Remember When: A Community Review of Tonganoxie
10 years ago: April 24, 2002
Deaths: Clarence Leslie “Pat” Pulliam, 88, De Soto, died April 18, 2002.
Staff members at The Mirror newspaper won numerous awards at the Kansas Press Association’s 2002 Awards of Excellence contest. The staff members’ honors included six first-place awards.
Births: Matthew J. and Jenny Mae Kessler, Tonganoxie, announce the birth of a daughter, Kaitlyn Marie, born April 7, 2002; Tony and Jeanette Klamm, Bonner Springs, announce the birth of a son, Brett Allen, April 4, 2002.
Captions under pictures: Senior Jasmine McCaffrey takes a glance at her date, Joe Sledd, as he is crowned during the coronation ceremony at the Tonganoxie High School Prom. The real-life couple were named prom king and queen … Junior Janelle McCoy and date Alan Davis dance to retro music during the Tonganoxie High School Prom … Seniors Samantha Hassinger and Mitchell McGinnis dance with others attending the 2002 prom, held at Lake of the Forest, Bonner Springs.
25 years ago: April 22, 1987
Bitler’s Restaurant donated an Easter dinner, Friday, to the Senior Citizen Shut-ins in our community. Mr. Frank Rice and Mr. Arnold Torneden furnished their time and transportation to make this possible.
The United States Achievement Academy announced today that Melinda L. Robinson has been named a United States National Collegiate Award winner in Music. This award is a prestigious honor very few students can ever hope to attain. In fact, the academy recognizes less than 10 percent of all American college students.
Michelle Wickey, a senior this year at Tonganoxie High School, will be playing the part of Anne Frank in the “Diary of Anne Frank” to be presented April 27-28 at Tonganoxie High School.
50 years ago: May 10, 1962
Births: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ryan of Leavenworth announce the birth of their daughter, Anah Mae, May 3, 1962; Mr. and Mrs. Roger Garr of Kansas City, Mo., announce the birth of their son, Laurence Jonathan, May 4, 1962.
Deaths: Lynn L. Allen passed away at the age of 83 years, Sunday, May 6, in Gainesville, Fla. — his residence the past 14 years; Antone Steinmetz, formerly of Neely, passed away April 15 at his home in Meeker; Mrs. Charles Hamil, Monterey Park, Calif., passed away April 20, 1962, at the age of 69; Funeral for Eric C. Steeper, 75, President of the Bank of McLouth and a McLouth civic leader, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, (today) at the Evangelical United Brethren Church of McLouth.
Confusion was the order of the day Wednesday afternoon as the Tonganoxie Post Office decided to move on short notice. The move was planned for later in the week. However, this was changed by the Wichita technician in charge. The lobby was crowded most of the afternoon by people trying to figure out how to get into their boxes using the new combination system. The scene behind the counter was almost as bad with the clerks having to hunt and dig for everything they needed. A good time was had by all.
75 years ago: April 15, 1937
Basehor: Mrs. James Craig, Fairmount, died Wednesday morning.
Basehor: Mr. and Mrs. John Malone of Kansas City, Kan., announce the birth of a daughter and they have named her Patricia Ann.
The Weekly News Reel: John Mails showed up on Fourth St. the other day with some false teeth, a new suit and a snappy brim hat. One of his old friends passed him by and thought he was a traveling salesman, but he’s only serving on the jury at Leavenworth.
Betty Lee Thomas, seven-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Thomas, Kansas City, Kan., was struck and killed by a motor car at 4:10 Tuesday afternoon, and died shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday of injuries suffered in the accident.
100 years ago: April 25, 1912
Wesley Jarrett was at work as usual Saturday and, that evening, took sick and died Sunday night. When a physician was called Sunday afternoon the man was unconscious with uremic poisoning, and it was too late to help him. He was 48 years old. He leaves a widow and 10 of the 12 children born to them.
Titanic death list is 1,601. The great liner went down with her band playing, taking with her to death all except 745 of her human cargo of 2,340 souls. To that death list six persons were added. One died in a lifeboat, which was put off from the liner’s side, and five subsequently succumbed on the rescue ship Carpathia. Survivors in the lifeboats huddled in the darkness at a safe distance from the stricken ship and saw her go down. Ripped from stem to engine room by the great mass of ice she struck amidships, the Titanic’s side was laid open as if by a gigantic can opener. She quickly listed to starboard and a shower of ice fell onto the forecastle deck. Shortly before she sank, she broke in two abaft the engine room, and as she disappeared beneath the water the expulsion of air caused two explosions which were plainly heard by the survivors adrift. A moment more and the Titanic had gone to her doom with the fated hundreds grouped on the afterdeck.