Corning High School
Alumni News
June 2015
Volume 14 Issue 3
Corning High School/Corning Iowa 50841 641.322.4736
Jim Curtis…Corning Ag Entrepreneur
Corning
by Phil
Jim Curtis was…
born
in Adams
County on the farm near Nodaway
on July 22, 1937, one of five
children of Charles and Marie
Curtis.
Jim became a member of the Taylor
County 4-H Club in 1947. He went
to Corning High School and was a
proud member of the Corning FFA
Chapter, acquiring all degrees
through “Iowa Farmer.” Mr. Carl
Whipple was the Vocational
Agriculture Instructor and FFA
Advisor. Through that adventure he
developed, though unknown then
but later realized, the necessary
skills that would determine his
future.
After graduating from high school
in 1955 Jim went to Iowa State
University for a Winter Farm
Operations Course. This course
lasted for one quarter. Jim would
have loved to stay and graduate
from Iowa State, but instead
returned to run the family farm
alone since the rest of his family
moved to New Mexico.
As happened to many farmers of the
day, farming expenses were greater
than income and Jim had no one to
turn to for assistance. June 1, 1956,
a very good friend, Dixie Sickler,
told Jim that Hack Miller had been
trying to find him. The next day he
went to town to have a mower fixed
by his uncle at George Long Repair.
Jim Curtis & Glen Dean Johnson- “FFA Iowa Farmers” 1955
He directed Jim to Hack Miller’s
house in his farm work clothes. Hack
called Lincoln, Nebraska, loaded Jim
in his car, and went for a job interview.
He went along not knowing all of the
details since he was flat broke. The
job interview was for a job at $44 per
week, which seemed like a dream
come true. Jim asked the three men in
charge of the Wilson & Company Inc
Livestock how they had found his
name. They informed him that Carl
Whipple had recommended him for
this job. Vocational Agriculture and
FFA shaped his life forever.
Jim began buying livestock at the
Corning sale barn location five days a
week. A “sale barn man” was needed
to clean, receive, ship and work the
Saturday Sale Day. Jim said he could
do both which paid an extra $45 per
week. The sale barn income along
with farming and National Guard
income made life good. From the
beginning, Jim had an interest in
getting the product at a better price
for his customers. Jim purchased
Feeder’s Grain and Supply Inc in
1973 from a bankruptcy. Delmar
Hardisty was hired to run the
company until Jim’s brother, Brian
Curtis, completed a year of teaching
vocational agriculture in Elkhorn,
Iowa. Brian told Jim that he would
run it for 10 years, which he did.
They made additions to the business
including
Curtis
Distributing
Company, bought two farms,
purchased the Prescott Grain
Page 2 of 8
Elevator, started a small Hog
Equipment Manufacturer, bought a
lawn mower and chain saw business,
started
a
commodities
trading
business, purchased the Stringtown
Livestock buying station, bought a
hog finishing unit in Lenox, and
expanded into the Bedford trade area.
The farm depression of the 1980’s
reduced everything to pretty much
Feeders Grain and Supply Inc and
Curtis Distributing, which came
together as Feeders Grain & Supply,
Inc. Feeders Grain was built in the
late 40’s by John Milligan. It later
sold to Delmar Hardisty in the 50’s.
Green Mountain Enterprises bought it
from Delmar in 1970. When Curtis
bought it in early 1973, it handled
feed, fertilizer, and chemicals.
Delivery and application was part of employees.
Currently, Bradley
the ongoing process.
Stargell has been employed for 11
years and as assistant manger for the
past six years.
Financial woes and too much credit
extended to customers that became
unpaid bills were almost unbearable in
the 1980’s. If it had not been for a
personal loan to Jim from Cecil
Kirkman, Feeder’s Grain would not
have survived. In 1989 Curtis sold the
Stringtown Buying Station to IBP.
Since “bottom line” was a problem at
Feeder’s Grain, Curtis stepped in to
Brian would call Jim and ask: You manage the company. It almost broke
want a “picker upper?” and he would even the first year. With the sale to
relate a nice sale to a good customer. IBP, Jim was able to continue. The
One day he called and said a fertilizer customers, community, employees,
company had never billed him for a and good vendors have made Feeder’s
load of fertilizer. He called them and Grain what it is today.
was very unhappy when the company In his childhood Jim never dreamed
refused to take a finance charge off of he would have a business in Corning,
his bill since it was past 30 days. As Iowa and do 14 million dollars in
the business grew they added more sales per year. Feeders Grain has kept
equipment and grain bin storage. the motto, “We won’t be undersold.”
They serviced a large area. Darlene Feeders has constantly tried to give
Badgett, Carol Foster, Gail Johnson, back to the Corning community
Carolyn Curtis, and Freddie Drake through support of the Adams County
were some of the early important 4-H programs and Corning FFA
Alumni News
Feeders Grain Site
programs.
Being able to raise his family through
the same wonderful school system
where he graduated has been an added
bonus for Curtis. Carolyn and he had
kids in the Corning School System
from 1963-1990. Tresa Curtis Mott
has been a dance instructor for 41
years in Knoxville where her husband,
Steve, recently retired as a dentist.
Rodney is an architect with a firm in
Ottumwa, Iowa and Lake of the
Ozarks, MO. Michelle, Rod’s wife, is
a mental health therapist. Cheri Curtis
Gerdes is a pharmacist in the Pella
hospital and her husband, Nick, is a
pharmacist in the Albia hospital.
They also live in Knoxville.
Alumni News
Lakeside Dragway
High school graduation is one of the most anticipated
events in your early life. Flash back: It is 1963, now
what? Many of the class of ’63 had plans; most
involve leaving Corning for greener pastures. Some
plan to go to higher education, a few join the
military, because Uncle Sam is going to want you
sooner or later. In case you haven’t noticed I am
only speaking of the young men of the class ’63. A
few stay around Corning, some to work on the family
farm, some to get married, some to work at local
jobs. Most of us don’t have a clue as to what we
wanted to do with our lives.
Page 3 of 8
…by Bob Davis CHS ‘63
not view this as harmless fun and call the police. The
first place we found was a couple of miles north of
town on Highway 148. If you go around the curve by
Louis Peterson’s farmhouse there is a gravel road going
north. About a quarter mile west was a dirt road going
south. The idea was to race from one road to the other.
This, in later years, would be known as the Northside
Dragway. The bad thing about racing here was the
traffic. We didn’t want to spend much time sitting and
waiting for traffic to pass by prior to the start of the
race.
Not much racing takes place in the winter of 1963, as it
is a warm weather sport. It is now spring of 1964.
Some of us have spotted a better place for a drag strip
on the newly paved Corning-Carl road. There is a flat
piece of road just below the dam at Lake Binder. Our
first problem was to measure the 1320 feet for an
official drag strip length. As luck would have it my
Austin B. Turner
very good friend and fellow 63 classmates, Bud
Schaffer, was working that summer for the Adams
County Survey Crew. He “borrowed” a 100-foot
surveyor’s tape and we proceeded to mark off a quarter
mile. I was working at the Corning Oil Company
This is 1963, what is there to do for entertainment?
(Harrison’s DX Gas Station) and had access to cement
You are too young to go to a bar. You can stay home
paint. Late on a warm night Bud and I marked out the
and watch TV with mom and dad on the black and
quarter mile. We painted the start and finish lines on
white TV with three channels. You can catch a
the pavement. We figured that if we did it late at night
movie at the American Theater or drive to Creston
it would be unlikely that anyone would drive through
and go to the drive-in movie. You can go on a date,
the wet paint. We went out the next night and sure
if you have a girlfriend, or hang out and ride around
enough, there was our masterpiece. Then we broke in
with your friends. Another option is you can drag
the new strip by burning tires at the starting line. For
race! How do you define a drag race? A drag race is
years after that you could tell the starting line by the
two cars racing from a standing start for one quarter
multitude of black tire marks on the highway. We had
of a mile. Why a quarter of a mile? I don’t know.
created a nearly perfect drag strip. It was close to town,
That is what “they” decided in California after World
very little traffic, and an accurately marked quarter
War II. Most of the people I ran with didn’t have fast
mile. We had successfully created, Lakeside Dragway!
cars, but most of us still wanted to know who was the
fastest.
I found that people with fair low powered cars tended
Now comes the problem. Where, in hilly southwest
Iowa do you find a flat piece of paved road with
racing specifications? It needs to be fairly close to
town but not too close to a farmhouse. What you are
doing is illegal and the adults in close proximity may
to race more than people who had higher horsepower
cars. Maybe this is true because you were less likely to
break something or because it was more of a blow to
your ego if your “hot” car got beat. In 1965 we had a 5
or 6 car round robin. From 1954 to 1962 Ford made a
Page 4 of 8
Alumni News
small V-8 motor known as the Y-block. Fords were
always cheaper to buy. Many of us drove Fords for
that reason. One night we gathered up all the guys
with Y-block Fords to see who really had the fastest
car. After eliminations it came down to my ’61 Ford
against Bud Schaffer’s 56 Ford. I got a good view of
his taillights that night. Why is it that I will always
remember that defeat?
One of the other memorable races was between my
’66 Chevy Impala and Doug Lawrence’s ‘62 Chevy
Impala. I had previously beaten Doug but he had
said his clutch was bad so he wanted a re-match after
he got his new clutch. I was riding around town with
my girlfriend one evening and saw Doug. He had put
a new clutch in his car and wanted to race. We went
out to the official Lakeside Dragway. We were
lining up and I asked my girlfriend to get out of the
car. She didn’t want to so I explained to Doug that I
needed the weight advantage. In a close race a
passenger can mean the difference between winning
or losing. She took it as if I was accusing her of
being fat. Now she couldn’t wait to get out. I knew I
was in trouble when I didn’t get ahead of Doug at the
start. As we shifted to second gear he just pulled
away. Not only did I lose the race but also my
girlfriend rode back town with someone else. The
race had attracted quite a few spectators. This was
certainly not one of my better nights.
I do enjoy reading the Alumni
News and thought I would send
some tidbits to think about:
“Admit
your
errors
before
someone else exaggerates them.
An Old-Timer is anyone who
learned to ride a bicycle before it
became a fitness machine. Man
cannot live by bread alone, he
needs peanut butter.”
Earl D. Johnson
Stanton, IA
Class of 1963
I am guessing there are many of us
out here who don’t voice our
As time passed I watched and participated in dozens
of races. Yes, I did win more than I lost. No one
was ever caught, arrested, fined, or hurt. Drag racing
on a low-traffic county road was a pretty safe form of
fun. As time moved into the late 60’s and early 70’s,
many of the guys who raced moved away, got
married, got drafted or some like me—lost their
driver’s license for a period of time—not for racing,
however. In 1971 I moved to Nebraska to finish
college so I don’t know if racing went on much after
that time. My nephew, Doug Davis, tells me that by
the 1980’s there wasn’t racing. Cars had lost power
in the 70’s and 80’s and many new attractions came
along to entertain young people. So it seems that the
Lakeside Dragway fell into disuse but we had a good
time while it lasted.
appreciation often enough, yet
nonetheless do appreciate the
Alumni Newsletter bringing
back fond memories and
rekindling heartfelt emotions
that help to sustain us as we
now grow gray.
Sometimes as I read the
Alumni Newsletter pages I
almost feel like I’m headed
down the alley across “back
main” into my parent’s café—
“Bruce and Lorraine’s Buffet
and Grill.” Thanks to the staff
and all you do.
Doug Wilson
Farragut, IA
Class of 1975
I have wanted to write a small
article for the newsletter just to
say “hi” since it is hard to make
it to any of the reunions. Maybe
one day I just might make it
back there. Keep up the great
work in keeping us all informed
about our home-it is a wonderful
thing to do.
De Loris Peterson DeLozier
Riverside, CA
Class of 1953
Alumni News
Come Back to Corning!
Ever think about what you can do to keep your
hometown growing and thriving? Of course, there
is always the option of you moving back yourself.
(Yes, we miss you!) But we also realize that option
is not always the easiest to make happen. So how
about encouraging others to come for a visit, to
start a business here, or to retire here?
Let’s talk about how you could encourage visitors
to stop in for a visit in Adams County. We have a
lot to offer and draw visitors frequently from
nearby Missouri and Nebraska. In fact, this month
already, we have had four tour buses full of
interested people. There are several resources on
our website that you can explore and invite your
friends to view :www.adamscountyiowa.com.
Starting on our home page, watch our 30-second
“Family Fun video.“ Then click “Here” to page
through our brochure that gives ideas of what to
see and do while visiting Adams County. To learn
even more details click on “Play” to learn more
about outdoor recreation, historic places, and arts
& entertainment opportunities to experience,
explore and enjoy! You can click on the videos on
the right hand side of those pages, to see what our
Southwest Valley High School students showcased
at many Adams County venues.
Still want to learn more? Click on the “Visit”
button to find out about specific tours, not only
just in Adams County, but also in the region. We
can also work with you or one of your friends to
create a unique tour with just the specific locations
of interest to them. E-mail us at:
[email protected] for ideas and
assistance.
Page 5 of 8
….by Beth Waddle CHS”79
Our most recent partnership with several of our
tourism sites is to develop a video with logos.
Want to try out this new fun, technology?
Download the “Aurasma” app on your
Smartphone or IPad. Then find the ACEDC
channel and click to “follow” it. Once you have
done this, open the viewfinder and hover over
one of the logos on this page. A white bulls eye
should appear. Remain on the bull’s-eye until a
video starts. Once the video begins, tap the
video and it will fill the viewing space on your
phone/IPad and you can watch a short video of
the item you selected. Once complete, it will
take you to their webpage where you can learn
more. You can do this for each of the images to
learn more about each location. Of course, you
can learn even more by visiting each location in
person.
We invite you to learn more about your
hometown, come back and visit and encourage
others to visit. These visits offer us opportunity
to showcase what we have in Adams County,
invite more people to visit and, perhaps move
here, and keep the economic engines of our
community working.
We continue to see growth: The newly erected
Corning Fire Station, the planned renovations at
Lake Icaria, the continued job growth with our
industries, new retail business start-up and use of
our small business revolving loan fund, the list
goes on and on. Help us make a difference.
Share our story, come for another visit, and
invite others to experience Adams County where
we are “always creative”.
Alumni News
2015 Lazy Days Festival
Lazy Days Festival July 24-26, 2015 -Doctor’s Dash, Alumni
Chamber Coffee, Rotary Pancake Feed, Battle of the BBQ, En
Plein Air painters and many more fun events for alumni.
2015 Homecoming
Homecoming is scheduled for September 18-20, 2015. The
schedule of all events will be available on the Chamber and
ACEDC webpage.
Class of 1940
75th Reunion
Homecoming 2015 - September 18-20, 2015
The 4th Tuesday Club plans to celebrate with a special table at
the All Graduate Banquet. Contact: Margaret Penfold, 704
Grove Ave, Corning, IA 50841 641-322-4699.
Class of 1945
70th Reunion
Homecoming 2015 - September 18-20, 2015
Celebration will be at a special table at the All Graduate
Banquet. Contact: Don Bickford 1110 6th St, Corning, IA
50841 641-322-4896 or Mary Olive 1665 Maple Ave, Corning,
IA 50841 641-322-3393
Class of 1950
65th Reunion
Homecoming 2015 - September 18-20, 2015
Celebration will be at a special table at the All Graduate
Banquet. Contacts: Eleanor Ogburn, 1911 150th St, Corning,
IA 50841 641-322-3382 or Bert Peckham, 1000 Bluegrass Dr,
Corning, IA 50841, 641-322-3897
Class of 1955
60th Reunion
Homecoming 2015 - September 18-20, 2015
Plans are underway for a special table at the All Graduate
Banquet on Saturday evening. Contact Guy Brace 808 11th St,
Corning, IA 50841 641-340-0682.
Classes of 1959, 1960 & 1961
Homecoming 2015 - September 18-20, 2015
Multi class Reunion: Friday, September 18: Corning Opera
House is reserved for an “Open House” event--all welcome to
stop in for this “meet/greet” casual event. Contacts: Doug
Ireland 515-225-6570 [email protected] or Nan
Gauthier McCreary 281-497-7927 [email protected] or Janet
Readhead Thomas 850-653-1068 [email protected]
Class of 1965
50th Reunion
June 12-14, 2015 Friday, June 12: Social at the Happy Hollow
Country Club at 7 pm. Saturday, June 13: High School Tourmeet in auditorium @ 1 pm; Social Hour-6 PM; Banquet -7 pm
@ Happy Hollow Country Club. Further details will come out
in a mailing to the class. Contact persons are: Bruce Miller at
[email protected] and Dan Reed at [email protected].
Class of 1970
45th Reunion
Summer Festival Weekend: July 24-26, 2015 Saturday, July
25: Happy Hollow Country Club: 5:30 Social; 6:30 Meal
Cost is $25 per person with choice of roast beef, pulled pork or
fried chicken. Make meal reservations by July 11th to Debbie
Harris Eggers, 811 South Taylor St Papillion, NE 68046
[email protected] 402-331-4668 cell 402-689-7363.
Page 6 of 8
Class of 1975
40th Reunion
Summer Festival Weekend: July 24-26, 2015 Saturday, July
25: Casual event at The Olive/Saniuk Red Barn, 1814 CorningCarl Rd with social starting at 4 pm---BYOB. Meal will be
provided. Donations for barn rental, food, etc will be collected
that evening. RSVP by July 1 with number attending.
Contacts: Deb Buffington, 1205 Grove Ave, Corning, IA
50841 712-621-4549 [email protected] or Kim Stargell,
2265 Juniper Ave, Corning, IA 50841 712-621-0521
[email protected]
Class of 1980
35h Reunion
Summer Festival Weekend: July 24-26, 2015 Friday: July
24: BBQ; 7 pm-Wing Contest; 9 pm-1 am-Band & Street
Dance. Saturday, July 25: Golf- Noon @ HHCC; Corning
Winery: 2 pm-Wine Tasting, 7 pm Dinner ($12 single, $20
couple). Contact: Julie Schafroth Beaumont, 1069 County Rd
20 Hooper, NE 68031 [email protected] Jayne Templeton
2259 Juniper Ave, Corning, IA 50841 641-322-4810
[email protected]
Class of 1985
30 Reunion
Summer Festival Weekend: July 24-26, 2015 Friday: July 24
Meet at Strait’s Pond @ noon; followed by BBQ cook-off and
street dance. Saturday: July 25: Meet at Corning Winery @ 1
pm; Happy Hollow Country Club @ 4 pm for social and meal.
Bon Fire at Tony Peter’s parents home after meal. Contact:
Lanette Peterson 712-229-2085 [email protected]
Class of 1990
25h Reunion
Homecoming 2015-September 18-20, 2015 Friday, Sept18:
2:00 Parade--Wear red/black and ride our class float in the
parade. Football Game: Class tailgating and family/class sit
in a group at game. Saturday, September 19: Evening meal at
Corning Winery. Meal is $20/person. RSVP by August 19th to
Paula—message or email for address to send reservation.
Contact Paula Peters Neutzling [email protected]
“Friend” Paula on the class facebook page.
Class of 1995
20 Reunion
Summer Festival Weekend: July 24-26, 2015 Friday-July 24:
BBQ cook-off: Saturday, July 25: Happy Hollow Country
Club-happy hour from 6-7pm; dinner at 7pm. Contact: Corie
England 717-668-5279 [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1530850327177633/
Class of 2000
15h Reunion
Summer Festival Weekend: July 24-26, 2015
Plans are underway to meet at the Summer Festival Event.
Contact: Adam Amdor <[email protected]>
Class of 2005
10th Reunion
Homecoming 2015-September 18-20, 2015
Friday, September 18: Casual dinner---cookout at Lake Icaria
Saturday, September 19: High School tour. Contact: David
Gravlin 515-771-8481 or [email protected]
Check out our Facebook Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/594516727315943/
Page 7 of 8
Alumni News
11th Annual
In Memoriam
05/03/14
07/22/14
08/15/14
01/01/15
01/21/15
01/24/15
01//25/15
01/27/15
01/28/15
01/28/15
01/29/15
02/15/15
02/18/15
02/23/15
03/01/15
03/01/15
03/08/15
03/14/15
03/21/15
03/27/15
03/30/15
04/07/15
04/19/15
05/03/15
05/08/15
05/15/15
05/18/15
05/19/15
05/21/15
….by Mary Miller Olive CHS ’45
Class of
Wayne Pierson
1959
Harold Bush
1932
Paul Stapleton
1950
William “Bill” Fife
1936
Gene Hoskinson
1943
Ivan Templeton
1960
Wendell Bell
1946
Robert “Bob” Nelson
1956
Donald D. Simmons
1953
Vic Leonard
1959
Robert Howard VanPelt
1952
Thelma Miller Tallmon
1938
Leo Preston
1957
John “Jack” Bailiff
1951
Evelyn Watts Gamrath
1937
Ann Tinkham Hoskinson
1943
Robin Trichel Brooks
1999
Florence Hargan Knapp
1935
Don Wells
1972
Bradley A. Schaefer
1979
Richard “Dick” Carothers
1952
Louise Jensen Brown
1937
Velma C. Mitchell Campbell
1943
Mary Jean Waters Cullen
1947
Marvin Fuller
1953
LaVerne Burkhalter Bovaird
1939
Edward Larson
1960
Clifford Bradley
1941
Joan Haley Mack Gebhardt
1948
All Graduate Banquet
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Corning Elementary Building
1012 10th Street
Open to all Corning supporters!
$25 per person
Meal and Program
Reservations are due by September 1st
5:45-6:45 p.m.
All-Graduate Social:
All homecoming attendees welcome
6:45 p.m. All Graduate Banquet and Program
-------------------------------------------------------------All Graduate Banquet Reservation
$25 per person for meal/program/prizes
Name______________________________________
Address_____________________________________
City__________________, State____Zip__________
Enclosed is $____________ for _____ reservations.
Graduation Class Table Preferred: Class of _________.
Send reservations by September 1, 2015
Linda Shearer
PO Box 333
Corning, IA 50841
[email protected]
641-322-4736
Friends-day Wednesday We go to Corning, Iowa On the 30th of April I was listening to 99.9 KEZ
Phoenix, AZ radio station and heard something that I found very interesting and it made me think of you.
One of the morning radio personalities here, Beth McDonald, has a segment on her show on Wednesdays
where she supposedly throws a dart at a map of the U.S. and wherever it lands, she picks an establishment
there and calls them to "make a friend". This particular day she called an establishment in Corning, Iowa,
called "Boz's Kitchen", and she talked to Kathy. Since Corning is not that big, I figured you would know
about this place and have probably been there. I thought it was quite a coincidence and wanted to tell you
about it. From Doug Oldenkamp’s cousin in Mesa, AZ
Kathy Bozwell told Beth McDonald that Boz’s Kitchen’s specialty is hot beef sandwiches. When asked
what she did for fun in Iowa, Kathy responded that she loves to crochet and quilt. Kathy invited Beth to
personally come visit Corning and the area. Kathy answered the quiz question correctly about Arizona.
(Arizona has one of the Seven Wonders of the World, what is it?) The prize was a signed picture of Beth
MacDonald. http://www.kez999.com/onair/beth-friends-1236/friendsday-wednesday-we-go-to-corning13546259/
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Corning, Iowa 50841
Name____________________________
Address__________________________
City _________________State _____
Zip ______
Telephone ________________________
e-mail address_____________________
Class of _________________
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Corning Alumni News is
produced by the:
Corning Alumni Committee
Dr. Wayne Ryan
CHS ‘45
Mary Olive
CHS ‘45
Doug Sickler
CHS ‘55
Mary E. Gauthier
CHS ’40
Doug Ireland
CHS ‘59
Art McClelland
CHS ‘52
Frannie Mack
CHS ‘41
Eleanor Cantieri
CHS ‘47
Beth Waddle
CHS ’79
Bert Peckham
CHS ‘50
Donna Peckham
CHS ‘52
Phil Morris
CHS ‘70
LeAnn Morris
CHS ‘73
Marjie Hoversten
CHS ‘53
Carolyn Engel
CHS ‘53
Linda Shearer, Alumni Director
Fred Shearer, Editor