Stories from Monday, December 23, 2002

The trophy that will be presented to the winner of the Houston Bowl on Friday was created by McCook sculptor Jon Leitner. The bronze trophy -- 82 pounds and almost four feet tall -- was displayed at McCook National Bank before heading south for the game between Oklahoma State and Southern Mississippi...

The children of John and Virginia Bauer of Culbertson are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th anniversary, Dec. 29, at the Heritage Senior Center, 1312 West Fifth, 2-4 p.m. They were married Dec. 27, 1952, at the Church of God in Trenton. Children of the couple are Alan Bauer, Terry Bauer, Greg Bauer and Deb Walter. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at Route 1 Box 120, Culbertson, NE 69024...

The family of Vinton and Millie Jones, formerly of Benkelman and McCook, is hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 60th anniversary, Dec. 25. Cards of congratulations will reach them at 1310 South Carr Avenue, North Platte, NE 69101.

The family of Raymond Bockerman is hosting an open house and card shower in honor of his 90th birthday. The open house will be Sunday, Dec. 29, from 2-4 p.m., at the Ella Missing Building, 411 6th Street, in Arapahoe. Cards of congratulations will reach him at P.O. Box 494, Arapahoe, NE 68922...

Kent Grafel of Culbertson and Mary Haller of McCook announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristyn Rebecca Grafel, to Kris Michael Clapp, the son of Cliff and Trish Clapp of McCook and Robert and Debra Henthorn of Culbertson. The bride-to-be is a 2000 graduate of Culbertson High School and a 2002 graduate of McCook Community College. ...

Lights glitter in the trees of Norris Park ... Santa Claus Lane graces the islands on Norris Avenue ... and beautiful home displays sparkle throughout town and the surrounding countryside. But something is missing this year. The rooftop of the late Ray Real's home at West 10th and L is bare, devoid of lights and reindeer. There are no sleds, no Santas, no manger scenes and no lighted firetrucks in the yard...

Dear Editor, Being a Santa for now 19 years in town, this year has been the hardest in my history. So many problems. See, I not only ask kids what they want, but I also ask adults. The first day out this year, I had two different ladies ask me to keep their husbands alive till after Christmas. I had three farmers ask Santa for wet year or they would be done farming. I had dozens of locals asking Santa for a job!...

Dear Editor, What a wonderful job you at the Gazette do in addressing the spiritual interests of your readers. The poem, "THE CHORUS OF LIGHT" by Lori Johnson of McCook was absolutely marvelous and the pictorial layout by Connie Jo Discoe was par excellence...

Dear Editor, Your apology is duly noted and accepted. Thank you. Betsy Coolidge Indianola

Have you heard the news? Santa Claus is coming to town. Really. We're not kidding. The Jolly 'Ol Gentleman from the North Pole -- famous world-wide for his gift-giving exploits -- will be gracing McCook with his presence (and presents) both Satuday and Sunday...

The family of Ron and Connie Barger is hosting a card shower in honor of their 30th anniversary. They were married Dec. 23, 1972, in Culbertson. Cards of congratulations will reach them at RR 1 Box 127, Culbertson, NE 69024.

The family and friends of Enid Hurley are hosting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday Dec. 29. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 103 Louise Lane, McCook, NE 69001.

Wine tasting and the Midwest may seem like an unlikely pair, but two McCook residents have brought the two together with a new product -- a wine tasting kit. Gina Stamm and Kim Korgan have created the Wine Taster, a reusable kit for beginning and experienced wine drinkers...

Stuck to the front of a cancer victim's refrigerator is a short poem called, "What Cancer Cannot Do." In part, the poem reads: "Cancer is so limited ... "It cannot cripple love, It cannot kill friendship, It cannot shut out memories, It cannot silence courage ... "...

Local retailers are encouraging lottery players to purchase tickets early for Wednesday's Powerball drawing which will reach as much as $300 million. Convenience stores around McCook are reporting a varied degree of activity. "They're not beating down the doors, yet," Jerry Montey, manager of McCook's West B Gas-n-Shop said, but it's hard telling what will happen on Wednesday, he concluded Todd Daniel, manager of Kugler's Phillips 66 in McCook said he's seen a dramatic increase in ticket sales.. ...

Though the weather is uncooperative -- the ground bare with no promise of pristine whiteness in the forecast -- Christmas traditions still prevail in Southwest Nebraska. Christian churches around the area will herald again the centuries-old story of the Savior's birth. ...

The children and choirs of St. John's Ash Creek Lutheran Church plan their 11th annual living nativity and candlelight Christmas program at 7 p.m. Monday at Midwest Livestock (the North Sale Barn) on Highway U.S. Highway 83 north of McCook. Portraying Mary is Kelsey Berry, the 12-year-old daughter of Bill and Sarah Berry; Joseph is played by Josh Cherry, the son of Pat and Melanie Cherry, who will be 14 the day of the program. ...

CURTIS -- Many issues will come up at the next legislative session, but nothing will be beyond reach when it comes to balancing the budget, a state senator told the Middle Republican Natural Resources board of directors. State Sen. Tom Baker of Trenton, just reelected to his second term, talked about his thoughts on the upcoming 2003 legislative session at a luncheon in Curtis...

The McCook Ed Thomas YMCA plans many activities over the holidays. There will be recreational swimming on Dec. 28 and Jan. 4, 2-4 p.m., and Dec. 22, 29, and Jan. 5 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Basketball activities, billards and a ping pong tournament is from 1-5 p.m., on Dec. 23...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Stacey Anne Glasco and Jeremy Richard Little were united in marriage Sept. 21, 2002, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., with the Rev. Jay Jensen officiating. Parents of the couple are John and Debra Glasco of Stratton and Candy and Commie Little of Sheridan, Wyo...

James and Kim O'Dea of McCook announce the engagement of their daughter, Breanna Leigh, to Jeremy David Walling, son of David and Vicky Walling of Springfield, Mo. Grandparents of the bride-to-be are Densel and Barbara O'Dea of McCook and Norm and Rita Sekavec of Billings, Mont. ...

Alta Neva Lashley, 95, died Sunday (Dec. 22, 2002) at Hillcrest Nursing Home. She was born, March 14, 1907, in Chase County near Wauneta to Zebedee Delmer and Lulu Hariet (Davis) Hill. She attended school in rural Chase County. She married Charlie Lashley here in McCook on June 15, 1926. ...

QUINTER, Kan. -- Dennis "Jim" H. Corder, 87, died Friday (Dec. 20, 2002) at the Gove County Medical Center Long Term Facility in Quinter, Kan. He was born Nov. 20, 1915, to Joseph and Rosa (Hetrick) Corder on a farm in Sheridan County. He was raised in rural Quinter and attended Pleasant Ridge County School. He graduated from Quinter High School in 1934. In the fall of 1934, his family moved to Selden...

INDIANOLA -- Esther Bridget Sweetman, 94, died Sunday (Dec. 22, 2002) at Hillcrest Nursing Home. She was born May 7, 1908, at Edina, Mo., to John N. and Mary Catherine (Dolan) Sweetman. She lived most of her life in Indianola. She cleaned homes for the priests, traveling to Kansas and Oklahoma. She moved to Hillcrest eight years ago...

CULBERTSON -- Anna Frances Korell, 90, died Sunday (Dec. 22, 2002) at Community Hospital in McCook. She was born Sept. 18, 1912, at Litchfield, to Jacob and Agnes (Klippinstein) Tessman. She grew up in Stockham. On Feb. 16, 1937, she married Glenn Korell at Culbertson. She lived most of her life in Culbertson...

SELDEN -- August "Gus" W. Bruggeman, 90, died Saturday (Dec. 21, 2002) at his home in Selden. He was born May 11, 1912, to Tony and Margaret (Wolf) Bruggeman on a farm east of Selden. He was raised on the farm where he was born. He attended Cresco Country School and graduated from Selden Rural High School in 1931...

American corrections has tried literally every correctional philosophy imaginable in an attempt to find something, anything, that works in getting ex-cons off the treadmill of crime and deviance and nothing has worked. They've tried punishment, retribution, isolation, brutality, incapacitation, and rehabilitation, all within the past one hundred years. ...

The interdenominational chapel at the McCook Army Air Base, shown at right in 1943, is still in use as the Lutheran Church in Haigler. After the base was closed down, some of the air base buildings were being sold. Dale Cotton of the McCook Army Air Base Historical Society told me that they had this chapel building all loaded on the truck and were heading out the main gates when the truck just couldn't pull it anymore. ...

In the summer of 1949 Northeast Nebraska was in a collective dither. Two convicts from the penitentiary at Yankton, S.D., had escaped. It was believed that they had headed into Nebraska. One of the escapees had been serving a life sentence for murder...

Tami Lynn Allen was born Oct. 26, 1960, in Pender to Lyle and Janice Nolting, and died of breast cancer on Dec. 22, 2002, at the age of 42. She was raised on the family farm near Rosalie, was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Bancroft and graduated from Rosalie High School in 1978. Tami attended Southeast Community College in Lincoln where she earned an associate's degree in Early Childhood Development...