Monroe City School District

1954-55 girls’ co-captain Carroll Gosney Hood was a sharpshooter for the MHS Lady Panthers. In a news account of Monroe City defeating Paris, Hood racked up 31 points. In another newspaper article, it shows she sunk 44 of Monroe City’s total 49 points in “a brilliant individual performance” in a game with LaPlata. Carroll worked for Strothers Jewelry in Monroe City after graduation in 1955. She also worked for Mel’s Variety Store until she took time off to raise her two children, Kathryn Lynell O’Bryan and Kelly (Ron) Williams. She began working at the Monroe City Public Library in 1963 and became head librarian beginning in 1966. She was only the third librarian in the library since it opened in 1918 and she served in that post for 50 years, retiring in 2016. Her husband, Weldon, is a retired mechanic and has kept many a car in Monroe City running through the years. Others on her team coached by Goldie Burkhart and Robbie Harris were Wilma Sullivan Kastner, Shirley Woolfolk, Barbara Massey, Carol Darling, Phylliss Welch, Ruth Eaton Tadlock, Alice Jo Harper, and Doris Murray Farrell. See this link for a nice piece about Carroll’s retirement: https://khqa.com/news/local/a-tale-of-50-years-a-tri-state-librarians-story. On a side note, Carroll and Weldon’s great-grandson celebrated his first win as a high school basketball coach at Mark Twain High this past week. Coach Kaelin Kendrick O’Bryan’s team took a 49-46 win over Paris Tuesday night.

A greeting from former MHS girls' Coach Bob Ploude of Columbia who had a remarkable coaching record at MHS. "The Monroe City Tournament was always the signal of the start of the basketball season. All the preseason work will now be put into play against some of the best Northeast Missouri teams. Looking back, it was not only about basketball but also showing off the community. As a coach and athletic Director, I recall how the other coaches, administrators, officials, and fans of other communities would compliment how this tournament was run, and the excitement it provided. Several tournaments in the area have come and gone, yet the MC tournament has always been a staple for Northeast Missouri basketball. Congratulations on 100 years!"

Marjorie Lee Smith O’Donel is one of MHS’ oldest living female players. Born in June of 1932, Marge played basketball her junior and senior years of high school and graduated in 1950. In the 1948-1949 season, Marge’s team had a perfect tournament record. One of Marge’s great joys now is watching her great-granddaughter, Aiyana Addison, an eighth grader, play this year for the Monroe City Middle School. A great-grandson, Aidan Addison, also graduates from MHS this year. The love of basketball is tradition in Marge’s family. Her mother, Cora Harris Smith, graduated in 1930 and played for MHS (as shown in the tournament book photo here). Her mother stayed at Manona Sherman’s boarding house so she could attend school at MHS and play ball. Margie’s daughter, Toni Addison, was a cheerleader and 1977 MHS graduate. Marge came to Monroe City her freshman year from Pee Dee School. Her dad, Cecil, farmed at Clapper and seven of the 11 living children, 1 was stillborn, were born in the three-room house there. They then moved to the Pee Dee community where her dad farmed and had a sawmill. REA didn’t run electricity to their house until she was in high school but her mother did have a gas-powered washing machine. The girls’ team held their team practices during the hour-long lunch break. Boys practiced after school. Marge had relatives that lived in Monroe City, so she stayed with them on game nights. Her uncle, Jess, owned the blacksmith shop and she had another aunt who lived in town. There were no buses to transport them to the games so parents and coaches did most of the transportation. Only the “first team of 12” traveled – no cheerleaders or managers. Their coach, Mr. Gottman, also was their superintendent. Marge and her late husband, Harold, owned the Monroe Dairy where players, their families and fans often gathered for burgers, fries and shakes before and after games. Pinball machines and the jukebox entertained many a MC athlete. The dairy was a stopping off point after games for students who didn’t have a car. They would call their parents from the dairy’s payphone and wait for a ride home. The dairy was at the corner of South Main and East Dover Street. The restaurant opened at 6 a.m. and would close at 10 p.m. to midnight - “whenever people quit coming in,” says Marge. “That place would be packed after ball games.” As part of their business, they delivered milk to Monroe City homes three mornings a week. The O’Donels bought the dairy in 1966 from Lester and Beverly Greeves and sold it to Jim and Connie Bower in 1976. At that time, they began buying school buses. Marge and Harold were avid MHS sports supporters and operated the school bus line for many years, taking players to and from games. Marge drove buses for about 30 years also with three routes sometimes. She drove before and after school and drove half-day kindergarteners home. She and Harold also transported Holy Rosary athletes to games.

Among the many things we have to be thankful for are conveniences such as washing machines and good roads. The Roaring 20s – Early to Rise, Late to Bed Let’s take a look back to the early tournaments in the 1920s. There were as many as 30 teams entered in the tournament. Games began at 7 a.m. and the final game of the night began at 9 p.m. Can you imagine the logistical nightmare of keeping everyone fed and uniforms washed during this time? In the 1920s, washing machines were just being invented, and most clothes were still washed on a washboard or in a basin of water with a plunger-like device. It wasn’t until 1961 when tournament officials limited participation to eight boys’ teams and eight girls’ teams. As we give thanks, let us be mindful of the commitment of sports parents who wash uniforms, help get their children to practices before they can drive and juggle meals. One such mother was Clara Holliday, mother of one of the school's first black ball players. Things could not have been easy for her. The late Michael Holliday was one of the first black players to hit the MC basketball hardwood. Son of Delbert and Clara Topp Holliday, he was born in 1939 and died 2000. He was one of 14 children. Holliday appears on the 1956 team roster and it appears to be the only year that he played. The Holliday name would become synonymous with great moments in all Monroe City sports in years to come.

Today we give thanks for faithful fans like Joe Morris While St. Stephen’s school at Indian Creek never participated in the Monroe City Basketball Tournament, this 1957 photo of their boys’ team contains one of the Panthers’ most dedicated fans today-Joe Morris. You’ll likely find him in the stands at most home games. In 1957, the team had new uniforms. Members are (front row) Bob Yager, Fred O’Conner, Jim Adam and Larry Spalding; (back row) Joe Morris, Dick Mudd, Pat Hays, Joe Hagan, Kenny and Nick Quinn. Morris, Joe Hagan and Nick Quinn are the only surviving members of the team. Photo from the 1957 yearbook. Who are some of our other faithful fans through the years? Among those we express our gratitude for today are Bob and Debby Quinn, Greg and Sue Seward, Russell and Rose Harrison, the Monroe City Sheltered Workshop fans including Eddie and Larry, Pat Elliott, Dan Mudd, and of course, Jack Jones, our oldest living male basketball player. Add your “MHS fans in the stand.” How many years have you attended?

In 1963, Sylvia Robinson Bracks and the late Mary Holland Steward became the first blacks to play on the MHS girls’ basketball team. Others team members that we know from that time are Pat Dowell Gupton and Carol Berlin Piatt. The daughter of Johnson K. (J.K.) and Alverne Robinson, Sylvia attended Washington School through eighth grade and began her freshman year at MHS. The Robinson family was infamous for its athleticism so it was no wonder that Sylvia’s father encouraged her to play high school basketball. Her father J.K. (Buck) played alongside the famed Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neal and Jim Lamark in the Kansas City Monarchs Negro League. He also played with the Fayette Eagles until he was 62 and umpired baseball until he was 70. Sylvia’s brother (the late) Ken Robinson was an outstanding athlete at MHS and football and track coach; and younger brother Marvin, a 1970 MHS all-sports standout athlete, went on to be associated with the World Football League after a stellar football career at Truman State University. Sylvia learned to play backyard basketball from her brothers and neighborhood kids. She played on the MHS team, but by 1965, she preferred the role of team manager instead. In 1965 Bonnie Holliday Bauer, daughter of Delbert and Clara Topp Holliday of Monroe City, and Pauletta Jones Eston, daughter of Chuck and Pauline Jones, who is retired and living in the St. Louis area, were also part of the team. Sylvia preferred books over athletics and recalls learning French at Washington School. She later earned a master’s degree in Spanish after moving to Texas. While at Washington, she also went to the public school to participate in band. An avid reader, she excelled in high school and earned a scholarship to the University of Missouri at Columbia where she served as an ambassador for MU Alumni Association while in college. She was the first student from Washington School to graduate from MU. After graduation, she worked for the federal government and had long career in the airline industry. She and her husband, a foot surgeon, have served as missionaries for more than 20 years and lived in South Africa while serving and teaching there. They have two grown children who also live in Texas. She says she looks forward to the chapters that lie ahead in their lives – to wherever they are “deployed” to serve. She is reluctant to give advice to this year’s basketball tournament players. Win or lose, basketball offers many learning opportunities for the young people who participate in this year’s tournament in any capacity-whether it be playing on the team, managing the team, cheering, playing in the band or serving popcorn to the fans. “The best is yet to come. Failure is wonderful. When you fail, you learn,” she says.

Donald Scott, now of Kansas City, was the first black boys’ basketball player to participate in the Monroe City High School Basketball Tournament. The State of Missouri desegrated schools after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education. Previously, Scott was bussed from Hunnewell to Douglass School in Hannibal. Scott began playing in 1955 and graduated in 1956. He went to Lincoln College and completed their ROTC program in 1960. He was the first member of his family to attend college. “Although I don't recall open hostility, there was a sense of tension that made me avoid social contact with white students. I credit Coach Key, Elsie Painter, the high school principal, and Galen Lankford, the school superintendent, for creating a civil environment that facilitated the successful integration of MCHS from 1955 to 1956,” says Scott. Scott attained the rank of Army brigadier general, serving from 1960-1991, with service in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1973. He taught the ROTC program at Tuskegee in the early 70s and went on to earn a master’s degree. He served as the First Deputy Librarian and Chief Operating Officer of the Library of Congress from 1996 to 2006. During his career, he also served as Scott then became the founding director and chief executive officer of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. He also served as the chief operating officer and chief of staff for the mayor of Atlanta. He currently serves as a trustee of the Truman Library Institute in Independence and credits President Truman for his decision to racially integrate the military in 1948, a decision that opened the door for Scott’s long and prestigious military career. “A highlight at MCHS was trying out for the basketball team, which I might not have done if Coach Billy Key hadn't visited my parents to ask for their permission,” says Scott. After leaving MHS, Coach Key went on to be head coach at Harris Stowe College in St. Louis and spent 23 years as head coach at the University of Missouri at Rolla. Scott also expressed his gratitude to music teacher Rice Maupin for encouraging him to participate in her programs. Sports and music program “boosted my confidence in competing based on merit, talent, and behavior,” he says. Other living team members who played with Scott include Gary Mayes, Mark Swearengen, Jerry Burditt, Jim Gottman and John Henderson.

Final Score! V Girls 57-33 W JV Girls 46-15 W V Boys 59-45 W JV Boys 26-50 L #MCPRIDE

Tournament Tidbits Poultry was king in MC The 1938 tournament book advertises The Hotel Baldwin, café and dining service with plate dinners at 25 cents and regular dinners at 35 cents from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The tournament book tells that Monroe City’s municipally owned and operated electric light and water plant also supplied water to Stoutsville and Hunnewell. Also Monroe City was headquarters for Henderson Produce Company, the largest egg and poultry business in northeast Missouri. It had six branch houses in Chillicothe, Shelbina, Laclede, Brookfield, Clarence and Paris. In one week, Henderson’s shipped 21 cars of eggs, two carloads of live poultry and one carload of dressed poultry. Past MC tournament officials Some of the past tournament officials include John R. Hancock of Center, Trevor L. Pilcher of Oakwood, Carl Conley, Hannibal, Frank Griswold Jr of Clarence, Howard Sublett of Hannibal and Hagan Seward of Monroe City. Perhaps the most famous was the late Don Faurot, who was a basketball official in his early years. Faurot went on to become the long-time Some of the past timers and scorers included Dean Jarboe, Bob Maddox, Pauline Romig (Perrine) and Anna M. Burditt. Phil Dean and Jim McClintic also took charge of advertising for the tournament book in the late 1930s. Admission to the tournament games in the 1930s ranged from 25 cents for afternoon games to 50 cents for the Saturday evening championship. Who do you recall as some of the volunteer timekeepers and scorers during MC Tournament? 1925 Class president also belonged to Poultry and Hiking Clubs at MHS In 1925, the MHS School Board of Education included R.S. McClintic, M.B. Proctor, Edith Boulware, P.F. White, J.S. Conway and John Utterback. Lloyd W. King was superintendent of schools. Nelson Fitzgerald was class president. He was a four-year member of the football “M” club, a member of the Poultry Club and the Hiking Club; with Elizabeth Gibbons as vice president and Frances Willard as secretary and treasurer.

Game Day! Varsity Girls 5pm (HS)/ Varsity Boys to follow JV Boys 5pm (MS)/ JV Girls to follow #MCPRIDE

Music Students of the Month continued.... September & October #MCPRIDE

Music Students of the Month! September & October #MCPRIDE

Final Score! MS Basketball #MCPRIDE

One of the older basketball team members who enjoyed great success is 85-year-old Jim Gottman, a long-time school board member and farmer. Gottman played all four years of high school. His team won the Palmyra Tournament in 1956, his junior year. They went on to win districts and then lost their second game in state. Billy Key was his coach. In his senior year of 1957, they won the Monroe City, Palmyra and South Shelby tournaments. They won districts, but lost the first game in state competition.

Congratulations to middle school students of the month: Cameron Dowell, Kynlie Minter, Emily Shuck, and Owen Schachtsiek!! Way to work hard!

The 1956 tournament was one to remember. 31 teams participated. That year, on the way to the state tournament, the Monroe City boys won two conference titles - the Salt River Conference and the Quin-City Conference. They won the championship in the Monroe City Tournament, the Paris and Palmyra tournaments. They also won the Class M regional tournament. They were the only team to advance to the state tournament undefeated. They lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament with a 35-1 record. They still hold the Monroe City record for the most wins in the season. Some of the members of that 1956 team are still alive. They include Jerry Burditt of Monroe City, Gary Wayne Mayes of Missouri, John Henderson of Arizona and Jim Gottman of Monroe City. Other members coached by Bill Key were Alvin Feldkamp, Richard Warren, Gene Mudd, Gene Ely, Mark Swearengen, Kermit Reynolds, Kenny Sullivan and Robbie Harris.

MS Basketball Game Day! MS Girls Home vs. Palmyra 5pm MS Boys @ Palmyra 5pm #MCPRIDE

Freshman twin brothers Joe and George Talton were on the team in 1960. By seventh grade, the Hunnewell boy, Joe Talton was 6-foot-8. Twin George, now deceased, was 6-foot-6. Both Talton boys played all four years. Monroe City schools had been integrated only a few years earlier when Talton started high school in Monroe City. Former MHS Coach Dave Almany points to Talton’s dogged determination that made him a legend. Madison had a player even taller than Talton, but Talton was determined not to be intimidated. He scored 50 points in the game, more than the entire Madison team. Monroe City won three of the four Monroe City basketball tournaments while Talton was on the team and compiled a 82-21 record with four conference championships. In 2022, 100th MHS Tournament anniversary committee chairperson Dave Almany wrote of Talton, “School friends say his shoulders were so wide he had to turn sideways to enter classrooms, he could hold three apples in one hand and his handshake would swallow up a forearm.” Almany, who is head track and cross-country coach at St. Charles Community College now, writes about Monroe City athletics in a blog, “America’s 50 Yard Line.” To read about Talton and other Monroe City athletes, go to http://rollingdownhwy83.blogspot.com. Talton graduated in 1963 and became the first black athlete to play at Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar until 1967 and earned a spot on the JUCO All-American team. He also served in the military, is retired and lives in Columbia now.

Athletic Weekly Activities #MCPRIDE

In the 1946 tournament book, an ad encourages fans to buy popcorn and souvenir pencils from the “Monroe City Ag Boys” on the first floor, south hall of the building (which is now the middle school). The 1946 graduating class included Donald Benson, Doris Cullom, Barbara Lee Daniel, Maxine Dunkle, Jane Freidank, Shirley Louise Fohey, Junior Geist, Martha Lee Greening, Elvina Mae Heather, Dorothy Hedberg, Helen May Hess, Robert F. Hulen, Jack E. Jones, Mary Ethel Leake, Ava Lee Moutray, Lucille Paris Cheek, Virginia Rae Parrish, Lilburn Rubison, Beulah Fay Schofield, Kenneth Tuley, Edwina Utterback, Betty Lou Vollrath, Mildred Fern Wright and Lorene Vern Wright Seward. C.L. Gottman was superintendent of schools. The 1945-1946 boys’ ball team included (front row) Jack Jones, J.W. Smith, Kenneth Tuley, Don Wycoff and Harvey Dole; (back row) John Hirner, Donald (Rink) Benson, Keffie Weaver, C.L. Gottman, Paul Calvert, Bob Shoemaker and Sonny Fredic.