Rock Rapids, Iowa — It was just after World War II. A new teacher and coach came to Rock Rapids High School. His name was Norman Mathers. That probably wouldn’t have received much attention, but a year later, in June of 1948, Mathers and his wife had a baby boy. They named him Gerald, or “Jerry” Mathers.
In 1949, the Mathers family moved to California, where 2-year-old Jerry Mathers was in a few ads, got parts in four movies, and then at the age of nine, landed the part of Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver in the iconic hit TV show, “Leave It To Beaver.”
Fast forward sixty years to the present — and Jerry “Beaver” Mathers, is headed back to his first hometown — Rock Rapids, for the town’s Heritage Days celebration this June.
The man who has been trying to get Mathers to Rock Rapids is former Central Lyon High School English teacher Ken Barker. Barker says the inkling of an idea of getting Mathers to come to Rock Rapids happened in the 1950’s, when he met Jerry Mathers in Kingsley, Iowa. He says he was impressed by Mathers then.
Barker says he also thought that having Mathers come to Rock Rapids could be a boon for the area.
He says while the idea to get Mathers back in northwest Iowa is several decades old, Barker started working on making the idea a reality in 2009.
Barker says there was one more factor that helped him get through to Mathers.
Barker says some of his former students at Central Lyon are donating to help pay for the Beaver’s appearance in Rock Rapids.
He says plans are still being firmed up, but at this time they know that Mathers will serve as the Heritage Days Parade Marshal, that there will be a chance to meet and greet Mathers and his wife, Teresa, and they’re pretty certain that they will attend the Central Lyon Foundation All-School Reunion, all on Saturday, June 17th in Rock Rapids.
