Stadium (1943-1947)

A Couple of Remembrances of my years

World War II dominated my first two years at Stadium. We had gas rationing; only teachers had cars. We walked or rode the bus. Students seldom traveled to any away sporting events. Football games were held in the daytime to save electricity and Tacoma had night blackouts to confuse possible incoming bombers.

Tacoma was crowded with soldiers and sailors from Ft Lewis, Camp Murray and the Todd Ship building yards on Commencement Bay. The Stadium study hall and library windows allowed us to see small “Jeep” Aircraft Carriers being launched and checked out in the bay almost every day of 1943 to1945.

Many of us had parents or brothers working at Todd. The twin boom Army-Air Force P 38 fighters stationed at McCord Field and B 17 Flying Fortress Bomber aircraft built at Boeing Field in Seattle flew over head daily.

Every once in awhile one of our Junior and Senior classmates would disappear from school and later we would learn later that they had joined up. Patriotism was the call of the day and some of our boys just had to join up.

The Japanese surrender in August 1945 changed our Fall Stadium School life dramatically. Ships arrived at the piers in the Tacoma water front and train depots were filled with servicemen coming home from overseas.

Many servicemen returned to high school to finish their education. Stadium football team benefited with a couple of big ex-Marines that beefed up our line and helped give us a winning 1946 season. Stadium High won the Cross State Football Championship that year. Also it helped that we had a future NFL star on our team in Junior Sam Baker. He played fullback and line backer for Stadium and later starred at Oregon State. Professionally he played for the N.Y. Giants and later punted for the Washington Redskins. Sam Baker was number 50.

Bill Kowalski and Bill Greco were the “big” 200 pound tackles in the picture.

The whole athletic program at Stadium in those years was dominated by Coach Heinrick especially in the big sport of football. He had turned out some great teams in the past but the story was that 1946 was his best. Although according to the 1946 Lincoln /Stadium Turkey Day Program still in my possession his teams won the '37, '38, and 1939 Cross State Championships

With all the returning veterans the 1947 graduations was one the largest graduating class in the schools history and filled the National Guard Armory in Tacoma.

Bill Marr
Class of 1947

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