Daily Student Life

Here we will show what daily life was for students. Their life was not all school activities. They had "hangouts", hobbies, favorite foods of the times, movies, cars, music, clothing, etc.
Here is a "shot of time" from 1952. The homecoming royalty rode in convertibles, as most brands of automobiles had convertibles. Here we have a Buick with royalty going by Weatherwaxe's on Phillips Avenue. (photo submitted by Jim Ward)

Daily student Life in the early 50’s (submitted by Don Brown)

In my last year at WHS I went out for Golden Gloves boxing.  We trained at the Y, but had our fights in places like the Corn Palace and the Coliseum. Most of us went in late evening, after dinner.  There may have been some who went immediately after school got out, but I carried the Argus then. There were at least 6 of us who were WHS students that year. In that year ('51-2) we were coached very informally by two Augustana students. A very common hangout was in the little sort-of parking area on the NW corner of WHS.  People with motorbikes or motorcycles could park there. Those who parked there would talk motorcycles and miscellaneous gossip before and after school hours.

The church steps across the street from the NW corner of WHS was a very popular place to sit to eat lunch in good weather.

For those of us who carried the Argus Leader, we would go directly from WHS to it at the end of the school day, and then hang around behind the Argus (across the alley from the Police Department) until we could get our papers.  If there was much of a delay we could wander off to a pool hall toward the north end of the block that the Argus fronted on.  We could go a bit further to the 10-cent hamburger stand or to a bakery that I think was just south of the Argus.  On Saturday nights some us would go to a late movie and then go to sleep in the Argus building, assuming we were the ones who had the added job of stuffing the comics in the Sunday paper.  There probably were on the order of a dozen WHS students working there at any time.

A soda fountain that was a popular hangout was Schoff Sundraes (12th and Main). One of my WHS-and-Argus buddies and I much enjoyed its phosphates.  It was also where we bought our Mad Comics and saw the famous nude photo of Marilyn Monroe.

Terrace Park swimming pool (and the others too) were very popular but not during the school year.

WHS (and Cathedral) students who lived in the north end would meet evenings and weekends at Tower Park when the weather was warm.

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Here are some students enjoying a night at the Arkota Ballroom, where many dances and proms were held. Today it is the El Riad Shrine Mosque. Many folks remember the Arkota’s last manager, Magnus “Mag” Hansen, who had a special means of caring for the fabled dance floor, using a combination of Parawax and corn meal. Hansen ran the Arkota from 1945 till its end more than three decades later. Students from 1925 to the 1970's enjoyed the many famous bands and good times at the Arkota. Note the coke bottles in the photo.
(photo submitted by Jack Ward)