Graduation, Carson City in 1933

It's graduation season in Carson City. A large number of proud seniors are planning their futures. It wasn't much different in 1933 when my grandmother Josephine Potts graduated from Stewart Indian School.

My grandmother read the class prophecy at the 7 p.m. ceremony May 26, 1933. Unfortunately, the Carson Daily Appeal recorded the graduation program notes but not the details, so I'll have to dig elsewhere for the prophecy.

My grandmother married John Paul Du Fresne in 1938 and they had four children.

I never met either grandparent on my father's side. I was born in August of 1966 and Grandpa John died in January. My grandmother died when my father was a small boy.

Their memories live on in the family photos and the stories.

In an odd twist of irony -- the parents of students at Stewart came to bring them home for the summer celebrating the end of school with a picnic and a dance May 27, while Carson High School said its farewells in the Appeal's columns in "The Pow Wow."

"Pow Wow" editor Nina Boczkiewicz wrote: "It seems to be 'just one of those things' that we can not all stay in high school forever. We do want the seniors to know, however, that we wish for every one of them all the luck and success in the world."

"The Pow Wow" was produced by the CHS junior class.

"The largest class ever," the paper said, graduated that year. They numbered 36.

Under the heading "The Talk of The Town" the afternoon Appeal recorded the daily weather and the comings and goings of the city.

Temperatures on May 26, 1933, were at 77 for the maximum and at 38 for the minimum. The barometer read 25.26

The governor was Fred B. Balzar. Elected in 1926. He was re-elected in 1930, but died in office March 21, 1934. On May 26, 1933, he "left for Reno, where he appeared this afternoon at the county commissioners' association meeting. He will leave tonight on a short business trip to San Francisco, returning Sunday."

Mrs. Stella Peters and Mrs. Ruth Kelly spent a few hours in Reno Thursday afternoon calling on friends.

Judge and Mrs. J. Emmett Walsh of Goldfield arrived in Carson today for a short visit with Mrs. Walsh's son, Ralph McLain.

Mrs. Alex McCharles is recovering from a severe cold from which she has suffered for the past few days.

"The King's Vacation" starring George Arliss was playing at the Carson Theater.

The Duk-In Confectionery was offering tempting luncheons, soft drinks, Margaret Burnham's delicious candies, lotions, cosmetics and antiseptics. The ad listed all sorts of items for what I assume is a soda fountain/drug store, but doesn't list an address.

With only 36 students in the graduating class you can guess how big Carson was back then. Today,about 3,500 students attend Carson High School.

A. Sommers of Sacramento was selling "a nice box of cherries" for $1 and was saying "Blacks are ripe now."

The Southern Pacific Railroad was offering a deal on Memorial Day excursions -- 1 cent per mile or 100 miles for $1.

The Carson Brewing Co. (Brewery Arts Center in 2003 and not yet home to the Nevada Appeal in 1933) was selling ice: for 70 cents you could get 100 pounds, 60 cents would buy you 75 pounds, 40 cents 50 pounds and 20 cents 25 pounds.

Dider's Garage was selling Firestone Tires for $4.95.

It amazes me that in one lifetime a person could pay $4.95 for a tire one year and $49.95 for a tire a few decades later and as much as $149 seven decades later.

Mrs. H. R. Mighels held the high score for the first hand of the Sagebrush club's bridge and 500 games. Her mother-in-law Mrs. Nellie Mighels Davis took the honors for the second hand, having just returned from the coast that afternoon.

Ida B. Mighels was listed as publisher of the Appeal and must have also held the high-scoring bridge hand. A year's subscription could be had for $1 if a carrier delivered it and for 75 cents if it were delivered by mail.

In Virginia City the schools were giving a dance, "for the benefit of the school fund." Good music and a pleasant time is assured. Admission was 50 cents.

These are just a few tidbits from the pages of the Appeal 70 years ago. Many thanks to Bill Dolan and his "Pages of the Past" for finding the item on my grandmother. I'll have to get to digging out the family history.

Kelli Du Fresne is features editor for the Nevada Appeal.