50-YearReunion
Class of 1957
Reunion dates ― May 25 & 26, 2007
November 2006
Greetings classmates,
I am sending you memories from three of our classmates and also remarks that Moose Malmquist said at the decommissioning of the football stadium. There will be more in the coming months. If you have something to add, please send them to me.
Thanks,
Marlys Mattson Nelson
1957 Co-class Agent
GOLDEN MEMORIES OF GUSTAVUS
Shortly after I was
dropped off at Wahlstrom Hall for the few days of freshman orientation, before
regular classes started, I met a section-mate, Marlys Mattson, who was to
become my friend for the next 54 years.
I remember walking across campus to band practice on Hello Walk. We went past Old
Chapel was memorable. Whenever I hear “A Mighty Fortress is Our
God” I think of the organist, Dr. Allwardt, when he played the last verse on
that old chapel’s organ as loud as he could make that old organ go. That organ suffered from chapel pranks like
putting flour into the pipes one morning.
Some pranks were really dangerous though. Didn’t some group chain the doors shut so we
were locked inside one morning? Wouldn’t
that be a fire marshal’s worst nightmare?
Did someone put paper clips underneath where the piano keys struck,
making it sound like a honky-tonk piano just before a serious tenor was about
to sing?
The band trips during
the semester breaks were a lot of fun every year. The choir took marvelous trips all over the
country. The band, on the other hand,
had to stay in
The Frosh Pepper Pot
was a big event for us in the fall. Such
talent our class had! I can still hear
Dick Gastler’s piece about a mirror on the wall in a German dialect. The
Bev Bloomquist Todaro
1957 Guest Letter
Writer
GUSTAVUS
HIGHLIGHTS: 1953-57
Remembered by Arne Walker
---Train to
---Evolution from
Pre-med to the Ordained Ministry
---Hilarious
hitchhiking attempt to
---ABCD, roommates
(Arne, Bill, Chris, and Dave) who have been life-long friends.
---Serving as
Co-Leaguer President and the SRO for Dr. Art Glass’ presentation on “Creation
and/or Evolution.”
---Deputation team
where I drove Esby’s new ’57 Chevy as terrified girls begged me to go slower
than 90. (I was unaware of the speed.)
---Starting a
---Taking the night
off from “Hell-Week” and fellow pledges joining the rebellion.
---Biology lab
assistant helping squeamish girls dissect various critters.
---Picking up (at his
door) a star baseball player, drunk and covered with his vomit and cleaning him
up and putting him to bed. (He was
abandoned by his teammates.)
---Listening to
pledges outside our door planning to kidnap us as a trophy from another
fraternity and lose us in the countryside.
We decided not to resist, but they scared themselves off and never
tried.
---The unique
personalities of our profs that are imprinted today
with names.
---“The Mad Doctor”
and his exploding compound placed on floors and doorknobs, noise, no injuries.
---Vacations at GAC
when I didn’t have the $5.00 gas money to get back to
---The growing cost of
education from $700.00 my first year to $1,100.00 my last year.
---The gorgeous view
from “the hill” into the
---Turning in a
basketball player for cheating on a lecture exam.
---Being “laid-off” at
Red Owl after turning in the manager for pocketing the difference between what
we were paid and what he turned into the company.
---Eating a quart of
ice-cream with two spoons with Biz Nelson as we sat under a tree in the park.
---The risqué
adventure of two of my roommates running downtown to the post office in their
pajamas and having me document this on camera
---Taking engineering
math for fun from Karlis Kaufmanis as a senior while the freshmen pre-engineers
sweated the exams.
---Choir tours (East
and West) and the enjoyable Barbershop Quartet.
---Preaching in chapel
on “Critical in Love.”
---Kneeling each night
at our bedside and praying with my roommate.
These memories came
fast from a pivotal four years of my life.
(More there I’m sure)
Peace,
Arne Walker
1957 Guest Letter
Writer
Gustavus Memories
~Cubby DeCorsey
Coming back to Gustavus after the war—
David
Borg-roommate-returned
Gary Gustafson-roommate-returned
Dick Ollerman-roommate-returned
Bill Hammerlund-roommate-returned
Paul Brostrom-returned (married)
Fran Bradley-returned (married)
Roger Krantz-returned (married)
Gene Sandvig-returned
There may have been others too, but these are the people who
played football in ’55 and were Co-Champions of the MIAC.
Could you believe that David
Borg was my roommate and he cooked meals for me, Gary Gustafson and Don Roberts? His specialty was “LOBSTER” (that was at the
end of the month when our GI checks came in).
Otherwise, many “Pot Pies”!
Dick Ollerman and
Bill Hammerlund departed to another
apartment because it was cheaper―$50 per month and closer to downtown.
Our field maintenance jobs at the field
house, football field, (with Moose Malmquist ’53 as our advisor and Gary Gustafson our crew chief) was
very demanding and rewarding. Of course
we fit the times in between classes and our studying at the “library.”
Our acceptance back to Gustavus was granted—we all fit in
someplace and somewhere—even though some under-grads called us “Dad” or “Gramps.”
I also appreciated many hours working in the “food-service”
for Ma Young ’33. She was a great
lady—free food—my main job was in the “Canteen.” That’s where I had my first job interview
with Superintendent Nelson from
Our memories of GAC are satisfying and enjoyable. So many friends and associates―1957
came fast. The whole experience was very
rewarding.
Thanks to GAC!
Cubby
Charles DeCorsey
1957 Guest Letter Writer
Decommissioning Hollingsworth Field –
Remarks by Jim “Moose” Malmquist ’53
Today I am the voice of the past ― I am the voice of history.
I speak first for all of our comrades those who are no longer with us; who have gone to their greater glory.
I speak for those soldiers, sailors , marines and airmen who joined our countries fight and helped win WWII; those young men who in the forties and early fifties interrupted their lives to serve their country then came flocking home, traded their military uniforms for football uniforms; started their families, lived in the college’s trailer village, came here to this place this small town and this small college to stand tall and leave us the legacy often called the golden football years.
I speak for George Myrum whose life, along with two of his players, came to a tragic end in a team bus accident on the return from an away football game. It was his vision, his dreams and his efforts that led to the creation of this stadium he sadly never saw finished.
I speak for the men, veterans most, who actually lived inside this stadium structure undoubtedly the cheapest housing ever offered here on campus.
I am the voice of the 28 All Americans who earned those honors here on this much loved ground.
I speak for the 21 championship teams who here left their thumbprint on the on the pages of our athletic history.
I speak for teammate, Cal Roberts, whose picture, biography
and accomplishments are now a part of history in the College Football Hall of
Fame in
I speak for the man who personally cut, hauled and laid this sod watered it, nurtured it and cherished it, our mentor, our coach,our friend Lloyd “Holly” Hollingsworth. He now sleeps just over the hill to our south.
I speak for all our head coaches, who for the past 77 years led their Golden Gustie teams to battle right here on this storied field. They are George Myrum, Tuddie Lindenberg, Howie Nelson, John Ronning, Lloyd “Holly” Hollingsworth, Lee Krough, Don Roberts, Jocko Nelson, Denny Raarup, Steve Byrne and Jay Schoenebeck.
I speak for the hundreds of young men whose path to manhood was in part paved with the lessons learned here on this turf, lessons learned through the joy of victory through the crush of defeat, through hard work, and team work, the satisfaction of a job well done and the reality of sometimes failing to live up to one’s own expectations.
I speak for the cherished friendships, life-long friendships built here, nurtured here and to this day held close to our hearts.
I speak for Willie Lindquist who on so many golden autumn days lined this field with love, with pride with unerring accuracy then crowned it with the distinctive Gustie helmet on the 50 yard line.
I speak for the best grounds crew in the country; our loyal and faithful Gustie crew who adopted this field and treated it as if it were their own.
I speak for the Gustie chain gang whose 150 cumulative years of service is living proof that old is good.
Today I am the clear voice of the thousands of Gustie graduates who sat here on this turf, in this stadium on those warm May afternoons, walked forward to the podium, as they accepted their diplomas and from this ground took the next big step in their life journies.
I speak for this small college, who loved us, cared about us, educated us, provided us a wonderful opportunity to play the game we loved then sent us on our way, safe in the knowledge of God’s redeeming grace.
I am proud to be Gustie, a Gustie coach , a Gustie gridder, a linebacker, a full back. I am proud to have worn the black and gold and I am proud to know that my college cares enough about this game we love to reinvest their resources and their trust in building a new place for the next generations of Gustie footballers to take on the welcome and always daunting task of beginning the next Golden Gustie era.