Stories from Monday, April 1, 2002

TULSA, Okla. -- More than 40 years after they were students at McCook High School, Elsie Baldwin and Dick Budig have become man and wife. They were united in marriage Friday, March 15, at Southern Hills Methodist Church in Tulsa, Okla. The Rev. David Stewart officiated at the ceremony...

Angela Unger and Scott Garey, both of Des Moines, Iowa, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are David and Patricia Unger of McCook and Angus Garey and Jerda Garey Svengalis. The bride-to-be is a veternarian assistant at Avondale Animal Hospital and the prospective bridegroom is the district manager for the Des Moines Register. A May 4, 2002, ceremony is planned at the United Methodist Church in McCook...

Sarah Tegtmeyer and Andy Allen both of Manhattan, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Carol and Cleve Tegtmeyer of Florissant, Mo., and Barbara and Eric Allen of Hutchinson, Kan. Grandparents of the prospective bridegroom are Helen Allen and Wayne and wife, Betty Allen all of McCook.The bride-to-be is a senior at Kansas State University studying family life and community service. ...

Jessica Esther Grafel and Joshua Michael Vrbas both of McCook, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Dennis and Donna Grafel of McCook and Mary Ann Vrbas of Culbertson. The bride-to-be is attending Blackhills State University in Spearfish, S.D., and will graduate in May. The prospective bridegroom is employed in sales at Kildare Lumber Co. A June 12, 2002, ceremony is planned at Memorial United Methodist Church in McCook...

Kelly K. Brown of North Platte and Shane Rippen of Culbertson announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Dennis and Judy Bach of Chadron, Rex A. Brown of New Castle, Wyo., and Ted and Nancy Rippen of Culbertson. The bride-to-be is the recruiter for the Mid-Plains Community College Area and the prospective bridegroom is a farmer, teacher and coach in the Culbertson area. The couple is planning an April 6, 2002 ceremony in Culbertson...

Amanda Forch of Stratton and Joel T. Klemm of Wausau, Wis., announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Robert and Joyce Forch of Stratton, Marlen Klemm of Wausau and the late Donald Klemm. The bride-to-be is a 1997 graduate of Stratton High School and a 2001 graduate of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a bachelor of science degree in biology. ...

The children of Clint and Jackie Willcoxon are hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary March 29. Their children are Kitten L. Buettner of Omaha, Theresa and Mark Freese of Papillion, Andrea and Virgil Adams of Valley and Cheryl L. Willcoxon of Grand Junction, Colo. They have nine grandchildren and six great-grandsons. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 1104 W. Third Street, McCook, NE 69001...

GRAND ISLAND -- Alice Marie Smith, 60, of Grand Island, died Saturday (March 30, 2002) at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island after a long battle with cancer. She was born on June 19, 1941, at home in Arapahoe to Ivan and Goldie (Edmonds) Randolph. She was a 1958 graduate of Culbertson High School...

Wayne R. Matson, 68, died Friday (March 29, 2002) at Community Hospital in McCook. He was born March 8, 1934, at Culbertson, to Clifford LeRoy and Cleo Ethel (Hoskins) Matson. He graduated from Culbertson High School. He served for a time in the U. S. Air Force until he was honorably discharged...

Vincent Don Brown LINCOLN -- Vincent Don Brown, 66, died Wednesday (March 27, 2002) in Lincoln. He was born Nov. 1, 1935, in the family farm house south of Trenton to Joseph and Alma Brown. He graduated from Trenton High School in 1953. He then attended Nebraska Wesleyan University from 1953-54, McCook Jr. College from 1954-55, and the University of Nebraska from 1955-60 where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1958 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1960...

WAUNETA -- Merle O'Neil, 82, died Friday (March 29, 2002) at the Heritage of Wauneta nursing home. He was born Feb. 18, 1920, in Chase County to Barney and Mary (Powell) O'Neil. He grew up on the family farm north of Wauneta and attended rural school through the 8th grade. He later graduated from Wauneta High School...

OMAHA -- Helen Frick, 78, died Monday (March 25, 2002) in Omaha. She was born Sept. 15, 1923, in Herndon. She and her husband, Edward were former residents of Culbertson where she operated a beauty shop. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edward...

DENVER -- Esther Pate Stone, 89, died Friday (March 29, 2002) at Denver, Colo. She was born April 5, 1912, in McCook, to Delbert O. and Drucilla (Traphagen) Pate. She grew up and attended schools in Nebraska. She moved to Denver and worked for the federal government during the World War II years...

Grace N. Kennedy, 98, died Wednesday (March 27, 2002) at Mapel Crest Care Center in Omaha. She was born Sept. 6, 1903, to Clarence and Nellie (Pinkham) Runyan at Minden. She graduated from Minden High School in 1921. On Nov. 28, 1929, she married Donald G. Kennedy, who was a train dispatcher. They moved to McCook in 1928...

Parenting is the most awesome responsibility in the world. Everything else pales in comparison. Regardless of your status, station, or position in life, regardless of whether you're at the bottom of the social class pyramid or at the very top, parenting is THE most important job you will ever have because each of us is shaping and molding the next generation. ...

Artie Lebsack almost didn't get to serve in World War II with his twin, Sammy when they enlisted in the Army in June of 1942. The 21-year-old McCook twins had traveled to Fort Crook for final physical examinations and Sammy got through what they called "Doctor's Row" in fine shape...

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington has been called America's Attic. Priceless artifacts, representing our country's past, can be found in the various buildings, each building devoted to a certain aspect of our history. These buildings make up the Smithsonian, perhaps the most visited destination in the nation's capital. Similarly, McCook's and Red Willow County's past can be seen, and studied, at the High Plains Museum in McCook...

Dear Editor, Well if the rumor is right, the city is going to have a bid on food selling rights at the pool. After 18 years of being there and missing only four days, selling snow kones, cotton candy and beef jerky, all for 25 cents each all those years, now they want me to (submit a) sealed bid?...

Dear Editor, I believe your readers are entitled to response to your (newspaper's) criticism of the city's recent changes in their utility billing procedures as voiced in the editorial you wrote and published on March 27 in the McCook Daily Gazette...

Today, for a change, let's look at history not in the number of years but in the number of lifetimes. Let's talk specifically about human lifetimes. From that perspective, an event which happened more than 2,000 years ago does not seem quite so distant...

Dear Editor, Has there ever been a time, in all of human history, more dangerous than the one we are living in? The United States of America developed the atomic bomb and President Truman dropped two of them on cities of Japan to bring World War II to an end. ...

Those of you who know Dal Wood, Jim Short and Jack Rogers may be surprised to learn that they have an ornery streak which -- during the '70s -- elevated them to near legendary status among this area's practical jokers. At the time of their April foolery Wood was Red Willow County Attorney, Short was Red Willow County Sheriff and Rogers was managing editor of the McCook Daily Gazette...

IMPERIAL -- Earl Dean Francis, 64, died Saturday (March 30, 2002) at the Chase County Community Hospital in Imperial. He was born June 19, 1937 in Ringwood, Okla., to John and Bertha (Campbell) Francis. He grew up in the Ringwood and Ames communities and graduated from Ames High School in 1955. ...