RCNews January 22

Stacey Schkoda will be attending the inaugural in Washington, D.C. this week.  She is one of twenty seven students attending Cornelia Connley High School, Anaheim, California who will attend the festivities. Stacey is a junior and daughter of Keith and Holly Schkoda, granddaughter of George and Joy Hunter.  Also attending the inauguration is Lauren Shapiro, student at Rochester, NY.  She is the daughter of Martin and Cathie Shapiro.
 
Danny and Pat Petz celebrated their 38th anniversary, January 2, in Salina at the Red Lobster. Angie Huggard and Trent Timson met them for supper and they enjoyed the evening together
 
Audra Dale was a guest of her grandmother, Joann Micheli over the New Year holiday.  She left Wednesday for Glenwood Springs, Colorado where she is a student at Colorado Mountain College.
 
Lorraine Ryan returned home last week from Sacramento, California where she was a guest of her daughter, Martin and Cathie Shapiro and Jessie over Christmas. Her granddaughter, Lauren Shapiro, a student in Rochester, New York joined them for Christmas.
 
Nicole Tacha was guest over the New Year weekend of her aunt, Marcia Tacha in Hays.
Marcia is the senior administrative asst. university relations at Fort Hays State.
 
Danny and Pat Petz spent Saturday evening with Debbie and Maurice Haas of La Crosse.  They enjoyed an evening supper at Greg's and then spend the rest of the evening playing different card games. 

Received an e mail from Dean Birdsong wondering where Francis and Julia Zeller were, he hadn’t been able to reach them all week.  I called Francis and he called Dean as soon as I hung up the phone. 
An e mail from a friend in North Dakota told me how very, very cold it has been.  He is a graduate research assistant at North Dakota State University in Fargo.  It was 27* below Thursday morning and 38* below in Aberdeen,
A memorial has been given in memory of Lucille Crotinger to the McCracken Alumni from Jean Oelkers.
Congratulations to Anita Butler on her promotion as director of education and volunteer programs at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure near Salina.  Her responsibilities include planning and implementation of all education programs at the zoo and wildlife museum.  She will also be the primary coordinator for the volunteer programs, overseeing the scheduling of over 150 volunteers. Anita, her husband Jeff and daughter Ursula live in Solomon.  She is the daughter of Bob and Marlene Wilson Funk, Wakeeney.
The Bruce Kershner family had royalty in their family after the basketball game Friday night in LaCrosse. Their son Clinton Edward was crowned Snowball King in the game against Otis-Bison.  The Snowball dance was held Saturday night at the LaCrosse High School.  Those in attendance were Aunt Cheryl and Allen Werth; Stacy Sheetz, Hailee and Braydon; Melissa Thompson and Davis; Uncle Donnie Schuckman; Grandpa House; Grandpa and Grandma Kershner along with his parents Bruce and Ellen Kershner.  His proud little sister, Addie Caroline, wore the King’s crown while Clinton was playing on the basketball court.
Teresa Lovitt underwent surgery in Dodge City Thursday for an ACL injury.  We are  assuming it was an old volleyball injury.
 In honor of the 90th birthday of Icis Eisenhour, an Open House is being held on January 31, 2009, from 2-4 at the Rush County Nursing Home.  Cards may be sent to her at 701 W. 6th St. LaCrosse, KS  67548
 
David Dennis is a new member of the Kansas State Board of Education.  He took office after the Swearing-In Ceremony on Tuesday, January 13 at Topeka administered by Secretary of State, Ron Thornburgh. Other newly elected or re-elected members were Kathy Martin, Carolyn L. Wims Campbell, Walt Chappell and Sue Storm.  Family attending were Dave, Cathy, Brittany and Amanda Dennis and Janet Dennis, Wichita; Eric Dennis, Plattsmouth, Nebraska; Danny and Gail Dennis, Hutchinson and Carolyn Thompson, McCracken.  Also attending were staff members of North High School in Wichita and the Wichita Assistant Superintendent of Schools
 
Congratulations to Carolyn Oller on her 70th birthday on January 24.  She would enjoy your cards.  Send to 617 Terrace Drive, Pratt, KS 67124.
 
The Rush County Relay for Life has been recognized for being in the Top 10 in the United States for per capita fund raising.  The 2008 Relay raised $53,214.03, which equates to $14.35 for every person in the county.  This qualified the county’s Relay for the nation’s elite.
 
The Dream group met at the home of Sr. Joel Christoph in Great Bend on Friday.  Those attending were Christine Wagner, Kathleen Kuchar, Carol Heiman of Hays; Shirley Higgins and Carolyn Thompson, McCracken; Sr. Martina Stegman, Liebenhaus; and the hostess Sr. Joel.
 
Constitution Hall programs – Sundays 2:00 p.m. – Free Admission at Lecompton, Kansas:  January 25 – “Legendary Kansans in the State Capitol”;  February 1, “Lecompton: A National Obsession, 1858” – Craig Miner, professor, Department of History, Wichita State University – book signing following talk.
 
McCracken History Notes
January 1909
 
The eight month old child of W. C. Kaiser southeast of town is very ill with typhoid fever.  The disease was contracted at Almutz (Olmitz).
 
A farmer living down “behind” Otis who is tired of having his farm tramped over by hunters posted a notice on a couple of barrel staves and nailed them on a tree with the following information:  Notis:  Trespasers will be persecuted to the ful extent of 2 mongrul dogs which aint never been overly soshubel to strangers and 1 dubble-barl shot gun which aint loaded with sofy pillers; dam if I aint’ getting tired of this hel- raisin on my property.”
 
January 1919
Bell Telephone is now in operation here.
 
William Ramsey, who works for the coal chutes here, is visiting in Tennessee.
 
January 1929
The high school and city libraries have been combined under the direction of Prof. H. R. Barnard in LaCrosse.
 
McCracken Athletic club has been organized in the upper story in the I. G. A. building.
 
January 1939
Those on hand to cheer the town teams at Brownell Monday night were Mrs. Lucy Fletcher, Mr. and Mrs. Art Shaefer, Frank and Jim Cramer, Leslie Hunt, Maurice Millspaugh, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Bible, Chet McGaughey, Faye Jennings, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Schwab, Misses Laura Yates and Mildred Kleysteuber, Orville Durand, Lawrence Weeks, Woodrow Lovitt, Homer Martz and manager M. L. Morris.
 
Mid-winter specials at Norlins:  Men’s Jackets now $3.95; Men’s Shirts, O’alls and pants now 59 cents; Men’s Corduroy pants $1.95; Men’s and Boy’s Sweaters $1.00.
 
January 1949
McCracken Grade School won from Timken 21-7. Bill Lovitt paced the scoring for the Midgets.  Dight House and Harold Juvenal were high pointers for the regulars.
 
January 1959
Lloyd Elias left Monday of last week for his home in Long Beach, California, after spending the holidays here at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Elias.  He was accompanied to Long Beach by Kay Fear who expects to find employment there.
 
A roadside park along the south side of K-96 west of Alexander in Rush County is in the offing.
 
Ship’ Shore ruffle blouses for $3.95 at the McCormick Hat Shop, LaCrosse.  They are advertised in the Reader’s Digest.
 
January 1969
 The 4-H cooking meeting was held Saturday at the home of Mrs. Marvin Foos.  Members are Susan Wiedeman, Tom, Eddie, Lawrence and Loretta Wierman, Sally Irvin, Patricia Foos and Marilyn Wierman.
 
Allen Dasher, former editor of the Enterprise, has retired from the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph.
 
January 1979
The New Era Club officers were elected Monday.  They are Marjorie Irvin, Jeanette Rogers and Vivian Beeman.
 
Icis Eisenhour is activity director of the Long Term Care unit of the Rush County Memorial Hospital.