Cerro Gordo County Iowa
Part of the IaGenWeb Project
The Globe Gazette
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[Page 32]
This photograph shows the teacher and pupils of Owen Township School No. 6 back in 1887. From left are, Front
Row - unknown, Cora Hollenbeck, Herbert Grover, Belle Hollenbeck and Art Brooks; Second Row - Olive Brooks,
Stella Grover, Kitty Nilson, teacher; Dolly Stevens, James G. Brooks and Clarence Barney; Back Row - Perry Grover, B. Hollenbeck, Silas Stevens, Clyde E. Brooks and
Will Barney.
HIGH SCHOOL BODY in 1890
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[Page 39] The Mason City High School student body in 1890 consisted of 115 students, who are shown
above along-side the Old Central stone school building. The picture, owned by Mrs. Charles Crumb, had these names
written on the back as part of the members of the student body:
Earl Parker, Hattie Moore, Anna Deering and Prof. Wilcox, teachers; Lil Parker, Jennie Strickland, Mary Nelson,
Mabel Kisner, Allie Whitney, Minnie Strickland, Lillie Taylor, Lillie Rogers, Beckie Foster, Lou Smith, Nan
Russell, Mattie Rogers, Anna Greer, Bonnie Elder, Meda Butterbaugh, Gertrude Irwin. Gertie Kisner, Lill Terrill,
Marion Mayne, Minnie Tucker, Daisy Sleeper, Nell Loop, Minnie Len, Mabel Ransom, Mabel Stevens, May Richards
Emma Rehm, Abbie Goodwin, Mattie Turnure, Carrie Wilson, A. Parker, Blanche Donahue, Mayme Dennison, Kate McMorrow,
Gertie Valentine, Carl Parker, Helen Pasabauch, ____ Pierce, Archie Dougan, Lee Lohg, Will Sawyer, May Parker, Hattie
Renshaw, Olive Brooks, May Murray. Cora and Dora Wilson, Frank Renshaw, Dell Barney, Ed Wilcox, Will Hale, Guerdon
Vermylia, Will McMorrow, Art Stilson, Lorenzo Becker, Bruce Jeffords, Will Fairell Taffemire, Hugh Shephard, Chan
Dakin, Claire Kirk, George Van Wie, Clate Smith, Carl Johanson, Harry Page, Harry Dyer, Cliff Robinson, Willis
Bagley, Frank Currie, Cliff McMillan, Ed Lehman.
MASON CITY CLASS of 1891
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[Page 35]
The Class of 1891, made up of 22 graduates, was the largest in the school system up to that time. They are shown in the
above picture from left:
Top row - Channing Dakin, Henry Tofflemire, Carl A. Parker, Guerdon Vermilya and Will Sawyer.
HIGH SCHOOL CADETS, 1895
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[Page 35]
This old picture of the Mason City High School cadets was taken in 1895 in front of the old armory which stood on
the corner of Washington and 1st S.W., west of the fire station. From left the members of the company are:
Officers in front, 1st Lt. Joe Kennedy, Capt. E. W. Clark and 2nd Lt. Walter Paul; In the armory doorway is Perry Dexter, whose name was honored in the
Cronin-Dexter name of the Spanish American War Veterans post, and N. G. Thorne, Civil War veteran.
HIGH SCHOOL CADET
[Page 34]
Roy P. Harris, lifelong resident of Mason City and son of one of the pioneer physicians and druggists in the
community, is shown in his high school cadets uniform. At that time he was 15 years old. TEACHERS in 1896
![]() [Page 35] Mason City school teachers in 1896 wore balloon sleeves, jaunty straws and flapping bow ties, as shown in this picture. WASHINGTON SCHOOL, 1911
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[Page 32]
Among the photographs that the years have made into valuable keepsakes is this picture, provided by W. S. Fulghum,
of the 5th grade in the Washington School in 1911. Neither he nor Harley Ransom, who were members of the class can
identify all of those in the picture. Those recognized, from left are - First row, unidentified, Hazel Stewart,
Vera Duncan, Ada Nutting, Olda Kiple Enabnit, Florence Barlow, "Happy" Barlow and Paul Fitzpatrick; Second row,
Ed Dunlop, Alice Lord Sloan, Adolph Witwer, Mickey McGuire, George Cassidy, Paul Ring, unidentified, unidentified,
unidentified; Third row, Norma Bryant Jensen, Loretta Carney, _____ Hood, Gilbert Avery, Madge Colby, Willa Cole, George Brown, James Taylor and William Fulghum; Back row, unidentified, James McKee, unidentified,
Harley Ransom, Ernest Nagle, Leo Carney, James Hanks and David Edwards
OLD GRANT SCHOOL [Page 43] The old Grant School was built in 1894 to meet the needs of an increasing population in
the brick yard area. This building, shown above, was enlarged in 1900 and again in 1912 and entirely rebuilt in
1938. [In my notes, the school building was demolished and the limestone remnents, purchased for $600 from the Mason City
School District, was used in building Mason City's St. John Baptist Church. ~ SRB] THIS LETTER to UNIVERSITY 40 YEARS LATE
[Page 35] Not so long ago a letter was received here from a noted student of astronomy in
Scotland, requesting that he be considered a candidate for the doctorate degree at the National Memorial
University of Mason City, Iowa, U. S. A. Charles Whyte, Kingswells, Aberdeen, Scotland, had written several books
and gotten several degrees, but he felt a doctorate from the Mason City institution would round out a distinguished
career. Addressed to "Dear President," the letter stated: "I shall esteem it a great favour if you will kindly bring my name before your board as a candidate for a doctorate degree, preferably D. Litt. or D. Ph. in recognition of my research work in astronomy for the past 25 years. I have been a Presbyterian minister for 40 years and am 66 years of age. "In 1919, I was appointed Thomson lecturer in natural science and delivered 10 lectures t the students on 'Our Solar System and Stellar University,' published in 1922. In 1927 I published a second volume entitled 'The Constellations and Their History' and this month I have published a third book entitled 'Stellar Wonders.'" Mr. Whyte pointed out he had already received an LL. D. from Lincoln University. But somehow in his penetrating study of the stars he had overlooked some of the facts of what was going on here below - for instance the information that the university from which he sought a degree had been out of existence nearly 40 years. Memorial University, which started with such high hopes just before the turn of the century closed its doors in 1909 and is now the Roosevelt grade school.
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Unless otherwise noted, photographs courtesy of The Globe-Gazette.
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