I Like Bud

[S. Lorenzo Times]

Steve Artis, John Blackburn, Billy Petersen, and Ron Wilper, young political activists.

Ron Wilper just received some interesting photographs from Idaho State University, and forwarded them to us. He says "The photos were taken shortly after high school graduation. The older fellow in the middle is Bud Davis, Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate. He ran in a crowded field and won the primary with the help of our publicity stunt. We rode from Bonners Ferry to Bear Lake and were photographed by every newspaper along the way. Two weeks and 1,000 miles later we were finished. Bud Davis lost by 2% to James McClure in the general election. Joanne Brady and Kay Hummel were also involved in the Davis campaign. Two years later the four of us bikers were off to Oñate." 

The young riders pose with Bud Davis.

We were all much younger then, but I know that color film had been invented years before. These photos were probably destined to be published in a black and white newspaper. The call of the open road persisted and all four traveled much of Europe from their base at San Lorenzo in Oñate. Ron hitch hiked across Spain by himself, and Billy made an epic solo trip to London through Paris, also by thumb. I think he was bringing back scripts for the theater class, if anyone knows that story please fill us in.

[Michael Brunelle]

What was the connection between this ride and the journalism class taught senior year at Bishop Kelly High? I know that all or most of the people mentioned above were involved with that class and the school paper.

[Guillermo (Bill) Yriberri]

Great photos and story!

It's really nice to see the beginnings of the friendship that began in high school, continued through Oñate days, and has lasted a life time for many of you.

I'd be interested to know how many students attended Bishop Kelly in your days. As well as Mike's question above. ... Thanks for sharing.

[Ron Wilper]

Bill, in answer to your question about the Bishop Kelly High School connection with the Onate class of 1974-75, I can tell you that the following students attended Bishop Kelly: John and Kitty B. Blackburn, Kay Hummel, Joanne Brady, Billy Petersen, Steve Artis, Dennis Stevenson, Ron Wilper, Chris, Mary, Dave, John and Mark Bieter, Paul Tiddens, John Peterson, Francis Hoene, Dick Jayo, Mike Brunelle, Bonnie Ansuotegui, Theresa Goicechea, Jim Shiele and someone I'm forgetting. Help me out guys.
Some of the connections between us run very deep. Steve Artis, John Blackburn, Ron Wilper, John Peterson, Joanne Brady and Theresa Goicechea met each other for the first time fifty years ago this week, I think it was Septemer 5th, 1960, the first day of the first grade at Sacred Heart elementary school in Boise. There were 62 kids in that class and one Benedictine Nun, Sister Amada. The Kennedy-Nixon campaigns were going strong that first few weeks of school and everyone had a favorite. Most of us loved JFK because he was one of us catholics and he was just a great guy. My favorite ditty was "Kennedy's in the White House ready to be elected. Nixon's in the trash can ready to be collected." But I digress.
Our senior year at BK in 1972 was memorable. Steve Artis was student body president and Dennis Stevenson was his vice-president. Mike Brunelle was Senior class president and I was his vice-president. Theresa Goicechea was captain of the cheerleaders. Francis Hoene was valedictorian of the class. Joanne was Billy Petersen's girlfriend. Billy and Francis are first cousins. John Blackburn was Petersen's best friend. John Peterson played football and wrestled. Kay Hummel was a very good student , politically active and probably a member of mensa. I was a member of dense-uh.
Our journalism adviser that year was a young A.P. journalist named Jay Shelleday. 1972 was the first presidential election after the passage of the 26th amendment which gave 18 year olds the right to vote. All the candidates neded "youth coordinators" and Shelleday was persuasive enough to convince Billy Peterson, Steve Artis and John Blackburn to work for Bud Davis. I tagged along. Joanne and Kay were also very active in the campaign.
The four of us, Petersen, Blackburn, Artis and I agreed to ride our bikes from Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Bear Lake, Idaho to campaign for Bud. The "Great Idaho Peddle" took us two weeks from the last week of June through the first week of July. We covered 1,000 miles and peddled most of the way. We were forced to hitch rides once in a while to avoid butterfly swarms and wolf attacks, but we rode most of it. Kay Hummel bet me a case of beer that I wouldn't make it, apparently because I was carrying enough spare tires for the four of us and I smoked more than the others, and I wasn't what you would call "in good shape", or "physically fit", or "coordinated" but we all made it and Bud won the primary election. We had numerous adventures along the way. Kay made good on our wager but insisted that a case of beer was a six pack. I accepted because we did cheat a little, plus Kay was so naive that I believed her when she claimed she really thought a case and a six pack were synonymous and she knew more about the law applicable to the construction of ambiguous contracts than I did. Anyway, the brain trust that is the democratic party in Idaho thanked us and let us go and lost the general election in a squeaker.
Two years later the four of us bikers and Kay, Francis, Kitty B., Brunelle, et al. were all on our way to Onate.

Bill, I have one question for you completely off the subject. There was a man named Yriberri killed on Wake Island during WWII and I wondered if he was a relative of yours. If you know.

I think it'sa great that you're retired and living in Onate. Ron

[Connie (Murphy) Anderson]

Ron--didn't know if you knew that both Murphy girls briefly attended Sacred Heart School. I think I was a year behind you and Diane was a year ahead. My first grade teacher was Sister Mary Edwards, I think. We moved to Juntura Ore during my first grade year. What a shock--I kept calling the teacher sister. There were twice as many kids in my first grade room at Sacred Heart than were in the entire school in Juntura! Thanks for an explanation of all the connections.

Connie

[Michael Brunelle]

Connie,
I was in that first grade class with you, and so was Sheila Fritz and about 60 other six year olds. Since we were seated alphabetically you would have been in about the center of the room. That was a big class, and strictly regimented. We were always alphabetical, went everywhere in lines, even to the bathroom, and at recess the boys and girls played separately (I think this was by choice rather than Catholic school rules). No wonder some of us never met each other!

[Connie (Murphy) Anderson]

Yes, I remember the lines!! I always wonder who got to play my part in the play we were practicing when we moved. I was the letter "O". Weird what you remember from all those years ago.