Stories from Monday, March 18, 2002

YORK -- Nicole Martin and Shannon Legg were united in marriage Dec. 29, 2001 at the New Heights Assembly of God in York with Pastor Rick Eldred officiating. Parents of the couple are Rod and Jo Jurgens of Lamar, Mo., and Jerry and Sandy Legg of Dannebrog...

PHILLIPSBURG, Kan. -- Jamie and Kerri Thieben of Phillipsburg, Kan. announce the birth of a daughter, Sterling Dawn on Tuesday (March 12, 2002). She weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces. She has one brother, Morgan, age 3. Grandparents include Linda Thieben of Danbury...

ARAPAHOE -- Michael and Tiffany Ott of Arapahoe announce the birth of their son, Owen Michael Ott, Wednesday (March 13, 2002) at Community Hospital of McCook. He weighed 9 pounds, 3. 6 ounces and has one brother, Dawson, 18 months. Grandparents are Mike and Emily Wendland of Arapahoe, Tom and Nancy Ott of Arapahoe and Roger and Melody Maxwell of Kansas City, Kan...

LITTLETON, Colo. -- James and Lesli Strubel of Littleton, Colo., announce the birth of their son, Asher James Strubel. He was born Friday (Jan. 4, 2002) in Littleton. He weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and has two sisters, Lesli June, 8, and Katie Kay, 4...

Daryl and Kendra Wagner of McCook announce the birth of their son, Matthew Eugene Thursday (March 7, 2002). He weighed 8 pounds, 8.6 ounces and has two sisters, Kayla, 10, and Lauren, 6. His grandparents are Kenneth and Marlene Seral of Yuma, Colo., formerly of Indianola, and Rex and Rose Wagner of Wray, Colo...

Greg and Dawn Koepke and Mark and Kathleen Eiler of McCook, would like to announce the engagement of their daughter, Laci M. Eiler, to Jacob B. Mueller, son of Martin and Bonnie Mueller of Ogallala. The bride-to-be is a 1996 McCook High School graduate, and is attending Bellevue University. ...

Kimberly Jo Smith of Maywood and Christopher M. Cuellar of Indianola, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Larry and Sarah Smith of Maywood and Mike and Millie Cuellar of Indianola. The bride-to-be is employed at Hillcrest Nursing Home. The prospective bridegroom is employed at Voltz Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning. An April 13, 2002, ceremony is planned at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Indianola...

Jody Wittman and Gary Shike of Oberlin, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Dale and Roberta Blake of Danbury, and Vivian Shike of Osborne, Kam., and the late Delpha Shike. The bride-to-be is employed as a special education teacher at Decatur Community High School. The prospective bridegroom is Oberlin City Administrator. A June 1, 2002, ceremony is planned in Oberlin...

Julie Renee Henderson and Jarrod Lee Hilker announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Gary and Beverly Henderson of Stratton, and Terry and Tammie Hilker of McCook. Grandparents of the couple are Warren and Rose Harrison of Stratton, June and the late J.T. ...

ARAPAHOE -- Roger G. Felt, 57, died Friday (March 15, 2002) at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Cambridge. He was born July 11, 1944, to Glen and Viola (DeSelms) Felt in McCook. He was raised in Culbertson where he also attended school. He served in the U. S. Navy for three years at Newport, R. I...

SIDNEY -- Vincent Calahan, 74, died Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002, at the Memorial Health Center in Sidney. He was born Sept. 29, 1927, to William and Mabel (Glaze) Calahan, in McCook. He grew up in Wellfleet and North Platte. At the age of 17, he entered the SeaBees during World War II, where he served in the Pacific Islands...

POINT PLACE, OHIO -- Angelin Nola Rookstool, 77, formerly of Ansley, Nebraska, died Friday, March 15, 2002, at her home in Point Place, Ohio, after battling cancer. Nola was born Dec. 20, 1924, to Thomas Benton and Nettie Maude (Cox) Grim in Dutchman Valley, Neb. She graduated from Westerville High School in 1943...

TRENTON -- Josephine K. Hawkins, 90, died Thursday (March 14, 2002) at Community Hospital in McCook. She was born May 10, 1911, to Joseph and Elizabeth (Baumfalk) Berger at Ludell. She grew up on a farm south of Trenton and attended Trenton High School...

COLUMBUS -- Edra Mikkelsen, 86, died Sunday (March 10, 2002) at her home in Columbus. She was born July 19, 1915 to Ralph and Irene (Ruby) Boyer in Danbury. She received her education in Danbury, where she graduated from Danbury High School. She received a Regents Scholarship to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and she later received her bachelor's degree from Chadron State College and her master's in education from the University of South Dakota...

What does it mean to be a man in today's modern, technological society? Throughout the ages, the role of the man has remained pretty much constant and unchanged until the last generation or so. Men worked, men supported their families, men were in charge, men were stoic, men made the decisions, men controlled not only their own lives and destinies but the lives and destinies of their families as well...

The Sandhills of Nebraska were the first to organize a health care organization (an early HMO) to serve their sparsely populated region. The June 8, 1942, Gazette article said that the Alexander Legge Farm Foundation, coupled with the Nebraska University Health and State Health Planning Committee to form the Sand Hills Cooperative Health Association...

The Burlington Railroad was largely responsible for giving birth to the city of McCook in 1882, and much of the credit for choosing McCook as an important point on that line must go to a Scotsman by the name of Alexander Campbell, one of the members of the Burlington high command...

Dear Editor, What is it wrong with this picture? The North Platte Telegraph claims that student enrollment at Mid-Plains Community College Area is up. Yet the faculty / staff populace is on the decline. Last year, four administrators have resigned, three since December. Long-term faculty and staff have resigned. Others are looking to leave. It is doubtful that administrative decision making is responsible for any rise in student enrollment...

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Every year, it seems, the story is the same in the Nebraska Legislature, whether it's during the 60-day session, as is the case this year, or during the 90-day session, as will be the situation in 2003. There's never enough time to wade through all the pending legislative bills...

I read Council Person Lyon's recommendation to purchase the Elks Building to be used for the Senior Center. I was also informed that he wanted to turn the present Senior Center into city offices. With the financial woes of the city at this time, that would appear to be nothing more than throwing good money after bad...

March is a month in search of an identity. It's usually too cold for spring, too warm for winter, and despite its reputation, too windy for flying kites. Storyteller Garrison Keillor observes that March is God's way of showing people who don't drink what a hangover feels like. He's usually close to the mark, and it doesn't seem to matter whether the month comes in like a lion or a lamb...

Waldo Waid "Andy" Anderson was born February 8, 1936, and died March 12, 2002, at his home in Pearland, Texas. Andy is survived by his mother, Melba Anderson; his wife, Beth Bradley Anderson; and his daughters, Kirsten Burress, Katherine Tanner, Cynthia Easler and Corey Fox...