As the flames and smoke from the fire that destroyed Laona high school, Thursday night, were painting the sky with colorful formations that could be seen from seven miles away, Superintendent/Principal Glenn Detro, stood in the minus teen temperatures watching his work of ten years being destroyed.
Detro, whose position demands a person who possesses authority and leadership ability, shortly was in control of the situation and as the first wall of the building crumbled and the popcorn like noise of the chemicals from the chemistry lab exploded, he announced to no one in particular,
“There will be school tomorrow.”
Detro later explained that he felt it necessary for
the students to have a time together to share their
feelings of the unfortunate event before they
separated for the Christmas holiday.
According to one Loana teacher, there was a lot of
horseplay Friday morning as students assembled
in the gym at the grade school, “and then came
the tears,” she said.
A home basketball game with Wabeno that was
scheduled for Friday night was not canceled,
however the Laona School District had to ask
Wabeno to pay the expenses of the game as all
their checks were destroyed.
The courageous attitude of the Laona School
District impressed Sen. Lloyd Kincaid, D-Crandon,
and other state officials.
“It was the most courageous thing I have ever
seen in my twenty years of politics. Everyone I talked
to at the state level was equally impressed that
teachers, students and administration that had been
up all night showed up for classes in the morning,”
Kincaid said.
Sen. Kincaid commented on the economically hard
times the Laona community is experiencing with the
closing of the Connor Store and a portion of the Connor Mill.
“No matter what they undergo they somehow always come out the winner. Laona is a hard working, close knit community and they refuse to let hard times destroy them,” said Kincaid.
The Laona women showed the true spirit of what Sen. Kincaid was referring to when Jane Schulz and her mother, Margaret Carter, opened the Senior Citizens Meal Site and started perking pots of coffee for the more than 50 fire fighters and rescue crew members, Thursday night.
Schulz and Carter were soon joined by Adele Treml, Kary Bradle, Betty Brooks and Boneta Jackowski. These remarkable women brought their families’ Christmas bakery to serve the fire fighters.
Kurt and Joyce Spencer, owners of the cafe, with the help of Dorothy Wilke, and Linda Lafferty, furnished sandwiches and sweet rolls to be served by the ladies.
Floyd Rasmussen, manager of Connor’s Store, offered to open the store up for anything the ladies might need.
According to Jane Schulz the ladies poured over 550 cups of coffee and toasted several pairs of frozen fire fighters’ gloves in the oven.
Quick thinking by fire fighter John Cleereman saved most of the band instruments, award plaques and uniforms.
Cleereman remembered a door on the south side that had been bolted shut for twenty years. Fire chief, Bob Jackson, Crandon and Tom Pieper, Crandon, used axes to gain entrance.
“The north wall of the room was on fire and so was the ceiling, I and Kevin Kramer just started pushing everything toward the door. We got the piano out first and were able get all the instruments, except the flutes, we couldn’t find them. When I took the award plaques off the wall, they just melted right in my hands,” Cleereman said.
Jackson ordered his men and the other fire fighters to evacuate the band room when the ceiling started to fall.
~ End of Story ~
Photo by Dorothy Kegley
Spirit of Courage, Cooperation is seen in Laona Fire Tragedy
The Forest Republican, December 26, 1985 by Dorothy Kegley
