Ordean Swimming Pool

Ordean Junior High School is where I attended school from grades 7-9. In fact, I was part of the penultimate 9th grade class of Ordean (two years later the Duluth school board system shuffled the deck, and again in 2000...now Ordean houses grades 6-8). Not that I knew or cared to know at the time I went there, but Ordean is named after wealthy Duluth businessman and entrepreneur Albert Ordean, who made his fortune in a variety of investments, including banks, groceries, lumber, and the railroads. He died in 1928 and left a good chunk of public land to the city...later this land was transferred to the Duluth School Board and the Ordean School was built from 1954-1956. Prior to its purchase by Albert Ordean, the land on which Ordean School now resides was originally slated to become an additional 6 holes for the nearby Northland Country Club!

On a more personal note, the history I associate with the Ordean pool is Jason Hammerberg intentionally eating an entire box of Cocoa Puffs cereal in order to puke into the pool at the beginning of gym class, which he performed successfully. He was the hero of the school for the day, as we all got out of gym class that day while the pool was being cleaned!