Looking Back with Lora Stull
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One Hundred Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News,Thursday, February 25, 1920.)
Herbert Hoover, presidential possibility, has been invited to deliver an address before the Iowa Business Congress, April 14-16. He will discuss our economic future.
The closing out sale of the grocery and drygoods stock of the Montgomery Store in Ellston was announced Saturday morning.
In response to a message announcement that R. M. Jones, supposed to be the principal in the robbery of the Tingley State Savings Bank, was being held in New York City, Deputy Sheriff, L.M. Brinkerhoff and Will Dowling left last Wednesday for New York and will bring the accused man to Mount Ayr this week. Information leading to his arrest was furnished by Harry Taylor, who was arrested in Ottumwa when he attempted to cash some registered bonds and who confessed guilt and was sentenced to 10 years in the penitentiary.
Marriages: Verna Taylor and George Allen…February 18, Charles Grotoff and Adrah Clayton.
Obituaries in this edition: William H. Merritt, Ira Corwin Tuttle, Minnie Glazebrook Trotter, Orval Lewis Hudson, Jessie C. Johnson, Pauline Altekruse, Gladys Stanley and Leta Fern Lesan Houk.
Seventy-Five
Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, March 1, 1945.)
For the second time within the past month, Mr. and Mrs. H.O. Spencer of Mount Ayr, have been called upon to bear the grief which comes with the loss of a loved one. Sgt. Doyle Spencer had been killed in action at Ninefeby, Germany on February 9. Doyle, twenty years of age, was the youngest member of the Spencer family.
T-4 Marion (Jack) Dailey, who suffered serious injuries to both of his feet and legs on October 28 of last year while serving in action with a tank division in France, and who later underwent operations for the amputation of both his feet, has recently undergone an operation for removal of both legs.
Prentis opens new building..Twenty-one years ago when many adjustments were being made following World War I, X.T. Prentis, an enterprising young man who had returned from the army, entered the hatchery business in the small quarters under the Randolph S. Beall real-estate office. The equipment consisted of twelve small incubators (all of them borrowed) and one 2,600 egg machine, which was considered a giant in its day. A few years after being established, the business outgrew the quarters and the equipment was moved to what is known as the Harve Seevers building, one block north of square. Continued success and growth prompted a desire to expand and serve, the business was re-established in 1938 in the Timby Building on the east side of the square where the business was maintained until December of last year when the equipment was moved to the new location.
Marriages: January 26, Barbara Tennant and John W. Harvey Jr. were united in marriage.
Births: February 26, a daughter, Carol, to Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Stephens…February 27, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Olney…February 15, a daughter, Linda, to Mr. and Mrs. Oren Campbell.
Obituaries in this edition were: Donald Vivian Ross, Villa Loretta Dennis Stamper, Minnie Iola Baker Lesan, and Joseph Saltzman.
Fifty Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, February 12, 1970.)
Eight wrestlers in sectional AA finals. Mount Ayr boys advancing to the finals are: Kent Blunck, at 98 pound class; David May at 107 pound class; Ralph Manning at 115 pound class; Dennis Reynolds at 123 pound class; Keith Welling at 137 pound class; Tom Swanson at 145 pound class; Steve Poore at 155 pound class and Al Wilson at heavyweight.
Kathy Jones sets school scoring mark. A new season’s scoring record for girls basketball has been set by Kathy Jones, senior forward on the Raiderette team. Kathy has amassed a total of 669 points through last Friday’s game to wipe out the record of 576 set by Alice Minnick in 1965-66.
Marriages: January 25, Karen Blunck and Jay Payne…February 1, Diane Elfers and Phillip Webb.
Births: February 3, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Gary McDowell…February 5, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lorimor…February 5, a son, Robert, to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Pratt.
Obituaries: Lena Mae Carlson Harvey, Martha Elzena Moler Murphy, and Audra Ora Drummins Mitchell.
Twenty-Five Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, February 9, 1995.)
Six letters from the late Milt Henderson to a former vocational agriculture student of his at Mount Ayr Community High School, Loren Elliott, now of Mesa, AZ. brought back memories of the World War II era when shared with Henderson’s widow, Marion Henderson of Mount Ayr. Elliott had kept Henderson’s letters all these years and rediscovered them when going through some old papers recently. This “voice from the past” told of life in the military during World War II after Henderson had enlisted following completion of the school year in 1942. The exchange with Elliott started August 9, 1942 with a letter from Las Vegas Army Air Field (now Nellis Air Base) in Las Vegas, NV, where he was stationed as a physical training instructor for gunners for over 3 years and where he met and married Marion. Of Las Vegas and the area he writes, “This is really different country than I have ever known before. (he was reared on a farm in Page County Iowa.) The post is located in the desert with much sand and no vegetation in sight. It is bordered on three sides by mountain ranges. “Las Vegas is really some town. It is supposed to be the “widest open” town in the United States. After seeing it, I don’t doubt that it is. I never supposed such a gambling town existed in the United States. There have been three murders in this place the past 2 weeks and no one seems to worry much about it. If it hadn’t been that Milt Henderson and Loren Elliott were good letterwriters and that Loren was a “saver”, Henderson’s family might never have had the privilege of hearing this “voice from the past.”
Obituaries in this edition: Rudolph “Rudy” Mitchell Saville, Anna Marie Flagg Adams, and Paul Vanderpuym.
Ten Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, January 28, 2010.)
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Lucky Lanes, the newly refurbished bowling alley in Mount Ayr located on the east side of the square, recently by the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce.
Extension 4-H Youth Program Specialist, Earl McAlexander of Rockwell City was elected as president of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents at their 63rd annual conference in Rochester, NY recently.
Births: Dru and Meredith McAnelly are parents of a son, Zane, born January 19.
Obituaries in this edition are: Kendall Crawford and Joe F. Motsinger.