Price 50¢
located at 111 E. Main, Mankato, Kansas 66956
Established 1890, Volume 111, Issue No. 47
USPS, NO. 274-940 Thursday, February 13, 2003
brides share memories of
Valentine's Day arrives Friday and
will honor their sweethearts and
ones with candy, flowers and
For two Jewell County women,
of their late husbands take
back more than 60 years when
brides during World War
:of Pearl
on December 7, 1941, were
and uncertain for the people
young men were
itary service, they had
lay ahead of them.
s said their good-byes as
men and women marched off to
All future personal plans were
hold. Some couples chose
decided togo ahead and
moment; they
with arrangements to
These young women were re-
to as war brides.
simple ceremony
Garrnan, Burr Oak,
June l l, 1944, when she
high school sweetheart, Lee
where married.
JUSt out of high school, had
and was to report for duty
U.S. Army. Alma and Lee had
a fall wedding, but when he
his orders, they decided to
:the wedding date up four months.
;wen Alma an engagement
year before.
Lee and I went to Supe-
pick out my wedding dress,"
said. She said rationing and the
limited. She did find a blue
of the wedding, a Sunday
Alma wore a red rose cor-
pin
~. Bishop of Alma's
in Burr Oak. They spoke
of her parents. The
A, 'Something old'
~ma wore the same gold bracelets
and mother had worn
rigs. "They had buena
Gillett from
"Alma said.
and Alma were able to take a
,moon in Colorado and
;wer the call
e Sam. Almaremembers going
with Lee's parents and
Lee off on a bus.
hard to explain my feelings
I was concerned and, of
ght happen,"
said.
: saw Lee after basic training and
where
a short time. When
Ft. KnoX, she returned to
to live with her parents.
to Luzon in the Philip-
"I wrote to him everyday and to
¢, I remember his serial num-
said.
participated in local bond
s and took the Red Cross and
nursing lessons that were provided.
She had friends in the Burr Oak area
whose husbands were in the service
and a club was formed. The women
Lee and Alma Garman
meet each month to offer encouragment
and support for each other.
Lee and his outfit were loading up
to leave for Japan. According to Alma,
Lee was to be on the second wave. "It
was predicted there would be a 90
percent casualty rate, but, of course, I
didn't know about that until later."
Just before they were to leave, the
bombs were dropped on Japan and the
war came to an end. . ,,
Lee returned to Alma and his home-
town area and together they farmed the
farm where Alma grew up and where
she still lives. They had three children,
Terry, Bob and Carla.
Loomis keeps scrapbook
Aletha Loomis, Mankato, looks
through her scrapbook filled with the
history of her life with her late hus-
band, Clarence.
"We had dated since I was a junior
in high school--that would be 1939,"
said Aletha. She smiles as she remem-
bers pulling his shirt tail whi!e both
were rotler~katingat Downs.+' Thatis+
how we first met."
Aletha Rannebeck grew up on a
farm in Jewell county near Downs. She
was attending Athens Rural High
School and Clarence was attending
Ionia High School at the time.
After Clarence graduated from high
school, he and Luster Broyles worked
together installing electrical wiring in
homes as the REA first brought elec-
tricity to the Ionia area.
After that work was done, he went
to Mankato to work in the Wagner
Drug Store. Early in 1940 Clarence
proposed to Aletha, who then was
teaching school, and gave her an en-
gagement ring. "The kids at school
were so excited when they saw my
ring," Aletha said.
The year 1940 was a confusing time,
with war waging in Europe and the
United States trying to stay out of the
good-byes 60 years ago
USD 278 board releases Supt.
conflict. Registration of men 21to 36 All too soon Clarence was to return
Kelley from present contract
was occurring in the United States and
many believed it would only be a mat-
ter of time before the U.S. entered the
War.
Clarence was one of the 23 young
men in Jewell County who decided to
enlist in a new national guard company
at Lawrence.
"They were told they would only be
in a year and their service would be
over," Aletha said. Clarence and. two
of his best friends, Paul Graham,
Webber, and Mere Reager, Mankato,
decided to join together.
Aletha and Clarence made plans to
marry as soon as his service time was
completed.
Clarence purchased Aletha's wed-
ding ring and it was just a few months
before he was to return home. He was
stationed at Little Rock, Ark., at that
time. Aletha well remembers the date
he picked out the wedding ring--Dec.
6, 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor
was attacked, launching the United
States into World War II.
Aletha told how she first learned
about the attack on Pearl Harbor. "We
had just returned home from attending
Sunday worship service at our church
and were fixing dinner. The radio that
set in the window was turned on and
we heard the news. It was s s~,,gv_..er-
whelming--it was hard to imagine what
was to happen next."
Her first thoughts went to Clarence
and what this would mean to his dis-
charge in a few months. Of course,
their wedding plans had to be placed
on hold. Graham and Clarence were
sent to officer's training school and
Graham's girlfriend, Ila Chilcott, Man-
kate, and Aletha, went to the men's
graduation at Fort Benning, Ga., in
August 1942.
After graduation the men returned
home with the women for a short fur-
lough. Aletha remembers the hot and
dirty train ride home in the August heat
with the train windows wide open.
Wedding plans were discussed and the
two,couples made plans to get married.
The guys thought since both
couples were getting married anyway,
why not make it a double wedding.'?"
According to Althea, weddings dur-
ing that time were kept simple and
small. Ila and Aletha had purchased
new dresses while in Georgia, so had
their wedding dresses. The two couples
met at the Methodist Church parson-
age in Beloit and the vows were ex-
changed. The men gave their brides
corsages to wear. Only the two couples
and the minister were in attendance at
the wedding.
It was a hot and windy August Sat-
urday afternoon. "We spent our hon-
eymoon in the Porter Hotel and, of
course, there was no air-conditioning."
The next day Clarence and Aletha
attended Sunday morning worship ser-
vice at her church near Downs with her
family. They returned to her parents'
home for Sunday dinner.
to his duties. Letters were exchanged
almost daily and Clarence begged
Clarence and Aletha Loomla
Aietha to leave her teaching duties and
join him. She soon gave in and joined
him in October 1943. They changed
locations three more times in less than
a year, living on bases in Georgia,
Florida, Tennessee and Indiana.
They were able tq be together for
their first weddinganniversary. Aletha
returned home to stay with her family
on Jan. 26, 1944, when Clarence re-
ceived orders. "We laidour good-
byes, not knowing wheregr..when we
would ever see each other again," she
-said
Captain Clarence Loomis and his
division were sent overseas and June
16 they were involved in the invasion
to France. Clarence Was wounded July
A mutual release of claims agree-
ment between the USD 278 School
Board and Ron Kelley was approved
and signed at the board of education
meeting Feb. 10. All Board members
were present.
Terms of the agreement stated, "For
and in consideration of USD 278 ac-
cepting the voluntary resignation of
Ron Kelley, superintendent, USD 278
further agrees to pay superintendent
the sum of $12,000."
Mike Liggett appointed board mem-
bers Richard Colson and Nell Beck.er
to pursue a candidate to serve as an
interim superintendent for the remain-
possibly take plaeem a later date.
April 3 students will he leaving for
Russia for three weeks. Two Jewell
students and an adult have talked to the
students from Malato about what to
expect. Mike Li~read a thank you
letter from Gayle Wilson, Cortney
Alexander and Ciarra Collins for the
board's contribution for the Russia trip.
A request from the Swing Choir to
take a trip to Colorado was approved.
Students will pay expenses and the
District will furnish transportation. The
trip is scheduled for Easter break.
The Junior-Senior High School Site
Council is contemplating the restart of
the SADD or SAD. Students have
der of the 2002-03 school year.
The agenda item dealing with sum- been attending the Site Council meet-
mer employees was tabled until the, ings to discuss the issue.
March meeting. The board will wait A contract with Coca-Cola will be
and look at state issues before a deci-
sion is made. Bob Roush said summer
employees would be useful, but they
are not critical.
Dale True, elementary principal,
reported Kiers cash register receigto-
tals are over $125,000 so far, The
promotion will end March 31.
brought before the board for approval
at the March meeting.
Several options for the 2003-04
school calendar were reviewed. No
action was taken, The board asked
Hufford to bring a ITV progress report
to the March meeting.
After 45 minutes of executive ses-
stated "The board of education has
advertised and is looking for a new
superintendent in Mankato USD 278.
This is a very important process and
the board seeks your involvement in
this stage of the process. We feel it is
important for the staff and the patrons
of this district to let the board know
some of the characteristics you would
want us to consider as the fitml screen-
ing takes place and the board inter-
views and selects a new superinten-
dent.
"There are many issues facing Man-
kate and Kansas; we want to be as
prepared as possible to select the best
leader for all students of this school
district. The board invites the teach-
ers, administrators, site~uncil, Cham-
ber of Commerce and other groups to
provide, in writing, a prioritiged list of
characteristics to the board by Friday,
Feb. 21,2003. This correspondence is
to be sent in care of the Clerk of the
Board, USD No. 278, 301 N. West
Street, Mankato, Kansas 66956. Us-
ing this list the board will also compile
a prioritized list of characteristics to be
Bruce Hurford, junior-senior high,
principal, told the board of a middle
school leadership conference at Hays
in which district students will partici-
pate. Parents will pay the cost of the
conference and the district will pro-
vide transportation.
Hufford told the board of a request
from Jewell County Sheriff, Kim O~,~
15, 1944, along with another Captain inregardstohavingthehighwaypatrol
in the same division. They were hit by crmetotheschoolswiththedrugdogs.
shrapnel while in a fox hole. Clarence It is the understanding that this is a
was taken to a field hospital and trans-
ferred to England for surgery. Clarence
must have been worded about Aletha
hearing the news, as he managed to get
a letter written to her on Aug. 1 to
assure her that he wa~ wounded but all
right.
statewide program, free of charge, and
the other districts in Jeweil County
have been contacted. The Board ap-
proved participation in the K-9 drug
dog demonstration at Mankato Jr-St
High level. A spontaneous search will
sion with Darrell Miller, board mere- used to screen potential applicants for
hers, Principals True and Hufford, it " the position of superintendent. All
was the consensus of the board to us- groups should realize that it will be
tablish a date and time for a special most difficult to find one individual
meetingtodealwiththeprincipalevalu- that will meet all expectations of all
ations andcontracts. This meeting will groups or of any one group. It is the
be Feb. 19. desire to the board to listen to staffand
Atthecloseofthemeeting, Liggett patrons on this matter."
White Rock extends
Walker's contract
The contract for Bill Walker, su- fourth nine weeksofthe 2002-03 school
perintendent of USD 104, White Rock term.
Schools, was extended for the 2004- Walker recommended the hiring of
"Of course, I was devastated when
I received the letter," she said. Aletha . . .
was ~,lad for Cl-m-,'~', I~tt,~r ~ ;, 911 sign 2005 school term with salary to he Tundra Sholtz as the elementary and
s moredetermmedatalaterdate. Thisaction high school custodmn and the board
wa+m,¢,ntilA,..--aL,~-t. .... : .... . .....,.. ....... JR_ . ~,~ r~l~dat~o~d eetangMonday approved Motion carried 5-2 with
teleW ......... gram fromaXts'~'~ sr~ ~t'¢e"the government telling ...... I~~~']Btt~o ~ ~+L ++,~,,~, ~ ~Don Bird ..... will ~+'~be working .......... ~at ............ the:"Ws~ining.anda Frasler+ +and Bill ..... Wdson ab-
her that Clarence was seriously injured When the Jewell County commis- school for approximately 12 weeks Becky McNichols reported back to
in combat and she would receive more
information later. It was Sept. 15 then
the government finally informed her
he was in the hospital and recovering.
While recovering in England,
Clarence continued training troops~ In
July 1945 he returned to the U.S. and
underwent more surgery in an army
hospital in Oklahoma. Aletha Was able
to join him there. He was discharged
Feb. 13, 1946.
Clarence remained in the Army Re-
serve until June 15, 1951. The
Loomises and Broyles went back into
business again. They opened an elec-
trical-appliance business in Mankato,
L & B Electric, and branched out to
include heating and eventually
airconditioning.
Aletha mid Elsie Broyles took turns
helping with the business after their
sioners met Monday, they learned the
price for the 911 signs will be higher
than expected.
Jim Foster, general road depart-
ment superintendent, reported Welborn
Sales had informed him of a price
increase for block numbers and letters
on the 911 signs. Even with the in-
crease, Welborn Sales still has the low-
est quote. Foster piling was being dri yen
for the Jewell Bridge. The department
has had a dozer radiator repaired at a
co~t of $3,680 and purchased a fan for
$500. Fuel quotes were discussed with
Foster.
Linda Woerner, health nurse, re-
ported on the number of visits made by
the department for January. Also re-
ported were classes and seminars at-
tended by the staff. Woerner attended
through the Experience Works Pro-
gram.
Computer keyboarding has been
added for the eighth grade beginning
second semester. Some former high
school classes will be re-named or re-
newed for the 2003-04 school term.
The middle school honor roll re-
quirements were reviewed and dis-
cussed. It was approved to amend the
middle school honor roll requirements:
Honor rolls will he maintained for
grades six, seven and eight. The crite-
ria for eligibility on the nine-week and
semester honor rolls will be the stu-
dents must have a minimum of a 3.0
grade point average with no grade lower
than a B. The Principal's Honor Roll
will be for students who attain a 4.0
GPA, Those with a 3.5-3.99 GPA will
the board concerning the possible re-
districting of the Burr Oak Library and
the interest of the library board of mov-
ing the library to the school. This
would have to be on the April 2004
ballot. McNichois would like any feed-
back on this matter.
House and Senate bill information
concerning out of state students and
tuition was reported by Walker. Walker
also reported a teacher's substitute re-
quest; turnout for parent-teacher con-
ferences; and KSDE's approval of the
Districts Technology Plan.
Negotiation letters from the board
and the Association' of White Rock
Teachers were presented and briefly
discussed.
In other business, bills were ap-
Iroved for payment in the amount of
118,538.59 and a transfer of $10,000
an answers tough questions
public at Formoso meeting
Moranwas "Almost no farmer and wife can are lackadaisical," he said. Theydon't
by 35 citizens at the For-
~nter recently as he continued
Big First listening tour.
!attending were from various
, as well as the west-
r area. Moran said
' was the 49th county he
s 69-county district
encompasses the area
to Sabetha and from
County to Cheyenne
He said he tries to not always
sessions in the county
His focus has been on what most
the people in his district: agri-
quality education, keeping
open and access to af-
Care.
not affordable
' with some experiencing a 49
in premiums. Moran
is "what do we do to
costs and to keep health
." Also, "How do we
'small towns like Formoso alive
? Much debate
on the question ',How
) America safe since 9-11 ."
assistance is concern
one concern right now
assistance. He said it is
Ltions conference
may try to pass the omni-
ng bill with disaster assis-
14. However, he is not
it will only be a band-
is a need to focus the
losses.
billion was lost from
because of the
with the average age
at 58, they are basically
keep 58 year-old farmers in
year They need to
people come
to farm and to keep
ire.
survive solely from farming; many
need two or three jobs to make it, We
need to create more jobs," Moran said.
He reminded those present that jobs
are also lost when schools are lost.
Moran said he worried when the Kan-
sas-legislature passed the school fi-
nance law that the legislature never
would have the fortitude to maintain
rural schools.
U.S. tariffs are among the lowest in
the world and trade is the key to suc-
cess in agriculture as 40 percent of
Kansas ag production must be exported.
Health insurance is problem
A county commissioner brought up
the subject of the higher health insur-
ance premiums and the problem of
meeting the needs of the county em-
ployees without leaving children and
employees uninsured. Moran said that
in reality we all end up paying for
everyone--insured and uninsured.
An audience question targeted the
lawsuits against doctors and the high
cost of malpractice insurance that is
causing diminished services in lower
population areas. Moran said the U.S.
House has passed a law placing a
$250,000 cap on malpractice damages.
A question regarding campaign fi-
nance ;.vas raised. Moran said we have
a long way togo to improve campaign
finance. Most campaign dollars are
targeted to get the attention of the dec-
torate with television ads in the last
three to four weeks of an election. He
tries to run his campaign in the coffee
shops, courthouses, senior centers and
on main streets of his district.
With regard to the question as to
why we haven't done more to protect
our borders, he said we have a definite
need to protect those borders, espe-
cially the southern borders. He is upset
at the management and job the Immi-
gration and Naturalization Service is
doing. "They do such a poor iob and
track immigrants after they arrive in
the country. In fact, INS issued visas to
two of the 9-11 terrorists a week after
they took part in the attack.
The U.S. House has voted to use the
military to enforce the borders; the
Senate has not passed it. In discussion
about stopping the hiring of illegals, it
was noted they are sometimes the only
ones who will work tn some jobs. They
provided employers the information
that is needed to be hired.
Business closings impact economy
The closing of Precision Dynamics
in Belleville was brought to Moran's
attention. The company is moving its
operation to a foreign country which
means a loss of 75 jobs; four employ-
ees are Jewell County residents. Those
workers will now be without health
insurance.
The question was raised regarding
protecting workers. Moran said the
cost of doing busines~ in the U.S. is
high because of environmental regula-
tions, labor laws, health insurance and
other items. "We need to take a new
look at how we do business in this
country," Moran said.
Sept. 11 has been used as an excuse
as to why we need to spend more
money. Mora~believes ahigh priority
should be for the U.S. to balance its
books for the benefit of future genera-
tions. Government should focus on the
things the government is supposed to
do in a better way.
Mankato Weather
Bill Wood, Weather Observer
Monday, Feb. 3 .............27 31
Tuesday, Feb. 4 ............. 29 10
Wednesday, Feb. 5 ....... 31 11
Thursday, Feb. 6 ........... 23 15
Friday, Feb. 7 ................ 33 0
Saturday, Feb. 8 ............ 38 t
Sunday, Feb. 9 ............. 32 2
• Monday, Feb. 10 ........... 39 16
4-H Days
Saturday
children were in school. The Loomises a tuberculous update workshop and be designated Honor Roll. Those with
had two children, Sharon and Marvin. distributed information to all the a 3.0-3.49 GPA will be designated from Supplemental General to Trans-
There are six grandchildren, schools. She has started on the HIPAA Honorable Mention. Effective the portation was approved.
regulation requirements which are ef-
fective April 14. Discussion was held "1'~;
Tri-county concerning thesmallpoxinformation
Randall councilr,-cks
and bio-terrorism funds. Parking in the
disposal company
Rodney Zeigler, courthouse custo-
Jewetl County will host anew event,
4-H Tri-county Day, Saturday at the
high school in Jewell.
Jewell County will not have acounty
4-H Days as they participate with mem-
bers from Lincoln and Mitchell coun-
ties. Events begin at 8 a.m.
Competition will he divided into
three age divisions so youth of similar
ages will be judged together. The
public is invited to attend and hear
project talks, vocal and instrumental
solos and group numbers, demonstra-
tions, skits and gavel games.
All presentations are open to the
public +and participants will receive
ribbons and evaluations on their per-
formances.
dian, discussed boiler repairs and what
else needs to be done. It was asked that
he get a price estimate of the work that
needs to be done.
Payroll dated Jan. 23 and bills dated
through Feb. 10 were paid as follows:
Health, $9,163.92; General,
$59,056.62; Road and Bridge,
$79,593.35; Solid Waste, $46,815.79;
Tower, $467.26; Employee Benefits
$199.98; Appraiser, $4,191.56; Clear-
ing Account $70,141.45; Noxious
Weed, $17,55.51; Ambulance
$13,260.24; 9-1-1, $4,434.34; Ambu-
lance Equipment $758.79.
Early copy needed
for next week
As next Monday is a federal holi-
Randall City Council members ap-
proved a contract at a recent meeting
with Wasteco for residential solid waste
pick.
Wasteco, represented by owner and
operator Randie Slate, andChief Dis-
posal, represented by Buck Rogers,
both made presentations at the meet-
ings.
Slate is to provide documentation
concerning his business and agreed to
ma~e pink-ups in Randall by 9 a.m. on
Mondays.
Announcements included the
KRWA meeting and a technology
seminar being held.
Routine business was conducted.
Bills for the month of February were
approved.
Elesa McMillan presented a letter
of resignation as city clerk, effective
June 1, as she will be residing out of
town, The resignation was accepted.
Martha Lumb will resume preparing
the water bill cards with assistance
from McMillan
The council once again commended
Junior Wilson on his job during the
water line installation. It was sug-
gested Wilson receive a bonus. Coun-
cil concluded Wilson should receive a
raise of $50 per month, effective March
1.
Present for the meeting were Roger
Houghton, Warren Joerg and Bradley
Barrett with Donald Bigham, mayor,
presiding; Wayne McElroy, Robert
Kibhe, Joe Anderson, Junior Wilson,
Slate, Rogers and Ben Black.
day and most government offices in-
USDA presents grant eluding those operated by the U.S."" --s~a'~"
funds
to s~ower group Postal service will he closed, the gath-
ering of news and advertising for the
Officers of the Jewell County Sun- next issue of this newspaper ~vill be a
for library equipment
flower Processing group were awarded
a grant for $41,000 Friday.
In Jewell county to make the pre-
sentation were Gary Smith, USDA
Community and Business Programs
Director, Chuck Banks, Kansas Direc-
tor and Jim Vanek.
Officers of Sunflower Processing
are Leon Boden, Ionia; Edgar
Marihugh, Esbon; FawnaBarrett, Ram-
dall; Jim Dooley, Jewell. -
The grant, given by USDA, is a
dollar per dollar match and is to be
used for the feasibility study and legal
fees connected with establishing a vi-
able organization for processing sun-
flowers.
Grant Writers were Barrett, Jewell
County Community Development
Coordinator, and Gary Tordrup, Jew-
ell County Extension agent.
challenge.
Those contributors planning to sub-
mit items for publication next week are
encouraged to eithl,'r mail early or use
an alternative delivery method.
Items normally mailed to the Jewell
County Record office may he deliv-
ered either to the Mankato or Superior
office, sent via E-mail or fax. The
Jewell County Record e-mail address
isjecord@alltel.net. The fax number is
785-378-3782. The office will be open
as usual Monday. After hours items
may be left in the drop box.
Items normally mailed to the Supe-
rior address may also be delivered in
person, via fax or e-mail. The e-mail
address is tse@superiorne.com. Fax
messages may be sent to 402-879-3463.
A drop box for after hours delivery is
located to the left of the main entrance.
A total of $60,000 from the Eula M
aag Fund will he presented to the Jew-
ell Library later this month to pur~:hase
equipment. Annette Burks, president
of the library board, distributed an up-
dated list of library needs at the recent
Jewell City Council meeting.
Other business conducted by the
council is listed:
• "Welcome to Jewell" signs - Bill
Loomis will talk to Jewell FFA Chap-
ter about repairing the signs.
• Curb and sidewalk will be installed
in front of the Jewell Implement.
• Old fire station to be torn down.
• Appraisal from Rural Develop-
ment has been conducted on the Cost
Analysis House at 2 ! 2 Venango.
• Bohnert reported the dinner sport-
sored by day care was well attended.
• Ken Benedict, Great Plans Land-
scape, presented a plan for park im-
provements. Council members agreed
to remove the fence and concrete
around the basketball courts and some
of the trees. An updated plan will be
drawn up.
• Pat Ziegler and the NCK Techni~
cal College Heavy Equipment students
will do some dirt work at the City
Pond.
Jewell Apartment Board of Diret~
tors met after council meeting.
The bills were presented and ap-
proved for payment. The elevator has
recently been repaired. A bulb in the
south stairwell light needs to be re-
placed and the city workers will re-
place it.
