Wreaths Across America -- Vereran's Memorial Park Ceremonies

  A huge thank you is due to the Cedar Vale Go Getters 4-H Club and to their Sponsors/ parents for the program they presented to the community at the Vereran's Memorial Park this last Saturday AM.  For starters they cleaned, groomed and decorated the grounds.  The decor is still in place in case some of you missed it..    (Click on pictures for larger view.)

    A national wreath Co. donated wreaths to adorn and honor members of the armed services-living and dead- who have served their country.  The wreaths were delivered by firetruck and accompanied by local law officers.  Barry Speers and Dwayne Rogers in dress blues were the color bearers and did a precision march to the plaza with the flags.  4-H members then retrieved the wreaths from the firetruck and took them to the Veteran to whom they had been assigned.  Veterans were; Army--Bill Campbell, Navy--Ed White (in full uniform), Air Force--Don Cox, Marines--Leon Melton, Coast Guard--Gerald Luis, Merchant Marine--Cecil Shore, and POW--Bill Vaughan.
    Mark Davis offered prayer, and the National Anthem was sung by Macy Warburton.    Aaron Magnus acted as Master of Ceremonies offered words of respect for the Vets and announced each Veteran present by name    Several 4-H members gave readings or poems about service to country. 
    Next was the laying of the wreaths.  The Veteran representing each branch of the service (see above) and the 4-H er assigned to him then carried the wreaths to the rotunda, placed the wreath, stepped back and saluted.  Appropriate music was played for each branch of service.  Bill Vaughan who was a prisoner of war in WWII laid the final wreath.  All five of the Vaughan siblings did service in WWII or The Korean conflict.  It was a poignant moment to see him at the age of 87 make the walk on the arm of Jenny Kelly to lay the wreath.  Bill almost died in captivity of exposure and pneumonia.  He was captured by the Germans during Battle of the Bulge and transported in a weakened state to a German stalag.  He survived probably because an Australian Doctor moved him to better quarters and found some drugs to help him.  (Well that's another story)
    Many, many thanks to the Go Getters and especially to Alfreda Speer who orchestrated this program which delighted and awed the good crowd that gathered on a breezy cool day.  The program ended with Taps played over the PA system.  (from Don Cox via e-mail.)

E-mail from Bonnie Garrett

Hi, I came across this blog while trying to find information about an old picture of my grandma's. She was born in 1905 in Indian Territory in Oklahoma. I have a picture of her class around 1915 (I'm guessing). She labeled most of the names of students on the back. I would like to be able to date the photo and maybe share it with descendants of people in the photo. If they are as addicted to genealogy as I they would be thrilled. I have ancestors from the Crescent and Guthrie area of Oklahoma and from Kansas. 

In the picture my grandma is holding a slate that has Cedar Vale No. 34 written on it. Do you know where I could find info about this school? Thanks! Bonnie Garrett

Honoring a Cedar Vale Hero

* from Don Cox *     Note: I tried to bring out the part of the plaque in the dark shadow, but it didn't work very well. Jay Mills.

Saturday last a group of us met at the old post office/legion bldg to remember Ivan Bolton.  Ivan was one of six or seven Bolton siblings who grew up north of Wauneta.  As a young man growing up during the Great Depression he took a job working for Mike And Brady Meldrum.  At the same time a young lady, Retha Hollister found work helping Caroline Meldrum, sister of Mike and Brady.  Well, love stepped in and Ivan and Retha became man and wife, still employed by the Meldrums. In due time a son, Gary, was born.

While this little story was unfolding, a much larger story we know as WW II was beginning.  While little Gary Bolton was still an infant, Dad Ivan and a Wauneta friend Elmo Banning joined the Army to defend our freedom.  Ivan and Elmo were in the 2nd wave which landed at Omaha Beach on D Day.  They were both killed by enemy fire as they breasted the ridge at Omaha Beach.  A grieving widow, family, friends, and a baby son who never knew his dad were left behind.

The Meldrums bought the old bank bldg, later the Post Office, and arranged a sale to the American Legion of the property on VERY easy terms.  They also installed a very  good bronze plaque by the front door which memorialized Ivan.

Gary Bolton's aunt Eileen Hollister McCall and her daughter Janice, Gary's cousin, knew the Plaque and hoped it might be presented to Gary.  Janice asked me about this and I was greatly in favor, but referred her to our mayor Jerry Bowman as the bldg now belonged to the City.  Mayor Bowman got the OK from the Council and plans were made.  Janice and the family got Gary here from CA.  At first he was loath to come until deer season so they had to tell him why although the original plan was to surprise him.

So--if you are still with me--last Sat AM at 11o'clock--we gathered.  There were Bolton brothers of Ivan and several Hollister family representatives.  Most had come from a distance.  There were CV Legion reps, Madison Holroyd, Jess Rayl, and Dale Coffman,  the commander of the Legion in Ark City,  Joe Walker came in full uniform.  Several CV citizens were there so we had 25 or 30 people there at the corner to honor Ivan.

Mayor Bowman started with a few remarks, a prayer and the removal and presentation of the plaque.  I made a few remarks about heroism and led the group in singing "God Bless America".  Joe Walker then made a moving presentation of the American flag with 3 brass shell casings tucked into the fold to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Ivan's brother Bill Bolton made several remarks about growing up with Ivan as a big brother and having Gary on the farm with he and his wife Alene.

Gary then acknowledged the receipt of the plaque and told us with great feeling that although he couldn't remember his dad, he had all the Bolton Brothers as surrogate fathers.

A reception at the Long Shed arranged by the family followed the presentation for visiting and reminiscing.   I was so proud of our little berg for helping with something so important and worthwhile.

Jerry Boman presented  Gary Bolton with the plaque from the old Legion blg.

Note:  If you want to leave a comment on this or any other article, you must first "click" on the title of the article.  When the page is displayed again there will (now) be a link to post a new comment.  All comments must be "approved" or else you would not believe what you would be seeing here. (Not pleasant!)  It can take from several hours to a day or more for your comment to appear.. but it will.  jay -usual e-mail symbol- jaymills.org

Comments on OLD Posts

You may have just found CV Memories or you may be looking at old posts on this blog.  However, posting comments to old articles almost insures that no one will see them.  Most of us do not go back very far when reading the blog!

So, if you have something new to say about an old article (more than 2 months old), the best way is to post a new article and refer to the old one by name and date. 

This just came in as a comment to the "More about Hooser" post from May 11, 2011.  

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More about Hooser":  ** Contact information should have been included if this person really wanted to sell the item!..Jay.
"I have a mirror that I picked up in Wichita this week that has C W Meldrum Cedar Vale, KS on the back of it. Not sure if someone is interested in purchasing it before I post it on Craigslist - not trying to use this as a way to sell my junk but thought it was kinda cool when I picked it up (we live in Sedan). Searched online and found this blog. Would be cool for it to go back where it came from... "

25 Bashfull People & 1 Short Story

Hi there.  Are you one of the 25 bashful people listed as "Contributors" (aka Authors) on this blog?  Please quit "hiding your light under a bushel" and remind us about the good times in Cedar Vale in times past (or present).

If you cannot figure out how to click on "New Post" and type in a new article, then you can e-mail it to me....jayinpanama [at] gmail [dot] com. I will be glad to post it for you.  If you need help and are getting 'stuck' at some point, then please describe the problem in an e-mail and I will try to help.

In the past I have written several articles about my years in Cedar Vale, my parents and relatives, and what I remember after all of these years.  Am I the only one interested in your stories??  I don't think so....

-----

Another short blurb ---  

When I was a teenager and had nothing else to do, a couple of us used to stop by the City Hall in the evening and visit with the Town Marshall (as he generally had nothing at all to do).  At that time, we could pull out old books of city records and look at pictures and records that were 50 or 75 years old.  I was somewhat surprised to learn that the streets actually had names!

Also, that was the only way that I discovered that my great-grandfather had once been the Mayor of Cedar Vale.  I then discovered that he had lived 2 or 3 houses to the northwest of where my family was living.  We had bought my grandparents' old house. 

As you can tell, family history was never a big topic within my family!  I only discovered that the Mills Ranch on Otter Creek was homesteaded in 1871 when I took a picture of my brother Carl on his horse under an arch that he had erected to commemorate the date. More later ... unless you care to post something really interesting.

Another Way to Explore Our Past

A couple of days ago I was talking with friends about growing up in Cedar Vale and some of my adventures as a young lad.  The conversation go me curious and I brought up Google Earth on my computer.

While I was looking around Cedar Vale and our old farm & ranch on Otter Creek, northwest of C.V., I noticed a very odd label on the map.  "Hogback Hill" was clearly marked and it was located in "Otter, KS".  This is the hill that I referred to as 'Hogback Ridge' in my article about my dad in April of 2008.

Well, to my knowledge there is not now, nor has there ever been, an 'Otter, KS'.  But there it is on Google Earth, in a high-definition picture thanks to a USDA Farm Service Agency satellite photo dated 10/28/2011.  "Otter, KS" is apparently an empty piece of pasture land in what was once the Mills Ranch, about 1.1 miles southwest of the house that I grew up in until I was 7 years old.  Having been over all of that land many, many times I think I would have noticed a community, or the remnants of one!

But all of that is not really what I can to tell you about!  Using Google Earth, or Google Maps in "Satellite" view, you can explore almost any area around Cedar Vale, or even where you live now, without ever leaving your chair.  I have looked at many of the changes in buildings and roads around C.V.   I have relived more that a few adventures just by looking at the pictures of places that I used to go.  And I have looked closely at both of the houses that I grew up in and the buildings around them.  I have retraced my travels throughout the area and it has brought back many good memories...and a few regrets, but that as they say is life.

In many cases you can even see the vaults or headstones of family ancestors, and see the foundations where old houses and buildings once stood.  It is amazing what you can see of the changes that have been made in the past 40 or 50 or 60 years or more!  All from the comfort and safety of your own home.

Have you found anything interesting while exploring old maps or new ones?  I'm curious....

Jess White Family

(via e-mail from Don Cox)   

Sherry Barnett asked me about some history of this family of Cedar Valians.  I did remember their grandson, Sonny, who they raised and who was in school here-a bit older than I.  Since then Sherry has learned more: (this info is for a granddaughter of Jess) Her mother was Geneva Ruth Noel (White) who graduated CVHS, two sisters were named Ladeen and Louise.  Sherry also learned that Jess and his wife, Sadie, lived on Main St. between Lee Ave. and Donelson Ave.

Today I learned a bit more about Jess, in later life he was somewhat of a handyman and he had modified a Model T Ford and mounted a table type Buzz saw on it.  The old Ford would serve to go to the work site and the Jess would Jack it up, remove a rear wheel and belt the Buzz saw to the drive axle of the Ford.  The old Ford then powered the saw until the job was finished.  The the process was reversed and Jess would motor home or to the next job.

I also learned the the house is no longer there.  Once there were two houses on the block just north of the Zimmerman miniature village.  But they are both gone now--there may be a mobile home there.

If someone has memories of this family--someone is interested.

If It's Interesting to You, It May Very Well be Interesting to Us!

The easiest way to post an article (not a comment) directly and immediately is to follow these simple steps. (No moderator required.)

• Log-in to the CV Memories blog
• Once logged in to the blog you should see a menu across the top (black text on a blue background)
• Click on "New Post"
• (This is where it gets more difficult.) You are given a new editing screen, but NO directions
• 1st, click where it says "Post title" and simply type a name for your article
• 2nd, click in the big box below the editing menu line & you should see a blinking line (cursor)
• 3rd, if you want to directly include a picture, click on the 'picture' icon following the "Link" button and follow the instructions
• 4th, type your story into the big box.  The edit controls work just like most word processing programs *Note: You can copy and paste from simple text programs -- Not MS Word, etc.
• Then 'Preview' and 'Post' your article.  You can skip Preview if you like.

I will be happy to post articles for those who have difficulty.  Just send me your article and pictures.

Is My New Dog More Interesting than You?

OK, so here is were we stand (lie?) with this blog (dog?).  Only 4 people have posted anything in the past several months.  There have been few, if any, comments on the posts so there is no evidence that we have readers.

I can only conclude that we have hit the downward spiral that comes from having no one post things of compelling interest to other readers.  So apparently very few people are coming here to check out the blog as there is very little to read.  And new articles are few and far between.

That brings me to two important questions.  1. Is there still enough interest to keep this site going? If so, please let me know with your comment, however brief.   2. Are you interested enough to sit down and write a little (or a lot) about your experiences growing up in Cedar Vale and/or your life since?  

* Hint: You can always send your article to me via e-mail and even attach a picture or two.  I will be glad to post the article(s) for you.

Thanks,

Jay (J.D.) Mills    

panama [at] jaymills [dot] org

Tom Fuller of Cedar Vale

Had  this  ready to post in Oct but did not get that done before complete Renal shutdown in Nov that put me in hosptal for 13 days and then my open heart surgery in Dec. That really stopped me in my tracks for several months!!

I am in hopes someone may remember Tom Fuller (1881 - 1960).

Tom is one of these 3 former Residents of Cedar Vale pictured here. Man on left, is Cal Lavely. I have posted about Cal previously. The man in the middle is George Thomas Fuller (Tom) and on the right is Tom's brother. His name is not on photo. I assume that he is younger brother Louis L Fuller (1875-1914).

Tom (1881-1960) and Louis are buried at Cedar Vale Cemetery along with their parents, Stephen A and Theresa Fuller.

Tom was husband of Goldie Hamrick and Zora "zoe" Ake McCaleb.He and Zora had a daughter, Susie Belle Fuller. With wife Goldie had 3 sons, Loyd, Leonard Hayes, and Harold Keith Fuller.

My cousin remembers meeting Tom at the Ford and Lavely family get-togethers in Cedar Vale during late 1950's, just before his death.  We are not related to Tom, he was close friend of the Lavely and Ford family.

Tom's father was born in England, his mother Theresa was born in NE. Besides Tom, their children were Isabella, William, Elsie, Susan Matilda, Lewis, Anna, Charles, and Louis.

Isabella and husband Michael Crouse are buried in Arkansas City. Elsie married Alfred A Bruce. Susan Matilda married Morris Wheeler. She died in Ok. I have no record of Anna after 1900. At that time she was living with Isabella and Michael and their 4 children in Cedar Vale.

The famiy evidently move to Cedar Vale in early 1900's as Stephen A Fuller died in 1908 in Cedar Vale.

If anyone knows of these people, would love to hear from you. Iris

Pictures from Pat Molder

Pat Molder sent me these pictures.  Click anywhere on the group (actually one picture) above for a better view.

Best Friends Are For Life

This is a recent picture of myself and my best friend Blue.  Blue is a rescue dog, a "Red Heeler" or Australian Cattle Dog.  He has been with me 8 1/2 years since he was a very young pup.  He has traveled with me in a van from Nashville to California and back on two separate trips; and traveled to Panama by air.  He loves to ride in a car and drove with me from Panama City to Volcan, over 450 kilometers in a single day.  He also goes with me inside the pickup on visits to town and to my neighbors.

I live in the mountains of Western Panama, near the border with Costa Rica about 3 miles outside of the nearest town.  Blue looks after my health by taking me out for a walk 3 times a day and he goes with me when I work in the yard or on the property.  If I'm moving around a lot, he simply chooses a high spot and lies down to watch the road for any intruders.

Blue and my other (local) rescue, Athena, a Rottweiler watch over me at night by sleeping at the foot of my bed.  If they hear anything suspicious they tear out through the doggie door into the side yard and issue a challenge.  Everyone for miles around here knows about the crazy Gringo and his two big dogs.  I have yet to have uninvited visitors.  

I am still enjoying my retirement with a lot of time spent with amateur (ham) radio and with photography. 

What are you doing?  Inquiring minds want to know.

First Car by Morris Jones

Jay D. Mills, in October, asked “What was your first car? Most guys are car lovers and usually like to talk about their first car. I expected a flood of responses and was disappointed when none appeared. So, I’ll step up and tell about my first car, a Whippet Six.

The event happened in Cedar Vale in the 1930’s. I was still in the early years of grade school. My Uncle Clarence (Marsh) was the Ford dealer. He took in the old 4-door sedan on trade. The Great Depression had ruined the market for cars, especially older ones with such features as oak spoke wheels.

So, the Whippet was gifted to me as a non-moving plaything. We lived in a house on a corner – later owned by Don and Mary Bess Hankins – and had space between garage and barn to “hide” the old car.

As a youngster with an active imagination the car was, for me, at times not only a car, but an airplane, a speedboat, a truck, a submarine, and even a Buck Rodgers type rocket into the far reaches of outer space.

The Whippet created lots of good memories – and one not-so-good when I attempted to make the old car into something besides a permanent fixture. I somehow saddled one of my dad’s horses, tied a rope between saddle horn and Whippet’s bumper, and yelled “Giddy Up!”

Fortunately, the horse didn’t move – but my dad sure moved when he heard me. He came running and gave me a chewing out I still remember.

Morris Coburn Jones, 07 Jan 2012

Comment Republished - Old Lumber Yard

This just came in from Don Shaffer and I doubt that many people are looking back to October, so I thought I would publish it. By the way, Gary started this blog...I just try to help keep it going.

Don Shaffer said...

Hello, everyone! Just got on the new CV Memories webpage! Great job, J.D.! Gary, I'm sure you are in on it, too!

It was a jolt to hear about the lumber yard. My Dad, Clyde Shaffer, was manager of the yard for many years. I spent many memorable moments at the yard, first playing among the rafters, riding wild, stick horses through the sand, hide and seek in the roofing shed.... and then, coming home in the summer from college, pulling weeds between the tiles! My Dad was a great teacher! Never get too big for your britches to prevent me from "real work," regardless of form! I'm going to stop there. Seems my eyes/glasses are misting over. No rain in sight. Must be something else. Check with you later!!!!!

January 3, 2012 4:48 PM