This is a Blog site created by Bob Reed (in Florida) for folks who live--or used to live--in Marcus, Iowa. Its purpose is to exchange notes, news, remembrances, and thoughts about life in and about Marcus, or news about one's family, friends or acquaintances. Don Peters (in California) and Roger Rae (in New York) have talked about such a site and this is an attempt to allow expatriates and locals to exchange comments.
This discussion thread is now closed....feel free to browse but go to the current discussion thread to pick up the conversation.
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As many of you may realize, the History Channel is saluting VE week. I thought it might be a nice touch to recall VE Day, as it affected Marcus. As a fifteen year old, I remember the news about Germany's surrender being hailed with great joy in our fair home town. EVERYONE, except the Marcus Volunteer Fire Department, thought a fitting form of celebration would be to build a bonfire in the main intersection downtown. Cardboard boxes, wood crates, paper, anything of a combustible nature, were piled high in the intersection and set afire. The Fire Department, fearing the fire would buckle the cement took quick action, unleashing the fun killing talent of a large fire hose. Not to be easily deterred, the revelers discovered a cache of rotten tomatoes behind one of the grocery stores [ yes, there was more than one grocery outlet]. There ensued a battle, not so royal, between the tomato bandits and the firemen. Suffice it to say, the water is mightier than the tomato. When the smoke had literally cleared; everyone wandered aimlessly in a state complete awe. The war was partially over. I additionally thought it might be a nice touch if, after sixty years, someone reading this blog spot might get access to the American Legion records in Marcus and post the names of the Marcus lads killed in action, wounded in action and taken prisoner of war during World War II, so that their memory might redefine the character of the young men and women of Marcus who found fit to risk their future for the benefit of our Nation. Earl Rae
Don Peters - Thanks for the bit re:Elmer B. I knew they lived in La Jolla but had no idea he was from there originally. Long before busses took kids to music contests, many of us volunteered. I clearly remember transporting that wonderful quartet. Remember,too, how proud I was listening as you won all sorts of top honors. But back to Mr. Bjornstad, I've a story many will enjoy if I can write it so it is as funny as when Carl Zhender, former coach, told it on himself. He and Elmer had taught together befor C. joined the navy. At the end of the war, he was at the Naval Station near La Jolla. His wife, June, told him the Bjornstads were there and suggested he contact them. He called Elmer who insisted he come to their home, and gave Carl explicit, and very simple directions. "Just go to the base gate and wait. La Jolla buses come by at least every 15 min." Carl said he did just that,waited a long time but finally gave up because "LA JOLLA (he pronounced it as JOLLY with an A) kept coming by all the time but he never did see a LA HOYA bus." !!
Many folks cite “Mr B” (now at Buena Vista) as the best high school music teacher in the history of Marcus. Probably so. But there was an earlier fella that was—in my opinion-an equally outstanding teacher.
While Jerry Bertrand was superb in instrumental music, our “Mr B” excelled in vocal music. So I can’t resist chiming in with Margaret Dorr and Earl Rae and Don Peters in remarking about our high school quartet and the outstanding career of Elmer Bjornstead and his impact on the students of our era in Marcus.
Our “Mr B” was the sole music teacher at our small MHS in the late ‘30s and early ’40s. (We seldom had more than 100 students). He began to teach Earl and me trombone, Don the clarinet, and Billy McDaniels, the baritone horn while we were in junior high.
Mr. Bjornstead (a short, slim, good-looking Scandinavian) was a recent graduate of St Olaf College and its famed music school and choirs. He married a local girl, left for service in the Navy during WW II, and returned after the war.
Earl, Don, Billy, and I had been the high school quartet during my freshman year in 1945 under a teacher by the name of Rudd. As Earl noted, I sang second (lead) tenor. When Bjornstead returned in 1946, he listened to us once and then had Billy switch and sing second tenor and put me in the baritone part. Don continued to sing bass with his wonderfully deep voice and Earl (“The Joker”) soared above us with his beautiful high tenor. The new blend was remarkable!
We sang spirituals, pop tunes, barbershop, sacred songs, and novelty numbers all over northwest Iowa. We appeared as the Marcus Co-op Elevator Quartet, the Methodist Church Quartet, the American Legion Quartet—assuming the sponsorship of any group who wanted to associate with us or call us their own. We sang for the Barbershop Chapter in Sioux City and warbled in Storm Lake, Spirit Lake, Cherokee, and even in far-off Des Moines, as well as at lotsa’ functions in Marcus.
We took the only firsts in the district and state high school music contests in 1947, competing against 34 other quartets. We had a great blend.
And we did cut a record. Don once said he had it somewhere. I’d be afraid to listen to it now, for I’m sure the memories of our sound are better than we actually sounded. And recordings weren’t too good in those days.
We sang a cappella. Bjornstead was passionate about encouraging singing with no piano or other accompaniment. He believed in pure voices blending in succulent harmony without the props of instrumental help. He also used this classic St. Olaf technique in his Marcus large groups—the Boys and Girls Glee Clubs and Mixed Chorus—and with the Girls Trio and Girls Sextet.
Bjornstead got more than 50 percent of our little student body involved in his band and vocal program. He taught small-town/farm kids who didn’t sing, how to sing. Like all good teachers, he paid particular attention to the less skilled among us. Many were patiently taught to read music—“when the notes go up, you go up.” This wonderful achievement stays with young people for the rest of their lives.
And our “Mr B” taught us the delight of singing with verve, using crisp diction while attending to changing dynamics. He made us sing in tune—his thumbs-up always at the ready when we started to flat. And he taught us to love the songs we sang and to sing with joy!
Not surprisingly, the MHS vocal music groups in the years between 1946 and 1949 won dozens of other firsts at district and state contests. In the large-group competitions, “Mr. B” would give us a quiet pep talk before we went on-stage and, fired up, we knocked the judges dead! We wanted to live up to his expectations!
The written evaluations from the judges were laudatory—“Outstanding!” “Incredible music!” “Superb!” We used to joke that if he were our football coach we’d have been undefeated. He was an inspiring leader!
In nearly all the contests, the MHS large groups were the only ones to receive the top rating. We were so far above the rest of the aggregations that we raised the bar in the competitions and felt we had failed when we shared a first with another school on two occasions.
The competition was heavy. According to my old copies of the school newspaper (The Eaglet) the MHS large groups were up against as many as 46 other schools in some district contests and more than 20 in the state contests. We beat ’em all—mostly!
The Boys Glee Club was particularly successful. With only 22 members, we took the only firsts in both district and state competitions (against more than 30 other glee clubs) in all three years of Mr. Bjornstead’s tenure. The judges praised our enthusiasm!
They made some changes in the contest rules in 1948, which limited the Mixed Chorus to 40 members. “Mr. B” was distraught over having to make some cuts in the group for the contests. But everyone sang at the winter and spring concerts in Marcus.
His success was, of course, noticed, and he left our town to become the head of the Vocal Department at West Des Moines—one of the largest schools in the state. We kids presented him with an engraved watch and serenaded him with an impromptu version of “Elmer’s Tune” (a pop song of the era.) at his final spring concert in 1949.
He lasted a couple of years in the big city and then he and his family moved to La Jolla, California, where they opened a music store. His wife’s parents had retired to that beautiful spot. I visited him there and he told me that the continuing battle at West between the athletic coaches and the music department for rehearsal/practice time for students who wanted to participate in both extra-curricular activities wore him out. It was no fun anymore.
His fondest memories were of his years in Marcus. He still had the watch we had given him.
At an MHS reunion of three classes from that period a few years ago, the 125 folks present voted for the most influential teacher they had in their high school years. It was modest Elmer Bjornstead.
He touched many lives for he was a gentle, charismatic leader and a dedicated, wonderful teacher who left a whole bunch of his students with a love of singing for the rest of their lives. Personally, he was my role model.
I wanted to be a high school music teacher like him. He made me take vocal lessons at Buena Vista, arranged for some small future scholarships at Morningside and Coe, and reluctantly supported my audition/admission to the Naval School of Music. Fate took me in another direction, but I will never forget him.
Our “Mr B” died two years ago. He is survived by their two children.
For a look at how the Boys’ Quartet and other music groups looked in those years, go to
Bob and Margaret, remember Carl Zender and Elmer were close friends. If you were involved with music you could not come out for athletic practice until you finished music rehearsal Likewise. I remember leaving the halftime huddle under the goalposts to play trombone [in football uniform] for halftime band performance. They worked very close together. I ran into Mr. Bjornstadt in a sheet music store in Des Moines when I was attending Drake. We had a long visit about Marcus. Elmer married a Hamilton [can't recall her first name] who lived across the street from us with her parents. Bob, you did forget to mention Elmer also guided our Mixed Quartet of Vera Grauer, Beth Raetz, Don Peters and myself. We won division one ratings at contest also. Everything he directed came out harmonically tuned. By the way, we were almost undefeated in football without him. earl rae
Love the pictures, Bob. But come on, you must have had some 'techie' dream them up. You guys were never THAT young! Also a great piece re: Elmer B's legacy. It still lives on. As often as possible, in Peace Luth.Church, I try to sit in the pew directly in front of Marv& Lorna Ebert. He has a great voice but beyond that, he is always on pitch and (regardless of what the organist or the rest of us do) he never misses a beat. Every note is sung just as it is written. I always sing better with his "back-up". And now I know it's not just because the Eberts were always good singers but also it has very much to do with that priceless gift given in the Marcus Music Room more than half a century ago. PS--I truly get upset when anyone suggest cutting the music program to save on school costs.
I find the entries about the music program so very interesting. It's amazing how this man's influence was felt in the generations since then because Marcus has had a long tradition of outstanding musical talent. This appreciation for music was passed down with each generation. I also fear cuts in music at schools across the country with the emphasis on testing, testing, and more testing.
When you add a comment, there is an instruction that says you can use some HTML tags. So in order to make a clickable link in a comment, you have to add some simple tags. I can't display them here, so I wrote this quick page to illustate.
Be careful though, a single misplaced quotation mark or other punctuation will screw it up.
Also, when you write a comment on the blog, there should be a button to allow you to preview your comment and see if it works like you think it will. If it doesn't work, go back and edit the comment further.
Thank you Baritone Bob. I tried that but for some reason it wouldn't work. I must have something out of place. Thanks for pointing out the preview button! I will use it from now on!
Thanks for cleaning up all my deleted post, I appreciate all the work you, your dad, and mom have done on this site. It's a ton of fun.
I was told that Mr. Rodriguez wrote a book about his experiences coming from Cuba to the U.S. Does anyone know the title and if it is possible to get a copy?
Dear Julie--Mr. Rodriguez did write a book about his experiences in America. I have a copy, the name is Gracias, America! It is copyrighted in 1978 and dedicated to his wife, Marta on their 38th wedding anniversary. I am happy to say that my copy is autographed, but I have no idea if copies are still available. I still correspond with his wife at Christmas time. I've been enjoying the postings on this site and many of them have brought back some great memories. I graduated with your sister Mary and I was one of those detasslers that rode in the back of a grain truck over to Storm Lake with Mary and Jean. It was awful if if rained and they put the tarp over the top. The year of 1968-69 was a great one for blizzards as well. A lot of times the boys and girls bb teams practiced together in order to have enough players to scrimmage. A few times players who lived in the country were brought to town on snow mobiles for games that winter. My dad Don Steffen, was on the local fire dept. for many years. Did anyone else out there have a fire phone in their house? Just a Little about my family. This nw Iowa girl was transplanted to se IA 33 years ago this August. We live just a hop, skip and a long jump from Iowa City in the town of Columbus Junction. Our youngest son attends Iowa (currently a jr) and lives just a few blocks east of John's Grocery if that rings a bell with any of you Iowa alums. Our daughter, lives in N. Liberty so is close as well and our oldest son lives in Grinell where he teachers in the middle school. My husband and I are both teachers in the local school system, trying to make sense of all the new federal mandates! Well, I did not mean for this to be quite this long. Thanks for setting up this sight. I've really been enjoying it! Sincerely, Marcia Steffen Pavey
Thank you so much for the interesting info, Marcia! Of couse I know who you are... your mom taught piano lessons to my sister, Nancy, and I for several years. And I truly wish I had continued the lessons. I will have to see if the Marcus Library has a copy the next time I am home. There's another great place that Marcus should be proud of: the library. I still enjoy going there when I return home, and it is especially interesting to take out a book and to look at the names on the check-out cards. I have found my name in them from years ago several times.
Arlene Bird passed away very early in the morning today---May 10. I know that many of us had BIRD family members as classmates and friends so I wanted to pass this on....funeral is suppose to be Friday FYI.
Hello, Marcus: My name is John Carlson and I'm the state columnist at the Des Moines Register. Heard about this site and think it's wonderful. I'd like to write something about it in my column. I'd especially love to hear from Bob Reed, who I understand is the founder of the site. (Please shoot me your phone number, Bob, so I can give you a call.) Also, anybody else who'd like to chat is welcome to contact me. My e-mail is: "jcarlson@dmreg.com". Phone 515-284-8204. Many thanks, and congratulations on a first-rate way to keep in contact with the home town from afar.
John, can you let us know on here when you think your article may run? Can't wait to see it. Fred, can you post a link to the story in here when it runs on the Registers website?
Welcome to Marcus "cyberspace" and thanks, John, for covering this. It's a wonderful thing Bob Reed has done for our hometown of Marcus. The present and past residents of many other Iowa towns will enjoy this as much as we all do once they find out about it.
Here are some more scans from the Cherokee Times and Des Moines Register of the January 1975 Blizzard in Northwest Iowa. Check out the numbers of livestock lost in the blizzard. It was a devastating loss
John Carlson's very nice article about this blogspot appeared in the Register this morning (Sunday - May 15th). My brother Kurt will post it here. In the meantime you can find it on the Register's website, too. (Google "Des Moines Register" to find it.)
Maybe a few other Marcusites will now suface and post here. Fred
Carlson: Bloggers have a 'common love' for the town of Marcus
By JOHN CARLSON REGISTER COLUMNIST
It was a few days before Christmas, and Bob Reed provided a brief weather report to his one-time neighbors.
"It's near the 30s here in Florida, and we are freezing," he reported.
Then he asked, "Does anyone know where the Japanese Garden ballroom in Marcus was located in the '30s and early '40s? Was it above the bowling alley?"
An interesting transition, but absolutely normal, given the context.
Reed, a native of Marcus, was just having a conversation with friends in, and from, the old hometown.
He's in Florida. They're in California, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and who knows where else? Oh. And Marcus, of course, a Cherokee County town of 1,139 that seems to have its hooks in almost anybody who ever lived there.
That's why the 73-year-old Reed, a retired professor, writer and public television executive, decided to start up a "blog" dedicated to the town where he was raised.
People who grew up in Marcus - and some who live there now - hook up daily on the Internet on www.marcusiowa.blogspot.com .
"It's a forum for folks who are tied together by a common love of their roots to express that love," Reed said.
Think of it as chatting across the backyard fence from 1,000 miles away.
Marcus natives talk about their school, what's happening now, what happened last year - or 40 years ago. They go on about which family lived on what street next to some other family; about teachers, reunions, the new firehouse and anything else they want to talk about.
Farming, for instance.
"Our harvest is over and it was probably the biggest corn crop we have ever had," wrote Jack Clarkson, who farms near Marcus. "A lot of 190 to 210 bu. per acre. The bean crop was very good also. The only problem the corn carried a little more moisture than usual and the cost of drying with the gas price is expensive. But everyone is happy."
Julia Meylor Simpson, Marcus High Class of 1975, lives in Rhode Island and wrote in about trying to find some classmates. It worked.
A report was filed on the Marcus Picnic, held annually in Arizona. It was a success.
Shirlee Nelson, who lives in Marcus, wrote about the town's Christmas lights.
And Fred Dorr of Des Moines reminded friends of his younger days in Marcus.
"One abiding memory for me was the seasonal (summer-time) downtown popcorn stand with its lone, outside yellow light," Dorr wrote. "On Saturday nights, Main Street (1950s-early '60s) was the place to be. Lots of parked cars, kids and parents walking around, and young teens checking each other out. I remember talking with my friends while watching the popcorn spin in that big popper. It was then quickly upended and its piping hot contents scooped up to serve those of us patiently waiting in line for those sizzling, white morsels. The enticing smell of it was everywhere, drawing people to that little stand like a hobo to a window-ledge pie."
You didn't have to grow up in Marcus to see or understand.
His mother, Margaret Dorr, came to Marcus to teach more than 60 years ago and never left. She loves the blog and sends notes once in a while.
"Everyone is having so much fun with it," she said. "People bring up something they remember from a long time ago and everybody has something to say. I get on sometimes and open my big mouth. I made a remark once that I shouldn't have. I won't do that again. But it's been great for people here and ones that moved away. I look forward to seeing who's writing in."
Simpson, writing from Rhode Island, probably explains it best. "Even though we don't reside there any longer, our roots are still strong," she wrote. "It isn't until many of us have pulled up those roots a few times that we realize how lucky we are to have such long-standing attachments to a place, people, and its memories. We take it for granted in so many ways. We may not reside there, but it will always be home."
Hi, I am one of the folks who read John Carlson's column in the DSM Register. My name is Julie Cronk, my maiden name was Viney. My father, Richard Viney was the Methodist minister in Marcus from when I was in the 5th grade until we moved right before I started high school. So probably 1968 or 70 until 73? Cathy Andrews was my best friend. We lived next door to Gus and Margaret Willems. I remember Dorthy Benton reading us Little House on the Prarie books in 5th grade. The article has sure started me thinking and remebering.
Fred Dorr---I do apologize for mispelling your last name. My brother Warren used to write a column for the Marcus News in the late '30s. it was called "Paper Wads--Thrown By I.Ben Told" One of his quips was that "Marcus has more Dorrs than windows." I should have known better. Blame it on only one cup of coffee this morning. Sorry!
I remember your dad as the station agent at the railroad station. You, at one time were into Native American Indian relics. I remember the the blacksmith shop just south of "downtown" on the East side of the street. Our family lived next to the City Park on one side and Doc Joint on the other side. Some years ago I ran into someone who taught with Bob Dorr at Sioux City East High School. I will post more later, but am running out of time.
I enjoyed reading the comments about what talented musicians seem to come from Marcus. The early training I received — especially from Miss Linda McClain in the mid-70's — was a great foundation on which to build. I now work in the Washington, DC area as a professional opera singer. In addition to a busy solo performing schedule, I also manage a small regional opera company which features the works of composer Giacomo Puccini. (Check out our website at PucciniAmerica.org.) I utilize the piano skills taught to me by Gail Steffen (Hi, Marcia!), as I accompany my studio's voice students each week. Marcus provided me with a musical heritage of which I can be proud.
What a nice article and the ripple effect is even better. Julie Viney, I remember you because I was a friend of Ruth Willems and she would often stop to talk with you. Wish she could see this website to connect with you. And Kay Krekow, how wonderful! I think I remember hearing you sing at the 125th at an all-faith church service at the fairgrounds? You were in Steve Snyder's class and you were in Magrigal too. I will definitely look at your website. Congratulations! D.C. is great!
Margaret Dorr! Thank you so much for the copy of Mr. Rodriguez's book ... ask and you shall receive. My sister Jean says she has her copy of the book. Hmmmm, what planet was I on? Which reminds me, as I look at those incredible photos of the blizzard of 1975 ... a storm of major proportions and what are my historic recollections? ... I remember being "bummed out" that the phone lines had gone down and that I was stuck out on the farm for ... was it a week? ... during my senior year of high school with no social life whatsoever.
My brother shot me an email this morning informing me of the DM Register story and this site. I was very pleased and intrigued catching up on Marcus history and current news. What a great site!
For those who don't know me, I'm a '84 MHS graduate and now live in Phoenix and work for the Harlem Globetrotters. I'm very proud of my Marcus roots and look forward to reading more on this site. I caught up with one of my classmates (Angie Dorr) a few weeks ago in New York. She is an executive producer for MSNBC. I also stay in touch with current Major League Baseball umpire Bruce Dreckman.
Jack Clarkson, are you still a die hard Dodger fan? I'm taking in the Cubs-Dodgers game on May 31st.
I would also like to stay informed about the Marcus Picnic in Phoenix.
Here is a pic from the last day of school at Holy Name. I believe the elementary school was closed after this last day and all the kids went to the public school thereafter.
The Ludwig boys, Tom,Tim and myself decided it would be a blast to slide into home plate during a rain storm when home plate was full of water. I don't know how my mom put up with me coming into the house after doing this!!!
The photos of Holy Name gym in the background brought back memories of my brother, the Bies boys, and others sneaking into the gym to play hoops -- crawling through the basement windows on the east side into the locker rooms. In fact, I have the scoreboard from the Holy Name gym hanging in the game room of my house now. Bought it in an auction about 10 years at the fairgrounds.
Bob received the following via e-mail, and responded that we would post it for her. Hope that some of you might be able to help Diane. Let us know if you would like to contact her directly. Max
Dear Bob, I was reading the newspaper and what should I see but an article about your website about Marcus. I am not very computer savvy so was hoping you could help me.
My name is Diane Burkert and I live in Urbandale with my family. My father is Lyle Curry and he was originally from Marcus and Mom is Elizabeth and her maiden name is Gordon and she was from Meriden. My Dad's parents were Bernard Curry and Alice Thiel Curry.
I have been trying to work on my family history for years and have basically gotten nowhere fast and then seeing the article was hoping you or your readers could help me. Do you suppose anyone knew my grandparents or could point me in the right direction for help? My grandmother may still have relatives there but I don't know.
My dad knows very little about his father's early years or how he even came to be in Marcus as he was apparently from Illinois. He came as a young man and never returned but doesn't know why. Dad says that at that time if your parent didn't want to talk about something you just left it at that. (Perhaps my 2 kids could take a lesson from that!!) Anyway it leaves me little to go on.
I thought maybe I should contact the funeral home that arranged their funerals and burials for maybe people who attended. I feel terrible as we did not visit much growing up and I really regret not knowing this part of my life. Any suggestions would be so helpful.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Diane Burkert
PS My grandparents originally lived on a farm but then moved into town, to Oak Street I believe.
Brett, it's funny you would say that about sneaking into Holy Name gym to play hoops and such. I used to do that with several other friends as well like Richard Haines, Joel Roese, Mark Bies, or Tim Ludwig. Remember that great little rope swing they had near the Northeast corner of the gym? I loved swinging on that rope while watching the older guys play basketball.
That was a great idea of yours to buy the scoreboard. Can you take a digital pic of it and post it here? I'd like to see it.
Brett and Kurt---You guys think you have a corner on sneaking into the old Holy Name basement gym? This little ole Methodist boy and friends snuck through that or a similar window in the early 40's. We broke a window with a basketball. I mentioned it to my folks at dinner that night, and they made me go up to see Father Macelvoy (sp?) and pay for the window out of my allowance. Shaking with fright, I knocked on the door of the parish house and confessed my sin. Father Mac patted me on the head,complimented me for being honest and sent me on my way. I just about turned Catholic after that.
I believe I've "hit the jackpot" for Diane Burkert. I remembered that Alice Curry was a good friend of Martha Wilkens, our neighbor when we lived on N. Elm. So I called her grandwon, Fred, who is a "walking history book" but not into computers. He has all sorts of information to share with Diane. In fact, he was a pall bearer at Bernard's funeral. I asked if he would write to her, but he would prefer having her call some evening so he could tell her his stories and she could ask questions and take notes. Fred said if she would wait a week or so, he'd have time to get things together.
Max and Bob, I'll leave it up to you to handle it however you like. I will get messages to Fred.
Bob, the kind Catholic priest was Fr. McEvoy, but wasn't the gym you got into in the basement of Holy Name School? The "new gym", the one my younger guys, the Meisters, Bies, Ludwigs etc got into ( a caper of which I knew nothing at the time) wasn't built until a year or so after you graduated from H S.
Brett: Is the guy name "CURLY" from Chicagoland still a member of the Globetrotters? I think his last name is Johnson if I am not mistaken. I use to play ball with him when he was back in Chicago. Ask him about all of the games at the EastBank Club when you see him some time. He is a heck of a player and can really handle the ball. BTW.........did you ever work for the Suns?
Margaret. The Holy Name "gym" we snuck into in the '40's was in the basement of the church. It was a multipurpose "Hall" with a basket at one end. As you noted your kids snuck into the "new" gym.
Hi, Julie, This is Pat Ducommun and I enjoyed reading your letter about when you livd here in Marcus. I was telling Margaret Andrews about Cathy being your best friend and she told Cathy. Now Cathy wants your address. Will you please send the address, in the mail, to Margaret Andrews, Marcus, IA 51035 and she will give it to Cathy.
The following was received via e-mail from Lenora Brown. It is self-explanatory. Bob answered her, but apparently she hasn't been able to post herself.
Subj: Marcus, Iowa Date: 5/17/2005 2:26:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: gmapurple@webtv.net To: bobreed7@aol.com
I just finished reading Mr. Carlson's on the Marcus Blog! I enjoyed the article and tried to enter the site, but I couldn't figure out how to write my memories of Marcus.
My late husband, Stan Brown, was the football coach from 1950 - 1953. We were married in March of 1951 and lived in the upstairs bedroom of Maggie Drefke. Then at the end of the school year we moved to an apartment above the bank and the grocery store. The paper was published below the bank by a Spin (I think that was his name) somebody. Then we moved to an apartment in a former funeral home and Howard and Floy Johnson (owned a hardware store) lived there also.
I taught Kindergarten in those outdoor portable units. We went back to several reunions and remember the Roger Nelsons and Lloyd Brown who is now deceased.
If you can help me how to get on the internet through this Blogging I would appreciate it. I am just an amateur emailer.
Thanks for your work in setting this up. I read through several emails, but they weren't there at the time we were there.
By the way, Stan came to Marcus with a loosing team and left with a winning team! He gave up the Alzheimer's fight after 10 long years and he spent 2 years at the Iowa Veterans Home, passing away August 7th, 2002.
Lenora Brown 1512 So. 5th St. Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phil -- Yes, Curly "Boo" Johnson is still a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. He actually played college hoops at Loras in Dubuque and battled against my college Briar Cliff when I was there. He is currently in France with the Globetrotters. Never worked for the Suns, but have been with the Trotters and in Phoenix since Nov. of 1997. Kurt -- I'll try and post a photo of the Holy Name scoreboard over the weekend. It has a few dents from bb's or pellets -- not sure if a janitor or someone might have been trying to shoot birds that got in the gym, or maybe someone "snuck" into the gym and was just messing around and decided to shoot at the scoreboard. Yes, I do remember the rope near the stage you could swing on and the slick tile gym floor.
Brett: That's right......everyone called him "BOO".....he was a great guy to play ball with. Man he can do some tricks with the ball and he is a quick feller! FYI.........the owner of the SUNS and his "SON" Brian Colangelo (SP) who runs the franchise now if I am not mistaken had two (2) daughters that my brother Kurt and I went to school with at Baylor. If you ever meet Kathy Colangelo ask her about her foxy red convertible Ford Mustang she drove around campus. Ironically one of my best friends in Chicago and her family are best friends with the Colangelos from their Chicago years. What a small world!!!!
I too read the DM Register and found out about this site. I can't believe Dad never told me about this.
My name is Sue (Beaton) Sand. It is fun and interesting to read what everyone is saying. It brings back memories and a few laughs.
Julie Viney: Say hi to your sister for me. I remember playing with her at church all the time. I think Mom and Dad (Chuck and Eleanor) still have the picture of us in front of the church. I may have been about 4.
Brett: Missed you at the class reunion. If you are interested in information about the Marcus Picnic, just give my parents a call. They live in Phoenix and are pretty active in getting the picnic coordinated. They should be listed in the phone book, or just email dad at cnbeaton@juno.com.
I look forward to continued success of this sight.
I'm not certain about procedure here, but I want to get in on this conversation. I'm Bob Meyer. I lived in Marcus from 1946 till about 1961. My dad was Rueben Meyer, the pastor at Peace Lutheran Church. I picked up this blog through the DM Register article, sent to me by my mother-in-law Lucille Ott of Cherokee. I was interested in Lenora Brown comment. I have two mmries: the one was when she and Stan got married. Stan took some ribbing from the football team about running off with the prettiest teacher on the staff. the second one is about losing teams and winning teams: There were some winning teams. I think I remember one when I was a freshman and sat on the bench until the last 2 minutes of the game. But I also remember some losing teams: we went for two entire seasons without winning one game. I probably learned a lot more during those seasons than I ever have during an subsequent winning season. Great blog--I'm going to keep in touch.
Hi, Small world...I remember a very attractive and popular gal that married Stan. Stan was Pres of Seerly Hall when I was at...now UNI. We were frat brothers and my senior year of 51-52 the Lambda Gamma Nu frat joined the internaitonal...TKE
Stan was also selectd Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities as was Darrel Hendrickson (oops..and me).
Lenora, you may remember Sunny Braack from Davenport. Her younger sister, Lois, and I married in 1953. I lost Lois after 3 1/2 year struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)the 17 of May
Great memories of Marcus and UNI and later U of Iowa. I will probably think of your maiden name..but put it on the Blogg, OK?
Don Peters, Marcus, '47, UNI,52
PS Stan was one handsome lad and one hell of a football playler and a great guy.
Condolences on the loss of your precious Lois, Don (Peters). The obituary in May 22 Des Moines Sunday Register is a fitting tribute to a very special lady. I'm sorry to say I don't believe we ever met her. Margaret Dorr
This is Jeff Ruden, another class of '84 member. Seeing the Holy Name photo not only reminded me of sneaking in the gym but also of playing baseball there almost every summer day. Since there were no fences, you got a home run if the baseball went over the alley or hit the roof of the gym. It's good to read all of your comments - I look forward to reading more.
Don Peters had an interesting reply. And he was right about Stan at UNI! He was an admirable man!
Don, my maiden name was Sunday and I graduated from UNI in '51. My deepest sympathy in the loss of your wife, Lois. You know what the caregiver goes through, also. I just got out my Old Gold of '51 and there was quite an impressive list of activities that you were involved in!
Kurt Dorr's pictures of Marcus Main Street showed the building where we started our married life. On the corner above the bank.
Bob, Also nice to hear from you. I am trying to remember more of the football players' names in the '51-'53 era. Stan was so impressed with Marcus and following his interview for his first job, he told me all the streets were paved!! By the way, his salary was $3,250. That figure doesn't look right to me, but that is what I remember it being. Mine was $2100. Isn't that impressive? Remember that was 1950.
I suppose the schools and towns have merged now.
Our first child, Cindy, was born at LeMars as no hospital in Marcus. We had 3 girls and 1 boy.
I remember, also the rumors(?) about Remsen and all the beer halls, which of course we didn't inhabit!
It was good to heard from you and I'll try to keep in touch. I have a web.tv and it isn't as sophisticated as a computer. Thanks to the Reeds for helping me. This blog is a great tool, and I hope to be able to continue to use it.
PS: I remember Stan trying to work football practice around the Spencer Fair.
Lenora Brown, 1512 So. 5th St., Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phil, I live on a farm 3 miles south of the little town of Farrar (although it doesn't have a Casey's convenience store so by Iowa standards it doesn't qualify as a town) or 15 miles north east of Des Moines.
I am following Max Reeds' directions on how to respond to the blogger. Max, or someone let me know if this is the correct way. This is my first attempt and as I have said before I have a webtv which isn't as sophisticated as apc. Thanks again for you help!
More about Stan and Lenora Brown -- I asked my son Tom (Class of '64) if he remembeered Coach Stan Brown. The name drew a total blank. But then the wheels started turning -- "I DO remember our kg. teacher out in the 'little building'. She was the prettiest, nicest teacher. We just loved her. I suppose she could have been married to the guy they're talking about". Early 50's classes remember their outstanding coach. While a wonderful, stunningly beautiful kg. teacher, who could have been married to a coach is the memory held by the "kids" graduating in the mid-60's. It IS all a matter of perspective !
Hi to all, I have been a long time reader, first time writer :) I just had to write finally, because I never thought I was old enough to have stories to share until the other day. I was talking with my 17 year old niece and I started a story by saying "back in my day". I never thought I would ever start a story that way. I guess I am not as young as I think. But, my story is.....back in my day there was Kid's Corner, a little blue/green shed by the water tower. I know you all remember it. You could get the best coney's and chocolate malts there. And they were MALTS not shakes. My family got into the habit of ordering extra malt flavor. A few years ago my husband and I purchased some property on the west edge of town. This was the final resting place for the old Kid's Corner. Back in the trees is where is hid. We talked to a couple of people about moving it up to the fair grounds to use as a refreshment stand, but after looking at the building, it was too far gone to save. So all we have are memories of it. And good ones at that.
Kim: I, too, have great memories of Kid's Korner. It usually went like this... after supper, on a hot, muggy summer night my dad would throw a bunch of us kids into the back of his pickup (you'd get turned in to public safety officials for that now, probably) and take us there for ice cream. He'd find somebody to talk to and we'd have cones, malts, shakes, or sundaes.It was best after dark, because then the lights of that little store would really stand out. From the back of the pickup you always knew, without looking, when you were there because the sound of the tires would change as we pulled off the hard surface street into the gravel parking. I now live in a city where no one can see stars anymore because of all the glare of the street lights. But on those summer nights in Marcus the stars would look like you could reach up and pull them to you. Then, when we got home if it was particularly hot (pre-central air conditioning) we'd get blankets and sleep out all night on the lawn. It started out as a great idea. In the morning when we woke up covered in dew and stiff from laying on the ground all night, it was another matter. I remember all the night sounds when we slept outside, too. Train whistles, dogs, owls, cars, grain elevator noises, and the "gooney" birds that swept the night sky looking for bugs.
Yes, Kid's Corner was a big part of summer for lots of us in Marcus. Nice that you tried to preserve it, Kim. Sorry it didn't work out. As you note, though, it'll always be tucked away in our memories.
And one other memory, relating to my Dad's pickup - As I presume it may still be, the "quarter mile" for drag racing was either north of town past Sands' or immediately west of town on what I think was blacktop then. Although in the mid-60's no one I ran with drank or smoked, and "drugs" were unheard of, we did drive fast. My dad's El Camino was very competitive in the quarter mile. Not long after he bought it he was at the DX gas station one day getting new tires for it. He was complaining to Charlie A. and Ed Hagey about them breaking down so quickly. Years later Edgar laughingly told me that, "all the guys at the service station knew Melvin's boys were running that little truck hard, but they just couldn't bring that up as they knew how much trouble [we'd] be in with [our] dad." I thanked Edgar then and I thank him again now. Fred
Fred, I also have a funny story about your dad's ElCamino. My two older brothers were, let's just say, a little mischievious. They loved to torment Melvin. One day when Melvin's El Camino was parked by the shop, the boys filled the hubcaps with gravel. When Melvin took off, of course it made a horrible sound. He pulled right back up to the shop to have my dad take a look. Well dad knew right away what it was. I don't think my brothers ever did that again.
I guess I haven't written in awhile because of all the craziness of the last few weeks of school. However, the Kids Korner stories were great! Loved hearing about its final resting place among the trees. Anyway, what a great place. I guess we farm kids had our share of Kids Korner treats, but I do remember it (for some odd reason) on the evenings after huge storms had gone through. We'd pile in the car to check out the neighboring fields and "assess the damage." Anyway, we knew it usually meant more than a car ride. With any luck we'd end up at Kids Korner where I loved the root beer floats ... and blowing through the straw into the float so the soft ice cream plopped around in the cup. I just realized I haven't had one in decades! I loved the yellow lights around the place and the slamming screens when your order was pushed out. It's wonderful to hear all of these new voices too. And Kurt, thank you for the photos of the baseball diamond south of Holy Name. That was the big kids' playground after lunch, so only 7th and 8th graders played there. So many kickball, soccer, and baseball games played there ... and so many scrapes and bruises and memories. My grandparents lived across the street, so in the summer time we had free rein to play kick the can with my cousins. What a playground!
I must say reading the threads re the Kid's Korner made me reflecct on my days as a Sioux City Journal carrier..........."SKINNY" loved his St. Louis Cardinals and always had the radio tuned into their games. Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and all of the other greats....everytime I delivered the paper there I got a malt and a chance to listen to the Cards. Boy it was a blast when they played my "GIANTS" that was a treat listening to them for a few minutes before I had to head off.
Speaking of the Giants "Skinny" was shocked when I told him I got to go to St. Louis when I was in the 4th grade and go into the Giant's dugout and meet the team and get Willie May's autograph prior to the Card's/Giant game. My first cousin David Dorr was a sports writer for one of the St. Louis papers and pulled this off......meeting Willie Mays who was my hero and chat with him was something else for a 4th grader from Marcus, Iowa. Still have the autograph framed..........it says: To Willie: Best Wishes!
Willie Mays
Now how I got nicknamed Willie is a whole other story!
Julia: Your grandparents lived across the street from the playground which meant every summer of so the "EAGLE" girls would come visit their grandparents. They sure were sweet! Where are they all living and how are they doing BTW..........tell them hello for me.
One last post for now. Anyone on here ride in the very first RAGBRAI? After that first day I told my parents to never give me that for a birthday present again. Between the Missouri River Valley, hills of Kingsley/Pierson area, and the Little Sioux River Valley around Quimby.......well on a 1000 lb-2 speed Schwinn Bike I was pretty much hating life. I did make history though so I guess it was worth it and at 14 years of age I didn't know any better!
Who is this infamous RAGBRAI rider? I was a RAGBRAI wannabe. My dad took a picture of me on my bike with all the bike riders behind me on the highway north of town, but I don't think it was the first, maybe the second or third? It went through Marcus the summer of 1975. Then I tried again about 8 years ago with my then 12-year-old daughter. We spent the first night in a tent during a thunderstorm complete with sirens as we watched the sky for tornadoes. I don't think either of us fell asleep that night. The next day she crashed and burned before we hit LeMars, so we had to cut our ride short at Floyd Valley Hospital. I'm still planning to do a "real" RAGBRAI. I guess it's coming close to Marcus again this summer. About ten years ago, I had a boss who was an avid bicyclist and I told him all about RAGBRAI. (That year they were advertising for a rider from Rhode Island so that they'd have riders from all 50 states, so it was covered daily in the Providence Joural) Anyway, I ran into him last year and he was so excited to tell me that he and a friend had actually done RAGBRAI the summer before. This New England native was gushing about the people he had met and the places he had stayed. He was even hoping to do it again. Is anyone planning to ride this year?
I was hoping my Aunt Bernadette might even enter this site at some point to get in the conversation. Her daughters live from Delaware to Alaska and two live near her on Long Island. I think those girls met more people in Marcus on their visits than I ever did. They were all animal lovers and I still remember how they brought a puppy back to grandma's one day on their travels around town. Of course, we got talked into taking it home. They wrapped a ribbon around its neck and gave it to my mom for her anniversary. My mom just rolled her eyes because we never had much luck with dogs on the farm. However, Toby ended up being the most lovable dog we ever had and my brother Bob's constant companion ... and I know my mom missed him when he finally died.
That was me.........Phil Dorr....messed up with the name thing. I still have the hardest time with Julia since growing up with you I always new you as Julie! BTW.....get sis "NANCY" on here when you can. Was there a Mary Eagle in that gang? She was awful nice. Where is she living and wasn't that family from the east coast thus your getting so far away from Marcus without every returning? BTW........the first RAGBRAI was in '73 if I am not mistaken and when they came through Marcus in '75 I will never forget we set up our water truck by the water tower and had it filled with watermelons which we then handed out free of charge "by the slice" to the riders. Did the whole ride in 2000..........nothing is free anymore. This year the first day is from Le-Mars to Sheldon and was planning on doing it again this year until my niece messed up the plans by getting married over this same time frame. Oh well.....my daughter is 7 and I am making plans to do it with her either next year or the year after...will never forget in 2000 a dad and his 9 year old daughter from Portland, OR did the whole trip......that 9 year old never complained and road hard the whole way.....she was tough! Her dad told me this wasn't too bad as they had been training in the mountains around the Portland area.....man could she pedal!
Julia: If you are ever looking for a Ragbrai group to ride with let me know. I don't ride, but one of my best friends here in Des Moines is a woman about 60, in terrific shape, and has ridden about 17-18 Ragbrai's. She and a group from Delaware, the Blue Hens, ride together. They are primarily writers and lawyers. You'd love the group. (For her 60th birthday, she and a group of girlfriends rented a local dance hall and everyone showed up in some form of dance-related garb. She was a flapper, her kids and their friends showed up as the Village People, Fred Astaire and Ginger were there and on and on. She danced solid for almost 4 hours.) She's an author - published several books. They've ridden in Maine, the Alps, Oregon Coast and most recently Banff in Canada. That's why I don't ride with them, they are serious riders, but a ton of fun. If you ever want to communicate directly with her, let me know. I'll pass on her email address. She's from small town Iowa and very modest - great sense of humor. Her son received his PhD from Princeton in Astrophysics and now works for the Jet Propulsion Lab in California. Wants to be an astronaut someday. He was a state champion 800 runner and missed qualifying for the Olympics in the 800 by a fraction of a second. Ran with the New York Athletic Club when he lived on the east coast. His sisters attended Brown and Tufts. The amazing part, when you are around my friend and her husband, you'd never know that about them. They are just down home, great people. But, she does love to ride, so if you ever want to join her group you sound like you'd fit perfectly - same interests. Let me know. Fred
Message from Lenora Brown to Margaret Dorr That was interesting that your so Tom rmembered me. Someplace I have a picture of the class taken outside that building. I'll see if I can still find it. Are the buildings still there? Do you remember Spin from the newspaper, or Howard and Floy Johnson, or Maggie Drefke? Howard had the hardware store there. I keep trying to remember then name of the Dr. who delivered our first child. It was not Joynt, I think it began with a B. Stan spent his last working years as Mayor of Marshalltown. Then the Alzheimers took over. We had a great life together and it all started in Marcus, IA Thanks again for the repy!
Being back in Marcus to visit for a week has allowed me to do a little bit of research on some of the pictures that Kurt has posted to the site. The firemen in front of the then new fire truck in 1956 are from l to r back row: Fritz Wilkens, John Clarkson, Howard Peavey, Elmore "Boots" Wallin,Doc Weidemeyer, Herman Fischer, Harry Nelson, Hans Delaney and Loren Stowater. Front row from the left are Ray Gates, Wendel Grauer, Paul Hatz, Roger Leavitt, Kenneth Pallesen, and Felix Trinen. Thank you Fred Wilkens. Craig Dorr provided the names of the 1947 Glee Club memebers: back row from left, Don Peters, Linn Simons, Chuck Christensen, Lyle Rae, Leon Ebert, Bob Reed, Bill McDonald, Conrad Dorr, Chuck Beaton, Marv Ebert. Front row are Don Geringer, Jim Apel, Ronald White, James Baclaw, M. Seel, Don Barnes, Ted Nelson, Don Heesch, and Ken Pitts. It is quite amazing some of the stories the "boys" at the Family Table restraunt remember over their coffee every morning. For those who have not been back for a while, the Family Table is located where Kids Coner was all those years ago. As I remember it, it was Lon Brownmiller who was the avid baseball fan, not Skinny. One thing is certain, there was always a game on when you walked up to the window.
Regarding Kids Korner...I guess just about everybody has memories of that great place. $.30 cent malts and $.30 cent taverns were sure nice. Kids Korner was a very important place about 9pm almost every night in late August after the two-a-day football practices. Seemed as if everybody stopped in on their way home. Also, I was wondering if someone could help me with my poor childhood memory....but, before Kids Korner was located out by the water tower...(and remember when we briefly had two water towers? The silver one with the red top and the green one?)...anyway, wasn't it located on the vacant lot west of the Marland Theater in the early '60's? (Under the white pillar arch called Sjostrom Park..which is now the car lot for Hesse?
Dan: I forgot about Lon Brownmiller being a big fan but SKINNY loved the CARDS more than anything from my experiences with him at Kid's Korner.........I delivered the "AFTERNOON" addition of the SCJ to his business more than a few times!!!!
Tell us where you are living again Dan as I forgot what you said. Me....downtown Chicago directly across the street from the Lincoln-Park Zoo and the park itself.
My brother Fred pointed out this website so I thought I'd post this for all to see. I have never seen a tornado and would like to some time, but the guys in some of these pics are absolutely nuts, if you ask me!!
My brother Fred pointed out this link to me as well. Check out the multimedia link on Inside a Tornado. The storm chasers try to plant a probe in the path of a Tornado in Iowa.
All this talk about Kids Korner--that is recent history. In the late forties and early fifties, we went to Fred's on the corner just across main street from the bank. In thin even the 30 cents fof a malt was too much. We had cherry cokes. And downstairs were two establishments: a barbershop (I have forgotten the name of the barber) and a pool hall. It was hard going in the pool hall because there was so much smoke in there and so little ventilation that your mother would smell it on your clothes when you got home.
Brett, Yes I am still a Dodger Fan. Since the Jackie Robison era and Bobby Thompson's 'shot heard around the world' in 1951 and that still hurts. So have been for well over 50 years. We started out great this year but now struggling. They will get it together I hope by the middle of June. Jeff Spieler (Merle and Linda's son) his wife Cara, Fern and I are going to Kansas City to see them. Back in the 70's we used to get a group of 10 or more and get a great discount on Ozark Airlines and fly to St. Louis to see them play. Jim Lens a Cardinal Fan and I usually got this going. I remember one time we had 18 or 19 guys on the trip. Great times. Hope things are well with you Brett and your family. Take care
Enjoy watching Cesar Isturis the starting shortstop for the Dodgers. His brother Maicer started until recently---currently out on IR--for the Los Angeles Angels..........They are brothers from a small farm town in Venezuela and best friends of some of my dear friends from Austin, TX. Actually have met Maicer.......great guy and so unassuming. Speaks very little English but loves to play baseball. BTW......Larry Dorr recently replaced the hip of Mrs. Tommy Lasorda........does the name Tommy Lasorda ring a bell. Larry is very good friends needless to say with Tommy and his wife. Larry is my Uncle Everett's son and lives in La Canada---suburb of L.A.........Google his name and read about Larry....amazing what he is doing and has done out in L.A. and throughout the world
I'll bet there were at least 3 watertowers in Marcus history. An early one was made of brick and stood on the corner of the playground of the public school in the center of town. It was torn down late in the '30s and the bricks were used to construct the Municipal Building.
The Sjostrom Park was the scene of Saturday night band concerts in the '30s. Some folks enjoyed the music in cars parked around the park and signaled their appreciation of a number by honking their horns. The band was made up of local high school kids and some adults.
The park was also the site of the annual visit of the George B. Sweet Players--a summer traveling tent show of lectures, plays, and music in the '30s and '40s. They were "professional".
The name of the barber who owned the shop underneath the building that now houses the Marcus News was Chels Metcalf. His 1940's sign(at street level) boasted that it was "The World's Only Barbershop Under The Sidewalk". (No one ever challenged that.)
The name of the claustrophobic pool hall next door to that underground barber shop was "The Victory Billards." Chuck Rosberg and I got banned from it FOR LIFE in 1946 by the proprietor--Gene Shields--for setting off a stink bomb in the joint one afternoon. It was great fun watching all the old cardplayers and pool hall habitues pour out of the place and scramble up the stairs. My mother beamed her approval of our punishment when she heard about it. She sought out and thanked "Mr Shields". It didn't help much. We patronized Flannigan's (now the Hawkeye)after that.
Bob, great stories. You sounded a bit like a practical joker in your younger days. I think you and I would have gotten along great!
Chuck Rosburg. Wasn't he the gentleman that was killed in England test flying a jet? Wasn't it the Harrier Jet he was flying? I may have the story mixed up. Can anyone fill me in?
Chuck Rosburg was my best friend. We grew up together and he threw passes and I caught ‘em for the MHS Eagles. We both made second-team All Northwest Iowa, graduating in 1949. He was the salutatorian of that class and a natural-born, very intelligent leader. And he became one of our home-town heroes.
Chuck went on to be an excellent halfback at Buena Vista College on a football scholarship, graduating with a B.S. in 1953. He joined the Air Force that year and did graduate work in meteorology. He earned his pilot wings in 1956 and also earned his navigator wings.
Chuck served in the Strategic Air Command for six years, flying B-47’s all over the world. In 1963 he was accepted into the prestigious USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California and after this training flew many secret missions in U-2s. He later served in Vietnam as a fighter pilot, flying 100 combat missions during his tour of duty.
On his return to the States, he was again a test pilot, and while on temporary duty in England, he was fatally injured while piloting a Hawker-Siddlely Harrier on January 27, 1969. This was an experimental Vertical Takeoff and Landing jet.
He had 3,780 flying hours in eight different aircraft and was a Senior Pilot. He had received many medals, including the AF Commendation Medal, the Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Chuck was an accomplished chess and bridge player, winning many all-service competitions.
After his death, a few of us guys started the Charles R. Rosburg Athletic Foundation. It awards scholarship money to the best scholar-athlete of the senior class at MMC High school and is awarded every year.
Chuck and Shirley (Mayer -- his high school sweetheart) had five children. Shirley lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their daughter, Major Julie Rosburg Keck, followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating from the Air Force Academy and serving many years as a navigator during a distinguished Air Force career.
On this Memorial Day, I can’t help thinking about my best friend and all the Marcus lads who lost their lives serving our country.
Bob, you are pretty close, however, "Mr. Shields" was actually "Gene Tschill", who had immigrated from Europe, He was the "best" billiard player in a town tht had a number of good players and might have been better if he had Larry Dorr about to reconstruct his bad knee. He got about by bending over and holding his knee joint with his left hand. Kurt. Chuck Rosburg was who you thought him to be. He was an outstanding math student, played football at Buena Vista, and had a "never give up" state of mind. My understanding is that he was scheduled to enter the Space program when his vertical takeoff tests were complete. Carl Mayer, Chucks brother-in-law from Maarcus, could fill you in on details. By the way Bob, how would it look on your resume' to have iat noted you had been "banned" in Marcus; Boston maybe, but Marcus. Earl Rae
May 30,2005 : Chuck Beaton Bob, In regards to Kids Corner, I believe it started out on Main Sreet and sat where the SE corner of where the Marcus Bowl now sets and was started by the highj school teacher who most of the time addressed the students at the beginnng of the class by People, today we will have a quiz. Those that had him during thier time while he was there knew him as Mr.Hipple.
I thought I had the story straight about Chuck Rosburg. I remembered the award given out every year in Marcus was named after him. Wish I had met him. He sounds like a true American Hero. My mother spoke of him often and that is where I had gotten most of my info. It is amazing to think he came out of little old Marcus. Thank you Bob and Earl for filling me in.
The story belows is from the Sunday Kansas City Star. Not a very positive outlook for Iowa and the Northern Plains States
Posted on Sun, May. 29, 2005
Old Plains ranching, farming traditions disappearing
By JACK COFFMAN and GEORGE ANTHAN Special to The Kansas City Star
TAYLOR, Neb. — Tom McNeil is the kind of American little boys and grown-up men, movie stars and even presidents dream of being: tall and weather-beaten, spare with words, wearing a hat and boots that clearly are tools instead of ornaments.
McNeil is a real cowboy in Loup County in central Nebraska, one of the disappearing ranchers and farmers of the northern Great Plains. He’s a man riding reluctantly, sadly into the sunset of a civilization that once was seen as among the great achievements of the American nation.
It’s a place where we get much of our food. And it’s a place where we’ve gotten many of our best people.
Now, isolation, harsh weather, more and more food imports, the ever-increasing size of farms and ranches and the economic and social pull of large population centers threaten to turn this vast region in the middle of the United States into a mostly empty Outback.
The northern Plains – North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas – increasingly are a place where the young – the Plains’ best and perhaps ultimate export to the rest of the country – visit aging parents.
After showing two visitors the large log ranch house he built himself, McNeil asks if they would go for a ride in his pickup. He takes them on a jarring trip cross-country, up and down the ridges of his ranch.
McNeil stops along a crest overlooking the house and outbuildings several miles away.
“I stop here every once in a while and just look down there,” he said.
“And I wonder. Does anybody know I’m here?”
Introspection and doubt are surprising from Plains farmers and ranchers like McNeil, people whose boundless optimism has been at the core of Plains agriculture.
McNeil and other ranchers and farmers throughout this vast region, which still is highly dependent on agriculture, fear Americans give little thought to what many experts see as the inevitable diminution of domestic food production.
There are fears this decline will hit first in the semi-arid northern Plains where regular droughts make agriculture more tenuous and expensive compared to other regions.
Missouri University rural sociologist William Heffernan predicts that by 2010 American will be spending more for imported food than for food produced here. Thus, Americans who barely lift an eyebrow as once-vaunted industries leave the country, now face the fearsome prospect of depending on foreign food producers.
In June 2004 for the first time in modern history, the nation spent more for food grown abroad that for food produced here. There are signs Brazil is becoming the world’s largest exporter of poultry, beef, sugar and orange juice and is moving to surpass America’s overseas sales of soybeans.
Randolph Cantrell, a rural sociologist at the University of Nebraska, agreed that most Americans don’t care. “They have no reason to so long as they can buy food and so long as it’s inexpensive. A sentimental, emotional attachment to rurality doesn’t hold anymore. Most Americans have no connection to rurality.”
But he added, “a great country must have a reliable, safe supply of food.”
Steven Blank of the University of California at Davis predicts that American agriculture already is doomed by domestic and global economics, by increasingly stringent environmental rules and by growing competition from urban areas for scarce water supplies.
John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, in a lecture on 21st century agriculture, said:
“Perhaps we could keep the food imports flowing, as we maintain the flow of oil today. But how large a military force would it take? What new ‘Organization of Food Exporting Countries’ might be formed to control the market? How many ‘small wars’ would we have to fight to keep a ‘renegade country’ from reducing our supply of food? How many people would we eventually have to kill? Would ‘cheap food’ be worth the cost we might ultimately be forced to pay?”
Iowa State University economist Robert Wisner noted the near-hysteria that hit Japan in the early 1970s when President Nixon embargoed exports of soybeans, vital to the Japanese diet, because of rising U.S. food prices. “What if we were on the other end, depending on imports?” he asks.
Heffernan worries this is occurring just as the U.S. is increasingly vulnerable to food shortages. “We now have a just-in-time delivery system for food,” he said. “Anything that disrupts that system, including a terrorist attack, we come up against it pretty fast.”
Now, wealthy investors from outside the Plains region are buying land for recreation use, bidding up prices beyond what can be supported by sales of agricultural commodities.
Jim Heinrich, a McIntosh County, N.D. commissioner, said of outside nonfarm investors: “The price they pay doesn’t pencil out.”
Mark Morgan, a farmer near Concordia, Kan. and a Cloud County commissioner, said, “These land prices are out of reason. We’ve had people from Idaho, New York, Texas ... all they want is hunting ground. And they’re not too concerned about the price.”
“And the crappier the ground is, the more they go crazy,” said Harley Adams, a Concordia farm machinery dealer.
McNeil said the key to survival on the northern Plains is simple economics. “If they gave us a fair price for our products we’d still have some kids at home. Now, doctors and lawyers come in, buy the land, keep it three or four years, sell it and make a profit. Then, they get out.”
Bruce Switzer, a Loup County, Neb., rancher, said within a quarter century “a lot of Wall Street people will own the land. Our people will be working for them. This place will be an investment and a place to hunt. Everybody wants to be a cowboy.”
Michael Boland, a Kansas State University economist, said some Plains farmers and ranchers “have become sort of ‘game keepers’ for wealthy out-of-state land owners.” Iowa State economist Bruce Babcock agreed, “This land is more valuable as game preserve than as farm land.”
But economic reliance of vast areas of the northern Plains on agriculture is clearly depicted by a USDA map which shows that almost all rural counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska and in the western third of Kansas are “farm-dependent,” meaning 15 per cent or more of income is from agriculture.
Daryl Hosey, mayor of Concordia, said, “if we get a drought or if farm prices drop, even the Wal-Mart gets significantly affected.”
With domestic land prices rising, though, there are reports of young farmers from the northern Plains, unable to make it at home, buying or leasing land in Brazil and spending six months a year there raising soybeans for export to the U.S. and Japan.
Boland said, “We’ve made land prices higher than in Brazil or Chile and they’re becoming major competitors” in key Plains commodities. Even an efficient northern Plains farm, he said, “won’t give the operators an adequate income.”
Jess Randel, who farms 3,000 acres near Oberlin, Kan., said, “We take no profit. It all goes back to land payments and machinery.” Duane Dorshorst, principal of the Oberlin Elementary School, said 60 per cent of his teachers live on farms operated by their husbands. He was asked how many of their children could be expected to some day operate those farms. His answer: “None.”
In the struggle to remain competitive, farms and ranches have steadily increased in size, each expansion displacing yet another family and depriving small town business, schools, churches and hospitals of customers, students, parishioners and patients.
The Homestead Act of 1862 provided 160 free acres. Once, there was a family on each 160-acre plot. Today, economically viable operations must be 10 to 20 times bigger. And operations of 10,000 acres or more are sprinkled throughout the region.
In the early 1970s, President Nixon’s controversial agriculture secretary, Earl Butz, told farmers: “Get big or get out.”
Richard Rathge, North Dakota state demographer, has noted that each time a smaller farm is swallowed up, job opportunities decline causing “a spiraling population loss.”
“Where does it all end?” asked Jay Carlgren, who farms near Norway, Kan.
Alan Barkema, an economist at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, said, “Already, the spreading of the social and business structure is reaching the breaking point in some places.”
The northern Plains are an important factor in U.S. food security. “If you take all that out of production,” said Missouri University economist William Myers, “it would have a tremendous shock to the economy.”
Babcock, of Iowa State, called these states “the nation’s food reserve. In an emergency, the northern Plains could produce all the food we needed.”
Kenneth Shobe, a community college teacher, is mayor of his hometown, Oberlin, in northwest Kansas. “This is the breadbasket,” he says.“ Our populated areas don’t grow wheat. But who is going to do the growing? Even a corporation needs people to run the machines.”
North Dakota is America’s second largest wheat producer in most years. It is the No. 1 producer of durum wheat, from which premium pasta is made. It’s also the country’s top barley producer.
South Dakota is second in grain sorghum, a key livestock feed. It is eighth in overall wheat output and ninth in corn production.
Nebraska is the No. 3 corn and sorghum producer and second in cattle production.
Kansas is the nation’s leading wheat state with production topping 400 million bushels in most years. That’s one-fifth of the nation’s supply. Kansas also is first in sorghum and third in cattle.
In addition to crop harvests, the northern Plains also harvest taxpayer dollars, which in some years amount to as much as half or more of some producers’ net farm income.
From 1995 through 2002, Nebraska farm operators received $6.8 billion; Kansas, $6.6 billion; North Dakota, $5.1 billion, and South Dakota, $3.8 billion.
A relative few farmers garnered especially big checks from the taxpayers.
In Kansas, for example, the top 5 per cent of subsidy recipients over the 1995-2002 period got an average of $358,000 while the bottom 80 per cent got $4,000.
For the four states of the northern Plains, the top 20 per cent of farm subsidy recipients received an average of $230,000 over the period while the bottom 80 per cent averaged $13,500.
The data were compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group from computerized county payment records of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
Vickie Lippelmann, who works for the Oberlin, Kan. school system and farms with her husband, voiced a concern of many producers – that the programs are primarily intended to ensure cheap food for consumers. “The federal subsidies are bad. It’s their way of controlling us and the prices. But we’re very dependent on them now. Without (the subsidies) many of us would go out of business.”
While President Bush says he wants to cut farm subsidies, history has shown that such efforts are doomed to fail, if not designed to do so. Indeed, when the new GOP majority in Congress set out in 1995 to scale back farm payments, the result was even more money being funneled to the sector, especially to large operators.
Iowa State economist and lawyer Neil Harl said that despite their drawbacks, “The farm programs up to now have kept alive the infrastructure of the Great Plains. Without these programs, cities and towns could not deliver essential public services.”
Chuck Hassebrook, who heads the Center for Rural Affairs at Walthill, Neb., which promotes family agriculture, said a rational alternative is to “take these billions of federal dollars, invest them in rural small business development and in training, help beginning young farmers, help develop new co-operatives to link producers to consumers.”
Large farm organizations and their allies in the Senate have successfully turned back such attempts.
Farmers have long suspected they are victimized by “big” alien forces, including railroads, banks, commodity markets, wealthy land buyers, agribusiness companies, even the federal government.
R. A. McEowen, a Kansas State University economist and lawyer, said lack of competitive markets, especially for the kinds of commodities produced in the Plains, “is what is driving farmers out. We’re going into a form of socialized agriculture even as Russia moves out.”
Heffernan, in a report to the National Farmers Union, said Missouri University researchers “liken the food system to an hour glass in which farm commodities produced by thousands of farmers must pass through the narrow glass that is analogous to the few firms that control” processing, distribution and retail sales.
And Harl said, “Without much doubt, the greatest economic threat to farmers as independent entrepreneurs is the deadly combination of concentration and vertical integration” of global agribusiness.
On top of all this, said Jerry Jost of the Kansas Rural Center at Lawrence, Plains farmers “are mining their future” through heavy use of underground water supplies, especially the Ogallala aquifer, for irrigation.
“Once the Ogallala is mined, then all the packing plants, the feed lots, are gone” said Jost, noting the livestock industry requires water-dependent corn and soybeans.
The settling of the northern Plains by white Americans, the wanton destruction of the vast buffalo herds, the killing or internment of Native Americans and the conversion of the grasslands into crop land have been debated since the late 19th century.
Environmentalists have argued the Plains are overplowed and overgrazed. Stanley Johnson, Iowa State University economist and deputy provost, wonders if the Plains “are an accident of history.” Settling of the region, he said, was “an aberration. It would not happen again.”
Two East Coast professors – Frank and Deborah Popper– created a firestorm in the northern Plains by proposing “to restore large chunks of Plains land to their pre-white condition, to recover the commons the settlers found in the 19th century. In short, the plan calls for deprivatizing much of the Plains: fences would come down, domestic animals would be removed and game animals stocked.”
The result, they said, would be a “Buffalo Commons.”
Donald Worster, a University of Kansas historian, also is concerned that Plains agriculture has had a “devotion to unlimited expansion and its attendant sense of autonomy from nature.”
Unfettered capitalism and American expansionism, Worster states in a book on the 1930s Dust Bowl, finally encountered in the Plains “a volatile, marginal land” and destroyed the “delicate ecological balance that had evolved there.”
However, Northwestern University geographer John C. Hudson said the northern Plains have undergone a necessary adjustment to the realities imposed by their austere environment.
“It is the same rural system,” he declared in a lecture at Kansas State University, “only it has been stretched, inflated, pruned, and trimmed to a scale that corresponds with the rest of the technological environment in which it operates.”
Depopulation, Hudson stated, “Is an absolutely necessary aspect of this transformation. It accompanies the evolution of a system that is adapting to change, not one that is unadapted.”
91 comments:
As many of you may realize, the History Channel is saluting VE week. I thought it might be a nice touch to recall VE Day, as it affected Marcus. As a fifteen year old, I remember the news about Germany's surrender being hailed with great joy in our fair home town. EVERYONE, except the Marcus Volunteer Fire Department, thought a fitting form of celebration would be to build a bonfire in the main intersection downtown. Cardboard boxes, wood crates, paper, anything of a combustible nature, were piled high in the intersection and set afire. The Fire Department, fearing the fire would buckle the cement took quick action, unleashing the fun killing talent of a large fire hose. Not to be easily deterred, the revelers discovered a cache of rotten tomatoes behind one of the grocery stores [ yes, there was more than one grocery outlet]. There ensued a battle, not so royal, between the tomato bandits and the firemen. Suffice it to say, the water is mightier than the tomato. When the smoke had literally cleared; everyone wandered aimlessly in a state complete awe. The war was partially over. I additionally thought it might be a nice touch if, after sixty years, someone reading this blog spot might get access to the American Legion records in Marcus and post the names of the Marcus lads killed in action, wounded in action and taken prisoner of war during World War II, so that their memory might redefine the character of the young men and women of Marcus who found fit to risk their future for the benefit of our Nation. Earl Rae
Don Peters - Thanks for the bit re:Elmer B. I knew they lived in La Jolla but had no idea he was from there originally.
Long before busses took kids to music contests, many of us volunteered. I clearly remember transporting that wonderful quartet. Remember,too, how proud I was listening as you won all sorts of top honors.
But back to Mr. Bjornstad, I've a story many will enjoy if I can write it so it is as funny as when Carl Zhender, former coach, told it on himself. He and Elmer had taught together befor C. joined the navy. At the end of the war, he was at the Naval Station near La Jolla. His wife, June, told him the Bjornstads were there and suggested he contact them. He called Elmer who insisted he come to their home, and gave Carl explicit, and very simple directions. "Just go to the base gate and wait. La Jolla buses come by at least every 15 min." Carl said he did just that,waited a long time but finally gave up because "LA JOLLA (he pronounced it as JOLLY with an A) kept coming by all the time but he never did see a LA HOYA bus." !!
OUR “MR B”
Many folks cite “Mr B” (now at Buena Vista) as the best high school music teacher in the history of Marcus. Probably so. But there was an earlier fella that was—in my opinion-an equally outstanding teacher.
While Jerry Bertrand was superb in instrumental music, our “Mr B” excelled in vocal music. So I can’t resist chiming in with Margaret Dorr and Earl Rae and Don Peters in remarking about our high school quartet and the outstanding career of Elmer Bjornstead and his impact on the students of our era in Marcus.
Our “Mr B” was the sole music teacher at our small MHS in the late ‘30s and early ’40s. (We seldom had more than 100 students). He began to teach Earl and me trombone, Don the clarinet, and Billy McDaniels, the baritone horn while we were in junior high.
Mr. Bjornstead (a short, slim, good-looking Scandinavian) was a recent graduate of St Olaf College and its famed music school and choirs. He married a local girl, left for service in the Navy during WW II, and returned after the war.
Earl, Don, Billy, and I had been the high school quartet during my freshman year in 1945 under a teacher by the name of Rudd. As Earl noted, I sang second (lead) tenor. When Bjornstead returned in 1946, he listened to us once and then had Billy switch and sing second tenor and put me in the baritone part. Don continued to sing bass with his wonderfully deep voice and Earl (“The Joker”) soared above us with his beautiful high tenor. The new blend was remarkable!
We sang spirituals, pop tunes, barbershop, sacred songs, and novelty numbers all over northwest Iowa. We appeared as the Marcus Co-op Elevator Quartet, the Methodist Church Quartet, the American Legion Quartet—assuming the sponsorship of any group who wanted to associate with us or call us their own. We sang for the Barbershop Chapter in Sioux City and warbled in Storm Lake, Spirit Lake, Cherokee, and even in far-off Des Moines, as well as at lotsa’ functions in Marcus.
We took the only firsts in the district and state high school music contests in 1947, competing against 34 other quartets. We had a great blend.
And we did cut a record. Don once said he had it somewhere. I’d be afraid to listen to it now, for I’m sure the memories of our sound are better than we actually sounded. And recordings weren’t too good in those days.
We sang a cappella. Bjornstead was passionate about encouraging singing with no piano or other accompaniment. He believed in pure voices blending in succulent harmony without the props of instrumental help. He also used this classic St. Olaf technique in his Marcus large groups—the Boys and Girls Glee Clubs and Mixed Chorus—and with the Girls Trio and Girls Sextet.
Bjornstead got more than 50 percent of our little student body involved in his band and vocal program. He taught small-town/farm kids who didn’t sing, how to sing. Like all good teachers, he paid particular attention to the less skilled among us. Many were patiently taught to read music—“when the notes go up, you go up.” This wonderful achievement stays with young people for the rest of their lives.
And our “Mr B” taught us the delight of singing with verve, using crisp diction while attending to changing dynamics. He made us sing in tune—his thumbs-up always at the ready when we started to flat. And he taught us to love the songs we sang and to sing with joy!
Not surprisingly, the MHS vocal music groups in the years between 1946 and 1949 won dozens of other firsts at district and state contests. In the large-group competitions, “Mr. B” would give us a quiet pep talk before we went on-stage and, fired up, we knocked the judges dead! We wanted to live up to his expectations!
The written evaluations from the judges were laudatory—“Outstanding!” “Incredible music!” “Superb!” We used to joke that if he were our football coach we’d have been undefeated. He was an inspiring leader!
In nearly all the contests, the MHS large groups were the only ones to receive the top rating. We were so far above the rest of the aggregations that we raised the bar in the competitions and felt we had failed when we shared a first with another school on two occasions.
The competition was heavy. According to my old copies of the school newspaper (The Eaglet) the MHS large groups were up against as many as 46 other schools in some district contests and more than 20 in the state contests. We beat ’em all—mostly!
The Boys Glee Club was particularly successful. With only 22 members, we took the only firsts in both district and state competitions (against more than 30 other glee clubs) in all three years of Mr. Bjornstead’s tenure. The judges praised our enthusiasm!
They made some changes in the contest rules in 1948, which limited the Mixed Chorus to 40 members. “Mr. B” was distraught over having to make some cuts in the group for the contests. But everyone sang at the winter and spring concerts in Marcus.
His success was, of course, noticed, and he left our town to become the head of the Vocal Department at West Des Moines—one of the largest schools in the state. We kids presented him with an engraved watch and serenaded him with an impromptu version of “Elmer’s Tune” (a pop song of the era.) at his final spring concert in 1949.
He lasted a couple of years in the big city and then he and his family moved to La Jolla, California, where they opened a music store. His wife’s parents had retired to that beautiful spot. I visited him there and he told me that the continuing battle at West between the athletic coaches and the music department for rehearsal/practice time for students who wanted to participate in both extra-curricular activities wore him out. It was no fun anymore.
His fondest memories were of his years in Marcus. He still had the watch we had given him.
At an MHS reunion of three classes from that period a few years ago, the 125 folks present voted for the most influential teacher they had in their high school years. It was modest Elmer Bjornstead.
He touched many lives for he was a gentle, charismatic leader and a dedicated, wonderful teacher who left a whole bunch of his students with a love of singing for the rest of their lives. Personally, he was my role model.
I wanted to be a high school music teacher like him. He made me take vocal lessons at Buena Vista, arranged for some small future scholarships at Morningside and Coe, and reluctantly supported my audition/admission to the Naval School of Music. Fate took me in another direction, but I will never forget him.
Our “Mr B” died two years ago. He is survived by their two children.
For a look at how the Boys’ Quartet and other music groups looked in those years, go to
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet01.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet02.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysgleeclub03.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/mixedchorus04.jpg
Bob Reed
Bob and Margaret, remember Carl Zender and Elmer were close friends. If you were involved with music you could not come out for athletic practice until you finished music rehearsal Likewise. I remember leaving the halftime huddle under the goalposts to play trombone [in football uniform] for halftime band performance. They worked very close together. I ran into Mr. Bjornstadt in a sheet music store in Des Moines when I was attending Drake. We had a long visit about Marcus. Elmer married a Hamilton [can't recall her first name] who lived across the street from us with her parents. Bob, you did forget to mention Elmer also guided our Mixed Quartet of Vera Grauer, Beth Raetz, Don Peters and myself. We won division one ratings at contest also. Everything he directed came out harmonically tuned. By the way, we were almost undefeated in football without him. earl rae
here's some clickable links to the photos:
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet01.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysquartet02.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/boysgleeclub03.jpg
http://www.presby-book.net/marcus/mixedchorus04.jpg
Love the pictures, Bob. But come on, you must have had some 'techie' dream them up. You guys were never THAT young! Also a great piece re: Elmer B's legacy. It still lives on. As often as possible, in Peace Luth.Church, I try to sit in the pew directly in front of Marv& Lorna Ebert. He has a great voice but beyond that, he is always on pitch and (regardless of what the organist or the rest of us do) he never misses a beat. Every note is sung just as it is written. I always sing better with his "back-up". And now I know it's not just because the Eberts were always good singers but also it has very much to do with that priceless gift given in the Marcus Music Room more than half a century ago. PS--I truly get upset when anyone suggest cutting the music program to save on school costs.
I find the entries about the music program so very interesting. It's amazing how this man's influence was felt in the generations since then because Marcus has had a long tradition of outstanding musical talent. This appreciation for music was passed down with each generation. I also fear cuts in music at schools across the country with the emphasis on testing, testing, and more testing.
Bariton Bob, how did you post the clickable photos. I have been trying to figure that out and haven't accomplished that yet.
Oh, great pics by the way. That's what I love about this site.
Hi Kurt,
When you add a comment, there is an instruction that says you can use some HTML tags. So in order to make a clickable link in a comment, you have to add some simple tags. I can't display them here, so I wrote this quick page to illustate.
Be careful though, a single misplaced quotation mark or other punctuation will screw it up.
Also, when you write a comment on the blog, there should be a button to allow you to preview your comment and see if it works like you think it will. If it doesn't work, go back and edit the comment further.
Happy posting...you can write HTML!
Thank you Baritone Bob. I tried that but for some reason it wouldn't work. I must have something out of place. Thanks for pointing out the preview button! I will use it from now on!
Thanks for cleaning up all my deleted post, I appreciate all the work you, your dad, and mom have done on this site. It's a ton of fun.
I think I got it. Check out this pic of the Marcus Fire Dept. from 1957. I have posted this before but not as a clickable post.
http://img3.picsplace.to/img3/19522/118-1957.jpg
Is that LBJ in the front row and the second person from the right? What was he doing in Marcus?
Great pic, Kurt. And it worked perfectly.
I'm not the Blog Police, but PLEASE remember to sign your comment if you choose to post anonymously. (And I don't even know many of you!) Max
I was told that Mr. Rodriguez wrote a book about his experiences coming from Cuba to the U.S. Does anyone know the title and if it is possible to get a copy?
Dear Julie--Mr. Rodriguez did write a book about his experiences in America. I have a copy, the name is Gracias, America! It is copyrighted in 1978 and dedicated to his wife, Marta on their 38th wedding anniversary. I am happy to say that my copy is autographed, but I have no idea if copies are still available. I still correspond with his wife at Christmas time. I've been enjoying the postings on this site and many of them have brought back some great memories. I graduated with your sister Mary and I was one of those detasslers that rode in the back of a grain truck over to Storm Lake with Mary and Jean. It was awful if if rained and they put the tarp over the top. The year of 1968-69 was a great one for blizzards as well. A lot of times the boys and girls bb teams practiced together in order to have enough players to scrimmage. A few times players who lived in the country were brought to town on snow mobiles for games that winter. My dad Don Steffen, was on the local fire dept. for many years. Did anyone else out there have a fire phone in their house? Just a Little about my family. This nw Iowa girl was transplanted to se IA 33 years ago this August. We live just a hop, skip and a long jump from Iowa City in the town of Columbus Junction. Our youngest son attends Iowa (currently a jr) and lives just a few blocks east of John's Grocery if that rings a bell with any of you Iowa alums. Our daughter, lives in N. Liberty so is close as well and our oldest son lives in Grinell where he teachers in the middle school. My husband and I are both teachers in the local school system, trying to make sense of all the new federal mandates!
Well, I did not mean for this to be quite this long. Thanks for setting up this sight. I've really been enjoying it! Sincerely, Marcia Steffen Pavey
Thank you so much for the interesting info, Marcia!
Of couse I know who you are... your mom taught piano lessons to my sister, Nancy, and I for several years. And I truly wish I had continued the lessons. I will have to see if the Marcus Library has a copy the next time I am home. There's another great place that Marcus should be proud of: the library. I still enjoy going there when I return home, and it is especially interesting to take out a book and to look at the names on the check-out cards. I have found my name in them from years ago several times.
Arlene Bird passed away very early in the morning today---May 10. I know that many of us had BIRD family members as classmates and friends so I wanted to pass this on....funeral is suppose to be Friday FYI.
Hello, Marcus: My name is John Carlson and I'm the state columnist at the Des Moines Register. Heard about this site and think it's wonderful. I'd like to write something about it in my column. I'd especially love to hear from Bob Reed, who I understand is the founder of the site. (Please shoot me your phone number, Bob, so I can give you a call.) Also, anybody else who'd like to chat is welcome to contact me. My e-mail is: "jcarlson@dmreg.com". Phone 515-284-8204. Many thanks, and congratulations on a first-rate way to keep in contact with the home town from afar.
John, can you let us know on here when you think your article may run? Can't wait to see it. Fred, can you post a link to the story in here when it runs on the Registers website?
I'll post it Kurt.
Welcome to Marcus "cyberspace" and thanks, John, for covering this. It's a wonderful thing Bob Reed has done for our hometown of Marcus. The present and past residents of many other Iowa towns will enjoy this as much as we all do once they find out about it.
Fred Dorr
Here are some more scans from the Cherokee Times and Des Moines Register of the January 1975 Blizzard in Northwest Iowa. Check out the numbers of livestock lost in the blizzard. It was a devastating loss
Northwest Iowa Blizzard of 1975
Pic 2 of 1975 NW Iowa Blizzard
Pic 3 of 1975 NW Iowa Blizzrd
John Carlson's very nice article about this blogspot appeared in the Register this morning (Sunday - May 15th). My brother Kurt will post it here. In the meantime you can find it on the Register's website, too. (Google "Des Moines Register" to find it.)
Maybe a few other Marcusites will now suface and post here. Fred
See the article below.
Published May 15, 2005
Carlson: Bloggers have a 'common love' for the town of Marcus
By JOHN CARLSON
REGISTER COLUMNIST
It was a few days before Christmas, and Bob Reed provided a brief weather report to his one-time neighbors.
"It's near the 30s here in Florida, and we are freezing," he reported.
Then he asked, "Does anyone know where the Japanese Garden ballroom in Marcus was located in the '30s and early '40s? Was it above the bowling alley?"
An interesting transition, but absolutely normal, given the context.
Reed, a native of Marcus, was just having a conversation with friends in, and from, the old hometown.
He's in Florida. They're in California, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and who knows where else? Oh. And Marcus, of course, a Cherokee County town of 1,139 that seems to have its hooks in almost anybody who ever lived there.
That's why the 73-year-old Reed, a retired professor, writer and public television executive, decided to start up a "blog" dedicated to the town where he was raised.
People who grew up in Marcus - and some who live there now - hook up daily on the Internet on www.marcusiowa.blogspot.com .
"It's a forum for folks who are tied together by a common love of their roots to express that love," Reed said.
Think of it as chatting across the backyard fence from 1,000 miles away.
Marcus natives talk about their school, what's happening now, what happened last year - or 40 years ago. They go on about which family lived on what street next to some other family; about teachers, reunions, the new firehouse and anything else they want to talk about.
Farming, for instance.
"Our harvest is over and it was probably the biggest corn crop we have ever had," wrote Jack Clarkson, who farms near Marcus. "A lot of 190 to 210 bu. per acre. The bean crop was very good also. The only problem the corn carried a little more moisture than usual and the cost of drying with the gas price is expensive. But everyone is happy."
Julia Meylor Simpson, Marcus High Class of 1975, lives in Rhode Island and wrote in about trying to find some classmates. It worked.
A report was filed on the Marcus Picnic, held annually in Arizona. It was a success.
Shirlee Nelson, who lives in Marcus, wrote about the town's Christmas lights.
And Fred Dorr of Des Moines reminded friends of his younger days in Marcus.
"One abiding memory for me was the seasonal (summer-time) downtown popcorn stand with its lone, outside yellow light," Dorr wrote. "On Saturday nights, Main Street (1950s-early '60s) was the place to be. Lots of parked cars, kids and parents walking around, and young teens checking each other out. I remember talking with my friends while watching the popcorn spin in that big popper. It was then quickly upended and its piping hot contents scooped up to serve those of us patiently waiting in line for those sizzling, white morsels. The enticing smell of it was everywhere, drawing people to that little stand like a hobo to a window-ledge pie."
You didn't have to grow up in Marcus to see or understand.
His mother, Margaret Dorr, came to Marcus to teach more than 60 years ago and never left. She loves the blog and sends notes once in a while.
"Everyone is having so much fun with it," she said. "People bring up something they remember from a long time ago and everybody has something to say. I get on sometimes and open my big mouth. I made a remark once that I shouldn't have. I won't do that again. But it's been great for people here and ones that moved away. I look forward to seeing who's writing in."
Simpson, writing from Rhode Island, probably explains it best.
"Even though we don't reside there any longer, our roots are still strong," she wrote. "It isn't until many of us have pulled up those roots a few times that we realize how lucky we are to have such long-standing attachments to a place, people, and its memories. We take it for granted in so many ways. We may not reside there, but it will always be home."
Hi,
I am one of the folks who read John Carlson's column in the DSM Register. My name is Julie Cronk, my maiden name was Viney. My father, Richard Viney was the Methodist minister in Marcus from when I was in the 5th grade until we moved right before I started high school. So probably 1968 or 70 until 73? Cathy Andrews was my best friend. We lived next door to Gus and Margaret Willems. I remember Dorthy Benton reading us Little House on the Prarie books in 5th grade. The article has sure started me thinking and remebering.
Great article in the Des Moines Register! Thanks to Fred Door for setting it up!
Fred Dorr---I do apologize for mispelling your last name. My brother Warren used to write a column for the Marcus News in the late '30s. it was called "Paper Wads--Thrown By I.Ben Told" One of his quips was that "Marcus has more Dorrs than windows." I should have known better. Blame it on only one cup of coffee this morning. Sorry!
I remember your dad as the station agent at the railroad station. You, at one time were into Native American Indian relics. I remember the the blacksmith shop just south of "downtown" on the
East side of the street. Our family lived next to the City Park on one side and Doc Joint on the other side.
Some years ago I ran into someone who taught with Bob Dorr at Sioux City East High School. I will post more later, but am running out of time.
I enjoyed reading the comments about what talented musicians seem to come from Marcus. The early training I received — especially from Miss Linda McClain in the mid-70's — was a great foundation on which to build. I now work in the Washington, DC area as a professional opera singer. In addition to a busy solo performing schedule, I also manage a small regional opera company which features the works of composer Giacomo Puccini. (Check out our website at PucciniAmerica.org.) I utilize the piano skills taught to me by Gail Steffen (Hi, Marcia!), as I accompany my studio's voice students each week. Marcus provided me with a musical heritage of which I can be proud.
Hi all,
What a nice article and the ripple effect is even better.
Julie Viney, I remember you because I was a friend of Ruth Willems and she would often stop to talk with you. Wish she could see this website to connect with you.
And Kay Krekow, how wonderful! I think I remember hearing you sing at the 125th at an all-faith church service at the fairgrounds? You were in Steve Snyder's class and you were in Magrigal too. I will definitely look at your website. Congratulations! D.C. is great!
Very nice article in the Register. Nice to see some comments that show what a great community we have.
Only one question. I would like to know. Where do I farm near Marcus? I must have missed something the last few years.
I got a good kidding at the Family Table about that.
Jack Clarkson
Jack, someone probably mistook you for a dairy farmer, knowing you have a lot of "pull" in the old hometown. Hope you make Phoenix this fall. earl rae
Margaret Dorr!
Thank you so much for the copy of Mr. Rodriguez's book ... ask and you shall receive.
My sister Jean says she has her copy of the book. Hmmmm, what planet was I on?
Which reminds me, as I look at those incredible photos of the blizzard of 1975 ... a storm of major proportions and what are my historic recollections? ... I remember being "bummed out" that the phone lines had gone down and that I was stuck out on the farm for ... was it a week? ... during my senior year of high school with no social life whatsoever.
My brother shot me an email this morning informing me of the DM Register story and this site. I was very pleased and intrigued catching up on Marcus history and current news. What a great site!
For those who don't know me, I'm a '84 MHS graduate and now live in Phoenix and work for the Harlem Globetrotters. I'm very proud of my Marcus roots and look forward to reading more on this site. I caught up with one of my classmates (Angie Dorr) a few weeks ago in New York. She is an executive producer for MSNBC. I also stay in touch with current Major League Baseball umpire Bruce Dreckman.
Jack Clarkson, are you still a die hard Dodger fan? I'm taking in the Cubs-Dodgers game on May 31st.
I would also like to stay informed about the Marcus Picnic in Phoenix.
I thought I'd throw up some more fun pics for you all to see.
Pic of main street Marcus Looking South from around 1968-69
The last passenger train through Marcus May, 1971
Marcus folks waiting for the last passenger train to arrive
Pic of the train at the Marcus depot
Another pic of the train at the depot
Train leaving Marcus for the last time
Last pic of the train leaving Marcus, May 1971
Here is a fun picture of Gary Sanow and Dick Davis sitting on our front porch in Marcus from 1968
Gary Sanow and Dick Davis
Here is a pic from the last day of school at Holy Name. I believe the elementary school was closed after this last day and all the kids went to the public school thereafter.
Last day of school at Holy Name forever
The Ludwig boys, Tom,Tim and myself decided it would be a blast to slide into home plate during a rain storm when home plate was full of water. I don't know how my mom put up with me coming into the house after doing this!!!
Sliding into home plate during a storm
Another one of sliding into home plate
Thought I'd throw this one in. Now I know why we loved summer so much as kids!
Major contrast between winter and summer!
The photos of Holy Name gym in the background brought back memories of my brother, the Bies boys, and others sneaking into the gym to play hoops -- crawling through the basement windows on the east side into the locker rooms. In fact, I have the scoreboard from the Holy Name gym hanging in the game room of my house now. Bought it in an auction about 10 years at the fairgrounds.
Hi to all --
Bob received the following via e-mail, and responded that we would post it for her. Hope that some of you might be able to help Diane. Let us know if you would like to contact her directly. Max
Dear Bob,
I was reading the newspaper and what should I see but an article about your website about Marcus. I am not very computer savvy so was hoping you could help me.
My name is Diane Burkert and I live in Urbandale with my family. My father is Lyle Curry and he was originally from Marcus and Mom is Elizabeth and her maiden name is Gordon and she was from Meriden. My Dad's parents were Bernard Curry and Alice Thiel Curry.
I have been trying to work on my family history for years and have basically gotten nowhere fast and then seeing the article was hoping you or your readers could help me. Do you suppose anyone knew my grandparents or could point me in the right direction for help? My grandmother may still have relatives there but I don't know.
My dad knows very little about his father's early years or how he even came to be in Marcus as he was apparently from Illinois. He came as a young man and never returned but doesn't know why. Dad says that at that time if your parent didn't want to talk about something you just left it at that. (Perhaps my 2 kids could take a lesson from that!!) Anyway it leaves me little to go on.
I thought maybe I should contact the funeral home that arranged their funerals and burials for maybe people who attended. I feel terrible as we did not visit much growing up and I really regret not knowing this part of my life. Any suggestions would be so helpful.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Diane Burkert
PS My grandparents originally lived on a farm but then moved into town, to Oak Street I believe.
Brett, it's funny you would say that about sneaking into Holy Name gym to play hoops and such. I used to do that with several other friends as well like Richard Haines, Joel Roese, Mark Bies, or Tim Ludwig. Remember that great little rope swing they had near the Northeast corner of the gym? I loved swinging on that rope while watching the older guys play basketball.
That was a great idea of yours to buy the scoreboard. Can you take a digital pic of it and post it here? I'd like to see it.
Brett and Kurt---You guys think you have a corner on sneaking into the old Holy Name basement gym? This little ole Methodist boy and friends snuck through that or a similar window in the early 40's. We broke a window with a basketball. I mentioned it to my folks at dinner that night, and they made me go up to see Father Macelvoy (sp?) and pay for the window out of my allowance. Shaking with fright, I knocked on the door of the parish house and confessed my sin. Father Mac patted me on the head,complimented me for being honest and sent me on my way. I just about turned Catholic after that.
I believe I've "hit the jackpot" for Diane Burkert. I remembered that Alice Curry was a good friend of Martha Wilkens, our neighbor when we lived on N. Elm. So I called her grandwon, Fred, who is a "walking history book" but not into computers. He has all sorts of information to share with Diane. In fact, he was a pall bearer at Bernard's funeral. I asked if he would write to her, but he would prefer having her call some evening so he could tell her his stories and she could ask questions and take notes. Fred said if she would wait a week or so, he'd have time to get things together.
Max and Bob, I'll leave it up to you to handle it however you like. I will get messages to Fred.
Bob, the kind Catholic priest was Fr. McEvoy, but wasn't the gym you got into in the basement of Holy Name School? The "new gym", the one my younger guys, the Meisters, Bies, Ludwigs etc got into ( a caper of which I knew nothing at the time) wasn't built until a year or so after you graduated from H S.
Brett:
Is the guy name "CURLY" from Chicagoland still a member of the Globetrotters? I think his last name is Johnson if I am not mistaken. I use to play ball with him when he was back in Chicago.
Ask him about all of the games at the EastBank Club when you see him some time. He is a heck of a player and can really handle the ball.
BTW.........did you ever work for the Suns?
Margaret. The Holy Name "gym" we snuck into in the '40's was in the basement of the church. It was a multipurpose "Hall" with a basket at one end. As you noted your kids snuck into the "new" gym.
To Julie Viney Cronk
Hi, Julie, This is Pat Ducommun and I enjoyed reading your letter about when you livd here in Marcus. I was telling Margaret Andrews about Cathy being your best friend and she told Cathy. Now Cathy wants your address. Will you please send the address, in the mail, to Margaret Andrews, Marcus, IA 51035 and she will give it to Cathy.
The following was received via e-mail from Lenora Brown. It is self-explanatory. Bob answered her, but apparently she hasn't been able to post herself.
Subj: Marcus, Iowa
Date: 5/17/2005 2:26:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: gmapurple@webtv.net
To: bobreed7@aol.com
I just finished reading Mr. Carlson's on the Marcus Blog! I enjoyed the article and tried to enter the site, but I couldn't figure out how to write my memories of Marcus.
My late husband, Stan Brown, was the football coach from 1950 - 1953. We were married in March of 1951 and lived in the upstairs bedroom of Maggie Drefke. Then at the end of the school year we moved to an apartment above the bank and the grocery store. The paper was published below the bank by a Spin (I think that was his name) somebody. Then we moved to an apartment in a former funeral home and Howard and Floy Johnson (owned a hardware store) lived there also.
I taught Kindergarten in those outdoor portable units. We went back to several reunions and remember the Roger Nelsons and Lloyd Brown who is now deceased.
If you can help me how to get on the internet through this Blogging I would appreciate it. I am just an amateur emailer.
Thanks for your work in setting this up. I read through several emails, but they weren't there at the time we were there.
By the way, Stan came to Marcus with a loosing team and left with a winning team! He gave up the Alzheimer's fight after 10 long years and he spent 2 years at the Iowa Veterans Home, passing away August 7th, 2002.
Lenora Brown
1512 So. 5th St.
Marshalltown, IA
50158
Phil -- Yes, Curly "Boo" Johnson is still a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. He actually played college hoops at Loras in Dubuque and battled against my college Briar Cliff when I was there. He is currently in France with the Globetrotters. Never worked for the Suns, but have been with the Trotters and in Phoenix since Nov. of 1997.
Kurt -- I'll try and post a photo of the Holy Name scoreboard over the weekend. It has a few dents from bb's or pellets -- not sure if a janitor or someone might have been trying to shoot birds that got in the gym, or maybe someone "snuck" into the gym and was just messing around and decided to shoot at the scoreboard. Yes, I do remember the rope near the stage you could swing on and the slick tile gym floor.
Brett:
That's right......everyone called him "BOO".....he was a great guy to play ball with. Man he can do some tricks with the ball and he is a quick feller!
FYI.........the owner of the SUNS and his "SON" Brian Colangelo (SP) who runs the franchise now if I am not mistaken had two (2) daughters that my brother Kurt and I went to school with at Baylor. If you ever meet Kathy Colangelo ask her about her foxy red convertible Ford Mustang she drove around campus. Ironically one of my best friends in Chicago and her family are best friends with the Colangelos from their Chicago years. What a small world!!!!
I too read the DM Register and found out about this site. I can't believe Dad never told me about this.
My name is Sue (Beaton) Sand. It is fun and interesting to read what everyone is saying. It brings back memories and a few laughs.
Julie Viney: Say hi to your sister for me. I remember playing with her at church all the time. I think Mom and Dad (Chuck and Eleanor) still have the picture of us in front of the church. I may have been about 4.
Brett: Missed you at the class reunion. If you are interested in information about the Marcus Picnic, just give my parents a call. They live in Phoenix and are pretty active in getting the picnic coordinated. They should be listed in the phone book, or just email dad at cnbeaton@juno.com.
I look forward to continued success of this sight.
Sue
I'm not certain about procedure here, but I want to get in on this conversation. I'm Bob Meyer. I lived in Marcus from 1946 till about 1961. My dad was Rueben Meyer, the pastor at Peace Lutheran Church. I picked up this blog through the DM Register article, sent to me by my mother-in-law Lucille Ott of Cherokee. I was interested in Lenora Brown comment. I have two mmries: the one was when she and Stan got married. Stan took some ribbing from the football team about running off with the prettiest teacher on the staff. the second one is about losing teams and winning teams: There were some winning teams. I think I remember one when I was a freshman and sat on the bench until the last 2 minutes of the game. But I also remember some losing teams: we went for two entire seasons without winning one game. I probably learned a lot more during those seasons than I ever have during an subsequent winning season. Great blog--I'm going to keep in touch.
May 21, 05
TO: Lenora Brown
FROM Don Peters, S.D.,Ca
Hi, Small world...I remember a very attractive and popular gal that married Stan. Stan was Pres of Seerly Hall when I was at...now UNI. We were frat brothers and my senior year of 51-52 the Lambda Gamma Nu frat joined the internaitonal...TKE
Stan was also selectd Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities as was Darrel Hendrickson (oops..and me).
Lenora, you may remember Sunny Braack from Davenport. Her younger sister, Lois, and I married in 1953. I lost Lois after 3 1/2 year struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)the 17 of May
Great memories of Marcus and UNI and later U of Iowa. I will probably think of your maiden name..but put it on the Blogg, OK?
Don Peters, Marcus, '47, UNI,52
PS Stan was one handsome lad and one hell of a football playler and a great guy.
Condolences on the loss of your precious Lois, Don (Peters). The obituary in May 22 Des Moines Sunday Register is a fitting tribute to a very special lady. I'm sorry to say I don't believe we ever met her. Margaret Dorr
This is Jeff Ruden, another class of '84 member. Seeing the Holy Name photo not only reminded me of sneaking in the gym but also of playing baseball there almost every summer day. Since there were no fences, you got a home run if the baseball went over the alley or hit the roof of the gym. It's good to read all of your comments - I look forward to reading more.
Jeff:
Where are you living these days for those of us not in the loop?
Here is more from Lenora Brown:
Don Peters had an interesting reply. And he was right about Stan at UNI! He was an admirable man!
Don, my maiden name was Sunday and I graduated from UNI in '51. My deepest sympathy in the loss of your wife, Lois. You know what the caregiver goes through, also. I just got out my Old Gold of '51 and there was quite an impressive list of activities that you were involved in!
Kurt Dorr's pictures of Marcus Main Street showed the building where we started our married life. On the corner above the bank.
Bob, Also nice to hear from you. I am trying to remember more of the football players' names in the '51-'53 era. Stan was so impressed with Marcus and following his interview for his first job, he told me all the streets were paved!! By the way, his salary was $3,250. That figure doesn't look right to me, but that is what I remember it being. Mine was $2100. Isn't that impressive? Remember that was 1950.
I suppose the schools and towns have merged now.
Our first child, Cindy, was born at LeMars as no hospital in Marcus. We had 3 girls and 1 boy.
I remember, also the rumors(?) about Remsen and all the beer halls, which of course we didn't inhabit!
It was good to heard from you and I'll try to keep in touch. I have a web.tv and it isn't as sophisticated as a computer. Thanks to the Reeds for helping me. This blog is a great tool, and I hope to be able to continue to use it.
PS: I remember Stan trying to work football practice around the Spencer Fair.
Lenora Brown, 1512 So. 5th St., Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phil, I live on a farm 3 miles south of the little town of Farrar (although it doesn't have a Casey's convenience store so by Iowa standards it doesn't qualify as a town) or 15 miles north east of Des Moines.
I am following Max Reeds' directions on how to respond to the blogger. Max, or someone let me know if this is the correct way. This is my first attempt and as I have said before I have a webtv which isn't as sophisticated as apc. Thanks again for you help!
The above posted by Lenore Brown.
G/P Ducommun
My address is Julie Cronk
1436 Alderwood Drive
Altoona IA 50009
cronk05@msn.com
Kay Krekow, I believe you were in my class ( Julie Viney) Is your hair still curly?
Julie Cronk:
Thanks for the addresses. I'll see that Margaret and Cathy receive them.
More about Stan and Lenora Brown -- I asked my son Tom (Class of '64) if he remembeered Coach Stan Brown. The name drew a total blank. But then the wheels started turning -- "I DO remember our kg. teacher out in the 'little building'. She was the prettiest, nicest teacher. We just loved her. I suppose she could have been married to the guy they're talking about".
Early 50's classes remember their outstanding coach. While a wonderful, stunningly beautiful kg. teacher, who could have been married to a coach is the memory held by the "kids" graduating in the mid-60's.
It IS all a matter of perspective !
Hi to all, I have been a long time reader, first time writer :) I just had to write finally, because I never thought I was old enough to have stories to share until the other day. I was talking with my 17 year old niece and I started a story by saying "back in my day". I never thought I would ever start a story that way. I guess I am not as young as I think. But, my story is.....back in my day there was Kid's Corner, a little blue/green shed by the water tower. I know you all remember it. You could get the best coney's and chocolate malts there. And they were MALTS not shakes. My family got into the habit of ordering extra malt flavor. A few years ago my husband and I purchased some property on the west edge of town. This was the final resting place for the old Kid's Corner. Back in the trees is where is hid. We talked to a couple of people about moving it up to the fair grounds to use as a refreshment stand, but after looking at the building, it was too far gone to save. So all we have are memories of it. And good ones at that.
Kim: I, too, have great memories of Kid's Korner. It usually went like this... after supper, on a hot, muggy summer night my dad would throw a bunch of us kids into the back of his pickup (you'd get turned in to public safety officials for that now, probably) and take us there for ice cream. He'd find somebody to talk to and we'd have cones, malts, shakes, or sundaes.It was best after dark, because then the lights of that little store would really stand out. From the back of the pickup you always knew, without looking, when you were there because the sound of the tires would change as we pulled off the hard surface street into the gravel parking. I now live in a city where no one can see stars anymore because of all the glare of the street lights. But on those summer nights in Marcus the stars would look like you could reach up and pull them to you. Then, when we got home if it was particularly hot (pre-central air conditioning) we'd get blankets and sleep out all night on the lawn. It started out as a great idea. In the morning when we woke up covered in dew and stiff from laying on the ground all night, it was another matter. I remember all the night sounds when we slept outside, too. Train whistles, dogs, owls, cars, grain elevator noises, and the "gooney" birds that swept the night sky looking for bugs.
Yes, Kid's Corner was a big part of summer for lots of us in Marcus. Nice that you tried to preserve it, Kim. Sorry it didn't work out. As you note, though, it'll always be tucked away in our memories.
And one other memory, relating to my Dad's pickup - As I presume it may still be, the "quarter mile" for drag racing was either north of town past Sands' or immediately west of town on what I think was blacktop then. Although in the mid-60's no one I ran with drank or smoked, and "drugs" were unheard of, we did drive fast. My dad's El Camino was very competitive in the quarter mile. Not long after he bought it he was at the DX gas station one day getting new tires for it. He was complaining to Charlie A. and Ed Hagey about them breaking down so quickly. Years later Edgar laughingly told me that, "all the guys at the service station knew Melvin's boys were running that little truck hard, but they just couldn't bring that up as they knew how much trouble [we'd] be in with [our] dad." I thanked Edgar then and I thank him again now. Fred
Fred,
I also have a funny story about your dad's ElCamino. My two older brothers were, let's just say, a little mischievious. They loved to torment Melvin. One day when Melvin's El Camino was parked by the shop, the boys filled the hubcaps with gravel. When Melvin took off, of course it made a horrible sound. He pulled right back up to the shop to have my dad take a look. Well dad knew right away what it was. I don't think my brothers ever did that again.
I guess I haven't written in awhile because of all the craziness of the last few weeks of school. However, the Kids Korner stories were great! Loved hearing about its final resting place among the trees. Anyway, what a great place. I guess we farm kids had our share of Kids Korner treats, but I do remember it (for some odd reason) on the evenings after huge storms had gone through. We'd pile in the car to check out the neighboring fields and "assess the damage." Anyway, we knew it usually meant more than a car ride. With any luck we'd end up at Kids Korner where I loved the root beer floats ... and blowing through the straw into the float so the soft ice cream plopped around in the cup. I just realized I haven't had one in decades! I loved the yellow lights around the place and the slamming screens when your order was pushed out.
It's wonderful to hear all of these new voices too.
And Kurt, thank you for the photos of the baseball diamond south of Holy Name. That was the big kids' playground after lunch, so only 7th and 8th graders played there. So many kickball, soccer, and baseball games played there ... and so many scrapes and bruises and memories. My grandparents lived across the street, so in the summer time we had free rein to play kick the can with my cousins. What a playground!
I must say reading the threads re the Kid's Korner made me reflecct on my days as a Sioux City Journal carrier..........."SKINNY" loved his St. Louis Cardinals and always had the radio tuned into their games. Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and all of the other greats....everytime I delivered the paper there I got a malt and a chance to listen to the Cards. Boy it was a blast when they played my "GIANTS" that was a treat listening to them for a few minutes before I had to head off.
Speaking of the Giants "Skinny" was shocked when I told him I got to go to St. Louis when I was in the 4th grade and go into the Giant's dugout and meet the team and get Willie May's autograph prior to the Card's/Giant game. My first cousin David Dorr was a sports writer for one of the St. Louis papers and pulled this off......meeting Willie Mays who was my hero and chat with him was something else for a 4th grader from Marcus, Iowa. Still have the autograph framed..........it says:
To Willie:
Best Wishes!
Willie Mays
Now how I got nicknamed Willie is a whole other story!
Julia:
Your grandparents lived across the street from the playground which meant every summer of so the "EAGLE" girls would come visit their grandparents. They sure were sweet! Where are they all living and how are they doing BTW..........tell them hello for me.
One last post for now. Anyone on here ride in the very first RAGBRAI? After that first day I told my parents to never give me that for a birthday present again. Between the Missouri River Valley, hills of Kingsley/Pierson area, and the Little Sioux River Valley around Quimby.......well on a 1000 lb-2 speed Schwinn Bike I was pretty much hating life. I did make history though so I guess it was worth it and at 14 years of age I didn't know any better!
Who is this infamous RAGBRAI rider? I was a RAGBRAI wannabe. My dad took a picture of me on my bike with all the bike riders behind me on the highway north of town, but I don't think it was the first, maybe the second or third? It went through Marcus the summer of 1975. Then I tried again about 8 years ago with my then 12-year-old daughter. We spent the first night in a tent during a thunderstorm complete with sirens as we watched the sky for tornadoes. I don't think either of us fell asleep that night. The next day she crashed and burned before we hit LeMars, so we had to cut our ride short at Floyd Valley Hospital. I'm still planning to do a "real" RAGBRAI. I guess it's coming close to Marcus again this summer.
About ten years ago, I had a boss who was an avid bicyclist and I told him all about RAGBRAI. (That year they were advertising for a rider from Rhode Island so that they'd have riders from all 50 states, so it was covered daily in the Providence Joural) Anyway, I ran into him last year and he was so excited to tell me that he and a friend had actually done RAGBRAI the summer before. This New England native was gushing about the people he had met and the places he had stayed. He was even hoping to do it again.
Is anyone planning to ride this year?
I was hoping my Aunt Bernadette might even enter this site at some point to get in the conversation. Her daughters live from Delaware to Alaska and two live near her on Long Island. I think those girls met more people in Marcus on their visits than I ever did. They were all animal lovers and I still remember how they brought a puppy back to grandma's one day on their travels around town. Of course, we got talked into taking it home. They wrapped a ribbon around its neck and gave it to my mom for her anniversary. My mom just rolled her eyes because we never had much luck with dogs on the farm. However, Toby ended up being the most lovable dog we ever had and my brother Bob's constant companion ... and I know my mom missed him when he finally died.
JUlia:
That was me.........Phil Dorr....messed up with the name thing. I still have the hardest time with Julia since growing up with you I always new you as Julie! BTW.....get sis "NANCY" on here when you can. Was there a Mary Eagle in that gang? She was awful nice. Where is she living and wasn't that family from the east coast thus your getting so far away from Marcus without every returning?
BTW........the first RAGBRAI was in '73 if I am not mistaken and when they came through Marcus in '75 I will never forget we set up our water truck by the water tower and had it filled with watermelons which we then handed out free of charge "by the slice" to the riders. Did the whole ride in 2000..........nothing is free anymore.
This year the first day is from Le-Mars to Sheldon and was planning on doing it again this year until my niece messed up the plans by getting married over this same time frame. Oh well.....my daughter is 7 and I am making plans to do it with her either next year or the year after...will never forget in 2000 a dad and his 9 year old daughter from Portland, OR did the whole trip......that 9 year old never complained and road hard the whole way.....she was tough! Her dad told me this wasn't too bad as they had been training in the mountains around the Portland area.....man could she pedal!
Julia: If you are ever looking for a Ragbrai group to ride with let me know. I don't ride, but one of my best friends here in Des Moines is a woman about 60, in terrific shape, and has ridden about 17-18 Ragbrai's. She and a group from Delaware, the Blue Hens, ride together. They are primarily writers and lawyers. You'd love the group. (For her 60th birthday, she and a group of girlfriends rented a local dance hall and everyone showed up in some form of dance-related garb. She was a flapper, her kids and their friends showed up as the Village People, Fred Astaire and Ginger were there and on and on. She danced solid for almost 4 hours.) She's an author - published several books. They've ridden in Maine, the Alps, Oregon Coast and most recently Banff in Canada. That's why I don't ride with them, they are serious riders, but a ton of fun. If you ever want to communicate directly with her, let me know. I'll pass on her email address. She's from small town Iowa and very modest - great sense of humor. Her son received his PhD from Princeton in Astrophysics and now works for the Jet Propulsion Lab in California. Wants to be an astronaut someday. He was a state champion 800 runner and missed qualifying for the Olympics in the 800 by a fraction of a second. Ran with the New York Athletic Club when he lived on the east coast. His sisters attended Brown and Tufts. The amazing part, when you are around my friend and her husband, you'd never know that about them. They are just down home, great people. But, she does love to ride, so if you ever want to join her group you sound like you'd fit perfectly - same interests. Let me know. Fred
Message from Lenora Brown to Margaret Dorr
That was interesting that your so Tom rmembered me. Someplace I have a picture of the class taken outside that building. I'll see if I can still find it. Are the buildings still there? Do you remember Spin from the newspaper, or Howard and Floy Johnson, or Maggie Drefke? Howard had the hardware store there. I keep trying to remember then name of the Dr. who delivered our first child. It was not Joynt, I think it began with a B. Stan spent his last working years as Mayor of Marshalltown. Then the Alzheimers took over. We had a great life together and it all started in Marcus, IA
Thanks again for the repy!
Being back in Marcus to visit for a week has allowed me to do a little bit of research on some of the pictures that Kurt has posted to the site. The firemen in front of the then new fire truck in 1956 are from l to r back row: Fritz Wilkens, John Clarkson, Howard Peavey, Elmore "Boots" Wallin,Doc Weidemeyer, Herman Fischer, Harry Nelson, Hans Delaney and Loren Stowater. Front row from the left are Ray Gates, Wendel Grauer, Paul Hatz, Roger Leavitt, Kenneth Pallesen, and Felix Trinen. Thank you Fred Wilkens.
Craig Dorr provided the names of the 1947 Glee Club memebers: back row from left, Don Peters, Linn Simons, Chuck Christensen, Lyle Rae, Leon Ebert, Bob Reed, Bill McDonald, Conrad Dorr, Chuck Beaton, Marv Ebert. Front row are Don Geringer, Jim Apel, Ronald White, James Baclaw, M. Seel, Don Barnes, Ted Nelson, Don Heesch, and Ken Pitts.
It is quite amazing some of the stories the "boys" at the Family Table restraunt remember over their coffee every morning. For those who have not been back for a while, the Family Table is located where Kids Coner was all those years ago. As I remember it, it was Lon Brownmiller who was the avid baseball fan, not Skinny. One thing is certain, there was always a game on when you walked up to the window.
Dan Steffen
Regarding Kids Korner...I guess just about everybody has memories of that great place. $.30 cent malts and $.30 cent taverns were sure nice. Kids Korner was a very important place about 9pm almost every night in late August after the two-a-day football practices. Seemed as if everybody stopped in on their way home.
Also, I was wondering if someone could help me with my poor childhood memory....but, before Kids Korner was located out by the water tower...(and remember when we briefly had two water towers? The silver one with the red top and the green one?)...anyway, wasn't it located on the vacant lot west of the Marland Theater in the early '60's? (Under the white pillar arch called Sjostrom Park..which is now the car lot for Hesse?
Dan:
I forgot about Lon Brownmiller being a big fan but SKINNY loved the CARDS more than anything from my experiences with him at Kid's Korner.........I delivered the "AFTERNOON" addition of the SCJ to his business more than a few times!!!!
Tell us where you are living again Dan as I forgot what you said. Me....downtown Chicago directly across the street from the Lincoln-Park Zoo and the park itself.
Thanks Dan and Craig for identifying the firemen and boys chorus faces for us. Faces were familiar but the names of some of them escaped me. Bonnie
My brother Fred pointed out this website so I thought I'd post this for all to see. I have never seen a tornado and would like to some time, but the guys in some of these pics are absolutely nuts, if you ask me!!
June 2004 Northwest Iowa Tornadoes
Dan Steffen, thank you for identifying everyone in the photos. I appreciate it!!
My brother Fred pointed out this link to me as well. Check out the multimedia link on Inside a Tornado. The storm chasers try to plant a probe in the path of a Tornado in Iowa.
June 2005 National Geographic issue on Tornadoes
From Bob Meyer
All this talk about Kids Korner--that is recent history. In the late forties and early fifties, we went to Fred's on the corner just across main street from the bank. In thin even the 30 cents fof a malt was too much. We had cherry cokes. And downstairs were two establishments: a barbershop (I have forgotten the name of the barber) and a pool hall. It was hard going in the pool hall because there was so much smoke in there and so little ventilation that your mother would smell it on your clothes when you got home.
Brett, Yes I am still a Dodger Fan. Since the Jackie Robison era and Bobby Thompson's 'shot heard around the world' in 1951 and that still hurts. So have been for well over 50 years. We started out great this year but now struggling. They will get it together I hope by the middle of June. Jeff Spieler (Merle and Linda's son) his wife Cara, Fern and I are going to Kansas City to see them. Back in the 70's we used to get a group of 10 or more and get a great discount on Ozark Airlines and fly to St. Louis to see them play. Jim Lens a Cardinal Fan and I usually got this going. I remember one time we had 18 or 19 guys on the trip. Great times.
Hope things are well with you Brett and your family. Take care
Jack Clarkson
Dodger Fan
Jack:
Enjoy watching Cesar Isturis the starting shortstop for the Dodgers. His brother Maicer started until recently---currently out on IR--for the Los Angeles Angels..........They are brothers from a small farm town in Venezuela and best friends of some of my dear friends from Austin, TX. Actually have met Maicer.......great guy and so unassuming. Speaks very little English but loves to play baseball.
BTW......Larry Dorr recently replaced the hip of Mrs. Tommy Lasorda........does the name Tommy Lasorda ring a bell. Larry is very good friends needless to say with Tommy and his wife. Larry is my Uncle Everett's son and lives in La Canada---suburb of L.A.........Google his name and read about Larry....amazing what he is doing and has done out in L.A. and throughout the world
I'll bet there were at least 3 watertowers in Marcus history. An early one was made of brick and stood on the corner of the playground of the public school in the center of town. It was torn down late in the '30s and the bricks were used to construct the Municipal Building.
The Sjostrom Park was the scene of Saturday night band concerts in the '30s. Some folks enjoyed the music in cars parked around the park and signaled their appreciation of a number by honking their horns. The band was made up of local high school kids and some adults.
The park was also the site of the annual visit of the George B. Sweet Players--a summer traveling tent show of lectures, plays, and music in the '30s and '40s. They were "professional".
The name of the barber who owned the shop underneath the building that now houses the Marcus News was Chels Metcalf. His 1940's sign(at street level) boasted that it was "The World's Only Barbershop Under The Sidewalk". (No one ever challenged that.)
The name of the claustrophobic pool hall next door to that underground barber shop was "The Victory Billards." Chuck Rosberg and I got banned from it FOR LIFE in 1946 by the proprietor--Gene Shields--for setting off a stink bomb in the joint one afternoon. It was great fun watching all the old cardplayers and pool hall habitues pour out of the place and scramble up the stairs. My mother beamed her approval of our punishment when she heard about it. She sought out and thanked "Mr Shields". It didn't help much. We patronized Flannigan's (now the Hawkeye)after that.
Bob, great stories. You sounded a bit like a practical joker in your younger days. I think you and I would have gotten along great!
Chuck Rosburg. Wasn't he the gentleman that was killed in England test flying a jet? Wasn't it the Harrier Jet he was flying? I may have the story mixed up. Can anyone fill me in?
Hey Kurt –
Chuck Rosburg was my best friend. We grew up together and he threw passes and I caught ‘em for the MHS Eagles. We both made second-team All Northwest Iowa, graduating in 1949. He was the salutatorian of that class and a natural-born, very intelligent leader. And he became one of our home-town heroes.
Chuck went on to be an excellent halfback at Buena Vista College on a football scholarship, graduating with a B.S. in 1953. He joined the Air Force that year and did graduate work in meteorology. He earned his pilot wings in 1956 and also earned his navigator wings.
Chuck served in the Strategic Air Command for six years, flying B-47’s all over the world. In 1963 he was accepted into the prestigious USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California and after this training flew many secret missions in U-2s. He later served in Vietnam as a fighter pilot, flying 100 combat missions during his tour of duty.
On his return to the States, he was again a test pilot, and while on temporary duty in England, he was fatally injured while piloting a Hawker-Siddlely Harrier on January 27, 1969. This was an experimental Vertical Takeoff and Landing jet.
He had 3,780 flying hours in eight different aircraft and was a Senior Pilot. He had received many medals, including the AF Commendation Medal, the Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Chuck was an accomplished chess and bridge player, winning many all-service competitions.
After his death, a few of us guys started the Charles R. Rosburg Athletic Foundation. It awards scholarship money to the best scholar-athlete of the senior class at MMC High school and is awarded every year.
Chuck and Shirley (Mayer -- his high school sweetheart) had five children. Shirley lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their daughter, Major Julie Rosburg Keck, followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating from the Air Force Academy and serving many years as a navigator during a distinguished Air Force career.
On this Memorial Day, I can’t help thinking about my best friend and all the Marcus lads who lost their lives serving our country.
Bob, you are pretty close, however, "Mr. Shields" was actually "Gene Tschill", who had immigrated from Europe, He was the "best" billiard player in a town tht had a number of good players and might have been better if he had Larry Dorr about to reconstruct his bad knee. He got about by bending over and holding his knee joint with his left hand. Kurt. Chuck Rosburg was who you thought him to be. He was an outstanding math student, played football at Buena Vista, and had a "never give up" state of mind. My understanding is that he was scheduled to enter the Space program when his vertical takeoff tests were complete. Carl Mayer, Chucks brother-in-law from Maarcus, could fill you in on details. By the way Bob, how would it look on your resume' to have iat noted you had been "banned" in Marcus; Boston maybe, but Marcus. Earl Rae
May 30,2005 : Chuck Beaton
Bob,
In regards to Kids Corner, I believe it started out on Main Sreet and sat where the SE corner of where the Marcus Bowl now sets
and was started by the highj school teacher who most of the time addressed the students at the beginnng of the class by People, today we will have a quiz. Those that had him during thier time while he was there knew him as Mr.Hipple.
I thought I had the story straight about Chuck Rosburg. I remembered the award given out every year in Marcus was named after him. Wish I had met him. He sounds like a true American Hero. My mother spoke of him often and that is where I had gotten most of my info. It is amazing to think he came out of little old Marcus. Thank you Bob and Earl for filling me in.
The story belows is from the Sunday Kansas City Star. Not a very positive outlook for Iowa and the Northern Plains States
Posted on Sun, May. 29, 2005
Old Plains ranching, farming traditions disappearing
By JACK COFFMAN and GEORGE ANTHAN
Special to The Kansas City Star
TAYLOR, Neb. — Tom McNeil is the kind of American little boys and grown-up men, movie stars and even presidents dream of being: tall and weather-beaten, spare with words, wearing a hat and boots that clearly are tools instead of ornaments.
McNeil is a real cowboy in Loup County in central Nebraska, one of the disappearing ranchers and farmers of the northern Great Plains. He’s a man riding reluctantly, sadly into the sunset of a civilization that once was seen as among the great achievements of the American nation.
It’s a place where we get much of our food. And it’s a place where we’ve gotten many of our best people.
Now, isolation, harsh weather, more and more food imports, the ever-increasing size of farms and ranches and the economic and social pull of large population centers threaten to turn this vast region in the middle of the United States into a mostly empty Outback.
The northern Plains – North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas – increasingly are a place where the young – the Plains’ best and perhaps ultimate export to the rest of the country – visit aging parents.
After showing two visitors the large log ranch house he built himself, McNeil asks if they would go for a ride in his pickup. He takes them on a jarring trip cross-country, up and down the ridges of his ranch.
McNeil stops along a crest overlooking the house and outbuildings several miles away.
“I stop here every once in a while and just look down there,” he said.
“And I wonder. Does anybody know I’m here?”
Introspection and doubt are surprising from Plains farmers and ranchers like McNeil, people whose boundless optimism has been at the core of Plains agriculture.
McNeil and other ranchers and farmers throughout this vast region, which still is highly dependent on agriculture, fear Americans give little thought to what many experts see as the inevitable diminution of domestic food production.
There are fears this decline will hit first in the semi-arid northern Plains where regular droughts make agriculture more tenuous and expensive compared to other regions.
Missouri University rural sociologist William Heffernan predicts that by 2010 American will be spending more for imported food than for food produced here. Thus, Americans who barely lift an eyebrow as once-vaunted industries leave the country, now face the fearsome prospect of depending on foreign food producers.
In June 2004 for the first time in modern history, the nation spent more for food grown abroad that for food produced here. There are signs Brazil is becoming the world’s largest exporter of poultry, beef, sugar and orange juice and is moving to surpass America’s overseas sales of soybeans.
Randolph Cantrell, a rural sociologist at the University of Nebraska, agreed that most Americans don’t care. “They have no reason to so long as they can buy food and so long as it’s inexpensive. A sentimental, emotional attachment to rurality doesn’t hold anymore. Most Americans have no connection to rurality.”
But he added, “a great country must have a reliable, safe supply of food.”
Steven Blank of the University of California at Davis predicts that American agriculture already is doomed by domestic and global economics, by increasingly stringent environmental rules and by growing competition from urban areas for scarce water supplies.
John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, in a lecture on 21st century agriculture, said:
“Perhaps we could keep the food imports flowing, as we maintain the flow of oil today. But how large a military force would it take? What new ‘Organization of Food Exporting Countries’ might be formed to control the market? How many ‘small wars’ would we have to fight to keep a ‘renegade country’ from reducing our supply of food? How many people would we eventually have to kill? Would ‘cheap food’ be worth the cost we might ultimately be forced to pay?”
Iowa State University economist Robert Wisner noted the near-hysteria that hit Japan in the early 1970s when President Nixon embargoed exports of soybeans, vital to the Japanese diet, because of rising U.S. food prices. “What if we were on the other end, depending on imports?” he asks.
Heffernan worries this is occurring just as the U.S. is increasingly vulnerable to food shortages. “We now have a just-in-time delivery system for food,” he said. “Anything that disrupts that system, including a terrorist attack, we come up against it pretty fast.”
Now, wealthy investors from outside the Plains region are buying land for recreation use, bidding up prices beyond what can be supported by sales of agricultural commodities.
Jim Heinrich, a McIntosh County, N.D. commissioner, said of outside nonfarm investors: “The price they pay doesn’t pencil out.”
Mark Morgan, a farmer near Concordia, Kan. and a Cloud County commissioner, said, “These land prices are out of reason. We’ve had people from Idaho, New York, Texas ... all they want is hunting ground. And they’re not too concerned about the price.”
“And the crappier the ground is, the more they go crazy,” said Harley Adams, a Concordia farm machinery dealer.
McNeil said the key to survival on the northern Plains is simple economics. “If they gave us a fair price for our products we’d still have some kids at home. Now, doctors and lawyers come in, buy the land, keep it three or four years, sell it and make a profit. Then, they get out.”
Bruce Switzer, a Loup County, Neb., rancher, said within a quarter century “a lot of Wall Street people will own the land. Our people will be working for them. This place will be an investment and a place to hunt. Everybody wants to be a cowboy.”
Michael Boland, a Kansas State University economist, said some Plains farmers and ranchers “have become sort of ‘game keepers’ for wealthy out-of-state land owners.” Iowa State economist Bruce Babcock agreed, “This land is more valuable as game preserve than as farm land.”
But economic reliance of vast areas of the northern Plains on agriculture is clearly depicted by a USDA map which shows that almost all rural counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska and in the western third of Kansas are “farm-dependent,” meaning 15 per cent or more of income is from agriculture.
Daryl Hosey, mayor of Concordia, said, “if we get a drought or if farm prices drop, even the Wal-Mart gets significantly affected.”
With domestic land prices rising, though, there are reports of young farmers from the northern Plains, unable to make it at home, buying or leasing land in Brazil and spending six months a year there raising soybeans for export to the U.S. and Japan.
Boland said, “We’ve made land prices higher than in Brazil or Chile and they’re becoming major competitors” in key Plains commodities. Even an efficient northern Plains farm, he said, “won’t give the operators an adequate income.”
Jess Randel, who farms 3,000 acres near Oberlin, Kan., said, “We take no profit. It all goes back to land payments and machinery.” Duane Dorshorst, principal of the Oberlin Elementary School, said 60 per cent of his teachers live on farms operated by their husbands. He was asked how many of their children could be expected to some day operate those farms. His answer: “None.”
In the struggle to remain competitive, farms and ranches have steadily increased in size, each expansion displacing yet another family and depriving small town business, schools, churches and hospitals of customers, students, parishioners and patients.
The Homestead Act of 1862 provided 160 free acres. Once, there was a family on each 160-acre plot. Today, economically viable operations must be 10 to 20 times bigger. And operations of 10,000 acres or more are sprinkled throughout the region.
In the early 1970s, President Nixon’s controversial agriculture secretary, Earl Butz, told farmers: “Get big or get out.”
Richard Rathge, North Dakota state demographer, has noted that each time a smaller farm is swallowed up, job opportunities decline causing “a spiraling population loss.”
“Where does it all end?” asked Jay Carlgren, who farms near Norway, Kan.
Alan Barkema, an economist at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, said, “Already, the spreading of the social and business structure is reaching the breaking point in some places.”
The northern Plains are an important factor in U.S. food security. “If you take all that out of production,” said Missouri University economist William Myers, “it would have a tremendous shock to the economy.”
Babcock, of Iowa State, called these states “the nation’s food reserve. In an emergency, the northern Plains could produce all the food we needed.”
Kenneth Shobe, a community college teacher, is mayor of his hometown, Oberlin, in northwest Kansas. “This is the breadbasket,” he says.“ Our populated areas don’t grow wheat. But who is going to do the growing? Even a corporation needs people to run the machines.”
North Dakota is America’s second largest wheat producer in most years. It is the No. 1 producer of durum wheat, from which premium pasta is made. It’s also the country’s top barley producer.
South Dakota is second in grain sorghum, a key livestock feed. It is eighth in overall wheat output and ninth in corn production.
Nebraska is the No. 3 corn and sorghum producer and second in cattle production.
Kansas is the nation’s leading wheat state with production topping 400 million bushels in most years. That’s one-fifth of the nation’s supply. Kansas also is first in sorghum and third in cattle.
In addition to crop harvests, the northern Plains also harvest taxpayer dollars, which in some years amount to as much as half or more of some producers’ net farm income.
From 1995 through 2002, Nebraska farm operators received $6.8 billion; Kansas, $6.6 billion; North Dakota, $5.1 billion, and South Dakota, $3.8 billion.
A relative few farmers garnered especially big checks from the taxpayers.
In Kansas, for example, the top 5 per cent of subsidy recipients over the 1995-2002 period got an average of $358,000 while the bottom 80 per cent got $4,000.
For the four states of the northern Plains, the top 20 per cent of farm subsidy recipients received an average of $230,000 over the period while the bottom 80 per cent averaged $13,500.
The data were compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group from computerized county payment records of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency.
Vickie Lippelmann, who works for the Oberlin, Kan. school system and farms with her husband, voiced a concern of many producers – that the programs are primarily intended to ensure cheap food for consumers. “The federal subsidies are bad. It’s their way of controlling us and the prices. But we’re very dependent on them now. Without (the subsidies) many of us would go out of business.”
While President Bush says he wants to cut farm subsidies, history has shown that such efforts are doomed to fail, if not designed to do so. Indeed, when the new GOP majority in Congress set out in 1995 to scale back farm payments, the result was even more money being funneled to the sector, especially to large operators.
Iowa State economist and lawyer Neil Harl said that despite their drawbacks, “The farm programs up to now have kept alive the infrastructure of the Great Plains. Without these programs, cities and towns could not deliver essential public services.”
Chuck Hassebrook, who heads the Center for Rural Affairs at Walthill, Neb., which promotes family agriculture, said a rational alternative is to “take these billions of federal dollars, invest them in rural small business development and in training, help beginning young farmers, help develop new co-operatives to link producers to consumers.”
Large farm organizations and their allies in the Senate have successfully turned back such attempts.
Farmers have long suspected they are victimized by “big” alien forces, including railroads, banks, commodity markets, wealthy land buyers, agribusiness companies, even the federal government.
R. A. McEowen, a Kansas State University economist and lawyer, said lack of competitive markets, especially for the kinds of commodities produced in the Plains, “is what is driving farmers out. We’re going into a form of socialized agriculture even as Russia moves out.”
Heffernan, in a report to the National Farmers Union, said Missouri University researchers “liken the food system to an hour glass in which farm commodities produced by thousands of farmers must pass through the narrow glass that is analogous to the few firms that control” processing, distribution and retail sales.
And Harl said, “Without much doubt, the greatest economic threat to farmers as independent entrepreneurs is the deadly combination of concentration and vertical integration” of global agribusiness.
On top of all this, said Jerry Jost of the Kansas Rural Center at Lawrence, Plains farmers “are mining their future” through heavy use of underground water supplies, especially the Ogallala aquifer, for irrigation.
“Once the Ogallala is mined, then all the packing plants, the feed lots, are gone” said Jost, noting the livestock industry requires water-dependent corn and soybeans.
The settling of the northern Plains by white Americans, the wanton destruction of the vast buffalo herds, the killing or internment of Native Americans and the conversion of the grasslands into crop land have been debated since the late 19th century.
Environmentalists have argued the Plains are overplowed and overgrazed. Stanley Johnson, Iowa State University economist and deputy provost, wonders if the Plains “are an accident of history.” Settling of the region, he said, was “an aberration. It would not happen again.”
Two East Coast professors – Frank and Deborah Popper– created a firestorm in the northern Plains by proposing “to restore large chunks of Plains land to their pre-white condition, to recover the commons the settlers found in the 19th century. In short, the plan calls for deprivatizing much of the Plains: fences would come down, domestic animals would be removed and game animals stocked.”
The result, they said, would be a “Buffalo Commons.”
Donald Worster, a University of Kansas historian, also is concerned that Plains agriculture has had a “devotion to unlimited expansion and its attendant sense of autonomy from nature.”
Unfettered capitalism and American expansionism, Worster states in a book on the 1930s Dust Bowl, finally encountered in the Plains “a volatile, marginal land” and destroyed the “delicate ecological balance that had evolved there.”
However, Northwestern University geographer John C. Hudson said the northern Plains have undergone a necessary adjustment to the realities imposed by their austere environment.
“It is the same rural system,” he declared in a lecture at Kansas State University, “only it has been stretched, inflated, pruned, and trimmed to a scale that corresponds with the rest of the technological environment in which it operates.”
Depopulation, Hudson stated, “Is an absolutely necessary aspect of this transformation. It accompanies the evolution of a system that is adapting to change, not one that is unadapted.”
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