[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.

[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.

[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.
Middle row - Lilly Parker, Jennie Strickland, Lillian Terrill, Helen Pasedach, Blanche Donahue, Mattie Dunham, May Reynner, Gertrude Valentine, Eva Glass and Eunice Tofflemire.
Bottom row - Kate Dwan, Mary Nelson, Mamie Denison, Kate McMorrow, Minnie Francisco, Ann Parker and Dolly Stevens.

[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;
First row of the company, 1st Sgt. Albert Gunning, Cpl. Art Thorne, John Carthcart, Lew Wheeler, Art White, C. C. Virgil, Fred Drake, Newell Brown, Roy Hill, Cpl. Ed Bloomer, George Thompson, unidentified, Cpl. Fred Clark and Sgt. Arthur Lattimer;
Second row, several of whom are unidentified; Roy Harris, Walter Wilson, George White, Ellis Bloomfield, Elmo Hall and Lynn Merrill.

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.

 [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.

[Page 35] Mason City school teachers in 1896 wore balloon sleeves, jaunty straws and flapping bow ties, as shown in this picture.

[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

 [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]

[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.

Unless otherwise noted, photographs courtesy of The Globe-Gazette.
Some of the photographs did not scan well. In such a case the photograph
has been substituted with a clearer copy if available.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2014