Friends and Neighbors: KHS instrumental in the lives of Kerry, Jeri Ferguson

Kimball High School, 1980. Flashback – Kerry Ferguson attended kindergarten through seventh grade at the District 5 school west of Kimball, near his home along Lodgepole Creek.

"Fun for me was camping and fishing along Lodgepole Creek on our farm west of town, duck hunting and playing baseball," Kerry said of his youth.

Kerry transferred to Kimball for eighth grade

"Going to school in Kimball was a lot of fun. It was kind of a culture shock coming in from District 5, where we had five people in my class," he said. "But we were accepted immediately and I made many lifetime friends."

Kerry became an active member of FFA in high school.

"I dabbled in the acting club and will lay claim to the title of worst wrestler ever," Kerry said. "What I really enjoyed was baseball and will always remember playing Legion ball under Coach Dale Hendrickson. He was the type of coach that everyone respected and wanted to work hard for, and he made the game fun. There were lots of us who would have walked through a wall for that guy."

Favorite teachers included Dan Acheson, the vocational agriculture/FFA instructor, chemistry teacher Don Meyer, and the late Dick Strasheim, and English teacher.

"They were all guys who expected a lot out of their students but treated us fairly and made it fun to be in high school," Kerry said.

Enter Jeri Carlson, rumored to be a "really good" volleyball player who transferred from Potter to attend her junior year at Kimball High. Jeri also participated in basketball, track and band.

Kerry, who had never been to a volleyball game, went to watch her play.

"I think a lot of people expected her to be cocky, but she wasn't. What struck me was that she really took an interest in what I was doing in FFA," Kerry said.

Jeri agreed that Don Meyer was a really cool teacher, and she enjoyed the unique experiments they performed in class. Her favorite teachers, like Kerry's, each had a specific gift to pass on.

"Steve Gilliland because he just had a neat way of showing us what was in literature," Jeri said. "Of course Harry McNees, because he was so good at teaching us how to march and play. He was an amazing man."

Jeri and Kerry shared a good friend, Scott Kelsey, so they would occasionally see one another. Since Potter did not have FFA Jeri said she struck up a conversation with Kerry about the group out of interest in the organization.

"I just thought he was a really nice person. He finally asked me out on April 9, 1980, and the rest is history, as they say," Jeri said.

The two began dating, and while they are both proud graduates of 1981, they did not see their class exactly the same.

"Back then Kimball was a much bigger school so it wasn't so much cliquish as it was that you associated with the people you were in the same activities with," Jeri said. "I only spent two years here but they were two great years."

"Honestly, I think we were a little on the cliquish side. We had about 90 in our class and a wide variety of personalities and interests, so I wouldn't say we were a really closely knit class," Kerry said. "But within the groups, we had some really close relationships and at least for me, I formed lots of friendships that will last a lifetime."

"Back then the drive-in was still open, so during volleyball season on the weekends we would head to the drive-in," Jeri said. "During basketball season we would all head to Pizza Hut to have supper after the game. We also had the indoor movie theater that we would go to. Of course we would drag main."

Great memories of school abound for Kerry, who recalls great teachers and coaches, tough wrestling practices and long bus rides.

"Some of my classmates and I still laugh about our mass mutiny when one of our administrators tried to assign us parking spaces. One day we all decided we'd had enough of it and all at once, we went out and moved our cars. The administrator had a fit trying to write us all up, but eventually gave up. Pretty soon we had no more assigned parking," Kerry remembered.

Jeri's favorite memories include state tournaments she feels fortunate to have played in as well as winning district championships.

"Winning district basketball my senior year in the Palace. Our parents had gotten together the night before to make signs. On the bus ride up we were talking about what kind of signs our parents could make. Then we came out of the locker room and the whole Kimball side was plastered with huge cool signs. We were so impressed with our parents," Jeri recalled. "I'll also always remember winning state volleyball my junior year, going to Calgary, Canada, with the band between my junior and senior year and the half time shows the band performed during football season. I could go on for a very long time."

She summed it up with the fact that her years at Kimball high school, both of them, were among the most fun of her life.

The schools are a great source of pride to the community, according to Kerry, who believes that they boast great and caring teachers.

"Unfortunately, I see more of the students having to deal with tougher situations at home, single-parent families and instances where students must help provide for their families. So it's harder for kids to just be kids sometimes," he said. "But I also see situations in which students rise up to help others in need. The recent fundraisers for the Hershey girl with cancer and AJ Spicer's recent auto accident come to mind. Our faculty, staff and students take care of their own but also reach out to others whenever possible."

Coming back to Kimball was always part of the plan, where the couple could raise their family on the farm. Jeri, who teaches at KHS, agreed that Kimball has always been home.

"Since it had always been a dream of mine to come back home and teach, it was just exciting. It was however, at the beginning, kind of surreal being colleagues with people I had as teachers," Jeri said. "But they were really kind and supportive. Having students from people you went to high school with is another interesting thing to experience, but also can be really good."

"Lord willing, we'll stay here and always have a place for our boys to call home," Kerry said. "I think Kimball is a great place to raise a family. We have clean air, great water and a nice location. We live close enough to the bigger cities but don't have all the big city hassles. For me, being able to raise three boys in a rural area was great. They learned values, a good work ethic and made lifelong friends."

Jeri added that the community is family-oriented, and that most people still really care about their neighbors.

"We pull together in the bad times and celebrate together in the good times. We are also very patriotic," Jeri added. "Again, I would say the best thing is how friendly everyone is. You cannot go to the grocery store and not run into someone you know. I love how the community will rise to help people who need it. The school, I still believe, is providing students with a very good learning atmosphere. I am proud of that."

Besides being the setting for their meeting, Kimball schools have played a vital role in the lives of Kerry and Jeri, as she now teaches in Kimball and all three of their boys graduated from Kimball High School.

"I would say that our lives have pretty much revolved around the school. Anyone with active student-athletes knows what I mean," Kerry said. "With Jeri's teaching, coaching and sponsoring of many activities from the Veterans Day program, school dances, mock trial, etc., the school is and will continue to be a focal point I our lives."

"Well, having all five of the people in my family graduate from Kimball High School I would say it has been very important. Now that I also work there makes it another reason why it is very important to me," Jeri said.

"Thirty-five years later (The coupled dated for five years and have been married 30 years as of June 29), she's still pretty cool," Kerry said.