The Kenny Years
By Donna Lundy Fox

The year is 1954 and the baby boom is in full swing. Former Minneapolis Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey is now serving in the Senate, and Dwight D. Eisenhower is in the White House. Our still young country is trying to recover from a half century that included a crippling depression and two world wars the likes of which had never been experienced on such a global scale. It is with great hope and optimism that young couples are buying homes and raising their ever growing families. A building boom of houses, shopping centers, and schools is underway to meet the pressing demand. An elementary school in south Minneapolis begins construction and will be named after Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse who changed the face of polio with her unconventional techniques. A legacy in this fortunate neighborhood begins.

With the imminent explosion in sight, the Minneapolis School Board explored its options. An often noted shortcoming of central city schools at the time was the lack of playground space. The plan for new schools in the 1950s included landscaped acreage which would include community wading pools, recreation buildings and playing fields. These new schools were located at the corners of the city where former agricultural land was still available in large tracts. With its 14 acres and the adjoining Anthony Junior High’s 11 acres (built in 1958,) Kenny was a good example of the plan. How lucky for the baby boomers of this southwest Minneapolis neighborhood.

Kenny baseball team - 6th Grade

Our class began kindergarten in the fall of 1963. We were met by either Miss Hawn or Mrs. Dreamin. Female teachers seemed to far out number male teachers at Kenny. And was it just me, or were they mostly mature women? Were they all in their 60’s….or in their 50’s? Kindergarten was a year of socialization. The “class rooms” were set up more like play rooms. Between make believe, simple art projects, and nap time on our fold up mats, our half day of academics went by quickly.

Of these matronly women, some were loved and some were feared. One stern, white haired first grade teacher was Mrs. Blake. Thanks to her many years of experience, she suspected that our classmate David Sanford may have epilepsy. She consulted Dave’s parents, and doctors confirmed her suspicions. Treatment was sought, and years later a benign tumor was removed from Dave’s brain leaving him completely free from the illness. I hope that she eventually retired with great pride and satisfaction in her career.

	Kenny baseball team, unknown grade

Our early years at Kenny were filled with memories of square dancing during gym class, and games of kick ball, hop scotch, and four square during recess. We learned the Dewey Decimal System from Miss Viken in the library, and retrieved a lost mitten from the “secret seat” in the lost and found bench in the hallway (which is still there and still in use.) It was a time when we recited the Pledge of Allegiance every morning around the American flag that hung in each class room. For the most part, we could count on the same kids being there each year. On the last day of school we received our report card and found out who our teacher would be in the fall. That kind of consistency was comforting.

In third grade we practiced holding an awkward, curvy shaped pen in order to learn cursive writing. Our cloak rooms were bursting with jackets, mittens, scarves, boys zip-up or buckle-up rubber boots, and girls kickarinos. Then there was the yearly Kenny Karnival where we could win a cake at the cake walk and trinkets from booths set up all around the gym. Who can forget the sound of three notes on a xylophone coming over the public address system when our principal, Miss Bergman, prepared to make an announcement? Christmas carols were still allowed in public schools and we sang them while sitting

The Kenny Kangaroo Cheerleaders - 5th Grade. Dianne Wells, Tammie Russell, Peggy Geer, Linda Crowley, Judy Ellison, Jean Doyle, Erin Scully, Liz Doyle, Alexandra Ellison.

around the mitten tree. This special Christmas tree stood outside the school office where Miss Irene sat answering the phone and attending to other school business. The mittens were donated by Kenny students and then were given to children less fortunate. I did not realize at the time just how fortunate we really were.

Movies were an event in school. The projector had to be set up, and hopefully the film was not broken. One day in Mrs. Fischer’s fourth grade class we went down to the community room for an educational film. It was a National Geographic film. A woman wearing only a skirt began to show us how she could weave a basket with dried vines. An uproar from the boys in the class quickly prompted poor Mrs. Fischer to abruptly turn on the lights and escort us back to our classroom in fierce silence. We were then given a terse lecture about life on the equator along with examples of various cultural differences. I remember Jeff Hall and many other male classmates having a very difficult time keeping their composure during this serious explanation. We girls were mostly embarrassed and just wanted to move on. Perhaps we detected that this experience was only a glimpse of what we had to look forward to with boys.

Miss Keetley's 6th Grade Class

Fifth and sixth grade were years of greater maturity. For example, in sixth grade we were all to be segregated by sex in order to watch a very old Walt Disney type movie on our changing bodies. One progressive teacher, Miss Keetley, thought it was silly to separate us. So we all watched it together. I remember being confused by the huge deal being made out of bee pollination. Certainly the basket weaving film in fourth grade was much more explicit.

Miss Blomberg's 6th Grade Class

The 1960s were interesting years to be a child. We rode our bikes with no plan of where we were going or when we would return. In the fall we burned leaves in the backyard, a smell that I hope I never forget. On Saturdays we went to the Boulevard Theater for a matinee. We called our friends’ parents Mr. and Mrs. Russell, not Vern and Peg, and a certain amount of respect followed those words. There was no sign on the door of Kenny that read, “We ban the use of guns on these premises.” We walked home at 11:30 to have “Lunch with Casey.” Officer McCloud told us not to take rides from strangers and to look both ways before we crossed the street. These warning didn’t instill fear, but security. We felt safe.

During these years our young eyes witnessed the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy. I can still hear Miss Bergman crying over the public address system when she asked for a moment of silence for Dr. King. There was also the escalating war in Viet Nam , the events at Kent State University , and race riots in Detroit , Washington D.C. , and other cities. But, as resilient children we were evidently able to balance that with our youthful idealism, the love of our families, and the safe feelings instilled in us by our school and greater community. Besides, we knew that the Beatles were going to be on The Ed Sullivan Show that weekend. We also knew that Steve Hetland could make us laugh, that Jim Strandberg could someday be President of the United States (if he wanted to be,) and that, because she was as light as a feather, Denise Shafer could last for over 20 minutes in the “bent arm hang.” This was our world.

	About the Author...
			Donna Lundy Fox has been employed by Northwest Airlines for 22 years. She enjoys traveling, cooking, and volunteer work. Donna lives in downtown Minneapolis with her husband, Jeff, and their cat, Max.