News from the McCook Gazette in 1970

I was out working in my flower beds today and one of my co-workers from my railroad days happened to walk by and asked if I was getting ready for spring. Well, to be honest, I was actually finishing the fall work that didn’t get done. Last year my flowers started out gang-busters and ended up just dust-busting. By the time the heat wave broke and no rain prevailed, I was done. Now I’m paying for it.

One of the papers stuck in with those Oxford Standards I wrote about was a September 11, 1970, edition of the McCook Gazette. To be honest, I don’t remember much about 1970 except diapers and bottles and those weren’t the disposable diapers either. However strange as it may seem, I opened the paper and there was my oldest son sitting front and center in a Haberman Studio’s advertisement. He had been selected Child of the Month. It is a truly sweet picture and I don’t remember a thing about having it taken but the following year trying to get two toddlers to co-operate for pictures is still flagged in my memory bank.

The U.T.U (Rail Trainmen union) was having a picnic the following Monday at Kelly Park. It was a family affair and if you wanted to come all you had to do is bring fried chicken, a covered dish, table service and refreshments. They were supplying the ice cream.

The Padraic Project Club met at the home of Mrs. Fred Vap. Mrs. Pete Graff was elected president for the upcoming year. She would serve with Mrs. Art Ray, vice president; Mrs. George Perkins, secretary; Mrs. Fred Vap, treasurer.

McCook schools were evaluating educational programs by forming committees to cover each area of study. Richard Markoff chaired Art; Dale Crutcher, Foreign Language; Myrtle Ashton, Language Arts; Lucy Krueger, Library; Adah Riggs, Mathematics; Marie Coffey, Music; Henry Dicks, Physical Education; Valois Pullen, Science; Dorothy Hauxwell, Social Studies; Betty Woods, Special Education; Norma Stastny, Vocational Education; Ardis Hinshaw, Guidance. The first phases were to be directed by a steering committee made up of Kenneth Hartman, all school principals and the superintendent. Hartman was the chairperson.

Arlus Hueftle and Bob Zicafoose, McCook Jaycee members, were heading a project to paint the bleachers at Weiland Field. One hundred gallons of paint had been ordered in red, blue, yellow and white in an effort to redecorate the bleachers. The college was installing new 2 x 12 planks over two-thirds of the south bleachers at the same time.

Under the Remember When column, Seventy-Five Years Ago: “The policeman’s ear is the proper receptacle for your troubles. All the rest of us have enough of our own. By a singular coincidence, Saturday’s cold wave escaped the vigilance and foresight of the weather bureau.”

Hadley Barrett and the Westerners were playing at the Legion Club on the 12th. Garnering even more advertisement was the V.F.W. Club’s dance the same night featuring Johnny Galvin and the Rebels…back home from tour and the Wyoming State Fair. As a final note the ad posted: “Remember the V.F.W. is the “In” place.”

“Mash” was playing at the Fox Theatre, “True Grit” at the Ritz and The Bison Drive-In was featuring a film with Glen Campbell, Joe Namath and Kim Darby acting.

The Vietnam War was still raging but the headlines on this Friday were about the airplane that had been hijacked by guerrillas in Jordan. In response, President Nixon had ordered armed guards aboard international and some domestic flights as an anti-hijack plan.

Reading old newspapers isn’t going to get my flower beds cleaned up but it is a heck of a lot more fun going down memory lane. If you would like help with your research, SWNGS library is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4PM, health and weather permitting, 322 Norris Ave., Suite 2-7. On-line research is available at www.swngs.org.