Wisconsin High School

60^th  Reunion – September 17, 2020

BIO:       Marty Stone Werth

Received:  8/8/20

 The following is from an interview conducted and written by Judy Siebecker

 Marty moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin 20 years ago.  Her parents and one of Marty’s sons were living there. A year later her Dad passed away. Her Mom lived on to be 92.

Marty said we would be surprised at how much Stoughton has grown from our High School days when they were in the same athletic league. The population is now 12,000.  She likes the small town feel it still has. She feels safe driving there but no longer will drive to or in Madison. A son lives with her.

She has 5 Grandchildren. She has had her first Great Grandchild….a boy they call Ollie, his given name being Oliver. He is 5 months old and already 15 pounds.  Due to the pandemic she has not been able to hold him or see him in person.

Marty went to Randall Elementary.  She wasn’t happy with her parents’ decision to send her to WHS as all her childhood friends were headed to nearby West High. She started WHS in 7th grade.  She remembers how elderly the teachers seemed.  Her Dad, who was a Geography Professor at UW Madison. got a Fulbright Scholarship to Norway.  Mr. Goldgruber said when she returned she would be able to remain with her Class of 1959.  She was put in a Norwegian school and did not understand a thing that year. Upon return for her 8th Grade year she was very upset when Mr. Goldgruber did not keep his promise. That is how Marty joined our class.

Her favorite teachers were Mr. Gale, Science, and Mrs. Karen Johnson.  During High School her family lived near Edgewood on Monroe Street.  Mr. Dawson, Speech Teacher, was a neighbor of theirs which she did not like.  She felt any pranks or things she did he always knew about.  Marty ended up loving WHS.

She shared a story about antiques and Barry Olson. She dated Barry a lot during High School. Her parents’ house was furnished with family antiques. One evening when Barry came to pick her up, he sat on one of the antique chairs and it broke. He was so embarrassed.

Marty keeps busy these days with hobbies of sewing and knitting. She is trying to sell some of the antiques she inherited. Marty had no siblings so everything ended up in her condo. She is a homebody so the pandemic has not changed her days much.

Two dogs are her great companions. One is a cockapoo and the other a mini Dachshund. Both love to cuddle in her lap.

Our class owes Marty a big thank you for being the Chair of our early class reunions. She remembers those committee meetings fondly…..”lots of laughs we had”.

Marty graduated early at midyear. She then left for Stout State in Menonemee.  Molly Hamel, Class of 1959, also was at Stout. Molly and Marty remain in touch. Molly lives in Davis, California where she had a career as a Medical Tech. Her husband is a Pharmacist. Molly’s brother Ray, class of 1958 passed away, from Parkinson’s.

Marty has experienced many losses in her life. She was widowed early after providing several years of caregiving for her husband. She then raised their children as a single parent of children ages 2,12 and 18. She looks back on that time and wonders how she did it. Marty is grateful she found a support group in Madison called Kayra that helped her through that difficult time.

Marty is very opposed to all wars after witnessing her Dad’s suffering after serving in the Pacific theater during WWII.  She is very concerned about how our country has lost status worldwide; is embarrassed at the actions of our current President, and concerned about the potential for election meddling.

Marty loves to chat on the phone. She detests cooking.  If her son can connect her to Zoom she would love “to see everybody for the Sept reunion”.

Hello to our classmates from Marty.