News May 10
Kate Rues celebrated her 5th birthday at the Hampton Inn in Hays Friday evening. She and her siblings went swimming numerous times, including at 7:15am Saturday morning! Also on Saturday she went shopping and had her hair done. That evening she had pizza and dessert at the McCracken cafe.
 
A Friday evening get together was held at the home of Aaron and Leslie McGaughey with Tyrel & Tina, Mitch, Nikki & Bryce, Allen, Bailey & Caden.    
 
Pat Derr returned home Saturday afternoon after spending a week in Fall Creek, Fall State Park in Tennessee.  She accompanied Larry Clark and met Gerald and Edna Walker, Nita and Ed Caviness for golf and relaxation.
 
The McCracken Café will be open Sunday evenings from 6-7 p.m. for take out pizza.  Their phone number is 394-1026.
 
The 8th grade graduates with McCracken connections are Derek Derr, Clayton Kershner, Angela Morgan, Scott Irvin and Sierra Jones.
 
Memorials in memory of Bob Elmore were given to the McCracken Alumni by Carolyn and Shirley.
 
Reed Bullock had hip surgery this past week.  We know he would enjoy your cards.  His address is 5001 W Florida Sp. 526, Hemet, CA. 92545-3859
 
Jessie Shapiro, granddaughter of Lorraine Ryan, made the freshman cheer squad for her school in Sacramento.  There were 28 girls who tried out and they only took 15.  Jessie had a cheer clinic all week, then there was an official tryout where they performed the cheer and dance that they were taught at the clinic. She was very nervous until she received the call that told her “you made it’!!!  Congratulations.
 
The landmark north of Ellinwood, St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, was badly damaged by the storms this week.  The church was closed and is now a Catholic Shrine.  It was built in 1891.  Father Leonard Epp was the 5th priest of the parish.  When he retired he returned home to Heidelburg, Germany.  During the time he spent in the Ellinwood area, he had two brothers, Albert and Simon.  Albert Epp married Maria Kessler who was a sister of Alouise Kessler Gerritzen, the grandmother of Phyllis Conrad and Louise Zordel, Ransom.
 
Bob House, Ellen Kershner and Addie motored to Hutchinson on Saturday to visit with Bruce and Sue Davis, who were there visiting their son Brian, Lisa and Madison Davis.  They returned home Sunday evening.
 
The book “Ninety Minutes” by Jodi Picoult is now in the McCracken Library.  It is a must read.  It deals with a high school shooting incident and couldn’t be more significant with the recent events in Virginia which was recorded in all our newspapers.  Other books by Picoult are “The Vanishing Acts”, “Picture Perfect” and “Keeping Faith”.  “Bad Dog Marley” by John Grogan is also a new addition to our ‘younger kid’s corner’.  A grant was submitted for money for the ‘kid’s corner’ and was not approved.  If anyone would like to donate $$ to this project, it would be a wonderful gift.  Get a list of books from Lorraine Ryan, chairperson, or a library board member and donate a book. Books “Ninety Minutes” was purchased by the library and the children’s book was donated.  New books arriving in June are by David Baldaci, James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark and other well known authors.  
 
Glen Ryan and Lorraine Ryan attended the school program at Otis on Monday evening.  Antone Foust was a participant.
 
Our hearts ache for the community of Greensburg.  John and Janice Brack Haney lost their Bed and Breakfast and their home in the Greensburg tornado Friday night.  Both homes were demolished.  The farm home where Bruce and Carol Barnes live didn’t receive very much damage. Mike Priddy’s mother also lost her home.

Lorraine Ryan, Shirley Higgins, Carolyn Thompson, Gladys and Wendell Hinman attended the surprise 80th birthday for Bill Baus at the community hall in Rush Center Sunday.   A lovely program by his daughters, Debbi, Janet and Janet’s granddaughter was delightful.
 
Those who helped stuff the alumni letters Friday evening in the Library were Joann Micheli, Lorraine Ryan, Shirley Higgins, Priscilla Jacobs, Carolyn Thompson, Laura Linsey, Jean Schutte and Sandra Jacobs.  When you receive yours, don’t throw it in the trash, open it, read it and respond.  Thanks. 
 
Linda Bittel, Nicole Tarbell and Carol Weber accompanied Tammy Carlson to the International Quilt Market held in Salt Lake City, Utah.  They also went to the Morman Temple.  While at the quilt show Linda and Carol saw Marie Osmond. They left Tuesday and returned home Monday evening.
 
New teeter-totters have been purchased by the McCracken Alumni and placed in the City Park.  Those helping install them were Russ and Laura Linsey and Sandra Jacobs. 
 
Margery Pavlu, Ness City, is celebrating her 85th birthday on May 10.  Cards may be sent to her at 709 E. Cedar, Ness City, KS 67560.
 
Paula Corte, Francis and Julia Zeller had pizza at the McCracken Café on Friday evening.
 
We enjoyed our visit to the Barbed Wire event in LaCrosse on Friday.  The museum complex is excellent and the Veterans Display at the City Building is a wonderful tribute.
Mike Stephens has a copy of a Civil War letter from the south; and a picture, signature and biography of Margaret Custer Calhoun.  Margaret was a sister of Gen. George Armstrong Custer and wife of Lt. James C. Calhoun who also died at the Little Big Horn. 
Lt. Calhoun, Lt. Thomas W. Custer (who had two Medals of Honor in the Civil War) and other officers killed at Little Big Horn are buried at Leavenworth.  Custer is buried at West Point.  Booklets of interest were of Army posts (they are looking for the one of Walker Air Force Base, if anyone out there has one) and war time Life Magazines.
 Glenn L. Grumbein, 81, died May 4, 2007 at Ness City.  He was son of Harrison and Amy Carkhuff Grumbein and was born in Alexander, January 28, 1926.  He married Twilla Krause in LaCrosse on May 28, 1950.  She survives, along with son Darwin, Alexander and daughter Rosemarie, LaCrosse, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  Burial was in Alexander Cemetery.  Glenn was a descendant of Rush County pioneers, William F. and Amanda Hiberling Grumbein.
 
I am in contact with Jerry Calvert of the Kansas Meteorite Society.  He is attempting to keep Kansas meteorites in the State of Kansas.  Is there anyone who has a meteorite of the Brownell or Franklinville falls or any other meteorites?  If you have information contact him at 123 South Osage, Wichita, KS 67213  Toll free number is 1-800-262-8943.  E-mail is jerry@kansasfire.com
 
It was nice to see Alton and LaVerne Huddleston and Robin Conrad at the Diabetes Clinic in Ness City on Thursday.
 
Robert Allen Elmore, 73, died at his home in Boulder, Colo. on April 27, 2007.  He was born on November 1, 1933 in McCracken, the son of Hazel and Allen Elmore.  He was raised by his grandparents, Eva and Harry Phillips.  He attended the University of Denver and graduated from the University of Kansas as a CPA.  He served in the U. S. Army from 1956-1958 and was stationed in La Rochelle, France.    He married Lois Tawney on December 27, 1960 in Topeka.  In 1962 they moved to San Francisco, Calif. where he worked for Trans America Title Company.  In 1971 he moved to Denver where he was the chief financial officer of the Xytex Corporation until 1975.  He retired from private practice in 2000.  He was an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church.  He is survived by his wife Lois; his children Marcus and Anna; one grandson, Graham Elmore; four sisters, Reba Baker, Terry Sloan, Jeanette Thornton and Kathy Kenyon. The family asks for contributions to the Boulder Homeless Shelter or the American Civil Liberties Union.
 
McCracken History Notes
May 1887
 
W. F. Grumbein is one of our enterprising men, and has added a great many improvements to the town.  First he erected a large store building with a large cellar and hall, which he proposes keeping for the use of the public.  Next he erected a restaurant building and several small buildings were moved from his farm which he is renting.  Then a dwelling house built for his family.  Underneath this he had an arched cellar he constructed 12 feet deep, and is generally full of people when a hard wind storm is in force.  This is the coolest place in town and he can keep butter in it as hard and nice as ice.  Seeing the need for a good hotel in McCracken, he has gone to work and now has a fine hotel under construction.  It will consist of a large sized office, sample room, wash room, dining room and kitchen below and a nice parlor will be fitted up on the upper floor.  It will contain twenty-two single bedrooms and is three stories high.
 
 
 
May 1907
Born to Dr. Chesney Dutton and his wife at Meridian, Idaho last Monday, a handsome boy named Robert Roosevelt Dutton
 
Ben Anderson sold the southeast quarter of 15-16-20 to a gentleman from Nebraska last week.
 
The inauguration of a new Woodman lodge took place at Brownell and 30 new members were taken into the lodge.  A fine supper was served at about 3 o’clock in the morning.
 
May 1937
Diplomas will be presented to 13 members of the 8th grade class Friday evening at the grade school auditorium.  The graduate members are Leslie Glenn Kueffer, Willetta Maxine Gordon, Albert Francis Donecker, Doris Jeanette Birdsong, Wendell Edward Conrad, Orva Jean Dougherty, Francis Henry Wierman, LoRee Roseland Grumbein, Scotty E. W. Shiney, Helen Kathleen Suher, James Lester Higgins, Anna Pearl McGaughey and Kenneth J. A. Showalter.
 
The McCracken High School baseball nine reached the finals on the REN league tournament by defeating Otis 10-9 on the Bison diamond.
 
May 1946
Sixty blocks of McCracken were sanded and completed this week.  They will throw a party on May 8 at St. Mary’s Hall for those who helped with labor and trucks.  All materials and labor were donated.
 
The WSCS of the Methodist church is sponsoring a clothing drive for overseas relief.
 
The city library has been moved Monday to a room in the basement of the Methodist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schaumburg will move into the room formerly occupied by the library.
 
Commencement exercise for the McCracken class will be held May 15 at the grade school auditorium.  Members are Marjorie Davis, Joann Juvenal, Donald Greenway, Dick Shiney and Warren Irvin.
 
May 1957
3/C James C. Shafer is stationed at Lakehurst, New Jersey.  He is keeping records of the B & C School and is also assistant Scoutmaster at Lakehurst.
 
For the third year, McCracken High School placed first in the 1957 State Scholarship contest.  Those students who placed were Elaine Eisenhour, Gerald Crotinger, Patricia Ryan, Jolene North, Joyce Showalter, Karen Walker, Peggy Harper, Donna Knight, Jane Gaschler and Louise Gerritzen.
 
 
May 1967
Estaban Padilla, accidently hit the accelerator instead of the brake while parked in front of Fred’s IGA store, jumped the two foot curb and impacted with the building causing $800.00 damage.  Freddie Taylor’s bicycle was completely destroyed.
 
John Wilkins celebrated his 90th birthday on Friday.
 
May 1977
The McCracken Mustangs received the championship plaque after defeating the Victoria Knights in the Class lA-2A regional baseball tournament in Larks Park in Hays by a score of 7-4. 
 
MHS commencement will be held Monday, May 23 with former Miss America, Debbie Barnes Miles giving the address.
 
May 1987
Jonathan Gilbert Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution celebrated their 50th year.  Charter members still members of the chapter were Ruby Ryan, Zippa Hall and Barbara Grass.  A flag was given to the chapter in honor of the event by Congressman Pat Roberts that flew over the nation’s Capitol.
 
McCracken students graduating from McCracken Middle School were Clayton Wilson, Tammy Sewell and Travis Elias.
 
May 1997
This week in the area it was a time of accidents!  Marlene Funk was trying to rescue a baby rabbit from a cat and the cat clawed her arm requiring a tetanus shot.  Verlene Wilson was hauling limbs at the rodeo grounds and fell backwards out of the back of the pickup.  Shirley Higgins bumped into a piece of unused steel siding which required five stitches.  Deb Watson, janitor at the school, had a bench fall on her foot in the lunch room which swelled up.