This week's photo shows most of the high school enrollment at Delphos for the 1945-46 school year. Standing in the back row are Dayle (Laird) Skinner, Billy Mercer, Paul Livesay and Ruth Ward. Seated in front are Mary Swett, Edith Campbell, Roxy Ward, Rowena Humbert, Margaret Livesay and Belle Sickels. Not present for the photo were Joyce Stoops and Superintendent Ganum Findley.

I've had this picture for awhile but didn't have a story to run with it. However, the Mount Ayr Depot Museum recently received seven high school yearbooks from Norma (Rice) Mercer, and all but one were from Mount Ayr in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Several fit into our collection as this is a time period we are weak on. And the other yearbook? Well, it was a 1946 Delphos High School yearbook called, "Memories."

Norma's husband Bill Mercer attended the high school at Delphos, and this is his yearbook. For years I've been trying to find out if Delpos had an annual and now we have one at the Depot Museum. Thanks again to Bill and Norma Mercer of Creston.

The yearbook says there was a total high school enrollment of 11 in 1945-46 and 43 students in the lower grades. Dayle Skinner was the principal while Pearl Eisnaugle, Rowena Derickson and Mari Humbert were teachers. That's for all twelve grades. The Mary Swett in the photograph is listed as Lucille Sweet in the yearbook. No athletic activities are mentioned.

Page two of our book pays tribute to Omer Clay "Pop" Varner. Mr. Varner had a very successful career at Delphos before moving on to Diagonal in 1930. The Delphos boys basketball team won the Ringgold County Basketball Tournament in 1920, 1924, 1926 and 1927, although I'm under the impression that Varner was not the basketball coach in 1920. "Pop" took the boys to the state tournamentn in 1924.

The 1924 season was an even better one for the girls basketball team. The Delphos girls beat Oakland and Lenox to win the District Championship on March 15, At Iowa Falls in the state tournament, the girls were beaten by Audubon on March 21. That was their only loss of the season! The newspaper says the girls basketball team was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Ben Harroff, so I don't beleive Mr. Varner was their coach that year.

Our 1946 yearbook gives a brief account of the school building's history, and with the tribute to "Pop" Varner, I'm led to believe that this was the first year-book Delphos produced. There are 30 advertisements in the back and only one, Seaton's Store, was from a local sponsor. The rest were Mount Ayr sponsors except for the Griffith grocery store in Redding.

The multi-story brick school house in Delphos was dedicated April 16, 1917. In August of 1917, Professor and Mrs. Gregg moved to Delphos to teach at the new school. The bond was paid off in November 1936 and the last graduating classs was in 1953. The building was torn down in September 1991.

Today, trophies, pictures and other memorabilia from the old schoolhouse are housed in the Delphos Baptist Church.

Delphos Grade School Class, 1946
Back Row, left to right: Dennis WARD, Leroy STABE, Larry LAIRD, Ronnie CAULDWELL, Clyde CAMPBELL, Marvin PRATT
Middle Row, left to right: Larry PRATT, Johnny McQUIGG, Diane CRADICK, teacher Mary HUMBERT, Gweneth LIVESAY, Sandra JARVIS, Jerry STEPHENS
Front Row, left to right: Kay SICKELS, Janice LINKEY, Marilyn PRITCHETT, Jeanette McQUIGG, Margaret NOLAN, Betty CONGDON, Tommy WARD, Neil BOLLIN

 

High School Graduates, date unknown
Left to Right: Lucille SWETT, P. LIVESAY, R. WARD

 

Delphos High School Class, 1946
Back Row, left to right: teachers Zeline and Vance GEIGER
Middle Row, left to right: Donald TREICHLER, Dale CAMPBELL, Billie MERCER, Loren SWETT, Donald STEPHENS
Front Row, left to right: Evelyn CAMPBELL, Joyce STOOPS, Rowena HUMBERT, Margaret LIVESAY, Jessie WARD, Ruth WARD, Lois PRITCHETT

 

Delphos Grade School Class, 1946 - 1947
Back Row, left to right: Jimmie DAVIS, Leland SICKELS, Duane LAIRD, teacher Cleo PRICHARD, Betty MILLER, Eileen PRITCHETT
Front Row, left to right: Donald LEMLEY, Robert WARD, Jim JARVIS, Marvin LEMLEY, Melvin CAMPBELL

 

Delphos Grade School Class, 1946 - 1947
Back Row, left to right: Jerry STEPHENS, Dennis WARD, Clyde CAMPBELL, teacher Mrs. Mari HUMBERT, Billie PRITCHARD, Tom WARD, Lyle JOHNSTON
Front Row, left to right: Larry PRATT, Kay SICKELS, Joy STEPHENS, Sandra JARVIS, Dianne CRADICK, Marily PRITCHETT, Donna CAMPBELL

 

Delphos High School Class, 1946
Left to Right: teacher Ruby (DAYLE) SKINNER, Edith CAMPBELL, Paul LIVESAY, Roxie WARD, Lucille SWETT

 

Delphos Grade School Class, 1947
Back Row, left to right: Melvin CAMPBELL, Robert WARD, Dwayne LAIRD, teacher Mrs. EISNAGLE, Dale CAMPBELL, Leland SICKELS, D. R. TRIECHLER
Front Row, left to right: Donald STEPHENS, Eileen PRITCHETT, Lois PRITCHETT, Jessie WARD, Jimmie JARVIS

 

Delphos Grade School Class, 1947 - 1948
Back Row, left to right: Larry PRATT, Roger BELL, Lyle JOHNSTON, teacher Mari HUMBERT, Billie PRITCHARD, Marilyn PRITCHETT, Donna CAMPBELL
Front Row, left to right: Mary Ann CAMBPELL, Bobby HAYES, Betty CAMPBELL, Judy HEGERSTROM, Stephen DRAKE Sharon JARVIS, Bobby ROACH

 

Delphos Grade School Class, 1948 - 1949
Back Row, left to right: Clyde CAMPBELL, Harold GARNER, Rodney, DAVIS, Gwen LIVESAY, Betty CONGDON, Margaret NOLAN
Middle Row, left to right: Roger BELL, Violet CAMPBELL, Kenneth HAYES, teacher Mrs. Oral BARTO, Mary A. KIMBLE, Lois LEMLEY, Jerry STEVENS, Mickey KIMBLE
Front Row, left to right: Marilyn PRITCHETT, Judy HAYES, Lavon ALLEN, Joy STEPHENS, Billy PRITCHARD, J. C. CAMPBELL, Everett HAYES

 

Delphos High School, 1948 - 1949
Back Row, left to right: Superintendent George CAMPBELL, Marvin CAMPBELL, D. R. TREICHLER, Melvin CAMPBELL
Middle Row, left to right: teacher Mrs. George CAMPBELL, Margaret LIVESAY, Lois PRITCHETT, Donald STEPHENS, Jimmie DAVIS
Front Row, left to right: Evelyn HAYES, Rose CAMPBELL, Marilyn HAYES, Lucile PRITCHARD, Eileen PRITCHETT, Lodean GARNER

 SOURCE: Delphos Centennial Book
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2012