MY MEMORIES

Charles Glenn Petersen

1953 - Estherville Junior College

When my father realized that I wanted to go to college (and not work for him at the Farmer's Coop Elevator) he encouraged me to enter a program at the then Iowa State College, now University, in the College of Agriculture, specifically for future grain dealers and elevator managers. However, I had worked one summer in an electric shop in town and had my own large model train layout in the basement and I wanted to be an Electrical Engineer.

There was only one problem with either of those plans. Iowa State at that time accepted anyone who graduated in the top half of their high school class. Class rank was more important that grade point. In those days if one maintained a 2.0 GPA in college, one could graduate from that institution. Not that my grades were stellar, I did have a 2.93 GPA coming out of high school. However, I graduated 7th out of 13 and thus in the lower half.

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