RCNews Dec 11
 
Phyllis Higgins enjoyed Thanksgiving weekend at the home of Madeline Petz, Hutchinson.  Joining them Thanksgiving day were, Katie and Marvin Wills, Sarah and Ken Knight, Rachel Wills, Jim and Donna Rein, Ron, Sabrina and Sam Hurt, Jim and Terri Everhart, Megan, Josh and Clay and Sarena Higgins.
 
Thayne and Machree Jones spent Thanksgiving weekend in Wichita at the home of Chris and Tess Jones and Ethan.  Ethan is crawling all over, has managed the top of the stairs!
 
LeeRoy Schuckman, Penny and Lisa spent Thanksgiving in LaCrosse at the home of his mother, Esther Schuckman.  Robin Schuckman spent the day hunting.
 
Jerry Higgins spoke to an officiating class at Hutch Juco last Monday morning. 
 
Leslie and Lillian McGaughey, Chuck and Pat Heidrick, Rob and Helena McGaughey, Joy Hunter, Kate Ryan and Lucy Vogle attended RCIA Rite of Welcome Sunday, December 7 for Aaron and Austin McGaughey at St. Michael’s Church, LaCrosse.
 
Don’t forget the open house at the McCracken Library Saturday the 20th from beginning at 9:00 a.m.  Please make an effort to attend.  Santa will visit with the children at 3:00 at the City Park.
 
Congratulations on your 50th birthday, Rosemarie Grumbein Schwindt.
 
John, Ellen and Josh Moran, Great Bend, hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Marge, Michele and Jason Moran, Clark, Nicole and Maddie Kirk, Ellen’s mother, Shirley Ensley and Ellen’s brother, Larry Merchant and his sons Cody and Robert.  On Black Friday they went shopping in Wichita.
 
 Sarah Viola Higgins, 90, died December 2, 2008, at Ness City.  She was the daughter of John and Mary Sparks Tilton and was born February 13, 1918.  She married Lawrence J. Higgins July 3, 1937.  He died June 10, 1966.  Survivors are a son, James; daughters, Mildred Rumpel, Evea Rumpel, Ida Meyeres, Kathy Davis and Charity Farley, eleven grandchildren, seven step-grandchildren, five great grandchildren, 20 step-great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.  Burial was in the Ransom Cemetery.  Viola and her husband operated a dairy and were farmers.
 
There is lots of activity west of town with Thumpers and cable.  It did not make the deer hunters very happy.  Although we heard one fellow got a large buck with a good rack.
 
Marge and Michele Moran went to Josh Moran’s basketball game on Sunday.  He plays for the Knights – they played the Stars.  Both teams are sponsored by Prince of Peace Church in Great Bend. 
 
Obituaries for 2002 in the McCracken History Vol. 111: Helen Rein Akers, Jolinda Brackney French, Harold Werth, Mildred Rein, Ethel Smith, Dudley Schutte, Donald Buster, Hazel Greenway, John Rourke, Lloyd Hallett,  Allen Dasher, Larry Ryan,  Esther Pickett, Thomas Dinges, Mildred Dubbs, J. Howard Morse, Jr., Kevin Thompson, Dwight Kershner, Helen Davis, Billie Conrad, Betty Swisher, Jesse Lee Barnes, Marilyn Herdman, Father Rory O’Neill, Edna Grumbein, Albert Wassinger, Lula Danielson, Willis Lamer, Werner Wendler, Emma Mae Anderson, Loretta Moran, Mayme Eno Jones, Gladys Shank Juvenal, Robert Poe, Mary Ellen Lyda, Goldie Benbow, Viola  Baldwin, Christine Jackson, Helen Plotner Folsom.
 
John and Janice Stull have lost of their male peacock.  If you see him, please let them know.
 
MCCRACKEN HISTORY NOTES
 
December 1908
Archie and Dan Casey have a Ford runabout which they recently purchased.  It is a very neat little machine.
 
 December 1938
The following are those who received their letter in football:  Albert Donecker, Fred Foster, Glenn Gordon, David Hunt, Oliver Herdman, Francis Klee, Leslie Kueffer, Frank Marak, Cecil Mills, Raymond Mills and Roy Temple.  Senior boys are Dean Birdsong, Marion Foster, Vincent Higgins, Beverly Irvin, Willard Mills and Leonard Sweeney.  Those receiving honorable mention:  Lyle Dugan, Kenneth Showalter, Warren Thompson, Lester Higgins and Leonard Mills.
 
December 1948
Troy Freeman and Walter Barnes left Saturday morning for Big Sandy, Tenn. where they will spend ten days or two weeks visiting a sister and other relatives.
 
Miss Lucile Plotner left today to return to Washington, D. C. after spending the past three weeks at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Plotner.
 
December 1958
Rush County Hospital will raise their room rates effective January 1, 1959.  The two-bed, semi-private patient room will go from $9 to $10 per day and the one-bed, single, patient room will increase from $11 to $12,
 
Bob Fear, who has been stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado, received his discharge from the Army the first on the month.
 
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Grumbein, Oberlin, on the birth of a daughter born December 13, 1958.
 
December 1968
Etta Irvin moved into the Bessie Davis property last week.
 
Joe Coleman died Wednesday at Manchester, Iowa.  He was a brother of Teresa Higgins.
 
December 1978
Ralph Thompson won a turkey at LaCrosse from the Banner store.
 
Larry Buster is attending Montana State College, Bozeman, Montana.
 
December 1988
Philena Baus recently represented Rush County at the sixth annual session of the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature held in Topeka.
 
Melissa Schuckman writes Santa Claus for a dress, a dolly and one of those Grubbies.
 
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Craig Stull on the birth of a daughter, Jessica Ann, born December 12, 1988 in Chandler, Arizona.  Grandparents are John and Janice Stull and Jolene and Allen Showalter.  (Congratulations Jessica on your 20th)
 
December 1998
Student Council members of McCracken Middle School are Kayla Basgall, Trent Schroter, Hayley Wells, Ashlea Vap and Lance Irvin.  The McCracken Alumni officers met with the Student Council in regard to a new 10 foot basketball goal to be placed at the north end of the cement slab on the south side of the school.  The Alumni and the Middle School split the cost.
 
Frank and Elaine Littler flew to San Diego on the 22nd of November where they met Terry and Carol Herdman and they all went to Hawaii for Thanksgiving.