It was so good to see the pictures of Coach Downs and his wife, Nancy. I remember
them when I was a little girl living in Minburn. My brothers, Jack and Jim Myers,
played basketball for Minburn High School. Jim played for Coach Dennis and Jack
played for Coach Downs. I have always wondered what happened to Bob and Nancy after they left Minburn.
I remember when there was a fire in the old school in Minburn. I think the boiler
caught on fire. The 3rd grade room was damaged by that and I believe a Mrs. Hart
taught that class. Here are some of the teachers that I had during my years at
Minburn and Central Dallas. My family moved when I was in high school, so I didn't
graduate with my class of 1964.
Miss Alice Myers, Mrs. Redmond, Mrs. Campbell (her husband had the airport by
Dallas Center), Mrs. Jean Ingram, Mrs. Velma Gift from Dallas Center. We then
consolidated and became Central Dallas, and I was bused to Washington Township
school. Mrs. Grace Groves, Mrs. Greta Sayles, Winifred Gaskell (Brokaw), Mrs. Noe
was the English teacher in my 8th grade, and Donald Stiles was the Principal at
that time. I did attend my freshmen year in Minburn, and I will always remember
Miss Cornelia Buckley. She would make you shake in your boots! She was the High
School Principal at that time. It seemed like she always had a black dress on.
Alumni Histories
Karen Myers Kessler
KATHY DOWNEY COX
CENTRAL DALLAS CLASS OF 1961
I spent k-9 at Washington Township and have many fond memories-Mrs. Crouse and my speeches for Declam and how nervous I was before each speech. I would have to run to the bathroom and vomit, then out I would go and give my speech. Also, when I was in first or second grade, I stood outside the west window which was open and the lunchroom was down below. I saw a dead mouse lying in the stairway leading down to the entrance. I don't know what made me do it (perhaps the devil) but I threw that mouse down where people were eating and it landed in a girl's lunch. What screaming!!!! Then, I ran and hid.. That is my most memorable moment......
Joyce Hawbaker Irminger Minburn HS-'47
Munster, IN
I remember well when Jim Duncan returned from the service and spent a short time at Minburn H.S. When he learned I was Helen's sister--Helen, age 12 and a Freshman, had ranked 1st in the state in Algebra at University of Iowa's annual Brain Derby--he asked me to come up to the Princal's office and take a standardized math test. Remember the steps up to that crow's nest that was the Principal's office? I took the test, and although I was a decent math student, I didn't have Helen's skills. After grading the test, Mr. Duncan no longer quized me about math. Nor did he suggest that it would be good for me to pursue any math related areas. University of Iowa had discontinued the Brain Derby by the time I was in high school. Probably a good thing--I don't have to carry the memory of NOT being accepted to participate. Oh well.....
Barbara Hawbaker Moore
Columbus, Ohio
Many of my memories of Minburn High School are connected to John Sanders. Not only was he an excellent music teacher but I have fond memories of his ninth grade science class. He took us on night field trips to study the stars during our astronomy unit. I was so impressed I gave all the new kittens on the farm names of stars. Even though the school was small and unable to offer a huge variety of subjects, I found myself well prepared for the college days to come. Barb Moore Class of 1954
John Burket, MD, Minburn High School Class of 1953
John Burket, MD, Minburn High School Class of 1953
When Joe Royer, Leland Belden and I were in the 4th or 5th grade, we wrote a “Friends forever pact.” This included being signed in our own blood! In those years the grade school children were on the 1st floor level and grades 8-12 were on the 2nd floor. We slipped up to the 2nd floor and found a hall closet that had a hole in the back wall. We placed our signed pact in the hole.
Many years later I was home from the Air Force visiting Mom when Keith Brokaw knocked at the front door. They were renovating that portion of the school and found our pact.
Joe, Leland and I still keep in touch by email to this day---55 years after graduation and probably at least 62 years after the pact was signed!
When Joe Royer, Leland Belden and I were in the 4th or 5th grade, we wrote a “Friends forever pact.” This included being signed in our own blood! In those years the grade school children were on the 1st floor level and grades 8-12 were on the 2nd floor. We slipped up to the 2nd floor and found a hall closet that had a hole in the back wall. We placed our signed pact in the hole.
Many years later I was home from the Air Force visiting Mom when Keith Brokaw knocked at the front door. They were renovating that portion of the school and found our pact.
Joe, Leland and I still keep in touch by email to this day---55 years after graduation and probably at least 62 years after the pact was signed!
Jon S. West, Minburn High School Class of 1956
Jon S. West, Minburn High School Class of 1956
My memories are all good! A few teachers stand out: Mrs. Crowl, Miss Anderson, Miss Shirley (who taught me what a wonderful place a library can be) and Mr. Sanders, whose music programs still remain as some of the highlights of my life. I looked up to several outstanding students who went on to lead successful professional lives -- thank you John, Leland and Carol.
My memories are all good! A few teachers stand out: Mrs. Crowl, Miss Anderson, Miss Shirley (who taught me what a wonderful place a library can be) and Mr. Sanders, whose music programs still remain as some of the highlights of my life. I looked up to several outstanding students who went on to lead successful professional lives -- thank you John, Leland and Carol.
Ed Hill, Minburn High School Class of 1954
Ed Hill, Minburn High School Class of 1954
My memories are strongest of our teachers. These were the Cold War years, and elementary grade teachers scared the be Jesus out of us with talk of nuclear war and no popsicles. I think we practiced the “duck and cover” routine a couple of times, but even then, to a small boy, the usefulness of hiding under a desk against an atom bomb seemed silly. Cornelia Bulkley, high school English and literature, was indisputably a character. She had no tolerance for horseplay or laziness. I once bounced off her when classmate Leroy Wicks suddenly opened the science lab door on me as I was banging into it. Miss Bulkley announced to me and everyone that if I did not straighten up and fly right, she and I were “going to tangle.” Mr. Dennis taught civics and typing; typing turned out to be quite useful. John Sanders taught music and produced ambitious musical events, and helped lead the community to its considerable success with skating shows. Dick Wilcox, principal and teacher of chemistry and physics, made do with our meager equipment and materials. The high school library consisted of perhaps 200 old books housed in a cabinet at the back of study hall. I read everything I found: some Poe, Sandburg, Cooper, Twain, and history. The school later got a real library courtesy of a local benefactor couple. I am struck by the apparent fact that while our education there might not have done us a lot of good, it did us no harm. Perhaps we were better grounded in some basic aspects of living and life than we knew. The school occupied an important place in the community. Most of us went on into our lives with confidence and whittled away at our ignorance. As far as I know, no one from the class of 1954 has developed a cure for cancer, but neither has anyone robbed a bank.
My memories are strongest of our teachers. These were the Cold War years, and elementary grade teachers scared the be Jesus out of us with talk of nuclear war and no popsicles. I think we practiced the “duck and cover” routine a couple of times, but even then, to a small boy, the usefulness of hiding under a desk against an atom bomb seemed silly. Cornelia Bulkley, high school English and literature, was indisputably a character. She had no tolerance for horseplay or laziness. I once bounced off her when classmate Leroy Wicks suddenly opened the science lab door on me as I was banging into it. Miss Bulkley announced to me and everyone that if I did not straighten up and fly right, she and I were “going to tangle.” Mr. Dennis taught civics and typing; typing turned out to be quite useful. John Sanders taught music and produced ambitious musical events, and helped lead the community to its considerable success with skating shows. Dick Wilcox, principal and teacher of chemistry and physics, made do with our meager equipment and materials. The high school library consisted of perhaps 200 old books housed in a cabinet at the back of study hall. I read everything I found: some Poe, Sandburg, Cooper, Twain, and history. The school later got a real library courtesy of a local benefactor couple. I am struck by the apparent fact that while our education there might not have done us a lot of good, it did us no harm. Perhaps we were better grounded in some basic aspects of living and life than we knew. The school occupied an important place in the community. Most of us went on into our lives with confidence and whittled away at our ignorance. As far as I know, no one from the class of 1954 has developed a cure for cancer, but neither has anyone robbed a bank.
Charlie Thompson, Minburn High School Class of 1947
Charlie Thompson, Minburn High School Class of 1947
High school has its ups and downs. Here is a story of one of the downs: On a beautiful September day John Kuder and I decided to skip school for the day. John owned a Ford Model A that he drove to school. We took off for Perry and visited the Perry High School girls at lunch time; we had a hamburger in the local cafe, and even went out west of Perry to an air strip and went on a ride in an airplane. How I came up with the money, I don’t remember. We managed to make it back to Minburn in time for me to catch the school bus for home. Upon arriving my Mother asked where I had been that day and of course I said at school. Then she informed me the school superintendent had called and informed her I was not at school that day. I was in deep trouble. My folks informed me that if I was so smart I didn’t need to go to school, I could stay home the rest of the week and work. I was also not allowed to answer the phone or speak with any of my friends for the next week. The whole thing was a good lesson and I highly recommend not playing hooky from school.
High school has its ups and downs. Here is a story of one of the downs: On a beautiful September day John Kuder and I decided to skip school for the day. John owned a Ford Model A that he drove to school. We took off for Perry and visited the Perry High School girls at lunch time; we had a hamburger in the local cafe, and even went out west of Perry to an air strip and went on a ride in an airplane. How I came up with the money, I don’t remember. We managed to make it back to Minburn in time for me to catch the school bus for home. Upon arriving my Mother asked where I had been that day and of course I said at school. Then she informed me the school superintendent had called and informed her I was not at school that day. I was in deep trouble. My folks informed me that if I was so smart I didn’t need to go to school, I could stay home the rest of the week and work. I was also not allowed to answer the phone or speak with any of my friends for the next week. The whole thing was a good lesson and I highly recommend not playing hooky from school.