Looking Back

(From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday, April 30, 1924.)

Grant City Bank closes. By order of its directors the Farmers Trust Co. of Grant City closed its doors yesterday morning and wired the state finance department to take charge of the affairs of the institution.

The last report of the trust company, made December 31, 1923, shows that it had capitol stock of $50,000 and a surplus and undivided profits of $12,351.77. Its loans at that time totaled $344,600, deposits of $276,232, with total resources of $395,992.91,

All previous records for egg shipment were broken during the month of April by the local dealer, Billie Finch.

During the month Mr. Finch has shipped from stations in Ringgold county a total of fourteen car loads to supply the markets in New York, Boston, and other eastern cities, some going to Havana Cuba. Each car contained 400 cases of thirty dozen each or 12,000 dozen, which multiplied by 14, the number of cars shipped, makes a total of 168,000 dozen (2,016,000 eggs).

The average price prevailing during the month was 18 cents per dozen, so that the aggregate value of the eggs shipped was $30,240.

Two young men from Des Moines, who gave their names as Roland McMains and Lowell Childers, were arrested this forenoon by Sheriff Stephens and Deputy Sheriff Hale and are being held in the county jail awaiting the arrival of the sheriff of Polk county for stealing a car from Rent-a-Ford Company.

Their supply of gasoline had run out in front of J.W. Newton’s home east of the city.

Marriage: May 1, Grace Bastow and Charles Hetzel.

Births: Born Easter Sunday, a daughter, Dorothy, to Mr. and Mrs. Hallie Brooks…Born Monday morning, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Roe Eighme…Sunday evening a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. H.E. Hayden…last week a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wimer…April 24, a daughter, Charline, to Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Ford..April 25, a son, Rex, to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Lesan…April 24, a daughter, Meredith, to Mr. and Mrs. Earl Bayless.

(From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday, April 28, 1949.)

Elmer Motsinger purchased last Thursday the pool hall with equipment and building which it is located from S.W. Holland, possession given immediately.

Mrs. Grant Hayes and Dr. C.C. Lawhead were elected president of the women’s and men’s division of the Mount Ayr Country Club at a meeting held Friday evening at the clubhouse.

Neighbors of George Vicker went Thursday afternoon to his farm with tractors and plows and finished his plowing. In spite of the intermittent showers, the men remained at work until the job was finished.

Men who assisted were Bob Bennett, Orville Pine, Gerald Keller, Albert Rychnovsky, Corwin Parker, Joe Opathy, Don Butt, Glen Reynolds, Harold Deemer and Pearl Barker.

Establishment of the Little Hoover Commission” a commission to study methods of consolidation and reorganization of the state government to eliminate waste and overlapping, is considered one of the major accomplishments of the legislature by many observers. The commission of nine members of which Senator X.T. Prentis, author of the bill, is a member, will make recomendations to the next general assembly as to where economics can be made in state government without affecting efficency.

Obituaries in this edition were: John Thomas Warin (infant), Harold Moore, Jacob A. Saville and George F. Saville.

(From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday,  May 2, 1974.)

Receiving the coveted Arion Award at the spring band concert Thursday night was senior Judy Kiburz, voted outstanding musician by her fellow band members.

A respiratory care service will be established in the Ringgold County Hospital early this month, according to the administrator, James Luft. By May 9, the respiratory therapy department will be available to patients in the Mount Ayr area.

Construction on a building to house an Iowa State liquor store is expected to begin soon in Mount Ayr. The site is at the intersection of the highway and South Webster Street next to Hand Realty.

A meeting of the subscribers to the Ringgold County Rural Water Program met April 23, in the courthouse to formally organize the RC Rural Water Association.

A board of five directors were elected to govern the activities of the association.

Directors elected and the sections of the county they will represent are Algie Link, northeast quarter; Lowell Hickman, northwest quarter; Paul Smith, southwest quarter; Laurance Bishop, southeast quarter; and Lee Faris, director at large.

Newly elected officers of the Mount Ayr Jaycees are Ted Smith, secretary-treasurer; Benson Hainline, vice-president; Rick Stull, president; and Ron Gater state director.

Milt Henderson of Mount Ayr, widely known 4-H and youth worker, has announced his retirement from the Iowa State extension service effective June 28, 1974.

Brent Geringer set a new Drake Relays high school record Saturday in the discus with a toss of 171’ 7”. The old mark was held by Mark Smith of Independence at 170’10”. Brent’s previous best toss 169’9” in the state meet last spring.

Birth: April 27, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Rodnie Kelley.

Obituaries in this edition were: James Alvin Shaw, Lillie Mae Mosier Lucas, Thomas Carl Roe, Louis Vanderpluym, May Dillenburg, and Edna Lucille Wicker Shields.

(From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday, April 22, 1999.)

The walls of the former Grand Valley school building in Kellerton are coming down bit by bit this week as crews work on bringing down the walls of the building now that the inside of the building has been gutted.

Six earn FFA degree~Six Mount Ayr Community high school members were named Iowa Farmer Degree recipents at the state FFA Convention held in Des Moines last week. John Tidman, Dennis Dugan, Michael Faris, Richard Faris, Tara Richardson, and Matt Gilliland joined 138 chapter members since 1940 to be named to the degree.

Dale Black of Mount Ayr is the 1999 champion of the Gene Sevier cribbage tournament held at Clearview Home in Mount Ayr.

Two new hair care establishments were welcomed to Mount Ayr with ribbon cuttings by the Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce. Ron’s Barber Shop located at 102 E Adams, owner-operator, Ron Smith. Shear Excellence located at 113 N Taylor, Reante Kinney, operator.

Cara Smith signed a letter of intent to play volleyball and basketball at Graceland College in Lamoni, IA in a ceremony held April 15.

Marriage: November 21, 1998, Paula Sienknecht and Clint Anderson.

Birth: March 29, Jade, to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Daughton.

(From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday, April 24, 2014.)

Edward Gray, Jr., originally of Clarinda, was found guilty of one count of voluntary manslaughter a Class C felony and one count of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, a Class B felony, in 5th judicial court proceedings held in Mount Ayr recently.

Charges stemmed from the discovery by deer hunters of the remains of Luis Ferandez, December 3, 2007.

Alex Booth, daughter of Art and Tammy Booth of Mount Ayr, won her 3rd consecutive state championship in the Billard Education Foundation (BEF) Iowa State Junior 8-Ball championship held at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines  April 16.

The Early Bird now open~The Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce helped owner Jamie Miller cut the ribbon on her new business located at 115 N Taylor in Mount Ayr. The business serves breakfast and has bakery items.

Birth: A daughter, Adriana, to Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Shade.

Obituaries in this edition were: Arlene M. Brockman Burdette and Lawrence William Osborn.