Chapter 3
First Teaching Job
There was a company that gave me a list of towns that had teaching positions available. I hitched a ride from Chadron to Nebraska City in one day. I worked my way from South Dakota through Nebraska and across Iowa. I made several applications. When I went to Colwell, IA there were three positions open and 15 people applying for them. What a big night that was.
I did not get a position at that time, so I returned to Madison. I was not home long when Colwell's Superintendent Brower called and offered me the coaching job there. I would coach Basketball & Baseball and teach History & Shop classes. I accepted the challenge.
My first year as baseball Coach was 9-1 season, as we had an outstanding pitcher. Our basketball season was W-7, L-10, which was a successful season as the record the year before, had been 0-12. We lost our first basketball game 10 to 50, but we won the second one.
Our school had a very small gym and our center was very big. In one game that I remember, he didn't like a call that the referee made, so he called to the opponent who was shooting the free throw "Shoot another one." He did. The Referee didn't like that little trick, so he gave our center another foul. The opponent shot another free throw. As the Coach, I realized something had to be done and quick. So I took the "biggest" man out of the game. We lost.
In school that year, we had one rather small but feisty student that constantly was calling teachers names. One day I grabbed him and demanded he stop. I told him he was hiding behind his mother's apron strings. He was indignant and felt that I was wrong and said as much. He told me that was the worse thing anyone had ever said to him. However, he changed over the year and later this student made the first string of the basketball team.
I met Louise in Colwell and we were attracted to each other right away. Our courtship consisted of shooting baskets in the gym and working in the wood shop from 4:30 until suppertime. There were other single teachers there, but Louise was my favorite, she knew how to win my heart.
I spent two summers in Waterloo, IA working in a box factory where they made shell casings. My work schedule was from 6 pm to 6 am, five days a week. Then I would travel to Elgin on the weekend to visit Louise, who was home with her folks during the summer.
|
Louise Hackmann, Gladys Hackmann JoAnn Kohls
On August 5, 1941, Louise and I were married in Elgin, Iowa at the Baptist church at noon. That week, Elgin had a carnival in town and their kaleidoscope provided background music for our wedding ceremony. Louise made her wedding dress and carried an armful of salmon colored Gladiolas from her mother's flower garden. Hugo and Gladys were our attendants.
|
After our wedding ceremony, we drove to Mason City, IA to spend our first night together. The next day we drove to Arnold's Park for the night, then on to Sioux Falls, SD the next night. The following day we drove to Madison, SD, so I could introduce Louise to Chick, my brother and his wife Bendina, known mostly as Toots.
We arrived in Madison late that afternoon. Chick wanted to see a baseball game in Sioux Falls that night, so we hopped back in the car with home made sandwiches and drove to Sioux Falls for the game. After the game, we drove back to Madison.
We stayed with Chick for two days and then drove west to Oelrichs so Louise could meet Aunt Edna and her family. Chick and Toots decided to come along with us. On our way back to Madison, Helen decided to catch a ride. That was an interesting trip as we drive through the Badlands and Indian Territory.
Once we were married, Louise and I had planing to teach at Colwell. It was a consolidated school and most students were farm family children. We did not have school busses then, so the oldest children would use their family car, if they had one, and pick up the neighbors kids on the way to school. There were only about six children living in town.
Our plans changed when the Clermont Superintendent offered me a $30.00 increase in pay. The Colwell Superintendent was not pleased that I wanted to break my contract so he and the Colwell Board of Education fined me $30.00 to be released. I had to get a loan to cover the fine, but we did it anyway.
After our honeymoon, Louise and I drove from Madison to Clermont to start our lives together in a new apartment. At Clermont Consolidated School, I was the Principal/Coach/Shop and History teacher. I coached both boys and girls basketball. Louise was teaching 1/2 day Kindergarten and was the chaperon of the girl's basketball team.
I inherited a ready-made girls basketball team. We had W-16 and L-4 for the season. The boy's basketball season was W-16 and L-10.
Teaching in Clermont turned out to be a tough year. I was glad it was only one. I had way too much family help. I taught at Clermont for one year and started the second before I was drafted in October of 1942. Louise continued teaching 1/2 day kindergarten but took over coaching the girl's basketball team for me after I was drafted. She stayed in our apartment until the end of the school year when she joined me in our two-room apartment in St. Louis that summer.
Louise's Family lived in Clermont and Elgin Iowa. Her parents were Amelia and Carl Hackmann. Her brother's were Ruben and Hugo and her sister was Gertrude. Ruben was the oldest and his and wife was Mildred. They had four children, Paul, Rollin, Linda and Alice. Gertrude Hackmann Kohls was the second child and her husband was Clarence. They had two children, JoAnne and Steven. Hugo was their third child and his wife was Gladys. They had three children Rachel, Stanley and Mark. Louise was the youngest. We had three children Jean, Dann and Kym.
Louise's mother was one of the finest people I have ever met. She was a hard worker, always happy and helpful to everyone. Dinner was always at Amelia's place and she always prepared the meals. Amelia and Carl were regulars at church and very important members of the Elgin Baptist church. I had a great Mother-in-law and Louise was very much like her mother.