RCNews, October 28
 
Pat Derr accompanied Larry and Donna Clark to Tennessee where they met her brother, Gerald and Edna Walker and sister, Ed and Nita Caviness. This is their annual golf trip that they plan every year.  After golfing in Tennessee they went to visit with Ed and Nita and attended the LPGA Golf Tournament. They came back to Louisville, Kentucky where they visited the new basketball arena complex in Louisville which was designed by Brad Clark, son of Larry and the late Karen Walker Clark.
 
Russ Linsey, Bruce and Meredith Winter, Jean Schutte, Joann Micheli, Wilfrid and Twila Higgins, Larry and Shirley Weeks, Eric and Jamie Weeks and family and Dwaine Richardson were invited to the house warming for Jim and Lisa Benneman in Bison this past Saturday evening.
 
Roger and Norma McNair returned home Tuesday after visiting Howard and Ruth Ann Sissel in Ponca City, Oklahoma.  They did some more ‘history’ hunting while in Ponca City.
 
Those who attended the McCracken Main Street Literary Society Tuesday were Ruth Crawshaw, Tomi Rues, Roger McNair, Suzanne Randa, Susan Rebel and a new participate, Sandra Jacobs. We enjoyed Susan’s ‘homework’ of coming with one word that describes what we wish for ourselves, a goal, a statement, desire etc.
 
Gladys & Wendell Hinman met Lynne & Fred Reckling in Kansas.City, Ks. where a family gathering took place with Ellen, Larry and Sarah Hinman; Wade & Zac Hinman, Coty Hinman & friend David;Sheila & Greg Hinman; Laura, Ray & Jerod Wierman; Cindy Wierman;
Joey Herschbach and with Jill Herschbach who is a patient in the St.Lukes Hospital. On Monday Gladys, Wendell, Lynne & Fred traveled to St.Louis, Mo. to tour the Arch, Niagara Falls, N.Y., Albany,N.Y. and then to Wilton, Ct. where they spent a few days with Evelyn & Clyde Hinman; Peter & Kristi Hinman & daughters of Hastings, N.Y. A few days were spent at a Time Share in Callicoon,N.Y.
 
Roy Conrad Was watching on Streaming Vido of the Jack Daniels 2010 Worlds Champion Invitational BBQ cook off from Lynchburg, Tenn. after I got home from Church on the computer and also talked to Phyllis nephew , Chris Zordel from Spearville to see if he watched it.  Chris told me yes and that the team called Quau from Illinois who won
this years Grand Champion at Jack Daniels 2010 Chris competed against down
in Wichita this year and Quau beat him by a 1/2 point.  Of the top 5 teams
who were in this Jack Daniels 2010 World Champion Cookoff Chris said he
competed against three of the top 5 and beat 2 of these teams this year.
Might mention also last year at the 2009 Jack Daniels World Champion
Invitational was won by 4-Legs Up from Great Bend.  Chris has competed
against him lots of time and attended his cooking School just last November.
 
Birthdays:  October 21, Cindy Petz, Brady Whitis, Kevin Casey, Sonny Showalter;  October 23, Terri Everhart, Donna Hill, Marty Beth Peach, Brandon Mills, Stephanie Anderson; September 24, Doug Keady, Aidan Anderson; October 25, Jean Herdman, Janet Miller, Maverick DeWitt; October 26, Mitchell Jacobs, Lanette Mathews; October 27, Jamie Herdman, Opal Mills, Tom Betz, Tomi Rues, Dillon Slemp.
 
Anniversaries:  October 21, Aaron and Lesley McGaughey; October 27 Mark and Rhonda Derr.
 
Zoe Anderson’s birthday is October 14.  We had in on the 18th.  Sorry.
 
Dennis Elias gave the Jail/Museum a wooden coat hanger from Curlee Clothes marked Norlin’s McCracken’s Big Store, McCracken, Kans. 
 
McCracken Public Library received a letter from David J. Morrisey-Payne from Quincy, MA.  He is trying to get biographical information on the quizzical life of Sgt. Boston Corbett, who shot President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin (John Wilkes Booth) in Port Conway, VA on April 16, 1865. Booth was shot in a smoke-bellowing tobacco shed after a military detachment of Union Cavalrymen cornered Booth and another assassin on the Richard Garret farm.  Corbett relocated to Kansas in the Fall of 1878, where he resided in both Concordia and Topeka until May 26, 1888, whereupon he disappeared into eternity after he escaped the Topeka Mental Asylum.  Corbett left behind several hand-crafted silver medallions in Boston before he left for Kansas.  They felt that Sgt. Corbett was a schizophrenic because he horded small objects.  If you have any way of finding out information about this fascinating character, let us know and we will pass it on or we can give you the contact information for David Morrisey-Payne.  We understand that sometime ago Sgt. Corbett was featured in a program on the History Channel.  Perhaps some of you have seen it.
 
Roy and Phyllis Conrad attended the mass which honored her aunt and uncle at LaCrosse last Sunday.  Leonard and Nettie Hepp celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.  Nettie is a sister of the late Margaret Gerritzen.
 
The Halloween Parade is Saturday, October 30 at 4:30 p.m.   Meet at the library.
 
Jolene Dinsmore is looking for her Galliert and Colglazier (Coleaser) relatives.  Let us know if you have information.
 
Our sympathy to the family of Doris Charlene Fortune, 83, who died October 9, 2010 in Wichita.  She was born February 22, 1927, in Alexander, in the last sod house in Rush County, to William and Bertha Filbert Schwartzkopf.  She graduated from Brownell High School in 1945.  She married Elo Zane Fortune in Lyons on May 2, 1989.  He died recently.  Survivors include a son Rodney Adkinson and daughter, Penny Lesley.  Her brother, Alfred Schwartzkopf of Ness City also survives her.  She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother Alvin Schwartzkopf and a twin sister, Dorothy Weeks Sherwin.  Burial was in the Fairlawn Burial Park in Hutchinson.
 
William “Bill” Schwartzkopf, South Hutchinson, will celebrate his 100th birthday on Saturday, October 23 with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Mennonite Friendship Manor, South Hutchinson.  He was born  October 19,  1910 in the Alexander-McCracken area, and lived in a sod house until age 8.  He graduated from Alexander High School and Fort Hays State University in education.  He taught at Larned as a typing and commerce instructor at the high school level.  He loves sports: Chiefs, Big 12 games especially KU basketball.   Cards can be sent to 600 W. Blanchard, Apt. 36, South Hutchinson, KS 67505.
 
McCracken History Notes
October 1890
 
J. H. Fear left Monday for Florence Kansas, to find work for the winter.
 
Lyman Temple and family left yesterday for Butlerville, Indiana.
 
October 1910
Mr. Ray Brenner and Miss Ethel Coleman were married at the Catholic church in Hays City Wednesday morning.
 
The old livery stable which stood just east of the Haag Place burned Tuesday morning.  The building was put up twenty-three years ago and was owned by Brownell parties.
 
October 1940
Wesley Irvin, who is a welder in the Stearman Aircraft factory at Wichita, spent the weekend with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Irvin.  This company is planning to build in the near future an airplane factory at Wichita which will be a mile long and one-half mile wide.
 
October 1960
Mrs. Ralph Hinman has moved into the Charles Rodeman property in McCracken.  Esther Akers moved last week into the William Irvin house in the east part of town.
 
 
October 1980
Grade school volleyball team members are Kaira Miller, Missy Seltmann, Vikki Hopkins, Tricia Seltmann, Susan Thompson, Dixie Bott, Paula Crawshaw, Michle Moran and Debbie Gaunt.  Manager is Kristi Brackney and the coach is Philena Baus.