Interview -- King, Marjorie 1 |
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Lewistown Public Schools School District Number One Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent Clara E. Kempenaar District Clerk Lincoln School Building 215 7the Ave South Lewistown, Montana 59457 Interview with Marjorie Wieglenda King F.C.H.S, Graduate 1944 Montana State Board of Public Education 1964‐1981 July 1, 1978 BY Anna Zellick F.C.H.S. Graduate, 1935 University of Chicago‐ A.B. 1941; M.A. 1945 Lecturer, College of Great Falls at Lewistown College Center Prepared for Dr. Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent of Schools and Lewistown School District #1 Mr. David L. Moodie Mrs. Donn R, Pennell Mr. Wm. E. Berger* Mrs. Robert L. Johnson Mr. John Thune* Mr. Alan C. Folda Mr. Al McRae Mrs. Charles W. Wicks Mr. Foy McCollum * SUCCEEDED BY MR. GEORGE THORSON AND MRS. JOE C. WICKS FOLLOWING ELECTION ‐‐ APRIL 4, 1978.
Object Description
Rating | |
Title | King, Marjorie. Interview with Anna Zellick |
Description | In this interview, Lewistown resident Marjorie King discusses her memories and experiences as a student of the Lewistown and Maiden Public Schools, and as a member of the Montana State Board of Education and Board of Regents. She also discusses Governors Babcock, Nutter, and Anderson and general Montana politics; and describes her family's mining history in Maiden, Montana. |
Creator | Anna Zellick, F.C.H.S. Graduate, 1935, University of Chicago, A.B. 1941; M.A. 1945. Lecturer, College of Great Falls at Lewistown College Center. |
Genre | documents |
Type | Text |
Language | eng |
Date Original | 1978 |
Subject (keyword) | Wieglenda, George 1877-1957; Maiden, Montana; |
Subject (AAT) | Schools; Gold Mines; |
Rights Management | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
Contributing Institution | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana |
Publisher (Original) | Prepared for Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent of Schools and Lewistown School District #1. Lewistown, MT. |
Geographic Coverage | Fergus County, Montana; Lewistown, Montana |
Digital collection | Central Montana Historical Documents |
Physical collection | LH 978.6292 INTERVIEWS |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Physical format | |
Digitization Specifications | Canon MX310 300dpi |
Full text of this item | Lewistown Public Schools School District Number One Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent Clara E. Kempenaar District Clerk Lincoln School Building 215 7the Ave South Lewistown, Montana 59457 Interview with Marjorie Wieglenda King F.C.H.S, Graduate 1944 Montana State Board of Public Education 1964-1981 July 1, 1978 BY Anna Zellick F.C.H.S. Graduate, 1935 University of Chicago- A.B. 1941; M.A. 1945 Lecturer, College of Great Falls at Lewistown College Center Prepared for Dr. Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent of Schools and Lewistown School District #1 Mr. David L. Moodie Mrs. Donn R, Pennell Mr. Wm. E. Berger* Mrs. Robert L. Johnson Mr. John Thune* Mr. Alan C. Folda Mr. Al McRae Mrs. Charles W. Wicks Mr. Foy McCollum * SUCCEEDED BY MR. GEORGE THORSON AND MRS. JOE C. WICKS FOLLOWING ELECTION -- APRIL 4, 1978. I'm interviewing Marjorie Wieglenda King in her lovely home near Winnett. Today is July 1, 1978. Not only is Mrs. King a graduate of the Fergus County High School, and a daughter of George H. Wieglenda, a pioneer who settled in Maiden, she is also a member of the Montana State Board of Education. This position, in my opinion, is one of honor and great respon¬sibility which Mrs. King has held for fourteen years. It provides her with a unique perspective, I think, in which she can evaluate her elementary and secondary education. We are interested in her comments and reactions. But as with the other interviewees, we are also interested in her family background. Zellick: Who were your parents, and how did it happen that they settled in Maiden? This historic and first town in Central Montana is really your home, isn't it? King: That's right, Anna. I was born in Lewistown, but I was raised in the old mining community of Maiden. My father, George Wieglenda, was an immigrant from Germany. His parents came to the United States in 1884. After spending a year in Ohio, they homesteaded in North Dakota in some very tough times and some very trying circumstances. His family was large, and he was the oldest. Nine more children were born to that family. And, in 1895, Dad, who was close to 20, left home to come to Montana. I'm sure that he didn't know where he was going when he left North Dakota. The experiences of this one homesteading family was the usual in that the one farm was simply not large enough to take care of it. Being the oldest, he left. He caught a freight train from North Dakota to Junction City on the Yellowstone and came to Maiden with a lumber wagon. The first job he had was in the old New Year mine. I heard just the other day, something I hadn't heard before. The mine ran two twelve hour shifts. They had a bunkhouse for the men, but there were only enough beds for one shift so the day shift slept in the beds, and when the workers got up, the night shift then crawled into the same beds. Zellick: That's what you call good scheduling. King: Very good scheduling. My mother, Helen Grant, lived in Maiden for several years. Her father, Egbert Grant, was a stage driver between the old gold mining towns of Kendall and Maiden. He drove from Kendall to Hilger to Maiden. Zellick: That was his route. King: Yes. And it was in Maiden where my mother met my dad. They were married in the early 1920's. Zellick: Your father was connected with mining for most of his life, wasn't he? King: Yes, that's right. He was primarily a prospector. He was a prospector in the sense that he didn't mine for someone else. He was always looking for that gold mine in the sky. As a matter of fact, in the early 1930's, the mine that he was developing was probably the thing that sustained most of the families in the valley. He had outside financial help from a man by the name of Mr. Howard MacLean. With that help, he was able to build a mill, and developed a mine called the Tail Holt. It was named by my dad because, I think, he felt that was his last chance. He had the "tail holt." The mine is close to the present radar base. It employed about fourteen people. Of course, that was a tremendous thing for the community of Maiden. Zellick: Your dad was connected also with an assay office, wasn't he? Then came the family after your dad was established in Maiden. King: Yes. One more thing I would like to tell you about my father, and then we'll get away from family history, is that he didn't finish the eighth grade. He was a man who really cared about education. He was truly self-educated because he read a good deal on a variety of subjects from politics, current events, and classics to geology. In my heart, I know that he was respected by a good many mining engineers who came into the area. He studied everything about those mountains around Maiden, and the geology of them. He successfully learned to operate a cyanide process mill, to smelt and to assay. Zellick: The term "assay" means weighing of the gold or any precious metal in determining how much metal there is to a piece of rock. King: Or any given quantity of rock or ore. Zellick: Was his office located in Maiden? King: Yes, in Maiden. He worked for himself primarily, but he also took in samples from other people and assayed them. Zellick: That was a trusted position or trade. To do the work for the other miners indicated that your dad could be trusted, didn't it? King: I'm sure that's true. He had that kind of a reputation. He never changed an assay to make a mine look better, even if it was a matter of outside people offering money to develop property if they thought there was a prospect of a good mine. Those kinds of things perhaps could have been a temptation. The Tail Holt, I would have to say, ended up not a successful venture. I think in the end the company broke even. The amount of money that was put into the development of the mine was eventually taken out, but nothing more. Zellick: Was this mine gold or was it silver? King: It was gold and silver, but primarily gold. The importance of this mine, in my opinion, was its impact on the community. Other people in the community worked there. Then when the mine closed, in the late 30's, the community was very poor. No one had jobs. My father didn't have any money after coming out of this mining venture. But the interesting thing about the little school that we went to was the fact that all of the children were equally poor. We all wore runover shoes. We all wore made-over dresses, and hand-me-down coats. So, we didn't realize that we were poor. My family lived three miles away from school. The school was open from March until November, because the winter months were too tough to travel. Sometimes we walked; sometimes we traded rides with the neighbors. But, I feel, that we had a good education. It was more like a family type of school. I believe that there was a total enrollment of seventeen when I was in the primary grades. Zellick: We're now talking about the Maiden School, School District No. 3, and what it was like around 1933. King: By the time I was graduated in 1940, there were only three students left. So the school, gradually, was going downhill with fewer and fewer students. Zellick: I don't want to get into the pros and cons of a one room schoolhouse. These schools were the fact of life in the early development and settlement of Central Montana. In the mining communities, as well as in the agricultural communities, there were many one room schoolhouses. You, apparently, feel that you received a good education in a one room schoolhouse having in it all the grades from one through the eighth. Why do you think so? King: I think that we had several outstanding teachers. I think that we have probably many of the same quality teachers today, but the teachers in Maiden loved kids, and they loved to teach. I remember one teacher, for instance, Muriel Kirkpatrick. She decided that we should have boy scouts and girl scouts for recreation. We, automatically, gave up our recesses, and shortened the noon hour so that at three o'clock in the afternoon we could go to a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout meeting. She was the leader for both groups. She taught all of us how to swim so we could receive our swimming badges. The whole school would go to the beaver dam to swim. I couldn't help but think the other day; I wonder if a teacher would even dare do that today. There was no official life guard. The beaver dam was muddy, and, probably, not very sanitary, by the middle of August. But, you see, she offered those things to us. It made school lots more interesting and lots more fun. The whole school took an overnight camping trip. Of course, the parents were involved. They provided the transportation. But there were those extra kinds of things about a one room country school that we appreciated, and the whole community took part in it. Zellick: You said earlier that you were through with the eighth grade in 1940, and then you went to the Fergus County High School which, at that time, was administered by a principal and its own board whose members were appointed by the county commissioners. The school was separate from the Lewistown School District No. 1. So, from a one room school house, where everyone knew everybody else, you went to a large county high school having a student body of several hundred. How would you describe this transition? Was it difficult? King: The transition was real. It really was a transition, and, a part of it was very difficult. To begin with, of course, I had to live away from home. My older sister, Selma Wieglenda Hanley who was graduated in 1939, had lived away from home, and she had an apartment. We shared this apartment until she married later that same year. There was that awkward feeling of not having a family or a home to go to at night, after school. I was very socially self-conscious, I guess I should say. I was young. I was only twelve years old. Zellick: You: must have been very bright. King: Not necessarily. The country school again made a difference in terms of the teacher allowing students to progress at their own rate. But making the transition was very difficult. The kids, by and large, were friendly. And I don't think that I realized how many other country students there were at Fergus. It was probably the middle of the year before I realized that a good number of other students came from a country school. Zellick: It's too bad, I think, that no one to my knowledge has done research on this topic of the one room schoolhouses in Central Montana. As time goes along, knowing more about these country schools, and how many of them there were, will become increasingly more important. King: Yes. I think school bussing became popular about the time I entered the high school. Zellick: But you didn't make use of it, did you? King: No. My father had been on the Maiden School Board. I do remember that he wanted to consolidate our school with the one that was down close to Brooks on our country road. It caused a great furor in the community. As a matter of fact, some of his very best friends didn't speak to him, over this matter, for a number of years. I think he was a little ahead of his time in wanting such a thing to happen or take place. At the time, there were only three or four students left in the Maiden School. He felt that the two schools should consolidate to have the benefit of a few more students and a bigger school. But the school, incidentally, never consolidated. And because of the Radar Base, now there is a two room school at the site of the old District No. 3 Maiden School. Zellick: Coming back to your experiences at Fergus. You found it to be a larger school where the students were friendly. In due time, you were surprised to find that there were many other students who attended country schools as you did. Attending the large county high school was their first experience, too. What stands out prominently as far as your high school education is concerned? King: I can't state, honestly, that any one teacher influenced my life more than another. I think that Helen Winston, probably, showed more of a personal interest in me than some of the other teachers. Zellick: What did she teach? King: She taught Latin, and I was in her home room. Her father had been a friend of my father in the early days. She knew of the family, and she knew my background. She really encouraged me. She wanted me to be more interested in the academic side of life. I, of course, was more concerned with the social things and activities, those first couple of years. Zellick: Were you very concerned about social activities? King: Yes, because I felt very backward and left out, and I was always trying to make friends, and be sure that people liked me. And I think I could have easily gone either way: I could have become a bookworm and tried to avoid people, or I could have gone the opposite direction and only concerned about making friends. I think Helen Winston helped me to reach a balance. People and books always interested me. Zellick: Speaking of Helen Winston. Isn't there a little town in Montana by the name of Winston? King: Yes, I think so, but just now I don't know where it is or was. It's outside of Helena, but I don't think that it is connected with Helen Winston's people. Zellick: So many of the towns, especially the smaller ones, were named after people whom we knew. During our youth, some of these founders were still living. Were you aware of this? King: Yes, but I had never particularly thought about the Winston name. Zellick: That some of these people after whom some of the towns were named, and whom we even knew when we were youngsters, is an indicator that this country was still young or new. But we were not necessarily aware of it at the time. Was there anyone else besides Helen Winston who made an impression on you? King: I will always remember Miss Evelyn Ross, the English teacher. Everyone who stepped foot in Fergus High feared her because their older brothers and sisters had told them that she was the toughest teacher in the world. Zellick: And she was. King: But -what a blessing. I did have her for English for one year, and I dearly loved her. She was a marvelous teacher. She was getting old by then, however. Zellick: I had senior English from her, and I never worked so hard in all of my life. What interested me was that, several years later, I had a chance to visit with her, and I was delighted to find her so affable, understanding, and a sheer delight. She had beautiful twinkling eyes, and a lovely Smile. Like most of the teachers I had, she was so demanding and stern. You never set foot in her class unless you read the assignment which could be Shakespeare's "As you Like it" or Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." Instead of calling the class I was in, a Senior English class, it really was a literary criticism class. The student delved into the philosophy as well as the drama of a given play. Literary analysis was an important part of our learning in her class. I don't know whether you agree. King: I really thought that she was great. I really did. I certainly am thankful for having had her for a teacher. I had more grammar from her than I had literature, however. Another teacher I distinctly remember is Adelia Hall. I had not realized until recently that she was the person, isn't that right, who revised Montana In The Making, the commonly used Montana history text book written by Newton Abbott. Didn't she marry after leaving Fergus? Zellick: Yes, she did. And I'll be happy to see the book that was edited by Adelia Hall Price. King: I had her for American History. I thought that she did a very good job with history. She had a difficult class. We had some rather rambunctious boys who were not interested in history. But she still managed to keep good control of the class. And I found when I took history in college, that she had given us a sound and good background. Zellick: Isn't this interesting. I took four years of English in High School. I had her in my junior year, and most of the year was spent on grammar. Therefore, much of what I know about sentence structure I learned in her class. She, like Evelyn Ross, was an effective teacher. Didn't you think she was? King: Yes, I did. I really did. Helen O'Dea was another teacher whom everyone respected. I never had her in a class, but I had worked with her on class projects and things like that. She was, certainly, a fine addition to that staff. I know that all kinds of kids who went on to college were automatically placed in more advanced math, if they had had her for math in high school. I worked in the math department as a secretary in Bozeman, and that's how I know. Zellick: You worked at the math department at the Montana State University? King: Yes, under John Hurst, chairman of the department. He and his faculty used to refer and talk about Helen O'Dea. Her students had a background that made it easier to teach them college math than was true with students from other schools. Zellick: I don't know if it is apropos to bring this into this interview. But since I have talked to many graduates in recent weeks about the wonderful teachers we had, it tempts me to say something about Helen O'Dea. The incident still moves me, whenever I think about it. I'll relate it here, and if it doesn't belong in this typescript, it can be removed. A year ago, this past Christmas, Emmett Haugen, a brilliant student and a F. C. H. S. graduate of 1939, passed away in Frankfurt, Germany. He had a very illustrious career as an engineer after he was graduated from the Montana State University. He worked for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. This position took him all over Europe and, finally to Frankfurt. He was stricken with cancer, and was, periodically, treated at the Mayo Clinic. At his request, the body was to be brought to Lewistown, that is, when that time came. Well, it did occur, a year ago at Christmas time. I went to the services, representing my brother, George, a fellow classmate. I hadn't met "Mutt's" (as everyone called Emmett) family- his wife and his sons. After the services, we went to "Mutt's" brother's house, Tryge Haugen. (He is a graduate of the F. C. H. S. as is his wife, Mary Francis Devine). And Tryge took me around to introduce me to "Mutt's" sons. When one son was told that his father and my brother, George, were classmates, he extended his hand and asked, "Please, can you tell me the name of the math teacher dad had? He always said that he never would have gotten, anywhere in life or would he have had the fine positions in life, had it not been for this math teacher. Please, do you know her name?" My reply was, "Her name is Helen O'Dea." King: You didn't even have to hesitate, did you? Zellick: Right. And what is also interesting is that when I relayed this incident to my brother, George, and to Jack Rahn, their immediate remark was, "That wasn't hard to do." Isn't that touching? King: It's very interesting. I must say something about Dora Dykins. She has a cabin up in Maiden Canyon. I knew of her before I had her as a teacher, and, of course, I have known her ever since. She decided that my posture was very poor. If I didn't stand up straight, she would tell me that I would be hunchbacked. Zellick: She was a physical education teacher. King: And a good one. And, oh, she was strict. We took two years of phys. ed., and at the end of my sophomore year, she said to me, "I'm not going to give you your P. E. credits, until your posture has improved." I'm not sure, but I don't think that my P. E. credits were put on my record, until I was a high school senior. She used that as a threat. And, you know, I have thanked her a million times. Zellick: Have you thanked her in person? King: Yes, I have. Zellick: It is always nice to tell one's kind thoughts to those people who have extended themselves, in and out of the classrooms. As you say, she was a great teacher. You'll be interested to learn that we have interviewed Dora Dykins because she not only taught in the local schools; she also attended the F. C. H. S. as a student. Her comments are priceless, and, in my opinion, her interview constitutes a valuable contribution to the history project recently launched by Dr. Ron Mattson and the Lewistown School District No. 1 Board members. I don't know whether I have told you this, but Dr. Ron Mattson who came here in 1972 six years ago, a native of North Dakota who has extensive administrative experience here in Montana, feels the need of a recorded local school history. What are some of the other things that occur to you? King: As a student, a teenager, I didn't have any particular appreciation for the philosophy of the school or the administrator. I truly didn't know C. G. Manning. He was the superintendent. He was, the man behind the door in the office. I do remember Gladys Trimmer, and the way she ran that office. She deserves note because she kept all of the records. She was very strict and correct about it, and we all knew if she recorded something, she would be recorded properly. To most of the students, she was more important than Mr. Manning himself. She was important because she was the person we saw. Zellick: Her years with the school system, as a student and later as an employee, total to about 46 years! I have talked to her many times over the telephone, and she has been most helpful in my current efforts with this project. However, she refuses to be interviewed. Hence, I'm doubly appreciative of your comments on Miss Trimmer. Have we done justice to Fergus High? King: I do want to make it perfectly clear, I never had a feeling then, or after I went on to college, that any of my failings or shortcomings, as a student, stemmed from or were a result of a poor education received at the Fergus High. I think that I had a very good preparation for college. And I'm sure that any successes I may have had in college resulted directly from that background because I found that many of the things I took in college were extremely easy. I didn't have any difficulty with a good deal of the subject matter. Another thing, I took some secretarial courses at Fergus High. I can't remember the names of the teachers, but they provided a course of study which enabled me to get a job, and work my way through college. Had it not been for that kind of background, I probably couldn't have gone to college. I had a secretarial job on campus. I always worked during summers, and while I was in school. I remember Winogene Hedine who taught me typing II and Shorthand II. She was an attractive, efficient woman. For typing I and shorthand I had Pearl Veseth and Elsa Waterman. Zellick: Were you interested in any extra-curricular activities? The history that is emerging from these interviews shows that while the school budget was always tight, still the school and the community were always sports minded. Was this also true of your times? King: Yes, but the girls were not as deeply involved in sports as they are nowdays, but the boys were certainly involved. The pep club was the one club that all the girls wanted to belong to. As I remember, we had a good band and a good cappella choir. I was not involved in those things. I did have to go home on weekends, and that made a difference. Because of the fact that my family still lived in Maiden, I was not involved in many of the extracurricular activities. Zellick: Coming back to the fact that you were from Maiden, which was probably a ghost town then as it is now. King: Very definitely, particularly after dad closed his mine. Zellick: Was there much feeling between the town kids and the country kids? Were the students from the country referred to as the country hicks? King: Yes, and no. There were times, I'm sure, when the country kids felt left out, especially in such events as the band, art club, and so on. I think some of the things that the town students had done in Jr. High, for instance, with music, put them ahead of the country kids, not that the country kids were excluded, I don't mean that. I can't honestly say that the country kids were discriminated against in any sense. Zellick: It's interesting, I think, that all of the people with whom I talked during the past two months agree with you. They did not think that there was any discrimination against the kid who came in from the country. This even applied to those inter¬viewees who were students when the standard of living on the farms and ranches was quite different from what it is today. In those days the farms and ranches were not electrified, and there was no indoor plumbing to speak of, and so on. There was a difference in the way people lived in town from the way they lived out in the country. Who were some of the outstanding classmates and students of your time? King: It's very hard to single out people, Anna, whom you think were successful or outstanding, because, I think, most people, in their own way, are successful if they are living a happy life. That is certainly important, regardless of their achievements. I would like to mention some of the other class members. Bob Johnson, who practices law in Lewistown, was a member of the 1944 graduating class. He had an excellent voice and took an active part in high school musical groups as well as in athletics. Bob's wife, Anita is currently a member of the Lewistown School District No. 1 Board of Trustees. Charles Otten has had a successful military career as has Taylor Waage. Peggy Conard and Esther Rolfness married Jenni brothers whose family have been longtime residents of Central Montana. They continue to farm and ranch in the area and have always contributed their share to every community effort. Bob and Sam Phillips, identical twins, startled many basketball opponents when they could not be told apart on the basketball floor. They have married and raised their families in the Lewistown area. Bob is currently a Fergus County Commissioner and Sam has been associated with the Production Credit Association in addition to his ranching activities. They have both done a great deal to promote the cattle industry in Central Montana. Oscar Donisthorpe was the valedictorian and Charlotte was the salutatorian of our class. Charlotte was always full of fun and enthusiasm. She was an excellent student and a cheerleader, member of art club, choir, orchestra, pep club and the school paper staff. In fact it is hard to think of anything she wasn't involved with in the school! Charlotte lives in California now and is a math teacher. She is still as vivacious and charming as ever. Oscar was the leading politician of our class. The class prophecy predicted he would be the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture! He was president of student council, president of the Montana State FFA and a member of drama club and the school paper staff. I understand he is now a successful lawyer in New Mexico. Charles Seifert recently opened a new clothing store on Last Chance Gulch in Helena. Dick Shannon is a Professor of economics at the University of Montana. Nick Cerovski is manager of the State Home for the Aged and Jack Grindy is a school superintendent in California. Bill Otto, Burt Nelson and Bill McVeda have all had successful careers in industry. Clayton (Snick) Nelson, who participated in all sports during his four years in high school and went on to be a successful basketball coach. He has taken a number of teams all the way to the state tournament. These are but a few of the graduates I can name offhand who have gone on to lead productive, successful lives. Zellick: I think it is very nice that you are including some of the outstanding local people. It is difficult, at times, to even pinpoint all those who have been successful and are still living in Central Montana where we at least know of one another, if we don't know each other personally. For example, I think those of us living here who are not in businesses of our own, do not always know those who have been the most successful financially. On the other hand, it is possible to single out some who have been outstanding because their contribution is noticeable to most, if not all, in the community. I think that it is generally agreed, and I can appreciate how your modesty might interfere here, that you have made a tremendous achievement with your life. You are a daughter of a well-known maiden family, and you are the wife of Joseph King III, a grandson of a prominent early-day Swiss family that settled in Lewistown in the 1880's. You are a mother of three children. You are also now, and have been for many years a board member of the Montana State Board of Education. I think that is quite an honor and a very responsible position. For the purposes of the record, I think that it would be nice to know how and when you got on the hoard. What are some of the differences now in the educational world as contrasted to the time when you were first appointed to what was then known as the Montana State Board of Regents? We would love to have your comments. King: Thank you Anna, for your kind words. I certainly have enjoyed my years on the Board of Education. It's been an educational experience for me, I have truly appreciated. I would have to say something at the very beginning, though, which is a basic part of my philosophy of education. I think that the local school board members are very much more important than state school board members. I truly respect local board members. I was a local board member here in Winnett, for six years. And, I felt that we did some important things on that local board. I think all local school board members work very hard. They get little thanks. They contribute many long hours. They make some critical decisions in terms of their own school. It's kind of too bad that even the local board members themselves do not realize the power that they have in their hands. Zellick: You feel that there are board members who are completely unaware of the power they do possess. King: Yes, I believe that local boards do not realize how much they can influence the whole complexion of their school. I know that it is easy to feel that everything is dictated from another level. The local boards tend to think that the state board makes too many demands and too many rules and regulations. In turn, I think the State Board tends to think that federal rules and regulations tie its hands. True, local board members do have a tremendous responsibility, and they, also, have a tremendous opportunity to see that they have the kind of school they want for their own children. Zellick: Without getting into school administrative matters on which I, personally, am not well versed, I would like to ask if one reason why the school board member may feel powerless is due to federal guidelines that have to be implemented, whether he is in favor of them or not. King: Yes, that is true, and that is, also, true on the state level. Some of the new federal regulations that have to do with special education, vocational education and Title IX, for instance, are very stringent and very specific. And these guidelines are not always particularly applicable to a state with rural population like Montana has. Some of these guidelines were written with a large city and its ghetto problems in mind. Zellick: To this extent, would you say that the position of a present school superintendent is far different from the days when you went to school when Mr. C. G. Manning was the superintendent? King: Oh, Yes. I have to say that things are much more complicated today, and I think the volume of paper work has increased enormously. The superintendent can no longer take care of all administration. He has to rely on other people. And I would think, perhaps, that one of the big differences between a successful school administrator of today and a school administrator of twenty or thirty years ago, is that now the administrator must be able to delegate responsibility. He cannot do everything himself. I would guess, that Mr. C. G. Manning ran a very "tight ship" and that he ran it pretty much himself. A school administrator cannot run the school in that manner today. It's mandated, for instance, that he evaluate every single teacher. It would be physically impossible for one man to accomplish this in a larger district. Zellick: What piece of law states or requires that every teacher must be evaluated? King: There isn't a specific law that mandates. But when we start talking about Civil Rights, then you are immediately involved in the reasons for your hiring and firing of teachers. If a teacher is going to be asked to resign, there must be some very good reasons. Zellick: All this stems from the Civil Rights Act that was passed in 1964? King: Yes. Zellick: So that Act, even though we didn't have some of the minorities such as the Blacks here, really does have an impact on us here in Lewistown as well as in Winnett? King: Yes. When you mentioned the Act before the interview, I hadn't thought about it in quite those terms, but it is true that those kinds of things have implications that do not specifically have to do with race or color. I would like to refer to the Indian Studies Law, passed by the Montana State Legislature about two years ago. It has had quite an impact on our State. And I'm sure that it is a direct result of the National Civil Rights legislation. It is an attempt to see that the Indian students, even if they are being educated in a public school, off the reservation, have teachers who are informed about Indian affairs and Indian culture. Zellick: According to this law, any teacher whose school is on or near a reservation must know something about the Indian culture here in Montana? King: Yes, that's right. A teacher must have six credits in Indian studies. This law is creating some problems because some of the older teachers already experienced in teaching Indian children, I think, resent it. And I think this resentment is unfortunate. And we must remember, too, that the Indian children and their parents have resented some of the poorly qualified white teachers they have had in the past. Within a few years this will level out, and we will have teachers who have a better background and more understanding of Indian problems. Zellick: Could we go back to your appointment to the Board of Regents? King: Yes, as a matter of fact, my first appointment to the state board was an appointment to the Montana Library Commission in 1961; I was serving on that commission when I was appointed to the Board of Education. Zellick: Who appointed you? King: Governor Don Nutter appointed me to the library commission. Zellick: Did you know his personally? King: Not, particularly well. I knew him, but not very well. Zellick: He was killed in a plane crash. Incidentally, he was married to Maxine Trotter who was graduated from the F. C. H. S. in 1935. She was a beautiful girl whom I haven't seen in years. I do remember that she was very popular, especially with the boys. King: How interesting. I have met her several times, and she is a charming lady. Probably the reason I was appointed to that library commission was because of Kenny Cole, a senior state senator from Petroleum County. He knew of my interest in the local library board and some of the things that I was trying to do. Because of his seniority in the Senate and in the Republican Party, his recommendation to Governor Nutter would have carried considerable weight. Probably because I was on the library commission at the time a vacancy occurred on the Board of Education, my name came to the attention of Governor Tim Babcock. When Mrs. Genevev Petro of Miles City was unable to finish her term on the old State Board of Education because of illness, Governor Babcock appointed me to complete her term of one year. That was in 1964. Zellick: And you have been serving in that capacity since then? King: Yes. Zellick: Quite a long time. King: I was reappointed by Governor Babcock after I completed Mrs. Petro's term, a term of eight years. That was the length of a term under the old constitution. That board was also the Board of Regents. Zellick: Under the old constitution, there was just one board? King: Yes. There were eight appointed members plus the governor, the attorney general, and the state-superintendent of public instruction on an eleven member board, with all members voting. We actually met as two separate boards, in those years. The board of public education would meet with the state superintendent of public instruction as our executive officer, so to speak. We would then adjourn and go into another session as the Board of Regents. Actually, the same people, but two separate boards and two separate meetings. Zellick: Where did you meet? King: Usually, in the Governor's Reception Room in the State Capital Building. We still do meet there on occasion simply because it is a large enough room. Under the old Board of Regents, we had an executive secretary. We did not have a Commissioner of Education, a provision of the new constitution. If you would like me to talk a little bit about the new constitution, I would be glad to do so. Zellick: I wish that you would because this new constitution represents a monumental step that was taken in 1972. Up to that time, we operated under the constitution adopted in 1889, when Montana was admitted to the Union. The late U. S. Senator Lee Metcalf referred to it, in a conversation with a friend, as an old black teakettle that was highly corroded with layer upon layer of calcium. What is interesting to us today is that you, a Fergus County High School Graduate, who later became a member of the Board of Regents, operated under the old and now the new constitution. Could you tell us what the differences are, before and after? King: The new constitution provides for a Board of Regents and a Board of Public Education, which sit together twice a year as a state board of education. Zellick: In other words, the one board serving for the interests of the university system is referred to as the Board of Regents? King: That's right. And according to the new constitution, its executive officer is a commissioner of education. That, incidentally, is a new constitutional office. Zellick: And isn't it interesting that the State's first commissioner of education is Larry G. Pettit who is a former Lewistown boy who went through the Lewistown school system, as you and I did? King: Yes, it is. As the first commissioner of higher education, Larry has done a very credible job in a difficult position. It was a difficult position to fill partly because it was a new position, but I think that he has established some things that will make the difference in years to come, in terms of the power of that Board of Regents. The other board, the Board of Public Education has been given the authority to exercise general supervision of the public school system, and other such public institutions, as assigned by law. The Constitution says that other duties of the Board shall be provided by law. The Constitution also provides for an elected superintendent of public instruction. The duties of that office are not specified in the constitution. The present Board of Public Education also serves as a Board of Vocational Education for the State of Montana. It's somewhat of the same dual capacity that the old board had in terms of being a Board of Regents and a Board of Public Education. Now the Board of Public Education is also the Board of Vocational Education a responsibility which involves the five post-secondary vocational technical centers located in Helena, Missoula, Butte, Great Falls, and Billings, as well as the secondary vocational education in the State. When we are serving in that capacity, our executive officer is by law, the state superintendent of public instruction. Zellick: How many times does your board meet? King: By law, we must meet four times a year. I think it is honest to say that, so far this year, we have met at least ten times, and, probably that is true for the past five years as well. We have done a great deal of reorganization under the new constitution. The 1977 legislation gave the Board of Public Education the authority to hire a professional assistant who now has an office separate from the state superintendent. It has been a very worthwhile move. From the standpoint of a board member, it is nice to know that we have someone who works for us, and someone who is completely independent of state politics. Zellick: Where is this office located? King: It was fortunate for the Board of Public Education that space was available in the office, of the commissioner of higher education. This gives us closer contact with the Board of Regents. It is a very nice location in Last Chance Gulch and an ideal place for us to have an office. Zellick: What specifically does your board do that has an impact on the local schools say right here in Lewistown, the elementary and the high school? King: I suppose the most important thing we do is set accreditation standards for all of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state. There has been a lot of discussion lately on the part of the board members and people in education, I think, across the State, as to whether we should have very strict accreditation standards from the state level, or whether we should let local school boards determine the details of how they operate their own schools. I happen to favor a system whereby the local districts have greater say in terms of course offerings and the kinds of things that will benefit their community and their students the most. I don't want to see our state standards become any more strict or demanding. Zellick: For my information, are school plants, buildings, and facilities an item that comes under accreditation as well as the curriculum per se? King: Yes, they are a part of our standards. They're important in terms of meeting the number of hours a day that students are in class, and this sort of thing. When a facility becomes too crowded, some schools have had to ask for a split shift, for instance. That has to be approved by our board. Zellick: Did I understand that you served on an accreditation committee for Fergus High? King: In 1975, the Northwest Accrediting Association visited Fergus High School. And I served on it as a representative of the State Board of Education. Several members of the superintendent's office served too. We spent two and a half days visiting Fergus High, reviewing the course offerings, visiting the facility, and every detail of the teaching and administration was studied. It was a very interesting experience for me, as a matter of fact. I served on a couple of these teams through the years, and it's an interesting approach because specialists, from each area go into the school. A home economic specialist, for instance, will review all the home economics classes. Someone in science will do the same; someone in math, and so on. Our visit at Fergus High was informative because, it was the general consensus of the accrediting team, though the school was fully accredited, that the facility is lacking, particularly, in the laboratory areas. It is an old building built to serve different kinds of purposes, and, I think, with expanded course offerings, it's certainly necessary for the local school board and the people in the Fergus County area to look at that building and determine if it is really meeting the needs. Zellick: When you say that there is a need for better laboratory area, could you be more specific? King: Physics, and Chemistry, particular. I was not involved in the investigation of these particular accommodations, but I'm also sure that the biology area is in need of improvement, too. Zellick: What about the visual aids and the use of modern equipment in present day teaching? Acoustics are terribly important, aren't they? King: Very much so. Buildings have to be good in terms of general lighting and light control, also, so that we can use the cameras, projectors, slides, and this sort of thing conveniently and readily while instruction is in progress. Obviously, the current building was not designed for this sort of use. And, I think, that there are a number of these areas that the local board must look at, to determine if they can use this old building effectively for many more years. Zellick: How did it feel to serve as an investigator of your old alma mater? Were you bothered? Did you have any feelings? King: Maybe, I wanted to be defensive, and defend everything that was being done the local board and administration. I probably felt like saying that the building was good for me, and it is still good. Seriously, there were many things about the building that were becoming run down, and I don't think that it was a result of poor upkeep and maintenance on the part of administration or the people in charge, I think it's a matter of becoming old. Zellick: We probably should have picked this up earlier, but since we didn't it is better to pick it up now than not at all, As far as we know, you are the only person from Central Montana who ever served on that State Board of Education, right? King: I'm not sure. I don't think anyone else from the Lewistown area has ever served. But by law, the Board must have even representation from the two congressional districts with no more than four individuals from each of the districts. And each of the political parties must be represented on the board with no more than four from either party. Zellick: During the course of this interview, you mentioned being appointed to the library commission and the State Board of Public Education. Could you tell us something about the governors you served under? Did you get to know them as people? King: Yes, Anna, under the old eleven member board, the appointed members had an opportunity to know, quite well, the elected state officials who also served on the board....the governor, the attorney general, and the state superintendent of public instruction. I have served in some capacity under four governors, Governor Don Nutter, Governor Tim Babcock, Governor Forrest Anderson, and Governor Tom Judge. Though I knew Governor Nutter the least, I thought he was a very impressive man. I met him for the first time at a social function shortly after he had appointed me to the State Library Commission in 1961. Senator Cole introduced us and I suppose I expected Governor Nutter to make some sort of polite small talk saying he was happy I had accepted the appointment or that I had been highly recommended to him. He did neither. Be shook my hand firmly, looked directly at me and said, "I expect my appointees to run the affairs of their respective boards." He was a short man and at that moment, in spite of my 5'7", I felt quite small! I think of Governor Babcock as quiet sensitive man who very much felt the responsibilities of his office. He was sincere and frank in his dealings with the board of education. I was the only woman on the board at that time and I occasionally felt he was more formal and reserved when I was in the room than he might otherwise have been. For that reason, I'll relate this story. The board was meeting in Billings and though the governor did not have dinner with us, he had told one of the other members that a committee could use his room that evening for a meeting. He was staying in the Governors Suite at the Northern Hotel, which has a pleasant sitting room. Our dinner was delayed and we did not finish until sometime after 10:00 p.m. The chairman of the committee had a key to the governor’s room so we went upstairs and proceeded to open the door. Though the key fit into the lock properly, the door would not open and each one of us in turn tried to open the door but to no avail. Suddenly without warning, the door opened from the inside and there stood the governor in his pajamas! I felt as though I was standing in front of everyone else and needless to say, on this occasion I felt very large and awkward indeed. Gracious, as always, Governor Babcock insisted we come in. He put on a robe, served us coffee, and joined in the committee meeting. I'm not sure I contributed very much to the business that evening. Forrest Anderson was the Attorney General during Governor Babcock's administration, so board members knew him before he became governor. He had an alert, quick mind and a caustic sense of humor. His steel blue eyes could crackle with humor or be cold as ice. He gloried in an argument and was seldom bested. One of the most serious disadvantages of the eleven member board was the fact that is was used by the elected officials as a political soapbox and in an election year, any small agenda item might be blown out of proportion if it could be twisted about to have political overtones. The press faithfully attended all of our meetings and watched for potential flare-ups. It was ironic that during the years I served on the old eleven member board, the governor and the attorney general were never of the same political party. Governor Babcock was a Republican governor from 1962-1968, and Forrest Anderson was elected governor in 1968, Robert Woodahl, a Republican, was elected attorney general. Governor Judge was the first governor to serve under the new constitution and therefore does not serve as the chairman of the new constitutional boards. Forrest Anderson delighted in sparring with his political adversaries. He glorified in politics and had served most of his life in some political office-- justice of the Supreme Court, attorney general and governor. His every move was geared to political maneuvering. In short, he was a professional politician who understood every facet of the game. I felt he reached a political peak in his battle against Tim Babcock for the governorship in 1967. He seemed to glow with the challenge of the dual while Governor Babcock became more withdrawn and harried with the demands of his office and the campaign. One sticky hot morning late in the summer before the election, the board was scheduled to meet on the Montana State University campus in Bozeman. The appointed members had assembled early for committee meetings and shortly before 9:00 a.m., Forrest Anderson strolled into the meeting room, shaking hands with everyone and looking very relaxed and self-confident. He sat down at the meeting table and made casual conversation with the board members while we waited for the Governor to arrive. Promptly at 9:00 a.m. the Governor walked briskly in, sat down at his place at the head of the table and snapped open his briefcase. The lid flew up and the Governor bent forward to peer at its contents. Forrest Anderson looked across the table and in a stage whisper designed to be easily heard by everyone in the room he said, with caustic good humor, "Ah, I see you are carrying your makeup case!" And at that moment, it did in truth look as though Governor Babcock was viewing himself in the mirror of a make-up case! Forrest Anderson visited our ranch immediately following his victorious campaign for the governorship in 1968. He asked if he might come and bring his own camper on a pheasant hunting vacation. He arrived on a Sunday afternoon and we already had a house full of family and friends visiting for the day. I had supposed he had come to get away from the rigors of a tough campaign and that he was not eager to shake more hands and meet more people. But Governor Anderson showed his true political nature! He came smiling into the kitchen, not waiting to be introduced, but rather introducing himself and shaking hands as he went. Before I was truly aware of what was happening, he had easily and confidently made his way into the dining room and living room. By the time I had the presence of mind to invite the governor to join us for a cup of coffee, he had met everyone in the house, given them a hearty handshake and a glowing smile and was on his way. A political pro! Though Forrest Anderson won the governor's race, something changed. I have to think his health was the key factor. I've often wondered if his term of office might have been different had he been in peak physical health. He never again seemed to have the same shrewd sparkle, the quick humor, or the relaxed friendliness. I have not known Governor Thomas Judge in the same way I knew the earlier governors. The board relationship with him is more formal and distant. Because he does not sit as a voting member of the board of public education, he does not attend the meetings but sends a representative. It is not necessary that he concern himself with the details of the agenda items and so when he does meet with the board, the business is usually of a broad, general nature. I have been complimented by the fact that he appointed me to a second term on the board of education and that he asked me to serve on the Montana Commission on Post-Secondary Education which did a study of postsecondary education in 1973. Zellick: Thank you so very much for this information on the Montana governors with whom you have worked. You know there is still one item we failed to pick up at the appropriate time so let's do it now. Did World War II have any impact on you as a student at Fergus High? King: Yes, Anna it did, and I'm glad that you brought it up. I was a sophomore on Pearl Harbor Day. I still vividly remember the school assembly which was called on Monday, the day after Pearl Harbor. We pretty much sat in assembly all day, listening to the radio. Zellick: Did the assembly last the full day? King: Yes, it was almost as though the school had been dismissed for the day. It was quite an earth shaking thing for kids, our age, for everyone knew that this war was going to touch their lives soon. Particularly, the boys felt it. Many of us had older brothers and relatives who were already serving in the National Guard. So, there was already an involvement in the European war. But this Pearl Harbor attack was a very emotional affair. Zellick: Who was in charge of the assembly? King: Oh, Anna, I don't remember. I suppose Mr. Manning and Mr. Arnold G. Erickson, a couple of the men teachers would give us background information and explain the latest news that had been heard over the radio. Then someone supervised the radio over the loudspeaker. Zellick: This is the first time I ever heard about this assembly. King: Is that right? I think that after the emotional shock of knowing that we were at war, things got back to normal rather quickly as far as we students were concerned. My class, especially, was not that touched with the war, not that year. But it wasn't long before the boys were volunteering, dropping out, and leaving. Even in 1942, Martin Barbee and several other boys dropped out and volunteered for the army. They didn't finish high school. I remember, Dick Evans volunteered and left for the U. S. Navy before graduation though he was allowed to receive his diploma and by graduation time 15 of our classmates had enlisted and were ready to leave. Then, of course, there was gas rationing. And, I think, teenagers would notice gas rationing, even though that wasn't the day when everyone had a car. It simply meant that you couldn't borrow your parent’s car either. There simply wasn't enough gas for leisure and unnecessary driving. Zellick: How did that system work? I have forgotten. King: There were different kinds of stamps for different kinds of users. The agricultural and rural people had one kind of a stamp. They were entitled to more gas than the people living in town. And there was sugar rationing, and wasn't there meat rationing as well? Zellick: I don't remember about the meat, but I certainly remember the sugar rationing because, as a result of it, I lost my knack for baking cakes. King: To the teenager that was unimportant. The mothers were concerned about that. But I do remember that shoes were rationed. But that didn't bother me. In my family we never could buy as many shoes as the coupons entitled us to buy, because we had to make our shoes last longer anyway. Zellick: Then, you weren't affected by the rationing of nylon hose for women? King: No, we wore bobby soxers. Zellick: That was the era of the bobby soxers. I suppose we should explain in detail what bobby soxers were. King: I'm sure that the expression comes from the dress of the teenage girl. She wore, in those days, brown and white saddle shoes. Not black and white, but brown and white. The bobby sox was a mid-calf anklet. They weren't short anklets, but longer anklets. Zellick: Not the kind that went up to the knee? King: No. They came up to about mid-calf, and could be rolled down two or three rolls, and this made you a bobby soxer. Zellick: What did you wear for apparel, sweaters and skirts? King: Sweaters and skirts, yes. Zellick: And the skirts came down well below the knee. King: Yes, and that was towards the end of my high school days. By 1944, I think, the skirts were quite long. Zellick: The other item that was rationed that certainly affected the school parents as well as the women teachers was nylon socks with seams down the back. One could buy only one pair at a time, and then one would have to wait until the next shipment came in. This, usually, took months. King: I do remember them, and remember the shortage of them more after I went to college. Zellick: As I look out of your lovely home, I see the clouds are rising up again I don't want to drive to Lewistown in a heavy rain. Thanks for the interview. You'll be hearing from me. Lewistown School District No, One Oral History Project 1978 TABLE OF TAPE CONTENTS Tape Number 1 Narrator: Marjorie Wieglenda King. Occupation: Housewife, rancher, member of the Montana State Board of Education Address: P.O. Box 187, Winnett, MT 59087 Length: 2 hr. Date of Interview: July 1, 1978 Length: 2 hr. Session 1 Place: Winnett Maiden, MT and what it was like to live there as a school child Experiences at F.C.H.S. 1940-1944 Title or Subject: Board member experiences on M.S.B, of Education Interviewer: Anna Zellick, F,C.H.S. Grad., 1935 Others Present: .U. of Chicago A.B., 1941: M.A., 1945 Lecturer, College of Great Falls at the Lewistown College Center on Special Assignment for Dr. Ronald B. Mattson, Supt. Contents: Min. Counter Tape 1 Side A 0-40 F.C.H.S. graduate and recently a member of the State Board of Education. Childhood: Maiden, mining community. Daughter of George Wieglenda, son of a German immigrant who came to Montana in 1895. New Year Mine in Maiden. Mother's father, a stage driver between Kendall - Hilger - Maiden. Father, prospector and assayer. 1930 - Tail Holt gold and silver mine sustains Maiden. 14 employees. Father, recognized geologist who didn't finish the 8th grade. A self-educated man. Assaying ¬definition and description. Maiden School, 1933-1940. All students poor. Summer school, family type school that provided good education. Reasons and examples: M. Kirk¬patrick, teacher. Shortened lunch hour and elimination of recesses to provide Boy and Girl Scouting plus activities that made school fun. 40-70 F.C.H.S. 1940-1944 Very difficult transition from Maiden School. Freshman at 12 years of age. Didn't realize that there were other students who came from one room country schools. Father, George Wieglenda, Maiden School Board Member, unsuccessful in consolidation Maiden and another school. Great furor. F.C.H.S. Outstanding teachers: Helen Winston - Latin and Homeroom teacher. En¬couraged me, educationally. Felt backward and left out. Emphasis on the social. Other outstanding teachers: Evelyn Ross, feared by students. A blessing "toughest teacher in the world" Counter Tape 1 Side A 40-70 Adelia Hall Price - editor of E.G. Abbot's History of Montana. Helen O'Dea, fine addition. Math teacher. Reputation and recognized by math dept. at Montana State College. Influence on the late Emmett Haugen, a student who became an engineer stationed in Europe. Reception at T.A. Haugen's home. Dora Dykins. Responsible for my straight stature. 2 years of PE credits withheld until posture is im¬proved. Already interviewed. Dr. Ronald B. Mattson's feelings in re record¬ings of personal experiences, Formerly from North Dakota, Min. Counter Tape 1 Side B 0-10 Other F.C.H.S. recollections. Classmates: Robert Johnson, lawyer, member of quartette, Charlie Otten attended West Point. Bill McVeda, successful business man in California... Other classmates who remained in Central Montana: Peggy Conard, Esther Rolfsness. 10-40 Marjorie Wieglenda King: Wife of Joe King, III, mother of three children and member of the State Board of Education, 1964-1981, Local School Board Members more important than State Board Members. (6 years Board member in Winnett). Make critical decisions and are not aware of the power they possess, Federal guide lines must be recognized. Title 1X special and vocational education stringent and specific. More appropriate, in some in¬stances, for urban vs. rural. Differences now and when at F.C.H.S. More complicated, volume of paper work, Admini-strator must delegate responsibility. Feel "C.G. Manning ran a tight ship, he ran himself. Impact of Civil Rights Legislation, 1964. Hiring, firing Indian Studies - Montana Law Appointed to Montana Library Commission, 1962, by Governor Don Nutter, married to Maxine Trotter, a F.C.H.S. graduate. Nominated by Ken Cole, State Senator from Petroleum County. Appointed to State Board of Education and the Board of Regents (under old constitution) by Governor Tim Babcock, 1964. Eight appointed members plus Governor, Attorney General, State Supt. of Public Instruction. Met as 2 separate boards, 2 separate sessions. With Supt. of Public Instruction as board of education then as board of regents. Met in governor's reception room. Executive Secretary assisted Board of Education. No commissioner of education. 40-50 New constitution adopted in 1973. Two separate boards that sit together twice a year as State Board of Education, Commissioner of Higher Education serves State Board of Higher Education (the old Board of Regents). A new constitutional office. Larry Pettit, graduate of F.C.H.S., now the Commissioner. Creditable job. Established the office. Board of Public Education - supervises the public school system with State Supt., elective job. It's also the State Board of Vocational Education, involving Vocational Technical Centers. Meets 4 to 10 times a year. A professional assistant, separate from State Supt., provided by law. Advantages. Office with Chancellor in Last Chance Gulch. 50-60 Board's impact on local schools. Accreditation and approval of accreditation standards; "Don't want to see our State Standard any more strict or demanding". School buildings and facilities come under accreditation. Amount of space determines split sessions. On the Northwest Accreditation Committee of the F.C.H.S. 21/2 day’s observation: facility, course offering, and administration. Each area observed by specialist. Facility inadequate, especially the labora¬tory area, physics, chemistry and biology. Visual Aids - acoustics and light controls necessary. Current building not designed for this kind of use. Question of the buildings future, the local board's responsibility. How it felt to be on investigating team of your Alma Mater. I was defensive. "I wanted to say that the building is good; it was good enough for me"; A rundown building that be¬came old. The only Central Montanan to serve on State Board. Legal requirements for board member¬ship. 60- Recollections of F.C.H.S. during World War II. Special Assembly, full day on Dec. 8, 1941 (Pearl Harbor). Co. K already mobilized. Men teachers spoke, including C.G. Manning and Mr. Erickson. Radio, took care of emotional shock. Beginning in '42, boys drop out of school. Martin Barby, Dick Evans goes to Navy. Gas rationing affects teenagers who could not borrow family cars. Implemented via stickers and stamps. Easier on agricultural people. Sugar and meat rationing. Hard on mothers, but not on teenagers. Shoe and nylon stocking rationing didn't affect teenagers who wore "Bobby-Soxers". Min. Counter Tape 1 Side B 70 Definition, description and attire of Bobby-Soxers. See typed interview for statement on governors; Nutter, Babcock, Anderson and Judge. Due to threatening rain clouds, interview which was held at the King Ranch, had to be ended. |
Description
Title | Interview -- King, Marjorie 1 |
Type | Text |
Contributing Institution | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Digitization Specifications | Canon MX310 300dpi |
Full text of this item | Lewistown Public Schools School District Number One Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent Clara E. Kempenaar District Clerk Lincoln School Building 215 7the Ave South Lewistown, Montana 59457 Interview with Marjorie Wieglenda King F.C.H.S, Graduate 1944 Montana State Board of Public Education 1964‐1981 July 1, 1978 BY Anna Zellick F.C.H.S. Graduate, 1935 University of Chicago‐ A.B. 1941; M.A. 1945 Lecturer, College of Great Falls at Lewistown College Center Prepared for Dr. Ronald B. Mattson, Superintendent of Schools and Lewistown School District #1 Mr. David L. Moodie Mrs. Donn R, Pennell Mr. Wm. E. Berger* Mrs. Robert L. Johnson Mr. John Thune* Mr. Alan C. Folda Mr. Al McRae Mrs. Charles W. Wicks Mr. Foy McCollum * SUCCEEDED BY MR. GEORGE THORSON AND MRS. JOE C. WICKS FOLLOWING ELECTION ‐‐ APRIL 4, 1978. |
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