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John W. Grace
1204 Fox Hollow Drive
Carrollton, Texas 75007
   
RHS Jr. High Principal 1952-1956
and coached football, basketball, and track
  • Supt. R.O. Mortensen - great administrator - every item accounted for. Let me run Jr. High. 
  • Miss Pattee - gracious lady from Pocahontas taught Math. 
  • High School coaches were Bud Rainbow - football - went to Cedar Rapids, Chuck Clawson - football - went to Louisiana in insurance - retired in Henderson, Louisiana. 
  • Bob Ogren - football had great teams. 
  • Bette Brinkman - home economics - great lady. 
  • Dick Bierstadt ran gas station.
  • Paul Biedermann - tank man (son Paul, Jr., highway patrolman). 
  • George and Anita Beckord - hatchery - great friends - Sara - great in track. 
  • Monk Taylor - Royal 400 Station. 
  • Don Sandvig - friend - great softball pitcher. 
  • Andy Pedersen - great friend of athletics. Loved to go with me when I officiated tournament games. All Pedersens - great friends of school. 
  • Spike Robinson’s John Deere dealership. Only piece of equipment he would not stand behind was manure spreader. 
  • Paul and Ester Sinek, John and Bonnie Shimon - great friends - helped move us to Emmetsburg. 
  • Mr. and Mrs. Swan - ran Rolfe Arrow
  • Brinkman Chevrolet - bought 1955 and 1953 cars from him - very good businessman. 
  • Telmer Sime had locker plant - good friend. 
  • Eccles’ Plumbing - Mr. Eccles played golf with two clubs - no woods. 
  • Archie and Helen Phillips’ store - noted around area.
  • Brownie Rickard’s hardware store - Jerry great athlete.
  • Webb’s Drug Store - then Calligan Sundries - later Jeanette Winkleblack. 
  • Janitor - John Hopkins and family - school clean.
  • Janitor - Howard Sandy - wife telephone operator - could look out window and tell you who was in town on Main Street. 
  • Kerns family - great school patrons - sons Kent, Curt, and Cleve good athletes. 
  • Olerich Farms - Poland China hogs - bought hogs for my farm near Emmtsburg. 
  • Dr. Loxterkamp and Dr. Ranney - both great for Rolfe. Sam Nicosen and Geri - taught with me. 
  • Fr. Jewell - priest at church, known for sermons and short services. 
  • Jim Wilson - good friend. Son Jim and daughter Janis Sue. 
  • Helmer Kaiser - tank wagon - sons good athletes.
  • Freeman’s Grocery – Jerry good athlete. 
  • Kenny and Velma Shaw - good friends always. 
  • Dances at Ridotto. 
  • Rev. Prehn - Presbyterian Church - sons played sports for me - John and Bruce. 
  • Names that played a great part in my success were: Leadley, Wolfe, Burns, Pullen, Johnson, Nelson, Kemna, Smith, John Young, Jim Young. 
  • Streits owned funeral home. 
  • Ives family - good friends - Arlo. 
  • Jim Martin family. 
  • Girard’s grocery store. 
  • Worked with Allied Construction of Charles City putting in curb and gutter in Rolfe - summer of 1956.
  • Willis, Darrell, Bob Puff - all represented Rolfe well.
  • Athletic rivalries were Pocahontas, Manson, Laurens, Albert City. 
  • Jim Schott played well for me. Parents good school boosters. 
  • Decline of Rolfe school due to decline in rural population. When I retired from Emmetsburg in 1971, there were 1602 in district. Today a little over 700.
  • Started Rolfe Relays for many years. Fortunate in officiating to be in Iowa Football Officials Hall of Fame, Iowa Boys and Girls Basketball Hall of Fame, Track Hall of Fame, and Northwest Iowa Coaches and Officials hall of Fame. Athletics has been great for me and especially the friends made. 
  • Worked college football, basketball, track for over 20 years. 
  • Jasper Schurr - great competitor. Retired from UPS, Lives in Terril, Iowa. 
  • Paul Biedermann Jr. - Iowa highway patrolman gave me scare of my life outside Sheldon. Turned on lights and pulled me over. One of the few times I wasn’t speeding and came up to me and said, "Gotcha Coach."
  • Edie Spencer - elementary teacher and great friend.
  • Mr. Van Vickle - bandman.
  • Bill Kloster - bandman - good friend - later went to University of Monroe in Monroe, Louisiana. 
  • Bob Dixon - great banker and friend. 
  • Larry Stegge - good athlete and later coach in NW Iowa. 
  • My fondest memories of Rolfe Community School were the parents who backed the school and administrators, students who always showed respect to me, a faculty that worked together, and a school board that set policy and backed it up. 

There are so many people I have not mentioned. No intention of forgetting them, but age has that novelty of creeping up on us.

PS. Dorothy and I celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary February 6, 2000. We have three children: Mike and Donna Grace of Collegeville, Texas (two sons and two daughters), Julie and John Schruers of Moines (one son and one daughter), Mary Jo and Mike Canfield of Naperville, Illinois (one son and one daughter.)

 

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