LOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull

Taking note of the statement recently made by the farm agent that Clayton County is the only one in Iowa that has had no bank failures, Howard H. Tedford, of Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, raises the remark “This statement leaves the impression that Ringgold County can be included in the list of counties in Iowa that have had bank failures. As a matter of fact Ringgold County has not had a bank failure since 1904~a period of 22 years. We have thirteen banks in the county and all are in sound condition. We had less of a land boom during 1919 than other counties in central and northern Iowa and with less interest to pay on borrowed capitol our farmers were in better shape to weather the stress and storm of the last few years. We have had very few bankruptcy cases in this county.”

One of the oldest mottos of the state is the statement, “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain,” which appears on the scroll held in the beak of an eagle on the Great Seal of the State of Iowa. This sentiment has been a sort of official motto for nearly eighty years, as it was in February 1847, that a committee of the State Senate recommended that this motto be made part of the state seal.

Raymond Drake has the spring fever. We thought we saw him fishing one day last week.

After being confined to his home for 3 weeks with the mumps, Dr. C.T. Lesan will be in his office Friday.

Births: April 16, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Gulick..Born Tuesday, a son, Harry, to Mr. and Mrs. Roy Davenport.

Obituaries in this edition are: Adeliade Jemima Osborn Askern, Joseph Euritt, George Russell Herrington.

Distinguished as the first baby to arrive in the new Ringgold County Hospital at Mount Ayr, which was opened to patients April 17, was Janet Elaine Dennis, who was born Thursday afternoon, April 19. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Dennis, who reside east of Mount Ayr.

During the period of a week since its opening seven babies have been born at the new hospital, included among whom were one girl and six boys. Since the departure of Janet Dennis to her new home, the nursery at the hospital has been fittingly named, “Boys’ Town.”

Mrs. Aubrey Lynch, of Maloy, has been named Ringgold County Rural Homemaker of 1951, according to an announcement by Mrs. Arthur Delbert, chairman of the County Women’s Committee.

Marriage: April 15, Evelyn Steeve and Duane Knight.

Births: April 24, a daughter, Barbara, to Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ritter..April 6, a son, Walter, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wright..April 7, a daughter, Debra, to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Rinehart..April 25, a son, David, to Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett.

Obituaries in this edition: Laura Jones Hansell, Eddie Sanford Washington, Charles Benton Moore and Jowett Bastow.

A long-time dream will be realized today, Thursday, when the city of Benton and the community will receive title to the former Methodist Church there to be used as a community center.

A former Mount Ayr teacher has been named superintendent of the Mount Ayr community school district for the 1976-77 school year.

He is Phillip Burmeister, presently serving as superintendent of schools of the Worth County R-III district in Grant City.

Pinewood derby winners April 13 are first: Craig Winemiler; Jerald Yearous, second; Todd Glendenning, third and Mike Floyd, best design.

The Mount Ayr Raiderettes gave it all they had but fell short in the final events at the Greenfield relays last Tuesday.

Mount Ayr showed good over-all balance as they scored in 13 of the 19  events.

Jean Irving won the long jump with a leap of 16 feet 7 1/2 inches to set a meet mark and wipe out the school record of 15’10” set by Connie Ryan in 1968. Irving also won the 100 meter hurdles in :15.9.

The shuttle relay team of Jeanine Johnson, Carla Kennedy, Kim Henry and Jenifer Parker won that event in :55.9.

Birth: April 14, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Sheil.

Obituaries in this edition were: Hugh Albert Schlapia, Ottis Lawrence Hanks, Arvada Scadden Pritchard and Lyndon Lowell Smith.

The go-ahead to move forward with plans for the new Gooseberry Lake near Mount Ayr was given by the Gooseberry Lake Agency at its April meeting Thursday night.

Clean up efforts continued this week following the tornado which roared through Ringgold County April 11. Several groups have spent time helping with the efforts.

Ringgold County Hospital celebrated its 50th anniversary last week with a past and present employee potluck and open house.

A Mount Ayr commun ity high school Raider track team has qualified for the Drake Relays and is scheduled to take part Saturday moning. The 4×100 meter relay team  qualified for the relays with a time of .46.06 below the qualifying time of :46.5 to be able to participate. Members of the team representing MACHS will include Brad Wilson, Nick Grose, Reggie Lesan and David Hosfield.

A Mount Ayr race car driver picked up one of the wins in  25-lap feature events in the first NASCAR late model racing of the season at Adams County Speedway in Corning Saturday night.

Bill Sickels of Mount Ayr also placed in the pro street competition.

Paul Glendenning won the third heat race, then had an early spin in the first feature race and placed 12th. He had the pole position for the second race and survived contact in lap 21 with second-runner up John Hampel to win the event.

Bill Sickels placed fourth in the fourth heat and then came in 18th in the feature race in the pro street division.

Obituaries in this edition were: George A. Deibert, John Laverne Evans, Lyndon Leroy Faris, Charles Everett Gorman, Betha Sue Davis McCormick and Shirley Taylor-Merkley.

Marriage: October 8, 2000, Robin Erickson and Doug Schwandt.

The destruction of the old Ringgold County Hospital building begain in earnest this week as heavy equipment began knocking down the walls.

Recently new owners of the building where  Ramsey’s Supper Club was located Doug and Gina Still donated the Conover baby grand piano to the school.

Charles Case was honored last Wednesday morning by HCI Hospice Care Services and Ringgold County Veteran’s Affairs.

Case was presented with the flag pin and a framed certificate from Denny Abel and Jake Dailey Veterns-To-Veterans volunteers.

Case served in the US Navy as a boilman third class from 1961-1964. He was responsible for making the steam to power the aircraft carrier USS Bennington.