Contributed by Libby (Rosenfeld) Dale ('69) 12/27/20

While attending WHS, what school event especially impacted you and how were you affected by it?

My freshman year was a time to meet new people. There were 15 students who graduated from the 8th grade at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School and, although I knew of other 8th graders from Waldron and the other feeder schools, I did not know them. My goal was to meet new people, to fit in and, I confess, to be liked.

Something happened our freshman year that, from my perspective, bonded our class. Herschel Willey was a popular boy who was naturally nice. I know of no one who did not like him. Herschel’s father died during our freshman year. My parents took me with them to the funeral home to pay our respects. I saw Herschel sitting with Karen Dawson on a sofa. I recall not knowing what to do or what to say but somehow knew I needed to go over to Herschel. I think I quietly said “hello” and then Herschel took time to visit with me. He and I walked around the room and he showed me all the flowers that were sent. He was so grown up and his graciousness impacted me.

The next day, unknown to the class before arriving that day, Mr. Doig, our principal, arranged for the entire freshman class to attend the funeral. I remember in that moment that being first or last in line or being noticed by anyone was insignificant. We moved as a unit together lined up one after the other as we came into the funeral home and passed by the casket. Herschel spoke of it afterward and that it surprised him and meant a lot to him that the whole class was there.

Some classes are closer than others. It is unknown as to why. Without this tragic event and the shared experiences of it, we may have been close anyway. That is not to say we all got along all the time.  After all, we were teenagers! But, for me, this event made us family. Sixty-nine students graduated together in 1969. We were family then – we are family now.

What specific event(s) and/or experience(s) from your time at WHS influences your life today? Little did I know how intertwined my life as a Rosenfeld would become with other Waldron graduates. My mother, Flora (Kelley) Rosenfeld, graduated in 1936. When she was a student, she lived in Nobel township and rode the school bus to Waldron. Her bus driver was Glenn “Shine” Dale. Sometimes Shine’s wife, Elizabeth, would ride the bus too and bring the babies, Deloris and Larry, along for the ride.

When I was in school, my dad, Norbert Rosenfeld, took over the bus route from Art Morgason and so, I rode my dad’s bus. The bus drivers always got to school early so they could gather in one bus and visit. My dad and Shine were fellow bus drivers and friends and were a part of that very special group of men. Shine and Elizabeth’s daughter, Marcia, graduated with me in 1969.

On June 22, 1990, Marcia became my sister-in-law and Elizabeth became my mother-in-law. Sadly, Shine had passed away in 1974 and didn’t see the day that Libby Rosenfeld, class of ’69, married Jim Dale, class of ’61. In that moment, our sisters and brothers became more than past high school classmates and friends. They became sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law to Jim and Libby and the Dale and Rosenfeld families expanded.

Would this have happened had Marcia and Libby had not been classmates? Would it have happened if Jim and his brother Morris (aka-Moose) (class of ’60) and Libby’s brothers, Fred (class of ‘60) and Tom (class of ‘62), not been friends? Or, would it not have happened if Libby’s sister, Kathleen, and Jim’s sister, Joyce, had not graduated together in 1966? It is an unknown but the commonality of a shared Waldron High School experience surely helped.

While attending WHS, what major local, state, and/or national event especially impacted you, and how were you affected by it? The whole year of 1968 was eventful. There were assassinations and Vietnam War protests. But the event that impacted me personally was the presidential election of 1968. It was the first time I realized people outside my family thought differently about politics. It was the first time I realized I could be friends with classmates and disagree with them about politics. It also made me keenly aware of how much I did not know since all I could offer in a political discussion is what I heard from someone else. That stayed with me and was useful as I moved on to college in 1969 and on from there through numerous election cycles. I try to remember that I and others only know what we know or what we think we know, and our actions and decisions reflect that.

What advice do you have for WHS students today? This too shall pass.

Other tidbits:

•Flora Kelley and Vesta “Betty” Vaught graduated together from WHS in 1936. Fast forward 84 years. Flora’s son, Tom, marries Betty’s daughter, Earlene.

•Bonnie (Kelley) Denny went to the prom with William Dale the year they graduated from WHS in 1953. Thirty-seven years later Bonnie’s niece, Libby Rosenfeld, marries Bill’s brother, Jim Dale. 

Contributed by Libby (Rosenfeld) Dale ('69) 12/27/20