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Remember When: a community review

By Billie Aye - | Jun 3, 2009

10 years ago: May 19, 1999

Tonganoxie High School graduated an especially large class of seniors last Saturday evening. (There were 136 graduating seniors.) This year’s six valedictorians were Cathrine Denise Cleavinger, Tyler Michael Emery, Kelly Lynn Gratny, Jonathan Paul Lamb, Abigail Denise Lawrence and Jocelyn Marie Walker.

Birth: An “angel” was born to Dena Wurtenberger on April 19, 1999. Her name is Kassidy RhiAnn Wurtenberger.

Tonganoxie resident Ann Gower spent many hours painting a cover for the book “Courtship of Miriam.” This book is the latest offering from Minneapolis, Kan., writer Donna Adee. This is the second cover Gower has painted for the author. The setting is 1901-05 in Beloit.

Kristen Norman has been selected to receive the 1999 Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. Sixty-eight students received the scholarship in Kansas. This is a four-year scholarship. Each recipient will receive $1,500 for the 1999-2000 academic year.

McLouth News: Rhea and Marvin Connelly observed their 59th anniversary.

Gene and Bonnie Forshee will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary May 22, 1999, at the Florence Riford Senior Citizen Center with a surprise party from 3-8 p.m. given by their children. Surprise, Mom and Dad, we love you.

Deaths: Mary M. Kramer, 101, Tonganoxie, died May 14, 1999; Robert Earl Thompson, Sr., 71, Tonganoxie, formerly of Kansas City, Kan., died May 16, 1999; William F. Williams, 52, Bellevue, died May 10, 1999.

25 years ago: May 16, 1984

McLouth Graduation Ceremonies: Commencement and baccalaureate ceremonies for McLouth High School will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20, 1984, in the high school gymnasium. Mr. James E. Campbell, high school principal, will recognize the valedictorian, Cheri Lynn Dickey and the salutatorian, Mary Ellen Snell.

Deaths: Mr. Leslie (Les) Sencenbaugh, age 65, of Kerrville, Texas, died May 6 in San Antonio; Mrs. Janet E. Bennett, 55, Tonganoxie, died May 15; Jesse (Jack) H. Wisterman, 76, Leavenworth, passed away May 10, 1984; Private graveside services will be held for Mr. Harry William Stambaugh, Jr., age 70, Tonganoxie, on May 17, 1984, at the Silver Lake Cemetery in Silver Lake. Mr. Stambaugh died May 13, 1984.

Tiffany Goepfert celebrated her 11th birthday at Silver Dollar City with a friend, Lenay Saathoff. Tiffany’s grandmother, Mrs. Elnora Goepfert is the rug hooker at the Spring Festival now going on in Branson, Mo. This is Grandma’s eighth year at the city. Tiffany’s grandma also entered her Bicentennial quilt, which received honorable mention out of 640 quilts.

Rhonda Engelken graduated cum laude Saturday, May 12, from Kansas State University with a degree in interior design. She was in the top 10 percent of her graduating class.

50 years ago: June 4, 1959

Deaths: H.H. Klecker, 81, died Monday in Denver; Mrs. Kate Wager, Rural Route No. 1, Leavenworth, died May 31, 1959, at the age of 84 years; Mrs. Grace Knight, 79, Basehor, died Monday; Luther Pearson Modlin, 85, Tonganoxie, passed away June 4, 1959.

Birth: Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Bruggeman announce the birth of their son, Ronald Austin, June 2, 1949.

Mary Jane Grinter, wife of Jim Grinter, graduates June 10 from the University of Hawaii with a degree in political science. She plans to return and start on her master’s degree in history at the same university. Jim is in the Navy stationed at Pearl Harbor. He is the son of the J.W. Grinter down Reno way.

Reno: Junior Thorne has been awarded a prize of a fine rod and reel for catching the largest spoonbill fish in the Lake of the Ozarks near Warsaw, Mo., during the fishing contest. Mr. Thorne’s fish weighed 68 lbs.

75 years ago: May 10, 1934

Commencement is next week: There are 34 graduates in this year’s senior class, one more than last year. Lyle Campbell is valedictorian of the class and Nellie Willett is salutatorian.

Mrs. O.W. Sowers received a telegram Monday advising her of the death of a nephew, Harry Taylor, age 21, due to a fall from a cliff near Riverside, Calif.

According to Foster Laming, the Chief Tonga Pool will open this year on schedule, about the latter part of May. The swimmers therefore will do well to dust out the old bathing suits, and prepare for another summer of water sport. This is the eighth consecutive summer for the pool, one of the best modern concrete pools in this part of Kansas.

Births: Word was received here Wednesday by Mr. and Mrs. George Seufert, Sr., of the birth of a 7-pound son to Rev. and Mrs. Sam Hedrick on May 5, 1934, in Boston, to whom they have given the name Thomas Alva. Rev. Hedrick was a former pastor of the Tonganoxie Methodist Church. Cards were received here today by friends announcing the birth of a son to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Stemmerman, Tuesday morning, to whom they have given the name, Lyle Arthur. Mrs. Stemmerman will be remembered as Miss Isabelle Johnstone of this place.

Henry Klinkenberg, local assessor, completed his work for 1934 this week and the official population of the town as recorded by him is 1,184. This is an increase of 73 persons from last year.

100 years ago: May 20, 1909

The plant of the Faultless Condensed Milk Co., is now receiving large quantities of milk. Its daily receipts are nearly 14,000 pounds and the output of canned milk is more than 5,500 cans every day.

A new daughter arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Henry last Friday.

According to the county treasurer’s report, Tonganoxie has overdrawn its account $39.74.

It is Arthur Wiley who is raising the old Modlin shop, and is fitting it up for a storeroom, not Dr. Coe as The Mirror had it last week.

Cigarette smoking among boys is pretty well stamped out. One of the high school boys can occasionally be seen with a cigarette in his mouth.

The frame of Verne Barber’s Indian motorcycle snapped in two Sunday, while he was pushing the machine by hand. It was a good thing, perhaps, for Verne that he was not using it at the time.

The Wrights are not considered sociable in Europe. The use of water for drinking purposes is a barrier to sociability over there.