July 26, 2012
 
Birthdays:  July 26, Scott Irvin; July 27, Furlen Irvin, Marge Elias, Whitney Taylor, Katlyn Morgan, Clayton Kershner, Jessica Jones; July 28, Candice Casey, Fred Taylor, Twila Higgins, Rachel Grumbein, Susan Keith, Zach Higgins; July 29, Annette Chestnut, Gerald Walker, Kathy Dugan, Bobby Peters; July 30, Malena Rogers Thyfault; July 31, Brenda Clancy, Joyce Rogers; August 1, Betty Mills
 
Anniversaries:  July 27, Kent and Judy Bible; July 29, Martin and Julia Pfannenstiel; July 30, Daryl and Barbara Casey; January 31, Lee and Debra Oelkers, Clark and Nicole Kirk; August 1, Chris and Cindy Petz.
 
Sunday a family birthday party was held for Lucy Vogle in honor of her 100th birthday with 70 in attendance..  Well wishers came from Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, California, and Kansas.  They all met for dinner at the City Buildiing. Lucy appreciated everyone for coming, flowers gifts, cards and for the McCracken Alumni. 
 
The rodeo sign four miles north of McCracken was re-painted prior to rodeo.  Also the cedar trees were trimmed around the sign.  The sign which features a Mustang was placed at the site by Celly Stremel.
 
Museum News
 
Renewing members of the Museum are:  Tim, Maddie and Lily Rues, Shirley Gabel, Tom Rues, Wendell and Gladys Hinman, Francis and Robert Wierman, Bob and Marlene Funk, John and Sharon Irvin, Tony and Tomi Rues, Emma, Kate and Will Rues, Shelby Bowers, John and Jance Stull, Alicia Rues and Leigh Barrett.  So far we have 103 members. 
 
Donations have been received from Tim, Maddie and Lily Rues, Shirley Gabel, Tom Rues, Tony and Tomi Rues, Bob and Marlene Funk, Wendell and Gladys Hinman in memory of the Hinman Family;Alicia Rues and Leigh Barrett, in memory of Al Rues, Tom Rues, memorial. 
 
A generous contribution was given by Gary and Elaine Turner to the Jail/Museum.  They have been contributors throughout the life of the museum. Gary worked for IBM and because of his contribution a matching amount will be donated by IBM to the museum.
 
The family of Don and Joan Buster donated some black clothing items to the Jail/Museum.  Pinned to the items it states "Grandma Wamsley - Cap.  Grandma came to live with us in 1880 so this cap was made before that."  The other items are a scarf and a jarbot  - a pleated frill of cloth or lace attached down the center front of a woman's blouse or dress, first worn in 1823.  These pieces are made of the finest quality silk-like material.  Greg and Bev Buster brought them to the museum.
 
Dawn McClendon Stephens of Mariental was here last week to visit the McCracken Cemetery.  After she checked out her grandparents' graves, she came to the museum to look at the obituary file for her family the McClendons.  Marion Joel McClendon was born near Montague in Montague County, Texas, on January 1, 1880, and died southeast of McCracken on November 22, 1938.  He spent his boyhood in Texas.  His mother died when he was nine years old.  They lived in Leedy, Oklahoma until 1914 when they came to Kansas.  He married Alice Hall August 20, 1918 and had three children.  A son, Marion Tavis died in 1924.  He was survived by his wife of twenty years, a son John D. and daughter, Marjorie Ethel; six brothers, Clark, Hubert, Stephen, Claude, George and Earl and a sister Ethel Woodard.
 
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Our sympathy to the family of Marjorie Wierman Linenberger.  Her obituary was in last week's RCN.  Her brothers Francis and James K. Wierman and sister Betty Greenway live here.
 
Betty Fear has returned home from the hospital.
 
Our best wishes to Randy Taylor and his family as they embark on their new opportunity in Clarkdale, Arizona.  Randy will be the new Chief of Police there. He has had a long career in law enforcement, 23 years as a police officer in Loveland, Colo.; two years as a investigator for the sheriff's department of Jefferson County, Colo., and four years at Ellis as Police chief.    Clarkdale is west of Sedona and south of Flagstaff, Arizona.                                                                                                 
 
Shannon Keith spent this past week at the Fort Hays Music Camp.
 
Mary Margaret McCormick had open heart surgery at Hays Medical Center on Thursday.
 
Do you have a picture of the Trail Ride?  If you do, we would like to have it in the paper.  Thanks.
 
Many took advantage of the picture scanning done by Brad Penka and Darlene Misegadis of the Rush County Hisitorical Society at McCracken Public Library and Saturday morning of rodeo.  Some of the pictures will be submitted to the Fair for judging and display.
 
News from Sally Buster:  The summer is almost over for us.  Mariah starts marching band camp next week.  They practice for two weeks before school starts. Miles goes back to school mid-August.  He will continue his internship at Sandia National labs until time to return to school.  Hailey will start at Texas Tech in mid-August as well.  She goes a week early for marching band camp.  She will be a member of the Texas Tech Red Raider Goin Band.  She marches with a piccolo, so if they are on TV, look for her.
 
Last weekend Thayne and Machree Jones were in Wichita to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Chris Jones and grandson Ethan.
 
RCNews July 27
Books recommended by our librarian Ruth Crawshaw are the series “Quinn”, “Eve”, & “Bonnie” by Iris Johansen & “Hannahs List” by Debbie Macomber.
 
Congrats to the Rush County girl’s softball team who ended their season by placing first in the summer league tournament defeating Ness City 5-3. The ‘Lizards” were girls from Rush County and those in our area were Addie Kershner, Lexie Anderson, Erica Gilbert, Emma Rues and Olivia Baus,
 
Shirley just read the book “Big Stone Gap” by Adriana Trigiani and the name Slemp appeared. Both James and Ray Slemp are from the Big Stone Gap area as is James’ wife Billie.
 
Congratulations to the Hutchinson Cardinals baseball team who placed 1st in their 7-5 win over the Wichita Jets at the NBC under-19 State Tournament at McAdams Park in Wichita on Sunday. The win qualified them to participate in the USSSA World Series which begins Monday the 23rd in Topeka. Tanner Higgins is a member of the Hutch Cardinals team. 
 
Golf people playing in the alumni tournament Saturday morning were Dennis Peters, Benny McCaskey, Robert & Ronnie Rein, Zach & Tanner Higgins, Brady Demel and Danton Reidel, Scott Foos, J.D. Bell, Gene Erb, Matt Kraft, Dennis & Clinton Swan, Brent Tuzicka, John Horesky, Scott Keener, Jarod Sanders, Josh Beeshears, Nate Tuzicka, Scott & Amber Littler, George Washburn, Chad Irvin, Chase Rogers, Hayden Buhr, Mike & Sharolyn Legleiter, Trent Witthuhn, Preston Pfannenstiel, Zach Switzer, Dave Kuhn, Diz & Wilma Washaliski, Mike Keith, Mark Baus, George Sommers, Allan Hill, Lance Reed, Dale Whittom,
Jason Torrey, Jay Muller, Kyle & Debi Wherry, Brett & Shane Corsair, Jeff Werth, Brad Erb, Les Diehl, Ken Foster, Bruce Davis, Pat Salisbury, Mitch Conner, Mitch Keeley, Shelby Burke, Allen Morgan, Lance & Nicole Ficken, Crystal Ryan, Chad Foust, Dusty & Toby Witthuhn, Jared Stiieben, Tanner Yohe, Mike Miller, Luke & Wendy Seltmann, Tammy Orth, Dillon Gross, Dustin Bain, Zach Caresio, Corey Webber, Ryan & Austin Webs, Dustin Matal, Scott Irvin, Matt Overlegse, Chris Delmont, Logan Kautch, Colby Gantz, Heath Morgan, Kevin Woods, Brent Raymey, Jacob Regier, Lonnie & Teresa Morgan, Cindy & Jay Schroter, Joe & Adrian Jennings, Blake Swan, & Jason Jaycox, Martin & Joe Higgins, Ken Kampling, Jerry Higgins,Tony Harp & Butch Harp, Curtis NcNair, Shawn Reynolds, Sean Peters, Neal & Jaden Jacobs, Justin Huckredi, Richard & Terry Showalter, Nick Schlyer, Amanda Showalter, Chuck Nelson, Jason Showalter, Jessica & Melissa Berg, Bryan Yohe, Troy Clouston Alexis Nichepor, Johnny Mac Showalter. Please excuse misspelling of names AND there isn’t anything listed about who took 1st, 2nd etc. as Jerry had to leave before all the score cards were turned in.
I missed my donut this year from Terry Peters……………..
 
Weekend guests of Shirley were Jerry, Jenna, Kathleen, Tanner, Tammy, John, Kyra, Bryant, Cameron, Courtney, Chuck, Zach, Brady, Danton, Carl, Ryan, Nicole, Lindsey & Jessica. Bill & Sharon Lovitt and family, Brad, Laurie, Kathy, Audrey, Austin, Lora, Scott, Jenner, & Teresa were Friday evening visitors.
 
Susan Dee Grumbein Etheridge passed into heaven on June 29, 2012.  She had been ill with Valley Fever and cancer.  She had lived in Los Angeles, San Diego, Claremont, and Salinas, California; and during retirement, in Anthem, AZ.
Susan was the daughter of Percival and Dorothy Grumbein, born on December 17, 1940, and was 71 years old.  She was a skilled elementary school teacher and musician, teaching school in Claremont and Salinas and playing the piano and pipe organ at 2 Presbyterian Churches in the Salinas Valley.  In the 1960s, she spent summers in Kansas, cooking for harvesters. 
In the mid-1980s, she learned to fly airplanes and achieved her airline transport rating, which required more than 1500 flight hours.  She instructed, flew charters, and was pilot for a Forensic Medical Group.
Susan enjoyed attending the Grumbein reunions and owned farm land in Rush and Ness Counties.
Susan is survived by her husband, Duane Etheridge; 2 sons, Micah and Titus; a daughter, Rachel, and 3 grandsons.
 
Doug Elias and his daughter Maggie have been here from Florida visiting his mother, Marge Elias and other relatives and friends.   
 
The 1972 class reunion consisted of Craig Wendler, Chuck Halbleib, Mike Legleiter, Rick Schwindt, Myron Schuckman, Janice North Basgall, Roxie Rogers Dechant, Debi Derr Rogers and Danny Mills. They rode a float in the McCracken Rodeo parade.
 
Rodeo weekend guests of Priscilla Jacobs were Neal, Amy and Tessa Jacobs, Jaden, Jenna and Hadley and Jenna’s brother Justin.
 
Frank Foster was a Saturday afternoon visitor of his aunt, Jean Schutte. Frank came back for the funeral services for Lonnie Irvin.
 
Friday afternoon visitors of Shirley Higgins were her cousin Dick and Jane Lovitt Lagasse’, Conway, Arkansas. They enjoyed lunch at Boondocks.
 
Sunday afternoon the Elias’ gathered at Ty, Tina and Quintin Elias’ house for a family BBQ.  Those attending where Marj Elias, Dennis and Jeannie Elias all from McCracken, Doug Elias and his daughter Maggie from Tampa, FL , Dale Elias and Gage of Oakley, KS, Travis and Tina Elias, Katie and Tanner of Colby, KS.  The Elias family would like to thank Lynnette Doornbos for taking our family photos. 
 
Rich and Linda Conrad, St. Louis, dropped by to show us the replica World Series ring they got at the ballpark on Ring Night. 
 
We got to visit with Galen Schmidtberger on Saturday at the High Plains Music Camp at Fort Hays.  He served as a counselor at the camp.  Kevin Pham also was a counselor