A special thank you to all those who have participated in our “I Remember Rippey” series. Your remembrances have allowed readers to share in our town’s history, activities, sports, school, church, and daily life covering 150 years.
We will continue posting online here, using “I Remember Rippey” remembrances received prior to April 30, 2020. If you would like to read more Rippey history, you may also click on the History tab of the Rippey Library website: https://www.rippey.lib.ia.us .
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Memories Of Rippey 1943 – 1961 by Sharon Bardole McBlain
My graduating class of 1961 had twelve members. Six of my fellow classmates married each other and ended up farming near Rippey. I headed off to Simpson College, and Rippey became the place which always lives in my heart but never again was where I lived.
I grew up on a farm. When I was small, we had an outhouse and no indoor plumbing. We had electricity but kept kerosene lamps handy for the frequent loss of power. We still had a coal house. Mom burned corn cobs in the cast iron stove in the kitchen. The house was heated with a coal burning stove in the dining room. The upstairs was unheated. I slept with my little sister Nancy. Her back was great for warming cold feet.
Dad worked in the town at the First National Bank. He also always had large vegetable and flower gardens. He raised some farm animals for family food. My childhood was not filled with the chores and hard work of most of my rural classmates.
In my memory, my brother John, sister Nancy and I filled our days with fun things such as baseball, climbing trees, target practice using tin cans, playing with kittens, lying on our backs and watching the clouds, and occasionally finding some rotten eggs and throwing them at the side of the coal house. In the evenings, we played caroms, Authors, Flinch and other card and board games. Mom always read to us at night and made sure we had books to read. I could never understand why her voice would often slow down and then come to a halt as she began to drift off to sleep in the middle of the story.
We farm children lived mostly within the confines of the family unit. Our playmates were our siblings with most of our interaction with other children at school or at church. We were lucky because similarly aged cousins lived just a quarter of a mile up the road and the Heater family was just a half mile in another direction. It always seemed to me that the “sophisticated” town kids must be having more fun. They were able to meet up with playmates and freely roam around town playing chalk the corner, hide and seek and other games. They had paved streets to ride their bikes on, sidewalks to roller skate on, a hill to slide down in the winter and could easily get together. They also had lots of nearby houses to Trick or Treat on Halloween!
Our breakfast was almost always milk, eggs, bacon, and toast with jam. We would jump up from the table, brush our teeth and rush to catch the bus that often was already stopped at the end of our driveway. Irwin Corey, the driver, always gave us a welcoming smile.
Kindergarten through 5th grade was on the first floor of the Rippey school and 6th through 12th on the 2nd. Recess was often roller skating on the circle driveway, playing German bat ball on the small diamond, or playing on the playground equipment. We were warned not to go into the row of pine trees along the back edge of the playground.
Rippey was proud of its hot lunch program run by local ladies. I still remember the local women who cooked and served our food. We filed through the line and carried our food back to our classroom where we sat at our desks to eat. You had to eat ALL of your food before you could head out to recess. I have fond memories of Ethel Correy serving our food and Charlie Wishman, our much loved school custodian.
The Rippey community gathered in the tiny, old gray gym to watch high school basketball games in the winter. I became a member of the rousing Rippey Pep Band in the 4th grade. We played the National Anthem and various college fight songs during the games. Some of us didn’t always hit all of the right notes, but we were enthusiastic and we were loud! I have fond memories of class plays and band concerts on the stage in that little gym. I also have fond memories of the programs of Al Bell, who came from time to time and presented exciting talks about his travels to interesting places.
I remember that our 7th grade basketball games were held in that small gym, but am not sure about the 8th grade games. I feel sure that our 9th grade games were played in the wonderful new gym.
Rippey had its own phone company until for a while after I graduated from high school. A large crank phone hung on the wall in our dining room. Our phone number was 23 on 75. A very long continuous ring meant that it was an important announcement for everyone. Sometimes it was to report that a town team baseball game had been canceled or postponed or to give updated information on the fireworks. The long ring was also used to let us know school was being called off due to weather or impassable roads. The woman who sat at the switch board in the telephone office did not appreciate it when high school kids wanted to make calls after 10 at night.
Rippey High School merged with East Greene two years before I graduated. And now the town of Rippey is about to celebrate 150 years. Thanks to all of you who are working on this celebration.