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.
