CHS, class of 1924, etc.

[Nancy Stevens]

Hi to all,
And quite by accident, I found this site yesterday, and I am ENCHANTED! Have been in California for over 50 years, but my roots run deep in Columbus.

Hate to admit how many hours in the last 18 that I have been at this computer, searching! But what fun!

Doubt that many coming here will date back this far, but John Hughes, class of 1924 (he was married to my dad's (Charlie Stevens) oldest sister, Ruth Stevens Hughes) will be celebrating his 100th birthday on April 17, 2005. Would guess that he is one of the oldest living CHS graduates of that era.

My post for the moment. I shall return! ;D

Nanc Stevens

[Ricky_Berkey]

Nancy, it is so nice to have you visiting this website and sharing your remembrances with us. I have only been in Columbus a few years but like to call it my "adopted home town". I'm always trying to pick up tidbits of local history to fill in my missing childhood here. When was the last time you saw Columbus? You are aware I'm sure of all the modern buildings and landscaping. I do love that aspect of Columbus but somewhere along the line we realized the importance of preserving the past and many fine historical buildings have been saved and given new uses in order to maintain that survival. We still tear down too many fine old structures but its delightful when we can save one and this website remembers those dearly departed bits and pieces of Columbus that only exist in old pictures and fading memories.

[Nancy Stevens]

Hi, and here it is another AM, and I am online and reading some more.

I was last in Columbus in 1995, to go to my "class reunion" for what would have been my class had I stayed in Columbus. That would have been our 40th.

And yes, I know about the "changes" etc., at least some of them. I was not yet in school and went to church in the old Tabernacle, and watched the building of First Christian Church, and even as a "little kid" was very much aware of how much 'ahead of its time" was the design of the new church.

So actually, I "grew up" in the new church. One of my greatest thrills when I go back is to roam around the church, and show my kids, or whoever I'm with, and tell the stories that I recall.

Think I will go find a more approriate spot to post my "memory for the day." And think I may "do" my neighborhood.

Good to hear from you.

Nanc Stevens

[nancs]

And a happy birthday to your dad, Babs.

Decided I should post this piece of info in a place that does apply to my Uncle John Hughes. As stated in an earlier post here, he graduated from CHS in 1924.

Presently, he lives in Texas near his youngest son. He celebrated his 101st birthday this past April, and is still going strong!!!!!! A remarkable man, with a sharp memory. Over the years he has written an autobiography that is priceless. Sure hope his sons (my cousins) truly appreciate his efforts in this regard.

So there do still remain, some 'Columbus oldsters.'

Nanc

[Margo CHS Class of 55]

Nanc
So glad to hear your Uncle is still with us. Am very interested in his autobiography. Is it published ? If so would love to read it.
Can only imagine all the changes over the years and all the new technology since his birth. Please fill us in on more info about his autobiography. Evidently you have read it.

[nancs]

With the CHS 'last look' event, the weekend of May 18-19, 2007, now a part of the past, I would like to share a bit of history. Prior to this event, I requested that my cousin, Jerry Hughes of Dickinson, TX, interview his dad/my uncle, John F. Hughes, class of 1924, thinking that he was probably one of the oldest living graduates of CHS. My uncle is 102, and lives in an assisted living facility in League City, TX. A remarkable man. With you, I share some of my beloved uncle's memories of his days spent at CHS, lo so long ago. Thanks Uncle John and Jerry.

The May 2007 interview with John F. Hughes:

Following are Recollections by John F. Hughes,
CHS graduate of the class of 1924.

I don’t remember the names of but a few teachers and students of Columbus High School during the two years of my attendance. The first two years of high school were at Burnsville, Indiana. The Burnsville school provided the first two years of high school for its local residents.

I began attending CHS in the fall of 1922. At the beginning of the school term that fall, I drove a horse and buggy from Burnsville to CHS each day, 10 miles one-way. I do not remember how contact was made but before cold weather started, I found that Dr. E. U. Wood had a room upstairs over his office and wanted a boy to help Mrs. Wood to sweep walks and help around the house for room and board. I lived there for the next two school years. Mrs. Wood was rather strict and did not much approve of baseball. So, since they were doing a great deal for me, I did not play ball at Columbus, although I had played ball in Burnsville. I did, however, go out for track and went to the State meet in 1923.

Although I did very well in other subjects, Latin was always my downfall and I had to take 1st year Latin over again. The CHS history teacher coached a speech class. One subject was about Chief Justice John Marshall and the Constitution. I prepared a very good speech, but the delivery wasn’t very good.

In 1923, I went out for track and qualified for the State meet that year in the pole vault and the one-mile run events. It was not because I was so good but because we had no one in either event who was ANY good. One day while training for the one-mile run, I ran on the track that circled the baseball diamond and was hit in the eye by a ball. As a result, I went to the State track meet with a black eye.

I was a member of the FORUM - the debating club… One of the kids, John McCaslin, liked to use big words. He made a comment about our teacher and remarked about “our super-flu’-us critic…” having mispronounced the word. The teacher replied, “You mean su-per’-flu-us, John.”

I liked geometry and unlike Latin, I made very good grades. The geometry room was on the 2nd floor at the back of the building. In 1924, a junior high building was being built. I could look out a window in the geometry class and watch them work on the new building. The wall facing the geometry room turned out to be a 2-story brick wall without windows … not very interesting.

One year, during general assembly, I sat behind the sister of the lady who would become my wife … Ruth Stevens. The sister’s name was Annabelle and on one occasion I dipped her braided hair into an inkwell. After that, I got to know the Stevens family rather well.

In spring of 1923, CHS was building a new gym where basketball could be played. Before that, all games were played on the 2nd floor of city hall. The manual training class had the job of making benches for the dressing rooms. We started with rough 2x12x8ft long planks. They were very rough and some were warped. We straightened them by edging them on the heavy wood joiner. One day, I was doing this job and someone had taken off the guard in order to do the flat sides. The machine would do the wide boards but would not pass thru the guard. I did not put back the guard and was taking a heavy cut. Just when I was at the heaviest part of the cut my right had jolted off and into the blade! There is where I left the first joint of my little finger along with smearing a lot of blood over the floor. Of course, they took me to Dr. Wood who did a very good job in repairing it.

I’ve been looking at the 1924 Log that my son retrieved from The Columbus Indiana Historic website and trying to remember people and events … but there is just not very much that I’m able to remember. These recollections need to be understood to be made by one who is 102 years old and may not be exactly right. Some names of the senior class are familiar but that is as far as it gets. But there are a few …

Elizabeth Kitsinger was a classmate and her family had a deli/saloon down the street from the Greeks. When I was a little tyke, we would stop at the deli to get sandwich fixings for eating on the way home to Burnsville.

Lula Vail was a good friend of the Stevens sisters - my future wife and sisters-in-law.

Jimmy Virden was one of my best friends. His family ran the hardware store. He married Dorothy Sims. Jim worked for the government at Fort Huachuca near Tucson, Arizona, and helped develop a small phone that eventually became the modern cell phone. Ruth and I visited with him and Dorothy several times as we traveled by Airstream Trailer across the country after I retired.

Mary Barnaby’s family ran a florist shop.

Bob Simpson was a good friend. His family ran a plant nursery.

There were about 6-7 students from the Burnsville High School in my class at CHS.

In the Log’s club picture for the Forum, the skull and cross bones were borrowed by me from Dr. Woods … WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE (said with a chuckle).

These notes about CHS recollections of John F. Hughes were taken by his son, Jerald S. Hughes of Dickinson, Texas. John currently lives in League City, Texas and celebrated his 102nd birthday in April 2007.

Check out this link for a high school photo:

www.historiccolumbusindiana.org/yearbooks/1924/33.htm

The mentioned Forum photo:

www.historiccolumbusindiana.org/yearbooks/1924/61.htm

An April 2007 photo on Uncle John's 102nd birthday:

Shared with much love,
Nanc ;-)