Voice of the People:

I was talking with Jim Loy the other day, who is the editor of the Umbrella newsletter for the Westchester Village Condo Association members. We were talking about the 40th reunion coming up for the CHS Class of 1961 which he had mentioned in the June issue of his publication and he asked me, who was Goldsborough, anyway?

Jim, I'm glad you asked me that!

Mr. F. M. Goldsborough was a long-time Principal and outstanding math teacher at Chesterton High School. He started when CHS was located at the current site of the Westchester Public Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, in Chesterton. It later became Thomas Elementary School when the then, new, Chesterton High School was built at 600 W. Morgan and completed in 1927. My Father, Dick Smith, attended both schools and had Mr. Goldsborough for math and later taught me some math short-cuts that he had learned at that time.

My Father graduated from CHS in 1928, went on to Indiana University, and said that Mr. Goldsborough was the best teacher he ever had. Mr. Goldsborough died in 1955 in the classroom, teaching his favorite subject. Goldsborough Gymnasium was completed finally in the fall of 1960 after the first contractor went broke, and Larson & Danielson Construction Co. of LaPorte, finished it.

That gym was the largest in the county at that time so we hosted the Basketball Sectionals until Valpo finished their new high school in the late 60's. By the way, that old CHS building on Morgan Avenue, built in 1927, was torn down in 1969 to make way for the addition of the Speckhard Auditorium and swimming pool. And now, that whole complex is being converted to the Chesterton Middle School to be opened this fall.

As you may know, our class of 1961 was privileged to be the first to graduate in Goldsborough Gym. Thanks, again Mr. Goldsborough!

Tom H. Smith

CHS Class of 1961