Two teachers have passed away, art teacher Mr. Wetherbee and English teacher Mr. Manis.
Mr. Wetherbee was a top turret gunner on a B25 during World War II;  he was 88.
Mr. Manis attended our 40th Reunion because he wanted to visit with us, a class  he thought was flush with students with great potential!  He amazed us all with his recollections of his time with us at WRHS.  Rest assured that when he left us that October day he left knowing he had been right about us and he left having felt the respect and appreciation of his former students.

Steve Anthony: "Mr. Manis was certainly a pivotal person during my time at Wheat Ridge.  He helped me to focus on writing well, no matter the subject or reason. I was a bit scared of him at first. Then I realized that what I saw as a strict and somewhat gruff personage was in fact a man who loved the English language and literature and wanted to plant, instill, pass on that passion to his students.
 
I'll never forget his nicotine stained fingers and how he always smelled of Camel cigs...his white short sleeved shirts with ties that never seemed to know why they were attached to him. They always seemed like an afterthought. 
 
In my young imagination, I saw him as a refugee from the editorial staff of some large, mid-western city newspaper. He had the brusque, no-nonsense air about him....powerful and ready to tackle any assignment.
 
Wow....another loss."

If you would like to correspond with Mr. Manis' daughter,  send me an email and her address will be sent to you.  ljlarson17@msn.com

 

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