Editor’s Note: Lambert “Pete” Peterson submitted his story on May 29, 2013 as part of the District’s Centennial year celebration. Read the Statesman interview with Mr. Peterson from June 23, 2016.
In 2014, Mr. Peterson was named a Round Rock Local Legend by the City of Round Rock.
Lambert “Pete” Peterson passed away November 7, 2021 at the age of 105. Read Mr. Lambert’s obituary.
When silent movies cost 15 cents and talkies 35 cents, we all carried lunch buckets to school.
In the Fall of 1932, my parents, Carl W. and Elin Anderson Peterson, sent me, their youngest child still living at home to Round Rock to finish my last two years of high school in town. Previously all of us boys, five including me and four sisters (one died in childbirth) attended nine grades at the country school, Caldwell Heights, which was close to our farm.
“A very special teacher I remember was Helen Booth who went to bat for Mitchell Wolf so he could graduate with our class. Mitchell was very smart, but missed a lot of school to help work on the family farm. Because of Miss Booth, Mitchell did graduate with us, and went on to be a very successful top construction foreman. One of his many success stories is the work he oversaw on the construction of Bergstrom Air Force Base that was completed in 1942.”
Being good size, I played football both years at Round Rock High School and still have my awards sweater with two stripes. My mother had kept it in the cedar chest. In 1932, my teammates were S.C. Inman, Noel Inman, Jack Carlson, Otto Linder, Harry Robertson, J.R. Gill, Louis Henna, Nick Bradley, Eugene Bradley, Leon Anderson, and Billy Henna. But Billy quit the team, decided walking downtown to get odd jobs to make money was more to his liking. Said sometimes he made as much as 75 cents a day. In 1933, Gale Halton, Mitchell Wolf, Theo Zimmerman and Clyde Parker joined the team. Our coach for both years was O.F. Perry.
The football field was located behind the school, and it was our job to clean rocks off the field before each game. You probably can still see piles of rocks we pitched over the bank toward the creek. Everyone said we had the best football field in the area.
A very special teacher I remember was Helen Booth who went to bat for Mitchell Wolf so he could graduate with our class. Mitchell was very smart, but missed a lot of school to help work on the family farm. Because of Miss Booth, Mitchell did graduate with us, and went on to be a very successful top construction foreman. One of his many success stories is the work he oversaw on the construction of Bergstrom Air Force Base that was completed in 1942.
Thanks to my mother, Elin Anderson Peterson, I have the only 1934 Round Rock High School photo album. When I told her the price of $6.75 was too much, she immediately said, “But I want it!” As far as I know, these are the oldest photos of Round Rock High School students and teacher pictures. Thank you, Mother.
