Kathy Weidner
Item
Title
Kathy Weidner
Remember Those Days
Jeffersonville High School 1950 through 1970
Oral History Project
Kathy Sparks Weidner, 1957 - 1961
Jen Weidner 001: Today is January 20 2021. This is Jen Weidner of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library. I'm conducting interviews for Remember Those Days Jeffersonville High School 1950 through 1970 oral history project with a grant from the Indiana Genealogical Society. I'm here today with Kathy Sparks Weidner, my mother. Mom, who were your parents?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:24: Charles and Helen Sparks
Jen Weidner 0:26: And your mother's maiden name?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:29: Mires
Jen Weidner 0:29: Please go ahead.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:31: M-i-r-e-s
Jen Weidner 0:33: And did you marry someone that went to Jeff High?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:35: Yes, I did, Bill Weidner.
Amanda Kincaid-Prentice 0:39: And what year did he graduate?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:40: 1960.
Jen Weidner 0:43: Where did you live while you were in high school?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:45: On East Ninth Street.
Jen Weidner 0:47: And that house is still there?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:48: Yes.
Jen Weidner 0:52: How many students were in your graduating class and estimate is fine.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:56: 200.
Jen Weidner 0:58: Did you participate in any sports or clubs?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:01: Art.
Jen Weidner 1:03: And what did you do in art club?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:06: Probably as little as possible. (laughing)
Jen Weidner 1:08: I mean, did you all make things for like to hang up at the school or for sports events?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:17: We painted windows at different businesses during tournament times.
Jen Weidner 1:21: Oh, like in downtown Jeff?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:22: yes.
Jen Weidner 1:23: Okay, that's pretty cool. What do you remember most about school; the classrooms, the teachers, the school grounds?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:32: I remember as a freshman being very scared going to that big school with all those people. And by the time I became a senior, I was glad to get out of there and everybody else could come in and be scared.
Jen Weidner 1:46: Do you remember if the school was in good shape or rundown? It was rundown when other people I've interviewed who said that it was kind of on its last leg when they were there in the early 60s.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:57: It made a lot of improvement. I was trying to think, the gym was pathetic.
Jen Weidner 2:06: Were all your classes in one building or did you have to go to other buildings?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:10: No, we had to go to other buildings.
Jen Weidner 2:13: So most of those buildings are torn down now right.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:16: Yes
Jen Weidner 2:16: The main building is what's left. Did you have a favorite teacher?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:21: Ms. Kuhn. She was the art teacher.
Jen Weidner 2:23: Okay. Uhm. What did you like about her?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:28: Well she took an interest in all of her art students. She was very helpful with us and encouraged us if we wanted to go ahead in the art study. She was there for us.
Jen Weidner 2:42: So you would say that was your favorite class? Your favorite subject?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:45: Yes.
Jen Weidner 2:45: What was your least favorite class?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:47: Typing
Jen Weidner 2:48: Oh, really? You ended up doing typing for pretty much all of your career.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:54: Yes I did!
Jen Weidner 2:56: Why was it so hard?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:01: I really can't remember, other than I wanted the electric typewriter and somebody else, always got it every class and then I had to sit there and hunt and peck on a manual typewriter.
Jen Weidner 3:10: Oh. So you did have, like, one electric typewriter, other ones were manual?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:15: We may have had maybe one or two electric typewriters.
Jen Weidner 3:18: I know other people have talked about typing class in the interviews. What were some of your fondest memories of high school. Like did you go to dances or ballgames or what did you do?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:29: Oh yeah. We always had the sock hop in that poor gym. And I helped usher during the tournament time in the Fieldhouse.
Jen Weidner 3:36: Okay. Did you ever go to any of the dances at Ewing Lane?
Kathy Sparks Weidner: Oh yes, absolutely.
Jen Weidner 3:48: And who was your favorite band that played there?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:50: Well, of course the Monarchs, and to this day, they're still my favorite band.
Jen Weidner 3:56: Local band right?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:57: Yes, yes,
Jen Weidner 3:58: Others have talked about. There were some, like national bands that would come around town. Do you remember that they may have been like later in the 60s? Did that happen?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:08: No I don't remember that.
Jen Weidner 4:10: Okay besides ballgames. What did you do on a typical Friday or Saturday night with your friends?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:18: Well, we always had to ride out to the Ranch House in Clarksville. That was the thing to do,
Jen Weidner 4:27: Just went cruising around?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:28: Oh cruising around and then we always had to ride down and go to Louisville. Ride down Fourth Street and see what we could see.
Jen Weidner 4:34: Such as?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:36: Usually there were soldiers from Fort Knox.
Jen Weidner 4:39: Okay, so you go by and look at the nice men?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:43: Yes.
Jen Weidner 4:44: Okay. A lot of people have talked about that they've left school for lunch. Did you and your friends do that?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:51: Occasionally we did.
Jen Weidner 4:53: Where did you go?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:55: There was a little, I'll say restaurant across from the Fieldhouse. We used to go there and get hot dogs and chili. And that was one of my jobs in Mr. Callahan's office. To go over there every morning, right at eight o'clock, to see if any of our students were in there. Of course, they weren't!
Jen Weidner 5:14: So you worked in the office some too while you were in high school?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:18: Yes.
Jen Weidner 5:18: What did you do besides not “rat out” your classmates?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:23: I would sit there and probably talk about all the cute boys going down the hall, hurrying to get to their classes before they were late.
Jen Weidner 5:30: So typical high school girl stuff?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:32: Exactly.
Jen Weidner 5:33: Did you ever ride down to the Trolley during lunch?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:36 No, we only had a half hour for lunch and we didn't make it to the Trolley. It’s probably a lot of other kids that were there who had never gotten lunch.
Jen Weidner 5:44: So I've heard that the place across from the fieldhouse was kind of where the greasers, the rougher kids hung out. Is that true when you were there?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:52: Oh yeah. You walk in there and there's a big cloud of smoke.
Jen Weidner 5:57: Did you ever feel scared or intimidated going in there? Did you kind of know these people?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 6:01: Uhh basically I knew them. They knew that I wasn't gonna squeal on them. So, you know, we were kind of friends.
Jen Weidner 6:08: Okay. Uhm. Anything else you want to talk about? Like did you meet dad while you were in high school? Were you’all high school sweethearts?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 6:16: Far from it. I did not like him when we were in high school. I actually didn't meet him until probably two or three years after I was out of school. And I didn't like him, but he had a boat. And I thought, boy, that'd be a good, good way to get a nice tan. So one of my friends introduced me to him. And I guess it was just love at first sight. anything else
Jen Weidner 6:43: Anything else you want to add talk about? Like, I know you had a sister and brother older sister and brother younger. Did that make any difference in high school?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 6:54: Not really, other than the first year when it was time for us to get yearbooks mom couldn't afford two yearbooks so my brother and I had to share one.
Jen Weidner 7:03: Your older or younger brother?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 7:04: My older brother.
Jen Weidner 7:05: And what were your siblings names?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 7:08: Charles Lee, we called him Bud and my sister, Dee and her name was Helen Marie. My sister Janice and my younger brother Billy.
Jen Weidner 7:19: Is there anything else you want to add to let people know for the future? People that might be listening to us?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 7:24: Not really.
Jen Weidner 7:25: Okay, well thank you for your time.
Jeffersonville High School 1950 through 1970
Oral History Project
Kathy Sparks Weidner, 1957 - 1961
Jen Weidner 001: Today is January 20 2021. This is Jen Weidner of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library. I'm conducting interviews for Remember Those Days Jeffersonville High School 1950 through 1970 oral history project with a grant from the Indiana Genealogical Society. I'm here today with Kathy Sparks Weidner, my mother. Mom, who were your parents?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:24: Charles and Helen Sparks
Jen Weidner 0:26: And your mother's maiden name?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:29: Mires
Jen Weidner 0:29: Please go ahead.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:31: M-i-r-e-s
Jen Weidner 0:33: And did you marry someone that went to Jeff High?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:35: Yes, I did, Bill Weidner.
Amanda Kincaid-Prentice 0:39: And what year did he graduate?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:40: 1960.
Jen Weidner 0:43: Where did you live while you were in high school?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:45: On East Ninth Street.
Jen Weidner 0:47: And that house is still there?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:48: Yes.
Jen Weidner 0:52: How many students were in your graduating class and estimate is fine.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 0:56: 200.
Jen Weidner 0:58: Did you participate in any sports or clubs?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:01: Art.
Jen Weidner 1:03: And what did you do in art club?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:06: Probably as little as possible. (laughing)
Jen Weidner 1:08: I mean, did you all make things for like to hang up at the school or for sports events?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:17: We painted windows at different businesses during tournament times.
Jen Weidner 1:21: Oh, like in downtown Jeff?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:22: yes.
Jen Weidner 1:23: Okay, that's pretty cool. What do you remember most about school; the classrooms, the teachers, the school grounds?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:32: I remember as a freshman being very scared going to that big school with all those people. And by the time I became a senior, I was glad to get out of there and everybody else could come in and be scared.
Jen Weidner 1:46: Do you remember if the school was in good shape or rundown? It was rundown when other people I've interviewed who said that it was kind of on its last leg when they were there in the early 60s.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 1:57: It made a lot of improvement. I was trying to think, the gym was pathetic.
Jen Weidner 2:06: Were all your classes in one building or did you have to go to other buildings?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:10: No, we had to go to other buildings.
Jen Weidner 2:13: So most of those buildings are torn down now right.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:16: Yes
Jen Weidner 2:16: The main building is what's left. Did you have a favorite teacher?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:21: Ms. Kuhn. She was the art teacher.
Jen Weidner 2:23: Okay. Uhm. What did you like about her?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:28: Well she took an interest in all of her art students. She was very helpful with us and encouraged us if we wanted to go ahead in the art study. She was there for us.
Jen Weidner 2:42: So you would say that was your favorite class? Your favorite subject?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:45: Yes.
Jen Weidner 2:45: What was your least favorite class?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:47: Typing
Jen Weidner 2:48: Oh, really? You ended up doing typing for pretty much all of your career.
Kathy Sparks Weidner 2:54: Yes I did!
Jen Weidner 2:56: Why was it so hard?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:01: I really can't remember, other than I wanted the electric typewriter and somebody else, always got it every class and then I had to sit there and hunt and peck on a manual typewriter.
Jen Weidner 3:10: Oh. So you did have, like, one electric typewriter, other ones were manual?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:15: We may have had maybe one or two electric typewriters.
Jen Weidner 3:18: I know other people have talked about typing class in the interviews. What were some of your fondest memories of high school. Like did you go to dances or ballgames or what did you do?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:29: Oh yeah. We always had the sock hop in that poor gym. And I helped usher during the tournament time in the Fieldhouse.
Jen Weidner 3:36: Okay. Did you ever go to any of the dances at Ewing Lane?
Kathy Sparks Weidner: Oh yes, absolutely.
Jen Weidner 3:48: And who was your favorite band that played there?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:50: Well, of course the Monarchs, and to this day, they're still my favorite band.
Jen Weidner 3:56: Local band right?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 3:57: Yes, yes,
Jen Weidner 3:58: Others have talked about. There were some, like national bands that would come around town. Do you remember that they may have been like later in the 60s? Did that happen?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:08: No I don't remember that.
Jen Weidner 4:10: Okay besides ballgames. What did you do on a typical Friday or Saturday night with your friends?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:18: Well, we always had to ride out to the Ranch House in Clarksville. That was the thing to do,
Jen Weidner 4:27: Just went cruising around?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:28: Oh cruising around and then we always had to ride down and go to Louisville. Ride down Fourth Street and see what we could see.
Jen Weidner 4:34: Such as?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:36: Usually there were soldiers from Fort Knox.
Jen Weidner 4:39: Okay, so you go by and look at the nice men?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:43: Yes.
Jen Weidner 4:44: Okay. A lot of people have talked about that they've left school for lunch. Did you and your friends do that?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:51: Occasionally we did.
Jen Weidner 4:53: Where did you go?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 4:55: There was a little, I'll say restaurant across from the Fieldhouse. We used to go there and get hot dogs and chili. And that was one of my jobs in Mr. Callahan's office. To go over there every morning, right at eight o'clock, to see if any of our students were in there. Of course, they weren't!
Jen Weidner 5:14: So you worked in the office some too while you were in high school?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:18: Yes.
Jen Weidner 5:18: What did you do besides not “rat out” your classmates?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:23: I would sit there and probably talk about all the cute boys going down the hall, hurrying to get to their classes before they were late.
Jen Weidner 5:30: So typical high school girl stuff?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:32: Exactly.
Jen Weidner 5:33: Did you ever ride down to the Trolley during lunch?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:36 No, we only had a half hour for lunch and we didn't make it to the Trolley. It’s probably a lot of other kids that were there who had never gotten lunch.
Jen Weidner 5:44: So I've heard that the place across from the fieldhouse was kind of where the greasers, the rougher kids hung out. Is that true when you were there?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 5:52: Oh yeah. You walk in there and there's a big cloud of smoke.
Jen Weidner 5:57: Did you ever feel scared or intimidated going in there? Did you kind of know these people?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 6:01: Uhh basically I knew them. They knew that I wasn't gonna squeal on them. So, you know, we were kind of friends.
Jen Weidner 6:08: Okay. Uhm. Anything else you want to talk about? Like did you meet dad while you were in high school? Were you’all high school sweethearts?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 6:16: Far from it. I did not like him when we were in high school. I actually didn't meet him until probably two or three years after I was out of school. And I didn't like him, but he had a boat. And I thought, boy, that'd be a good, good way to get a nice tan. So one of my friends introduced me to him. And I guess it was just love at first sight. anything else
Jen Weidner 6:43: Anything else you want to add talk about? Like, I know you had a sister and brother older sister and brother younger. Did that make any difference in high school?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 6:54: Not really, other than the first year when it was time for us to get yearbooks mom couldn't afford two yearbooks so my brother and I had to share one.
Jen Weidner 7:03: Your older or younger brother?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 7:04: My older brother.
Jen Weidner 7:05: And what were your siblings names?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 7:08: Charles Lee, we called him Bud and my sister, Dee and her name was Helen Marie. My sister Janice and my younger brother Billy.
Jen Weidner 7:19: Is there anything else you want to add to let people know for the future? People that might be listening to us?
Kathy Sparks Weidner 7:24: Not really.
Jen Weidner 7:25: Okay, well thank you for your time.