For sure there was a new person to harass, me. I had missed a faculty meeting the year before, sit in the balcony at an assembly, and I had become a bad role model for students. The time had come to resign and move elsewhere. It got a little scary with no job and lots of rejections but then on about July 4th, 1970 Calvin Chandler decided he needed a counselor to relate to the hippies. Little did he know I would relate. I decided to stick closer to Table Rock history so more about that part of Emporia later.
Before the school year even started I met some of my future students. Some of them were skiing with me at Kahola Lake. By the time school started I had rented an apartment right across the street, north of Lowther South. There were 17 new teachers and most of them were just out of college so it was easy to fit in. Kathy Tidwell was married to Bill Scales and they had get togethers on their farm south of town. Sue McKinney, Carroll and Carolyn Koch, Jerry Troxell, John Riley, Connie and Steve Johnson, Bob and Ruth Smith, Rex and Wanda Lorenz, Kathy Tidwell, Cheryl and Jim Modrell, John Riley, George and Mary Downing, Tom and Florence Haskett, Bob Spinner and wife, Bob and Kay Wilburn, have at one time made it to the lake.
I was selected to a committee called the Governor�s drug conference. We convened in Topeka for a conference and one of the charges was to conduct a conference or our own. Out of work with that committee many close relationships evolved. With help we formed what was called the lighthouse. This was a drop in center for youth. This and school is where Doug Collinge, Robbie Rooney, Penny (Potter) Landsrath, and Kevin Parhm, cultivated relationships and made the lake appearance. Mark Shook, Bob Roush, Susan Penny, Vicki Renfro Marilyn Dailey, Sarah Bodkin and all made the lake scene. Robbie Rooney was our sacrificial bridge jumper. Mark Shook�s folks had a cabin on Lake Kahola and we skied there and he was a good friend of Bob Roush�s. Bob had an accident at Fanistal�s meat plant and had lost his hand. We definitely couldn�t get a patent on the aid we developed to help him get up on skis. I think his words, after screaming a long time, was �it hurts like hell�. Vicky and Penny were here when the tornado destroyed my trailer house in Emporia. Penny and Kevin were living in at the time. Penny took the doorknob out of this guy�s hand and open the door so all could get in the shelter. Troxell built the barbecue where tons of chickens were cooked.
Meanwhile at the lake, the silver trailer had been moved to Art�s court, and I was hanging out at the dock. Dr. England had learned that I could ski barefooted and he wanted me to teach his boy Vic. Well that happened and Dr. and I got to be real good friends. One of Dr�s friends had an old wards motor cycle for sale and I bought it. That wasn�t near big enough so I bought a 305 Honda Scrambler and Dr. England and I got to riding the trails. He had a 350 Honda street bike but we still rode every trail we could master. My brother Gary had bought a 250 Yamaha and he came down one weekend to ride. The next weekend Dr. had a brand new 250 Yamaha. He also found a sale on a 90 Honda so he took the handle bars off and flew it home for his son,Vic. Lew, is wife, rode along behind Dr. and we all rode the trails.
One of Vic�s best friends was Tony Leach. He started coming to the lake pretty often and boating with us. On summer I decided to teach skiing lessons. Well my first two customers weighed about 220 lbs. After hours of work I got in the water behind them and tried that way. I finally got in the boat and surrendered. One of the guys said �don�t feel bad, you got further than anyone else.� That ended my ski teaching career, for money that is.
Dr. decided I needed some property so a friend, Jimmy Baker, knew of a lot that was for sale. I paid $2,500 and it originally sold for $600. I bought it and started to clear enough to move my trusty 8 by 30 trailer over to it. Had a 100 foot lateral blasted and a 275 foot well drilled and lots of small bushes and trees to cut.
That summer Joe Kukal came down to work on the dock. Joe was a good friend of the Bouer family. Dr. Bouer was married to Art Grass�s daughter and lived in Lockwood, Missouri. Joe, long hair and all, came down to help Art. Well Joe had figured out that a fun spot was hanging with Steele. He would sleep on the dock work all day and had little time for play. The second year he figured out if he would take a fishing boat and skirt up Rock Creek and yell loud, Steele would hear him and he could come up and help clear brush. Oh, Steele cost him because his wages dropped from $60 the first summer to $40 the second. The long hair didn�t last because Art Grass and Jim Baker took Joe to the barber. The next day Joe had to pull a boat to Campbell Point to get repaired. The ears didn�t fare so well.
Tony Leach�s brother, Kirby, and his buddy, William Moon, started to come down to ski. Walt, Lloyd�s dad, had been a dairy farmer and up to this time he had a hired man. Well he quit so there was an empty trailer. Lloyd had it moved down so now he was a two trailer man and a lot more room for friends.