Get out your yearbooks! A Blast from the Past

If you haven't noticed the world getting smaller due to the Internet - this will make you a True Believer! Our friend and former classmate, Beverly Hardwick Nitschke, posted a message on Facebook recently regarding one of the teachers at Central when we were students - whether any of us had been in one of her classes between 1963 and 1965.

Ready to guess whose photo this is below? And, no, she's not one of our classmates, although she looks as young as we were and was actually quite close to us in age. I remember she was one of the more "popular" (to use the vernacular) teachers at Central. A lot of the boys thought she was pretty cute to boot.

This, friends, is Miss Carol Nesland who taught bookkeeping, typing and buiness law and business economics at Central. And the photo below that one (taken from my old 1965 Central annual) is Carol Nesland Rogers (still cute after all these years!) and her husband, Francis, at Gooseberry Falls State Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior near Duluth, MN. It was taken in October.

I spent an enjoyable morning communicating via e-mail with Carol who was kind enough to provide me with some "Pueblo Memories," which I am posting below the pictures. Enjoy!

I taught business education classes (typing I and II, bookkeeping, business law and business economics) at Central High from 1963-65. At 21+ years I wasn’t much older than my students. My most embarrassing teaching moment was the day I turned two words around and said I was going to show a “strip film” instead of a “film strip” in one of the classes! Word of that mistake traveled the school very quickly! I remember the moment at Central High School when I went into Mr. Raso’s office; they had just learned President Kennedy had been shot and were going to announce it over the PA.

I loved Central High School and Pueblo but left after two years to return to Minnesota to get married. Those were my only years of teaching. My husband completed college in SD and then went into the seminary. After ordination we moved every 2-3 years, living in cities in MN, SD, ND and Ohio (where we divorced). We have two great children who are married; one lives in Eugene, OR, and the other in Marietta, GA. I worked as a social worker, office administrator, transcriptionist and unit clerk before retiring last July. I have been happily married to Francis for almost 20 years. We live in Northern Minnesota. For fun I love to sing and play in the bell choir at church and have “Grandma time.” Some friends and I dress up and speak with Norwegian accents, calling ourselves Sven, Hilda (me) and Ingeborg. We have done routines for fundraisers. You can check out our pictures on my Facebook page. If you remember me, it would be fun to connect on FB or email (carolr2001@hotmail.com). I’d love to be back in touch with teachers from those years also, especially Mary Richardson, Kathleen Losavio and Sandy Hovland.

In addition, Carol also wrote the following e-mail, which adds a little more info to what she has written above (and don't you love the part about the "strip film??" Ok, Carol, so THAT'S how you got so popular with the guys :) Naw, I am only kidding - but don't we all have one of those Too-Embarrassing-to-EVER-Forget horror stories about our first jobs?

This sheds a little more light about how Carol ended up teaching at Central:

Back in the 60's, people came from School Districts to colleges to seek out teachers. Can you believe it? I had lived in Minnesota all my life and decided it was important to go someplace interesting and far away right away or I might end up in Minnesota the rest of my life. I interviewed (at college) for Bakersfield, CA; Glendive, MT; and Pueblo, CO. I knew I wanted to live near mountains. The offer came from Pueblo and I accepted--even though I would spend the first year there without a car and without knowing anyone there! That sounds amazing to me now. My parents were stressed to think of me being so far from home, but I never regreted it.

Thank you, Carol, for being in touch - and this is your official invitation to join us at our 50th Central class reunion - just 4-1/2 (or so) more years - yikes!!!

Happy New Year, Everyone - and GO WILDCATS!