Rules of the Air

(Since I seem to be the only one posting new articles, I suppose that I can post almost anything and no one will care.)

Happy New Year!
 
Since I posted an article about flying last year I thought that you might enjoy these Rules of the Air published in an Australian aviation magazine a few years back.

1. Every takeoff is optional.  Every landing is mandatory.
2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger.  If you pull the stick back, they get smaller.  That is unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.
3. Flying isn't dangerous.  Crashing is what's dangerous.
4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.
5. The ONLY time that you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool.  When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.
7. When in doubt, hold your altitude.  No one has ever collided with the sky.
8. A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away.  A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.
9. Learn from the mistakes of others.  You won't live long enough to make all of them yeourself.
10. You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the parking ramp.
11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival.  Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival, and vice versa.
12. Never let an aircraft take you somewhere that your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
13. Stay out of clouds.  The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction.  Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in the clouds. (I have actually seen mountains hide in the clouds, and planes going the other way.) 
14. Always try to keep the number of landings that you make equal to the number of take offs that you've made.
15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing.  Unfortunately no one knows what they are.
16. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience.
17. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly that the earth repels them.
18. If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round, and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, then things are not at all as they should be.
19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
20. Good judgement comes from experience.  Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgement.
21. It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as possible.
22. Keep looking around.  There's always something you've missed.
23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea.  It's the law.  And it's not subject to repeal.
24. The three most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above, the runway behind, and a tenth of a second ago. 

I wish that someone had pointed out a few of these to me when I was a young and foolish pilot.  

A Long Silence Broken

I just happened upon this old blog that I started ten years ago. What a trip down memory lane! Thanks to Jay for keeping it going with occasional posts. I'll catch you up to date a bit on the past few years, but if you want to see what I'm doing you can visit my new blog at: www.fandangolife.com We have now lived in Spain for over seven years and have permanent residency here. We still travel a lot, but at age 79 I'm beginning to slow down a bit. I wonder who is still looking in on CVMemories. Drop me a note as a comment so I will know you are still with us. Looking forward to hearing from you, and thanks again, Jay for keeping CVMemories on the air.

The Winfield Courier circa 1963

  
by Jay D. Mills
 
Bill Gillig was a line boy and pilot at the flight service at Strother Field.  I was flying at the time and rented Cessna 172 and 182 aircraft from Strother Field.  The flight service had a contract to fly high priority repair parts from the Wichita Airport to the GE jet engine repair facility at Strother.  By hanging around the airport I would sometimes get a "free" flight by taking a company airplane to Wichita to pick up parts, and then returning quickly.

Bill Gillig was about my age, early 20s, and we got into all kinds of flying mischief together.  In addition to the GE repair facility, the flying service also had a contract with the Winfield Courier to deliver the newspaper by air.  No, not to individual customers but to the paperboys in the various small towns to the East of Winfield.  Cedar Vale was one of the towns that they served.  The small Cessna 150 would fly over a field at the edge of town and push a rolled up bundle of newspapers out of the side window as they flew over.

Flying the paper route was how I also got some extra "free" flying hours.  Often, Bill and I would fly the route together.  They had a 'low altitude' permit to fly as low as 300 ft.  However, Bill & I considered 300 ft. to be the upper limit and often hopped over fences in the open pastures of eastern Cowley County.  My Guardian Angels must have worked overtime to protect me from myself.

Some of the other crazy stuff that we did in airplanes scares me to even think about it today. There is a saying; "There are bold pilots, and there are old pilots; but there are no old, bold pilots."

I'm Growing Bananas -- Again!

On May 8 last year I wrote asking for help with my first large bunch of bananas.  Now I have a bigger problem.  Four of my banana trees have large bunches that will be ready to eat in the next few months.  I have a spare bed and three active dogs for company if you would like to visit and help out with eating the bananas.  Please!

If you look closely you will see 2 of the 4 bunches, the one in front is newer and less mature.

Behind the banana trees is the jungle, along the deep river gorge behind my house.  We have to keep cutting it back or it would overtake the property.

Searching Our Blog

Today I was reminded what a wonderful resource we all have in the "Search" feature on this blog.  I was trying to remember if I had mentioned anywhere in my ramblings how awkward and shy I was with girls clear up into my college days. (Yes I had.)

I put my own name into the search blank and it brought up several pages of articles that I had written or been mentioned in.  In my article from Nov. 14, 2007, "Why I Couldn't Wait to Leave Cedar Vale", I talked about it. 

While I was researching my previous articles I re-read some comments that were made by some of our participants who, sadly, are no longer with us.  They made me smile ... again!

This has been a great forum for me.  And it is much cheaper than a therapist!  I still hope that a few more of you will sit down and share a few lines about growing up in Cedar Vale and / or what you have done since.  If you don't know how, just put "25 Bashfull People & 1 Short Story" or "25 Bashfull" onto the search line and hit enter.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Disclaimer:  I am not nearly as bashful nor shy as I was in my earlier, more serious years. I mostly now just care about my own opinion of myself, and being gently honest with others.

A personal digression:

A few months ago I received a surprise e-mail from my first wife who now lives in California. I had not heard from her in 50 years.  She wrote to tell me that she had finally tracked me down though this very blog.  She also said that about 5 years ago she suddenly realized that I had been having an affair while we were married.  (I did not!)  She also mentioned that she had been talking to me almost every day since, in her mind.

I am not sure what triggered this idea but a good candidate would be "suppressed guilt", as she was the one who had an "affair" while we were still married.  But I, and no one else cares after all of this time.

However the larger and I hope happier point is that, in this day of the Internet and social media, almost anyone with the time and willpower can locate anyone else.  And some of us actually enjoy being "found". 


 

Dime (King Size) Cokes at the "Dime Store"

*1957*
Sandwich Menu
from Woolworths.... 

If anyone doubts what we paid for a coke and a sandwich at Woolworths in the 1950s,

here's proof of the era we lived in.

Memory Lane

I'll begin with some of the things that I remember, and you can add to the list: (Because of spam, your comments go to a moderator who approves and posts them later.)  There is no need to send them twice.

• Outhouses
• 2-holer
• Mule teams
• Cream separators
• Butter churns
• Flat irons; heated on wood stove
• Wood cook stove
• Clothes line
• 1-room school
• Sleeping on the hay rack (hay wagon) because it was too hot inside the house
• Chicken house
• Nation-wide broadcast at 8 PM on Sunday evenings (do you know who?)
• Lone Ranger on TV
• Horse-drawn plow
• Party-line crank phones & the operator
• Rationing (of almost everything) - ration stamp books
• Manure spreaders
• "Cake" - for feeding cows in winter
• Sewing bee
• Large holiday dinners with the whole family
• Shipping cattle by train
• A nice little town with 3 filling stations, 2 new car dealers, 3 implement dealers, 2 drug stores, 5 grocery stores,  a grade school, a high school, a hospital, 2 hardware stores, a dry-goods store, a weekly newspaper, a weekly livestock auction, a blacksmith shop, a 'sleepy' city marshal, a one-room jail, a volunteer fire department with a truck, and  numerous other businesses
• Saturday night dances
• High school plays
• Rodeos
• Local baseball
• Swimming in the river
• Hunting in the woods
• Fishing in the river
• Exploring on Lookout Mountain and many other places
• Turkey shoots (without the turkey!)
• Labor Day parades
• Alumni Banquet
• Sidewalk roller skating (and in the Hewins Park Pavilion)
• 5 cent Cokes, in glass bottles
• Penny candy
• 20 cent hamburgers and 15 cent hot dogs
• 19 cent per gallon gas
•  Saddle horses and real cowboys
• Farm "hands" -- workers who were very patient with curious little boys
• Dads who could make or fix anything -- because they had to
• Milking the cow(s) by hand
• Being happy to see deep snow
• Waiting for the rural mail carrier to bring the mail
• Picking walnuts and pecans off of the ground in the woods
• Getting news of relatives who were away at war

I'm Growing Bananas

I've just eaten the first banana from one of the trees in my own yard.  It was small to middle sized, sweet and delicious.  I live on the side of Volcan Baru, the tallest mountain in Panama.  I'm at 4,700 ft. ASL and the top of the mountain is 11,400 ft.

It is really too high and cool to grow bananas at my place.  However, a part-time worker transplanted five banana trees 3 or 4 years ago.  The first tree to produce was blown down by a gust from a freak wind storm before the fruit could mature.  The second bunch has been hanging on another tree for several months.  It takes a long time for them to mature, especially at higher altitudes.

Two and one-half weeks ago a local friend pronounced this bunch ready and cut it off of the tree.  I hung the stalk on the back porch.  They were very green and I thought that they would never ripen. However, today I noticed that many are showing some yellow.  There are over 40 bananas on the stalk.  The question now is; what do I do with so many?  Anyone want to come down and make a banana creme pie?  Fried bananas?  Banana pudding?  A banana and peanut butter sandwich?  A banana split?  Ideas ??

I don't think that my 4 dogs will be able to help, so come on down. I'll even meet you at the airport in David, Panama; 45 miles from here. 

Second Post This Year!

I receiver the following from Morris Jones.  I found my parents' names on the list, maybe you will also.

We recently moved from our two story house to a one story to please our knees. In the process of moving, I came across my baby book. I was born in 1931. My folks, Coburn & Grace Jones, lived in Cedar Vale but as there was no hospital in CV at the time my birth occured at the hospital in Winfield. People who visited my mother and me in the hospital signed my baby book. I doubt if it was a real easy trip between Cedar Vale and Winfield when you think of 1920's era roads and cars. So, I'm impressed by the number of people who did make the trip. The list may include some of your relatives so thought you might like to see this cross-section of Cedar Vale citizens. I'm sorry to say that I can't make out some of the signatures so where I've misspelled a name I seek forgiveness.

Mr/Mrs R.H. Rhoads

Jessie & Clarence Marsh

Mr/Mrs A.J. Early

Pluma P. Smith

Mabel Weinrich

Mrs. Fred Study

Mrs. P.A. Martin

Mrs. Gannan & Anna

Mary Hess

A.U. Burdette

Mr/Mrs O. Mills

Mr/Mrs C.S. Recter

Georgia Chapman

Mr/Mrs W. Hurst

Mr/Mrs B. Kirkpatrick

Aunt Francie Mills

Mr/Mrs A.A. Hopper

Mrs Jean Logsdan 

 

from:  Morris Coburn Jones

   Walla Walla WA

 

Cedar Vale Heroes

by Don Schaffer via e-mail.

After reading and seeing the pictures about the World War II Memorial last December, I remembered the name of Ivan Bolton and that reminded me of another time, when I sat in the barbers' chair at Jimpy and Twid's barber shop!  While my hair was being cut, I looked straight ahead at the pictures of the men who were serving or had served, in the war.  The pictures were black and white, some fading into a kind of sepia.  The names of the "heroes" were on each picture.  Some had died in action.  If memory serves me correctly,  Faye Steward and Carl Sheldon were among those who had fallen in action.  Both served in a tank battalion, I believe.  It was difficult to imagine how they must have died.   

 

I sat there trying to visualize the experiences of all those "heroes on the wall."  I could see them sitting in the same chair I was sitting in, when there was peace throughout the land.  Yet, when that peace was challenged, these men gave up their "peace" so that we might have ours.  As a youth, too young to fully understand, I felt a companionship to those in the pictures.  Some came home.  They didn't talk much of the war.  Went about their business of being part of a peaceful community.  I considered myself protected by these brave men.

 

Finally, I remember the families, whose sons were serving in the war, hanging flags in their windows.  I seem to remember that the blue star was for those still serving.  The gold star was for those who had sacrificed their lives for us.  Such an impact!  "Lest we forget," may we remember all of those who remained standing, and those who fell, giving their all....so that we could have "all" we have. 

 

God Bless America, God Bless Cedar Vale and God Bless All of You!

 

Don Shaffer

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