Downtown Wichita
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the middle of his first term in office. The Korean war had just ended (1953). Cold war tensions were high. (Remember going into the hall in grade school and practicing our air raid drills?) Wichita was now known as the “Air Capital of the World” due to its being the home of Beech, Cessna and a major Boeing facility. The space race was just beginning and Sputnik was launched in 1957. The ‘baby boom’ was in full swing and Wichita schools were popping at the seams. Rock and Roll music was just beginning to make its way to national attention. (Elvis released his first song in 1954.) Many of us had those gigantic, first generation, black and white television sets, which were very new and quite expensive. The boys competed in Little League baseball in the summer and many were in Boy Scouts. Most movies were black and white. Girls came to school in skirts and blouses (no slacks) and some wore poodle skirts. Many of them participated in Girl Scouts or Camp Fire Girls. The form of transportation for most of us was the single speed bicycle and we rode them all over – including some out of town trips organized by different groups, such as the scouts. The bicycle gave us freedom to be on our own and make our own decisions (not always for good).
School was getting ever more interesting as we warily made our way to Intermediate School. All of a sudden, there were new kids to meet, understand and get along with, usually. Think about this: when we changed school subjects, we changed class rooms and had a different teacher. Wow! Quite a change from our time in elementary school where we had a single teacher to “figure out.” And, we were trying to figure each other out as we had recently seen “THE MOVIE” in elementary school.
And all of a sudden, Art and Music were graded – Oh NO!! Most of us found our way to these new schools on our bicycles and either carried a lunch in our metal lunch pails or ate a hot lunch at school. Hot lunch was quite a change. One could actually have something other than a sandwich, chips, cookies and an apple for lunch. And for those who attended Roosevelt Junior High, that lunch was served in the East High cafeteria – the home of those delectable cinnamon rolls, but also the home of those large, unfriendly-appearing high school students who looked at the Roosevelt lunch kids with great disdain. And, the classes became more intriguing. For instance, one could take typing and have some choices in math.
Janice Collins Bailey remembers –
Entering Intermediate school was a little scary for me, because the school had more students and teachers. After starting, I told my mother the names of my teachers and she responded with which teachers were there when she went to Robinson. That information and some of the lady teachers in the black lace-up shoes with moderate high heels identified them as those who were probably there when my mother attended. I was glad to walk to and from Robinson with a neighborhood girl a year older than me. It helped me deal with the teasing some of the boys enjoyed dishing out on the way home from school. It was different having to change classrooms and having homework assigned.on a daily basis. I was responsible for getting my homework done each day. Usually, that was not too hard a task. Nothing particularly stands out about the classes. We didn’t have much choice about what we took. (My mother was elected to the school board while I attended Robinson and I was concerned that some of the teachers would treat me differently, but they didn’t, thank heavens.) 
Lee Ayres remembers –
How I met Calvin Ross for the first time in 7th grade.
When Calvin and I reported to the principal’s office, it was the first time we met. At the time, the significance of this introduction and our future friendship were entirely unknown. The big question on our mind was, “Why did the principal want to see me?” We could tell by the looks from our teacher and our fellow students that being instructed to report to the principal’s meant that we were in Big Trouble – what my youngest son Wes would call, “Serious Shit.”
We soon learned that a rock had been thrown at a window from the area where we gathered before school. Apparently, several students remembered seeing Calvin and me at the scene of the crime. . . which made us suspects, what police TV shows now call, “a person of interest.” I had already learned the moniker “Chrome Dome Dotzer” for the Principal a less than respectful term. He frequently recited the admonition above the entrance to Roosevelt Junior High – “Know thyself, control thyself, deny thyself.” He lived up to his reputation with the lecture he gave us. Later, when reminiscing about the incident, classmate Jim Davidson thought the whole scene was hilarious. “Here was a “pipsqueak” of a man, sounding off at the future Student Body President and Senior Class President of Wichita East!” Neither Calvin nor I knew of the rock being thrown, let alone who threw it. We left the office without a word said to each other, feeling lucky we were alive. A teacher later speculated that Calvin and I were remembered to be at the scene because we were a bit taller than our classmates. Happily, that was the only time I was called to the principal’s office for disciplinary purposes. We spent lots of time there in our leadership capacities. I recall Vincent Kirby was the Vice Principal who handled disciplinary matters at East High. I avoided him like the plague.
Calvin Ross remembers –
I’ll add a postscript to Lee’s impressive recollection of how we first met at Roosevelt.
Shortly after Lee and I had our surprise session in “Chrome Dome Dotzer’s” office, I was walking on the sidewalk alongside Roosevelt near the pond. Three or so upperclassmen were walking behind me. I overheard one of them saying to his buddies, “I know where there’s one 7th grader you can’t handle.” I didn’t turn back or respond in any way to his comment, and I didn’t know which 7th grade guy he had in mind. I suspected it might have been Jim Davidson.
Had those 8th or 9th grade upperclassmen been looking to start a “rumble” with 7th grade upstarts, though, I can imagine now I would have alerted Jim, a few other guys, and certainly my new friend, Lee Ayres. We would have been flexed and ready for any challenge to our defensive testosterone. Had there been fisticuffs, Lee and I again, and others would have been summarily summoned into “Chrome Dome Dotzer’s” office, this time for what would have been valid reasons and what could have more dramatically launched our Roosevelt reputations.
Diane Rusch Zinn remembers – Mead Intermediate was a new world to me, and I enjoyed all three years. A few things were intimidating at first – remembering my locker combination (which I still do) and getting over the gang showers in gym class, for instance. Making new friends, some life long, and having many talented teachers compensated for those. Among the outstanding teachers were Marcella Cotton, (English), Miss Frederick (American History), Nancy Curry (Science), Olive Garfield (Clothing), and Robert Pellett, the music teacher who later succeeded Gratia Boyle at East. Best of all, though, was meeting Marilyn Tompkins. We sat next to each other in Mr. Mole’s Social Living class and shared some other classes in seventh grade. As you can deduce, the rest is history. Here we are today, lifelong friends and enjoying our work together on this website.
Marilyn Tompkins Bellert remembers – Like Diane, I enjoyed all three years at Mead Intermediate. I found a
profession, new classes and activities to enjoy, and lifelong friends. The academic classes were much more interesting. English class was definitely my favorite and Marcella Cotton the reason I decided to become an English teacher and did. There might have been better careers for me, but youthful enthusiasm turned into commitment.
The non-academic classes – especially music, art, and “Clothing” were excellent. Mr. Pellet accepted me as a piano student and later a pipe organ student. He also asked me to accompany choral practices, a good thing because I could play the piano better than I could sing. In Clothing, I learned to sew fairly well and to tailor dresses and jackets, a lifelong skill that I used to make clothes for my children in the days when even thrift stores were too expensive for our family. I also learned to type fast from the fearsome Agnes Chapman, a life skill I still use every day.
Girls sports were another highlight. I remember standing out of the rain on Carolyn Wharton’s front porch, right across the street from Mead, when I had walk fast and arrived too early for girls basketball or volleyball team games before school. Instead of hanging about the playground for recess, we climbed ropes, vaulted over pommel horses, learned amazing stunts, and began to acquire sports team skills, long before Title IX.
Best of all were the friendships with Diane Rusch, Carolyn Wharton, and Glora Thomas, as well as other girls and even boys. Here we are at the 62nd reunion in 2022, forever friends.
Glora Thomas Wellborn, Carolyn Wharton Holloway, Diane Rusch Zinn, and Marilyn Tompkins Bellert
Ronnie Troy remembers – The year was 1952 and our family moved from the small town of Derby, KS (300/400 population) to 614 S. Lorraine in Wichita, three houses from the playground of Sunnyside Elementary. Culture shock to be sure, but we started attending Trinity EUB church three blocks from East. I met Gerald Jacobs (Jake) and Larry Reid. Larry’s mother was my Cub Scout den mother so Larry and I spent time together that summer before the 5th grade. Jake’s parents were active in the church (Trinity EUB) so I became friends with Jake.
Being really close to Sunnyside helped because I could see when the guys were doing something on the playground. Culture shock was fading a little. 5th and 6th grades at Sunnyside. Made some more friends: Larry Bryan, Tom Vosper, Mike Grier, Larry Smith (’61). These were daily chums that I spent time with.
Then came Roosevelt – another culture shock with lockers, lots of kids, big building, home room and moving rooms for each class. Three years and more new friends, some of the same friends and lots of new experiences. Ready for the next move to “East High.”
Editor’s Note: This collection of memories is the third in a series. Send your recollections to Fred Elder (elder@engr.wisc.edu) and he will add them. Or use the Comment section below.
- 1942 – The Year Most of Us Were Born
- 1948 – The Year We Started 1st Grade
- 1954 – The Year Most of Us Started 7th Grade
