tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204609582011-11-03T00:39:59.277-05:00A work in progress, dedicated to the history and alumni of the oldest high school in Wisconsin's capital cityNadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.comBlogger1071100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-31379384133565967252009-07-28T18:22:00.003-05:002010-04-21T10:17:47.145-05:00

Madison Central High School closed 40 years ago and I've been trying to pull together enough information for a post about the closing of the school and the last graduating class...and not just because several people have been nagging me to do so.Until that post is ready for publication, here's a video from WMTV's "Morning Show." featuring Stuart Levitan, author of "Madison: The Illustrated

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-74017541848655507522009-05-13T22:56:00.004-05:002009-05-13T23:19:16.351-05:00

Roger Boeker (Class of 1960), sent the photo of the 1897 Madison [Central] High School football team show above, along with a note about what he learned about this team 50 years ago, which I've reprinted in full"In the fall of 1959, Pep Committee Chairman Roger Boeker was the auditorium emcee for the Friday night football game. He did some newspaper research about great Central games in years of

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-33825445668899146892009-01-28T10:17:00.007-06:002009-01-28T11:17:00.402-06:00

The 1926 Tychoberahn has a full page of information about the [then] newly formed Madison Central High School Alumni Association. The officers were Wilbur Carlson, Bernice Winchell, and Ray Sennett. In 1969, Sennett was president of the Madison Board of Education and presented the diplomas to the members of the very last class to graduate from Madison Central High School.As far as I've been able

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-62493653734735163312008-12-24T00:09:00.004-06:002008-12-24T00:25:05.301-06:00

Wisconsin Historic Image ID: 62100One of more than 200 posters in the Madison People's Poster Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society.Note: If you don't recognize the name R. Crumb and/or the "Keep on Truckin'" slogan, click on the links embedded in this sentence for more information.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1166334873783451792008-11-24T17:45:00.001-06:002008-11-24T23:25:40.924-06:00

Listed below are the members of the Madison High School Class of 1907 whose surnames begin with the letters J-W and whose photos are included in the 1907 Tychoberahn.The italicized information under many names is the information I have been able to find about that person; or, in some instances, speculation about how that person may be related to other alumni, or what they may have done after

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-27152886431920164592008-10-18T23:57:00.012-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.660-06:00

Joe Franklin (Class of 1964) was an outstanding basketball player at both Madison Central High School and the University of Wisconsin. But did you know that when he graduated from the UW-Madison, he was drafted by both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Dallas Cowboys?That's one of the things I learned from Joe's brother Jerry tonight while we were standing outside the Marriott Hotel, taking a break

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-28075699060547571852008-09-14T23:53:00.003-05:002009-05-10T17:05:48.390-05:00

In the process of looking for some other information, I found an online source for a copy of the page in the February 19, 1947 Wisconsin State Journal that includes the photograph of the Madison Central High School basketball team (shown in the previous post) -- and identifies all the players in the photo.First row (left to right): Pat McCann, Al Dockery, Mel Troia, Bill Withers, Allen Sweet,

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-88974062432152501722008-09-14T15:43:00.001-05:002008-11-24T20:09:32.729-06:00

Madison Central High School 1946-47 Varsity Basketball Team: Photograph by Arthur Vinge, originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on February 19, 2008 (Image ID: WHi-45880)The Wisconsin Historical society regularly adds photographs to its online collection of images, but sometimes the descriptions accompanying them are woefully lacking in detail. The above image of the 1946-47 Central

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-36825302119244277842008-09-01T23:14:00.002-05:002009-05-10T17:08:04.921-05:00

On Saturday, August 30, 2008, Madison Central High School alumnus Monsine DiSalvo (Class of 1966) was featured in an article in The New York Times -- but that's far from the first time The New York Times took note of what was happening in Madison's oldest high school.On March 20, 1880, a story titled "Coeducation in Madison" appeared on page 4 of The New York Times. It's opening sentence was, "

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-79155843580511257952008-07-19T21:40:00.002-05:002008-12-08T23:00:45.800-06:00

Please use this link to read my post on the Class of 1965 blog about the online availability of The Madison Mirror.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-85421831539239421412008-04-24T16:39:00.002-05:002008-04-24T16:45:56.696-05:00

Sometimes when I'm browsing through microfilms and databases, I stumble across something unexpected -- such as an ad that appeared in The Capital Times on May 13, 1967 protesting the closing of Madison Central High School.If you want to read the names of the students who sponsored the ad, click on the image below to enlarge it in your browser window. In order to publish the image on this blog, I

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-61621676086891122932008-03-10T14:00:00.000-05:002008-11-24T17:59:14.064-06:00

Recently, I wrote two posts featuring Madison Central High School alumni for my personal blog (Something else to do...). One features John Bardeen (Class of 1923) and the other features Alfred Buser (Class of 1907). Since the posts deal with broader issues such as who we remember and why we remember them, I wanted to try to give the posts a wider audience than they might receive if I just

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-85624124274087269632008-01-01T00:01:00.003-06:002009-04-09T15:36:26.389-05:00

Stonemason and sculptor Jacob Arndt working on the restoration of the Central High School arch in October 2007Researching and writing a page-one feature story for the Wisconsin State Journal about the restoration of the Central High School arch, was one of my most satisfying assignments in 2007. Trying to tell it in 1,500 words or less was a real challenge.The State Journal has consistently been

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-14984340471395640322007-11-01T23:55:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:10:34.337-06:00

There's always something else to do... but I can tell you what's engaged a lot of my time and attention for the past several weeks: researching and writing an article about the restoration of the Central High School arch on Wisconsin Avenue for the Wisconsin State Journal. The article was published on Halloween on the front page of the newspaper. If you didn't catch it in the newspaper, there's

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-23622531564478532832007-07-30T23:45:00.002-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.662-06:00

As part of my ongoing effort to write a history of Madison Central High School, I've been acquiring copies of the school yearbooks. Most of the ones I have are hardbound and are not easily scanned or photocopied.However, I recently acquired a copy of The Orange and Black yearbook for the Class of 1937. During the 1930s and the Great Depression, publication of the Tychoberahn was suspended.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-43151500047611664862007-07-18T08:06:00.001-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.663-06:00

The Madison Central High School Class of 1943 will hold its 64th reunion next Wednesday, July 24, 2007 at the Elks Club in Madison, according to an email I received from Selma Dewey Calnan.Tom and Dorothy Jafferis, who were high school sweethearts, have been keeping track of the alumni for 50 years. The class voted to meet every year because "we don't want to take any chances!" It draws alumni

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-79813597895696419842007-07-05T23:23:00.001-05:002007-07-05T23:23:46.603-05:00

Most of what I've been posting, lately on the Madison Central High School blogs has been a bit behind the scenes. I continue to update the obituary archives. Recently, for instance, I've posted obituaries for a member of the Class of 1920 and a member of the Class of 1967 in the archives for obituaries published after 1990. I've also posted an obituary for a member of the Class of 1966 and a

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-34949012489953299782007-05-22T09:01:00.001-05:002007-05-25T12:20:31.491-05:00

Roger Boeker (Class of 1960), Post Commander for the VFW Post 1318 on Lakeside Street, where the annual All-Central Reunion is held, has submitted a short biography of Marion Cranefield, a member of the the Class of 1914 who was killed in action in France during World War I. The VFW facility's namesake is Cranefield, and a copy of the photo shown on the left hangs on an interior wall of the

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-13169504260343593822007-04-11T19:10:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:04:23.411-06:00

Usually Ann Waidelich and some of her fellow volunteers, including Central alumna Charlotte McVicar, spend Wednesday at the Wisconsin Historical Society helping to catalogue photographs, an increasing number of which are being posted online every week.A conscientious researcher, Ann expends a great deal of time and energy trying to identify the people in each photograph she helps to process, but

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143352877990161472007-03-31T23:13:00.001-05:002008-11-24T23:35:48.027-06:00

Listed below are the members of the Madison High School Class of 1917 whose surnames begin with the letters M-R and whose photos are included in the 1917 Tychoberahn.The italicized information under many names is the information I have been able to find about that person; or, in some instances, speculation about how that person may be related to other alumni, or what they may have done after

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-84590628468922172312007-03-16T22:25:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:10:34.338-06:00

Walking on West Dayton Street towards Wisconsin Avenue this afternoon, I stopped to take a photograph of the Central arch, the only remaining vestige of the Cass Gilbert-designed building that was home to Madison Central High School until from 1908 until 1969. I wanted to take some photographs of the inside of the arch, but there was no access from either the MATC side or the Wisconsin Avenue

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-7649077882997027232007-03-11T22:11:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:06:28.776-06:00

When Wisconsin High School closed in 1964, it merged with Madison Central High School, which then became known as Central-University High School.Central-University High School closed in 1969 and its Cass Gilbert-designed building was razed to make way for an MATC parking lot. But at least Central alumni have a visible symbol of their school in the Central arch on Wisconsin Avenue (shown in the

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-34356764475309085682007-03-10T21:59:00.001-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.664-06:00

MATC Central HS ArchOriginally uploaded by MBIMOTMOG. Here's a great photo of the Central arch taken in February 15, 2006 by Aaron Kraus. Double click on it to see a larger version of it on his Flicker account. Enjoy. Then check out some of the photos of Central alumni posted on the Central Alumni Flickr account and the Central High School Class of 1966 Flickr account. You may also access

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-71046640127042043792007-02-26T23:17:00.000-06:002007-03-03T22:10:06.502-06:00

I'm going to start migrating alumni photos (such as the one shown here) to a special Flickr account, so it will become easier to locate and view them The account name is "Madison, Wisconsin CHS Alumni" and you may access it by clicking HERE. There is also a Flickr badge for the account near the bottom of the right hand column. This is in addition to (and separate from) the Class of 1966 Flickr

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-67477285308742390182007-02-07T22:33:00.000-06:002007-02-07T23:26:44.388-06:00

Not everyone who attended Madison Central High School graduated with his or her class. Two prominent members of the Class of 1933 -- Freddie Lee Banks and Christopher Canepa -- died before graduating. Both were honored in The Orange and Black yearbook.The image below was created by merging scans of page 13 and page 31 of the yearbook. I decided to reproduce the full page images so you could see

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-57581570238165941172007-02-07T19:16:00.002-06:002010-02-07T16:49:26.002-06:00

This is the first of several posts listing the names of the members of the Madison Central High School Class of 1934. I have information about some of the people listed below, but hope that if you're reading this post and know something about one (or more) of these alumni, you'll contact me by leaving a comment or sending an e-mail.Many members of this class are deceased, but I've discovered some

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-87383644134583726132007-02-06T21:05:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:01:53.702-06:00

Last April, I wrote a post about my visit to the open house at the Italian Workmen's Club on Regent Street, but I didn't have time or space to write about everything I saw and learned during my visit. As a historian, I was fascinated by all the clippings from local newspapers that were on display. Microfilm is better than nothing, but too often, the images it delivers are scratched and poorly

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-24586238908845575432007-01-24T21:52:00.001-06:002009-01-10T01:45:37.765-06:00

During its 70-year history (1900-1969), the Tychoberahn tended to give more space to boys' athletics than girls' athletics, but that doesn't mean girls spent all their time on the sidelines cheering for the boys.Girls could also win an "M" for athletics. In 1928, for instance, they could accumulate points toward a letter by participating in volleyball, basketball, tennis, baseball, or swimming.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1166257025515337982006-12-16T02:03:00.001-06:002008-11-24T18:38:18.063-06:00

Listed below are some of the members of the Madison High School Class of 1907 (surnames A-H) whose names are listed in the 1907 Tychoberahn. However, it's a good idea to keep in mind that a yearbook is not an official listing of graduates. Yearbooks are also not always entirely accurate. Sometimes they contain typographical errors; sometimes they contain inside jokes that affect their "accuracy"

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1166154233052551682006-12-14T21:00:00.000-06:002006-12-14T21:53:02.716-06:00

Cheryll Moling Thompson wrote a poem for the Class of 1956's 50th reunion and was kind enough to e-mail a copy for posting on this blog. It arrived nicely formatted, but Blogger wouldn't let me present it in two columns. So I've reformatted her word processing document and turned it into a JPG image, so you can read it as she wrote it. However, the JPG image is small, so you'll have to double

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1165676625096323702006-12-09T09:00:00.001-06:002008-03-02T01:35:49.792-06:00

In 1906, the Madison [Central] High School team was still playing home games at Camp Randall. The new high school building on Wisconsin Avenue was under construction, so the Madison High School students were scattered around Downtown Madison. The Class of 1907 spent its final year in "the most disreputable" facility: the combined engine house and police station. But the school still managed to

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1165015797258065072006-12-01T17:03:00.000-06:002006-12-01T19:22:03.470-06:00

Thus far, the Class of 1875 is earliest Madison [Central] High School graduating class for which I've been able to locate a comprehensive list of graduates. One member of that 14-member graduating class, William Windsor, became a renowned phrenologist and author "Phrenology, The Science of Character" (Ferris-Windsor Co., Big Rapids, Michigan, 1921)Phrenologists believed character and personality

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1164576100740689262006-11-26T15:17:00.000-06:002006-11-26T15:21:40.756-06:00

I've just completed two posts (below) listing the members of the Class of 1910 by surname: A-L and M-W.There are lots of interesting people in the class. I hope you'll read the lists carefully. You may be surprised to learn that two of your fellow alumni became high-level executives at the companies that were the precursors to Xerox Corporation and Universal Studios. Homer Piper, who was class

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1164572942392467492006-11-26T13:18:00.003-06:002009-01-22T10:22:06.992-06:00

Listed below are some of the members of the Madison High School Class of 1910 (surnames M-W) whose names are listed in the 1910 Tychoberahn. However, it's a good idea to keep in mind that a yearbook is not an official listing of graduates. Yearbooks are also not always entirely accurate. Sometimes they contain typographical errors; sometimes they contain inside jokes that affect their "accuracy"

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1164562900269613032006-11-26T11:32:00.004-06:002009-05-17T00:04:57.281-05:00

Listed below are some of the members of the Madison High School Class of 1910 (surnames A-L) whose names are listed in the 1910 Tychoberahn. However, it's a good idea to keep in mind that a yearbook is not an official listing of graduates. Yearbooks are also not always entirely accurate. Sometimes they contain typographical errors; sometimes they contain inside jokes that affect their "accuracy"

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1164379285480399382006-11-24T08:39:00.000-06:002006-11-24T08:51:15.783-06:00

I've been disappointed with the results from the Google search feature I had installed in the right hand column in order to make it easier to search this blog. It was more interested in searching all of cyberspace than focusing on the contents of this blog.Now, I've replaced it with a Technorati search engine. Its appearance isn't quite a fetching as that of its predecessor, but I think you'll

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1164039230067600632006-11-20T09:59:00.000-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.667-06:00

The man on the left (you do recognize him from his senior class photo, don't you?) is not the only Madison Central High School alumnus who later returned to teach at the school.Although my list of teachers who were also alumni is a work in progress, I think you'll find it interesting. I also hope some of you can add more names to this list, or provide some of the information I'm missing.Here are

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1164037474935871062006-11-20T09:23:00.000-06:002009-04-09T15:36:26.389-05:00

You may not have been in her homeroom or taken one of her classes, but if you're an alumnus of Madison Central High School, you probably remember Beda Mackin because she taught at Central for almost 40 years: from 1928-1966.And Miss Mackin was involved with Madison Central High School well before she became a teacher. Like many members of Central's faculty, Miss Mackin was also an alumnus. Along

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1162755194394814292006-11-05T20:53:00.000-06:002009-04-09T15:36:26.390-05:00

Tuesday is election day, but Wednesday is the day many of us have been looking forward to for weeks. Regardless of the outcomes, we'll have something to cheer about on Wednesday: those annoying telephone calls interrupting our dinners and clogging our voice mail with messages about how we should vote will cease, as will those obnoxious political ads that have been polluting the airwaves.This

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1162766913641369712006-11-05T16:54:00.000-06:002009-04-09T15:36:26.390-05:00

I'm going to write a rather long post about Wayne Morse and Mildred Downie, so I've decided to put a couple of images in a separate post, in order to make blog pages load a bit faster.Below are scanned copies of page 28 and page 37 of the 1919 Tychoberahn, the pages that include senior photos of Morse and Downie. Rather than just excerpt photos of the two students, I've decided to include the

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1161143769995923162006-10-17T22:48:00.000-05:002006-10-17T23:25:24.553-05:00

Several months ago, I had to remove John Schmelzer's name from the list of alumni web sites because the link wasn't working.Tonight, however, I discovered his web site is again up and running. If you miss his funny, rude, and sometimes raunchy artwork, click HERE for lots of Schmelzer drawings. Unlike the ones that made the 1963 Tychoberahn one of the best yearbooks ever, many of these more

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1159502841122217732006-09-28T23:41:00.000-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.670-06:00

Pictured above are members of the 1962-1963 Central Junior High School basketball team, the first team since 1947 (the year before most of these guys were born) to win the city championship (with a10-0 record).The photo appears on page 127 of the 1963 Tychoberahn. The original caption lists only first initial and last name, but I've added some of the first names. If you can help with the others,

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1158550295836521432006-09-17T22:26:00.000-05:002006-09-28T22:58:45.066-05:00

The "Custer Files" in the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives contain a treasure trove of items about Madison. Many are related to the history of Madison Central High School.The letter I've scanned and reproduced below is one of these items. It was written to the sports editor of The Capital Times in July 1980, by Frederic "Bud" Holt, who had recently retired as superintendent of schools in

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1155787504766033222006-08-16T23:03:00.001-05:002008-12-08T23:07:23.628-06:00

If you're planning to attend the annual Sun Prairie Corn Festival this weekend, take some time to visit the Wisconsin Historical Marker honoring artist Georgia O'Keeffe. It's located next to the Sun Prairie City Hall on 300 E. Main Street, not far from Angell Park, where the corn festival is held.A Sun Prairie native, O'Keefe is a Madison [Central] High School alumna. She attended Madison High

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1153965507370422172006-07-26T20:57:00.000-05:002006-07-26T20:58:27.383-05:00

"She's lived through 18 presidents, five wars, and the invention of airplanes, antiobiotics, automobiles, computers, motion pictures, nuclear power and television," wrote Wisconsin State Journal feature writer Sunny Schubert, in a 1987 article about Emma Glenz, who'd recently celebrated or 102nd birthday.Born in Madison in 1883, Emma Louise Glenz graduated from Madison [Central] High School in

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1153112394810628122006-07-16T23:58:00.000-05:002006-07-16T23:59:54.826-05:00

I've made some design and layout changes to the blogs to make them more searchable and a bit less cluttered looking. The blogger.com search box in the upper left corner of the blog has never worked very well, so I've added an option that works much better -- if you follow the simple instructions. You'll find a Google search box in the column on the right, preceded by some instructions about how

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1152666076239741162006-07-11T19:41:00.000-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.671-06:00

The Madison Central High School Class of 1961 will hold its 45th reunion on Saturday, July 29, 2006 at the Coliseum Bar (formerly known as Jingles), 232 E. Olin Avenue in Madison. Festivities are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.The reunion planning committee members include Angie Fiscus Klosterman, Chuck Kneebone, Joe Engelhart, Mike Caliva, Ann Melville Olson and her husband, Denny (who graduated

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1151516582053887212006-06-28T12:01:00.000-05:002007-03-31T21:18:18.376-05:00

Before the Cass Gilbert-designed building we all remember was built, this is what the building housing Central High School (then called Madison High School) looked like. Built in 1873 (and doubled in size by an addition in 1888), this building occupied the same location on Wisconsin Avenue as its successor. It was demolished in 1906 when construction began on the new building. Gerhard Ellerkamp (

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1149827006285376892006-06-09T15:27:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:11:06.748-06:00

It really was not my intention to depict Madison Central High School as an all-boys school, but I had a difficult time finding female alumnae at Festa Italia. The reports I received usually involved women who were "expected later this afternoon," or who'd already put in an appearance on a previous day. That's why this final round of photos of alumni from the Fifties and Sixties is a guy

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1149825005721628502006-06-09T14:57:00.000-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.672-06:00

Maybe they'd already eaten. Or maybe they were waiting until later. In any case, I wasn't having much success hanging around the food stand waiting for Central alumni to stop by for an Italian sausage. And then there was the name tag problem. People wear name tags at reunions, not at festivals. Maybe there were dozens of Central alumni walking right past me, but because they weren't decked out in

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1149825859633539792006-06-09T14:15:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:18:05.407-06:00

This is the first of three posts featuring photos of Central alumni taken last Sunday at Festa Italia in Fitchburg.As soon as I arrived, I headed for place where I expected to spot some Central alumni.Chuck Cerniglia (Class of 1963, wearing gloves) and Bill McDonald (Class of 1950, wearing beads) were working hard, but took a brief break to pose for a photo in their Festa finery.Joe Cerniglia (

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1149369261603503912006-06-03T15:35:00.000-05:002009-01-17T14:54:40.674-06:00

They haven't settled on a links location, or put a price tag on the event, but the reunion committee for the Madison Central High School Class of 1966 has set a date and decided where they're going to have dinner. Here's the scoop on that 40th class reunion, courtesy of Sue Benell Puccio:When: Saturday, September 30, 2006Where: Knights of Columbus5256 Verona Road, FitchburgTime: Cocktails at 6:00

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1147639004731783882006-05-14T22:47:00.000-05:002008-11-24T20:09:32.730-06:00

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, causing the United States to enter World War II. During the 1941-42 school year, students at Madison Central High School experienced “ a definite trend toward defense education,” according to the 1942 Mirror Magazine, which served as a yearbook that year. “Class schedules were changed in order to allow for new

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1147475682667616962006-05-12T18:56:00.000-05:002006-05-12T19:20:46.386-05:00

Ginny (Swenson) O'Brien celebrated her 80th birthday last night at the East Side Business Men's Association -- and Doug Moe was there taking notes. Moe's column in today's edition of The Capital Times lists some of the guests; reports that O'Brien, who sings Dixieland jazz with the Avenue Sizzlers every Monday at the Avenue Bar, shows no signs of slowing down; and doesn't forget to mention that

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1147143048407796682006-05-09T21:59:00.000-05:002007-03-31T22:16:12.763-05:00

Inimitable (some say legendary), Wisconsin State Journal reporter June Dieckmann was a police reporter, not a feminist, but she knew a good human interest story when she saw one. On May 29, 1944, Dieckmann’s story about Madison Central High School senior Rose Lynch, a young woman who was taking flying lessons, ran on the front page of the newspaper It was accompanied by a photo taken by another

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1146014842906071952006-05-09T21:57:00.000-05:002006-05-11T00:20:02.246-05:00

Crowded Day No Bar to Rose,She Still FliesBy June Dieckmann(Wisconsin State Journal Staff Writer)Because there are only 24 hours in a day doesn't stop one Madison girl from fulfilling her ambition to fly -- even after she has worked and gone to school for 16 of each of those daily hours.The ambitious young girl is Rose Lynch, 18, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Lynch, 21 N. Butler st., who

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1146994308063836542006-05-07T04:28:00.000-05:002008-12-08T22:59:12.199-06:00

The 1917 Madison High School basketball team didn't have high hopes for a winning season, but its inexperienced team managed to keep on truckin' all the way to the state championship sectionals, where, after trouncing every team it met during the regular season, it vanquished Brodhead and Whitewater. But then it met Edgerton and lost 12 to 14.But before I tell you a bit about the team members,

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1146440956143978222006-04-30T23:50:00.000-05:002007-03-31T22:18:36.031-05:00

The piquancy of an in-joke fades over time. Unless someone records or otherwise reveals the basis for the smiles it evokes, an in-joke becomes unfunny, unfathomable. We no longer get it.The Madison High School Camerites apparently shared an in-joke that's no longer accessible. Surely back in 1911, ten years before Gene Rodenberry was born, a group of young men interested in photography could not

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1146451312563883882006-04-30T23:31:00.000-05:002008-12-08T23:16:09.724-06:00

Here are a few more photographs of Centralites who graduated in the 1950s and 1960s. The photos were taken on February 12, 200 at the All Central Reunion at the VFW on Lakeside Street. Mariea Guzzetta Harrington graduated from Madison Central High School in 1957 Norm Moen graduated from Madison Central High School in 1950 Diane Anderson Robinson graduated from Madison Central High School in 1962

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1142144335061418612006-04-21T00:06:00.001-05:002009-06-08T01:15:49.739-05:00

Listed below are the members of the Madison High School Class of 1917 whose surnames begin with the letters A-G and whose photos are included in the 1917 Tychoberahn. Long-time Madison residents will recognize some of the surnames as those of families and individuals who played prominent roles in shaping Madison, including Bowman and Fauerbach.The italicized information under many names is the

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144889372804259302006-04-12T19:46:00.000-05:002006-04-15T16:25:57.606-05:00

If you've attended a high school class reunion, you may have a document similar to the one pictured here. It's probably full of names and addresses, as well as updates submitted by classmates, and lists of the missing and the deceased.You may call these documents yearbooks or memory books. Another name for them is paper ephemera, but I'm not certain that's an entirely accurate description.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144827136744267742006-04-12T02:27:00.000-05:002006-04-12T02:32:16.763-05:00

No, it's not a class reunion: it's a birthday party. Today is Beverly Cleary's 90th birthday -- and even if she isn't a Madison Central High School alumnus, she's touched many of our lives with her wonderful books, including "Henry Huggins" and "Fifteen." There's a little celebration of some of her books on the Class of 1965 blog. Click HERE to drop by for a visit.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144820658832018032006-04-12T00:28:00.000-05:002008-11-24T19:11:06.022-06:00

Kudos to Doug Moe, who wrote a column for Monday's edition of The Capital Times that followed up on last week's front page New York Times story about Don Trachte and Norman Rockwell. It's a good story with a touching ending -- and Moe remembered to mention that Trachte was a member of the Madison Central High School Class of 1933.The print version of Moe's column had a recent photo of Trachte

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144819390243002602006-04-11T23:28:00.000-05:002006-04-12T03:32:28.573-05:00

My copy is old and ratty -- the cover is loose, the pages are water-stained, and there are lots of comments written in the margin -- but I still revisit "Catcher in the Rye" every so often.In 1963, when Madison Central High School senior high students voted on what book they would recommend to other students, "Catcher in the Rye" won. Here's a transcription of an article from the February 22,

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143936480296905442006-04-09T18:15:00.000-05:002006-04-09T18:15:59.533-05:00

Most of us can name a favorite teacher or teachers. Some of us can name a teacher whose influence on our life was profound or far-reaching. Few of us have an opportunity to honor such teachers in a very public manner.Harold Haak, was valedictorian for the Class of 1953. But before Haak graduated from Madison Central High School, he struggled with grammar and proper speech. He credited his English

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144392336212146692006-04-07T01:43:00.000-05:002008-11-24T19:11:06.023-06:00

Madison blogger Ann Althouse reads The New York Times in the morning and starts blogging. I'm far more dilatory about catching up with "All the News That's Fit to Print." Sometimes I don't even have time to look at The New York Times until the next day. I'm not certain when Madison Guy read Thursday's edition of The New York Times, but I do know it was long before I did, because he managed to

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144219456735576712006-04-05T02:27:00.000-05:002007-03-31T22:42:59.541-05:00

The image below is from page ninety-one of the 1925 Tychoberahn, which had 208 pages, a very large yearbook indeed. The caption under the photo explains that members of the Tychoberahn board are "looking over the first of 23,000 sheets which make the 187,200 pages of the 1925 Ty."The editor of the 1925 Tychoberahn, Lauriston Sharp, became a prominant anthropologist. Julius Krug, chairman of the

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144229762741077752006-04-05T02:14:00.000-05:002006-12-01T19:04:03.953-06:00

Guy Madison used to set my pre-teen heart aflutter, but Wild Bill Hickok didn't attend Central.Madison Guy, however, is a Central alumnus and he blogs. Madison Guy is also among the many bloggers who prefer to remain anonymous until they retire (or receive an enormously lucrative book deal). While Madison Guy hasn't written about Central yet, he tells me he'll probably touch on the subject

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1144219875045014662006-04-05T01:44:00.000-05:002006-04-08T21:41:54.006-05:00

Lynn Jeffcott graduated from Madison Central High School in 1968. Since then, she's had two careers focused on writing: one in business and marketing and another in education. After she retired from her job at a small Iowa college in 2001, she wrote "an inspirational book dedicated to those who face illness, tragedy, or hard times." Published by Word Wrangler Publishing, it is available through

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143958669644047442006-04-02T00:12:00.000-06:002006-04-02T03:33:26.516-05:00

"Wildflower" is a very familiar figure to me. The bronze statue of a child about to plunge into the water at its feet now resides on the second floor of the Central Branch of the Madison Public Library. Donated to the library in 1916 by Professor and Mrs.Moses S. Slaughter, the statue formerly resided in the garden along the Dayton Street side of the old public library building on Carroll Street

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143967564019272822006-03-31T10:10:00.001-06:002006-04-02T03:46:56.033-05:00

If you looked at this page early thing morning, the typeface on some posts may have been very strange looking indeed -- huge and disproportionate. I think I've remedied the situation, but I'll check back later today and make certain all is still well.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143791476912549592006-03-31T01:43:00.000-06:002006-03-31T01:51:16.930-06:00

The more I research the history of Madison Central High School, the more I begin to detect patterns. It's interesting to note, for instance, that many Central teachers were Central alumni. Miss Marguerite Shepard, one of the women in the photograph of the Department of Physical Education that accompanies my previous post, graduated from Central (then still named Madison High School) in 1917. She

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143788572344825492006-03-31T00:49:00.005-06:002009-01-17T14:56:32.304-06:00

"Ten Central High School girls in gym suits sit on benches doing foot exercises." (Photograph by Angus McVicar, Wisconsin Historical Image ID: No. 16048)Is there any girl out there who really, truly loved physical education (a.k.a. gym class)? In the Sixties, you had to wear dopey looking gym suits (not very different from the ones show in the above photo, taken in 1935) or, if you had a swimming

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143682635775654342006-03-29T19:34:00.000-06:002006-03-29T22:32:43.640-06:00

One of the things I'd hoped to accomplish when I started this history blog is beginning to happen. I wanted alumni of Madison Central High School (and their friends and relatives) to find this site and perhaps tell us what they were up to these days (alumni) or fill us in on the whereabouts and activities of alumni for whom we don't have much information (friends and relatives). Jim Kempfer (

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143566170328153632006-03-28T11:01:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:13:53.590-06:00

Karl Fauerbach, a member of the family that owned and operated the Fauerbach Brewery in Madison from 1848 until 1966, graduated from Madison High School (later renamed Central High School) in 1917. Last year, some of Karl Fauerbach's descendants began brewing Fauerbach beer again.Next week, Peter Fauerbach, a grandson of Karl Fauerbach, will give a talk about the brewery's history at a meeting of

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143513453419972892006-03-27T20:32:00.000-06:002006-03-27T20:37:33.440-06:00

Even if it hadn't been demolished to make room for an MATC parking lot, Madison Central High School would not have been the oldest school building in Madison today. Can you guess the name of the oldest school building in Madison? Hints: Lots of Centralites went to school there. It's not far from Wisconsin Avenue. It closed its doors four years before the last class graduated from Central. Still

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143333151830618232006-03-25T18:27:00.001-06:002008-03-02T01:35:49.793-06:00

According to the report on "The Football Season of 1905," printed on pages 66-67 of the 1906 Tychoberahn, the Madison High School Football team was not only undefeated, it registered shutouts against all its opponents. Here are the scores:October 14, 1905: defeated Sun Prairie 80-0October 21, 1905: defeated Lodi 64-0November 4, 1905: defeated Darlington 62-0November 18, 1905: defeated Baraboo 35-

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1143227364624946852006-03-24T12:57:00.000-06:002008-09-14T15:39:47.155-05:00

If you've arrived at this blog as a result of reading Doug Moe's column today, you may wonder why you can't find my original post about Bill Withers, the one mentioned in Moe's column. That post is on my Class of 1965 blog, a blog focused in large part on members of that class, but also featuring some posts of general interest. You'll also find lots of information about Central alumni who are no

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1142913886475567742006-03-20T22:03:00.000-06:002008-09-14T15:39:47.156-05:00

Finding obituaries published prior to 1990 is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but I've begun posting some of them in a separate archive, which you can access by clicking on the pre-1990 link on the right hand side of this page under the "Alumni Obituaries" heading.Prior to mid-1973, obituaries published in the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times were news stories written by staff

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1142828922018419242006-03-19T22:17:00.000-06:002006-03-19T22:30:21.956-06:00

Everyone had to spend some time in the Madison Central High School office on the second floor. Here's a view of the office from the 1929 Tychoberahn. Some houses on the other side of Wisconsin Avenue are visible through the window. There are two trophies sitting atop the files on the right. I suspect I'm not the only person who wonders where they are now.Double click on the above image to enlarge

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1142739541465165732006-03-18T19:43:00.000-06:002006-11-26T13:10:16.390-06:00

The "graduating exercises" for the Madison High School Class of 1901 were held Friday, June 14, 1901 in the Assembly Chamber of the State Capitol. Lueder's Orchestra provided music. The Honorable L.D. Harvey, State Superintendent, addressed the class on "Elements of Success." Storm Bull, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, presented the diplomas.There were four

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1142392557894849142006-03-14T21:10:00.000-06:002006-12-09T00:21:50.953-06:00

The "graduating exercises" for the Madison High School Class of 1901 were held Friday, June 14, 1901 in the Assembly Chamber of the State Capitol. Lueder's Orchestra provided music. The Honorable L.D. Harvey, State Superintendent, addressed the class on "Elements of Success." Storm Bull, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, presented the diplomas.There were four

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1142201758903271802006-03-12T15:55:00.000-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.676-06:00

The Borders book store on University Avenue has a large section devoted to some of the many books about Madison and Wisconsin published every year. A few days ago, I was browsing through the collection, and I encountered a book by former Madison Central High School coach Wayne "Knobby" Kelliher. It was published in 2003, but escaped my attention back then -- probably because I'm not an avid

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1141794794009448132006-03-07T23:11:00.000-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.678-06:00

OUR ADVERTISERS"Students of the Madison High School, and all dear readers of this Annual will confer an everlasting favor upon us by patronizing OUR ADVERTISERS. Were it not for them, the '06 Tychoberahn either could not have been issued, or would have been inferior to what it now is. See that some return is made the merchants for the interest they have show in the High School."Shown above are

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1141586173266983372006-03-05T13:06:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:16:40.820-06:00

Here are some more Central alumni, photographed at the All-Central reunion at the VFW on Lakeside Street on February 12, 2006.Julia Fender Myre graduated in 1954Joe Cerniglia graduated in 1953Diane (Meicher) Poppa graduated in 1968Dick Daley graduated in 1966

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1140847319982342552006-02-24T23:53:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:06:28.777-06:00

On page 10 of the 1909 Tychoberahn, the editors write that, "This is the first Annual to appear since we entered the new building. It is published by the first class to graduate from the new building: hence it is especially fitting that we should herein welcome the new era." The photos in this post are from the 1909 Tychoberahn.The old high school building on Wisconsin Avenue (demolished in 1906

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1140239639454150542006-02-17T23:04:00.000-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.680-06:00

Here's a photo of Bill McDonald, taken last Sunday at the All-Central reunion. Don't ask when he graduated, just zoom in on his shirt for this information.And because I knew you wouldn't believe the names of everyone in the Class of 1950 could fit on his chest, I asked Bill to turn around so I could take another photo. Same man, same shirt; my fault the exposures are slightly different and the

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1139973337679423532006-02-17T21:04:00.000-06:002006-03-13T14:58:02.266-06:00

Maybe these photos from the 1953 Tychoberahn show your former teachers just the way you remember them. Or perhaps they look much younger or older than you remember. It depends how old you are. But if you're still around, it's likely you encountered some of these teachers, regardless of what years you attended Madison Central High SchoolBeda Mackin, for instance, started teaching at Central in

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1139974244523118602006-02-14T22:17:00.001-06:002009-07-12T13:25:57.203-05:00

Several members of the Madison High School Class of 1900 became professional writers. One was Leslie W. Quirk, a nephew of Richard Ball Dudgeon, who, for many years was Madison's superintendent of schools. Quirk's first novel for young people, "Baby Elton Quarterback," was published in 1904.About 17 years after he graduated, Quirk sailed to Europe to become an ambulance driver for the American

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1139889947633846232006-02-13T21:38:00.000-06:002006-02-13T22:05:47.743-06:00

Madison is celebrating its 150th year as a city this year. In conjunction with this sesquicentennial, last January Madison magazine began publishing a 15-part decade by decade series looking at Madison history. Two of the features in this series examine events that may be of particular interest to Madison Central High School alumni. In June 2005, writer Stu Levitan, took a look at the 1900s,

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1139804961319837722006-02-12T21:48:00.000-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.681-06:00

History isn't just about names and faces from old yearbooks. It's also about people who are still with us -- people who have their own unique stories to tell us, their own pieces of history to share.Pictured below are a few of the Central alumni from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s who attended the All Central Reunion on Sunday. While I didn't have time to talk to anyone in depth, I do have addresses

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1139591447293589592006-02-10T11:05:00.000-06:002006-03-24T14:39:58.113-06:00

In 1935, the United States was in the middle of the Great Depression. Drought had turned the Great Plains into a desert, creating the ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl. During this period, hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma farmers migrated to California along Route 66. Californians called these migrants "Okies," a term made famous by John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath,"

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1138765743518138022006-02-01T23:42:00.000-06:002008-09-14T15:39:47.156-05:00

In 1946, the editors of the Madison Central High School yearbook (at that time called The Mirror) made a special effort to salute members of the Class of 1946 who had dropped out of school to join the military before the end of World War II.Two pages of text and photos were dedicated to “Seniors in Service.” Those pages are reproduced below.What happened to the “Seniors in Service” shown listed

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1138493821407368072006-01-28T17:30:00.000-06:002007-03-31T18:43:50.830-05:00

Browse through some of the old Madison Central High School yearbooks and you'll encounter lots of delights and surprises. In the June 1934 yearbook, which was called The Orange and Black rather than the Tychoberahn, I discovered that Central once had a boxing team. Reproduced below are a photo of the team and the accompanying text and caption. There are plenty of bare chests, but if you're more

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1137483547674467472006-01-17T01:37:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:08:11.548-06:00

David, a physics professor who writes several blogs, appears to have been a graduate student at the University of Illinois sometime during the years when John Bardeen taught there. He's posted a couple of amusing stories about Bardeen, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who graduated from Madison Central High School in 1923. David's blog, "Working it out - Tales from Baby Boomer," also has some

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1137456711539672762006-01-16T17:54:00.000-06:002008-12-08T23:08:11.549-06:00

My father, his brother Wally, my paternal grandparents, a great-aunt, and many cousins are buried there, so I often visit Madison’s Forest Hill Cemetery. I usually drive my car to the sections where their graves are located and park nearby because street parking is often unavailable.Today, however, was Martin Luther King Day, a school holiday in Madison, as well as a national holiday. As a result

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1137277705621428782006-01-14T16:25:00.002-06:002008-11-28T00:18:11.665-06:00

Listed below are members of the Madison High School Class of 1900 (surnames J-W)* whose names are listed in the very first Tychoberahn, which, alas, has no photographs. According to the Tychoberahn, there were 91 members of the Class of 1900. However, it's a good idea to keep in mind that a yearbook is not an official listing of graduates. Yearbooks are also not always entirely accurate.

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1137180798518092472006-01-13T12:38:00.001-06:002009-07-25T19:20:30.411-05:00

Listed below are some of the members of the Madison High School Class of 1900 (surnames A-H) whose names are listed in the very first Tychoberahn, which, alas, has no photographs. According to the Tychoberahn, there were 91 members of the Class of 1900. However, it's a good idea to keep in mind that a yearbook is not an official listing of graduates. Yearbooks are also not always entirely

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1137129612111294482006-01-12T23:14:00.000-06:002009-01-17T14:54:40.682-06:00

Don Swingle, a member of the Madison Central High School Class of 1946, sent me details about their upcoming reunion:The Class of 1946 60th reunion will be in Madison on June 23 and 24, 2006. On Friday, June 23, we plan to have a social hour at the Monona Garden Family Restaurant at 6501 Bridge Road, from 5:30 p.m. until who knows when. Those attending will buy their own beverages of various

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20460958.post-1137046446262240562006-01-11T23:34:00.000-06:002006-05-04T04:13:43.430-05:00

Long before "diversity" was popular, before it became a hot buzzword (or a tired cliche), Madison Central High School was home to a diverse student body. You can see it as you look through all of the old Tychoberahns. You can read about it in all the back issues of the Madison Mirror.Posted below is a page from the 1928 Tychoberahn that takes note of what its editors called "Versatile Central"

Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16251684486385042218noreply@blogger.com0