Dorchester Times: FLASHBACK: The 'D' Club -- 61 Years Ago

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

FLASHBACK: The 'D' Club -- 61 Years Ago

The "D" Club.

When we were students at Dorchester High School, we all knew who belonged to that group of individuals -- the standouts who had lettered in their chosen sport or activities.

For every generation that has roamed the hallways of Dorchester Public Schools, at least in the post-WWII era, the black and tan letter jacket (or D Club sweater) -- emblazoned with the big, bright letter D -- has always commanded respect and admiration.

The photo above is of the 1961-1962 D Club. Notice at that time, the D Club was all male.

That was quite a year for DHS athletics.

Most memorable was the undefeated football team, which some local sports fan say was one of the best (or the best) teams ever to play at Dorchester. The team was led by a very nimble, quick senior Dan Tesar, who held several records at DHS for decades.

Pictured in this photo, from left to right, are: (Top Row) Bill August, Rex Johnson, Marty Kamper, John Howlett, F.C. Green, Gary August and Dale Weber. (Bottom Row) Duaine Bullock, Larry Jonas, Jack Guggenmos, Mr. Semin, Dr. Drake, Dan Tesar, Doug Sysel and Harold Axline.

8 comments:

AnonymousJune 14, 2012 at 8:18 PM
Wow, that is one great photo. Looks like it could have been taken yesterday if not for the hairstyles and missing bell monument. Neat stuff.
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CBJune 15, 2012 at 10:32 AM
wish we could go back to those days. life really was better. trust me. more pride and more dignity.
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AnonymousJune 29, 2012 at 11:27 AM
I remember Mr. (Dennis) Semin and Mr. (Keith) Drake very well. Mutt and Jeff. One was very short and one was very tall.
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AnonymousJuly 2, 2012 at 6:58 AM
I believe D-Club remained all male until the 1976-1977 school term. Pep Club was all female as was the cheerleaders until that school term also.
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AnonymousJuly 14, 2012 at 8:55 PM
Knew F.C. Green. A great guy. Became a Navy pilot. His plane went down at sea when he was stationed on the aircraft carrier Shangri La. Here’s the link. Hope it works.
http://www.uss-shangri-la.com/vf111.html
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AnonymousOctober 8, 2018 at 11:56 AM
I'm not certain, bacause I didnt know him, but the 2nd guy from the right on the end on the top row looks a lot more like a Sysel than the 2nd from right on bottom row. And is the Jack Guggenmos the same as the one who later became a P.E. teacher and coach in the 70's? Though I thought his last name was Guggemos? (without the 'n')
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AnonymousSeptember 27, 2022 at 11:21 AM
Marty Kemper
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."