Well, the Marks + Krueger family is in a state of total football chaos this week. Usually, we are able to handle our divided house with a state of grace and mutual respect. But that all changes during the playoffs!
My husband Scott and I may or may not be guilty of offering small bribes to our children for their loyalty to our teams. I know, making a child pick a parent cannot be a healthy thing to do. But it isn’t really picking a parent, is it? It is deciding to cheer for a team that they know and love. It is picking which colors they will choose to wear. And it is putting their hearts and souls into something and living with the outcome.
In honor of this historic weekend in our family, I am posting a few pictures from another historic Packer weekend passed down to me from my grandma, Irmgard Ann Nagel Krueger of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. They are of pictures taken by my grandpa Edgar Robert Krueger from the Green Bay City Stadium dedication on Sunday, September 29, 1957. It wasn’t called Lambeau Field yet. That tribute would not be bestowed until 1965, when team renamed the stadium to honor the passing of team-founder Earl “Curly” Lambeau.
This was a special day in Packer history. Vice President Richard M. Nixon was there to witness the spectacle. The new City Stadium, with a capacity of 32,150, was filled to the brim. Apparently, however, the stadium dedication “was far outshadowed Sunday by the Packers’ surprising 21-17 upset of the Chicago Bears.” “Sterling Packers, Stadium Shine in Dedication,” , Milwaukee Journal (Sept. 30, 1957).
Views of the baton girls and the oh-so-tiny $12,000 press box.
I am not sure why my grandpa focused his attention on the band. Maybe it was the girls? Or he just liked bands? But it sure looks like they had great seats! I am definitely going to have to go digging for the negatives of the game.
I am jealous, proud and happy for my grandparents that they were there. And I am thankful that this special Packer memory is in my family history.
ON THE MARKS 