . Both Special ladies. I miss them. Sewing my first independent Sewing project, a long straight Skirt down to my ankles, and Walking all across town to Jill Engbrecht's to show her. Her mom thought that was so Funny. There were many more Sewing projects to come and I even majored in textiles and Clothing when at NDSU in Fargo . (later elementary teaching At SDSU in San Diego as I knew I wasn't going to be a New York Designer after all!)
The Luras were a big part of Our growing up years. Alyce Was Dad's sister so we spent All our Thanksgivings and Christmases with Alyce, George, David, Denny and Duey taking Turns going to each others' Houses for the big holiday meals. I would ride with Alyce when She was the mail carrier to the Train in Hannaford – Fun. Note: Twice we have been To the Sacramento Railroad Museum Where an actual mail car from that Train route through Hannaford is Displayed. You can go on the Mail car and see the names of The central North Dakota towns On the boxes. Some are barely Legible. I would highly recommend Visiting that museum if you are Ever in Sacramento. It is Full of real train engines and Cars from the past. Aunt Alyce would also Come over to our house And we'd ride bikes, Sandy And I, with her around town And on the newly built By-pass road south of town. We would also take turns going With Alyce every year to the Annual Mother-Daughter Banquet at Trinity Church Across the street from her House. Remembering when Cousin David Lura started school and I had to wait Another year. When we raduatedFrom H.S. there was one of us cousins Granduating each year from David In '65 down to Sandy in '69.
The old grandstand at the Fairgrounds. I remember Playing under it also many Years ago. Sack races in that empty lot Across from the old grade School playground. Being last to be picked for team Sports! Thanks everyone! Just Kidding. I knew all along that I wasn't good at playing ball.
Ell Multer's sister, and the Class Of '63, and our “sister” class Of 1965. Remembering Dave And my sister, Sandy, And Dave's sister, Nicky's, Class of '69, that had so many Of our siblings in it and all of the Classes of the 60's that were in High school the same time as Us.
Do you think Cooper in the 50's-60's Could be recreated as an amusement Park? I think people would enjoy it. God's blessings to all who grew Up in Cooper and all who graduated From there. I'm enjoying this Memory walk. Will leave a copy Of these memories for my kids to Read someday. We indeed grew Up in a magical small town.