history of madison high school

A History of Madison High School -

All that there

wasn’t….

and isn’t any more

(A History of Madison High School) Introduction When we, the students of Ken Stewart’s history class, decided to study the history of our high school, we didn’t know what to look for or what we would find. After studying it for a few weeks, we noticed that many of the things we learned were tied together. The way that Sputnik influenced the school and the way dress codes changed show how a high school is directly tied into world events. For these reasons we feel that learning about the events that have shaped the world as well as our high school is a valuable experience and a useful part of our education.


Origins of Madison The land which Madison High School now occupies was, in 1947, destined to be a recreational area. The ground from Sacramento to Thompson streets had been set aside by the park project for park purposes. There were plans to have a community house, swimming pool, and athletic field. In 1948 the city council agreed to cut down the boundaries of the park area. This, in effect, separated the area that Madison and its facilities were to occupy from the area that eventually became Glenhaven Park. Many citizens and organizations were angry at this action. They thought that something which was needed by their community had been wrongfully taken from them. It seems that most of these people were unaware of the reasons behind the cutback on park land. One of these was the prospect of a high school being built there. By October, 1950 the plans for building a high school on 82nd were common knowledge, but nine lots were still owned by private parties. The school district called on the district boundary board to help them in the acquisition of the land from a Portland man and an estate in San Francisco. All in all, it took five years to get the necessary property for the building. At this same time the school board decided to go to the voters that spring with a high school construction package of $15,000,000 for the future schools of Madison and Wilson. They estimated the building cost of each school would be $2,800. They also stated that it was essential for the schools to be finished by 1956 because of increased enrollments. As it turn out, the school board’s estimation was a little on the low side, about $1,500,000 to be exact. The final cost of the building, after two years of construction, was $4,334,828. By 1954 plans for the 82nd Avenue high school, as it was now being called, were in full swing. School directors had approved preliminary plans for the school, on the condition that architects and staff cut down wherever possible. The directors were alarmed at the new estimated cost of the building, $4,000,000. They suggested several ways of cutting facilities in the new high school, and thus cutting the building cost. The architects’ Stanton, Boles, Maguire, Church) model of the building included a swimming pool and a sun deck but these were rapidly cancelled. Other matters brought under question were: the size of the cafeteria, how much money to spend on seating on the athletic field, whether or not to have a lighted field, and if a photography lab was necessary. Once construction began, the builder (O.R. Wayman) encountered a few problems because of the lay of the land. There is a fifty foot difference in elevation between the upper and lower building sites. That, combined with the mud and swamps covering the land where the gymnasium and bleachers now are, caused the engineers quite a few headaches. They were afraid the mud would shift, ruining the foundation of the building.


Curriculum In 1958 the United States got a shock that had a dramatic effect on the country’s schools and educational system. What happened was that the Soviet Union Launched the first unmanned satellite, Sputnik, before the US even had an established space program. The American sense of superiority over Russia, which had almost become a tradition, was shattered in one sudden blow. It was the first time the Soviet Union had totally beaten the US in the fields of science and technology. Officials were so shocked that they brought about major changes in the public school systems. They realized that the Russian system of six days a week of school, full government scholarships to all promising students, and pressure to achieve, really worked better than the United States’ more relaxed system. An editorial in “The Madison Constitution.” 1958 had this to say: “Since the launching of Sputnik and the race for space between Russia and the United States began, American educators and citizens began taking a second look at the country’s school system.” The editor went on to quote from a bulletin of new rules by the city superintendent of schools. They were:

1) Activities which interfere with the educational program should be reduced as much as possible.

2) That as many activities as possible be scheduled before and after school. 3) Those extra-curricular demands which overload or interfere with the class attendance of

individual students be reduce. 4) That night activities which interfere with the preparation of class work for the following day

be reduced. Athletics were also curbed, as were assemblies. Field trips were frowned upon, and any activities which detracted from studying were again the rules. The editorial closes say, “It is assured that students will be in for an intensified education in the years to come.” Education Enrichment Madison’s E.E. Program was funded by the school district which considered it to be experimental. It was geared to help academically able approach their capacities. The students that were able to join the program were the ones who were obtaining above average grades and who knew they were going on to college. For these students, four classes were provided in 1957 with Mrs. Schukart as its director. In this programs second year, 13.8% of the entire student body joined in. For these students 18 more classes were offered. This was the year in which the program reached its peak. Some of the classes offered were; English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Art, Science, and Social Studies. The E. E. program ended in about 1962. Some of the reasons for its abolishment from the curriculum being, loss of funds, lack of participation, and the fact that it was too selective. Educational Enrichment (TODAY) When looking at the change of curriculum 1957 and 1974, it is easy to see a shift of emphasis to different programs. The part of the student body that gets more time and money spent on them is not the same now as it was in 1957. The E.E. program was given funds and extra time from 1957 to 1962. It centered on the students who were bright or were going on to college. Now federal money is being poured into FOCUS and RPMS, both for students who have not learned what they were taught in grade school, or have attendance problems, and/or have more or less dropped out.


People who are not the brightest and the students who need special teaching because of very slow learning skills should not be ignored, but should the emphasis be put upon them???? Perhaps our society will suffer the consequences of spending more time and money on the students that come to school with no thought of working and little desire to learn and giving little encouragement to gifted and outstandingly creative students. Classes Most Favored In 1957-1958 the most favored classes were: Business Ed., Music, Home Ec., Art, and Industrial Arts. The class most favored of the five was Business Education. Classes favored now in 1973-1974 are: Art and Vocational Work Experience. Records of student enrollment in elective classes have not been kept recently, but art and vocational work experience are known to be the more favored of elective classes. Classes Offered: 1957-58 The classes offered in 1957-58 were fewer than those offered in the most recent year 1973-74. Then as now the freshman ESS Class was the only combined class. The science classes were limited to Biology, Chemistry, and Physiology, and General Science. The mathematics department offered three different math courses and two years of algebra. In Business education there were courses in business typing, Office Practice, Bookkeeping, and General Business. Music students could chose from Choir, Orchestra, Mixed Chorus Band, and Ensemble Singing. The Art Department, classes offered were: Home Economics with many tips on home life, to prepare you for it. There is a course on family life, Clerical Assistant, and Teaching Assistant. In the Industrial Arts Department, courses offered were; Basic Metalwork, Basic woodwork, Drafting. The Battle Scarred Veterans from the Seventeen Year War Madison began with 70 new teachers. These teachers not only came from schools in Portland, but from other cities and other states. Some of these original teachers who are still with us are as follows: Janice Schukart Josephine Kelly Charles Wooldridge from Washington High Elma Shuck from Girls Polytechnic Mary Ann Cairns from Franklin Verle Duckering from Jefferson Gordon Johnson from Benson Mildred Peterson from Kennedy The following teachers are from out of town: Philip Blair from Highland Donn Gassaway from Cottage Grove Raymond Niehaus from Prineville Mary A. Anderson from Albany


Madison High School Administration Staff The Administrative staff of Madison High School in 1957, consisted of: Principal, Stephen E. Smith, Administrative Vice Principals Walter E. Erickson and Georgia W. Dean, and Curriculum Vice Principal Don W. James. Miss Dean retired in 1973, which made Sue Bushnell, our curriculum vice principal since 1959, senior administrator in terms of time at Madison. Both our principal Mr. William Knouff, and Mike Stipac, vice principal came in 1968. Lockers In 1957, when Madison was first opened for school, each student was given his own locker. School padlocks were required. Students were not allowed to use their own locks so they had to rent the locks from the student store for 50 cents. Strangely enough, there were 2,735 lockers built into the school and 2735 is also the school’s mailing address. From 1957 to 1974 the change in “popular” music has been tremendous. Classical music has remained much the same, probably because perfection doesn’t vary too much. The main change in it is the use of it on electronic instruments such as the moog, and the use of electronic effects in conjunction with classical music. Jazz, which reached its peak in about 1957, has had a rebirth in recent years and is becoming popular gain. Folk music had its “golden era” in the sixties with television shows, hit records, and immense popularity. “Rock” music has undergone the most changes. Rock started out as unrefined music with a lot of gimmicks. Performers such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and others were popular. The music gradually evolved from that to the next stage of rock, with the Beatles leading the way. They combined better musical and songwriting ability to produce their rock hits and moving ballads. From that point on, rock music as a whole got louder and louder, and attracted more people. New developments in electronics enabled some groups to have a variety of styles and textures while other groups used them only to play loud, repulsive music. Now “rock” attracts hundreds of thousands of people to concerts and it is common for a band to sell a million copies of a record. These are the types of music that Madison students have listened to through the years. Drama Madison’s Drama is one of the best in the city. Drama is taught by Mrs. Melba Day Sparks, who transferred here from Jefferson when Madison was opened. In the first few years Drama was only a half year course. In later years it was changed to a full year course. The department now producers three to five major productions a year, with many short and full-length children’s plays. They also produce more adult plays, as these are more acceptable now. The Drama Department also has an elementary Drama program in which 8th grade students can participate in play production for a six week session. The program is in its fifth year and has proven to be very successful. The 8th grade students gain a learning experience that is of value to them if


they take drama as freshmen. The program ends with the advanced drama students directing a play in which the elementary students act. Some students become interested in drama because of this experience. The Madison “Constitution” The Madison “Constitution” has changed greatly since it originated. The earlier editions portrayed a lot of school spirit. It seems that these days there is not much school spirit to portray. Today, unfortunately, the “Constitution” is reaching less students than it did in the 50’s. However, it is not really the fault of the editors or staff. They have won many awards on the excellence of the newspaper. If there is any cause for this, it might be found in the large part of students who are partially or totally apathetic towards anything that has to do with learning or involvement of any kind. The school paper should be more receptive, to the changing attitudes of the high school and make everyone aware of the biggest problem in education today – apathy.


Student Body Styles and Dress at Madison If you walk through the halls of Madison in the present –1974, you may see quite a variation in styles of clothing that people are wearing. With the information following you can notice a change in the dress at Madison. 1957 was Madison’s first year open. Girls wore pleated skirts about three inches below the knee. They also wore baggy sweaters. Hair was normally short with some longer length seen. Makeup was not heavy, but many girls wore dark red lipstick. Guys wore slacks and shined shoes. In a1959 girls had shoulder and above length hair set under and curled on the top. They wore Peter Pan collared blouses with their names on them. They wore A-line skirts. Girls also wore fitted dresses with full skirts. The length of the dresses was bout two inches below the knees. Not much red lipstick was seen anymore. The shoes were flat heeled ones that had pointed toes. The guys wore slacks with thin belts, shirts that had small collars and ties that were quite narrow and skinny. Their pointed toe loafers stood out on white or plaid socks. Some guys wore oxfords. Hair was worn in butches or flat-top styles. In the early 1960’s, student dress styles reflected the influence of President John F. Kennedy, especially in regard to haircuts. Many guys wore their hair in an “ivy-league” cut. This was longer than the butch or crew cut, but still short by today’s standards. Many of the girls wore “bouffant” hair styles like that worn by Jackie Kennedy. For dances the guys wore shirts with narrow button-down collars, narrow ties, and sport coats with narrow lapels. By the mid-sixties this passion for narrowness reached the point where guys said: “If you can get your pants off and on without taking off your shoes, your pant legs are too wide. But the neat and narrow look did not last long. The Beatles popularized long shaggy hair, and girls began to wear navy-style “bell-bottom trousers.” These style changes were more radical than earlier ones, and at first it was difficult for schools and adult society in general – to accept the new styles. Prior to 1968, Madison had a stern dress code, Pants could not be worn by girls; guys could not wear their hair touching their shirt collars. There was quite a controversy on dress, through, because not all teachers, students and parents agreed on the same things. A 1968 decision allowed the student to wear whatever the student and his or her parents thought was reasonable. For a time clothing went to extremes. The students apparently were trying to point out that we must not judge a person by clothes, but by character. By 1970 long hair was an accepted style for both girls and guys, and this reflected styles in the general society outside of school just as the crew cuts of an earlier time had reflected fashions current then. By 1974, it seems, some students were ready to give up playing the fashion game, so they tried streaking! Just think ….. Years from now students researching another history might discover the streaking that once struck the nation.


Dances The one big difference between the dances, 5 or 10 years ago is the prices: 35 cents stag, 50 cents drag. There is really a lot ore to it than that, though. The dances were very elaborate. To demonstrate, here is a description of a Christmas Ball held in 1958. The cafeteria had been transformed into a medieval castle. In the middle stood a fourteen-foot fir tree adorned with gold beaded starts. Drapes of red material extended to the sides of the room and cascaded down to great old-fashioned lanterns and gold tassels. Garlands of greenery connected the drapes around the room. Typical of the dance’s old English atmosphere was an elaborate procession of cavaliers presenting princess Sally an authentic boar’s head on a silver platter, fruits, nuts and a bowl of wassail (an old English punch). The “Boar’s Head Carol” and other English carols were sung by some selected students. Music was presented by Al Robinson and his band, with KPTV’s weather girl, Gerie Lindsey, as vocalist.” One of the other traditional dances is the Boy’s League Luau. Once again the cafeteria had been transformed, this time into a beautiful Hawaiian island: “Small realistic palm trees, shimmering ponds and the beckoning call of Hawaii greeted Madison students as they entered the Luau. Tiny lush islands covered with grass and flowers decorated the lunchroom.” With all the wonder of the traditional dances, a lot of good times were also enjoyed at the after game and rally dances. These dances were held on Friday or Saturday nights. Madison students used to dance Rock and Roll, or the Bop. During the school year each class sponsors a dance. The titles of these may have changed over the years, from “The Freshie Frolic” and Soph Stomp” to Jive of 75”, but the fun of dancing (sometimes until the dancer’s legs are sore) can never change. Rose Festival Up until a little over a decade ago, every senior girl had to walk across Madison’s stage in front of the whole student body to try out for the Rose Festival Princess. This practice was ended because of the unfairness to the girls who didn’t want to try out or knew they had no chance to be elected. Now a girl only has to have a written application and be prepared to give a speech on a chosen topic. She must display poise and gracefulness before a panel of judges. Madison has only had one princess become the rose Festival Queen in its history. She was Mary Matney, the 1972 representative. During that year Mary was involved in many activities in which she not only represented Madison, but also the whole city of Portland.


SPORTS & RALLY Madison boasted a football team the first year it was in operation but, like most young teams, it was a losing one. Frank Landos was the football coach that year. Over the following years the team improved a lot and managed more satisfactory won-loss records. Gary Walls is the head coach of the Senator Football team now. A change that altered the game was the switch to sudden-death rules. Basketball Since the Senators entered the PIL race in 1958, Donn Gassaway has been the Varsity Basketball Coach. Though 1964 was his last year as head coach, he has still remained active in basketball and other sports programs. He is also a history teacher at Madison. 1958-1959 The Senator team was coached by Donn Gassaway in its maiden season and carried a squad of 14 players. Their season record consisted of 12 wins and 10 losses. 1960-61 The team carried 14 players, and was again coached by Donn Gassaway. With a record of 10-10, the Senators were hailed as “possible” PIL Champs, but the team ended up only 5th in the league, which was still the best that they had ever done. 1964-65 Under the new coaching of Jerry Ross, the Senators finished 3rd in PIL standings, with a record of 6-4. Carrying a squad of 15 players the team consisted of mainly returning lettermen. At the end of the season, Jerry Ross announced his resignation to accept the same position at Reynolds High School. 1965-66 With a squad of 13 players, the Senators compiled a 10-12 record for the season. The new basketball coach was Bruce Haroldson. 1966-67 In his second year as coach, Bruce Haroldson coached a team of 12 players. The Senator squad finished the season with a record of 17-6. This year’s team also had the tallest player in the PIL with 6’6” Gary Kolthe, a transfer student from Virginia. The team was edged out of city by Washington. 1967-1968 The team consisted of 13 players and had a new coach, Vernon “Butch” Kimpton. The team’s league record was 8-8, while their season record consisted of 14-11-1. The team consisted mainly of juniors. Steve Kebbe was chosen to the All-City Team, with Jim Officer and Bruce Maxwell both receiving honorable mention to the All-City Team.


1968-1969 With a 20-4 season record, the mighty Senators placed second in state, behind number one, Grant. They also finished second in city behind Grant, and to defeat teams from Franklin and Wilson to place in the state playoffs. The “68-69” team, which was rated as eighth in state by newspaper polls, was the first team from Madison to ever go to state in basketball. The team was led by All-City, All-Tourney, and All-American, Steve Kebbe. He scored a total of 1283 points in his Varsity career, and was only the 4th player in the state to pass the 1000 point mark. Bruce Maxwell made a record number of free throws in the tourney by hitting 20 out of 20 and was elected to the All-Tourney Second Team. The Senator team consisted of 12 players, and was coached for its second year by Vernon “Butch” Kimpton. Gary Frank was named 1st Team East Division, 1st Team All-City, and 3rd Team All-State. Monte Scott received 2nd Team East Division in the PIL. 1969-1970 The Senators finished the Season with a record of 17-6. Their league record of 14-3, helped finish first in their division, the Red Division. But, the Senators lost in their bid for the state playoffs. The squad consisted of 12 players on the all-City Team. They were Tom Wise and Bud Baynard. Baynard finished first in the ballot count for All-City Center. 1970-1971 The team had a disappointing 1-21 record for the season. The Senator team consisted of 11 players, and had a new coach, Gene Carlson Chris Delangas and Nide Bennison both received honorable mention on the All-Cit Basketball Team. 1971-1972 The team improved its record 5-17 and also their over-all play. The Senators carried a team of 11 players at the beginning of the year, but changed to 10, after the quitting of one player. Juniors Monte Scott and Gary Frank both received Honorable Mention on the All-City Team. The team was coached for the second year by Gene Carlson. 1972-1973 A new Coach brought new hope for the Senator squad last year. He was Charles “Ole” Jonson. The team had 12 players. The league record was 9-8, while the season record consisted of 11-11. The Senators were contenders for the season. They ended the season in a tie for third place. Baseball Varsity coach Bill Witila J.J. Coach Donn Gassaway No Freshman Baseball In 1960 Varsity took city and won the quarter finals in state. The day before the championship game they were notified that they had an ineligible player. Their record went from 19-3 to 3-19. The ineligible player was a boy that came from Central Catholic, named Ron Lucas. He came to Madison without moving in the district. In 1961 they were City champions again. They got beaten by Reynolds in quarter finals of state championship by a 4-3 score. The boy that hit the homer went


to Madison the year before. Summer, 1962 Mr. Terry Brown and Mr. Hal Smith went to the Babe Ruth World Series in New Jersey and took 2nd. They lost the championship game to New Jersey by the score of 7-6. Madison took state championship in 1963 beating Reynolds 22-0, then Hillsboro and K Falls, Rick Wise pitched all three games. That year Rick Wise signed with the Philadelphia Philies at the age of 18. For the fourth year in a row, Madison took the city championship; we beat Pendleton for State, and took fifth in legion world series. Wrestling Wrestling started at Madison in 1958-1960 with Jerry Lions as the Varsity Coach, and in 1960-1964 Jim Smith was the coach. Ron Dexter took over in 1965-1974. From 1958-1974 Madison has had 31 City Champions and Four State Champions. There are three different kinds of wresting: Folk, Free Style and Greco-Roman. There have been many changes in wrestling, ‘such as weight cards, started in 1964, so they could protect coaches and the wrestlers. Head gear came in 1967 and was required for every match. Starting position has changed from two knees to one. The hair can be to the bottom of the ears, and not over the eyes. Tennis Madison has had a tennis team ever since it’s opening eleven years ago, but didn’t have a tennis court until 1961. The tennis courts were planned to be built in what is now the lower parking lot, but plans were changed. Verle Duckering has been the coach for both the girls and boys team. In 1970, Carol May became the girls coach. She graduated from Madison in 1962 after playing 3 years for Madison. Madison has always been a contender in tennis. They have been one of the top 3 in the Portland Interscholastic League. Madison won the boys city championship in 1961 and was also undefeated that same year. Unfortunately, it was the only year that the boy’s tam was undefeated. The girl’s team was city champs and undefeated for 3 straight years, 1960-1962. Swimming Team 1962-1970 Boys swim team had seven losses and three wins. High score of the season was Madison 65, Washington 29. Girls Swim Team did better; they had a six win, three loss. Their season high score was Madison 72, Marshall 21. The boys swim team had a three and seven record. The team practiced at the Northeast Y.M.C.A. once each week. Mr. Olson was their coach. The girls had a five win and four loss record. The girls had only eight juniors, three sophomores, and one freshman they had no seniors. Their coach was Miss Sharon Walkins. 1965 Boys swim team had a four-six record taking fifth. The boys practiced every day before school in the Town and Country pool. Bill Olsen was the head coach. Madison victories were earned against Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington and Franklin. Madison beat Jefferson and the Demos turned around to beat Wilson, the city champs.


The girls had a six-four record. They practiced at Town and Country every day. They practiced at 7:00 a.m., but later changed practice time to 3:30 pm. The girls won their meets with, Roosevelt, Franklin, Marshall, Jefferson and Washington. 1968 Mr. Olson coached the girls and boys. The girls finished the season with six wins and five loses. The boys won five meets and lost six. 1970 Boy’s team won six, lost five and tied one. Placing sixth in the city meet. The girl’s squad won ten meets and lost two placing second in city.


Editorial Committee Sandy Humphreys Thomas Klarquist John Lawrence Renee Merrigan Steve Moss Karen Obinger Charles Tomassene Other Class Members Debbie Adamski Greg Balding Tim Brown Susan Dieter Karen Hurlock Allen Knapp Glen Lamb Curtis Louie Rick Lund Mark McFarland Tim Mahoney John Morton Sooman Pai Christy Rein Cynthia Setvin Steven Tamaki Deborah Wilson Richard Winkler Patricia Wright Instructor: Ken Steward Acknowledgements We wish to thank the following persons for the information and help they provided for this historical project. Amelia Auld Warren Bolin Terry Brown Sue Bushnell Bob Clark Georgia Dean George Denfield Ron Dexter Verle Duckering Donn Gassaway Ellen Gruetter Don James Harold Kleiner Cordelia Sayler Edna Shuck Jessie Smith Melba Day Sparks Jean White Connie Wickwire Keith Wooldridge Organizations: Adams H.S. Printing Department Dan Linne & Madison H.S. Photo Lab Oregon Historical Society Madison H.S. Offset Printing Class Publication of this pamphlet was made possible by a grant from the Area II Office, Portland Public Schools.

history of madison high school

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