WAUPACA COUNTY POST

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

 

            We all have people who have passed through our lives and left an indelible imprint.  Hopefully as we reflect upon our great nation we will also take a moment to remember these people and the richness they have given to our lives.

            One such person who has touched my life even though I never had the privilege to meet her was a teacher by the name of Miss Sophelia Kurkowski.  From all accounts Miss K. was a force to be reckoned with, an enthusiastic teacher, an avid lover of Waupaca and its history, and a spearhead for the morale of our soldiers during World War II.

            If you avail yourself of the opportunity to look through some of the early history on Waupaca available at the Holly History and Genealogy Center, you will see much of it was collected and preserved through her classes.  If you were one of her students, you may even find an article or two written by you or a classmate.

            Miss K. never forgot her students.  She never let a student do less than his or her best.  She never asked for recognition – or even a pay raise over the many years she taught!  Although not a Waupaca native she worked tirelessly to give her students a sense of community and love of our rich heritage.  She may have lived in Amherst, but Lord help the student who did not cheer loudly or proudly enough for any Waupaca team – even when playing against Amherst.

            Miss K. was a constant reminder of what is important in this life.  In a generation that seems to set great store by appearances, by all reports she was not a great physical beauty.  Her face was disfigured from being kicked by a horse when a child, she walked with a limp, and certainly would not set any new fashion trends.  Yes, within five minutes of speaking to her you could walk away knowing your life would forever be graced by even so brief an encounter.

            She was the kind of woman who inspired those around her and should never be forgotten.  In an effort to ensure this I would like to collect as many memories of her as possible.  Once received and put into a semblance of order, they will be turned over to the Waupaca Historical Society so that she can touch the lives of those who have missed your privilege of knowing her personally.  Please don’t let Miss K. and all she stood for be lost to future generations.

            If you have any memories of Miss K. that you would be willing to share, please sent them to J.J. Johnson, 510 S. State Street, Waupaca, WI   54981.

 

CLARENCE O. RIDDLE

 

            I have been asked to make a few comments relative to Sophelia Kurkowski.  My relationship with Miss Kurkowski relates to being a fellow teacher and later her high school principal.

            I first met Miss Kurkowski (I suppose I should say Ms. Kurkowski to be politically correct, but if you knew Miss Kurkowski very well I feel she might feel offended) in the fall of 1953 after a stint of teaching in Iowa.  Fortunately, my background had taught me never to judge people by a first impression.  Inasmuch as we were both in the Social Studies department I felt it would be to my advantage to get better acquainted with other members of the Social Studies Department.

            Again, with not trying to pre-judge people I will have to say that I could not envision this woman being able to relate to young people.  In jogging my memory I can recall that one side of her face had “sunken” due to some childhood problems, she walked with a limp, had ankle top shoes, a dress that practically reached her shoe tops and she had her hair pulled straight back into a bun.  I was wondering what kind of a teaching staff I was going to have to work with.  So, the conversation began.  What a beautiful woman, so gracious, kind and considerate.  After a rather lengthy conversation I discovered her to be one of the most interesting and unforgettable people I have ever met.  Miss Kurkowski actually bubbled over with enthusiasm, especially when she got to talking about history and life itself.  After I became principal, I can always remember her gait as she went from the library to her classroom.  If she was upset with the children, it seemed as if she dragged her one foot a little less as she wanted to get to her classroom as soon as she could to tell her students why she was so upset with them.  Her destination from the library to her classroom went right by my office so I could usually tell what mood she was in by her walk.  On some occasions I thought to myself, I am not quite sure if I would want to be in her classroom today.  Miss Kurkowski would become upset when her students would not become passionate about history as she was.  She would also become upset when she felt the students were not utilizing the library as they should.  Miss Kurkowski also had the knack of never staying angry with any of her students as she would, in turn, call them her bunnies.

            Miss Kurkowski would be classified as an outstanding teacher and human being.  She really loved her students and literally dedicated her entire life to young people.  I will never forget Miss Kurkowski, learned a great deal from her and I felt I was very fortunate to have known a woman of this stature.  This world needs more Miss Kurkowski’s!

 

SOPHELIA KURKOWSKI

AL SCHLATTER

 

            Two events stand out when remembering Sophie.  The first one I was not involved in, but many teachers told me this story.  When the boys basketball team played Amherst, Sophie would lead a cheer during a pep rally.  If she saw someone not cheering, she would go into the bleachers and scold the student who was not yelling. This took place every year, even though she was from Amherst.

            The second memory found me right in the middle.  Sophie had one world history class in my room while I had study hall in “her” library.  During the Christmas season, Sophie’s students would decorate Christmas trees like other countries around the world did.  There was one tree in the library covered with candy canes.  One student must have taken one cane while I was helping another student. After the period was over, Mr. Lorenz, another social studies teacher, and I were standing in the hallway outside of my room.  Sophie came up to me and started to chew me out.  Somehow she knew one cane was missing. I had to do some fast thinking, so interrupted Sophie and told her how nice her hair looked and what a pretty dress she was wearing. Luckily she forgot about the candy cane, and walked away.  Mr. Lorenz almost fell over laughing about my close shave.

 

EXCERPT FROM ROBERT BABIN’S BOOK

“MY BOYHOOD IN WAUPACA” (1941 GRADUATE)

 

            Another of my favorite teachers was Miss Sophelia Kurkowski, our American History teacher and school librarian.  She was probably in her forties, was intellectually sharp, a well-read person and gregarious.  She enjoyed talking with anyone interested in national and world events.  Unlike most persons I knew at the time, she had the insight to see that monstrous war would soon engulf us.  She had a graduate degree and taken a number of postgraduate courses over the years.  She threw herself into her teaching of history with great enthusiasm and gusto.  By any measure Miss Kurkowski was a superb tutor who could put new life into old, Musty event and demonstrate their relevance to our lives.

            The civil war was her special interest, and she lectured on its particulars with the familiarity and insights you would expect of someone who had actually been there.  She talked at length with the several Civil War veterans who were spending their last years at the Veterans’ Home in King.  She took the time and care to impress on us that the Civil War was not slavery right’s but states right’s, and that much arrogance and egotism were involved.  When “Gone With The Wind” played at the Palace in 1939 she urged us to see it more than once, and we discussed it in great length in class.  Thanks to her efforts we got very adult understanding of the bloodiest war in America’s history up until that time.

            While we were studying the Revolutionary War, she emphasized that not all the actions of the revolutionists were pure and untainted, that greed and opportunism were among the motives of those “young rascals” as she called them.  She explained that in a revolution the line between patriotism and treason is not easy to draw.

            Miss Kurkowski was dear lady who of most of my teachers epitomized the high level of education and dedication that characterized most of the teachers in Waupaca High School.  It is clear to me that her excellent teaching was largely responsible for my developing a lifetime interest in history.

 

SOPHELIA KURKOSKI

This is a tribute to a remarkable teacher and woman

By Ginny Gmeiner Whitney

 

            I attended Waupaca High School in the years 1943-47.  Miss Kurkowski taught American History and was the school librarian.

            I know nothing about her personal life, except that she lived with her father in Amherst, Wisconsin.  She was proud of her Polish ancestry.  On the first day of classes, she informed her students that her name was spelled SKI not Sky, that was Russian.

            My father told me that when she was a young girl, that she had been kicked in the face by a horse, and that explained the sunken disfigurement on the left side of her face.  People who knew her never saw this, as it became part of her aura.

            The library considered the best high school library for a school of that size because of her efforts, was her domain.  Each day she marched across the hall to teach American History to juniors.  Her classroom like her library was filled with posters, pictures, newspaper clippings, etc., - such interesting items, that we would cut our lunch hour short, so that wee would have time to peruse these wonders.  When the bell rang, she bounded through the door, dark skirts rustling, exclaiming with affection, “How are my little rabbits today?”  We loved it and most of all we loved her!  Her enthusiasm was catching and American History became alive.  No question was ever considered too stupid to be answered.  She was the consummate teacher, teaching her subject, but also teaching respect, patience, pride in heritage, and loyalty to one’s school, city, and country.

            Because these were the years of World War II, her main project was to place the name of service men and women, and their addresses on posters.  These lined the second floor hall, making the information available to all in the community.  She saw to it that each service person received a copy of the high school newspaper, and also her library aides sent letters.  She wanted none of her boys and girls in the service of their country to go without mail from home.  Addresses were updated constantly, and gold stars were placed tearfully next to the names of those who had lost their lives.