Two Supts at Milford, who are well remembered, strike an almost unbelievable similar stance in these two pictures taken eighteen years apart. Left: Supt Halverson (1939) shares a smile but yet seems to be very much in charge as does Supt Hopkins (1957). It causes the viewer to wonder if, in their training for the job, there was a college course, at least a Junior level course, that taught the perspective Supt how to “strike a pose”. Notice also, in the lower right of the right photo, future Supt Bill Jacobson must have been paying attention to this stance: Comb your hair, dress neatly, and cross your arms.
Ironically, each of the pictured Supts tutored at least one future Supt. Halverson, Fred Matters, 1944 and Hopkins, Bill Jacobson 1959. See page 201. Halverson was Supt from 1935- 1946 and prior to that, 1927-1929, as a Milford teacher. See page 140. Hopkins was Supt from 1954-1957. See pages 212, 245.
Both men also had highly successful careers after leaving Milford Twp - Hopkins at Ankeny & Halverson as Carroll and Pottawattamie Counties’ Supt of Schools.
From 1938 there’s a report that mentions that Mervin Brooks and Wayne Olinger were often caught sliding on the banisters that were adjacent to the 2 sets of steps, one to the south and one on the west, each containing 4 half flights that went down from the High School area on third floor. This practice continued throughout the use of the School until about 1953 or ‘54 when the janitor installed some blocks of wood (Its color didn’t match the original shade of the banister) about 2 1/2 inches high and six inches long on the banister, just where one would pick up the most momentum. The practice didn’t entirely cease but it sure was indulged in less frequently. Getting caught, because it was somewhat dangerous, by a teacher was bad enough but if the Supt caught you, that was a different scenario. It actually was somewhat of a game to see how fast the steps could be navigated and how many of the steps could be “jumped down”. If you missed and caught your heel, you were a good candidate for a broken ankle (or wrist), but it never happened.
Carl B Johnson of Randall was elected Superintendent of the Milford Consolidated School at a special meeting held by the School Board of Milford.
Johnson was selected from a field of 29 applicants, 20 of whom were present at the meeting. He is a graduate of Iowa State Teachers College and has had some years experience.
He was elected to succeed Ralph Morgan, for some years a teacher in this county who has been selected to the principalship of Longmont, Colorado, High School.
Morgan, before holding the superintendency of Milford School, had held a similar position at Gilbert.
Edit: This would appear to be a formidable task for the School Board, to select one person out of a group of 29, probably since many of them would be well qualified. Remember that this was in the Depression years and jobs, especially good jobs such as this, would have been very difficult to obtain. The selected man, Carl Johnson, who only stayed at Milford for one year, was not the Carl “Shorty” Johnson that was the janitor for Milford for three years, 1946-1949.The School Board of March 1931, with Guy Wakefield as President, made a general cut of 10 to 15 % in all salaries. In 1934 the Board voted a 20% increase in salaries.
In the early thirties, 1931, because of belt tightening caused by the depression and the bad weather, salaries had been cut for the staff at Milford School. However, in the fall of 1934 Ralph Morgan, Supt, was given an advance in salary of approximately twenty percent. Others teachers given the same advance were Arlet Christian Principal; Jeanette Sowers and Charlotte Cole, intermediate: Ingeborg Nesheim junior high and Florence Crouch and Clara Gunderson, primary. The members of the School Board were Guy Wakefield, Pres., Frank Menzel, Charles Alfred, Oscar Twedt and D.O. Christy.
An unexpected situation occurred in the early thirties in which teachers were being hired and their names would be printed in the paper as teachers for the upcoming year. Then, before School started, they would quit and the School Board would have to find a replacement. An easy speculation is that they found a higher paying position. So the Board put a provision in the contract that the teacher had to pay a “fine” that would cover the cost of hiring a replacement. This, apparently did not stop the practice, so the Board put a $50 penalty in the contract. This was very significant amount (half a month’s wage) as a salary would be in the range of $100 a month. This apparently stopped the trend as no further steps were mentioned.