Cougars win where "Iron Curtain" term was born

Even further south than Iowa!

The most recent UMN-Morris football game was a real crowd-pleaser. But it wasn't for the crowd here in Morris, it was for the crowd a fur piece from here. Would you believe Missouri? The fans at Westminster College were treated to this hard-fought college football action. 

So hard-fought, it came down to a field goal at the end. Hooray! It was the Cougars getting the ball to go through the uprights. Our guys prevailed 30-27 in this UMAC action. 

Incredible sitting here feeling "pressure" for how I write about the game. Simply old habit: worried about fans picking apart anything I do. It has been 19 years since I left the Morris newspaper. What's wrong with me? But hey, it's Monday and whether y'all like it or not, I am happy to sit here writing about the Cougars. Yes, I know a lot of people get carried away with sports. 

 

Perfect in conference 

The Cougars literally won as time expired on Saturday! We sit at 2-0 in conference, 2-3 overall. 

Westminster is known as the Bluejays. 

Fulton MO might strike you as an obscure place. It is not. It is actually the place where the famous "Iron Curtain" term of the Cold War was first presented. Maybe young people of today don't have much knowledge about this. Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War. But I grew up during the Cold War. One big aspect of the Cold War was that we had to compete with the Soviets in everything. That included public education, especially after the Soviets got the "Sputnik" satellite into orbit. 

Americans collectively seemed to have a heart attack. Was that overdone? I present that as a rhetorical question. Were we so excited that we got fooled by our military industrial complex? Eisenhower seriously warned us about the influence of the military industrial complex. It was largely left over from WWII when the U.S. was quite war-centered. But in the aftermath of that? Still such a strong necessity? 

The Cold War affected me personally because our public education system was under pressure to be real "tough" with its standards so we could "keep up with the Russians." Public school teachers who were protected by their unions felt they had a mandate to be tough. Sorry but I did not take well to that. So it rendered by childhood quite miserable. I gained a sense of cynicism about life that I retain to this day. I cannot help myself. 

Today in contrast it seems our public education systems seem to really want to enrich the lives of young people, make their school experience enjoyable a good share of the time. This includes college with UMM being our exhibit. And I really truly doubt that UMM is as "tough" with its academics as it once was. And I applaud them for that. 

Of course the institution still has to offer some things that can be assessed on tangible terms. And I think that's daunting. But I applaud all institutions on "letting up" on the young people. Don't turn college classes into a godawful obstacle course where kids drink pots of coffee while "cramming for finals." I suspect that the cramming ritual has been retired? It is not necessary for kids to cram knowledge into their heads in the Internet age. It isn't necessary to make kids prove they can do this as if they're running a marathon of 26.2 miles. 

The last time I interviewed a marathon participant for the Morris newspaper, he said that one's time in the marathon isn't as important as it used to be. So the experience now is just fulfilling on less-exacting terms. Is this a parallel with what has happened in public education? Fulfilling rather than like torture? I'm not exaggerating when I use the word torture. And I resent it as I think back on it. 

 

The worst fallout 

"Beat the Russians, defeat the communists." And it was that refrain that led the U.S. into the Vietnam war. I sure grew up with that hellhole in the background, day after day after day. I attended a funeral in 1966 for someone who had been killed by "friendly fire." "Friendly fire" incidents were often called "fragging" because a fragmentation hand grenade was so often used. 

None of this misery was necessary. We could have just let Vietnam "go communist." That's what happened anyway. Today the U.S. has positive relations with the same people we were fighting. I'll sound vain here and say that as a young child I could see the folly of what we were doing. I'm not looking for a medal, I am just reflecting. 

 

A scourge 

Teachers when I was young gave lots of "homework." Why? We were made to feel guilty if we just wanted to "watch television" in the evening. Why? 

Teachers wanted to make their courses tough because they wanted to feel important in preparation for their next contract negotiations with the meanies of the administration and school board. 

Open enrollment came along to spur some reform, to lessen the grip of the schools' monopoly. Monopolies are never a good thing. And the military industrial complex was even worse, was at the core of so much misery felt among young people. Look at the cost of the Vietnam war, I mean the cost in lives lost. 

So Westminster College reminds us of the Cold War era and the dark cloud it projected. Little Westminster College in the Midwest. In Missouri, a state where lynchings once happened.

Logan Ahlers

Cougars 30, Westminster 27
Logan Ahlers was UMM's hero kicker. He was called upon for his first field goal try of the season. The clock showed just three seconds to play. His toe was true under pressure: a win by three points. An enjoyable (and long) ride home. 

Ahlers is a senior. How the stage got set for this kick? Well, we benefited from a break, that's for sure. The story begins with UMM taking over possession at their own 22 with 1:16 left, a difficult spot. 

Well, we appeared to misfire on third down. Fans anticipated a punt, but no! The Bluejays were flagged for an illegal substitution! Our offensive unit could start over. And make hay we did. 

Bryson Drake passed to Manny Guy for five yards. Then came a 12-yard pass gain to Sean-Keley Chinanga. Penalties mounted for the host team. You might say penalties became the story of the game. There was a "targeting" penalty. And then a pass interference call. 

So UMM finds itself at the 23 yard line. We see the three seconds left on the clock, and all Mr. Ahlers has to do is show poise and drill the ball between the uprights. He did it! He did it! 

Drake finished with 166 passing yards, one TD via the pass, plus 67 ground yards, one rushing TD. Chinanga carried for two rushing TDs and had 92 rushing yards total. 

Prime defensive contributors were Dylan Young and Arian Saenz. Chayce Meyer sacked the quarterback three times. J.T. Garza intercepted a pass. Brenton Overall forced a fumble.
 

Winston Churchill

On March 5, 1946, Sir Winston Churchill visited Westminster College as the Green Lecturer and delivered "Sinews of Peace," a message heard 'round the world that went down in history as the "Iron Curtain Speech."
 
UMM music event
Well, I had the pleasure of attending the UMN-Morris jazz concert last Thursday at Edson Auditorium. It was a delight. I'll share here the email I sent to director Dustin Retzlaff the next day. Be sure to follow UMM music.
 
Hello Dustin - I enjoyed the jazz concert last night and I mean that! I appreciated that you said something good about Edson as the venue. I have wondered through the years why Edson can't be considered more often for music discipline events. I think last night was more fun than it would have been at Recital Hall. I am ancient enough to remember attending music and theater events when Edson was the sole venue for such things, early 1960s.
I got a last-minute email from Erin Christensen yesterday that ensured I would attend the concert. My enthusiasm about UMM music and UMM in general has been challenged lately. Of course there was the notorious Star Tribune "expose" about UMM enrollment recently. Such sharp words in the headline.
The strike didn't help, ahem.
More importantly, I have been discouraged greatly by UMM's incorporation of "community" with the prime ensembles. So we see "COMMuniversity." I'm glad the jazz bands didn't use that. I wonder if Simon will back off from that. We could just have UMM ensembles with the understanding that community is mixed in. And I notice in the poster for last night that the term "UMM" was used and not "UMN-Morris!" I have wondered if the latter was completely taking over. In my blogging I use "UMN-Morris" in my first reference and "UMM" after that. 

I notice from the poster too that it's just "Edson" with no accompanying reference to the Morrison thing. It would get cumbersome frankly. And I've always just wondered what the Morrison Performing Arts Center is, as distinct from Edson Hall. Too obvious a question probably. But I'm a cynical journalist. You might get a reminder from Erin's department that Morrison should be included. She wants to stay in good standing with all the UMM benefactors. Oops, I'm one myself: I represent the Ralph and Martha Williams Fund to benefit music at UMM. November is when I write a new check if I feel like it.
I get what the UMM choir represents today, but it's not like our longstanding choirs. It's pleasant to listen to but it's not the same. It is culturally broadening.
Dustin Retzlaff

Dustin Retzlaff

Re. the concert last night, Wow! I appreciated the trombone work and especially the bass trombone! The latter really gave a "bottom" to the music. It reminded me of the old Woody Herman orchestra when they played "Fanfare for the Common Man" and the bass trombone "nailed" a low note at the end of the intro! I heard the Woody Herman band at the old St. Paul Prom Center. There's an ABRA body shop there now!
Oh, maybe you should insert a photo of yourself on your UMM profile page.
I hope they're paying you enough.
I believe your mother was the third grade teacher at MAES. I interviewed her for paper when she was Teacher of the Year. I remember her saying "I just love those third graders, aren't they great?" Well yes, and I enjoyed third grade a lot more than junior high!
Congrats on concert and let's keep the jazz flowing!

- Brian R. Williams