EVELETH—Debra Mayasich Gunderson writes eloquently of her emotions on the coming demolition of the Franklin School, along with the other buildings on the Eveleth campus. Buildings in Gilbert and Virginia have already been razed, and the new Rock Ridge School District is finishing its first year.
Several people with longtime ties to the Franklin contributed to this story. Their comments follow:
Gunderson’s comments
My deepest personal connection to the Eveleth campus can be found in the halls and classrooms of the Benjamin Franklin Elementary. It has been a stately and solid sentinel resting squarely on the summit of Eveleth, “The Hilltop City.”
My father, Joe Mayasich, served at the Franklin as a teacher, curriculum director, and principal from 1954 until his retirement in 1984. He says that he was hired in the tunnels of the Eveleth hippodrome during a hockey game by the Eveleth superintendent at that time, Mr. VanPutten, and that the first he knew of his principal’s position was when he read it in the paper. Times have changed.
My positive experiences with my dad as my principal, and the wonderful teachers I had in elementary school, cemented my desire to become a teacher as well, and so it was. My teaching career began in Biwabik, but when an opening came in Eveleth, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. My father had just retired the year I joined the Franklin School faculty in 1985. It was great to teach with people like Herb Schur, who had been my teacher, and with my Uncle Jim. I learned so much and came to love the staff that were my contemporaries until my retirement in 2012.
It was an honor to bring my dad, who is now 97, to the closing ceremony for the Franklin School along with three of my siblings. It was important to him, and to us, to walk the beloved halls of the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School one more time and connect with staff and former students who felt the same.
Bricks and mortar, wood and stone, metal and plaster. It’s just a building, some would say, and they wouldn’t be wrong. The new schools generate excitement and hope, and that’s a good thing. We are not to store up treasures here on earth, Scripture says, or cling too tightly to that which ultimately passes away; but when the Franklin Elementary School comes down, and the Eveleth School campus is completely laid waste, the community will have lost something of its original heart, and I will have lost a piece of my home; because to me, it’s all in the family.
During his tenure at the Franklin, Joe served as a teacher, curriculum director, and principal. Joe’s brother, Jim (Demo), also had a 34-year career as a sixth-grade teacher in Eveleth at both the Lincoln and Franklin buildings. Another brother, Bernard, served on the Eveleth School board, and Jim’s wife, Mary Ann, worked in the district’s business office. The family connection runs deep. John Mayasich’s contribution to the history of the school, city of Eveleth, state, and nation during his years as a stand-out athlete in the sport of hockey.
When my father retired in 1984, I began my teaching tenure at the Franklin in 1985. Between us, my dad and I served the Eveleth educational community for 58 years. Although my dad was never my principal at work, he was the principal of the school when my seven siblings and I attended school at the Franklin. They were wonderful years! (Of course, we were never any trouble.)
Does it hurt a bit to see these magnificent schools being razed? Without a doubt. I now understand what is meant by the term “these hallowed halls.” It is incredible to think of the number of lives that have been touched as they’ve passed through these beloved halls. But even more, it feels like my home is coming down, too. It has been an honor and a privilege to have attended and worked in the Eveleth Schools. GO BEARS!
The Benjamin Franklin Elementary School was built in 1922. Joe Mayasich was born just a few blocks away on Summit Street in 1926.
Joe was an educational innovator, playing a part in the establishment of the Special Education Cooperative, which is still in use statewide today.
Not one to spend time behind his desk, he could regularly be seen traversing the three floors of the school, seeing to the needs of the staff and students. During the noon hour, he might be found on the playground, hitting balls for the kids to catch, or teaching a science lesson in a classroom.
Joe is grateful for his years at the school and credits the Franklin for saving his life. When a heart attack threatened his life years later, his doctor told him his years of climbing the stairs and walking the halls of the school resulted in the development of additional capillaries that allowed him to survive.
There are also former Franklin students who credit Mr. Mayasich for saving their future lives by finding ways to keep them in school, helping with hands-on projects around the building. One staff member recalled having difficulty with a particular student, and when she asked Mr. Mayasich what to do, he replied, “Have you tried L-O-V-E?”
Joe’s brother, Jim, was also a teacher in the Franklin, his brother, Bernard, served on the school board, sister-in-law Mary Ann worked in the Business Office, and his daughter, Debra, taught in the Franklin for 29 years.
Members of my family that have attended the Eveleth Schools span 9 decades, beginning with my Aunt Mary Mayasich, who began school in the early 1920s, all the way up to the year 2004, when my youngest child, Johanna Gunderson, received her diploma.
Paul ‘Buck’ Lavato
I don’t think the Franklin should ever have been considered to be closed. And least of all, it should not be demolished. There wasn’t enough thought given into this project and if there was, they would have saved that Franklin school and many of the other buildings and they would have ended up with a great deal of money remaining for the industrial end concept that they talked about. They would have had millions to spend in that direction in addition to what was already spent. I had a hard time with some of that thought process. We were rushed into this project. Joe Begich had it all summed up when he said we have a runaway freight train.
Because Joe Begich felt the same way, that the buildings that could have been used should have been used, the ones that we have that were in such good shape.
Eveleth didn’t get a fair shake in the voting process. And people had to stand in line (a long time at the Eveleth Auditorium). I even missed the funeral because I had to stand in line so long.
It was all done improperly as far as I was concerned. They only had one precinct open.
Eveleth’s buildings were—are—in excellent shape as compared with Virginia’s buildings.
Virginia did not lose anything. Their buildings that were demolished needed so much work. But yet they have a new elementary school right in their residential area. How could you miss on that? Virginia got what they wanted this whole deal, and I give Virginia credit to get everything they wanted over there.
Eveleth will recover from all this. We always do. That’s my final statement.
Bill Lavato
Several years ago, an article was written about declining enrollments in our area schools and showed a drastic decline. The consolidation between Eveleth and Gilbert went quite well and the students were well served by this combination. Time will show that the students of the combination of Eveleth, Gilbert and Virginia will do just fine. All 3 Schools can boast about the number of highly successful students that graduated from our schools and I’m certain this will continue. The new schools are really nice but we have to remember it’s teachers, parents and kids not buildings that will produce successful graduates.
It’s a shame that we couldn’t find a use for our school buildings in our 3 towns as they may be old but so well built and well taken care of. As an Eveleth person I always was impressed and proud of our campus situation. What was lacking was taken care of when the buildings were connected in the 1990’s.
I just hate to see all those trucks loaded with the steel and bricks being hauled to the landfill.
Melissa Lautigar
The closing of the Franklin is a bittersweet one for me. I spent 27 of my 29 years in this great building. The Franklin doesn’t include the building itself, it is a campus. It includes a football field, a playground, a sliding hill, and a skating rink. That is what I think people will miss the most. Even the current residents.
I will remember walking around the playground in the morning talking to kids about their next big adventure, helping the kids slide down the hill, and starting an impromptu snowman building competition, where everyone wins! (No snowball fights though, that is against the rules.) We will miss the forts, which if someone else would destroy it, the office would find out about it in no time at all. Football games, where it might get a little rough at times, so the operation would get shut down for a week or year. (Sorry about that, guys!)
Capture the flag is missed by all who played at the Franklin. The space at our new building is just not big enough.
I will miss National Walk Backwards Day, which I made up due to the high winds up on that campus. However, as much as I would say, I will never miss how windy it was up on that hill, I think the Laurentian winds are just as bad! My Karma I suppose.
As for the building itself, the large classrooms and storage spaces are already missed. The Franklin activity room, where many performances were given. My dragon in the basement, which I would tell the kids I had when the mine would blast. shaking the building. I just told them that my dragon was hungry. Laurie Jam and Maxine Perko said they set up haunted houses in the basement, which scared the kids out of their minds…never wanting to return. Now I know why we never had a problem with the kids sneaking down there. Seeing all of the art work in the halls. You would find yourself in a mini art museum a lot of times at the Franklin. Every piece looking a little different. You would think that it wouldn’t change going into a new building, but they didn’t include spaces for things such as art there. Sadly enough, I miss seeing people. We see the people in our wings most often in our new building. Unless we step out of our comfort zone, we never see anyone.
The sweet part is that many of our traditions are still being carried out by the people who have them. Blanket making, gingerbread houses, Track and Field Day, etc. we are just doing it somewhere else.
Just like everyone else in Eveleth, I wish that there was some way to repurpose the Franklin. It is such a study and sound building. It will be a sad day when it comes down. I will be there crying just as I did for the Jr. High and the Gilbert campus. It’s time for me to lock those memories away and move on to new adventures. It is the only way to keep my mind healthy. I cannot to angry at something I cannot control. This new direction is what is right for our kids at this time. I’m excited about that. Farewell Franklin you were so good to me for so many years. Nothing will ever be able to replace you.
Karen Terrio
I am a Franklin School “Lifer.”
You can never forget your old elementary school. In my case I’m not likely to since I attended school here for 7 years, did my practicum and student teaching here, and then taught here for 35 years, minus a lay-off and some child-rearing leaves. I often say that the teachers who
mentored me taught me everything I know.
My earliest memories of the Franklin School go back to 1963 when I entered school and became a kindergartner in Mrs. Daly’s class. I vividly remember lining up to go home on the bus at lunch time from morning kindergarten. When Mrs. Vito retired she gave me lots of goodies, some of which I still have. Now they’re vintage, and I appreciate them even more now.
Another thing I remember best is the beautiful mural. When I was in elementary school it was
located in the cafeteria, not the library. When that space served as the cafeteria, you really could see the mural, as nothing blocked the view. It was also the brightest thing in the room! I occasionally ate hot lunch and I remember sliding the tray down the rails to get that piece of white bread that tasted so much better than what I had at home. I now know it was from the Italian Bakery, and our bread came from the grocery store.
One more thing I thought about was going to the library on the first floor and checking out my favorite books. When I was teaching here, I found a library card with my name carefully written in cursive, still in the pocket of a “Little House” book.
I began my career in the large room on the first floor that began its life as the library. It was big, but it didn’t exactly have any storage or bulletin boards, but I made it work! I was thrilled to be teaching and learning from the best first grade team.
Sometime before I began working at the Franklin, there were even more students, and a wall was put up to divide that big kindergarten to make more classrooms. All 3 of our (Karen and husband Mark Terrio)
daughters attended kindergarten in the same room I did. I asked them for their memories. Beth remembered things about when the school was being remodeled like having to move to a new
room for part of the year. Amy mentioned Kidpix in the brand new
computer lab. Erin’s memory was of the sliding hill and bringing roll up sleds. Since the playground was the coldest spot in all of Eveleth, I think people only remember the good parts.
I also was thinking about my own first grade teacher, Mrs. Gruska. I know she was the one who influenced me to be a teacher. As a child, I thought the school was the biggest, most beautiful place. I can still see the building entrance before they added the walkway to the high school. It was a welcoming entry with the glass cases and beautiful flooring. The big flagpole area comes to mind as well as the large trees and cast-iron fences just waiting for a foolish child in the dead of winter.
As I was preparing to retire, I had stuff out all over the desks and tables, and I was doing more reminiscing than packing at that point. It was hard to decide what to keep. I realized just how many students I had who I still keep in touch with. I even taught my future son- in-law. I also consider myself lucky to have made many close friends while teaching. On the last day of school in 2019, as I prepared to walk out the door for the last time, I wasn’t sad. I had a brand-new granddaughter to spoil, and change is good. I was ready for the next chapter which would continue with our daughters and their families with grandkids currently numbering 7, and of course my husband Mark. I was doing my next job as a stay-at-home grandma. I think of the school often, especially when they used it as North Star for these two years, and I was more than ecstatic when they saved the mural.
Franklin, you were a grand school. You served the community well for many years. I’ll always be able to remember you exactly as you were, in 1963, and beyond. And for a lifer like me, that’s a lot of memories.
Cammy Newman
It is with sadness to see the closing of such a beautiful school with great bones and the most wonderful campus!
Living across the street, this is where I learned to play marbles, ride a bike, fly kite and hang on the monkey bars. All the neighborhood kids played here. Everything was right there.
Three generations of my family attended school there. It was the greatest place to work. Beautiful views! Great people to work with and too many memories to ever mention.
Maxine Perko
My first year of school was in kindergarten at the Franklin School. The room was on the west side of the building on the first floor, in those big rooms with the fireplaces. I loved kindergarten with Miss Captinelli. We even had a music program in our room inviting our parents and playing instruments.
The old principal’s office was nurse Miss Malevich’s office. We were even given shots at school and sugar cubes and medical exams. The women that taught were not married so all of the women were Miss.
Then we moved to the other side of town and I attended Lincoln School now the DAC. One of the funny things I remember is that when I got to the Lincoln School, the kids would run to the bus and yell to the “Franklin bums,” and they would open the bus windows and yell back to the “Lincoln bums.” I guess I was a Lincoln bum and a Franklin bum.
When I was in junior high, we would walk to Franklin School for home ec on the third floor, the rooms with those thick glass cubed windows. We cooked and sewed up there. The cafeteria was on the third floor where the library is today. On the right side was a long counter where they served the meals. There was a dumb waiter that always intrigued me. Because I lived in town, I rarely had an opportunity to have hot lunch. But they made the best goulash—it was awesome.
You know how you remember where you were when major events happen? I was 13 just ready to go to home ec when we heard that John F. Kennedy was shot. I will never forget that day and where I was.
In 1975 I was so excited as I’d been hired for a first-grade position at the Franklin. By that time the Lincoln School had closed and all of those teachers transferred to the Franklin. Jim Mayasich had been my sixth-grade teacher, and he team-taught with Paul Lavato, who later became the Franklin principal.
I taught first grade there for 30 years, teaching in several rooms, always hoping that the opportunity would come for me to teach another grade, but it never came up.
Speaking of moving up, I always wanted to move up to the top. On June 3, 2012, when I planned to retire, I always had wanted to go up on the roof. The gift is that it was before drones, and I have the most amazing pictures of everything around the Franklin, which I am sure will be treasured now.
It is hard to understand how sad this is for us who were born here, have gone to school here, taught here, and have had our children be educated here and now have to go through this big change. But we will hold on to our memories and hope that something good will come out of this.
Annette Kochevar
I was born and raised in Eveleth, did not go to the Franklin school. I went to the Lincoln.
I taught third grade in Hoyt Lakes, Duluth and Chisholm and then I came back to Eveleth. (Her late husband, Bobo Kochevar, also taught there.)
I always thought the Franklin was just a beautiful school. As kids, though, we’d say the Franklin school is too big for us. We liked the little Lincoln School. It was a beautiful school, you know, and it still is. (DAC is located there.)
I feel really sad that the Franklin School will be gone. I wish that they had gotten people interested in buying it, but evidently nobody was very interested.
Maybe they’ll still get someone for the Franklin School. It’s sad to see a beautiful campus demolished. And if you’re from Eveleth and you went to school in Eveleth, you have very sad feelings.
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