September 1953
- charliebunton
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The lazy hum of summer gives way to September's crisp promise as Rogers City awakens to the familiar rhythm of a new school year. The scent of freshly sharpened pencils intertwines with the earthly aroma of fallen leaves, and suddenly, 813 students flood back through classroom doors -- their laughter and chatter breathing life into hallways that had stood silent all summer long.
Twenty-four more students than last year now fill the desks, every single one of them squeezing into the high school building where 450 young people in grades 8 through 12 jostles for space. The sturdy structure, built to comfortably hold 300, groans under the weight of extra bodies -- a testament to Rogers City's burgeoning growth that has the Board of Education burning the midnight oil in search of solutions to this sweet problem of prosperity.
Each morning, the growl of engines announces a new fleet of bright yellow Dodge school buses, their chrome gleaming in the autumn sun, each capable of carrying sixty young passengers along routes that snake through town and countryside alike. Behind the massive steering wheels, Mr. Winfield, Karsten, Haselhuhn, and Koenig guide their precious cargo safely to school, their faces becoming as familiar as family.
Change ripples through the faculty ranks too. From Flint comes Stephen Wolf, ready to lift his baton and conduct the high school band, filling the shoes left empty by Delmar Conley, who now serves his country in the armed forces. In the elementary school, where crayons smell waxy and fresh and construction paper crinkles beneath small fingers, Evangeline Yarch and Lenore Tippman -- hometown girls through and through -- begin their teaching journeys.
Democracy flourishes under teacher Herman Haneckow's steady hand as students cast their ballots for student council leadership. Barry Vallee rises to claim the presidency, with Dick Raymond as vice president, and together they'll orchestrate the pulse of school life -- from assembly programs that break up the academic routine to the magical Christmas dance where streamers will cascade, and young hearts will race. Prowling the corridors, 23 hall monitors led by captain Herman Meyer stand ready, clipboards in hand, checking passes with serious expressions, answering bewildered questions, and steering confused visitors through the labyrinth of learning.
But when Friday night arrives and the Gilpin Memorial Field lights pierce the gathering dusk, something electric crackles through the air. The sharp blast of the referee's whistle, the thunderous collision of should pads, the roar of hometown fans bundled against the evening chill -- this is where Rogers City truly comes alive. Under the watchful eyes of Coach Dick Abraham and Henry Asikainen, the Hurons explode onto the field for the season opener, dismantling Onaway 25-13 in a display that has the bleachers shaking. Kenny Kerr becomes unstoppable, his legs churning like pistons as he barrels into the end zone twice, then reading the quarterback's intentions like a book, plucking an interception from the air leading to another score that sends the crowd into delirium.
Fifteen lettermen anchor the team -- Bill Borough, Walter Buza, Emil Dehnke, Arnie Fuhrman, Tony Fuhrman, Dick Furtaw, Kenny Kerr, Don LaTulip, Norm Makowski, Dom Micketti, Dick Raymond, Myron Smolinski, Barry Vallee, Ron Voda, and Larry Langlois. Their names roll off tongues like poetry, each jersey number memorized by faithful fans who pack the stands through autumn's lengthening shadows. When the final whistle blows on the season, the Hurons stand proud at 5-3, with Tony Fuhrman, Arnie Fuhrman, and Barry Vallee earning All State honorable mention -- their achievements immortalized in newspaper ink for all to admire.
Beyond the schoolyard, the town is changing fast. The sound of hammers on fresh lumber carries through the streets as new homes pop up like wildflowers after a rainstorm. The old address system, once fine for quieter days, can’t keep up with the surge in growth, prompting a switch to a new numbering system. To help cover the cost, the city is buying new numbers for every building, which will be ready for pickup soon. It’s an exciting time to be in Rogers City.
