This is one of the items in today’s Trib from the Bygone’s section twenty years ago today:
* The Duluth school administration will have to wait a few months before moving into its new quarters in old Central High School. The building should be ready for occupancy in mid-October, but the phone system won’t be installed until about Nov. 15.
My primary interest in ISD 709 is its ability to educate kids not its history. By this date in 1975 I had only been in Duluth for two weeks shy of a single year. Old Central was about to become the Administrative offices for the next forty years and still serves that purpose today. Three years later in 1978 I made an appointment to talk to the then superintendent Richard Pearson to introduce myself to him as a legislative candidate. I’m sure he was puzzled by my introduction. I was running against Mike Jaros for the second time.
Now the Administration building has a new name, its HOCHS. (Historic Old Central High School) I’m still getting used to the H in that title.
I always tell folks that in politics today’s foe is tomorrow’s ally. Its useful to remember because it makes little sense to elevate a disagreement to a blood feud. Ten years ago I urged today’s Chair Seliga-Punyko to run for the school board. Today she’d as soon not look at me. But tomorrow we could find each other on the same side of some political fence.
The fellow I challenged in 76 and 78 (rather cordially I might add), Mike Jaros, became my ally on the Red Plan.
I did everything I could to derail school board Gary Krause’s first run for the school board and yet within a year of his term be began be become allies. When he wanted to sell Old Central (today’s HOCH) to Sherman Associates I helped promote his suggestion for the sake of discussion. That put me at odds with a fellow who was a big part of Central’s Alumni group Gary Glass. Five years later Gary Glass and I became allies in our attempt to put the Red Plan up for a public vote.
If tomorrow the Martians attacked the Earth I think it would be safe to predict that every enemy of the United States today would become our ally. None of us want our leaders to have antennas on their heads……..Are you listening NSA?
