There’s been a lot of discussion about the razing of Washington School. Sometime in 1963, I shot these pictures of some kind of ceremony at the school. I’ll have to let one of you tell me what it was. A quick search of The Missourian’s archives came up dry.
[Update from a reader: Roger Allgood, who is in the front row, fourth from the left, says he has an original print with my name rubber stamped on the back. He and Chuck Kennamer exchanged some emails to identify his classmates.)
Roger Allgood’s message
Front Row left to right
??, Charles Kennamer, Norman Ticer, Roger Allgood, ??, Steve Buening, Jerry Snell, John Ervin.
Second Row left to right
Regina Busche, Nancy Suttles, Sharon Sander, ??, Lucy Grey, Karen Caldwell, Paula Whitiker, Karen King.
Third Row left to right
Debby King, Joy Probst, Robin Koeppel, Cathy Caldwell, Lucille Hunze, Anita Wagner, Allison Davis, Elaine Burbaugh, James Markert
Back Row left to right
Larry Bickings, Principal Blaylock, Leon Tollison, Dennis Hull, Scott McNeely, Teacher Miss Mysfelt, Tom Taylor, Jim Ervin, Harold Mayo, David Headrick.
Chuck Kennamer’s message to Roger
You probably don’t recall, but I was only in the class from January till the end of the year. (I was also at Washington for about 3 weeks in 4th grade…we finally moved back to Cape in 1965). For that reason, I had everyone sign the back of my picture! So I have your back…and then some!
Thought you had Andrew White, the guy next to you! Think he went by A.J. also.
Cheryl Ragland is the girl next to Lucy Gray (check your spelling, “a” vs. “e” in Gray).
Several other changes:
Richard Margrabe is the guy on my left.
It is Steve Beeler (not Buening as I guessed earlier).
It is James Markret (not Markert as I thought)…I think he changed it back & forth. Ha!
It is Elaine Burlbaugh (slightly different)
Paula Whittaker has 2 “t’s”
I think that completes the names in the picture, so now the “rest of the story”: 3 guys were not in the picture/at the party on May 24, 1963:
David Copeland
Sherman Lee Kinder
Robert Hohler
One more thing…the picture I have does not have the teacher Miss Misfeldt (slightly different spelling) or Mr. Blaylock!
All the names on my picture are signatures and they are even decipherable!!! Best I can do for you. Hope this helps!
Allison – Jinx – Davis (Not Hope Davis, as originally written)
[Update from a reader: Sondra Cook cleared up the Hope Davis mystery:
Ken, your photo captioned Hope Davis is actually her younger sister Alison (or Jinx as we all knew her). Both my mother and I attended Washington Elementary. Such a sad thing to see it demolished.
I’m going to leave the Hope Davis info in here
Even if my film was misidentified, I’m going to leave the Hope Davis info in this posting for those of us who remember her and not her younger sister.
The only frame that had a name on it was this one of Hope Davis. When I posted the pictures to the 1960s newsletter, Karen Webb McClendon (64) sent this update to the Dec. 6, 2009 mailing:
The Class of ’64 lost a wonderful friend and classmate yesterday. Hope Davis Peterman passed away November 29, 2009. I grew up with Hope. We went through Washington School together. She was a wonderful friend. She attended our 45th class reunion this past July. We all had such a great time. She taught at Central Jr. High. She will certainly be missed. Please keep her husband Neal, her children, her sister and extended family and friends in your prayers.
Check out that bow tie
I don’t see how the Hope Davis in these elementary school pictures from 1963 could be the same Hope Davis that Karen referred to. The Missourian’s obit for Karen’s Hope Davis made her sound much older than these kids:
Elizabeth Hope Peterman, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, at her home.
She was born Nov. 24, 1946, in San Diego, to Larry and Pauline Davis. She married Neal Frederic Peterman on June 21, 1969. They happily celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this year.
She was a graduate of Central High School and earned a teaching degree from Southeast Missouri State University. She was a teacher at Central Junior High School. Hope loved teaching and, above all, she loved her students. During her teaching career she was a mentor, friend and inspiration to many young people. But it was perhaps Hope’s proudest accomplishment to be an outstanding mother and to raise her three children.
Survivors include her husband, Neal Peterman of Cape Girardeau; a daughter, Amanda Hope Peterman of Las Vegas; a son, Neal Lars Peterman of Cape Girardeau; daughter-in-law, Lesa Beth Peterman; her beautiful 5-month-old grandson, Lex Lawrence Peterman; a sister, Alison Dunstan of Memphis, Tenn.; and a niece, Margaret Dunstan of Memphis.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and a beloved daughter, Carrie Elizabeth Peterman.
The Court
King and Queen (I suppose)
Washington School Oct. 13, 2009
Ken, your photo captioned Hope Davis is actually her younger sister Alison (or Jinx as we all knew her).
Both my mother and I attended Washington Elementary. Such a sad thing to see it demolished.
Hi Kenny,
Sondra Cook is correct about he picture of the Washington School Queen crowning is Hope Davis Peterman’s sister, Allison “Jinx” Davis. She now lives in Memphis. Thanks for publishing all of this once again. They did look a lot alike. Thanks for giving us such a wonderful trip down memory lane.
I love the pictures from those years…most of the people in this picture were classmates of mine in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, but Cape did a redistricting plan and several in my neighborhood moved to Franklin School in 4th grade. Some did get back together in Jr High and High School, though.
Thanks for the photos!
Actually James Markerts name was correct the first time. He is my brother….
I went to Washington from kindergarden thru sixth grade. ’55-’62. I then went to May Greene. I wiil always remember the day JFK died. I was playing ball and the teachers ushered us in to the school and sent us home. At Washington, there was a strikingly beautiful redhead ist grade teacher named….? Do anyone remembers her and her name and what became of her??
Went to Washington for first grade ’55/’56 then went to Campster school for three years before coming back to Jefferson. Class of ’67! Chuck “Corky” Kennamer is my cousin and neither one of us knew about the other until high school. Tell him I said “Hey!”
I too went to Washington School in the mid sixties, and remember you Susan Markert! I believe you were in my sister Teresa’s class. So sorry that school was torn down. Hope Davis Peterman was our family babysitter for a time and deserves a medal for this, she was a sweetie!
Hi Washington Alummi!
My name is Roosevelt James, and I remember me and friends playing baseball there every Sun. Afternoon. It became so popular, we did it for years. Terry kitchens, Henry James Carter, Albert Carter, myself, Charles James, a guy name Ronnie (who dad and grandpa owned the nearby store) and a host of others would try to knock out the windows facing the diamond. Man that was funn!
Ken,
I did not attend Washington School, but I did go to High School with a lot of these kids. We were the Class of 69. You are correct that Allison “Jinx” Davis is in the first picture by herself, with the cute little bow in the center of her hair. But the queen in the court pictures was not Hope Davis. The girl was Lucy Grey. If you look at the dresses in the class picture and compare them to the court pictures, you will see that these kids all came from the same class.
The names of the people in the picture of the court with the King and Queen are Left to Right: Mrs Mysfelt, Cathy Caldwell, Lucille Hunze, Queen Lucy Grey, (I do not know who the King was), Norman Ticer, Harold Mayo and Principle Blaylock.
1962-1965 I attended Washington School K to 3rd; leaving mid semester due to moving to a different school district to attend Alma Schrader; then Hawthorn. My grandma lived on the corner of Mill and N. Spanish so I walked from her house up the hill to school every day to the massive Washington School building! I remember the school crossing guards with their poles with a flag attached. We would wait to cross the street to the school until they lowered their poles for us. Looking back on fond memories! I wish I had photos of that time of my life!