memories of Mr. Yeaw “Juggy,” our English and
music teacher.
Gerry Stock said everything is going well
for him and his family. He had a daughter who
graduated from college this year and married this
summer. He also has a son who will be starting
college this fall. His wife Kendalle retired from
State Farm several years ago and recently decided to take a part-time job which is keeping her
very busy. The same is true for Gerry. Gerry lives
about 300 miles from school and would think
about making the trip for the reunion. Gerry said
the year we graduated he bought a Ford car from
Charlie Kroehling when Charlie’s father, who
sold cars, gave him a new one for graduation.
He drove that car for several years. Gerry’s four
daughters from his first marriage all graduated
from college and are doing well.
Tom Yarnall will also be going to the 55th reunion. Since this may be Bob Quay’s last trip to
Pennsylvania. Tom and he plan to spend some
time together after the reunion visiting some
of the Mennonite farmers they both know and
driving around the countryside. Tom has a vast
knowledge of the area. He said in the summer of
1958 Bernie Yanavich lived at his parents’ home
and worked nearby.
Eleanor Rodichok is settling in with her son
Rich and family who make sure she is included
in everything that they do. She stays busy helping around the house, watching the children, and
spending a few hours each day in the pool. Some
Sundays, Eleanor goes back to church in Williamstown to visit with friends she has made over
many years. She has been invited to go on vacation with one of her sons and family. They will be
going to Turks and Cacos. This year, she may take
them up on the offer.
If any of you have pictures of our time at Williamson and are willing to share them with Bob
Quay, as some classmates already have, call or email him ([email protected], 406-727-0620).
In the last issue of Trademarks, there was an
article about Ron Yeaw (son of Mr. Yeaw “Juggy”) who endowed three awards. Two for his
father and one for Mr. Swineheart (http://www.
williamson.edu/newsevents/2011-12/three-yeawawards-endowed.htm) Bob Quay told me that
after the funeral, he, Bernie Yanavich, and one
other student (name unknown) were the last to
say goodbye as their job was to fill in the grave. I
contacted Ron Yeaw (“Jar”) and asked him if he
would write about his days at Williamson and his
following days to the present. Hang on!!
As I look back at my 14 years at Williamson,
as I have done hundreds, if not thousands, of
times before, I again realize how fortunate I was
to have had the opportunity to spend so many of
my young years at the school. Especially after my
private life and professional career have given me
the chance to see so much of the United States
and countries around the world, I realize, even
more, how fortunate I was that my father taught at
the school. To have had over 220 acres of protected property to play in, and so many ways to enjoy
it, was truly a blessing. I lived in the southern half
of the house that is immediately north of the Main
Building. Jack and Mary Boyd and their daughter
Tara (who is my age), lived in the northern half
of the house. The 3-story building was heated by
a coal furnace that my father and I kept loaded
with coal during the winter months. Every month
or so, Mr. Caruthers and his crew would dump a
load of coal down a chute and through a small
window into the basement. The climate in the
area ran the full gamut from hot summers to cold
winters. In the summer, Tara, Bill, and Veronica
Swinehart’s son Bill Jr. (also my age and nicknamed Reds because of his red hair), Ricky and
Gail Nielson (the math teacher and football coach
Gunner Nielson’s kids) and I would swim in the
pond (with its raft in the middle). In the winter,
we would ice skate on the pond and sled down
the senior path and the road that ran by the gym
and Mr. Caruther’s house. I was a constant visitor to the rec room on the first floor of the Main
Building directly below my dad’s English classroom. I was a constant annoyance to the students
when they would visit the rec room to play pool
or ping pong and find me there. On one occasion,
one student, tired of having me hog the pool table,
threw me out of an open window. I don’t think
there was one square inch of the entire property
that Reds, Tara, and I didn’t visit. We built many
forts in the woods and would investigate as much
of the area that we could. Reds, Ricky, and I often
played basketball in the old gym above the Brick
Shop. We watched the sports events and often
traveled on the bus with the teams as they played
away games. Halloween was a big event, as we
went trick-or-treating to all of the faculty homes.
We especially enjoyed visiting Harry Higgins’s
home, as he always gave us one or two shiny
dimes, a fortune in those days. During the day on
both Alumni Day and commencement, I manned
a lemonade stand in front of my house. People
could take a break from ѡ