Stories from Monday, November 24, 2003

ASHLAND, Ky. -- Ruth Darlene Allen Bell, 74, died Wednesday (Nov. 19, 2003) at Kings Daughter Medical Center in Ashland, Ky. She was born Feb. 25, 1929, to Willard and Ruth (Bates) Broyles in Oberlin. She was raised in Dresden, Kan., where she attended school. She moved to Ashland, Ky., and she was a restaurant owner...

KEARNEY -- Arlene L. Runyan, 79, died Tuesday (Nov. 18, 2003) at her home in Kearney. She was born June 2, 1924, to Samuel E. and Beulah M. (Koon) Lawver in McCook. She graduated from high school in Oberlin in 1942. On June 4, 1942, she married Dareld Eugene Runyan. ...

The family of Wilma Cohen is hosting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday Dec. 2. She has one son, Stanley of McCook and one daughter, Teresa Helmick of Roseland. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1500 East 11th Street, Room 108, McCook, NE 69001-3458...

The children of Bill and Delores (Kunkee) Deines are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th anniversary, Nov. 29, 2-4 p.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church in Burlington, Colo. The couple married Dec. 6, 1953, at St. John's Lutheran Church in McCook. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 235 South 15th Street, Burlington, CO 80807...

The family of Madge Hill is hosting a card shower in honor of her 90th birthday Dec. 1. Cards of congratulations will reach her at 1500 East 11th Street, Apt. 40, McCook, Ne 69001.

The family of Edith Hanchera Clary is hosting an open house in honor of her 90th birthday, Nov. 29, 2-4 p.m, at Highland Park in McCook. Cards of congratulations will reach her at Highland Park, 610 East 14th, Apt. A1, McCook, NE 69001.

The family of Lamoine and Garnet McConville is hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 25th anniversary Nov. 25. Cards of congratulations will reach the couple at 304 Elizabeth Lan, McCook, NE 69001.

The family of Victor and Shirley (Lostlen) Polston of Arapahoe is hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th anniversary, Nov. 28, 6-8 p.m., at the Holbrook Community Building. The couple married in California Nov. 25, 1953. Their children are Connie Hill and husband, Greg of Arapahoe, Vicki Haussler and husband, Terry of Arapahoe, Tom Polston and wife, Kathy of Odessa, Texas, Linda Tomky and husband, Russ of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Terry Polston and wife, Laurie of Arapahoe. ...

Neal and Margie Hauxwell of McCook and Kevin and Karma Rousselle of Culbertson announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of their children, Lori Ann Hauxwell and Travis Lee Rousselle. The bride-to-be is a 2000 graduate of Republican Valley High School. ...

Kendra Gregg and Christopher Bley, both of Beaver City, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Lyndon and Debbie Gregg of Beaver City and Lloyd and Durenda Bley of Wauneta. The bride-to-be is a 2000 graduate of Sonshine Christian School. ...

Cambridge High School cheerleaders whip the crowd into a frenzy Friday on the way to the Trojans' seventh state championship. Sophomore quarterback Waid Vontz scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 19 seconds left in a come-from-behind 22-14victory over Crofton in the Nebraska Class C2 title match...

Football fever warmed up the bidding as the sale of McCook state championship-related memorabilia added nearly $6,400 to a record total of more than $38,000 for McCook Hospice. Although temperatures were below freezing and the roads were patchy with ice, no one complained about the weather once inside the warm elegance of the Coppermill for the sixth annual "An Evening For Hospice" on Sunday night...

Bison team members celebrate following their third touchdown in a 21-0 Class B state championship game Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. From left, are No. 40 Brooks Snyder, No 62 Carl Shaddock, No. 32 Alex Beam, No. 44 Brendan Liess with the football and No. 34 Kyle Bedore. Friday, neighbors Cambridge High School brought home their seventh state football championship...

One of the oldest and most cherished institutions in our state is the University of Nebraska Marching Band, "The Pride of All Nebraska." In recent years, the band, with its colorful uniforms and sharp maneuvers, is closely identified with football games, but this was not always the case. ...

Southwestern Nebraska is due its first major winter storm of the season this weekend. The anticipation of the white stuff falling from the sky takes me back to my school days in Arkansas when it snowed a lot more than it does now. My whole extended family loved snow and always anxiously anticipated the first snow. ...

'Tis the season? 'Tis the season for giving! Right. Around McCook someone is harassing the folks year-round for a donation for something. (Anyone have time to begin in January and keep count of the many "requests" for our money for the next year?) United Way is only one of the big pushes for money now -- $85,000 -- only $10 from each of the 8,000 citizens of McCook, AND if you give $50 or more you get a chance to win $1,000 or $500 United Way Dollars. ...

Stand proud, Southwest Nebraska. Stand proud. With three state championships on the line and a statewide audience watching on public television, this area's football players, coaches and fans performed magnificently, bringing honor to the southwest corner of the state by capturing two championships and coming within one point of winning another...

A few weeks ago I promised editor Bruce Crosby that I'd write a typical Thanksgiving Day column to run in place of my normal Good Deeds feature. You know the type I mean, the one that lists all that we have to be grateful for and makes you feel good and wonderful inside as you read it...

I loved your story about Tortsten Anderson. Although I am not Swedish, my husband's family originated in Sweden but settled in Oregon and Northern California and I know they will love the copy of this story that I will pass around at Thanksgiving. Those Swedes (and immigrant farmers from all countries) sure had a tough life. Alf Anderson (my husband's Grandfather) and his brother were fisherman and lived a hard life on the sea...

**Dear Editor, People who know me well and have read (my book) "Letters for the Literate" are used to my being up on the soapbox, preaching about the importance of family history and urging my audience to write letters. Please bear with me one more time as the holidays approach...

LINCOLN -- The Chase County-Imperial Longhorns had the unenviable task of trying to knock off the Wahoo-Bishop Neumann Cavaliers, the defending Nebraska Class C1 state champions in this year's state title game. The game was played Saturday afternoon at the University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium at Lincoln...

Waid Vontz scores game-winner with 19 seconds left