ONCE A TIGER . . . ALWAYS A TIGER!
A Publication of the Adel-De Soto-Minburn Alumni Association
Fall 2014
Veteran’s Day Honors
On Tuesday, November 11, 2014, Colonel (Ret.) Ted Severn will be guest speaker at a Veteran’s Day
event open to the public at no charge with seating limited to 120.
The event will be held at the ADM High School, 801 Nile Kinnick Dr. S., in Adel. It will start at
8:30am with a flag-raising ceremony followed by Col. Severn’s presentation from 9am – 10am in the
high school auditorium, and a reception will follow in the ADM school board room. Public parking will
be available in the North parking lot - follow the signs - as you enter the ADM campus from the west
off of Highway 169.
In 1970 then Captain Severn was commander of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry
Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He was Private John McClurg’s commanding
officer. Private McClurg (Adel High School Class of ‘69) was the last ADM alumnus to be killed in
action (KIA). Captain Severn was wounded in action (WIA) in June of 1970 and Private McClurg was
KIA two months later on August 17, 1970. John was 19 years, 3 months and 17 days old.
Col. Severn will discuss his military career, his experiences in Vietnam and what it was like to serve
with a rifle company in a combat zone. The ADM Alumni Association worked with the ADM Middle
School Veteran's Day Committee to arrange for and sponsor Col. Severn’s visit.
ALUMNI TAILGATE
By Dennis Leininger, C lass o f 70
The fourth annual Alumni Parade Tailgate over the Sweetcorn Festival was a great success!
Sponsored by the Class of 70, the Tailgate raised $967.82 which is donated to the ADM Alumni Association in appreciation
for all they do for all of us. Thank you to Class of 70 members; Jackie & Jerry Orton, Tana Belgarde, Gloria Duffy, Pam
Pruitt, Pat Swigert and Becky Anderson. Special thanks to Swede Belgarde (Class of 61, Fred Pruitt (Dexfield, 1969 but he
married an Adel girl and fits right in!) and Dan Burgus, Class of 65 for all of their help! While the donations are terrific, the
best part of the event is the opportunity for alums to connect with schoolmates from classes spanning 1977 back through
1960. If you are planning your reunion or are in town during Sweetcorn, please include the Tailgate as part of your plans!
A-D-M Alumni Association Board of Directors
TANA OBERWETTER BELGARDE • C lass o f ‘70
BARB BROWN TRIER • C lass o f ‘74
DAVE MOYER • C lass o f ‘69
KRISTI TRYON FULLER • C lass o f ‘90
BARB HACKNEY WICKS, Secretary • C lass o f ‘72
BETTY TRACY GUSTAFSON • C lass o f ‘61
LYNN REICH LOYNACHAN • C lass o f ‘65
DICK WICKS, Vice President • C lass o f ‘72
MATT HEMPHILL • C lass o f ‘98
KRIS PETERSON MANNING • C lass o f ‘69
NATE HAWKINS, President • C lass o f ‘99
DANA BRENNER BROWN • C lass o f ‘02
MELODY COOK MARSHALL • C lass o f ‘77
LINDA STEPHEN CLARK • C lass o f ‘73
JIM PETERS, Treasurer • C lass o f ‘71
RON GILLILAND • C lass o f ‘58
2
ADM Athletic Hall of Fame
INDUCTEES
Congratulations to
Bric Nelson ’98,
Whitney Johnson ’05,
Angie Gilliland ’89
Ron Brenner, Faculty/Coach
The 12th Annual ADM Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held August 8, 2014 at 7 p.m. in the
ADM High School Auditorium. The current year inductees were honored by Ron Gilliland, Master of Ceremonies.
The inductees were also honored at a reception starting at 5 p.m. in the 6-8 commons area of the high school
in conjunction with the 2014 ADM All Class Reunion hosted by the ADM Alumni Association.
Wilford Anderson’s Military Service
By Jim Peters
Mr. Anderson who served as superintendent of Adel Schools from the
'57-'58 through '81-'82. A military record I knew nothing about until
his 90th birthday in 2013. Mr. Anderson just turned 91 . . .
Wilford Anderson . . . Military Record
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Enlisted in U. S. Navy in Aug., 1941, age 17.
Boot camp...Great Lakes, Illinois.
Aviation Radioman's School...NAS Alameda, CA.
Communication office...NAS Alameda.
Made Petty Officer 3rd class, Aug., 1942.
Accepted for flight training...St. Mary's College, Norman, Ok., Corpus Christi, TX.
Received commission as Ensign and Navy Pilot on June 12, 1943.
Sent overseas on Tank Landing Ship (LST) manned by British crew; 8 knot (about 9mph)
convoy, 21 days to cross Atlantic to Oran, Algeria.
Travel by rail, 40 & 8 boxcar, to Casablanca, French Morocco then to Port Lawtey.
Assigned to Patrol Squadron VP-92 flying PBY amphibians on anti-sub patrols, convoy coverage and air-sea rescue.
Transferred to VPB-127, Ventura squadron. Sub attack in Straits of Gibraltar; belly landing after one flight;
warped wings on pull-out after rocket firing. One month in Naples, Italy, flying special missions.
Returned to USA Dec. 30, 1944. 17 months overseas, 78 missions.
Advanced instrument training in Atlanta, GA.
Assigned as flight test pilot of PV-2, Harpoon, at Pawtuxet River, MD.
Sent to Oakland, CA., to fly R4D (DC-3), transporting wounded from the west coast to Phoenix VA Hospital.
Discharged in November, 1945.
Served in active navy reserve 1949-1957.
Squadron commander 1956-57 at Naval Air Station, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Retired with rank of Lt. Commander.
Thanks for your service!
3
CLASS OF ’71 REUNION NEWS
By Jim Peters
Greetings '71 Classmates and Friends,
This past week-end was the Annual Sweetcorn Festival in Adel.
There were seven of our classmates who golfed on Friday,
August 8th. Here is a picture of Jame Christiansen, George
Warford, Marta Saveraid, Kevin Custer, Jim "Cloudy" Huston,
Jim Peters and Rena Custer. Barb Anderson Peterman and
Randy "Red" Jensen also golfed and were on different parts of
the course:
One of our classmates anonymously donated funds in memory
of our recently deceased classmate, Tucker Straight, to award
a $50 prize to the alumnus who makes the longest putt on
Hole #17 (71 reversed). And there are enough funds to
award this prize for the next five years. Here is a picture of
Cloudy, George, Kevin, Jame and Jim with the sign in memory
of Tucker:
And this year again Pam and I hosted a pre-streetdance soiree
on Saturday evening and ten of us classmates assembled for a
picture: Jame, John Irwin, Kevin Marshall, Sheryl Lehman
Barcus, Jim, Barb Anderson Peterman, "Cloudy", Marty Parkins,
and Denise Oneal Wicks (Chuck Schwarzkopf arrived later
and did not make the picture):
And finally at 11am on Sunday morning we assembled at
Oakdale Cemetery in Adel for Tucker's memorial service. I
was honored to welcome everyone and say a few words about
Tucker. Then his sister Barb, and Tucker's sons Tim and Dave
spoke. And Kevin followed with a eulogy that Tucker would
have enjoyed.
Here are Cloudy, Kevin, Gayle Knoll Arnburg, Mike Weil,
Barb, Jame, Jim, George and Kevin after Tucker's service.
Tucker joins our classmates Bette Banwart, Lawrence Wilcox,
Randy Valentine, "Bean" Moorhead, Becky Pierce Moore and
Harold Beaman who are buried at Oakdale.
Enjoy the remainder of the summer.
JIM.
4
ADEL CLASS OF 1944 CELEBRATES THEIR 70TH CLASS REUNION
The Class of 1944 held their 70th class reunion on August 8th with three members present. DeLos Biddle of West Bend, IA, and
Maxine Poffenberger Mylan and Helen Wicks Dawes of Adel. Regrets were sent by Walter Heimberger of Dexter, Jay Karr of
Fulton, Mo, Irene Flinn Wilcox of Madrid, Miriam Neff
Fischer of St Charles, MO, Donnabelle Hagg Schibillion of
Mesa, AZ and Lavurn Blanchard Sheiry of West Des
Moines. They were unable to attend because of health
issues or other commitments. We combined with six
members of the 1943 class which included Harold Norris
of Iowa City, Eleanor Hoy Martin of Des Moines, Phyllis
Boren Elliott of Columbus, NE, Eleanor Button Myers of
Dallas Center, IA. and Harlene Harper Lepovitz and
Marilyn Spillers Oneal of Adel. We had a total of 14 at
our table.
Harold Norris in back, Maxine Poffenberger Mylan, Phyllis
Boren Elliott, Harlene Harper Lepovitz, Elanor Hoy Martin,
Helen Wicks Dawes, Marilyn Spillers Oneal, and Eleanor
Button Myers seated. (Sorry, DeLos Biddle left before we
got the photo taken.)
1954 UNDEFEATED
FOOTBALL TEAM FLOAT
Back row left to right - People on
the float - Pete DePue, Judy
DePue, Jan Harkrader (standing),
Jon Hoy, John Harkrader, Coach
Harlan Phillips, Cordell Steelman
(in sunglasses), Wesley Watson,
Front row - sitting on float - left
to right - Ruth Hoy, Shirley
Webber, Priscilla Giezentanner,
John Rhotten (sitting in chair
People on the ground in front of
the float - Gary Belgarde (in
scooter), Donna Belgarde, Don
Cook and Bill Burton
5
- PRESIDENT’S LETTER Its harvest time in Iowa, the air is crisp, and the Tigers are in the playoffs again.
This time of year makes me proud to be from Iowa and to have gone to the greatest
high school in the area, ADM!! This time of year always has me thinking about those
cold crisp nights on the football field, listening to the band play our fight song, the
cannon after a score, and the anticipation of the winter sports season.
Some of my fondest memories are of the friendships cultivated in high school.
Whether it was in the chorus room, wrestling room, football field, etc. Those relationships
were built upon a common goal and teamwork. Those types of relationships at the
time developed who I am now. The camaraderie of classmates working towards
common goals really helped us to all grow into outstanding individuals in the
community. For that, I am forever grateful for the teachers, coaches, administrators,
and community members that sowed those seeds of success in all of us. Just how
lucky did we have it?
My fondest memories as a Tiger were that of our dedicated teachers. I still remember
Mr. Buchman making class more than just about learning, but fun as well. He loved
to joke with us and us with him. He taught us about Government, as well as how to
have fun. Monsieur Phillips’ French class was always fun, even when he would get
upset with us for acting up. I always tell people I remember more about French
History than I do the language,. That’s because he cared to teach us more than just a
language. He showed us a culture and its history. How awesome is that? These two
teachers are just a fraction of the experiences I had in high school. I also remember
Mr. Cooper and his infinite words of encouragement to have a shy kid use his bass
voice to help harmonize in the chorus. Little things like that really help to shape an
individual. We as ADM Alum can count ourselves very lucky to have had such great
role-models.
What are some of your favorite moments as a Tiger? We want to know. This type of
nostalgia is what our newsletter readers want to hear about. These stories do more
than provide a glimpse into our past, they help us to be thankful for where we come
from and who we have become.
Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger,
Nate Hawkins, Class of 1999
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ADM Alumni Present for a Medal of Honor Presentation
By C o dy Belgarde, C lass o f 1999
C o dy is the so n o f Sw ede and Tana Belgarde, A del C lass o f '61 and '70
On May 13, 2014, ADM Alumni Brett Perry, Class of
1997 and Cody Belgarde, Class of 1999, were honored
to be present with their close friend Kyle White at the
White House.
Capt. Matthew Charles Ferrara,
Marine Corps Sgt. Phillip A Bocks,
Cpl Sean Kanae-Aldrique Langevin,
Sgt. Jeffery Scott Mersman,
Cpl. Lester G. Roque,
Spc. Joseph Michale Lancour.
They will never be forgotten. For more information on
Kyle White and his heroic story go to
www.army.mil/medalofhonor/white/battle/
Brett Perry, Kyle White, and Cody Belgarde
Kyle had just received the Medal of Honor that day for
his heroic actions on November 9, 2007. Brett and Kyle
met in basic training and then both were stationed in
Vicenza, Italy and arrived a few weeks after me. We
were all in different companies but enjoyed our golf outings between training rotations. In the spring of 2007 the
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team deployed to
Afghanistan. We were separated all in different locations
of Afghanistan enduring complete hell. On November 9,
2007 Kyle and his squad were ambushed in the remote
mountains of Afghanistan outnumbered by Taliban fighters. Kyle exposed himself numerous times in order to
save the lives of his fellow soldiers. Six soldiers lost their
lives that day another 14 wounded including Kyle. Brett
and I accompanied by our beautiful wives Jessie Perry and
Emily Belgarde were honored to be with Kyle on this
special day but as Kyle would say “it’s not about him it’s
about remembering those six brave solders who gave the
ultimate sacrifice.”
Emily and Cody Belgarde, Brett and Jessie Perry
Brett's Grandma
Mary and
Bill Kimber
2014ADM Alumni Association
Golf Tournament
FriDAy, August 8 @ RIVER VALLEY GOLF COURSE
Recap RepoRt
After a good time & a few beverages . . .
another successful ADM Alumni
Golf Tournament is in the record book.
A beautiful day greeted the golfers as they gathered
for the 12th Annual ADM Alumni Golf Tournament
which teed off with a new 8:00 a.m. start time.
Everyone seemed pretty awake too.
50 teams participated, with all 50 teams having an alumni,
faculty (current or past), parent or some other
connection to the Adel-De Soto-Minburn school.
The following teams or individuals qualified for prizes
(Note: cup size was normal this year due to dry conditions):
1st FlightWINNERS
2nd FlightWINNERS
1ST PLACE
SCORE 55
Jamie Faidley, Tate Jensen ‘14,
Travis Madsen '99, Justin Zeigler ‘02
1ST PLACE
SCORE 65
Chris Weiser '03, Kelly Roeder,
Brent Schnetter, Scott Swanson '00
2ND PLACE
SCORE 57
Tim Bryte, Grant Peters '97,
Ben Young '97, Colby Dawes '97
2ND PLACE
SCORE 65
Joe Barry '86, Ray Wiltgen '86,
Dan Tetrick '87, Sam Bertman '86
3RD PLACE
SCORE 57
Jeff Porter '83, Dave Raymond '83,
Josh Raymond, Dennis Gross '83
3RD PLACE
SCORE 65
Jerry Bond, Tom Harbison,
Eric Heitz, Brian Moretz
3rd FlightWINNERS
1ST PLACE
SCORE 69
Harold Reed '70, Bud Reed '66,
Randy McElroy, Matt McElroy
4th FlightWINNERS
1ST PLACE
SCORE 73
Bill Culp '94, Dave Benz '94,
Tim Garton '94, Kyle Knudson '94
2ND PLACE
SCORE 69
Joe Barnoske, Dick Albright,
Darrell Wicks '69, Dolan Wicks '78
2ND PLACE
SCORE 73
Chris Tollari '85, Sarah Burns Tollari '97,
Sean Doyle, Melissa Wicks Doyle '02
3RD PLACE
SCORE 66
Steve Chapman '81, Chris Myers '76,
Alan Bettes '76, Fred Grasso '80
3RD PLACE
SCORE 74
Raymond Spoerry, Derrick Spoerry,
Hank Spoerry '77, Ed Kuhl
DAVID ANDERSON ’69
MEMORIAL
Spo nso red by A nderso n Family
Closest to Pin #3
Closest to Pin 9
½ of buy in pot $345 – Paid 3 Places this year
Barb Anderson Peterman ‘71,
Winner - Tony Marlow ‘88,
Greg Peterman
1ST PLACE (60%)
Steve Tracy ’89
4 foot – 0 inches
CRAIG SAVERAID ’71
MEMORIAL
Spo nso red by C lass o f 1971
Longest Putt #15
Bud Reed ‘66
2ND PLACE (25%)
TOM “TUCKER” STRAIGHT
’71 MEMORIAL
Spo nso red by Steve New man ‘71
Longest Putt #17
Rich Ticknor ‘76
4 foot – 9 inches
Eric Heikes ‘84
3RD PLACE (15%)
Dave Raymond ‘83
4 foot – 10 inches
IN MEMORY OF ’79
DECEASED CLASSMATES
Spo nso red by Dan Bever ’79
Closest to Pin 2nd Shot #18
Garret Hulse ‘98
ADDITIONAL PIN PRIZES AWARDED
Scott Swanson ‘00 Hole #1 – Longest Putt
Jaycee Mandernach ‘13 Hole #2 – Women’s Longest Drive
Sam Bertman ‘86 Hole #2 – Longest Putt
Beau Dawes ‘95 Hole #4 – Longest Putt
Colby Dawes ‘97 Hole #5 – Longest Putt
Travis Madsen ‘99 Hole #6 – Longest Putt
Royce Anthony Hole #7 – Longest Putt
Mark Hefner ‘02 Hole #8 – Longest Putt
Chase Wedemeier Hole #10 – Longest Putt
Joe O’Brien ‘79 Hole #11 – Longest Putt
Barb Hackney Wicks ‘72 Hole #12 – Women’s Closest to Pin
Randy McElroy Hole #13 – Longest Putt
Dee Ruepke Hole #14 – Longest Putt
Steve Brown Hole #17 – Men’s Longest Drive
Not Reported Hole #18 – Longest Putt
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2013 ADM Alumni Golf Tournament
Thank You
Hole Sponsors were:
In Memory Of . . .
Dennis Richards
Adel Class of 1967
Archer Home Center
The Anderson Family
Class of 1971
In memory of Dave Anderson ’69
In memory of Dr. Craig Saveraid ’71
Hazel Brown Eben
Adel Class of 1934
Raccoon Valley Bank
Iowa Realty (Dan Bever
Sam Boehm
In memory of Jesse Bouer Boehm ‘07
Captain's Quarters LLC
State Farm Insurance
James Conard
Adel Class of 1941
Ruth Gottschalk Goldsberry
Minburn Class of 1942
Hawkeye Auto Salvage
Steve Newman ‘71
In memory of Tom Tucker Straight ’71
Corner Tap
Betty Binns Geary
De Soto Class of 1953
Kim Countryman D.O.
Fuller's Standard
Russell Abstract & Title
Jean (Emma) Binns Bergman
De Soto Class of 1957
Stephen Cleaners
Rendezvous Lounge
Right Turn Feed Store
Donna McGill Grove
Adel Class of 1959
Horizon Printing
Patrick's Restaurant
Campbell Construction
Casa De Oro
Sponsorship signs provided by
SIGN*A*RAMA, Urbandale, Iowa
Committee Members:
Dick Wicks, Clarke Marshall, Chris Myers,
Chris Tollari, Dan Burgus and Roger Bever
Also a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone
who helped out on tournament day . . .
we couldn’t do it without you!
Perry Wilcox
Adel Class of 1967
Margaret Riley McCorkle
De Soto Class of 1930
Percy “Eddie” Dawson
Adel Class of 1942
Frank “Lowell” Wagoner
Adel Class of 1945
Tom “Tucker” Straight
Adel Class of 1971
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YOUR ADM ALUMNI BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Don’t try and tell us not to have a good time!
ADM Alumni Board of Directors L-R Front Row - Dick Wicks, Vice-President,
1972; Nate Hawkins, President, 1999; Betty
(Tracy) Gustafson, De Soto 1961; Tana
(Oberwetter) Belgarde 1970; Linda (Stephen)
Clark 1973; Barb (Hackney) Wicks, Secretary,
1972; Jim Peters, Treasurer, 1971.
L-R Back Row - Barb (Brown) Trier 1974; Lynn
(Reich) Loynachan 1965; Dana (Brenner) Brown,
2002; Melody (Cook) Marshall 1977; Kris
(Peterson) Manning 1969.
Not pictured – Ron G illiland 1958, Dave Moyer
1969, Kristi (Tryon) Fuller 1990 and Matthew
Hemphill 1998.
NOTES FROM OUR READERS
To Board of ADM Alumni,
I do appreciate all the work the alumni board
does & the newsletter. Thanks!
Bob Collins, De Soto Class of 1948
Thanks for all your hard work!
Peg Hale Bowman, Adel Class of 1971
----------------------------------
I enjoy reading the Tiger Tracks!
Enjoyed the WWII issue and the Archie Dunbar
story. Met him and his Dad when I first started
coming to Adel in the 50s.
Dick Norman, Adel Class of 1968
Loren Little, Adel Class of 1963
----------------------------------
---------------------------------And based on a special mailing to all the De Soto
graduates, we received this note and membership!
Nate, Betty & Kris,
Thank you for your recent letter informing us of the
upcoming events. Enclosed is our check for membership to ADM Alumni so we can access the website.
Again, thank you for keeping us “in the loop”.
Larry & Yvonne Ory, De Soto Class of 1957
---------------------------------Thanks so much. I am so glad I set up this automatic renewal. I want to extend my great compliments
to all the folks who put together the last newsletter.
It was just so wonderful. I believe Archie Dunbar
was a tax client of my dad’s and additionally of
course one would see his name on the trucks so it
was a familiar name around town. I was so fascinated
by the article about him…and others. It was the best
newsletter ever! Thanks for everything you are doing!
Barb McKinney, Adel Class of 1961
13
It Takes a Village
. . . Memories of a De Soto Girl’s Paper Route
By Louette Ebeling De Soto Class of ‘58
You’ve heard it said that “it takes a village” to bring up a child. De Soto was my town and these were
the people of my “village”. I’ll mention them in no particular order, probably following the path of my
paper route more than any other pattern.
Scott Hutchinson lived directly across the street for the first few years. He was a great friend to all of
us Ebeling kids and he thought we girls were too skinny. He gave me longhorn cheese and saltine
crackers nearly every day when I took his paper to him. His daily supper menu was: fried potatoes,
fried eggs, longhorn cheese and crackers. One time he craved salmon croquettes and he came over and
asked Mom to make some for him because his sister, Leta, said she didn’t want to. So wonder of wonders,
Mom made the croquettes for him and, wouldn’t you know, Leta did, too. I think that ended up benefiting
us kids because, of course, he was willing to share. Later on, Scott went up to live at the county farm
home and Leta and Alva Woolery moved into the Hutchinson family home. Scott kept the front closed
off to save heat, but Alva worked for the railroad so they used the whole house.
Leta and Alva kind of kept an eye on us because Mom worked in Des Moines and Dad was gone Monday
to Friday. They had a wonderful garden every year which they planted sooner than we did ours. Ours
got planted after we were out of school for the summer, so Woolerys shared their early produce and we
shared later. For the first several years, we had a big strawberry bed and Mom would let us pick a
quart for her and a quart to sell and let us keep the money. I think we got $.65 a quart. Pretty good
money for a kid in those days. Leta was the first person I ever knew who made her own noodles. I was
amazed one day to see noodles hanging to dry over the backs of dining table chairs. Leta and Scott had
a picture of their mother on the wall which had probably been taken before she was married. She had a
“Gibson Girl” hairdo and was as straitlaced looking as I’d ever seen, very erect posture and no smile.
Leta said she didn’t allow dancing nor card playing. I marveled that such a strict woman fell in love
with and married a black man way back then. The telephone office was next door to Scott’s house and
while he lived there Woolerys lived down the block. Leta substituted as telephone operator sometimes.
Stufflebeams were the first family who worked for the telephone company. After a couple years Minnicks
took over. Mrs. Minnick operated the switchboard and Mr. Minnick maintained the lines. We thought
both jobs were fascinating. Plugging the cables into the holes in the switchboard when the signal came
in to connect and then periodically checking to see if the conversation was over is nearly unimaginable
today. Mr. Minnick showed us the claw-like attachments he strapped on his boots to stick into the pole
so he could climb it. I thought it looked like fun but I don’t think he agreed. Mr. Minnick played the fiddle
and the saw and one of their daughters played guitar. She was pretty and blonde and I imagined her
with a singing career. One time when all the family except John had gone to a movie, John heard a
noise in the house, got scared, ran outside and locked himself out. He went over to Minnicks and waited
for the rest of us to come home.
continued on next page
14
It Takes a Village . . . Memories of a De Soto Girl’s Paper Route
continued from previous page
Snyders lived on the street south of ours on the corner near the park. Paul managed the grain elevator
and their sons, Monty and Gary, would play frontier bandits with us. We used the railroad cars and the
warehouses for a play area with built-in props. Unfortunately, these places were declared off limits
after Christa [Ebeling] cut her knee on a roll of barbed wire. We still used the tops of the boxcars and
even the telegraph office for our movie-type game scripts. The telegraph was another of those fascinating
instruments to a kid, and having an operator willing to let us hang around and watch while he sent and
received was marvelous. In those days, the Rock Island Line went right through De Soto with two passenger
trains daily. Mostly no one got on or off at De Soto, but Mrs. Hidlebaugh delivered outgoing and picked
up incoming mail every day. The mail bag got hung on a hook and grabbed as the train went by. I
never saw the incoming mail but it must have been collected by a similar device. Our family didn’t have
a TV set during the time I lived at home. We actually would go down to Snyder’s late on Saturday
evenings to watch wrestling! Gorgeous George was a star at the time. Other times I remember our family
going up to the grocery store and watching “Your Show of Shows” with the Knapps.
Mrs. Hidlebaugh and Mrs. Stonehocker were sisters and the mothers of friends. They were both expert
cooks and bakers on the wood-burning cook stoves in their kitchens. I am still in awe of their ability to
make such unbelievably good bread. My mother could not make bread; it always turned out dry and
heavy. So even though I have since learned how to make good bread, I still have a great appreciation for
their talent. (I’ve never used a wood-burning stove.)
Traveling west past the park and the next block which included Hidlebaughs was where the Bennetts
lived. They were an elderly couple whose kids were grown and gone. Mrs. Bennett made soft, thick
sugar cookies. By the time I got to their place, my cheese and cracker was gone, so a couple of cookies
were a welcome pick-me-up. I remember they had a magnifier in front of the TV screen to make the picture
appear bigger. This was probably one of the places I stopped in the winter to warm up before I went up
the hill to McDonalds.
Coming back north toward the main part of town, there were families such as the Crons and
Winchesters. Jerry [Cron] and especially Larry spent a lot of time at our house. Larry liked to watch
Mom paint and would sometimes be in our dining room after I’d gone to bed. Larry had two amazing
abilities. He would show up at the front door just as the first tray of gingersnaps came out of the oven.
And after John invited him to come with us to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the next year or two he
came to our house just as we put on our coats to get ready to go. We were happy to have him join us
and he also seemed to enjoy it. The ecumenism was shared by our participation in Methodist Youth
Fellowship, and I credit it with my love for the King James Bible. I really appreciated receiving a bible
of my own for graduation and am sorry to say it was lost when my parents moved out of the house in De
Soto. Being Catholic at the time, Mom (who wasn’t Catholic) wasn’t so sure I should read the bible; it
was Dad who told me it was fine.
Frances James was the first person in my life who gave me what I’ve come to know was unconditional
acceptance. She played piano with Art Butterfield’s band, so I had a regular Saturday night babysitting job.
continued on next page
15
It Takes a Village . . . Memories of a De Soto Girl’s Paper Route
continued from previous page
The very first time I babysat, the kids were playing ball in the yard and Doug, who was less than two
years old, got hit in the head. I was about eleven but knew enough to bring him in and hold him on my
lap with an icepack on his head. He was okay but with a pretty good knot and bruise. Frances thought I
was just wonderful! She thought I was wonderful after that, no matter what. Can you imagine how you
would feel about a babysitter who made fudge in your kitchen without permission? In those days, we
used the water-drop method to check for doneness. Sometimes we had good fudge, sometimes spoon
fudge, and sometimes hard-as-rock fudge, and Frances always thought it was just great. Even though I
was only three years older than her daughter, Dixie, Frances and I called each other “Sis” and pretended
we were sisters. She was one of a kind and I credit her with instilling a measure of self-esteem into me.
Another person who contributed greatly to my growing up, though he probably didn’t know it, was Lane
Peterson. He had a horse named Donna. She was a sorrel with flaxen mane and tail and I thought she
was absolutely beautiful! Her pasture was along my paper route so I would go in and hand feed her
grass that I had pulled up. Whether she thought it was any better than what she could have gotten for
herself I don’t know, but she would take it out of my hand and let me pet her. After Donna had a foal,
Lane was working with it to halter break it when I came by one day. He let me try to lead it, but the
colt reared and Mrs. Peterson got really scared and scolded Lane. I held on to him, though, and no one
got hurt. I felt sort of proud to have held on but embarrassed not to have known the right thing to do.
Lane didn’t tell me I’d done the wrong thing, though, and he didn’t seem upset. He was also a mentor in
that, while the stray dogs always came to live at our house (or so it seemed), they also always got shot
sooner or later. We girls suspected that either Mr. Minnick or our brother, John, were the perpetrator.
When a really beautiful collie showed up, I considered him mine, but knew he’d never last at our house.
I don’t recall ever conversing with Mr. Person about “Laddie” but he lived at Peterson’s, except that
when I got that far on my route, he accompanied me the rest of the way. At the top of the hill, after I
delivered Phillip’s paper, I’d say “race you” and we would run all the way to the big tree at the corner by
Lee Palmer’s. Then he’d walk me the rest of the way home and then go back to Peterson’s. This worked
pretty well for maybe as much as a couple of years and then I heard that Laddie had been shot by the
game warden who kept some sheep in a pasture (now part of the new park). Laddie was probably doing
what would come naturally to a collie, which he considered herding, but the game warden called it chasing.
I think Lane felt as bad as I did about losing such a good dog.
I mentioned Phillips who lived right across from the school. Their son was homebound but was connected
to the school by an intercom system. What a marvelously futuristic concept for a small school.
Speaking of futuristic, this was the only place I remember watching any of the space ranger TV program
that was on in the 50s. I can’t remember the name but you probably at least have heard of it. Since this
was another place to get warm in the winter, I got in on a little imaginary space exploration.
I’m sure to leave some important people out, but one I have to mention is of course, Miss Crowe. She
was the epitome of a grade school teacher in that time period. Unmarried, her students were her children.
How many children did she encourage to read for fun by rewarding completed assignments with free
reading time? And even the boys sat enthralled by the “Little House” books as she read them to us. Now
days, the “Ideals” projects she had for holidays are probably too Christian to be acceptable. Too bad. Not
all the old days were good, but some of them really create precious memories of precious people.
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