Grandparents Gifts Foundation

Grandparents Gifts Foundation
4072 325th Street
Shelby, IA 51570
ph: 712-483-2406

Faculty and Bus Drivers

This started so many e-mails, it just had to have a page to itself.... 
My bus driver in grade school was Harold Peters,one time two brothers got into a fight on the bus. Harold got them to stop, when he dropped them off at their home he told them that if that every happened again he would stop the bus and throw them off the bus  & go to the next stop and call their parent's [no cell phone's] where & why he had kicked them off the bus so the parent's could go and get them! Harold didn't have any more problems. That was one of many memories. My high school bus driver was Marvin Martins, does any one remember the last day of school bus ride [water gun fights] everyone got wet except Marvin that was a battle rules & also staying in your set. Thanks to all the bus drivers for putting up with us and getting us to and from every day from so many years. Patty McLaughlin Stafford [Class of 1973]
When I was in Junior High, my brother drove our bus.  At that time, the roads were not hard surfaced and became very muddy when it rained.  Our bus was inclined to drown out when it hit the puddles.  When this happened, the boys on the bus walked to the next house and played cards until I brought the bus there to pick them up.  We were usually very late to school during these times.  Another memory that remains very vivid in my mind was when I was a passenger on the bus that overturned in the ditch below what we call the "town hill".  No one was hurt, but we were very skittish about riding on a bus again.  Tom drove our route (bus 4) after getting his chauffers license when he was 16 and a Junior and Senior. Doubt whether this would be allowed anymore.
Joyce Rihner
How many of you remember piano lessons in the tiny room off the stage? The big upright piano and stool and one chair for Mrs. Potter--that is all the room there was in that tiny space. And the steno books that she listed your practice lessons in....(mine weren't ever too filled up!) but she taught me enough throughout the years that I still enjoy playing the piano once in awhile.  And I even had the opportunity to use my piano skills throughout my school years-playing for soloists at contests, graduation marches each spring.  Just a few more reasons why the Shelby school is a special place and full of great memories. 
Sandy Schnoor
Re: Bus Driver named Don-
In response to the e-mail regarding a bus driver named Don in 1964, there was a bus driver named Don Evans who is pictured in the 1964 Yearbook.
Jim Constable, Golden, Co, class of '67
You do not know what an uproar the comment about "do you remember your old bus driver" has caused in my family this week - one swearing that no, that is not right it was so and so and etc.   It causes that old brain muscle to wake up a little bit and really remember the good old days. 
It is like - who were the cooks?  I can remember Becky Bucks grandma was one way back when also.
You band members - remember Mr. and Mrs. Bragg - they were around forever and a staple of the school.  I remember she was my kindergarten teacher and then Mrs. Knight was the first grade teacher.  My goodness, I can't remember what I just had for breakfast past three in the afternoon - but it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling remembering back to some of those teachers and classes doesn't it  -lets hear somemore stories, I am sure we all had them - how about all those class plays and all of the band and sporting events?
Peg McCool
The quality of the education I received has carried me far........I'm still able to conjugate Latin verbs, quote lines from poems ( thank you Mrs. Pike), and know how to find out what I do not know!  Though I didn't know it at the time, our teachers were some of the best I would ever come into contact.
Jeanie Boettger Owen
I've been trying to remember the name of the bus driver that drove bus number 2 when I started at Shelby in 1963. His first name was Don, but I cant remember his last name. It wasn't Don Volkens, because he had the east side route and bus 2 had the south side route. Maybe someone in Shelby will remember it.- Richard Thompson
Craig Davis, my memory there, was when my friend and I on the same bus route decided we would color with bright crayons on the back of the seat in front of us.  The seats were upholstered green on the front and metal type on the back of the seats.  So, the crayon showed up real good, we drew a nice picture.....however, what we didn't realize is there was a gal a few years older sitting behind us watching us and told the bus driver as she got off of the bus.  And, we got in trouble and had to sit in the front seat for a week or so.  I am sure Craig was glad when we graduated from the front seat!
Carl Kiesel, he was a nice man, who everyone called "Quik Carl" for a nickname.
Ken Turner, he was my classmate/good friends Dad.  He also was a janitor at the school.  He always had a smile on his face!
They all did a good job and tried to get buses to where they were supposed to be at the right time and safely.  Nancy Christiansen Schmitz
Harold Peters has driven a bus for 56 yrs. and is still driving, just a bit of history that I thought was worth some recognition. Bill Wager

Another bus driver was Lawrence 'Slim' Kolterman. He was also the Tennant janitor and then when the schools merged, he was one of the Shelby janitors. He and Harold Peters drove the Tennant school routes.- Gene McCool

Remember Mr. Fuhs everyone???   I always thought that he was such an easy class - you get him to stray away from the books at anytime by asking him about some of his travels that he had taken in his life time and there were many. We wouldn't even get out text books out in his class - just ask him questions then get him talking about other places and other lands and all about their uniqueness, etc. and then he would get a thought and bring in slides the next day that he had taken and explain them and by the end of the week, then the end of the year - you were sure that you didn't learn a darned thing, plus you got to have "fun" in his class and you were sure that that was not the right way to get an education.    Well - we got outsmarted you guys - I have told him this many many times now when I have grown and have got the "adult brain" versus the "kids brain!!"   We learned more in that class by listening and interacting with him day by day and watching his slides and discussing the fact that there is a whole different world out there and it is just waiting for you to come and explore it and take from it what you can and store it in your brain and then when you have the chance to tell young people about what you have seen and experienced in your lifetime, then you can do the same thing. It was wisdom that he was passing on to us - we thought we were getting by with not being educated in his class - we were wrong, we were getting more education than any books could teach us- we were getting the education that was preparing us for real life. Thank you Mr. Fuhs!
Peg McCool

Lee said his bus driver was Julius “Boots” Frum.  Another bus driver about that same time frame was Thornton Eckel, Lee’s uncle.- Lee McKnabb

For those of us that had to ride the school buses, there are many memories of bumpy rides home. But the thing I remember the most about the bus rides is being very, very young and walking out to the line of buses outside the door and wondering which bus is mine? They all looked the same. Most times the drivers were waiting for you and always had a kind word to say as you bounded up the steps, anxious to be out of school and heading home!

 

Now that we are older, we can appreciate the time these drivers devoted to getting us to and from school safely.

 

Anyone who remembers their bus drivers name, please email the website with a thank you to them and any thoughts you may have of your travels to and from school!

 

Here are a few-
ROY RIHNER

 

BURTON ARENTSON

 

CRAIG CONSTABLE

 

HAROLD PETERS

 

DON VOLKENS

 

MARVIN MARTENS

 

Sandy (Ehlers) Schnoor
Class of 1974

 

 

 

Grandparents Gifts Foundation
4072 325th Street
Shelby, IA 51570
ph: 712-483-2406