Badger Love Stories - 1950s
Way back in the days before St. Petersburg, Cancun, and Aruba, semester breaks and holiday vacations were welcomed opportunities to picupacuplabucks. Back in January of 1948 when we got a week off between semesters my first stop when I got home to Racine was -- as usual -- the Wisconsin State Employment Office.
I told the man I was available for any kind of work, from Monday morning until noon on Saturday -- and that I absolutely had to be paid in full on Saturday. The urgency was caused by a sweet and comely coed named Gini Lou. She was spending the break week in Chicago with relatives and "wouldn't it be fun if we could see the Wisconsin-Northwestern basketball game down there Saturday night and then take the late train back to Madison."
Well, of course it would. So I put in my 44 hours of work at the Gold Metal Furniture Company grinding rough edges off metal table legs. At the then going rate of 75 cents an hour, I collected 33 bucks. I rushed home to clean up and hopped on the train to Chicago to meet Gini Lou. We enjoyed a memorable dinner at a dark, romantic, and expensive restaurant, made it to arena on time for the basketball game, and just barely got to the station in time to catch the last train to Madison.
Gini Lou lived out on the east side, so that meant another cab fare. In those early hours of Sunday morning there would be little chance of stirring up another cab, so the driver waited while I escorted Gini to her door.
On the drive back to Langdon Street I was anxiously searching every pocket for extra change. The driver got his full fare with my very last bit of cash. Sorry, no tip. So the break left me broke again, but it was one of the more memorable dates of my college daze.
Jim Bie '50
La Jolla California
My wife, Barbara Schmock, and I were members of the class of 1950.
While at UW I was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and lived in the fraternity house for a couple of years. Barbara was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and lived there. Gene one of my four roommates was going steady with her roommate, Jeanie.. Barbara was dating with Dave another of my roommates. We saw each other at party events. Often we sat at the same table and got to know each other.
In that process I learned that at various times she had dated two other fraternity brothers one of whom was also my roommate. Obviously guys I knew thought highly of her.
Late in our senior year suddenly Dave decided to "dump her" and go back to his high school love. About the same time my girl friend Audrey dumped me.
On a Sunday night I decided I wanted to go to a movie at the Orpheum. I didn't want to go alone. But all my roommates and fraternity brothers were off somewhere probably with their girl friends.
Who to go with? I got a brilliant thought. How about Barbara? I knew her and liked her. My buddies all thought highly of her. She was free that night.
So I called her and that began a lifetime experience. I went off to Chicago to work and she stayed in Madison. In 1951 the Air Force called me because of Korea. She followed me to Texas where she became a super secretary for the officer in charge of the flight line on a Strategic Air Command base. I was located 200 miles away instead of 1200 if she were in Madison.
We married in 1952. That began 46 years of marriage which ended when God took her to be with him in 1998. Who would have imagined that such a great life could begin with a Sunday evening at the Orpheum Theater?
By the way Gene and Jeanie also married in the early 1950s and are still married today, Another afterthought. Barbara Schmock was the youngest sister of Smoky of Smoky's Steak House.
Dick Hoefs '50
He was to be a blind date, that I turned down when he called. He knew who I was, I didn't know who he was. I had gotten a message to go to a dance with a fellow I knew, sorry to say, I went . The date was a failure. The next day I met the man I would marry for the first time and it was love at first sight or it seemed like it. It was a beautiful spring that year and all was as it should be. He was in ROTC and he graduated and went to war, at Camp Gordon, he never left there, I'm glad to say. We became engaged at Christmas and the following year in September we were married. I was a senior , he was still in the Army , so I finished with me education Went he came home, we settled in Watertown, took up life and had four children. The kids all graduated from the University of Wisconsin.
Mary Mallow '55
Early one night in 1956 when I was living at the Chi Phi house on Langdon St., one of our fraternity officers shouted in a very loud and raspy voice: "Johnson, take our pledges down to the Gamma Phi house and meet an active named Peterson, who will be with her sorority's pledges. Introduce our guys to her gals and tell 'em to go over to the Varsity Bar and get acquainted."
It wasn't exactly what I had in mind for that night. Instead, I thought maybe I'd join some brothers at the the Manor Bar, hoping that a couple of Badger Beauties would show up, of course. However, when I met Marcia Peterson through a screened window on the front porch of the Gamma Phi house I immediately had a change of heart -- literally!
Even through a screen, Marcia was an exact image of the really cute, all-American coed I always had pictured in my mind. I quickly blurted out, "Come on, let's go down to the Var Bar with the pledges," and we did.
This summer, when we celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary we will especially be thankful for our four great kids and 11 special grandchildren. And just maybe, I'll go outdoors, stand on the porch of our lake home and tell Marcia how much I love her through a screened window!
Hoyt C. Johnson '56
Cumberland, Wisconsin
For the 1955 Spring Prom, Chi Omega Sorority and Delta Tau Delta Fraternity co-sponsored a candidate for Prom Queen. All members were very much encouraged to attend the Prom and vote for their candidate. For those who were not dating anyone at the time, blind dates were arranged. A week ahead of the Prom, the couples went on a get acquainted date at the Pub on State Street. Mary Lenz of Chi Omega and Rawson (Raws) Price of the Delts were paired together. After the Prom, Raws and Mary continued dating through the next two school years in spite of a two month breakup. Both graduated in June, 1957, Mary in Pharmacy and Raws in Banking and Finance. In February, 1958 they were married in Madison. They have two children, three grandchildren and have had a wonderful life together. They are now living in Gillett, WI and will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this February.
Rawson and Mary Price '57
In the mid 50s, I was dating Donna, a fellow-student who lived in Shepard Hall. This was one of several independent women's houses on or near Langdon Street. In that era, many of these, including Shepard Hall, had mostly Jewish residents. Once a year, the girls from Shepard invited their boy friends to a dress-up dinner they hosted at a local restaurant. Since Donna was the president, I got to sit with her at the head table at this Friday night function. As a Catholic, I had to order fish although it seemed many of the others were having steak. At the conclusion of the meal, the waiter brought the check to Donna for payment. She chuckled and held it so I could read it: "Entrees: 35 Steaks, 1 Fish" (Suspicions confirmed: I was the only Goy at the dinner.)
Jack French '58
Almost fifty years ago, my husband and I met through mutual friends and played bridge at the Italian Village. He outbid my seven clubs with seven spades and made it! I vowed never to play bridge against him again. I never did, but we became partners both in bridge and marriage. It will be forty-nine years in June!
Mary '58, MA'59 and Tom MS'61 Butts
Sitting on my bunk during the third through eight weeks at ROTC summer camp following my junior year in Madison, I would often be reading letters from two buddies back on campus. It was a time when religious persuasion prompted dating only with the same persuasion. Their both being the opposite persuasion of me, they would write about ,you just have to meet this new blue eyed blonde living at Liz Waters where we all worked. Drooling in the heat on the bunk because of being away from ladies for so long, I was very anxious to return to Mad Town only to find out Myrna was not going to be attending school in the fall.
Again, things turned against me when, as fraternity president, I met her for the first time and had to boot her out of the house for being too early for our first fall party. She had returned to attend our weekend party with my fraternity son. Not a good situation.
As luck would have it, over the course of the fall semester Myrna would return occasionally for party nights again with the wrong guy. In my infinite wisdom, playing varsity baseball and learning Myrna would be returning for summer school, I deemed it exceptionally important not to graduate in June but to take just twelve credits spring semester as a senior. I would have to take the final five credits in summer school.
Working for meals at Liz Waters, as I had done already for four years, was a given. Myrna was to be a waitress and I would be a busboy. Great arrangement. Within four weeks we decided to get married, however, our continued courtship was hampered by having to kiss good night before 7 PM because of a mild indiscretion that caused her to be campused nearly all summer. Surprisingly we made it to our wedding day a year later. We thoroughly enjoyed 41 plus years together before she was taken home. We were exceptionally blessed with three children and seven grandchildren. It is indeed a great life with an incredible beginning at UW-Madison. Thank you Myrna. Go Bucky.
Jim Fuhs '58
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
I told the man I was available for any kind of work, from Monday morning until noon on Saturday -- and that I absolutely had to be paid in full on Saturday. The urgency was caused by a sweet and comely coed named Gini Lou. She was spending the break week in Chicago with relatives and "wouldn't it be fun if we could see the Wisconsin-Northwestern basketball game down there Saturday night and then take the late train back to Madison."
Well, of course it would. So I put in my 44 hours of work at the Gold Metal Furniture Company grinding rough edges off metal table legs. At the then going rate of 75 cents an hour, I collected 33 bucks. I rushed home to clean up and hopped on the train to Chicago to meet Gini Lou. We enjoyed a memorable dinner at a dark, romantic, and expensive restaurant, made it to arena on time for the basketball game, and just barely got to the station in time to catch the last train to Madison.
Gini Lou lived out on the east side, so that meant another cab fare. In those early hours of Sunday morning there would be little chance of stirring up another cab, so the driver waited while I escorted Gini to her door.
On the drive back to Langdon Street I was anxiously searching every pocket for extra change. The driver got his full fare with my very last bit of cash. Sorry, no tip. So the break left me broke again, but it was one of the more memorable dates of my college daze.
Jim Bie '50
La Jolla California
My wife, Barbara Schmock, and I were members of the class of 1950.
While at UW I was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and lived in the fraternity house for a couple of years. Barbara was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and lived there. Gene one of my four roommates was going steady with her roommate, Jeanie.. Barbara was dating with Dave another of my roommates. We saw each other at party events. Often we sat at the same table and got to know each other.
In that process I learned that at various times she had dated two other fraternity brothers one of whom was also my roommate. Obviously guys I knew thought highly of her.
Late in our senior year suddenly Dave decided to "dump her" and go back to his high school love. About the same time my girl friend Audrey dumped me.
On a Sunday night I decided I wanted to go to a movie at the Orpheum. I didn't want to go alone. But all my roommates and fraternity brothers were off somewhere probably with their girl friends.
Who to go with? I got a brilliant thought. How about Barbara? I knew her and liked her. My buddies all thought highly of her. She was free that night.
So I called her and that began a lifetime experience. I went off to Chicago to work and she stayed in Madison. In 1951 the Air Force called me because of Korea. She followed me to Texas where she became a super secretary for the officer in charge of the flight line on a Strategic Air Command base. I was located 200 miles away instead of 1200 if she were in Madison.
We married in 1952. That began 46 years of marriage which ended when God took her to be with him in 1998. Who would have imagined that such a great life could begin with a Sunday evening at the Orpheum Theater?
By the way Gene and Jeanie also married in the early 1950s and are still married today, Another afterthought. Barbara Schmock was the youngest sister of Smoky of Smoky's Steak House.
Dick Hoefs '50
He was to be a blind date, that I turned down when he called. He knew who I was, I didn't know who he was. I had gotten a message to go to a dance with a fellow I knew, sorry to say, I went . The date was a failure. The next day I met the man I would marry for the first time and it was love at first sight or it seemed like it. It was a beautiful spring that year and all was as it should be. He was in ROTC and he graduated and went to war, at Camp Gordon, he never left there, I'm glad to say. We became engaged at Christmas and the following year in September we were married. I was a senior , he was still in the Army , so I finished with me education Went he came home, we settled in Watertown, took up life and had four children. The kids all graduated from the University of Wisconsin.
Mary Mallow '55
Early one night in 1956 when I was living at the Chi Phi house on Langdon St., one of our fraternity officers shouted in a very loud and raspy voice: "Johnson, take our pledges down to the Gamma Phi house and meet an active named Peterson, who will be with her sorority's pledges. Introduce our guys to her gals and tell 'em to go over to the Varsity Bar and get acquainted."
It wasn't exactly what I had in mind for that night. Instead, I thought maybe I'd join some brothers at the the Manor Bar, hoping that a couple of Badger Beauties would show up, of course. However, when I met Marcia Peterson through a screened window on the front porch of the Gamma Phi house I immediately had a change of heart -- literally!
Even through a screen, Marcia was an exact image of the really cute, all-American coed I always had pictured in my mind. I quickly blurted out, "Come on, let's go down to the Var Bar with the pledges," and we did.
This summer, when we celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary we will especially be thankful for our four great kids and 11 special grandchildren. And just maybe, I'll go outdoors, stand on the porch of our lake home and tell Marcia how much I love her through a screened window!
Hoyt C. Johnson '56
Cumberland, Wisconsin
For the 1955 Spring Prom, Chi Omega Sorority and Delta Tau Delta Fraternity co-sponsored a candidate for Prom Queen. All members were very much encouraged to attend the Prom and vote for their candidate. For those who were not dating anyone at the time, blind dates were arranged. A week ahead of the Prom, the couples went on a get acquainted date at the Pub on State Street. Mary Lenz of Chi Omega and Rawson (Raws) Price of the Delts were paired together. After the Prom, Raws and Mary continued dating through the next two school years in spite of a two month breakup. Both graduated in June, 1957, Mary in Pharmacy and Raws in Banking and Finance. In February, 1958 they were married in Madison. They have two children, three grandchildren and have had a wonderful life together. They are now living in Gillett, WI and will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this February.
Rawson and Mary Price '57
In the mid 50s, I was dating Donna, a fellow-student who lived in Shepard Hall. This was one of several independent women's houses on or near Langdon Street. In that era, many of these, including Shepard Hall, had mostly Jewish residents. Once a year, the girls from Shepard invited their boy friends to a dress-up dinner they hosted at a local restaurant. Since Donna was the president, I got to sit with her at the head table at this Friday night function. As a Catholic, I had to order fish although it seemed many of the others were having steak. At the conclusion of the meal, the waiter brought the check to Donna for payment. She chuckled and held it so I could read it: "Entrees: 35 Steaks, 1 Fish" (Suspicions confirmed: I was the only Goy at the dinner.)
Jack French '58
Almost fifty years ago, my husband and I met through mutual friends and played bridge at the Italian Village. He outbid my seven clubs with seven spades and made it! I vowed never to play bridge against him again. I never did, but we became partners both in bridge and marriage. It will be forty-nine years in June!
Mary '58, MA'59 and Tom MS'61 Butts
Sitting on my bunk during the third through eight weeks at ROTC summer camp following my junior year in Madison, I would often be reading letters from two buddies back on campus. It was a time when religious persuasion prompted dating only with the same persuasion. Their both being the opposite persuasion of me, they would write about ,you just have to meet this new blue eyed blonde living at Liz Waters where we all worked. Drooling in the heat on the bunk because of being away from ladies for so long, I was very anxious to return to Mad Town only to find out Myrna was not going to be attending school in the fall.
Again, things turned against me when, as fraternity president, I met her for the first time and had to boot her out of the house for being too early for our first fall party. She had returned to attend our weekend party with my fraternity son. Not a good situation.
As luck would have it, over the course of the fall semester Myrna would return occasionally for party nights again with the wrong guy. In my infinite wisdom, playing varsity baseball and learning Myrna would be returning for summer school, I deemed it exceptionally important not to graduate in June but to take just twelve credits spring semester as a senior. I would have to take the final five credits in summer school.
Working for meals at Liz Waters, as I had done already for four years, was a given. Myrna was to be a waitress and I would be a busboy. Great arrangement. Within four weeks we decided to get married, however, our continued courtship was hampered by having to kiss good night before 7 PM because of a mild indiscretion that caused her to be campused nearly all summer. Surprisingly we made it to our wedding day a year later. We thoroughly enjoyed 41 plus years together before she was taken home. We were exceptionally blessed with three children and seven grandchildren. It is indeed a great life with an incredible beginning at UW-Madison. Thank you Myrna. Go Bucky.
Jim Fuhs '58
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
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