FLASHLIGHT
52nd Edition
First issue         November, 1920

      WELHISCO ALUMNI NEWSLETTER 

                                 APRIL, 2011


WELHISCO
Trojan Head designed by  
Kermit Ruyle '47
 

Reminder
 17 Months until

 Reunion 2012
 




 

 

October Birthdays
Page 4

Missing Alumni
Found
 in March:
 

'67 Peggy Pittman
'67 Marica Samuel
'67 Stanley Goforth
'67 Helen Lorthridge
'70 David Jones
'72 Luther Tyus

2011 WHS Club -

Club Application


$10.00 for email
$15.00 for USPS mail
2011 Members
Makes a wonderful gift too!

Happy Easter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Multicultural Wellston:
A Changing Population

by: Dr. Linda Tate -
Daughter of Bonnie Landsbury '56

Wellston had its origins as estates for the landed gentry of St. Louis. When mass transportation, subdivision, and industry came to the area, so too did working people from St. Louis City as well as from rural areas to the south of St. Louis.

Later, German Jews began to move to the Wellston area. “Some [German Jews] were moving west,” says historian Neal Primm, “first to the nineteenth ward, then along Page and Easton Avenues toward Wellston, bringing their synagogues and Kosher markets with them.”

A huge shift in the population occurred in the 1950s. According to a study on population and housing in Wellston in 1960, many people of child-bearing age left the Wellston area between 1940 and 1960, taking not only themselves but also potential children and youth.

At the same time, the older population was increasing. New homes were not being built. Instead, most were more than 30 years old. Most residents had a grade school education or less and were blue collar workers. Most of the women worked in the home as homemakers, rather than working outside the home. There was a high rate of school drop-outs, and unemployment and income rates were about the same as the City of St. Louis.

The population was transient in nature: of those living in Wellston in 1960, slightly more than half had moved there since 1955. The population was still 90% white but was changing as the number of non-whites increased and the whites moved out further into St. Louis County.

While whites were moving further west into St. Louis County, African Americans were moving into the area from rural areas to the South – much as white Wellstonians had done before them. A number of African Americans also moved to the Wellston area when the project housing in which they had been living was demolished.

By 1970, 75% of Wellston’s population was black, 25% white. Today, Wellston is inhabited almost solely by African Americans.

Today, Wellston is in a sad state of decline and abandonment. Most industry has left, the school district has lost its accreditation, and unemployment stands at 30.8Precent. All that is left of the shopping district are pawn shops and a few credit clothing houses that take advantage of the poor blacks in the area. Several of the older buildings have been destroyed by fire, and many have been torn down.


 

 

FLASHLIGHT
 Page 2                                                                                      APRIL, 2011
 

    How do you store your pictures?   Framing, scrapbooking or sticking them in shoeboxes? With the advent of digital photography, there are several options for sharing the photos you love, making them last a good, long time: You can either: Email,  scan  or use US Postage (If photos are to be returned, please include return US Mail postage.)            
 

Miss McCann  - 1953 Homeroom


 
  (Click pictures to enlarge)

Editor's Apology:

Most everyone knows I am a snowbird during the winter. I take my laptop with me so I can continue to do my alumni and Flashlight work. This year I did something very silly and kinda stupid. I was getting up from a chair with the laptop in my lap. I went to place it on the table, lifting (with one hand) the bottom, the other by the screen. Unfortunately, the screen cracked and I had all these little colorful lines running down and across!!  Needless to say, I wasn't a very happy camper.

Before this happened, someone had emailed me the above pictures with the students' names, but for the life of me, I can NOT find the file where I stored them in nor do I remember who sent them. (A senior moment along with computer problems is not good.)

These pictures are such a treasure and should be shared with those students, the alumni and their families.  If you are person who sent the pictures to me or if you know any names, please contact me so I can rerun the pictures again. JoAnn (Williams) Croce '60  6140 Wagner Avenue

 

 

FLASHLIGHT
Page 3

APRIL, 2011

CONTEST
DO YOU REMEMBER???
The Wellston Loop blog is running a “Do You Remember?” contest. Two Wellston High alums (Bonnie Landsbury Burrows ’57 and Louise Landsbury Overbey ’65) kick off the contest with a list of fond memories of Wellston in bygone years.

To enter the contest, go to the blog: http://www.thewellstonloop.com/blog. Read the list, and add your own memory as a comment. If you post a memory, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a copy of the wonderful book, Streets and Streetcars of St. Louis – full of historic photographs of St. Louis streetcars, including the Hodiamont line.

The contest starts Monday, April 4 and ends Saturday, April 30. On Monday, May 2 the winner will be announced – and a list of all submitted memories will be posted.

The Wellston Loop blog is hosted by Linda Tate, daughter of Bonnie Burrows

My brother, Ken Miner was friends with Bruce Izatt.  They both lived in Hillsdale and Ken would stop by Bruce’s house and they would walk to school. 

After school one day, Mrs. Izatt gave the boys a piece of applesauce cake.  The cake made such an impression on Ken -- he asked Mrs. Izatt for her recipe.  Mrs. Izatt’s applesauce cake had become an instant favorite of Kens.  

 Since then, my mother has made this cake for Ken’s birthday every year – about 50 years!!   We always laugh and talk about the cake and reminisce about Hillsdale friends.   I wonder if David, Bruce or their sister, Beegee remember this cake.  Pat (Miner) Slatton '62  6588 St. Louis Avenue
 Mrs. Izatt’s Applesauce Cake

bake 375°   approx. 1 ½ hrs -
use toothpick to test

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
          Cream and add . . .

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can (2 cups) applesauce
            Mix and add . . .

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
          Mix well and add . . .

1 – 10 oz.  jar maraschino cherries
chopped (Save liquid and some cherry halves)

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pour into greased & floured tube pan (angel food) and bake.

Check cake after an hour because ovens vary.

Ice with powdered sugar icing using cherry juice as liquid.

Decorate with cherry halves and pecan halve

  3rd Annual Rat Pack Reunion -
1995 in Hot Springs, AR

 1965 Rat Pack having a little fun dressing up as if they lived back in the olden years at one of their yearly get-together's. Some of the members are:

 back row: Sharon (Cain) Henley, Sharon (Zeltmann) Cheisa, Audrey (Pelkington) Pappas, Louise (Landsbury) Overbey, Millie (Blackwell) Wright, Sally (Beebe) Wills and Sue (Kennemore) Brown

                                      10th Reunion
Nortre Dame de Lourdes 
Wednesday,
May 18th, 2011
Luncheon 11:30 am
 at
 Grappa Grill
(Invitation only)
 (St. Charles, MO)
Contact: Jerry Sullivan
314-843-5529
 [email protected]
If  you have not received this years invitation


 

FLASHLIGHT
PAGE 4

APRIL, 2011

Well, if it wasn’t for our memories, old age would really be boring. One of the biggest and best things I remember is being part of the Wagner group aka ‘Wagner Rat Pack’. If you saw one of us you probably would see us all. We were inseparable. Our group consisted of Janice Clark ’61, Jo Ann Williams ’60, Pat Martin ’60, Bobby Hydar ’62, Herman Beyer ’60, Russell Doerr and myself. It was great. We don’t know what happen to Russ but we sure would like to find him. It would be great to have us all together again.

Then there was the 50s and 60s music and the cars. One car I’ll never forget belonged to Clifford Elder (the main squeeze of Josephine Chiesa ’61.) I went over to his home to see his cars. Nascar doesn’t have anything on this guy! It was so clean in his garage you could pick up any tool in his garage and use it as a knife or fork. The man was pure class.

It’s fun remembering my friend and their ‘rides’.  Bob’s little Chevy, Pat’s bright red convertible, JoAnn’s ’57 Chevy, Herman’s little Dodge or Plymouth (don’t remember which one) and my ’51 Nash. Sure wish we still had those cars today with fuel being 25 cents a gallon!

We played ball on the Church parking lot or we were down the alley playing basketball . The alley was used as a quick short cut between several streets and was a very popular place to meet. We would go to Lindy Hall Friday and Saturday nights for roller skating. What about Steak ‘N Shake and Chuck-A-Burger and oh, yeah, Creve Coeur Park and Sun Tan Beach. A lot of fun times were had at those places too.

What a great a feeling knowing everyone is just a phone call away. I sure wish we could all get together more often but thankfully we are back together again. What a great feeling!  Phillip Crownover '60  6149 Plymouth Avenue

Sorry I waited so long to respond, but it's party time here in Arizona.  My memories of the streetcar are the annual school picnic.  I played flute in the band and we always marched in the parade from the school to the streetcar line and everyone boarded and went to the (Forest Park) Highlands for a day on rides and just plain fun.  I remember the parents gathered at picnic tables and my father came after he got off work and we had a picnic dinner.  Mary Lee (Brockman) Smith '54  6530 Mount Ave
"On a Sunday afternoon, April 21, 1946 (Easter), my girlfriend of the moment and I rode the Hodiamont streetcar to Grand Avenue in St. Louis to see a movie.

We went to the "Fabulous Fox" to see Dorothy McGuire in "The Spiral Staircase". More Bob Haefner '49

GOOD TIMING
The best time to do something worth-while is between yesterday and tomorrow.


 

FLASHLIGHT

     Page 5

                              MARCH, 2011
 

Obit

                    
Memorial
 Our Wellston Trojan

Classmates Remembered List
Rest in Peace

 

Lyman (Duffy) Allen '64 lost his battle with throat cancer on his 67th birthday, February 24th.  In keeping with his wishes there wasn't a funeral or memorial.

Duffy worked at C C Bell for some 30 years before retiring a few months before he got sick. The Allen's lived at 6305 Chatham

Wray Hambrick '47 passed away on March 15th from complications of diabetes and congestive heart failure. He had lost both of his legs and was on a feeding tube. He suffered a great deal the last six months of his life.

Wray was a beer truck driver delivering for Gray Eagle Distributing Company. He retired in 1988. He  was also the owner of Diamond Drive Deli (in Bellefontaine Neighbors) which he owned from 1981 until this past August when he finally closed it. He and his wife, NIna Smith '48 both loved to travel. Their favorite destination was Ixtapa, Mexico, where they enjoyed spending winters in the sun with their snowbird friends. He was a coin collector and loved watching old movies on TV.
Condolences to:

Vivian '58, Velma '61, Dwayne '64, Rebecca '65 Allen (Zoe and Bob who attended Ritinour) in the loss of their brother, Lyman (Duffy) Allen 2/24/2011.
Marie Cole '52 in the passing of her husband, Bill Fletcher from lung cancer on 3/13/11.
Virginia Hambrick '48 in the loss of her brother, Wray '47 3/15/11
 

    WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT THIS MONTH?  

Apr 2

Pygme Irwin '52

Apr 8

Fred Steinkuehler '57
 

 Apr 21 Ron Walker '59

Apr 3


Apr 4

Rethia Bray '62
June Lawrence '63
Judy Hart '65

Sharon Bonstell '62
Darlene Zeltmann '65

Apr 9


Apr10

Harvey Cloyd  '57


Darlene Green '53

 Apr 23 Ruth Oburn '47


 Apr 25 Bonnie Gelven '54
           Virginia Anderson '54


Apr 5


Apr 6

Apr 7


Ruby Moore '44


DeeDee Leach '52

Sam Bonney '42
Americo Chiesa '64
Judy Palmer '64


Apr 14



 Apr 16


Betty Tschudin '51
Mary Lee Brockman '54


 Earl Burkhardt '44


Apr 28 Richard Stopke '42



Apr 30 Sandy Dudley '60

 
 

 

 

FLASHLIGHT

     Page 6                                                                                      APRIL, 2011

Genetically Modified Foods: 
 The Uninvited Guests at Your Dinner Table

by: Mari (Treadway) Roades '65 (6523 Mount Ave)

A documentary entitled “The Future of Food” was shown in theaters around the country.  It detailed how genetically modified (GM) foods are creeping into the food supply with the help of giant corporations like Monsanto and Du Pont.  Should you be alarmed?  Is it true that the growing presence of GM foods affects your health and ultimately the environment, as the movie suggests?  Here’s what you need to know.

 Tampering with Mother Nature.  Whether called genetically modified, genetically engineered, bio-engineered or biotech, the process involves taking a gene from one plant, animal or microorganism and inserting it into the DNA of another.  The goal is to improve a certain characteristic of a food, for instance, to make it grow faster, resist disease, be more nutritious, repel insects or be more able to withstand harsh growing conditions.

 The debate over whether any of this is necessary, helpful or even safe has raged for over a decade now.  In Europe, it’s a volatile issue; labeling is mandatory in the European Union, while several countries have banned GM crops.

 In the Mainstream. Americans have not been as outspoken.  Is it because GM foods are less prevalent here?  Think again.  Experts estimate that 70% of food products in the supermarket contain at least one GM ingredient, most commonly from corn, soy, cottonseed or canola.  No one knows for sure, because goods sold in the U.S. don’t have to reveal whether ingredients are GM.  Does it matter?  It does if you believe in knowing what you put in your mouth.

 One of the health concerns surrounding GM goods are worries about allergic reactions to new proteins created as part of the GM process.  Most experts say there’s no evidence that eating GM goods poses a health risk.  But many experts are concerned about the long-term effects of altering the genetic make-up of plants and animals.—both on us and on the environment

 The chief concern is that genes from bio-engineered plants or animals might inadvertently mix with natural genes, forever altering the planet’s ecosystem in ways that are impossible to predict.

 What to Do.  First and foremost, don’t panic.  Genetically modified ingredients have been in our foods for almost a decade with no obvious untoward effects.  Still, if you want to opt out of GM foods—whether out of personal health concerns or concern for the environment—here is some advice: 

·       Go organic.  As part of USDA organic regulations, certified organic food may not contain GM ingredients.

·       Scan labels for common GM ingredients like corn oil, corn syrup, corn-starch, soy protein, soy oil, soy sauce, lecithin, cottonseed oil and canola oil.

·       Shop at supermarkets with a storewide policy against GM ingredients, such as Whole Foods, Wild Oats (aka Henry’s) and Trader Joe’s.

·       Check out “The True Food Shopping List” from Greenpeace, a non-profit environmental advocacy group, at www.greenpeace.org.  It’s an extensive list of foods with and without GM ingredients.

·       Join the push for labeling.  Write to your representatives in Congress about your labeling concerns.

·       Be more vocal. To help increase awareness of GM foods, check out  action steps at The Campaign to Label Genetically Modified Foods at

·        www.thecompaign.org 

You can buy The Future of Food DVD at wwww.futureoffood.org or 425-771-4049.
It’s an eyeopener…

 God Bless and Keep you all Healthy….and Relaxed!  Mari
If there are any topics you are interested in hearing more about…email me at [email protected]

 

FLASHLIGHT

     Page 7                                                                                    APRIL, 2011

“On the Green Bus”

by: Roger Noon '62 | FLASHLIGHT REPORTER
 (6418 Mount Avenue)

Mention has been made about the red buses and streetcars that passed through the Wellston Loop on their way to other far-flung destinations. What a marvelous place the loop was with all the stores and shops nearby, the pigeons roosting everywhere (watch the droppings!) and even the White Mill hamburger place!  Those were called the City buses.

But a few blocks away and little noticed was the County Bus Line with its green vehicles. Unlike the city buses which had schedules to follow and times to make for waiting customers, the county buses seemed to be less hurried, although they would get you where you were going.

Sometime (I think) during my junior year, my family moved to a residence in Maryland Heights. It was a new subdivision with streets named after aspects of the emerging space program. We lived on Alan B. Shephard Drive, which was the front corner house as you entered and right across the street from a ball park off Fee Fee Road.

I didn’t want to finish my high school education in Maryland Heights, so I managed to figure out how to take a County Overland bus and get to Wellston in time for school in the mornings. I can’t begin to tell you the route because I could never figure it out - so many twists and turns but it dropped me off in front of the food market on Easton. From there it was a short walk to the school.

The one thing to beware of was making sure you caught the last bus. They only ran so late in the evening. If you didn’t make it—sorry, you had to make other plans. So with extra activities after school, it was easy to lose track of time. There were a lot of close calls, but after a while the driver got to know me and would wait-imagine that!

There was also a time when I didn’t have 35 cents to put into the change box. I was about 3 cents short. So I tried to hide the fact by putting it in all at once with a bunch of pennies. The driver might have known I didn’t have enough, but he never let on. And if I was half asleep when I got near the house, he would let me know it was near time to get off. How great was that!  As well, I was nearly always the last one on his route to be let out before he started on his return.

Looking back, I enjoyed those County buses. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the City ones as well. But there was something about the County buses that I could use now, less hurry!   Roger Noon ‘62             

Wellston High School Flashlight shining a light on our traditions,
our history and our future

 

FLASHLIGHT

     Page 8

                                APRIL, 2011

Editors
Bill Voos (’48)
Sandy (Gibbons) LaRouche ’57
JoAnn (Williams) Croce ’60
Bea McBride '66

President
Mary Kay (Parker) Morse '56

Secretary/Treasurer
Jim Shaw '45

Trustees
Joe Hunter '54
Gloria (Schwenk) Turner '59
Larry Turner '60
JoAnn (Williams) Croce '60
Phyllis (Crouch) Russom '62

Buzz Book
Pat (Miner) Slatton '62

ClassMates Remembered
Carol (Beeman) Hathaway '60

WELLSTON HIGH SCHOOL
WHS Alumni Club
P.O. Box 774
O'Fallon, MO 63366

Phone  636-696-4693
(Office closed until April 1st)

E-mail

NEW
[email protected]
 

LET'S GO TROJANS!
 

Email address are available online:



 Reconnect to your class friends and neighborhood playmates.
If you would like to be listed send us a note!

 


How to seal a bag
making it air-tight

The guy who first thought of the idea must be given an award
for imagination and originality!!!

Don't have to grapple with rubber bands, spring clips or twist ties.
   

Cut up a disposable water (or similar) bottle and keep the neck and top, as in photos below.
Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top to seal. The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that
water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw!
 
This is a great idea to share. Good for us and GREAT for the environment too.


         **********************************************

                    PREGNANT AT 71!
A woman went to the doctors' office where she was seen by one of the younger doctors. After about four minutes in the examination room, she burst out screaming as she ran down the hall.

An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story. After listening he had her sit down and relax in another room.

The older doctor marched down the hallway back to where the young doctor was writing on his clipboard.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" the older doctor demanded.

Mrs. Terry is 71 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?"
 The younger doctor continued writing and without looking up said, "Does she still have the hiccups?"

 

Send in Your Story! Let us know where you’ve been and what you’ve done with your life.  Everyone loves a good story – what better reading then about someone you know!! 

04/05/2011 03:52:10 PM