Grandpa attended Roosevelt High School in Des Moines Iowa from 1931 to 1935. His favorite subjects in high school were music and drama and was active in his school’s musicals and plays, usually playing the lead role. One year, he and his vocal quartet won for most “excellent” performance in Des Moines high school music contest.
Outside of class, Grandpa played football on varsity. My uncle said he remembers Grandpa telling him how he made varsity. He only weighed 138 pounds but his coach put him in at tackle with the 2nd team to go up against the varsity defense. According to Grandpa, he got in and “put the starters to shame.”
Grandpa's High School Football Team (Bottom Row, 2nd Left)
It didn’t surprise me to find out he was on his school’s speech and debate team. Grandpa, even in his old age, could talk someone to death. He was an excellent speaker and good storyteller, but his problem was he didn’t know when to stop!
From an early age Grandpa had an amazing singing voice, which he began to prove in high school. He won numerous prizes for his vocal solos and one year he even won states. He says in his journal that after high school he wanted to “continue my music education [and] excel in vocal music.” ….Which is what Grandpa did.
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