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Golden High School 70th class reunion

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Contributed by: Lorraine Wagenbach on 6/21/2006

On June 6 the Golden High School Class of 1936 had their 70th Class Reunion. Of the 52 graduates, 9 still survive and they all live in this area. Together these octogenarians recalled their happy, carefree high school days, and their school memories depict the life in Golden 70 years ago.

They came to Golden High from Fairmount and Genesee by car-pooling and from Wide Acres and Pleasant View on the streetcar. All had grown up during the Depression and when they arrived in 1932, the times were really hard. At that time there were no public assistance programs, and most families had very limited incomes. Nearly everyone was poor. So high school offered them an opportunity to hopefully become self-sufficient in a struggling economy. College was a remote possibility; the boys dreamed of attending the School of Mines and the girls had three choices: Be a nurse, a teacher, or a secretary. The teachers were respected and regarded as their hope for the future.

A strong focus at school was athletics, and Golden's teams were strong and successful competitors. Because of the small student body, the football team had only ten players. Nine played both offense and defense with one substitute available. Basketball offered more opportunities. The 1936 basketball team finished the season with no defeats, and as underdogs in the semi-finals of the state tournament, they eliminated highly favored South Denver High School in the very last second and won 25 to 24. The Denver Post reported, "But in the end, the upset can be laid to the consuming competitive spirit of the Demons who outfought and outscored a team that had far more to offer in the way of finesse and individual ability." The girls' Pep Club gave enthusiastic support.

They were attired in outfits still stylish today: a white turtle neck sweater, a maroon skirt, and a maroon beret. One of the original rules of the organization required at games away from home, they must go and return together in the same car, accompanied by the mother of a student in each car.

The social event of the year was the Junior Prom held each year in the school gym. "The walls were hung with heavy drapes with many glittering stars of various sizes shining from their background of black. The center of attraction was an immense silver ball at the far end of the gym. There were literally hundreds of silver stars hanging from a blue sky overhead. This seemed to add the final touch of gayety to the entire affair." The boys wore suits and the girls had long, frilly dresses. They danced to a live orchestra, which played romantic waltzes, and popular fox trot melodies with love song lyrics still remembered. After the prom, the joyful couples drove directly home in a now-vintage borrowed automobile.

In those days money was scarce and a school annual was out of the question. However, the resourceful Class of 1936 published a maroon paperback booklet. A group picture of the faculty listed their names and their degrees. Not every graduate had an individual picture so a group photograph of the graduates taken on the front steps of the High School filled the bill. Individuals' names with their respective activities were listed, and the Class Poem, the Class History, and the Class Prophecy completed the book. It cost 50 cents.

The crowning event of the class was their graduation exercise in the school auditorium. With proud parents and friends in the audience, appropriate music by the high school orchestra and singing groups, the traditional commencement address, and the presentation of honors climaxed four fleeting years filled with precious memories to last a lifetime.

As the boys in their new suits and the girls in their long white dresses stood upon the stage that night, they did not know that in a few short years the boys would be called to serve their country and the girls would be war brides. Their age of innocence was passing.

The Golden High Class of 1936 survivors are:

* Dorothy Webster Anderson worked at Coors Porcelain Company for over 32 years and still lives in Golden.
* Lila Bell Dulaney Evans married the star football player and when widowed, married a Golden businessman. They live in Lakewood.
* Dorothy West Fields worked for 13 years and continues to volunteer for the Arvada Historical Society. She lives in Arvada.
* Virginia Campbell Korosec married her high school sweetheart, worked at Coors for a few years, and still lives in Golden
* Don Liston worked during the war in defense work in the California shipyards and retired from Coors after working there for 35 years. He and his wife live in Lakewood.
* Leaan Maxwell was the only boy in the bookkeeping class at GHS and worked in that profession for 46 years. He is retired and lives in Littleton.
* Jane Martin Wildman married an upper classmate, traveled with him during the war years and eventually settled near Conifer.
* Mary Jane Kiisel McKinney worked in her father's store in Denver, was a war bride, and continues to be an active volunteer in community work in Littleton where she and her husband live.
* Lorraine Giesing Wagenbach worked as a secretary and at age 38 finally earned a B.S. degree at the University of Denver. She continues to live in Golden.

Lorraine Wagenbach

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