October 2021 – Osborne County Kansas Hall of Fame Honors

Honors in Geography: Notable Groves of Osborne County, Kansas

During the first 70 years of Osborne County’s history large native stands of trees were as much revered by the Euro-American settlers as they were by the Native Americans before them. These groves reminded the settlers of their former homes in the eastern United States, and a select few were spared from being leveled for construction lumber and firewood. The following ten named groves have known locations and hopefully will be cherished by today’s citizens as much as our forefathers did and preserved for the continued benefit of all.

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C. P. Austin, Sumner Township. The first event reported to be held in this grove by the South Fork Solomon River on Cassius P. Austin’s farm was in 1875. Other events and celebrations followed for several decades.

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Baertsch, Ross Township. The most famous stand of trees in Osborne County, the Baertsch Grove is considered to be one of the largest, if not the largest, old-growth grove in Northern Kansas. Picnics, family reunions, funerals, and church services have been held here alongside Twelve Mile Creek since 1871. Named for Fred Baertsch, the grove is part of the area made famous in the book Sod & Stubble.

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Mrs. Bull’s, Sumner Township. Located on Crooked Creek just east of Alton, the grove was the site of Hiram Bull’s animal enclosure in the 1870s. It was used for a number of events even after Mrs. Sarah Bull’s removal to her former home in Wisconsin in the 1880s.

Osborne County Key, *September 9, 1882, page 1.*

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Rader’s (later called both Goodlad’s and Gaylord’s), Penn Township. The first event held in this grove was reported in 1871. It was also the site of the great 1880 Old Settler’s Reunion as well as many other events through the past 150 years. Today the grove remains a popular place under its modern name of Shady Bend Recreation Area, which includes Osborne WPA Dam, Shady Bend Golf Course, WPA Scout Cabin, and the Shady Bend single track Bike Trail.

Osborne County Farmer, *September 29, 1892, page 1.*

Osborne County Farmer, *July 6, 1911, page 1.*

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Skidmore’s / Hoy’s, Hancock Township. This grove was first reported in a local newspaper in 1883 with hints that it had earlier been used. At that time James T. Hoy owned the grove, having previously bought the farm from a Mr. Skidmore.

Osborne County Farmer, *July 2, 1898, page 6.*

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McCulley’s, Sumner Township. The grove along the South Fork Solomon River on the William Samuel McCulley homestead south of Alton was used for major events in Bull City/Alton history from the 1870s onwards.

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J. L. Range’s, Hawkeye Township. First reported for an event in 1887, Range’s Grove has dwindled to only a small remnant of its former size.

Osborne County Farmer, *July 21, 1887, page 4*

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Paris, Kill Creek Township. In March 1871 brothers William and Charles Paris homesteaded where West and East Kill Creeks combine to form the main Kill Creek. William Paris opened a grove of trees at the site for area homesteaders to come and enjoy picnics, family gatherings, and other events.

Osborne County Farmer, *July 2, 1879, page 5*

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Stafford’s, Tilden Township. The Stafford family were very well-respected homesteaders in the western portion of Tilden Township. What is believed to be Stafford’s Grove lies on Little Medicine Creek a half mile above its confluence with the South Fork Solomon River. Events are known to have been held there from the early 1970s through the 1920s.

Osborne County Farmer, *July 13, 1905, page 5*

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Taylor’s, Winfield Township. In the 1890s Taylor’s Grove along Twin Creek on Zachariah Taylor’s homestead proved to be a popular place to hold area events.

Osborne County Farmer, *June 30, 1898, page 3*

Osborne County Farmer, *July 7, 1898, page 1*

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The following are some of the groves so notable that they were mentioned in the county’s newspapers and other histories in the years prior to World War II. Unfortunately the exact sites of certain ones are now lost, while others probably were cut down at some point. In this list the name of each grove is given, followed by the township or general location known for each, and the year that the grove was first mentioned:

A. S. Avery’s. unknown, 1892

Alderson’s. Delhi, 1882

Miss Balding’s. Bloom, 1882

C. M. Bliss. Independence, 1877

Blodgett’s. Winfield, 1886

Boedecker’s. “near Paradise, Kansas”, 1916

Breakey’s (later called Warner’s). Ross, 1937

Brown’s. “on Twin Creek”, 1875

M. C. Brown’s. Natoma, 1907

Dave Bruce’s. Corinth, 1878

D. O. Braumbaugh’s [Brumbaugh’s]. Bethany, 1886

D. C. Bryant’s. Ross, 1890

Bush’s. Sumner, 1890

Chamberlain’s. Sumner, 1883

Chatfield’s. Bethany, 1883

Clare’s. Tilden, 1880

Cooper’s. Corinth, 1879

Jim Cullen’s. Delhi, 1902

Culver’s. Victor, 1881

Dennison’s. Hawkeye, 1914

George Dibble’s. Sumner, 1882

Dillingham’s. Valley, 1887

Dimond’s. Ross, 1889

Dixon’s. Bethany, 1881

Farnsworth’s. Bethany, 1912

Will French’s. Sumner, 1916

Sam Gilbreath’s . Jackson, 1893

Gilmore’s. unknown, 1910

Rev. Goodell’s. Hancock, 1882

Fred Gorham. Independence, 1879

L. L. Glasgow’s. Valley, 1887

Grove “near E. Y. Morris’”. Covert, 1882

Grove “on East Twin Creek south of Ladd’s”. Bloom, 1879

Frank Hanby’s. Bethany, 1893

L M. Heath’s. Corinth, 1908

Hindman’s. “near Covert”, 1893

Holaday’s. Ross, 1884

James Huff’s. Ross, 1880

Hutchinson. Bethany, 1889

C. F. Laman’s. “near Bethany,” 1875

J. C. Lawrence’s. Hancock, 1891

Lipton’s. Penn, 1881

McCullough’s. Sumner, 1883

Mischler’s. Kill Creek, 1889

Wilford Mitchell’s. Winfield, 1883

James Moon’s. Sumner, 1883

Jack Nickel’s. Sumner, 1920

Noland’s. Penn, 1871

M. T. Orr’s. Tilden, 1915

Philip’s. Bloom, 1887

L. Rainger’s. Lawrence, 1888

Rathbun’s. Corinth, 1890

Rev. Ripley’s. “on Twin Creek”, 1886

Sandy’s. Covert, 1909

Shoup’s. “on Covert Creek”, 1883

Frank Stafford’s. Tilden, 1905

Standley’s. Corinth, 1876

Swander’s. Kill Creek, 1906

J. E. Tabler’s. Valley, 1881

Lon Thornburg’s. Covert, 1909

Stephen Tripp’s. Valley, 1888

Van der Geisen’s. Ross, 1913

Wagoner’s. Valley, 1881

Wilkensen’s. Sumner, 1896

Will’s. Valley, 1896

Wilson’s. Valley, 1887

Oreste Winslow’s. Mount Ayr, 1914

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Honors in Architecture: Notable Structures of Farm and Home in Osborne County, Kansas

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Nine notable examples of architecture, eight of which are still standing, to celebrate and PRESERVE in Osborne County, Kansas.

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Osborn House, Sumner Township (built 1883). In 1883 combmaker, book canvasser, lumberman, brickmaker, Civil War veteran, Congregational minister, politician, and stonemason Robert Scott Osborn built for his family a new house on their farmstead west of Bull City (later Alton) from native stone quarried within sight of the farm. The home sported walnut wood trim both inside and on the windows and doors. Osborn was elected to the office of Kansas Secretary of State in 1892.

*The Osborn farm as it appeared in a sketch in the book* “Handbook of Osborne County, Kansas” *(1884).*

*The Osborne farmhome as it appeared in a photograph taken in the early 1900s. Porches have been added, making for a very attractive home.*

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Howell House, Downs (built 1883). Downs lumberman George W. Howell built this wood frame Italianate-style home on Blunt Street in Downs in 1883. In 1885 Judge J. W. Huff became the owner, and in beginning in the 1890s the home was the home of Doctor Tasso Felix. During World War II it was converted into apartments. In the 2000s the home was renovated by Stephen and Joan Heide into the Howell House Bed & Breakfast.

*Two views of the Howell House, taken in 2020.*

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Poole-Harrison House, Downs (built 1890; addition in 1903). In 1890 Dr. J. G. Poole built a one-story brick bungalow on East Division Street in Downs. Four years later Dan Harrison bought the home, and in 1903 added a second story with many additional alterations to the entire home. Rebuilt in the Queen Anne style, the home is noted for its unusual fishscale shingles beneath the roof.

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Greig Log Cabin, Winfield Township (built 1891). The last surviving complete log cabin in Osborne County is also believed to be the last known to have been erected in the county. The structure is highly unusual in that the wood for the cabin was precut and then shipped to the site to be assembled as from a kit.

*A bicycle tour stops at the log cabin in this image from 2007.*

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Welty-Hardman House, Downs (built 1904). Businessman Henry H. Welty built his new home on East Division Street in Downs at a cost of $20,000. Later the home served as a private hospital for Dr. Jarvis Hodgson, and for several decades was the home of the Marion Hardman family. It remains the largest private residence in Osborne County.

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Cullens-McGuire House, Delhi Township, (built 1904). Built by John Wesley Cullens of native Post Rock Limestone, this Second Empire-style farmhouse features a hip roof broken by an unusual dormer design on each façade. An addition of cement block and wood frame was added later to the west side. There is also an octagonal storage house on the farmstead. The farm has been in the McGuire family since 1919.

*The farmhome, as seen in this image from 2013.*

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Melton Square Peg Barn, Bloomington (built 1920). John Melton bought the farm located across from the southeast corner of Bloomington. He erected a barn in which he used square wooden pegs instead of nails to hold the internal main frame together. It is currently the only known barn in Osborne County to be built in this manner.

*Two photos of the Melton Barn, taken in 2014.*

*Interior of barn, showing original rough posts held together with wooden pegs.*

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Craig House, Natoma Township (built 1915). In 1914 William J. Craig tore down the Sunny Kansas Sanitarium from atop the hill a half mile south of Natoma, and at the base of the hill built this beautiful home for his wife Eva from the rock salvaged from the sanitarium. While doing so he incorporated the ornate arches from the sanitarium’s main entryway into the house’s front porch. The home served as a private residence for many years until it was torn down sometime after 1981.

*The Craig House, taken shortly after its completion in 1915.*

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Pruter Barn, Round Mound Township (built 1918). In 1906 George Pruter erected a barn said to have “taken a train car of cement” to build. In 1918 a tornado destroyed the barn. Undaunted, George then had a new barn built upon the foundations of the old one. The new barn was a bit unusual, in that it was designed and constructed by Natoma builder Louis Beisner. Beisner had recently come up with an entirely new building design he called the “no sag concept.” In this design interlocking rib sections supported the weightbearing load of a ceiling, eliminating the need for interior support columns. The design would sweep across the country and proved to be a defining moment that revolutionized modern architecture. The Pruter Barn is a striking example of this concept.

*Also from 2007: Marci Penner, Orville Pruter, and Von Rothenberger in the barn’s hayloft.*

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Honors in Architecture: Notable Structures of Organizations and Urban School Districts in Osborne County, Kansas

Sixteen structures to celebrate and PRESERVE from across Osborne County!

Presbyterian Church, Natoma (1899). The icon of Osborne County architecture. Natoma’s 1899 Presbyterian Church is a rare Carpenter Gothic style and was one of the first structures anywhere to be created with local architect Louis Beisner’s own invention, the “no-sag roof” concept, which revolutionized building in general across America in the 20th Century. It was moved twice, in 1923 and again in 1949 to its present site in Natoma. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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United Methodist Church, Natoma (built 1902). The building was moved to its present site in Natoma in 1930.

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Carnegie Library, Downs (built 1905). If not the smallest Carnegie Library in the state of Kansas, then it is certainly one of them. It has served the city of Downs for 117 years. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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United Methodist Church, Osborne (built 1906). Known for its basement, the “Ford Parlors”, which was funded in 1919 by local lumberyard owner Joseph Ford, and for the woodcarved main doors and inside detailing created by local carpenter Harold Dunkleberg. The building has suffered through three floods, in 1934, 1935, and 1945.

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Osborne County Courthouse, Osborne (built 1906-1909). The fourth structure to house the official offices of the county, The courthouse exterior was constructed with local septarian concretions from south of Osborne, Cottonwood Limestone from Silverdale, Kansas, and from Post Rock Limestone from Glen Elder, Kansas. It is famous for the carvings of the Lion and of Medusa on the front entrance steps, and for the Face of John Wineland, who looks down on the city from high on the south side of the clock tower. The building was a nominee in 2008 for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Presbyterian Church / United Church of Christ, Osborne (built 1911). In 1948 the Presbyterian Church in Osborne merged with the Congregational Church to create the United Church of Christ. It ceased being used as a church many years ago and has passed through a number of owners since then. It is known for the large organ and for its interior carved wood details.

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Carnegie Library / Carnegie Research Library, Osborne (built 1912). The building served as the city’s library until 1995, when after some debate as to its continued existence it passed into the hands of the Osborne County Genealogical & Historical Society, which maintains it as the Carnegie Research Library. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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United Methodist Church, Downs (built 1916). The building measures 82 by 64 feet and has a seating capacity of 650. Its colored mosaic windows have been valued at over a million dollars.

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Kindergarten School Building, Osborne (built 1921). The building housed for a number of decades the school district’s kindergarten class as well as the school nurse’s office. It now houses the offices for School District #392.

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Covert Rural High School Watertower, Covert (built 1923). The concrete block watertower was built in 1923 by Osborne stonemason Franklin Antone Rothenberger to serve as the water supply for the second Covert Rural High School building. Water was pumped by windmill from a well at the base of the hill up to the tower three blocks away.

*Photo of Edith Richards standing in from of the Covert High Watertower in the winter of 1928.*

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Alton Rural High School, Alton (built 1925). The building served the community as a high school until 1970, when it became the Alton-Osborne Junior High School. In 2003 the building was sold to a private enterprise, and in 2021 was again sold to a local organization.

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Osborne High School, Osborne (built 1929). The building is the fourth structure to house the high school in the Osborne school district’s history.

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WPA Dam, Alton, (built 1935). In 1934 the Works Progress Administration provided for a grant of $7,000.00 for the construction of a new concrete dam on the South Fork Solomon River south of the city of Alton. The new dam was constructed on the site of the former Alton Roller Mill dam, continuing a tradition of using the site for such purposes that stretched as far back as the early 1870s.

*The new dam being enjoyed by the populace in 1935.*

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WPA Dam, Osborne (built 1936). A Works Progress Administration grant led to the building of a new bridge across the South Fork Solomon River just south of Osborne and for a dam across the river just to the west of Osborne, one that would create a lake that would put Osborne on the map for both fishing and water recreation and bring visitors to town. When completed, the Osborne Dam was two times longer than it is today and held back a lake that stretched for three miles. However, certain city officials at the time were worried about the project’s cost, and so to save money changed the engineers’ original plans by eliminating two of the dam’s three sluices designed to channel away mud and silt. This led in a few short months to the silting in of most of the lakebed, and any hopes still harbored for an economic development windfall quickly evaporated. The Shady Bend Golf Course is now located on the silted-in lakebed.

*The Osborne Dam and Lake as they appeared when completed in 1936.*

The Osborne Dam in 2018. The lone remaining sluice to channel away mud and silt can be seen on the dam at left background, which is why this third of the dam and lake still survives. Note the concrete tower behind the dam in both photos.

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WPA Scout Cabin, Osborne (built 1938). This native stone structure located west of Osborne next to the South Fork Solomon River was erected using a Works Progress Administration grant. It is the home to the local chapters of the Boy and Girl Scouts and also hosts a number of events throughout the year.

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Downs Bandstand Downs, (built 1995). A gazebo, or bandstand, was erected in Railroad Park in Downs around the time of its establishment in the 19th Century. By the mid-20th Century this bandstand had been removed. In the 1990s a new bandstand was erected in the park as a functional nod to its predecessor and an enhancement to the architecture of the surrounding area.

*Early postcard showing the first bandstand in Railroad Park*.

*The current bandstand in Railroad Park, downtown Downs, Kansas.*

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Honors in Architecture: Notable Commercial Structures of Osborne County, Kansas

A selection of present buildings to celebrate and preserve from across the county.

Bull City Bank, Alton (built 1882). First a bank, and then for a long time the building served as the home for the Alton Post Office. Currently it is the location for Silly Swedes Cycle Source.

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Lipton Hotel, Downs (started 1880; completed 1884). A landmark building in the city of Downs and a visible tie back to its earliest days. Most recently it was the home of the Stuff N’ Such store.

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First National Bank & Walrond, Mitchell & Heren Office, Osborne (completed 1885 & 1886). These two native stone buildings built next to each other have now been an anchor of the city of Osborne’s downtown area well into their third century. The two structures were united under the same business in the 20th Century when they were the home for the Bloomer, Bloomer & Bloomer Law Office. Currently the home for Ameriprise Financial Services.

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State Bank of Portis, Portis (built 1887). The native stone building served as the bank’s home for a century.

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Tindal & Bros Store, Osborne (built 1888). After six years in a frame building the Tindal family erected this native stone building with brick facade, which features the iconic Mesker Bros. metal façade.

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Downs National Bank, Downs (built 1905). The Downs National Bank transformed the former Ruth family blacksmith and garage shop into an imposing structure for a successful business. From 2014 on the building has been the home of the Cushing Insurance Agency.

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Northway Lumber Company, Portis (built 1910-1911). After a fire in December 1910 devastated the first Northway Lumberyard, Lorenzo “Wren” Northway rebuilt the business and this surviving building, still standing with its traditional false front intact.

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Hardman Lumber Company, Downs (built 1917). Built for the offices of the Hardman Lumber Company and currently the location of the Downs City Office.

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Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot, Downs (built 1918). An authentic depot building restored to its original splendor as a museum and community room that honors Downs’ long history as a center of railroad commerce.

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First National Bank, Natoma (built 1931). When the First National Bank went looking for a new location it chose a site at the intersection of Second & Elm Streets and built their then-new brick building. Currently it houses Angel & Cook Public Accountants.

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Osborne County Memorial Hospital, Osborne (built 2019). One of the newest large structures built in the county, the building is a good example of the Modern style of architecture.

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Honors in Sport: Notable Individuals in Osborne County Kansas’ Prosperity Period (1921-1970)

Arnold – Brent – Cooper – Dugan – Hall – Hampton – Kissell – Matlock – McFarland – Nesmith – Reitzel – Schneider. Twelve names to remember whenever the subject of Osborne County sports is mentioned.

James Marion Arnold was born on June 15, 1919 in Long Island, Phillips County, Kansas. James was the son of Charles and Suza (Hardman) Arnold. He received his elementary and high school education was in Downs, Kansas, graduating from Downs High School in May 1937. James played the 1937-1938, 1938-1939, 1939-1940, and 1940-1941 seasons on the University of Kansas basketball team under legendary coach Phog Allen and was a starter his senior season. James graduated from KU in May 1941 and then joined Eastman Kodak Company in their credit department as an accountant. In 1941 James enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a gunnery officer on the destroyer McCook during the D-Day of June 1944. He received the Bronze Star, the Combat “V”, and a citation for his actions in the war. On August 10, 1942, James was granted leave so that he could marry Evelyn Ernestine Yost in Downs. They became the parents of two children. In 1945 James was discharged from the Navy and returned to work for Eastman Kodak Company. He was transferred in 1953 to Recordak Corporation, a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak, of which he became President and General Manager. In 1965 James returned to Eastman Kodak and was made Vice President and General Manager of the newly-created Business Systems Marketing division. He is remembered as a brilliant mathematician and tactician, a fine manager, and a forward thinker in the developing field of data storage and retrieval. James retired from Eastman Kodak in 1974 and moved to La Jolla, California. From 1975 to 1985 James worked with the American Contract Bridge League and served on their board of directors. He died on May 26, 2002, in Fort Collins, Colorado, and was buried in El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, San Diego County, California.

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Wayne Andrew Brent was born July 24, 1939 in Smith County, Kansas to Vern and Esther (Hamilton) Brent. He attended elementary school and high school in Alton, Osborne County, Kansas. In high school Wayne excelled at sports and was an all-league selection in football. But the sport he is remembered for is basketball. In 1956-1957, Wayne’s senior year in school, the Alton Wildcats varsity basketball team compiled a 26-2 record. They tied for the North-South Solomon League championship and placed first in their league, district, and regional tournaments. Wayne was the team’s leading scorer through the year and on February 5, 1957 he scored 47 points against Woodston in a league basketball game. In the 1957 Class BB state basketball tournament Wayne led the Wildcats to a third-place finish with a victory over Bronson High School on March 16, 1957. In that game Wayne scored 45 points, becoming the first player in Kansas high school history to score 40 points or more in a state tournament game. He also made 19 field goals, which is still the all-time state tournament single-game record for field goals in all classes. Wayne was then named to the Kansas Class BB All-State Basketball First Team.

On August 25, 1957 Wayne married Barbara Yoxall in Alton and together they raised three children. In the fall of 1957 Wayne enrolled at Kansas State University and lettered in basketball as a freshman. He played with the basketball team all four years and in the fall of 1961 Wayne earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Feed Technology and graduated from Kansas State University. Wayne then lived in Atlantic City, Iowa and later in Ballwin, Missouri, where he enjoys a quiet retirement life.

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Larry Wayne Cooper is the son of Glenn and Atha (Wood) Cooper and was born in Osborne, Kansas, on March 10, 1943. Larry attended the Osborne schools and played center on the varsity basketball team for the Osborne High School Bulldogs. During his senior year he averaged over 36 points a game his senior season and was named to the 1961 Class B All-State Basketball Team by the Topeka Capitol-Journal newspaper. After graduation from Osborne High Larry played basketball for two years at Hutchinson Junior College in Hutchinson, Kansas. The six-foot, seven-inch tall athlete was then recruited in 1963 by Indiana University and for the next two years played varsity center for the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team. On August 1, 1964, Larry married Martha A. Anderson at Hutchinson, Kansas. Following graduation from IU he worked for Cessna Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas. In February 1969 Larry joined Continental Oil Company (Conoco) in their Exploration-Geophysics Department as a programmer. In 1972 he was elevated to supervising programmer in the computer applications group of the Geophysics Data Processing Division in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Later Larry retired from Conoco and continues to enjoy life in Ponca City.

*Larry Cooper goes up for a shot for the Hutchinson Dragons in a 1963 game.*

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Leonard Mack Dugan was born February 19, 1910 at Alton, Osborne County, Kansas, and was the son of Albert and Inez Dugan. Mack graduated McCracken (Kansas) High School in 1931 and attended Wichita State University, where he played football at the center position in 1931-1934. He graduated WSU with a Civil Engineers degree. Mack stood six feet tall and weighed 218 pounds when he was drafted in 1936 by the New York Giants of the National Football League to play center. Mack played one season with the Giants before being traded to the Chicago Cardinals, for whom he played two years before ending his professional football career with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Pirates in 1939, where he played just one year. On February 27, 1942 Mack married Charlyne Maxine McCoy at Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and together they raised two sons. Mack enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on May 13, 1942 and served in both World War II and the Korean War. During World War II Mack designed a better clutch that was then implemented in the Allied tanks, and later designed a better missile guidance system as well for the U.S. Nike series missiles. He later attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and at the time of his death was U.S. Army senior representative for the Army Missile Command and stationed at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa. Mack was living in Burlington, Iowa when he passed away on June 20, 1967 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He was laid to rest in Valley View Cemetery at Garden City, Kansas.

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Vance Leo Hall was born on October 19, 1921 in Concordia, Kansas, to William and Blanche Hall. He grew up in Downs, Kansas, and was the captain of the Downs Dragons basketball team. Vance averaged just over 21 points a game his senior season. Upon graduation from Downs High School Vance was offered a scholarship to play basketball for the University of Kansas and their legendary coach, Phog Allen. There Vance was a varsity teammate with another Downs alumni, James Arnold. After the 1941-1942 school year Vance left college to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he was a flight officer in the Air Transport Command. He flew B-29s and C-109s, hauling gasoline into China. After the end of World War II, he went back to the University of Kansas, graduating in 1947 with a degree in business. Vance married Margaret Freeman in Dallas on June 17, 1947, and they were the parents of six children. The Halls moved to Amarillo, Texas where they opened Vance Hall Sporting Goods, which was one of the premier sporting goods stores in Texas for forty years. Vance was president of the Western Sporting Goods Association and was on the Board of Directors. He was a member and Elder of First Presbyterian Church. Vance was on the Board of Directors of the Amarillo Country Club and a longtime member of both the Amarillo Executive Association and the American Business Club. He was also on the board of the local YMCA. In 1987 Vance was elected to the National Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame. Vance Leo Hall died on May 10, 2010, in Amarillo and was laid to rest in the city’s Llano Cemetery.

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Todd Kenneth Hampton was born on December 29, 1937 at Downs, Osborne County, Kansas. He was the son of Harold Dwight “Red” and Martha (Todd) Hampton. He graduated Downs High School in 1955 and that fall enrolled in Kansas Wesleyan College in Salina, Kansas, where he was a letterman in football, track, and golf. Todd letter in football for three years. As a 6-foot four-inch, 210-pound junior tackle he was named to the 1957 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference’s All-Star Second Team and as a senior he was named to the 1958 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference’s All-Star First Team after leading his team to its second consecutive conference championship. In November 1958 Todd was named to Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities. In December 1958 he was named to the national Methodist All-American Football Team. On December 4, 1958 Todd married Susan Pfeifer in Downs, Kansas. After graduation from Kansas Wesleyan in the spring of 1959 he began a career as a teacher and coach. Todd married to Doyleene Yockers on July 5, 1964 in Wichita, Kansas. In 2019 Todd was inducted into the Kansas Wesleyan University Athletics Hall of Fame. He currently lives in Greeley, Colorado.

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Max Elton Kissell was born August 21, 1922 in Portis, Kansas. He was the son of John and Ina (Spencer) Kissell. Max went to Portis Elementary School and then Portis High School, where he was a star athlete for the Portis Tigers, especially on the school basketball team. In Max’s junior year, 1938-1939, he averaged 12.5 points per game. At age 17 and a high school senior Max stood six feet tall and weighed 165 pounds. He rather improved play in his senior year, enough that by January 1940 Max was receiving interest from college scouts as far away as Southern Methodist University in Texas, Northwestern University in Illinois, three Big Six conference schools, and a Pacific Coast school – unheard of attention at the time for a small-town Kansas kid. When the regular season ended in March 1940 Max had claimed the all-time state high school record for most points in a season by scoring 491 in 24 games while averaging 21 points a game. Eight times Max scored in the 30s. That same month the Salina (KS) Journal newspaper published the following sports blurb: “If Max Kissell, Portis (Kans.), isn’t the high scoring school basketball player in the country (491 points in 24 games), then who is?” The Associated Press news bureau picked it up and sent it out on their national newswire, and Max’s accomplishment was then carried in hundreds of newspapers across the country. In the Class B high school regional basketball tournament in Concordia, Kansas, Max hit a measured 60-foot basket for Portis at the buzzer in front of a stunned audience, who had never before seen such a feat. That spring Max was named to the Hutchinson News and several other newspapers’ All-Kansas high school basketball teams. In the fall of 1940 Max enrolled in the University of Kansas and played basketball for legendary coach Phog Allen and his Kansas Jayhawks team. He earned an athletic letter as a freshman and in January 1943 Max was playing on the varsity as a junior center for the Jayhawks. That spring he was named to the second team All-Big Six Conference basketball squad.

In 1943 Max enlisted in the U.S. Navy Air Corps, where he received his wings and commission and served as a fighter pilot during World War II. In March 1945 he married Marcile Marie Peterson, and together they raised four sons. Max was discharged from the Air Force in 1946 and in December 1947 Max returned to college at the University of Kansas and rejoined the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team. On February 23, 1948 Max was named the university’s freshman basketball coach. Max graduated from KU in May 1948 with a bachelor degree in business administration. The Kissells then moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma and began working in the treasury department of Phillips Petroleum Company. In 1959 Max was elected assistant treasurer of the company and manager of the financial division of the treasury, a post he held for 15 years. Max also served as manager of investor relations for seven years as well as manager of corporate contributions and president of Phillips Petroleum Foundation Inc. for four years. He retired from Phillips in 1985.

Max was a deacon and president of the board of trustees for the First Presbyterian Church in Bartlesville. He also served as president of Hillcrest Country Club, president of the Petroleum Investors Relations Association of America, and a trustee of the Children’s Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a member of the Bartlesville Masonic Lodge #284, The Scottish Rite Bodies, was a 32nd degree Mason of the Valley of Tulsa, a Shriner with the Akdar Temple in Tulsa, and a member of the Royal Order of Jesters. Max Elton Kissell died on January 23, 1999 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

*Cartoon of Max Kissell that ran in the* Kansas City Star *newspaper, Kansas City, Missouri, on January 13, 1940, page 8*.

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Stanton Earl “Stan” Matlock was the son of William and Pauline (Byfield) Matlock and was born on April 10, 1952 in Wichita, Kansas. He attended Wichita West High School where he was a member of the track team two years and the basketball team one year. For his junior year Stan moved to Alton, Kansas, where he played two years on the Alton Wildcats varsity basketball team at Alton High School. Stan scored 48 points in a game against Morland High School on February 3, 1970, and at season’s end was named to the North-South Solomon League All-Star First Team. He also starred on the school track team for two years. Stan was part of the last graduating class from Alton High in May 1970. He married Jolene Brummer on September 12, 1970 in Osborne, Kansas, and later served in the U.S. Air Force. Stan stayed very athletic throughout his life and loved to participate in many different sporting activities. Stan enjoyed participating in rugby and also competed in numerous triathlons and river runs. He died November 19, 2004, in Wellington, Kansas and was buried in that city’s Prairie Lawn Cemetery.

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John Robert McFarland was born February 9, 1934 in Osborne, Kansas, the son of Sheldon and Thelma McFarland. He attended Osborne Elementary and High School. During his senior year in the fall of 1951 John quarterbacked the Osborne Bulldogs to their greatest season in school history: undefeated at 10-0, winners of the Sunflower Central League championship, and at season’s end being ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press top Ten Kansas High School Football Poll. John was named to the Topeka Daily Capitol All-Kansas High School First Team. John graduated from Osborne High in 1952 and that fall attended the University of Kansas on a football scholarship. He played quarterback for the Kansas Jayhawks from 1952-1956. With one year of eligibility left, John was asked by his former high school coach to play football for him at Central Missouri State University, giving him the opportunity to graduate from KU with a degree in Business and a degree from CMSU in Economics. John graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry in 1961. He began his practice in Topeka, Kansas, sharing the position of staffing the Shawnee County Dental Health Clinic time and an office at Topeka Dental Center. He collaborated with three other dentists in 1977 to form the Gage Dental Group. Dr. McFarland was dedicated to the quality care of the patients in his practice as well as at his volunteer work with the Kansas Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped and the Marian Dental Clinic. John retired from the full-time practice of Dentistry in 1999. He supported many civic endeavors and coached youth basketball and football. He was once the Topeka city handball champion, and was a racquetball enthusiast. John was recommended and accepted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists. In 1996, he was appointed to the faculty of the LD Pankey Institute where he served part-time. On January 15, 1996, John married Karen Edmonds in Maui, Hawaii. He died of cancer on December 26, 2009 at his home in Topeka.

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Kenneth Leroy Nesmith was born in February 1935 to William and Mildred (Feather) Nesmith. In the fall of 1951 the Nesmith family moved to Osborne, Kansas, where Kenneth enrolled as a junior. He excelled at sports and during his senior year in the fall of 1952 Kenneth was named to the Kansas Class B First Team All-State Football and to the Topeka Daily Capitol Kansas First Team All-State Football for all classes. In his two years as halfback on the football team the Osborne Bulldogs sported an undefeated 20-0 record and two straight Sunflower Central League championships. Kenneth graduated from Osborne High School in May 1953. That fall he enrolled at Kansas State University in Manhattan and as a freshman was the starting halfback on the Kansas State football team. By 1956 Kenneth was co-captain of the football team. He married Joyce Marie Slaven on February 1, 1957 in Beloit. Kenneth currently lives in The Woodlands, Texas.

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Darrell Leon Reitzel was born on the Roe Ranch in Liberty Township, Osborne County, Kansas on May 24, 1938 to Fay and Lesta (Loofbourrow) Reitzel. He grew up on the ranch just north of Waldo, Kansas and soon realized that if he played basketball his dad would let him out of chores or work on the farm. Luckily, he was an excellent athlete. Darrell went to Waldo High School as a freshman and sophomore and led the team in scoring both seasons. As a sophomore he averaged 18 points per game and scored a school-record 42 points in a single game. Darrell then transferred to Natoma (Kansas) High School to play for future Hall of Fame coach Johnny Locke. In Darrell’s junior year the Natoma team went on a 22-game win streak, losing in the regional playoffs and finishing with a 22-1 win-loss record. Darrell then transferred again, this time to play for another Hall of Fame coach, Amos Morris, at then-powerhouse Russell High School. In Darrell’s senior year of 1955-1956 Russell finished third in the state and Darrell was named to the All-Kansas State High School Basketball First Team. After watching Darrell score 29 points in the regional playoffs Kansas State University assistant coach Howie Shannon recruited Darrell to that school. Darrell was awarded a full scholarship to KSU. He missed part of his freshman basketball season due to illness, decided to transfer to then-junior college powerhouse Moberly (Missouri) Junior College for the 1957-1958 season. There he started for another legendary and Hall of Fame coach, Maurice Johns. The Moberly team was ranked #1 in the nation for most of the season. Darrell then transferred to North Texas State College in Denton, Texas, members of the Missouri Valley Conference, then the toughest basketball conference in the country. Darrell was the conference’s second leading scorer and assist leader and he was also in the top 10 in the conference in free throw percentage. After graduating from North Texas in 1960, Darrell served in the Army National Guard, where he was chosen to be the platoon leader and given awards for being a sharp shooter and outstanding soldier. He then became a very successful salesman and manager for the next 40-plus years with Procter & Gamble, Van Heusen, Speidel, British Sterling, and Citizen Watch Company. On December 18, 1967, he married Robin Kay Nay in Beaumont, Texas, and together they raised three children. When Darrell retired from sales, he became the basketball coach at Heritage Christian Academy in Rockwall, Texas, where under his tutelage his teams won 71 games in 3 seasons and a Christian School National Championship. Darrell died on May 4, 2017 in Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas.

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Leon Keith Schneider was born September 30, 1945 in Osborne, Kansas and was the son of Fred and Colleen (Linder) Schneider. Leon attended elementary and high school in Osborne and excelled at sports. During his senior year Leon was the 1963 Kansas State Class B Indoor Track Champion in the 60-yard High Hurdles event with a time of 7.9 seconds. He was also the 1963 Kansas State Class B Outdoor Track Champion in the 120-yard High Hurdles with a time of 15.1 seconds, leading the Osborne boys track team to a fifth-place finish at the Class B State Track and Field Championships. After graduating from Osborne High in May 1963 Leon enrolled at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, where he was a track star in the hurdles all four years of college. Leon went on to work for City Service Company and lives a retired life in Owasso, Oklahoma.

*Leon Schneider, 2015. Image courtesy of the* Tulsa World *newspaper.*

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Honors in People: The 4-H Key Award Recipients from Osborne County, Kansas

The 4-H Key Award is given in recognition of an extraordinary 4-H career in which the applicant has amassed a list of highlights of 4-H related events, activities and achievements accomplished within the 4-H club, county/district, region or state. Less than 1% of all 4-H members are ever bestowed with the 4-H Key Award. The following is a list of those Osborne County, Kansas 4-H members who have earned this prestigious award since the first honoree in 1952. Should someone’s name have inadvertently been left out out, do not hesitate to let us know so that they can be recognized.

1952: Barbara Koehler, Busy Beavers

Della Kreft, Busy Beavers

1955: Norman Conrad, Riverview

Rebecca Reynolds, Covert Sunshine

Robert Paschal, Victory

Ruth Ann Roberts, Winfield

Dorothy Minear, Solomon Valley

Phyllis Roadhouse, Bloomington

Dixie Williams, Sumner

Fred Nichols, Liberty Bell

Carlie Andrew Stevens, Sumner

1965: Betty Beisner, Bellview Rockets

1967: Carole Hadley, Jayhawkers

Janie Rothenberger, Penn

Donna Sigle, Town and Country

Judy Welker, Sumner

1968: Terry Steinshouer, Solomon Valley

Jane Streit, Corinth

Judy Streit, Corinth

1970: Rita Chatham, Blue Hills

Cathy Carswell, Sumner

Jane Lowdon, Solomon Valley

1971: Carol Carswell, Sumner

Janice Krier, Corinth

Beverly Legg, Penn

Susie Gouldie, Eager Beavers

1972: Sheila Gasper, Corinth

Wayne Krier, Corinth

Daniel Murphy, Sumner

Yvonne O’Connor, Winfield

Richard Streit, Corinth

1973: Alan Beck, Eager Beavers

1974: Karen Chatham, Blue Hills

Vickie McCormick, Sumner

Johnny Joe O’Connor, Winfield

Dennis Spears, Riverview

1975: Barbara Delaney, Sumner

Julie Dugan, Liberty Bell

John Michael LeiVan, Sunflower

David Spears, Sumner

1976: Donita Carswell, Sumner

1977: Doug Spears, Riverview

1978: Janel Carswell, Sumner

1979: Bob Hollerich, Corinth

Von Rothenberger, Penn

Doyle Spears, Riverview

1981: Jeff Hollerich, Corinth

Renee Nichols, Liberty Bell

1982: Phyllis Hollerich, Corinth

Coleen Masters, Eager Beavers

1983: Jennifer Forbes, Covert Sunshine

Janet Thornburg, Sumner

1984: Norah Buikstra, Solomon Valley

1985: Jay Carswell, Sumner

DeeAnn George, Eager Beavers

Melissa Hobrock, Eager Beavers

Charles Hollerich Jr., Corinth

1986: Lori Dibble, Liberty Bell

Susan McCorkle, Sumner

1987: Patty Hollerich, Corinth

1988: Mary Gollady, Sumner

Richard Murphy, Sumner

1989: Trisha Ballard, Sumner

Warren Forbes, Riverview

Dennis George, Eager Beavers

1990: Marcy Hobrock, Eager Beavers

1991: Paula Neihouse, Solomon Valley

1992: Mari Becker, Sunflower

Randall Hobrock, Eager Beavers

Sandy Hollerich, Corinth

1996: Ryan Cole, Solomon Valley

Angie Legg, Sunflower

1997: Amy Doane, Solomon Valley

John LeiVan, Sunflower

Corri Nuss, Sunflower

Karri Schmidt, Solomon Valley

1999: Sam LeiVan, Sunflower

2001: Kelli Ubelaker, Sunflower

2003: Krisa Ubelaker, Sunflower

2005: Roxanne Wallace, Sunflower

2007 Felicia Efken, Sunflower

2009: Megan Berkley, Sunflower

Rachel Renken, Solomon Valley

2010: Taber Patee, Sunflower

Hannah Renken, Solomon Valley

2012/2013: Collin Berkeley, Sunflower

2017: Spencer Heise, Sunflower

2020: Tyler Heise, Sunflower

Honors in People: 4-H Gold Achievement Pin Award Winners from Osborne County, Kansas

The Gold Pin is one of the highest achievements that one can earn in the 4-H program. The following are those who have been awarded the Gold Pin in Osborne County over the past sixty years. Should there be someone whose name has been left out, please do not hesitate to let us know. Listed is the year the Pin was given, the name of the 4-H member who earned it, and the name of the 4-H member’s club.

1962: Janice Steinshouer Solomon Valley

1964: Billy Roenne Penn

1966: Roy Roenne Penn

1967: Sheryl Roenne Penn

Jim Streit Corinth

Terry Zimmer Corinth

1968: Janie Rothenberger Penn

Donna Sigle Town and Country

1970: Yvonne O’Connor Winfield

Jane Streit Corinth

Judy Streit Corinth

1971: Carol Carswell Sumner

Cathy Carswell Sumner

Jane Lowdon Solomon Valley

Beverly Legg Penn

1972: Mike LeiVan Winfield

Steve LeiVan Winfield

Johnny Joe O’Connor Winfield

1975: Alan Beck Eager Beavers

1977: Donita Carswell Sumner

1978: Janel Carswell Sumner

1979: Von Rothenberger Penn

1980: Renee Nichols Liberty Bell

Kevin Schoen Solomon Valley

1982: Coleen Masters Eager Beavers

1983: Lori Dibble Liberty Bell

Linda Grieve Sumner

Jennifer Forbes Covert

Melissa Hobrock Eager Beavers

Janet Thornburg Sumner

1984: Jay Carswell Sumner

Norah Buikstra Solomon Valley

1986: Richard Murphy Sumner

1987: Mary Golladay Sumner

Marcy Hobrock Eager Beavers

Lara Miller Solomon Valley

1988 Warren Forbes Riverview

1989: Trisha Ballard Sumner

Mari Becker Sunflower

Paula Neihouse Solomon Valley

1990: Randy Hobrock Eager Beavers

Sandy Hollerich Corinth

1991: Dustin George Eager Beavers

Brett Schmidt Solomon Valley

Brian Yost Solomon Valley

1992: Sarah Funke Blazing Saddles

1994: Ryan Cole Solomon Valley

1995: Amy Doane Solomon Valley

Kari Schmidt Solomon Valley

Ryan Nichols Sumner

1996: Corri Nuss Sunflower

1997: Sam LeiVan Sunflower

2000: Erin Heinen Solomon Valley

2001: Kelli Ubelaker Sunflower

2003: Krisa Ubelaker Sunflower

Roxanne Wallace Sunflower

2005: Felicia Efken Sunflower

2007: Rachel Renken Solomon Valley

Megan Berkley Sunflower

2008: Jared Hachmeister Eager Beavers

Taber Patee Sunflower

Hannah Renken Solomon Valley

2009: Collin Berkley Sunflower

2010: Seth Hachmeister Eager Beavers

2015: Spencer Heise Sunflower

2018: Tyler Heise Sunflower

2019: Chris Heise Sunflower

Honors in People: Notable Individuals from Osborne County Kansas’ Prosperity Period (1921-1970)

Barber, Brent, Casad, Charbonneau, Kessel, McCarthy, McFadden, Shaheen, Winters, and Woolley. Ten individuals associated with Osborne County to honor and remember.

Gurney Conistan Barber, son of Asa and Floy Barber, was born near Alton, Kansas, April 13, 1908. All of his life since he was five years old was spent in or near Alton. He attended school in Alton, graduating with honors from the Alton High School in the spring of 1926. Gurney was employed by the Farmers Produce in Alton until he quit to go with some schoolmates to Oklahoma in search of harvest work. Gurney found work at Capron, Oklahoma on the farm of Mr. Charles Curran, where he stayed and worked until the following spring. He always spoke well of this family and returned there at different times to visit and work. He was a member of the I.O.O.F. Lodge, No. 166, and also of the Rebecca Lodge, both of Alton. Gurney had a sunny disposition and was a trustworthy young man, helping to bear the responsibilities and cares of the home since his father’s death in the spring of 1928.

Gurney and his brother Maynard were working in the harvest field on the Curran farm in Oklahoma on June 21, 1929. At that time a younger daughter of the Curran family went to wade in a large pond which had recently been filled by a heavy rain. The Curran girl slipped off into deep water soon after the girls reached the pond. She could swim some but was unable to get out of the pond and she and the girl with her called for help. The mother and the older sister, Miss Hallie Curran, heard the call and Hallie ran to the girls’ assistance. The mother then called to the men who were working in the harvest field a short distance from the house. Gurney and Mr. Curran were the first of the men to reach the pond and both of them plunged in without undressing. Gurney succeeded in pushing the younger sister close enough to the edge of the pond that she was helped out and then caught hold of the older sister, Hallie. By this time he seemed to give out entirely and went under. He never came up and it was only by diving after his body that it was recovered. He had been under but a few minutes. Gurney Barber died at the age of 21 years, 2 months, and 8 days. His remains were brought back to his sorrowful family in Kansas and laid to rest in the Sumner Cemetery at Alton.

The following year, in February 1930, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission presented a national Carnegie Hero Medal to Gurney’s mother, Floy Barber, in recognition of her son’s heroic sacrifice. When establishing the fund and award, Andrew Carnegie stated that it was not his aim to encourage such acts of heroism, as he believed most of them to be done on the spur of an impulse, but by so doing he hoped to give proper recognition of these acts and to provide financial assistance where needed when persons were injured in performing these acts or when families were left destitute by a life being given for others.

This is believed to be the only Carnegie Hero Medal ever given in Osborne County history.

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Ray DeLore “R.D.” Brent was born on January 6, 1918, in Grant Township, Osborne County, Kansas. The son of Ray and Opal (Knight) Brent, R.D. grew up on the family farm and attended Alton Rural High School in Alton, Kansas, graduating in 1935. He earned a Union Pacific Scholarship and attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. R.D. graduated from KSU in 1939 with a degree in agriculture. On June 11, 1939 he married Elvira Hale, and they would become the parents of three children. For the next thirteen years R.D. taught Vocational Agriculture at Woodston, Spivey, Williamsburg, Fairview, and Downs, all in Kansas. In August 1952 he moved his family back to the farm north of Alton. From 1955 to 1961 he commuted back and forth from the farm to Ellis, Kansas, where he taught classes of “On the Farm Training” to returning military veterans. From 1961 to 1963 R.D. sold farm magazines, and then sold insurance for the Equitable Life Assurance Society. In 1970 the Brents moved to Smith Center, Kansas, where R.D. became a general agent for the National Farmers Union, from which he retired in 1980. R.D. was a member of Sumner 4-H Club in his youth and as an adult served several years as a project leader. He was a charter member of the Kansas Anthropological Association and served on its executive board and for two years as State President. In 1970 he led a dig just to the north of Alton at the site of an ancient Indian village. R.D. died on January 16, 1987 in Smith Center, Kansas, and lies buried in Sumner Cemetery at Alton, Kansas.

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Donald D. Casad was born to Frank and Alice (Pohlman) Casad in Natoma, Kansas on December 3, 1929. The family moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado when Donald was seven years old, and he spent the next eight years developing a joy for the outdoors. His junior and senior high years were spent with his family after moving to Richland, Washington. Upon graduation from high school in 1948 Don entered the Navy for one year and trained as an electronic technician. In 1951 he married his sweetheart, Barbara, after meeting at Washington State University, and had three sons in the next five years. Don worked at McNary Dam and then for the Washington State Highway Department while attending night school for 13 years, obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree in 1963. The family then moved to Lake Geneva, Washington in Federal Way, and Don began his engineering career with ABAM Engineers in Federal Way, working as a surveyor, drafter, and project engineer for both public and private projects. He retired from ABAM as principal partner in 1985, after which Don worked as a sole practitioner and forensic engineer with Tucci & Sons, Inc. of Tacoma, Washington (1985-1989) and then with Pac-Tech Engineering, Inc. (1989-1994). From 1994 to 2003 Don worked through his own company, Envision Engineering Services, Inc. Don died during surgery at Tacoma, Washington on May 3, 2006.

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Ralph Gray Charbonneau was born in Osborne, Kansas on January 4, 1929, and was the son of Drs. Alvarez and Jessie (Haskins) Charbonneau. He was a graduate of Doane College, Nebraska, and attended the University of Michigan. From 1950 to 1956, Ralph served as a Russian language specialist while serving in Germany with the 6912th Radio Squadron Mobile Unit of the U.S. Air Force. He also learned to speak French and German as well. Returning to the States, Ralph began a banking career in Kansas City, Missouri, where he met and married Martha “Marti” Habegger on May 19, 1957. Their two children, Eric and Christine, were born there. The family moved to Seattle, Washington in 1963 when Ralph began work for Seattle First National Bank in the International Banking department. In 1969, the family moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where Ralph opened the first foreign office for Seattle First National Bank. He and the family lived in Europe until 1974 when they returned to Seattle, where Ralph was named Vice President of International Banking. Ralph was a charter member (1963) of Seattle Congregational Church and became active at both the local and national levels, specializing in areas of church finance, investment, and budget. He served on the Board of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. On Tuesday, October 24, 2000, following a long illness, Ralph passed away in Seattle.

*Ralph Charbonneau in Air Force uniform, 1952*

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Edward Luther Kessel was born George Grant and Hattie (Levon) Kessel on April 27, 1904, in Osborne, Osborne County, Kansas. Edward’s family moved to South Africa in 1908 and in 1916 to Ripon, San Joaquin County, California. Edward’s father was a Free Methodist preacher, and Edward started to follow in his footsteps by beginning studies for the ministry at Greenville College in Illinois and then Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He changed his major and finished his B.S. degree in agriculture at the University of California at Berkeley in 1925. Edward went on to earn his M.A. (1927) and Ph.D. degrees (1936) at the University of California. He began his teaching career at Marquette University (1927-1932) but spent most of his professional career in San Francisco as a faculty member at the University of San Francisco from 1936 to 1974. Edward was also curator of the entomological collections at the California Academy of Sciences (1945-1959) and served as the managing editor of the Wasmann Journal of Biology from 1950 to 1974. During his 30-year association with the California Academy of Sciences he was the editor of 370 technical papers and monographs published by the Academy. Edward was considered to be one of the world’s leading authorities on the Platypezidae, or flat-footed flies, with entomologists mailing specimens to him from around the globe. His collections are housed at the California Academy of Sciences and are the most comprehensive collection of this taxon in the world. The University of San Francisco annually bestows the Edward L. Kessel Award to an undergraduate student with high potential for a professional career in the biological sciences. Edward was chosen a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. He served as president of the Pacific Coast Entomological Society and was the author of about 100 scientific publications, mostly on entomology. Many of these were co-authored by his wife, Berta B. Kessel. Edward was also well known for his writings that attempted to reconcile science and religion. Edward Luther Kessel retired in 1974 to Milwaukie, Oregon, where he died on September 30, 1997.

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Dorothy Ann (Albrecht) McCarthy Dorothy was born on March 13, 1944 in Russell, Kansas. She was the youngest of eight children born to Dietrich and Pauline (Maier) Albrecht and the first to be born in a hospital. As a farmer’s daughter, Dorothy spent much of her childhood feeding chickens, milking cows, tending the garden and helping with other farming chores. More often than not, she was barefoot. Dorothy attended school in Natoma, Kansas. She distinguished herself as a good student who always had a smile on her face. Basketball was her favorite sport – and she was a pretty good player. She also played the clarinet and the trumpet in the school band and was a cheerleader. In addition, she read every book in the school library at least twice. Upon graduation from Natoma High, Dorothy attended Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She was the first child in her family to attend college, and completed her Masters in Science at Fort Hays in 1978. Dorothy married Duane T. McCarthy during her senior year of college and after graduation moved to Connecticut with her husband. She taught at elementary schools in Newtown, Connecticut; Bonao, Dominican Republic; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; on the island of Saipan, one of three islands that comprise the U.S. Territory of the Central Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean; and in Houston, Texas. Dorothy was selected as a Master Teacher in Saudi Arabia, Teacher of the Year in Saipan and she was awarded the Crystal Apple Teacher of the Year Award in Houston in 1993. After retiring from teaching in Houston Dorothy became a travel agent. Her specialty was international cruises. Over the course of 600 nights on cruise ships, Dorothy and her husband continued to explore the world. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean twelve times on a ship. She visited over 150 countries and all seven continents. Her travels varied from sailing in the Greek Isles, trekking in Nepal, crossing the Atlantic on cruise ships and even spending time in Antarctica. Her journey began with a solid foundation from a small town in Kansas. She was a woman who could drive a tractor, bake a three-layer cake or negotiate a rug purchase in a foreign country. Dorothy Ann McCarthy passed away on June 9, 2017 in Houston, Texas.

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Myra Beryl (Crist) McFadden was born on August 17, 1911 to Jess and Mildred Crist on the Crist farm in Hancock Township, Osborne County, Kansas. Beryl attended school in Hoxie and taught two years in rural schools in Sheridan and Graham Counties. She married Olan C. “O. C.” McFadden on April 20, 1930 in Morland, Kansas, and with him raised two children. They lived for a while in Natoma, Kansas and in 1936 they moved to Osborne, Kansas. Beryl assisted O. C. in all of his business ventures and was the bookkeeper for the trucking business, farming operation, and other businesses and her husband operated over the years. “She drove his trucks, cars, motor homes, and boats,” stated Beryl’s obituary in describing her input in both of their business and private lives. Beryl served as a Girl Scout leader and taught square dance classes, and was an avid bridge player. She gave a substantial donation to the new Osborne Public Library fund which made that project a success. In 1995 Beryl was chosen the Marcia K. Reif Woman of the Year, an honor she was very surprised to receive. “I’ve never been out in the public much like these other women,” she said at the time. “I was always at home, doing the book work and answering the telephone for the business.” Beryl passed away on April 15, 1999 in Osborne and was laid to rest in the Osborne Cemetery.

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Charles Abraham Shaheen, Jr. was the son of professional hotel chef Charles Abraham Shaheen and Mary Sarkis (or Sarkees). He was born on January 9, 1921, in Charleston, South Carolina, where he spent his early years. By 1935 the Shaheen family had moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. There Charles attended Cathedral High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, and graduated in 1938. For the next two years Charles attended the University of Nebraska and then went to work as a laboratory technician at Fort Omaha Army Station Hospital. After the advent of World War II Charles enlisted into the U.S. Army on August 13, 1942. He received his basic training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and then was stationed at Salisbury, England. Charles served as a lab specialist with the 1st Medical General Hospital, which reached France during the D-Day offensive via Omaha Beach. While in the service Charles married Amelia Hardy on August 18, 1945, and they later became the parents of three children. After 42 months in the Army Charles was discharged in 1946 with the rank of technical sergeant. The Shaheens then moved to Wichita, Kansas where Charles started Charlie’s Quick Lunch, a restaurant that he operated until 1954 when severe asthma forced him to quit the food business. He then worked for a year at Henry’s Department Store in Wichita, and then managed Brick’s Men’s Wear. Eight years later, in November 1962, Charles purchased the Williams Bros. Department Store in Osborne, Kansas and renamed it C&A Department Store. Charles was very civic-minded and served President of the Osborne Area Chamber of Commerce and several terms as mayor of Osborne. He was Commander of American Legion Post #49 as well as a member of Osborne Rotary Club International, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #7743, the Knights of Columbus, the Eagles Lodge of Wichita, and St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Charles was one of Osborne’s greatest all-time boosters, and was fiercely supportive of all school and community sports. He was chair of the Osborne Baseball Complex Committee and enjoyed bowling, hunting and fishing. In June 1980 Charles bought in partnership with Jack Green Rudy’s Drive-In, and renamed it C & J Diner. Following his wife’s death Charles sold the C&A Department Store in December 1980. He later married Jean Cliff on June 4, 1983. Charlie Shaheen died at home in Osborne, Kansas on January 22, 1998, and was laid to rest in the city’s St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery.

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George Huey Winters was born March 12, 1902 in Downs, Osborne County, Kansas. He was the son of Nathan and Bertha Allen (George) Winters. George graduated from Downs High School in 1919 and later graduated from Kansas State College. He married Annie Laurie Moore on June 11, 1925. George entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1925 and from 1926-1930 he served as Vice Consul at Habana, Mexico City, and several other posts in Mexico. He was then assigned to the State Department in Washington, D. C. in 1931. George was sent to Havana, Cuba as Vice Consul in 1935-1936. He then was posted as the American Consul in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1937-1938 and afterwards served as the Second Secretary of the American Embassy at Mexico City, Mexico. George was the American Consul at Ciudad Juarez in 1941 and later was assigned to El Paso, Texas with the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission until his retirement in 1961. George died July 17, 1977, in El Paso, Texas and was laid to rest in Restlawn Memorial Park in El Paso.

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George Walter Woolley was the son of George and Nora Woolley and was born on November 9, 1904, in Osborne, Osborne County, Kansas. George graduated from Iowa State University and received Master’s and Doctoral degrees in genetics from the University of Wisconsin. He was married in 1936 to Anne (Collins) Woolley; their union lasted 59 years. From 1937 to 1949 George was a researcher and board member at the Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. From 1949 to 1966 he served on the staff of the Sloan-Ketterling Institute in New York, where he headed the divisions that specialized in steroid biology, human tumor experimental chemotherapy and tumor biology. George was also the chairman of the Institute’s post-doctoral program and a biology professor at Cornell University’s graduate school of medical sciences. Beginning in 1966 he was endocrine cancer researcher and a National Institutes of Health administrator. George retired in 1985 as the head of biological sciences and health scientist administrator of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences’ genetics program. He wrote the book Contemporary COBOL in 1971 (Rinehart Press) and was the author of more than 100 scientific papers. George was given the prestigious honor of being chosen a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. George died of a heart attack on March 10, 2000, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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Honors in Architecture: Notable Structures of the Past

Sixteen structures once found in Osborne County, Kansas that are now gone, though not forgotten.

Jeff Durfey Cabin (1870-2010s), Independence Township

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Bull Log Store & Residence (1871-1880s), Bull City/Alton

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Bush/Alton Mill (1874-1915), Alton

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Northway Hotel (1879-1927), Portis

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Key West Hotel (1879-1946), Osborne

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Downs School (1880-1900), Downs

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Jackson Mill & Dam (1881-1933), Downs

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Samuel McGee Store Building (1880s-1993), Delhi Township

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Exchange National Bank/Ebnother Pharmacy (1886-1940), Downs

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Osborne School (1888-1910), Osborne

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Koelling Hotel and House (1904/1980s), Natoma

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Missouri Pacific Roundhouses (1906-1960), Downs

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Hill Agricultural Academy (1910-1921), Academy, Bethany Township

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Sunny Kansas Sanitarium (1910-1914), Natoma

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Alton Wigwam Gas Station (1920s-1940s), Alton

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Sunflower Hotel (1924-2014), Osborne

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Honors In Agriculture: Individuals

Bonham, Alexander, Beck, Bennett, Bliss, Hahn, Hefley, LaRosh, Powell, Rathbun, White, and Roach. Here are 12 names from across 150 years of heritage to honor and remember, from the first homesteader in the county’s history to one of the most energetic elder farmers to ever till the soil and ride the pastures of 21st Century Osborne County.

Robert F. Bonham Jr. was born October 1, 1837, Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio, and was the son of Robert and Hester (Watson) Bonham. Robert was a farmer in Findlay Township who enlisted in the Civil War in 1861 in Company A, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry for a 3-month enlistment. When that ended Robert enlisted in Company F of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Robert had achieved the rank of first lieutenant upon his discharge from the Union Army in 1865. In late 1869 Robert headed west and on January 8, 1870 he filed on a homestead located in the northwest quarter of Section 9, Township 6 South, Range 12 West, in what is now Bethany Township, Osborne County, Kansas. This was the first homestead ever claimed in Osborne County. Robert farmed his homestead for a decade and was elected trustee of Bethany Township in February 1880. Ill health caused him to return to Ohio, where he died in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio on March 10, 1881. Robert Bonham, Jr. was laid to rest in Maple Grove Cemetery at Findlay, Hancock, Ohio.

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John A. Alexander was born June 14, 1837, at Connotton, Harrison County, Iowa. He received his education at Hagertown Academy, a Presbyterian school in Hagertown, Ohio, specializing in mathematics. Following the completion of his college course Mr. Alexander taught several terms of school near his hometown. At quite an early age he moved to VanWert, Ohio, at which place he, in company with his brother, Col. I. N. Alexander, and G. M. Saltzgaber, assumed the management of the Van Wert American newspaper. John remained with this paper but a short time, removing to Ottumwa, Iowa, where he resided several years. At that place he engaged in his old profession, that of teaching. In 1871 he moved to Kansas and located in Ottawa County, where he taught one term of school, his twelfth and last term. In 1873 he moved to Osborne County and homesteaded a farm in southern Bethany Township. In November 1874 John was elected Osborne County Probate Judge, being the second man to hold that office by reason of election. As probate judge he made proof for the benefit of the settlers under the United States Townsite Act for the city of Osborne and afterwards executed deeds to the occupants. In 1874 and again in 1875 John had charge of the distribution of supplies shipped to Osborne County during the grasshopper year and he won much praise for his handling of the situation. Then for several years afterwards John was a justice of the peace. He was married to Anna Wenzler on June 12, 1881, and to this union were born three daughters. Over the years John became known far and wide for his fine fruit orchards, in which he raised, among other fruit, eight kinds of apples: Ben Davis; Swaar; Dominie; Winesap; English Golden Russet; Lawyer; Missouri Pippin; and White Winter Pearmain. After an illness of about one week John A. Alexander passed away in Downs, Kansas on February 13, 1914. He was buried in Bethany Center Cemetery near his old homestead in Bethany Township.

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John Lawrence Beck was born on May 16, 1852, in Nuremburg, Bavaria, Germany. At the age of 16 he arrived in America in 1868 with only 25 cents in his pocket. He then left New York for Texas. In 1869 he helped to herd 2,000 head of Texas cattle north to what is now Jackson Township, Osborne County, Kansas. As he was only age 17, he could not claim a homestead and went back to Texas. In 1871 John married Nancy T. Harmon in Jack County, Texas. In 1882 the Becks moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, then two years later to Bloom Township, Osborne County, Kansas. John became a naturalized citizen in 1892. That same year he bought a farm in Tilden Township, Osborne County and lived there the rest of his life. He served on district school board and was active in community affairs. John Lawrence Beck died on in Osborne, Kansas on January 5, 1933 in Osborne, Kansas, and was laid to rest in the Osborne Cemetery. His grave is marked only with a temporary marker.

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Walter Winslow Bennett was the son of John and Mary Bennett. He was born on July 7, 1837, at Sherbourne, Dorsetshire, England. Walter was baptized on March 27, 1841. On September 20, 1850, he arrived with his family in New York at age 12 from London aboard the ship Mayflower. They settled in Whiteside County, Illinois. Ten years later Walter was living at Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. In 1864 he married Elizabeth “Libbie” Becker and with her raised two sons and a daughter. By 1868 the Bennetts were living in Chicago, Illinois. On or about July 29, 1870 Walter claimed a homestead in Manning Township, Mitchell County, Kansas – the then legal name for Osborne County, Kansas. His homestead was located in what later became Penn Township. In March 1872 Walter was elected president and Milton Reasoner secretary of the Arlington Town Company, one of the cities vying to be named Osborne County Seat. Eventually Osborne City was chosen the permanent county seat, and for the next eight years Walter farmed the homestead and taught in School District #9, Osborne. In October 1880 Walter moved his family back to Chicago. By 1900 Walter was living in Highland, Greene County, Iowa. He died on October 9, 1916 at Gillespie, Macoupin County, Illinois.

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Chauncey Merrick Bliss was the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Spoor) Bliss and was born in Monroe County, New York, on June 12, 1823. In 1846 he removed to Wisconsin, where he married Caroline Campbell on January 24, 1853 at Cottage Grove, Dane County, Wisconsin. On May 16, 1870 the Chauncey Bliss family, the Leaver family, Jeff Durfey, and Amos Vandenburg all left Wisconsin. They were joined by the John Kaser family and the group arrived at the future townsite of Osborne City, Kansas around the first of August 1870. They moved up the Covert Creek valley and selected homesteads in what later became Independence Township, Osborne County, Kansas. “Uncle Chauncey,” as he was familiarly called by almost everybody who knew him, was a kind-hearted and unselfish man who lived an honorable life and was generous to a fault. He farmed the homestead for twenty years until a paralysis seized him. Chauncey passed away on June 12, 1894 and he was laid to rest in the Bristow Cemetery.

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Joseph W. Hahn was born in Montgomery County, Indiana, on August 18, 1835. Later that year his family moved first to Illinois, and then to Lynn County, Iowa, where he grew to adulthood. At age 22 Joseph settled in Mills County, Iowa. He soon made a journey to Pike’s Peak in Colorado Territory and had several adventures. Afterward Joseph claimed that Hahn’s Peak in northern Colorado was named after him, though that proved to be a tall tale. Upon his return from this trip West he met and married Susan E. Slater on September 25, 1859, in Marshall County, Kansas. In 1862 Joseph moved his family back to Mills County, Iowa, and then again to Lynn County. In 1867 the Hahns moved to Jasper County, Iowa, but after Joseph went up against a band of horse thieves he feared for the safety of his family, so they made the journey in 1872 to Osborne County, Kansas, They settled on a homestead in Tilden Township and through his eleven children Joseph became the patriarch of one of the largest families in Osborne County history. Joseph built the first schoolhouse in Tilden Township and dealt with Indians, blizzards, wildfires, and other incidents throughout his life, all the while enlarging his land holdings by purchasing several hundred more acres of farmland in the area. He died of tetanus on September 9, 1902 and was laid to rest in the Bloomington Cemetery.

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Arthur W. Hefley was born February 18, 1858 in Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois. He was the son of Whitson and Elizabeth (Eckler) Hefley. Arthur moved with his parents to Osborne County, Kansas in November 1873. In time he filed for his own homestead in Ross Township. He married Susanna Kaup on February 12, 1882, and they became the parents of five children. Arthur was considered to be an exceptional farmer and was active in public affairs. He served as secretary for the Clydesdale and Percheron Horse Company in the 1880s. In 1898 Arthur was elected Osborne County State Representative to the Kansas legislature, where he served two terms. In 1901 he was appointed by President William McKinley to the Board of Townsite Commissioners and Appraisers of the Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Arthur was a director of the Downs National Bank for several years and from 1925 to 1932 he served four terms as Osborne County Probate Judge. Arthur died on August 2, 1941 in Beloit, Kansas, and lies buried in the Downs Cemetery at Downs, Kansas.

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Moses D. LaRosh was the son of Jonas and Amelia (Dunkleberg) LaRosh. He was born April 7, 1848 in Lockport, New York, and grew up on his parents’ homestead near Pekin, Illinois. When a boy his mother died, and Moses went to live with his Aunt Caroline Towne’s family. He moved with them in 1865 to Iowa before he struck out on his own, arriving in Osborne County, Kansas in 1871. Moses homesteaded in southern Kill Creek Township but soon needed other work to supplement his income. Together with his brothers, John and Frank, Moses journeyed to Colorado, where they freighted supplies into the Georgetown and Grand Lake areas. They then established a general store in the mining town of Nora, just outside of Georgetown, as well as working as lumberjacks. In the late 1870s Moses backed an attempt to start a new town called Morrisville near the Covert post office in Covert Township, but that venture ultimately failed. After spending several years splitting his time between the homestead in Kansas and working in Colorado, Moses eventually settled back down to farming. On February 27, 1889 Moses married Nellie Fitzgerald and had six children. Moses built his homestead into a large ranch on which he maintained a cattle herd descended from the original nine cows he had arrived with in 1871. In 1926 he spearheaded the Osborne County Memorial Tree Park, a project in which 112 living trees were planted on the Osborne County Courthouse grounds, each dedicated to the memory of an early county settler. Moses died May 16, 1937 in Osborne, Kansas and lies buried in the Osborne Cemetery.

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Edwin Reuben Powell was born in Windham Centre, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada on March 5, 1838, the son of Isaac B. and Cyrena (Boughner) Powell. He was born and raised in Simcoe, Ontario. Edwin enlisted when the Fenwick Rifles were organized in 1861, and later that year he enlisted in the Seventh Michigan Regiment, soon a part of the Army of the Potomac, and took part in the Civil War battles of Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, Antietam, Gettysburg and Cold Harbor. He was taken prisoner and at first was held at the Confederate Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, and later transferred to Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Altogether Edwin was imprisoned for several months and never fully recovered from the ordeal. On May 17, 1871 he obtained a 160-acre homestead in Ross Township, Osborne County, Kansas, the southern area in which his homestead lay was later organized into Corinth Township. Edwin was elected the first township clerk. In 1877 he married Ellen M. Garanflo and they had two children. Failing health caused Edwin to leave the farm and remove to Downs, Kansas, where he engaged in journalistic work and insurance. In 1908 he returned to his former home of Simcoe, Ontario, where Edwin Reuben Powell died on February 24, 1917, and was laid to rest in Oakwood Cemetery at Simcoe.

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John Pearson Rathbun was born February 28, 1829 in Newburgh, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He was the son of Pearson and Laura (Stewart) Rathbun and a lifetime farmer. By 1850 John had moved to Portage County, Ohio, where he married Cadelia Amelia Larkcom on January 20, 1851. Cadelia died in 1858 and John married again, this time to Ellen Maria Hitchcock, on September 20, 1859. Up to 1870 the Rathbuns ran prosperous farms in both Wood and Trumbull Counties in Ohio. In the spring of 1871 John claimed a homestead in Ross Township, the southern part of which later became Corinth Township. John farmed, bought and sold sheep and cattle, and operated a sawmill and grain mill. He had the first evaporator pan and made a fine quality of sorghum. The Rathbuns were among the first to own a wheat harvester. After harvesting their own, they would cut for neighbors. They also owned a threshing machine that was horse powered originally, later going with a steam engine. After threshing season, they shelled corn. John also had a blacksmith shop necessary to keep up with all his own machinery but also did lots of blacksmithing for the whole area. John also made a living by hunting buffalo. He allowed the Omaha and Otoe Indian tribes to camp on his land and served as a sub agent on some hunting trips with them. In 1883-1884 John served as Osborne County Commissioner. His homestead was long considered to be one of the finest farms in Osborne County. John managed it for over 30 years with good health until the day he fell from a wagon and broke his leg. It never healed properly and he ended up having to have it amputated. The shock of it all was too much for John and he died on June 14, 1905 in Concordia, Kansas. John was buried in the Corinth Cemetery near his homestead.

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Silas Eben “Eb” White was born in Salem, Massachusetts on December 11, 1847, the son of Benjamin Lovell and Lucy Ann (Wilkinson) White. When a young man Eb went to Illinois, and on December 28, 1870 he married Rosa Moorhead in LaSalle County, Illinois, and together they raised seven children. In 1878 Eb homesteaded in Round Mound Township, Osborne County, Kansas. Over the years Eb became one of the best known and respected farmers in Osborne County. For many years he was the Osborne County Farmer newspaper correspondent from Round Mound Township, using the pen name “Crispin” or “Crispen.” From December 4, 1894 to October 1904 the White farmhome was the location of the Round Mound Post Office, with Eb as postmaster. He was long a backdoor politician; his advice and counsel being much sought after by Republican Party office seekers from a wide area. For 18 years Eb was a director and vice president with the Natoma State Bank and served 15 years as secretary of the Natoma Central Telephone Company. He served as school board clerk for 50 years for Round Mound School, District #77. The anecdotes told of Eb statewide in his lifetime would indeed fill a book. “Grandpa Eb White is the pioneer settler of Osborne County. He has lived there so long that even the quails have grown familiar with his kindly ways and each evening chant: “Eb White, Eb White.” – Topeka State Journal, January 17, 1901, Page 5. Silas Eben White lived a long rewarding life on his beloved homestead. He died in Natoma, Kansas on September 28, 1929 and was laid to rest in the Natoma Cemetery. At the time of his death Eb had 25 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild to carry on his memory.

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Clifford Eugene Roach was born January 8, 1923 in Hawkeye Township, Osborne County, Kansas. The son of Orva and Lillian (Lampman) Roach, Clifford was raised as a farmer and graduated from Harlan High School in Harlan, Kansas. He married Marcella Mans on August 17, 1950 and raised several children on their farm in a few miles south of Alton, Kansas in Sumner Township, Osborne County, Kansas. A lifelong Alton area farmer, Clifford work ethic and passion for farming were evident to all that knew him. From his perfectly straight irrigated corn rows in 1961 (long before GPS monitoring) to being the first in the Alton area to own and operate a combine corn head that same year, Clifford was often on the cutting edge of farming. What Clifford will long be remembered for, though, is his “Classic Tractor Fever” (acquired at age 73, no less!) that led from many years of antique tractor and machinery demonstrations, tractor pulls and parade entries at Alton Summer Jubilees to the area-wide plow days and the full-blown “Old Fashioned Wheat Harvests” hosted at his farm from 2006-2012. Between the ages of 73 in 1996, when Clifford’s ageless iron collection was off and running, to 91 in 2014, when it all went on the auction block, he had restored 60 plus antique tractors and numerous corresponding machines. Needless to say, Alton area farmer and ageless iron enthusiast Clifford Eugene Roach had the time of his life in his later years, especially when it came to sharing his passion for “how farming used to be.” Clifford passed away in Osborne, Kansas on June 14, 2018, and was laid to rest in the St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery at Osborne.

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