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Milne
Alumni May Newsletter Dear Milne Alumni and Supporters, In this issue: * Milne MiniMester Story #1 * Request from Frank Ward, '56 * Sad News MILNE MINI-MESTER STORY #1 Last month, Andy Scherer, '74, shared this in the newsletter: "In May 1972, after a winter with too many snow days, Milne students were offered a two-week 'Mini-Mester' in order to fulfill the required number of school days. Our faculty created an array of unusual and, in some cases, once-in-a-lifetime experiences." Here's Andy's story: "I don’t remember what Mini-Mester courses interested me, but Mr. Pruden told me that I should take his bicycling course. I knew him from clubs and I liked his witty persona. I had a Schwinn 10-speed, and with no other class in mind, I agreed. "On the first day we went uptown to the State Office Campus where there was little traffic, and he timed us riding 10 miles around the campus - four laps. I don't think I had ever ridden that far, and I remember it wasn't easy even though it was flat. Mr. Pruden promised us that by the end of the two weeks we would be able to ride 10 miles in 30 minutes or less. "For the next two weeks we rode as a group in the morning, and after lunch he taught us how to disassemble, reassemble, and tune a different part of our bikes. We started with the hubs and worked our way through each component. The last mechanical task was completely disassembling and rebuilding a wheel. He taught us how to adjust the spoke tensions so the wheel ran perfectly straight with no wobbles or hops. "I can't remember most of the places that we rode to. I do remember Mr. Pruden teaching us how to ride safely and predictably in traffic and how to use our gears to accommodate the terrain. One of the last rides was to Thacher Park. It's a long, steep climb to the top, but by then I had become a decent climber. I had never been to Thacher. I was amazed at the views and still love to visit it when I'm in the area. The ride down was exhilarating, faster than I'd ever gone on a bicycle. It convinced me that I needed a better bike. "By the end of the course I was hooked and I had new-found confidence in my mechanical skills. I used to believe I was all thumbs until Mr. Pruden's methodical approach opened up the doors for me. I finished the second 10-mile test in a hair under 30 minutes. "I only remember a few of the students that were in that class with me: Walter Yarborough, Judy Rappaport, Andy Anton, and maybe Brad...whose last name escapes me! Mr. Pruden and I stayed friends through the rest of my Milne years and briefly beyond. "In the 50 years since then, I haven't missed a single season of cycling. I've ridden solo, in clubs, on tours and events, commuting, and simple coffee and errand runs. Cycling has kept me healthy, fit, and connected with the 10th grade me, who learned what fun it is to ride a bike all day long. The class was a gift that has spanned my lifetime, and it turned out that there was a second part. I connected with Mr. Pruden in 2011, and we resumed our friendship. Shortly after, he told me he still had the Peugeot that he commuted to Milne on. He wasn't riding anymore, and he asked me to take it, fix it up, and keep using it. I will cherish that bicycle and our remarkable teacher, always." Send an email with your story to Judy. I will include submissions in upcoming newsletters as we remember the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Milne Mini-Mester! REQUEST FROM FRANK WARD, '56 "I recently finished reading a fascinating book by James W. Loewen called Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong and suspect that the American history, world history, and social studies texts we read at Milne in the 1950s were old, outdated, and incorrect through distortion and omission. I’d like to get a copy of them so I can review them, but I don't remember what texts we used. I think I had a world history text, maybe published by Charles Scribner, that was called World History and had a front cover that was part yellow ocre or light mustard in color, the rest in a dark red or maroon. I don’t remember any texts in American history and think that broad topic was part of Social Studies. I was in the Class of '56, so I suspect the books would have been in use during the hears 1954-56. "I've finished my initial draft autobiography (about 600 pages). I've been trying to discover how I developed my political, religious, and social views over the years. Before I shake a stick at our education as Milne students, I want to know I am right in criticizing our text books for what I suspect was a failure to treat the period after the Civil War accurately. If I can determine what texts we used, I'll try to find copies I can review to be sure I am being fair." If you're interested in reading Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, see Amazon and other websites. SAD NEWS Ruth Calkins AMBLER Henry, '47, passed away on December 13, 2021. She was the sister of the late Jean AMBLER Skinner, '37, and the late Lois AMBLER Fink, '42. Judith DEITRICH Hood, '51, passed away recently. She was the sister of Mary Lou DEITRICH Wildasin, '54. ________________ Thanks to all of you for your interest in Milne Alumni activities. Judy (Koblintz) Madnick, '61 For contact information, see the Milne Alumni homepage: |