I was 16 years old on April 18, 1958 and still living in Kasson, MN. I would be moving with my family to Rochester, MN in late summer of 1959 in time for Junior year at Rochester Lourdes High School.
Having reached the magic age of 16, it was time to get my driver's license. I had taken the written test, passed with flying colors, and was issued a permit. I logged the necessary driving time with one or the other parent and maybe even with my older brother Mike who already had a driver's license.
So, on the appointed day, I drove our 1955 Dodge Station Wagon to the testing site, the Mantorville, MN Courthouse, some 3 miles north of Kasson. Mantorville back then had a population of about 500. I suppose mom had gone along as the licensed driver.
The Courthouse is shown below in two 4/5/1980 Photos at different angles. The area to the left in the 2nd photo is (was) a parking lot where my driver's test started.
One end of the Mantorville,MN Courthouse 4-5-1980
The Other end of the Mantorville,MN Courthouse 4-5-1980 (Parking Lot is to the Left in the Photo)
Mom removed herself from the car and the Tester got in the passenger side where she had been sitting. We started the test by exiting from the parking lot onto the road and proceeded with the elements of the test including stopping at a stop sign (there were no traffic lights nor traffic!), turning left, turning right, parallel parking and emergency stopping.
I was doing quite well I thought until we arrived back at the Courthouse parking lot. After a (long) few moments of silence during which my Tester made notes and added up some numbers, he informed me that I had performed quite well on my test but that he "needed" to fail me because I had made a fatal error at the start of the test! Before I exited the courthouse parking lot onto the street, I didn't stop. Even though there was no stop sign there, I was required to stop. I could have caused an accident (had any cars been around).
I was disappointed, but not emotionally crushed that I had failed. The worst I had to endure was breaking the news to buddies I had told about my testing date who might think me a "dummy" But that was not their response. Some of them had failed also.
It was not too long after my failure that I tested again and passed. The second time I did stop at the courthouse parking lot exit exit before entering the road! My reward that evening was to drive by myself to the local Kasson drive-in to get a root beer and hot dog. I remember suddenly having a great feeling of independence and freedom!
