The Osten Molde Family. Front: Mabel (Jonas Arneson), Osten, Gladys (Frank Vail), Gusta (Jacobson), and Ted. Back: Julia (Ted Thompson), Otis, Emma (Halverson), and Gertie (Larson). Two daughters, Tillia and Sylvia, died in infancy. The Osten Molde family was in Milford Twp by the turn-of-the-Century in the NW of Sec 23. Their children went to School No 6 in 1898.
Ted Molde Family Front: Ted, Dorothy `44 (Kreutner), Shirley `55 (Jensen), Cora. Back: Corrine (Dyer), Kermit `41, Lester `37, Grace `39 (Helland). The occasion of the picture is just before Lester left for the Service in 1942. Ted became the land owner and patriarch of his own Milfordite family. Ted started farming in NW Richland Twp and Corrine finished her schooling at Richland # 3 before the family moved onto the farm in the NW quarter of Sec 23 of Milford Twp. Cora and Ted were married for 58 years when she passed away 22 May 1975 at age 79. Ted lived to be 100 years of age and passed away on 19 Dec 1988. They retired from the farm in 1968 and moved to Story City.
“There are lots of stories to tell of Milford. The Ward and Gladys (Osmundson) Tjelmelands had 10 children and 9 of those 10 did attend the Milford School.
“There was Harold, Leo, Wallace, Lola Mae, Delores, Wayne, Gary, Joel, Keith, and Gordon.
“Harold, Leo, Wallace ,and Lola Mae graduated from Milford and the folks moved to Roland area when Delores was in the 11th grade (1949). She stayed with LaVerne and Virginia Jacobson to finish her 11th year at Milford and then went on to finish at Roland.
“Back in those years the High School Boys were allowed to drive the school buses. Harold, Leo and Wallace all managed to have their year at this job.
“I remember the first buses I rode in were very different from the ones they have now. The seats were long benches along the windows and there was a narrow bench down the center. The smallest of us children had to straddle this and sit there. It was hard sometimes not to get your wet shoes on the Big kids shoes setting on the side. I don't know how many years we rode those till they were able to buy the busses that had seats down each side. Picture of a bus interior on page 338.
“In those days nobody had Air Conditioning and when the room got very hot we would go out under the trees to have our classes. One of the favorite events that I remember is the May Pole. We got to dress up and dance on May first. When I was little I never could figure out how the Janitor got all those streamers on the top of the pole for us to braid around the flag pole.
“Our senior play was a big flop. It was a murder mystery and they are hard to preform when a school has only 9 in the class and some played more than one part. When a gun was to go off, (it didn't) and when it did the audience all woke up. (I'm not kidding you) It was such a flop they had gone to sleep. We lived 3 1/2 miles from the school and if we had activities after school, we had to walk home. I remember walking home each week after piano lessons. It was OK if the weather was good. Since Milford was made up of all farm children, during the war we had a two week fall vacation so that the boys could help their fathers with the harvest as the older boys were off to war and help was scarce. We would make up the time by adding minutes to our days' schedule and go to school longer days the rest of the year.
“All the sports practices were worked into the school schedule as the children all rode the buses home together. The practice for all sports were worked into the scheduling during school hours. The games, of course, were played in the evenings - usually Tues and Friday. Delores and I played on the 6 man team as forwards and Superintendant Swim was our coach. All the teachers in those days taught more than one subject. My older brothers played Basketball and baseball.
“PTAs were always the highlight of the Community. The young and old came out for these. There was always