RCNews September 25
Richard and Tess Frick and Michael enjoyed lunch with Chris and Tess Jones and Ethan in Wichita last Wednesday. 
 
A boy, Eli Glen, was born Sunday September 7, to Michael and Jerridy Morgan in Hays.  Grandparents are Layne and Kerri Morgan, Christy Dirks and the late Neil Dirks.
 
Congratulations to Mitch Conner and Nikki Staab on their wedding which took place Saturday afternoon at the farm home of Glenn Conner.  The wedding party riding into McCracken in the back of the 1954 wheat truck was pretty ‘cool’. 
 
LeRoy and Sandy Gilbert visited with Babe and Arlene Gilbert on Friday and they went site seeing in the Munjor, Pfeifer area looking at old limestone buildings.
 
Emmet and Gerie McGinn of LaCrosse had guests from the Denver area who wished to visit St. Mkary’s Chuch in McCracken.  Those who visited were Rudy and Loretta Copra, Roy and Sue Jackson, Tony and Noria Tuka all of the Denver area, as well as Emmet and Gerie of LaCrosse.  They all were quit pleased with our Church.  We want to thank for all of them for their short visit and hope they will return..  They were also touring Ellis, Hays and the other churches in the Eastern part of Ellis County as well as the Church in Liebenthal.
 
Clarence Deutscher, who died September 10, in Ellis was a former McCracken teacher.  He  was hired as principal and teacher of the McCracken grade school in 1947. He taught the 7th & 8th grades and replaced Alvin A. Maddy.  Students in the 8th grade were Barbara Davis, LeRoy Gilbert, Richard Gordon, Charles Jacobs, Patrick Keener, Shirley Lovitt, Patricia Klee, Walter Rogers, Jimmie Swartz, Allan Thompson, Bernard Rourke, LuAnne Scheideman and  Gladys Thompson. Seventh graders were Dight House, Juanita Walker, Dean Gilbert, Harold ‘Curly’ Juvenal, Shirley Brackney, Pete Rixon, and Phyllis Rein.  He was just out of the service and he and his wife Marlene and son Stephen lived in the house where Dave Derr now lives.
 
Michael ’Sam’ Harp was in a motorcycle accident in Cedar Rapids last week.  He broke the big bone in his knee.  He had surgery on Monday to put pins in it.  He will be on crutches for 5-6 months.  His dad, Tony Harp returned home Tuesday after spending time with him.
 
Arky McNair returned home from Denver after visiting a couple of weeks with his sons, Travis & Curtis McNair and did some bull hunting in the mountains.  We are glad to have him back ‘home’.
 
Richard Showalter has returned home after spending several weeks in the Hays and Ransom hospitals.  He had both his legs broken in an accident at the golf course during rodeo weekend.
 
Johnny Mac Showalter was lucky as he was hit on his motor cycle on Main Street in LaCrosse Saturday evening. They transported him to the hospital where NO broken bones were found, only a sore body.
 
Emily Rogers & Scott Keener have purchased the former home of Don & Lynnette Doornbos. They moved in last weekend.  We welcome them to our community.
 
Don and Lynnette Doornbos have moved in the former home of Rod and Bernie Taylor and family.  The Taylor’s have moved to Ellis.  We all wish them good luck and best wishes in their move.
 
Congratulations to Mark McCormick on his 50th birthday.
 
.We are please to report that Lee Unrein, son of Julius and Lucy Unrein, returned home on Thursday from Iraq.  Our thanks to him for his service to our country.  Our prayers continue to be answered for the safe return of our troops.
 
An historic American elm was cut down at the home of George and Joy Hunter’s on Saturday.  It was one of only a few American Elms in the community and possibly the oldest.  Joy said it had six rings.  It had to be taken down because it was diseased.
 
Last Saturday John Zeller and Sarah went to Olathe to see new baby Haydn.  Melanie had to work.  Returning home they stopped at Cracker Barrel in Junction City and ate with Melanie who then went to spend the week with Rachel, Lance and Haydn.  Haydn weighed 7 lbs and 9-l/2 oz and was 20” long.  On Friday evening John set up a web cam on his computer and Francis and Julia were able to see the baby.
 
The new Kansas Traveler is now available.  There are some at Charlie’s and some at the Post Office.  The front page features the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture.  They are the Seelye Mansion in Abilene, Ness County Bank Building in Ness City, Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, Fromme-Birney Round Barn, southwest of Mullinville, Holy Cross Church in Pfeifer, Leobold Masion, Abilene, Cooper Barn in Colby and Kansas State Capitol in Topeka.
 
Priscella Jacobs has donated two pens to the museum.  One is from Fred’s Market and says “Serving You For 32 years, Fred and Mary Anne, McCracken.  The other says Charlies Service, McCracken, KS 67556.
 
 67556 Hurrah!   We have retained our identity – we have a re-opened post office and our boxes were returned to us.  I can still go to my box and use my same combination and after opening, retrieve MY MAIL.  I shed a few tears doing that the first time.  We are grateful to Priscella and Mitch for allowing us to pick up our mail at their business this summer.   Our thanks to Roger and Norma for last minute work on the building.  Welcome home, Judy.
 
There are new addresses for the rural people in Ness County.  It was necessary for the use of the 911.
 
Obituaries in Volume 111 of the McCracken History for 1991:  Donald Clifford Greenway, Frank Thomas Stejskal, John D. Grumbein, Beverly K. Moses, Ross G. Baldwin, Dorothy Jane Elmore Neumann, Orville C. Young, Vincent “Vick” Moran, Kathryn Gerstner Knott, James R. Jones, Leo Rein, Rev. Harold Martin Hollis, Joy Madaline Edwards Black, Grace P. Reifschneider, Ruby Yawger Thompson, Fred A. Black, Helen Herman Elias, Helen M. Showalter.
 
It is getting to be rare if you haven’t hit a deer.  One jumped out, west of LaCrosse, near a grove of trees and took out the front end of Francis and Julia Zeller’s car last Friday.  Another place to beware is the silage feed east of Roger’s.  We have seen a lot of deer in that area.
 
If you would like to obtain a flag designed in remembrance of the 911 attack you can contact freedomflagfoundation.org.
 
Ken and Bryan Thompson, Salina, were in McCracken on Sunday to visit their farm and family.
 
Al and Judy Hugh were in Colorado Springs over the weekend.  They played golf at the Broadmoor and attended Al’s 50th Class Reunion in Pueblo.  Deb Luft, stayed with her grandmother, Ruth Yawger in Hays.  On Saturday Wanda and Joyce Luft joined her.  The Lufts are all from Wichita.
 
McCracken History Notes
 
September 1908
The finest potatoes we have seen this year were grown by Alex McCormick on his farm southwest of town.  Besides having enough for family use, Mr. McCormick has marketed over one hundred bushels.
 
Miss Stella Hill began teaching in the LaCrosse schools last Monday.  She is one of Rush county’s best teachers.
 
License was issued this week for the marriage of Sherman Hogsett and Anna M. Wood, both Brownell.
 
September 1938
McCracken opened its football season last Friday at Burdett defeating them 21-7.
 
Charley Austin has started construction of a new farm home located five miles south and three-fourths mile east of McCracken.
 
September 1948
Mrs. F. E. Stangl, who goes by her professional name of Dorothy D. Tyner, as the only  woman lawyer in Anchorage, Alaska, was a delegate to the American Bar Convention held in Seattle.  Miss Tyner is the former Dorothy Davidson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Davidson of McCracken.  Her big interest at the Bar convention was in promoting statehood for Alaska.  Miss Tyner believes that Alaskan defense is vital to the defense of the United States.  She pointed out that with statehood, Alaska would come under the Federal Highway Act, which would give Alaska the roads that are necessary if the territory is to grow.  Miss Tyner, brought her four-month-old son, Franz Frederick, to Seattle with her.  Her chief work in Alaska is in taxes.  (We think that Dorothy, a product of McCracken, would have enjoyed Gov. Pallin!)
 
September 1958
Mr. and Mrs. Elmore Ryan attended the National Banker’s convention at Chicago, Illinois, last week.
 
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester McCormick on the birth of a son, Mark Allen, born September 27, 1958 in Wichita.
 
September 1968
ASC community committeemen elected in the mail ballot election for Fairview-Hampton:  Chester Rogers, chairman; Ross Baldwin, vice-chairman; Charles Walker, member; Leonard Doerr and Robert Janke, alternates.
 
Members of the MHS student council are Bill Wetzel, Johnny Brack, Myron Schuckman, Kirby Wendler, Bob Foster, Lynne Hinman, Patricia Foos, Debbie Derr and Carolyn Stremel.
 
James Parker, age 95, died Wednesday, September 4 in Columbus, Ohio.  He was a former Mo Pac station manager here.
 
September 1978
The Mustangs trampled Pawnee Heights 52-14.  The running backs Shannon McKinney and Craig Stull combined for 223 yards rushing and quarterback Jerry Casey connected on 5 of 15 passes for 169 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Kellye Irvin displayed fine playing with touchdown receptions of 66 and 30 yards.
 
The McCracken Chapter No. 261 Order of Eastern Star celebrated their 75th anniversary in the new Masonic Hall.
September 1988
 
Mary Francis Ream Stevens, Visalia, California, died recently.  She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ream and a niece of Eva Elias.  Her parents were former McCracken residents.
 
A cattle penning contest will be held Saturday at the McCracken Mustang arena located at the north end of Main Street.  Stock will be provided by the Mike Kuntz Rodeo Company.
 
September 1998
Stuart Clancy and Hailey, Johnson, came Thursday to help G. T. Barnes plant wheat.  Brenda joined them for the weekend.
 
Allen McCloy, our rodeo co-ordinator, was injured at a rodeo in Trinidad, Colorado.  He ruptured his bladder and broke his pelvis.