News March 20
Those attending the Monday City meeting were Twila Higgins, Pat Derr, Jean Schutte, Priscilla Jacobs, Laura Lindsey, Ron and Ruth Crawshaw, Betty Greenway, Gary Barnes, Robert Tilford, Shirley Higgins and Jan North.  Shirley and Jan represented the Alumni with questions regarding a cemetery directory for the McCracken Cemetery.
 
Rob, Helena and Austin McGaughey have moved into the home formerly owned by Kellye and Sandy Irvin.
 
Donald Mark Earl, 80, died February 25, 2008 at home.  He was born August 7, 1927 in Livingston, Montana.  He had memories rich with tales of his childhood.  His first pony was a gift from a Blackfoot Indian Chief.  Poor health prevented his desire for one last trip to Montana.  Don retired from the Navy in 1964 after proudly serving his country for 20 years.  His military career began when he enlisted at age 17, serving in both the Pacific and European theaters during WWII.  Stationed aboard four ships and having traveled to every corner of the globe, he had a lifelong love of the sea and enjoyed sharing his stories of adventure with family and friends.  After retiring from the Navy, Don spent the next 25 years developing a successful career in club management.  He first managed the San Juan Capistrano Beach Club in San Clemente, California.  He moved back to Ventura County, overseeing the planning building of the new Enlisted Men’s Club at Construction Battalion Center Naval Base, Port Hueneme.  His second retirement was as club management officer in 1990.  He was one of the first in the worldwide network of military clubs to promote women to managerial positions.  Don was known for his friendly, outgoing demeanor and love of practical jokes, especially those exchanged with his sister-in-law, Joyce Hunter of McCracken, Kansas.  He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Patricia Teter Earl; daughter Susan Welbourn; daughter Dr. Nancy Earl and husband Dr. Billy Royal; daughter Craig and Patricia Earl Winter; four grandchildren, Gabriel and Tyler Welbourn, Emily Earl-Royal and Caitlin Winter Moore; and one great grandchild, Gavin Donald Mark Moore; two sisters, Peggy Tapp and Tony and Lila Guzman; a brother George and Margaret Earl.  The ashes will be spread by the grandchildren off the coast of the Channel Islands, by the family in the mountains of Montana and interred in the family plot at Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach, California.
 
Shirley Higgins, Jerry and Tanner Higgins were weekend guests of the Tachas in Norton.  Tanner played in a MAYB basketball tournament in Kearny, Nebraska.  They took 1st place.
 
Edwin “Big Ed” Leiker, 90, died March 15, 2008.  He was a former baseball player during the time McCracken, Munjor, Hays etc. had the baseball town teams.  His wife, Martina Herrman Leiker survives him.  Burial was in Hutchinson.
 
Reggie and Brenda Irvin, Doug and Kathy Whitis returned home after a trip to Cozumel, Belize and Key West.  Reggie and Brenda were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, Doug and Kathy their 34th.  Congratulations.
 
LOOKING BACK 1932: The county track meet will be held in LaCrosse Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.  The following students are the McCracken grade entrants:  25 yard dash, boy's 4th div., Edwin Wilson and Leon Higgins; 20 yard cow race, boys 4th, div., Hollis Irvin and Glen Juvenal; 35 yard dash 3rd div. Faye Elmore, Lena Lee Peer; 50 yard dash, girls 2nd. div., Lorene Schutte and Bernetta Marak; Running broad jump, boys 2nd. div. Orville Durand and Elmore Ryan; 100 yard dash, boys 2nd., Claude Irvin and Adrian Doerr; Tug of war girls, Lucile Plotner, Dorothy Ramsey, Frances Conner, Edna Earl, Dorcas Ramsey and Ruby Earl; Basketball throw, girls, Dorothy Ramsey and Edna Earl.  Shot putt, boys, Malcom Showalter. 
 
Happy 30th to Jennifer Rogers.
 
Bill and Paula Greenway were in Wichita last weekend for a Midland Marketing event.
 
Margery Mae Pavlu, 85, died March 3, 2008 at Hays Medical Center.  She was born May 10, 1922 in Yakima, Wash., the daughter of William R. and Melvina La Fontaine Gaudette.  She married Francis J. Pavlu, in Yakima on May 6, 1946.  He died May 8, 1994.  Survivors include a son, Paul, four daughters, Linda, Joan, Laurie and Marye; two half brothers, William and Richard Gaudette; 13 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren.  Burial was in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, rural McCracken.
 
Lucy Vogle has given two garters from the McCracken Diamond Jubilee 1887-1962 to the Jail/Museum.
 
Francis and Julia Zeller met Craig and Karen McCorkle, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, for lunch at the Golden Corral in Hays on Wednesday.  Craig and Karen were on their way to Denver to visit friends.  They lived in Denver for 20 years before moving to Bartlesville.  Karen is the oldest girl of the late Kathleen Ruehlen.   They will return to Bartlesville Tuesday as Karen needs to get back to work.
 
When Verlene Wilson and Sister Martina were in Nigeria, Africa, they witnessed suffering and childhood diseases like rickets.  They also saw children who are polio victims and burn victims (from falling into the fires).  Sister Rita Swarzenberger formerly of Collyer, has spent 30 years there helping the poor villagers.  The program is called “Care for the Village Children”.  Sister is in need of a Land Rover to carry the staff and materials to the people.  If you have a charity activity in your church or are a member of a civic organization who would like to help purchase the $50,000 Land Rover, they would be eternally grateful.  All donations, no matter how modest, can be mailed to Sister Rita Marie Swarzenberger, Dominican Sisters, 360 Broadway, Great Bend, Kansas 67530. 
 
Dora Brown, 88, died March 10, 2006 at Ness City.  She was born to Adolph and Anna Roeidger Schweitzer on the family farm near Ransom.  She married George Brown, Jr. in LaCrosse on December 23, 1939.  He died November 28, 1997.  Survivors include a son Richard, daughter Ann Chandley, two sisters, Virginia Conkright and Laurine Brown, four grandchildren including Richard Jones of McCracken, Shelly Drassen, Michelle Miller and Gary Brown; nine great-grandchildren, Crystal Foust, Otis, Skyler and Sierra Jones (McCracken), Austin Brown and Ethan Brown; two great-great grandchildren, Anton and Kaden Foust, Otis.  Burial was in Vansburg Cemetery, Brownell.
 
Here is a little about the Arkansas River from the Arkansas River Coalition Newsletter:
The River is 1450 miles long, the longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system.  From near Leadville, Colorado, the river flows around 200 miles in a mostly rocky and scenic watercourse descending about 11,000 feet in elevation to the eastern Colorado border. From the western Kansas border it flows in a wide bending course for 370 miles whereupon it slowly descends around 2,100 feet before reaching the Kansas – Oklahoma border.  The French used the name “Acansa” or Arcansas”, that approximates the way Kansans pronounce the name – Ar-Kansas.  People in Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas call it Ar – kan – saw.  There is an impending crisis in Leadville, Colorado that may affect the river.  It is the possibility of a drainage tunnel blowout.  An old mine is trapping an estimated 1 billion gallons of toxic water.  It would flood Leadville and contaminate the Arkansas River with unsafe levels of zinc and cadmium. 
 
McCracken History Notes
 
March 1908
Do not take eggs to the table as though they were fresh from the war…stir a teaspoon of vinegar into the boiling water and the yolks will come forth covered with the whites, looking like a covered yellow ball.
 
John H. Fear died at his home northwest of McCracken March 20, 1908.  He was born in Rush County, Indiana in 1854, the son of James and Lucy Fear coming to Rush County, Kansas in 1875.  He was married to Emma F. Ward in 1889, who with his five children survive.  Funeral services were held from the Jolly Waring School House.
 
March 1938
A new baseball league is being organized in Rush County for junior baseball players.  Bill Foster has been named manager of the local team.
 
March 1948
Paul V. Kelly recently was appointed a general manager of all Farmer’s Union business services in Utah and southern Idaho.  Paul is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. W. V. Kelly of McCracken.  He was a Bachelor of Science graduate from Kansas State College in 1910.
 
John Moran received a few sprigs of wild shamrock, which was mailed to him by his brother who lives in Ireland.  It was dried up and in a sad state when it arrived, but revived when Mrs. Moran put it in water.
 
Joe Rutherford, operator of the Rustic Tavern, had a long, cold walk Thursday after his car was stalled in the deep snow by the farm residence of Mrs. Ada Cain. (She was not at home and the house was locked.  Her horse wouldn’t cooperate.)  He walked the six miles in four hours at a temperature of about 15 degrees before zero.  He has slight frostbite to one leg.
 
March 1958
Arthur George is a patient in the Veteran’s Hospital in Wichita.
 
March 1968
Carl Bible attended a school of air conditioning repair work at Great Bend.
 
The 7th and 8th grade boys are playing volleyball and tumbling.  Volleyball players are DeWayne Foos, Paul North, Mike Legleiter, Mark Derr, Larry Higgins, Steve Sloan, David Rogers, Lonnie Irvin, John Irvin, John Rourke, Tom Moran, Daryl Casey and Danny McFarren.  Tumblers are John Zeller, Myron Schuckman, Greg Buster, Frank Foster, Danny Mills and Keith Higgins.
 
March 1978
Born to Mr. and Mrs. David Rogers, a daughter, Jennifer Lyn, March 22 in Hays.
 
The Lincoln Branch Scholarship contest was held March 15.  Those participating were Jerry Swindler, Kevin Rourke, Craig Stull, Philip Swindler, Tim Seltman, Larry Hinman, Mark Baus and Dale Swindler.  McCracken placed third.
 
March 1988
Dell J. Klema, Sr., 70, died February 23, 1988.  He was born January 9, 1918 at Wilson.  He was the owner of Klema’s Grocery in McCracken for several years.  He moved to Russell in 1955 where he owned and operated Klema’s IGA.  He married Anna M. Scholz, February 14 at Lancaster.  Survivors include his wife, his son D. J. Klema, daughters, Georganna McCrary and Karleen Wolf and several nephews.
 
March 1998
Pat Derr and Phyllis Dooley, Topeka, returned home Thursday from Mission, Texas, where they had spent the past couple of months.
 
Priscella Jacobs, Laura Casey and Sandra Jacobs attended the movie “The Titanic” last week and gave it a thumbs up.
 
Reggie and Brenda Irvin, Doug and Kathy Whitis returned home after a trip to Cozumel, Belize and Key West.  Reggie and Brenda were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, Doug and Kathy their 34th.  Congratulations.
 
LOOKING BACK: 1932 The county track meet will be held in LaCrosse Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.  The following students are the McCracken grade entrants:  25 yard dash, boy's 4th div., Edwin Wilson and Leon Higgins; 20 yard cow race, boys 4th, div., Hollis Irvin and Glen Juvenal; 35 yard dash 3rd div. Faye Elmore, Lena Lee Peer; 50 yard dash, girls 2nd. div., Lorene Schutte and Bernetta Marak; Running broad jump, boys 2nd. div. Orville Durand and Elmore Ryan; 100 yard dash, boys 2nd., Claude Irvin and Adrian Doerr; Tug of war girls, Lucile Plotner, Dorothy Ramsey, Frances Conner, Edna Earl, Dorcas Ramsey and Ruby Earl; Basketball throw, girls, Dorothy Ramsey and Edna Earl.  Shot putt, boys, Malcom Showalter.