Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Great Chocolate Bar Battle

In the spring of our junior year the athletic department was selling chocolate bars, probably World's Finest, to raise money. You will recall the office was located up the short flight of stairs in that "closet" at the north end of the 2nd story.

Arlo Severson and I decided to buy and split one at the end of the school day on a Friday, and after making our purchase we were heading back down the steps to the 2nd floor. I had no more than split the bar in half and was handing his share to Arlo when Bill Mansur walked by, heading down the stairs in the direction of the gym, and he said, "That'll be 30 minutes after school on Monday, boys!"

I'm sure Arlo thought, "Whatever," like I did, and we went off for the weekend. On Monday morning I was curious enough about it to check the detention hall listing which was posted by the study hall across from the Principal's Office. Sure enough, we were both listed there. Somehow Buddy Mounts came along and asked what we were looking at. I told him we had been assigned detention and he asked "What for?" OK, yes, I knew it was because of the chocolate bar, but come on, it was a product being sold in the school for the benefit of the athletic department, so it was valid for me to say, "I don't know."

Mounts, you'll recall, was a bulldog, so he grabbed me by the arm and said, "Come with me." He pulled me across the hall and into the two-room principal's office, pointed at the bench in the small outer office, told me to sit there, and marched on into Mansur's office. I don't recall the words exchanged between the two of them, but I do recall it was loud, it was long, and I believe everybody in the study hall heard every word of it. Finally he stormed back out of the office and told me I wouldn't have detention that night.

He didn't give me the pass we were supposed to have to show up late anywhere but when I ambled across the hall and looked at Maynard Midtgaard I only motioned back in the direction of the Principal's Office. He quietly said "I know where you were," and I took my seat.

At some point during the day an announcement was made of a meeting with Mounts to be held in the music room after school for anybody interested in playing football that fall. I went. Arlo went. Ten minutes into the meeting Lowell Gangstad showed up at the door with a paper in his hand; he looked at me and Arlo, then turned to Mounts and mumbled something about a couple guys there who were supposed to be in detention. Mounts walked over to him, took the paper from his hand and looked at it, had a little conversation with him, then turned back and said, "Arlo, you go with him."

So Arlo took the fall. I have no idea what happened to that fundraiser going forward, but I'm sure the teacher lounge was buzzing about who had the real authority around here. And for me it was a lesson about that very topic.

1 comment:

  1. I see there will be lots of interesting & funny stories, BadgerHawk. I know Gerry Pike has a few & Mike Lien would if he were still with us.

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