Iona School

Lyman County South Dakota's Genealogy

Iona School History

From the pages of "Winds of Change", Lyman County History Book published by the Lyman County
Historical Society, 1998.

Construction of the Iona High School to hold classes for both grade and high school students was
during 1921-'22. The building was not finished by the start of the school term so temporary quarters
were used for the first two or three weeks of the 1922-'23 school year. One teacher taught high
school grades 9, 10 and 11. By the school year 1943-'44 there were no longer enough students to
continue the school. Iona High School alumni includes the following:

Brewster - William, Lila, Maxine;

Bailey, Ed;

Bashore, Faye;

Butler, Vernis;

Bowie, Raymond;

Bell -Opal, Wallbridge;

Davis, Arnold;

Dobbin - Dorothy, Ruth; Ellie, Merle;

Fulwider, Reed; Frank - Kitty, Beryl, Harold, Ernest;

Feyereisen, Doris, Dorthea, Donna, Ruth, Sam;

Garfield, Clara;

Gannoway -
Dave, Boyd;

Gilpin - Stanley, Helen;

Grim, Bessie;

Godager - Charles, Ben;

Hacker, Ron, Anne;

Ham, Kenneth;

Hickey, Claude;

Hanson - Omar, Harlan;

Harris, Dorothy;

Hinton, Harry;

Kenzy - Sam, Carl, Paul, Lee, John, Elizabeth, Darl, Harry, Kenny;

Kennedy, Katherine;

King - Merle, Lyle, Joe;
Kreinbuhl - Fannie, Winnie;

Lewis - Lucille, Lila, Leone;

Lulf - Donald, Mary Ellen;

Millar - Willard, Margaret, Bernard, Genevieve, Mary, Edna, Irene, Lenore, Florence, Joan;

Miller, Stanley;

McCoy - Chiquita, June;

Meinen, Bob;

Nelson - Olive, Hazel, Fern, Walter, Norman, Violet, Inez, Laurel;

Ptak, Bernard;

Phillips, LaVerne;

Ripley, Laverne;

Rose, Joyce;

Rosser, Howard;

Rohwer, Clara;

Russell, Emma;

Salzmann - Lois, Mildred, Richard, Helen, Julius, Conrad, Emanuel;

Seeley - Harold, Lloyd;

Shannon - Ed, Luverne, Lucien, Donald, Wilma;

Shine, Marion;

Smith - Glen, Mildred;

Snow - Henry, Helen;

Suiter - Jessie, Dale, Forrest, Wayne;

Sutton, Merle;

Tagtow, Lucille;

Thompson - Lucille, Leola, Irene, Edlyn, Charles, Wilma, Ellis;

Walker - Alice, Frank, Eunice, Edna, Lucy, Lynn;

Williamson - Celestine, Lynn.

Dear Barbara,

I have enjoyed looking at all the information you have compiled. I just found this site this week and have spent much time researching it.

I attended the Star School from September 1954 to May 1962, going from first grade through eighth grade. My classmate was Perry Salzmann. One year the school had a total enrollment of 18; that is the most we had during the time I was there. My sister, Barbara, attended Star School from the first grade through the middle of her fifth grade. It was at that time that we moved to Texas. Her classmates were Penny Salzmann and Tom Seeley. School teachers from 1954-1962 were: Lorraine Hermsen, Mrs. Hahn, Mrs. Hendrickson, Max Kreinbuhl and Denzel Hermsen.

I enjoyed attending a one-room school house and feel that I received an excellent education. In fact, I sometimes feel that I learned more during my school days than students do now. Especially in geography, social studies and spelling.

I do not know when the last classes were held at the Star School, but do know that after the building was no longer a school house, it was used to store grain. I believe that the building no longer stands on the school grounds.

I have been wondering about some tape recordings that were made in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Someone from Kennebec came to the Iona School and interviewed many of the "old timers" about their early lives. My grandmother, Florence Walker, was one of those interviewed. If you know of these recordings, I would like to hear about them. They would certainly hold much interesting information on them.

Thanks for all the information you have put together.

Sincerely,

Susan Miller Joyce 811 Cactus Drive Round Rock, TX 78681-6517

Susanjoyce213@prodigy.net (512) 255-6377