Dennis R. White (1973)

This makes me sad beyond words.  We never think things like this can happen to us, or in a place like Urbandale or Des Moines.  My prayers and thoughts are with the Officers, their families and everyone touched by this horrific act.

Dean J. Watson (1972)

Shocked that this happened here. Two blocks from where I grew up.

my PRAYERS are with the Family and Community

Pamela Morgan (Christiansen) (1971)

It is all so senseless. Prayers for the families and community that healing begin.

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

Not familiar with this message format, but this is for Barbara Ridgeway, '67 Classmate.

It's a small world . . . We're in Branson, too, in the Summer.  I golf with Shoji and my wife works for him.  She's the one who escorts the coaches in.

It was while I was golfing with Shoji Wednesday morning that someone in the foursome brought this up, and I asked, "What area of Des Moines?"

When I got home and found the address of the first shootting, I knew exactly where it is.  I have very fond memories of going through the gate in the Creep's Youtube video.

Elizabeth Lynch (Johnson) (1969)

Jayme L. Wheeler (Popejoy) (1974)

Deeply saddened by the horror which came upon all of us who have memories of times spent at the corner of 70th and Aurora. Love and peace to all. Jayhawk '74. 

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

A little off-topic, I participate in several Internet forums/message boards (not like facebook), and wouldn't it be nice if Urbandale alumni had one?  It would be a big hit and greatly enhance communication.  Who doesn't want to talk about high school?

If you don't know what I mean, here's a few:

http://www.1branson.com/forum/index.php

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forums/forum.php

https://thesandtrap.com/forums/forum/6-golf-talk/

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

A little trivia . . .

Urbandale used to be the "Bluejays", not the "Jayhawks". Well, up until 50 years ago.  50 years? No way!

The gym was built my Senior year, '67, to be put into use the following year (we played home basketball games at the Ice Arena, where we also had Graduation ceremonies.)

I digress.

The Student Council sponsored a contest for the artwork for the center jumpball circle in the "new" gym.  The winning entry was a Fighting Bluejay, not the timid little Bluejay we had been up until then.

& thus, the "Jayhawks".

Lila C. Mart (1970)

Jim ~ Thanks for the stroll down memory lane...........I miss the Bluejays and the COLORS!!!!!!!!  And the school song..............

Lila Mart, Class of 1970

            Sister of Mary (1966); Pat (1962) and Gary (1959)

Fred Lee Bowers (1983)

Jayme L. Wheeler (Popejoy) (1974)

That Jayhawk / Bluejay story about the gym interested me. I thought it was changed during my school years, because '74 started as Bluejays and ended as Jayhawks. I respect the lady who would like a Bluejay T-Shirt. I just though they conned our class and said, we need to change the name,,because Jayhawks are tougher. 

Kathy Cole (Smith) (1968)

I think Jayme is correct that the bluejay was changed in '74.  My brother, John, graduated that year. Started a Bluejay...ended a Jayhawk.  I always wondered how they got away with that logo. It looks just like the Kansas Jayhawk. And, no, Jayhawks are not tougher! Blue jays forever! 😄

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

I do not disagree that it became the JHawks later than when I graduated in '67.  It was still the Bluejays then, and nothing was underway to change it.

I probably did not say it right, which i am prone to do, but what I meant to say is that the artwork for the "new" gym's center jump circle, was of a Fighting Jay, and that was the first time for that.  Prior, it was just always just a cute little Bluejay. So, that artwork was the beginning of the end of the Bluejay.

I was Student Council President, behind the contest for the artwork to be by one our own, say, instead of a UHS, and remember reviewing the designs that were submitted.  They were very good.

- - - - - -

I succeeded Chuck Rizzuti on the Student Council, and knew him from the basketball team, too.  I totally concur with John's words about Chuck.  He was one of the great ones.

- - - - - -

Lila Mart:

I was a year behind Mary, but I spent some time with her crowd.  Caroline Zimmerman, Marcia Collins, et al., and I saw her a lot at practice and games in the "Cracker Box" gym we had back then. Mary was the most agressive basketball player I ever knew, male or female.

I am saddened that they are gone.

It all goes so fast.

- - - - - -

School Fight Song?

Urbandale High, we love you best,

Of all the teams from East to West.

We have the coach, we have team,

We have the pep, we have the steam.

(Someone else can finish it.)

- - - - - -

It's a beautiful day here in Florida.

John David Stites (1974)

I'm with Jayme and Kathy on this Bluejay/Jayhawk discussion.  As a 1974 UHS graduate, I remember that the 1973-74 college basketball season was a very good one for the KU Jayhawks.  They were 13-0 in conference play that year and ended up at the top of the Big Eight conference.  They went as far as the final four in the NCAA tournament that season, losing to Marquette, but beating UCLA for third place.  I think the Jayhawks' (KU) great, high-profile season was a big influence in the mascot change at UHS.  As I recall, the change was official during my senior year.  I think we may have even voted on it.  I was in favor of sticking with Bluejays and still consider myself a scrappy, fighting Bluejay.  On a side note, I heard that UHS was contacted by KU about tradematk infringement.  The result was some changes to the UHS Jayhawk artwork and a change in spelling to 'J-Hawk'. 

-JDS

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

A question for the site organizers:

Are the "Classmate Profiles" supposed to be everyone in that class? 

Either I'm remembering things wrong, or there's some missing for '67.

Betty I. Nelson (Dyer) (1972)

The mascot name was changed during the 1971-1972 school year. I was the secretary of the student council that year. The line of thinking was that the Bluejays sounded wimpy and that Jayhawks sounded tougher. The student body agreed overwhelmingly. 

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

I was wimpy.

Of course . . . I was a Bluejay.

Sandi J. VanderMeulen (Porter) (1962)

It was so Tragic that two Police Officers died in such a way, the memorials on each corner are still there as reminders.  It has truly been a sad time in Urbandale & DM.  God Bless them!  And I'd like to add great respect for all the folks and their actions during this time, the candlelight memorials organized and the flags presented, etc. I still live in Urbandale & for those far away; the funerals for both, I thought, were so perfect. All that was said was so lovingly presented and with sincere respect for those wonderful Men.   

John T. Cole (1974)

I, too, was very shocked and saddened to hear the news of the two officers.  I live just outside of Orlando and we are still all affected in different ways by the Pulse shootings.  

I feel the need to jump into the conversation about our school's mascot.  My memory told me that it was in my senior year, 1974.  But I did a quick check of my yearbooks.  The '72 book states Bluejays.  The 73 book says Jayhawks.  But neither book mentions the change nor any explanation of it.  I do remember that it was very controversial and that the students got to vote.  

Linda Biermann (Hoobin) (1973)

Jim Beasley, the Urbandale Schools provided the Alumni Association with a list of graduates according to their records.  It is possible that some names were missing. An Alum can add their names to their class list. 

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

OK, maybe some from '67 will help me remember.  Here's some I don't see on the list.

Carmen Beeman, Cheerleader.  I took her to the Homecoming Dance because she and David Ray had a little falling out.  I saw her in the 90's at Merle Hay Mall.

Pat Nelson, Homecoming Queen, with BF Mark Oppedal Homecoming King.

Debra Nelson

Susan Boyce, close friend with Jinnie Goode.

Patti Briggs, Senior Class Secretary 

Jeri McCrary . . . put her parents car in the pond at Urbandale Country Club.

Vicki Oxenford (?)

Marta Berrier

Cassie Bailey

http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/Urbandale-High-School/38043?hitwiseSegment=free&checkCookie=1479056510940&page=0

Elizabeth T. TenPas (1974)

John and John are right. We all voted on the mascot. I too like the Blue Jays.

KU did indeed sue UHS. My brother Peter (class of 72) is a professor there, and my sister-in-law is a born and bred KU Jayhawk- her dad was on the basketball team.  She overcame her prejudice to marry a UHS grad only because he graduated as a Blue Jay.

And the song? Being in both band and chorus, we were embarrassed musically by that little song to "Hey Look Me Over". Other schools had grand marches to "On Wisconsin" and the like. So, the music class put together a new one to the then-NFL theme of "Confidence". The band loved it so much more! And my friends Connie Walker and Nancy North did the lyrics. And not because they were "girlfriends of the football team", as I once heard at a reunion. But because of their talent and drive!  And terrific athletes themselves.

Gregory R. Hall (1973)

Jayhawks year 1972-1973
Football Program

Kathy Collins (Reilly)

Howdy, J-Hawks! I was hired to teach at UHS starting in the fall of '72 ('73 graduation year). As I recall, I was told that the previous senior class ('72) voted to change the mascot name to J-Hawks from Blue Jays. (My memory could be wrong in that the whole student body voted. Or maybe the entire student body EXCEPT that senior class.) Anyway, when I arrived the UHS athletic department learned that I had graduated from K.U. and asked me if I had any KU Jayhawk stuff they could copy for the basketball floor (and more). I provided that material proudly.

After teaching at Urbandale (and a couple of other schools), I went to law school and ended up practicing Education Law. I loved Copyrights and Trademarks and learned a lot in that class. Fast forward to the early 90s: Let me clear up one other common misunderstanding: Kansas did not threaten to sue Urbandale High School. The NCAA got this bug up their bee-hinds that some K-12 schools were "infringing" on collegiate copyrighted athletic logos and mascots and offered to be The Enforcer on behalf of all of the member colleges (any school that had athletics). The first I heard of the Copyright and Trademark threat here in the Midwest was Waukee being told the "W" in their "Waukee" logo was infringing the University of Wisconsin's logo. Waukee didn't choose to fight, rolling over and changing their "W." High school after high school heard from the NCAA. Urbandale's J-Hawk was unquestionably a perfect copy of Kansas' Jayhawk, so -- as other schools had done before them -- Urbandale rolled over.

I'm still P.O.'ed (if you'll pardon the expression) about the NCAA's bullying high schools into changing their logos. Why? Because the cornerstone of Copyright and Trademark law is "the likelihood of confusion." Who is going to move to Waukee, Iowa, thinking they're going to the University of Wisconsin? or that Waukee is somehow affiliated with the U of W??? I think the boys at the NCAA office were bored and needed something to do or (in the words of Mel Brooks) had to justify their phony-baloney jobs. It was ridiculous. I wish one of the schools would have fought back. Pretty sure they could have beaten the NCAA on that one. Alas! 

James L. (Jim) Beasley (1967)

Wow!  The makeup of the conference changed a lot in just five years, from the Suburban Conference to the Central Iowa Conference.

OK, let me test myself . . . Suburban Conference

Urbandale

SE Polk (our '67 football team was the first to beat them)

North Polk

Johnston

Saydel

Carlisle

Ankeny

That's all I remember.

The best facilities back then was SE Polk . . . everything was brand new in '67.