Stories from Saturday, May 30, 2009

Doris Noreen Hull Pettibon, passed away Thursday, May 28, 2009, at St. Luke's Hospital East in Lee's Summit, Mo. She was born Feb. 20, 1922 in Fort Scott, to John Wesley Hull and Viola "Dolly" Wiggins Hull. In 1940 she was married Quentin N. Pettibon in Kansas City, Mo., and he preceded her in death in July 1997, after 57 years of marriage...

Chester Leroy Wolf passed away Thursday, May 28, 2009, at Foxwood Springs Nursing Home, Raymore, Mo., following a brief illness. He was born Dec. 25, 1916, in Moline, Kan., to Albert Wolf and Jennie Wickham Wolf. He was married March 24, 1946, in Nevada, to Sarah Lorene Wolf and she preceded him in death Feb. 3, 2009...

Margaret Norman Martin, 96, died in Columbia, Mo., May 26, 2009. Margaret was born on June 6, 1912, in Nevada. She was the daughter of Clyde Churchell Norman, and Florence Palmer Norman. Margaret graduated from Nevada High School. She subsequently received an Associate of Arts degree in 1932, from Cottey College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953, from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Master of Library Science degree in 1965, from the University of Illinois, in Urbana, Ill...

Arthur Leon Bailey, 80, of Fort Scott, died Friday morning at his home. He was born June 21, 1928, in Fort Scott, Kan., the son of Cliff and Susie Mae (Endicott) Bailey. He married Rose Mary Clyburn Dec. 18, 1949, in Garland, Kan. She survives of the home...

Elijah Doherty, 2, of Fort Scott, died Friday, May 29, 2009, at the St. Louis Children's Hospital, in St. Louis, where he had been awaiting a heart transplant. Funeral services for Elijah Doherty will be announced by Cheney-Witt Funeral Memorial Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott...

Bob and Betty Garton will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house reception on Sunday afternoon, June 14, 2009, from 2 until 4 p.m. in the fellowship hall of the Nevada United Methodist Church, 500 South College. The couple requests no gift...

Joe and Linda Beckham were married May 31, 1959, and plan to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday, June 13, 1-3 p.m., at the Community Christian Church in Fort Scott. The couple requests no gifts.

Thomas and Claire (Kennedy) Weston were married June 1, 1949, at St. Thomas Church at St. Paul, Kan. They lived all their married life on a farm north of Walnut until 2005, when they moved to 710 N. Leonard, Girard. They have four children: Wayne Weston, Sharon Burns, Joyce Weston and Donna McDaniels...

Frank and Charla Polchlopek, of Pittsburg, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lindsay Ruth Polchlopek, to James "Michael" Halsey, son of Frank and Deb Halsey of Fort Scott. Lindsay is a 2007 graduate of PSU and is employed by Mariner Wealth Advisors of Pittsburg. ...

Owen and Sue Stites, Prescott, are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter, Elisa Danelle Stites, to James David Long VII, son of Donna Johnson Long, Parkville, Mo., and James Long, Detroit, Mich. The bride to be is a graduate of Jayhawk-Linn and Cowley County Community College and Heritage College with Associate of Arts in Massage Therapy...

The city of Nevada has been chosen to be one of five host cities of the 3rd Annual Hemmings Challenge Vintage Car Rally, which is coming to Nevada for the lunch stop on Tuesday, June 23, the second day of the five day race. This rally is ran on a cloverleaf configuration with Springfield being the center for this year's event. One host city is visited each day of the event...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Area hot rod enthusiasts may want to mark June 27-28 on their calendars. The Dewey, Okla.-based Stray Kat Kustoms car company is planning to bring its special custom car show back to downtown Fort Scott that weekend. Attendees will be able to view hundreds of 1950s-style custom and hot rod vehicles from across the Midwest starting at 8 a.m. ...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Thursday night was the first night on the road for one of the six new vehicles at the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office. The department is spending $144,000 over five years to purchase and outfit six new Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. The new vehicles were purchased to replace old malfunctioning equipment. Bourbon County Sheriff Ron Gray said the department has spent approximately $22,000 in parts for the old vehicles in the last three years...

When the Vernon County Arts Council moved out of its gallery in the Carnegie Building in March, members were adamant that the council would remain active and would continue to showcase and promote the work of local artists through shows and events. True to their promise, the council has its first show under way now, since fate and lack of funding left the group without a permanent home...

A local Vernon County bluegrass band brought home top honors from the 8th Annual KSMU Silver Dollar City Youth in Bluegrass Competition held Memorial Day weekend in Branson, Mo. The Meyer Bluegrass Band, one of 19 bands from nine different states, won the $1,200 first place prize in a close two-day contest with some of the best young bluegrass bands in the country...

WICHITA, Kan. -- Jayhawk-Linn junior Steven Mann won the fifth and sixth medals of his high school career at the Kansas Class 3A State Track and Field Championships here Friday. Mann took second place in long jump and third place in the triple jump, both the highest finishes he has accomplished at State...

WICHITA, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School senior Jerad White and sophomore Griffin Knopp won medals at the Kansas Class 3A State Track and Field Championships here Friday. Knopp finished fifth in high jump. He tied with Jesse Bahner of Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail at 6 feet, 4 inches but it took Knopp at least one more attempt to clear that height. Brian Ploude of Meriden-Jefferson West won the event with a mark of 6' 10"...

WICHITA, Kan. -- Uniontown's Colt Bartlett won a seventh-place medal at the Kansas Class 3A State Track and Field Championships here Friday. He earned it in shot put with a throw of 44 feet, 2 1/2 inches. In the same event, Pleasanton's T.J. Davis finished with a mark of 44' 11 3/4" for eighth place, one spot away from a medal...

The Nevada Red Sox started their season Thursday night by sweeping El Dorado Springs in a doubleheader. The Red Sox won the first game 6-2 behind a strong pitching performance by Ron Johnson and won the second game 15-9 as Nevada got 12 hits. Johnson pitched the first six innings of the opener and gave up four hits while striking out four. Jerrod Alexander closed out the game in the seventh inning...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Nevada's three entries to the Missouri Class 3 State Track and Field Champion-ships had a brief stay here Friday, producing no medals. The highest finish of the Tigers' entries was the girls' 4x100-meter relay team. Taylor Means, Mariah Mock, Emily Coleman and Jessica Neely combined to finish fifth in the second head with a time of 51.37 seconds. Overall, Nevada was 13th with 50.63 the slowest that advanced to the finals...

Bob Martin, Springfield, Mo., was ready for last Saturday to get here so he could do something he has done for more than 30 years: Open the squirrel season near his favorite woods in the Ozarks. So on Saturday morning he was armed with lots of insect repellant, his 22 rifle and squirrel hunting dog,...

Catch the title? Yeah, that's me, the farmer's husband. For you see, I've suddenly changed roles. Since my own retirement, a few years ago, I'm no longer the immaculately bathed and nattily dressed professor with a great vat of expertise in writing and understanding of American literature that I'm aching to impart, in amounts ranging from thimblefuls to washtubsful, to my students. ...

For the past few years it has been a tradition that I take my aunt, now age 92 and graduate of the class of 1933, to the Blue Mound Alumni Banquet held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. She also has a couple of dear friends we have included for the last two years as a package deal, and all of us travel to the reunion together. ...

Hi neighbors. Do you dream in black and white or in color? I remember the first time I heard that question as a child. For a second I couldn't remember! Then, by trying to reconstruct the last dream I had, I decided sometimes I dream in color and some- times not...

Bertha Irene Thurman Morgan, 83, of Fort Scott died, Friday May 22, 2009, at Mercy Health Center of Fort Scott. She was born Jan. 13, 1926, in Spring City, Tenn., the daughter of Jesse Carroll and Maggie Jane (Swafford) Thurman. She married Clarence Joseph "Joe" Morgan Nov. 7, 1947, in Rhea County, Tenn...

Alice Lorena Cullison Gulliford, died on May 29, 2009. She was born June 13, 1916, in Fort Scott, to Samuel Isaac and Emma Frances Goble Cullison. The family moved to Bronaugh, Mo., in 1920, where Alice attended school, graduating in 1934.