Milo Okkema

Our Teachers

A long over due collection of tribute pages to the individuals who accepted the challenge of educating us.

Mr. Milo Okkema

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D. Bart Richardson:

So do you recall how for every test Milo would hand out a review sheet of what you had to know for the test. Sure enough, every test was exactly off that review sheet. So I used to take the review sheet, type up all the answers to the test and then sell them for like $1.00 each (a start to a sales career). So one day Milo calls me in after class (I was scared to death), and he told me he had confiscated several of the answer sheets during a test, because people were using them to cheat. He asked me if I had made them, which I admitted, and he asked me why I made them: I told them they were a good study tool, and so why not sell them. I’ll never forget this, he actually smiled, laughed, and started quizzing me on the stuff on the sheet, to see if I had used it to cheat. I nailed the answers, and he handed me the particular test (which I got a 97 on because a 100 was statistically impossible) and told me not to sell them anymore. I think USII was the only class I ever got an A in.


Another Milo story grabbed off the Internet:

 

He was my last period class…the class from 2:00 to 3:00 and his room was on the west side of the building near the clock tower so the afternoon sun would pour in, and put me sleep everytime! I was a horrible student, but I didn’t mean to be, I just kept falling asleep. I can however recite the Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution by heart because “Milo” made us memorize it for our senior history test. I also have always remembered John Donne “Ask not for whom the bell tolls” which “Milo” had over the classroom door.

Paul McCubbin:

I will say that some of my college professors provided their classes with notes which would have stood the test of time, as well as a couple of my high school teachers, Milo Okema comes to mind.

I had him for an elective class in Economics. His notes were typed on both sides of the mimeograph sheets he would hand out. He had so much to say he would even turn the sheets on their sides and type, no white space was wasted by this good Dutchman. I feel very fortunate to have been taught by him at his peak because it was clear to everyone in the class that he was giving this subject his all. He retired five years later in 1980 at the modest age of 55, thanks to a hard fought teachers union contract which was negotiated in the early 1970s. No doubt his thriftiness helped make his pension go further than for most.

hadn’t thought about Milo Okkema for a long time when I saw the recent obituary for Paul Samuelson. You see Mr Okkema used the classic Samuelson Economics textbook for an experimental class in Economics he taught at RHS in 1974-75. My brother came home from college one time and noticed me reading this tome and he said it was the same textbook being used at the University of Pennsylvania, and no doubt hundreds of other institutions. This observation made me feel good about taking such a demanding class as a 10th grader, with mostly Juniors and Seniors as my classmates.

Mr Okkema was a great teacher, not only because he was so demanding and expected plenty from everybody. He was a great teacher because he prepared himself so well and gave us very precise and detailed study guides for his exams. He was a thrifty sort and would type on the edges of the “ditto” sheets he would provide for every class. You would easily remember these if you were blindfolded and a fresh one was waved in front of your nose.

Mr Okkema produced vast loyalty among his students, especially those who could see they were being instructed by a man whose mind was sharp as a tack. He also would illicit great scorn by those who were afraid or didn’t want to be challenged intellectually. These poor souls would taunt him behind his back and were incapable of seeing how lucky there were.

As for myself, I went along for the ride and when I left at the end of the year with a “B” for my efforts I knew I had been taught economics by an expert. And as it turned out I ended up with a college degree in Economics. Though sad to say I never had as memorable professor as Milo Okkema, nor one who has inspired a page in his memory on Facebook.

Here is a sample of comments from his students left in his memory on Facebook:

Kathy Youngberg Lynam:

Wow I had him he was cool

Bob Baumler

He made everyone memorize the Declaration of Independence…he was great.

Paulie K Kennelly:

He made me better! At everything!

Chris Gubb:

’75 Best ever. Inspired this average student in so many ways.

Kim Striegel:

’88…one of my favorite teachers!!!

Suellen Wood Sager:

’83 Milo!!!!

Sarah Haj-Hariri:

I loved him! He brought our whole class to his home for lunch and homemade strawberry ice cream at the end of the year.

Patrick McNiff:

’73 he was scary but great – fair but no BS – one of my favorites.

Nick George:

We really were blessed with the best teachers, I can barely recall names of college professors, but the team at RHS? Vivid memories.

Jessica Parsons:

That was my history teacher. class of ’84

Steve Raab:

I had Mr. Okkema in my sophomore year. We drove that poor man crazy! But I always respected the passion he had for history.

Elissa Viarengo:

Just seeing this now. Remember him well. Peace to him and his family.

Joshua Shannon:

I remember a quote on the back wall of his classroom: “keep on keeping on.” Kind of became my anthem! Thanks Milo

Thomas Scott Rober
ts:

“It’s all about interest backed up by power.”

John Hazekamp:

Been a while since visiting this page… Mr. Okkema, remember that face all too well, even today, peace be with you, sir.

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Our Teachers

A long over due collection of tribute pages to the individuals who accepted the challenge of educating us.

Mr. Milo Okkema

D. Bart Richardson:

So do you recall how for every test Milo would hand out a review sheet of what you had to know for the test. Sure enough, every test was exactly off that review sheet. So I used to take the review sheet, type up all the answers to the test and then sell them for like $1.00 each (a start to a sales career). So one day Milo calls me in after class (I was scared to death), and he told me he had confiscated several of the answer sheets during a test, because people were using them to cheat. He asked me if I had made them, which I admitted, and he asked me why I made them: I told them they were a good study tool, and so why not sell them. I’ll never forget this, he actually smiled, laughed, and started quizzing me on the stuff on the sheet, to see if I had used it to cheat. I nailed the answers, and he handed me the particular test (which I got a 97 on because a 100 was statistically impossible) and told me not to sell them anymore. I think USII was the only class I ever got an A in.


Another Milo story grabbed off the Internet:

 

He was my last period class…the class from 2:00 to 3:00 and his room was on the west side of the building near the clock tower so the afternoon sun would pour in, and put me sleep everytime! I was a horrible student, but I didn’t mean to be, I just kept falling asleep. I can however recite the Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution by heart because “Milo” made us memorize it for our senior history test. I also have always remembered John Donne “Ask not for whom the bell tolls” which “Milo” had over the classroom door.

Paul McCubbin:

I will say that some of my college professors provided their classes with notes which would have stood the test of time, as well as a couple of my high school teachers, Milo Okema comes to mind.

I had him for an elective class in Economics. His notes were typed on both sides of the mimeograph sheets he would hand out. He had so much to say he would even turn the sheets on their sides and type, no white space was wasted by this good Dutchman. I feel very fortunate to have been taught by him at his peak because it was clear to everyone in the class that he was giving this subject his all. He retired five years later in 1980 at the modest age of 55, thanks to a hard fought teachers union contract which was negotiated in the early 1970s. No doubt his thriftiness helped make his pension go further than for most.

hadn’t thought about Milo Okkema for a long time when I saw the recent obituary for Paul Samuelson. You see Mr Okkema used the classic Samuelson Economics textbook for an experimental class in Economics he taught at RHS in 1974-75. My brother came home from college one time and noticed me reading this tome and he said it was the same textbook being used at the University of Pennsylvania, and no doubt hundreds of other institutions. This observation made me feel good about taking such a demanding class as a 10th grader, with mostly Juniors and Seniors as my classmates.

Mr Okkema was a great teacher, not only because he was so demanding and expected plenty from everybody. He was a great teacher because he prepared himself so well and gave us very precise and detailed study guides for his exams. He was a thrifty sort and would type on the edges of the “ditto” sheets he would provide for every class. You would easily remember these if you were blindfolded and a fresh one was waved in front of your nose.

Mr Okkema produced vast loyalty among his students, especially those who could see they were being instructed by a man whose mind was sharp as a tack. He also would illicit great scorn by those who were afraid or didn’t want to be challenged intellectually. These poor souls would taunt him behind his back and were incapable of seeing how lucky there were.

As for myself, I went along for the ride and when I left at the end of the year with a “B” for my efforts I knew I had been taught economics by an expert. And as it turned out I ended up with a college degree in Economics. Though sad to say I never had as memorable professor as Milo Okkema, nor one who has inspired a page in his memory on Facebook.

Here is a sample of comments from his students left in his memory on Facebook:

Kathy Youngberg Lynam:

Wow I had him he was cool

Bob Baumler

He made everyone memorize the Declaration of Independence…he was great.

Paulie K Kennelly:

He made me better! At everything!

Chris Gubb:

’75 Best ever. Inspired this average student in so many ways.

Kim Striegel:

’88…one of my favorite teachers!!!

Suellen Wood Sager:

’83 Milo!!!!

Sarah Haj-Hariri:

I loved him! He brought our whole class to his home for lunch and homemade strawberry ice cream at the end of the year.

Patrick McNiff:

’73 he was scary but great – fair but no BS – one of my favorites.

Nick George:

We really were blessed with the best teachers, I can barely recall names of college professors, but the team at RHS? Vivid memories.

Jessica Parsons:

That was my history teacher. class of ’84

Steve Raab:

I had Mr. Okkema in my sophomore year. We drove that poor man crazy! But I always respected the passion he had for history.

Elissa Viarengo:

Just seeing this now. Remember him well. Peace to him and his family.

Joshua Shannon:

I remember a quote on the back wall of his classroom: “keep on keeping on”. Kind of became my anthem! Thanks Milo

Thomas Scott Roberts:

“It’s all about interest backed up by power.”

John Hazekamp:

Been a while since visiting this page… Mr. Okkema, remember that face all too well, even today, peace be with you, sir.

1967 Arrow

1969 Arrow

1971 Arrow

1975 Arrow

1983 Arrow

1980 Arrow

1980 Arrow