RCNews Aug 25

John Zeller, Kirby Hagans, Steve Sanders, Gerald Bittel, Jason Pivonka and Joe Gabel were part of the Patriot Guard who participated in the funeral procession for Bryan Nichols, 31, who was one of the 30 American servicemen killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. The funeral with military honors was held Friday. Burial was at Pleasantview Cemetery near Palco, Kansas.
 
Saturday Ellen Kershner and Addie went to Lyons and spent the day swimming with Daci Stover and family. >From there they motored to Council Grove to visit Virginia Davis, then on to McPherson where they spent the night with Uncle Richard and Aunt Carol Brown. Sunday there was a 70th birthday party for Richard which they attended. Monday they went to Hutchinson to shop and visited with Drew Thompson in Inman on their way to Hutch.
 
KSHSAA officiating volleyball clinic was held Saturday in Haven with Jerry Higgins, area supervisor in charge. Chuck Higgins was one of four clinicians. There were 30 officials attending and also new and less experienced volleyball officials. Kyra Horesky, Kara Boxberger and Amber Crawford were among those who attended.
 
Little Eli Morgan fell against his bedroom door requiring 8 stitches to his head. His brother, Reece, stayed with his uncle Allen while his parents, Michael & Jerridy took Eli to the hospital. Reece was helping measure the driveway at E-Z Mart.  He shook his head ‘yes’ when I asked if he was getting paid minimum wage!
 
Austin McGaughey has moved into the home vacated by his uncles, Johnny Mac and Richard Showalter on West Locust. John and Richard have moved to former home of Bernadine Schultz.
 
Caden, Carter, Reece and Eli Morgan stayed with their grandparents, Layne & Kerri Morgan Saturday evening. A tent was set up in the yard but Carter said he didn’t think there was enough room for them to sleep outside!
 
There will be a 4-person Scramble at the McCracken Country Club Sunday, August 28
beginning at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $100 per team. Come join us and have fun! Everyone welcome.
 
Prescella Jacobs was a guest of Neal and Amy Jacobs in Goddard over the weekend. On Saturday they moved Tessa to Butler County Community College where she will be attending school. They saw Leslie and Amanda Morgan at the school; Amanda is also attending Butler County.
Scott Irvin is attending Johnson County Community College this fall. Lindsey Tacha is attending Ft. Hays State.
 
Marge and Michele Moran spent the weekend in Kansas City visiting with Jean Moran.
 
Anya Foos-Graber wrecked her car on the sanded road 4 miles north of the 4-way stop in Rush County north of McCracken this past week.  The car was smashed and she is a very fortunate lady. We think the county did a great job of ‘improving’ this road last summer. There is a ton of sand, the curve is wash boarded and dangerous.
 
Birthdays:  August 25, Jamie Casey, Kelli Casey, Marvin Wills, Brandon Grumbein; August 26, Chris Petz, Martin Pfannenstiel, Rodney Taylor, Freddie Taylor, Chrisi Schneider, Gary Walker, Ava North; August 27, Grace Beisner; August 28, Dena Irvin, Crystal Hovey; August 29, Karin Casey, Daryl Casey, Ella Prosser, Lynn Miles, Sean Bookstore; August 30, LeAnn Knight, Wilfrid Higgins, Brandon Peach; August 31, Kayla Irvin, Kallynn Petz.
 
Anniveraries:  August 27, Jesse and Jolene Showalter; August 29, John and Melanie Zeller; August 30,
George and Marilyn Sommers, Bruce and Carol Barnes.
 
Congratulations to Jesse and Jolene Showalter on their 50th wedding anniversary.
 
Congratulations to Don and Pat Bott on their 50th wedding anniversary.
 
Our sympathy to the family of  Phyllis A. Dooley, 81, Haltom City, Texas, who passed away Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. Funeral: 1 p.m. Monday in Greenwood Funeral Home Garden Chapel. Interment: Greenwood Memorial Park. Memorials: Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the American Cancer Society, 3301 West Freeway, Fort Worth, Texas 76107. Phyllis was born on March 16, 1930, in Gypsum, Kan. to the late Rollo H. and Edna L. Johnson Cheney. She moved to Fort Worth in 1999 from Topeka, Kansas to spend her last years near her son. Her successes and accomplishments were many, including her rise in position at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in which she retired several years ago. Phyllis was a member of the Jonathan Gilbert Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and The Southwestern Bell Pioneers. She is preceded in death by one brother, Jack Cheney.  Survivors are a son, David D. Dooley; brother, Bob Cheney; and several nieces and nephews.
 
Tribute to Phyllis (Cheney) Dooley by Arline C. Ingraham Rues
 
Time passes and our dear friends do part.  I was fortunate when I met Phyllis some years ago.  I taught music and some English in the McCracken Schools.  Margaret Buxton was the main teacher of English in the schools.  Phyllis Cheney, Joan Ryan Buster and Dick Shiney were students attending Kansas State University.  I met Al Rues (my future husand) at school and in Phyllis' home in McCracken (where Al roomed).  The Cheneys lived in McCracken for a few years.  Doc Cheney was a dentist and Edna, his wife, was a nurse.  Dr. Cheney became ill and died shortly.  His wife retired and moved to LaCrosse.  She died in several years. Phyllis married shortly.  She worked for the telephone office.  Later their son, David, was born.  Al and I married about that time, too.  Phyllis and I were fortunate to meet each other in Topeka later where we both then lived.  Time then passed and we kept in touch from time to time.  I enjoyed visiting with Phyllis.  She was a wonderful person.  We shall all miss her.  Love, Grace, Peace and Prayers from Arline Rues.
 
Story of a House by Arline Rues
The home on Main Street and Locust has a rich history. The house was built in the late 1800's or early 1900's.  The Lovitt family was one of the first families living in the house.  It was lived in by people from north of Brownell by the name of Ryan.  I believe they were of Irish descent.  Dr. Rollo Cheney and his wife Edna and family lived in the home until after his death in 1957.  The Al and Arline Rues family lived there until Al was transferred to Kinsley to work on the rural route there for the post office. The Werner Wendler family lived there next.  It was then purchased by the Zeller family.  Being the Rues family home, Rose Rues bought it and her brother, Tony and his wife, Tomi, bought it from her.  A nice new garage is being built to compliment the house.
 
Bryan Thompson, Salina, writes to tell us that his dad, Ken Thompson, is now living at Salina Presbyterian Manor in the Memory Care unit in Salina.  He has been there for a month.  He is in room 122.  He would enjoy your cards
 
Attending the Liebenfest mass and dinner on Saturday were Jean Schutte, Wilfrid and Twila Higgins, Carolyn Thompson,
G. T. and Signe Barnes, Sylvester Conrad, Phyllis and Roy Conrad, Bet and Jeanette McCormick.
 
Kansas History Notes
In 1886 the passage through the State, by rail, of a party of 250 Mexican people on a pilgrimage to Rome, was a reminder of the changed order of travel and transportation.  Such pilgrimages had not been unkown in Mexico before, but had been undertaken entirely by sea from Mexican ports.  These pilgrims recognized the opening of a great continental route through the United States via Kansas, eating, drinking, sleeping and assembling in the cars for their devotions as they journeyed.
 
The year of 1887 was a year of disaster in an agricultural sense, being a year of severe drought.  The pioneers out on the wide prairie suffered and many of the farms were mortgaged.  The year 1888 was a year of recovery.
 
McCracken History Notes
August 1911
 
Hutchinson is to have the greatest time in its history of great fairs this year.  There will be the usual splendid show and in addition President Taft will deliver the most important address of his western trip there September 26 and lay the cornerstone of the new city auditorium.
 
August 1941
Racing fans of western Kansas will have the privilege of seeing the fastest dirt track drivers of the Mid-West in action at the Dodge City Fair this Friday and Saturday.  These drivers are direct from the Oklahoma State Fair at Tulsa where they set new records.  Tom Holden, who was in charge of the Tulsa racing program, is promoter of the races at Dodge.
 
August 1961
H. S. Bryant underwent surgery in the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia recently.
 
Miss Marie McCormick received her master's degree from Colorado State Teachers College, Greeley, Colorado, Thursday evening.
 
New teachers in McCracken are Arlene Gilbert, Lorraine Norlin and Geneva Rife.  Bonnie Zeller and Doneta Parsons are the cooks.
 
Jolene K. North and Jesse Allen Showalter were married Sunday, August 27 at the E. U. B. Church.
 
August 1981
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Jim Casey, a daughter, Jamie Leah, August 25, in Hays.