AlumMates: Class of 1961 Elkhorn High School couples, including Larry & Kathleen Peterson
Interview conducted by Ann Huddleston, Alumni Relations
We’d love to celebrate the four couples from the Elkhorn High School Class of 1961 for Valentine’s Day this year! Larry & Kathleen Peterson, Glen & Joan Peterson, George & Barbara Hendricks, and Ken (passed in 2022) & Judy Finch. Being married for so many years is no small feat! George Hendricks shared, “My great grandchild is 12 and asked me, ‘What’s the best thing you ever did?’ I replied, ‘Married Grandma.’”
Larry and Kathleen Peterson, Class of 1961, will be married 63 years this year on April 27th! They shared some of their memories and wisdom below:
Do you remember what you did on your first date?
We went to an Elkhorn Football game at Yutan. The night was cut short because Kathleen had a slumber party to go to.
Did you have a favorite school dance song?
So many great songs in the 50s and 60s but Last Date by Floyd Cramer would be it.
Did you exchange promise rings or school jackets?
We exchanged class rings meaning you’re going steady.
What was the popular hang out spot?
The downtown drugstore. We had open campus so that is where we went during our noon hour. Drive-in movies were very popular also.
What is the difference between dating then and now?
The cars and trucks did not have a center console, so you could sit right next to each other. When we danced, we held each other sometimes cheek to cheek, not two feet apart like today. Also, no cell phones. Sometimes it cost a quarter to call your sweetie.
Do you have advice for young couples today?
Chase your dreams. Love and laugh. Have fun. Forgive and forget.
Special thank you to the Class of 1961 for their Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation Scholarship, “Class of 1961 Memorial Scholarship”. The scholarship will be awarded to two graduating seniors from both Elkhorn High School and Elkhorn North High School who plan to major in either nursing or one of the construction sciences at a post-secondary educational institution.
