News Jan 24
Those who attended the 4th birthday party in Concordia last Saturday for Maggie Elias were:  Marge Elias; Travis and Tina Elias, Tanner and Katie; Mike and Jerilyn Stull, Tayler and Colby; Craig Stull, Katelynn and Matt; Jaime, Brandi and Macy McClure; Grandpa & Grandma Alan & Sherry Rupp; Katie Basgall and Mikala and parents, Doug and Staci Elias.
 
If you have your e-mail address listed on the McCracken Alumni web-site, please check to see if it is correct.  If not, please e-mail the web-master and give him your right one.  We noticed there are quite a few that need to be changed. Many Thanks!!
 
Wednesday was the last day for our postmistress, Leann Webs.  She thanks all the McCracken residents for everything.  She is being replaced by Maureen Georg.  Leann is going back to the LaCrosse post office. 
 
LOOKING BACK Feb 25, 1921 - The boy’s basketball game at Ransom Friday night was a rough but interesting game.  The McCracken boys didn’t get started until the last half on account of the small court and low ceiling.  The score at the end of the first half was 16-5 in favor of Ransom.  The second half our boys went in determined to win.  Ransom scored 3 points in the last half to our 15 giving us the game 19-20.  Those scoring for McCracken were Leslie Hunt, 2 field goals and one free goal, Jim Lovitt 5 field goals and 5 free goals.  The feature of the game was the guarding of Glenn Miller and goal throwing of James Lovitt.  The girl’s game was fast and interesting, but the score was one-sided.  The court was so small only five girls could play on a side.  The Ransom forwards were very good and scored nearly every time they got the ball.  The McCracken girls seemed heavy footed and heavy headed.  The final score was 56 to 20 in favor of Ransom.
 
The Quivera Heights Thunderbirds were the winners at the Winter Jam Basketball Tournament held in Hoisington this weekend.  The girls defeated the Hoisington girls 42-36 and the boys defeated Victoria 52-48.  Hoisington boys placed 3rd by defeating Ellinwood.        Katelyn Morgan, LaCrosse senior was chosen for the girl’s all tournament team, Adam Demel and Cameron Horesky, Hoisington seniors, Marshal Musil and Nick Moeder, LaCrosse were chosen for the boy’s all tournament team.  Jerry Higgins was a referee for the Friday and Saturday night games.
 
Shirley Higgins met Pauline Frazier, McPherson, in LaCrosse Tuesday noon for lunch.  Pauline came to visit her sister-in-law, Gwen Sell.
 
Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, 625 North Hedville Road, Salina, sent the following letter to tell about their successful year.  There have been 117,000 guests visit the park in 2007, the education department has reached 32,000 young people with their programs and they have hosted 11 special events.  They have added Andean bear and several amphibian species to their animal collection this year.  They anticipate having babies in Kid’s Country in the spring. 
 
The Lawton, Oklahoma firefighters battled to save a burning house on the city’s southeast side Saturday morning, but not before the fire caused an estimated $70,000 in damage to the structure and contents of the home.  The fire started in a gas hot water heater that malfunctioned.  The firefighters were able to remove the family’s pet, a collie dog, without incident and no members of the family were home when the fire broke out.  The home belongs to Jim and Carolyn Slemp. 
 
Constitution Hall Historic Site in Lecompton will have their 12th Annual series of talks and dramatic interpretations on the violent conflict over the slavery issue in Kansas Territory 1854 through 1861 beginning Sunday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m. at Lecompton. The program will be “Lecompton:  A National Obsession 1858” by Professor Craig Miner, Wichita State University Department of History.  Virgil Dean, Editor of the Kansas History Journal will also make remarks about Kansas Day and introduce the speaker, Professor Miner.  Professor Miner is a descendant of the Miners of Ness City.  Tim Rues is the curator of Lecompton Historic Site. We know he would be appreciative of Rush county visitors.  This is the 150th anniversary of Lecompton Debate. The four other programs will be listed each week in this column.
 
Brandon Mills, son of Danny and Marilyn Mills, received his Masters Degree in Accounting from Fort Hays State University in December.  He is employed in Garden City.
 
Montana Skinner and Megan Skinner are proud parents of a baby girl, Madeline Hailey Kay, born January 6, 2008.  They are at home in Garden City. 
 
Addie Mills was a Wednesday overnight guest of Evelyn Cosby at LaCrosse.
 
The Red Neck Tenors performed at the Encore Series at Fort Hays on Thursday evening.
Some of those attending were Julius and Lucy Unrein, John and Sharon Irvin,                    John and Janice Stull, Richard and Phyllis Stull, Shirley Harp, Bill Zeller, Julia Zeller, John and Melanie Zeller, Shirley Higgins, Sr. Martina Stegman, Carol Weber, Ruthetta Irvin, Gloria Anders, Elaine Urban, Lila Hallett, Carolyn Thompson and Lorraine Ryan.
 
Orville Durand broke his left arm on Thursday at LaCrosse.  He is in Rush County Memorial Hospital.
 
It was great seeing Phyllis Higgins back home.  She and Madeline Petz were at Mass on Saturday evening.
 
G. T. and Signe Barnes have returned from a trip to New Orleans to attend the National Farm Bureau Convention.
 
McCracken History Notes
January 1908
 
Thomas J. McKittrick died January 19, at his home southwest of McCracken.  He was born in Delaware County, Iowa and came to Ness County, Kansas in 1887.  He married Mary McCormick.  His wife and five children survive him.
 
Mr. F. P. Starrett disposed of his mercantile stock and took in return a 640 acre ranch situated north of Colorado Springs.
 
January 1938
Thomas Ryan, 75, died Sunday in Wichita following an operation.  Surviving are his widow, two daughters, Grace Skaggs and Gladys Ault, sons Claude, Gale and Bill.  Burial was in the McCracken Cemetery.
 
An incident that takes many persons back to the pioneer days when neighbors were good folks, occurred here last week when William Wierman and sons, Albert and Francis, Bus, Chet and Lester McGaughey, E. E. and Lester Ramsey, George Higgins, Max Washaliski, Ed, Leo and Tom Maguire met at the P. H. McKittrick home with buzz saw, cross cuts and axes and spent a day cutting stove wood.
 
January 1948
Former Rush countians now residing in California will hold their annual reunion and picnic in connection with the Annual Kansas Picnic at Bixby Park in Long Beach, Calif. January 25.  Lucille Teter, secretary of the Rush county group announced this week.
 
Gertie’s Café which had been operated for the past two months by the Moses Bros. changed hands the first of the week.  Mr. and Mrs. Glenn McManimie of WaKeeney are the new managers.
 
Albert Janke, farmer, was elected president of the McCracken Community Club.  Gerald Anderson was chosen vice-president; secretary, G. B. Van Winkle and Ivy Irvin, treasurer. The Board of Directors are George Myers, Sylvester Scheideman and Alfred Warta.
 
January 1958
Coach Glenn Conner’s Alexander Cagers extended their win column to four as they defeated the Mustangs 46-43.  McCracken players; Barnes, Irvin, Peters, Showalter, Walker and Rein.  Alexander:  Schlegel, Couch, R. Boese, W. Boese
 
Girl Scout Fly-up Troop No 3 elected officers.  They are Peggy Janke, Janis Eisenhour, Jametta Peters and Kathy Casey.
 
January 1968
Bobbie Rhoades will spend the remainder of the winter in St. David, Arizona.
 
McCracken Grade School downed Arnold grade school 44-32.  Leading the scoring was Johnny Showalter with 14, Steven Sloan 9, Myron Schuckman 6 and DeWayne Foos 5.  The first team is composed of Greg Buster, John Showalter, Steve Sloan, Keith Higgins, DeWayne Foos, Myron Schuckman and Mark Derr.  They had an 11-0 record.  The second team members are Larry Higgins, Frank Foster, David Rogers, Mike Legleiter and John Zeller.  They had a record of 7-0.
 
Born to Mr. and Mrs. James Bromlow, a son, Kris Allen, January 11 at Great Bend.
 
January 1978
McCracken put four players in double figures as the Mustangs bombed Bogue 81-44.  Jerry Casey scored 18, Kellye Irvin 25, Layne Morgan and Craig Stull 11.
 
January 1988
The New Era Club members met at the Davis Café this past Monday.  Those present were Icis Eisenhour, Charlotte Fluharty, Joy Hunter, Adelaide Mills, Doris Jones, Willetta Herdman, Mary Healy and Drewie McGaughey.  Guests were Crystal Ryan and Rev. Lucille Wehmeyer.
 
Todays’s market - wheat $2.77; milo $2.70.
 
January 1998
We have new resident in town.   He is Shawn Kelley of Aurora, Colo.
 
G. T. and Signe Barnes were in Charlotte, North Caroline, from Saturday until Thursday attending the Farm Bureau Convention.