Looking Back
What Was Going On 14 Years Ago
The new 59,410 sq. ft. Rooks County Health Center (RCH), located one mile north of Plainville on U.S. Highway 183, opened with a dedication ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7. Congressman Jerry Moran, a Plainville native, attended the dedication and gave the keynote address as part of the ceremony. Following the ribbon cutting by the Plainville Chamber of Commerce, RCH invited the public to tour the new facility and visit with staff members about their new offices, labs and work stations.
Three new teachers were introduced: Andrea Graham, kindergarten; Adam Bedient, high school social studies; and Jay Muller, industrial arts in the high school.
Stockton’s Wellness Center was to open soon with Ashley Bedient hired as co-director, working with recreation director Mark Wildeman. Mortensen Computers was working on a keyless entry swipe card system. Since the facility was to be available 24/7, safety precautions had been put into place with six surveillance cameras with remote access installed on the premises.
The 2008 Volleyball season opened for Stockton Lady Tigers when they traveled to Victoria for a triangular with the Lady Knights and Plainville. Coach Beth McDonald, in her second year, had twenty-three players on the roster consisting of four seniors, eight juniors, three sophomores and eight freshmen.
New coach for the Stockton Junior High Football Team was Bill Germaine, who assisted the Tigers the previous season. Germaine replaced Don Jenkins, who led SJH for several years prior.
R J Schleicher finished 11th in the world in Jr. Bull Riding at the Little Britches World Finals in Pueblo, Colo. R J, the son of Harold and Deb Schleicher, competed against other riders from all over the U.S. and Canada in the week-long rodeo the last week in July.
Courtney Hrabe was the Grand Champion in Senior Fitting & Showing Beef, and Cody Hrabe was the Grand Champion in Junior Fitting & Showing Beef and Grand Champion Market Steer. Grand Champion Breeding Beef honors went to Calvin Dix. The Senior Fitting & Showing Grand Champion Award went to Courtney Hrabe. Molly Schleicher and her horse, Sweet Pea, were Grand Champion Quarterhorse Mare and Reserve Champion Best of Show.
Kenneth Bates and Maxine Greene were married on Sept. 5, 1948 in Fairfield, Iowa. To help Ken and Maxine celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary, the family requested a card shower.
A Birth Announcement was shared for Carolina Lissett Northup and Temprance Addison Northup, twin daughters of Tabor and Catalina Northup of Austin, Texas. Local grandparents are Dave and Kim Northup of Stockton.
AndSoTheySay—JoAnn Roy: “I just love Thursdays! I get four newspapers, and I can just read and read.” Dale Dean: “There’s a nip of fall in the air this morning.” Diane Voss: “Everyone should tour the new hospital this week. It’s very impressive.” Donna Williams: “We baked pies and canned peaches all weekend.”
Obituaries were published for Marvin Kriley (1948); Aerial H. Lemon (1922); Ray D. Williams (1960).
Showing at the Nova Theatre was “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”
Looking Back 14 Years Ago (1994) — The four people charged in the vandalism of an electric sub-station near Plainville, causing a power outage to most of Rooks County, were: Clayton Haas, John Cole Rachel, Roddy Becker and Anna Lynn Mickelson. Newest population figures showed a drop of 10, to 6,094 for Rooks County. Stockton added 27 residents for a total of 1,570.
56 Years Ago (1952) — The community was shocked to hear the sad news of the death of Mrs. Joseph (Lillie) Griebel. And So They Say: George Hamit: “I have lived in Rooks County about 53 years and I don’t remember having missed a fair during all those years, and I think this year’s fair was the biggest and best ever.” Charley LeSage, who had undergone a brain tumor operation in Kansas City a few months before, was able to be up and around at his home. George Crane snapped his right thigh bone near the joint when he was assisting his son, Vernon, in pulling a dead limb from a tree. The rope broke, which threw George to the ground.
98 Years Ago (1910) — Archie Viers ran the tine of a pitchfork into his left hand. He was holding the fork in his right hand with the tines up, when a bat flew in his face. He caught it with his left hand and threw it to the floor. In doing so, he struck his hand on the fork. In a few moments the hand was swelled. The swelling continued and extended to the arm. For several days he suffered greatly and the case became a serious attack of blood poisoning. The arm had to be lanced twice which reduced the swelling greatly.
