Stubblefield, who played semi-pro ball and later lived in McCook, NE, signed in 1952 with the Mayfield (Ky.) Clothiers, his hometown team. The Pittsburgh Pirates farm team was in last place in the Class D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee (Kitty) League when he made his debut in June, 1952.

“It was a beautiful town, and I was a happy-go-lucky guy,” Stubblefield said. “I wasn’t trying to fool anyone. I went my way and they went theirs.”

Still, it was a different era. Only five years earlier, Jackie Robinson had broken the major leagues’ color barrier. By 1952, black players were still only gradually getting chances with other organizations.

That season, Stubblefield pitched only in  home games because of the fear of racial tensions on the road.

“It was rough,” Stubblefield said. “But it didn’t bother me, what they said. And I was called everything.”

Stubblefield, 85, and other former Negro League players were honored May 14, 2011 in Atlanta, prior to the Negro Leagues Tribute Game between the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. This was the fifth annual Civil Rights Game.

Even though he made history in his hometown, Stubblefield traveled the continent in his career. The season that Robinson broke the color line, Stubblefield said, he played for the Omaha Rockets, a barnstorming team.

After teaming up with Satchel Paige, “Cool Papa” Bell and others with the Kansas City Monarchs, Stubblefield played semi-pro ball with the McCook Cats in 1950. He was playing semi-pro ball in Kentucky before signing to pitch in the Kitty League in 1952.

He stayed in the Pirates organization for one more season, pitching for Class C Duluth, MN., in 1953. But by then, he has said, his arm had “given out.”

Stubblefield returned to McCook, played several years for the Cats and made the western Nebraska city his home until 1970.

Nine of his 10 children live in Lincoln, and some of his 22 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren are in the area.

Stubblefield moved from Mayfield to the Atlanta area just last week to live with one of his daughters.

Stubblefield’s baseball travels took him to nearly every state, as well as Canada and Mexico, but there was a comfort level for him in Nebraska.

“In Nebraska, I didn’t know I was black unless I looked in the mirror,” Stubblefield said. “They treated me so well. “I met a lot of wonderful people in McCook.”

Stubblefield was born Wilker Harrison Thelbert Stubblefield. The nickname Mickey stuck when he was young because of his oversized hand-me-down baseball cleats, which looked a little like those of a recently created cartoon mouse named Mickey.

As he matured as a player, Stubblefield played nearly every position, but gained much of his reputation on the mound.

Some accounts refer to Stubblefield as “Little Satchel,” because of his Paige-like repertoire of pitches and deliveries.

In the 2000 book, “The Negro Leagues Revisited,” by Brent Kelley, Stubblefield described his pitching style.

“A lot of junk stuff,” he said. “Curveball. Drop, we called it at the time – overhand drop, sidearm, underhanded. I could curve it either way. We used to throw it sidearm, and we called that an inshoot.”

He reportedly was 13-6 for McCook in 1950. In that era, semi-pro baseball generated significantly more interest and appeal than it does currently.

Hobe Hays, in the 1999 book Take Two and Hit to Right, said Stubblefield joined McCook late in the 1949 season and was among the first black players in the Nebraska Independent League.

Stubblefield, Hays wrote, was “a muscular 5-foot-9 athlete who pitched and could play all the other positions as well.”

Back home in Kentucky in 1952, Stubblefield was playing semi-pro ball when he was signed to help bolster the Kitty League team. He was signed by Pirates scout Frank Rickey (brother of Branch Rickey, the general manager who signed Robinson for the Brooklyn Dodgers). Reportedly 1,500 people – the second-largest crowd of the season – turned out at War Memorial Park for his debut, a 5-4 complete game victory in which he walked five and struck out six, including the first batter he faced, Russ Davis.

“He’s told me that he was pretty scared that day,” said Dennis Stubblefield ‘74, Mickey’s son and a Lincoln resident. “But he took the risk. He said he wanted to beat them so bad.”

Stubblefield was 7-6 with a 3.70 ERA that season, then was 2-0 with Duluth the following year before eventually returning to McCook.

Sometimes emotional in recalling his experiences, Stubblefield tried to rise above the prejudice. But the underlying scars are still there. “We prayed for people who didn’t understand,” he said.

(Editor’s note: Mickey was the 2011 Grand Marshal during the Heritage Days Parade in McCook with a reception in his honor at the High Plains Museum. His children who attended McCook Public Schools, include: Janice Stubblefield Woody’67, Mickey Jr ’69, Mary Katherine Stubblefield Arvin ’71,  Steve’72, Dennis’74 and Angela Stubblefield Smail ‘76.)

By Rob White WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

  Questions and topics like this have been discussed and reminisced about repeatedly the last few months on a Facebook page called “Remember When in McCook, Nebraska” The page was started in late summer by Kevin Schwartz ‘75 and his wife Mary, modeling it after other “Remember When” pages that started about the same time.  Kevin’s classmate, Roch Bahl ‘75 used his “friends list” on Facebook to start sending invitations to others to join the page and has served as administrator of the page.

What is Facebook?  According to Wikipedia, “Facebook is a social networking service and Web site launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.  As of July 2011, Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile.”  It is a great way of keeping up with the happenings of your children, siblings, extended family members, classmates, and friends.  To join Facebook, all you need is access to a computer and an email address.  Go to Facebook.com on your computer and you can start an account.  If you have problems with it, ask any high school student to help you!!!

To join the McCook page, just type in the words “Remember When in McCook, Nebraska” in the search box at the top of any Facebook page.  It will take you right to this page and you can start reading through the posts.  At the top of the page you can click on a box that lets you request to be a member of the page.  So far there are over 600 members of this page, the majority of them being MHS alumni.

There is lots of information about McCook that you can enjoy once you’re on this page.  On the right column there is an icon to click on which says “View Photos”.  Be prepared for a trip down memory lane!  There are currently 166 photos that members have posted to the page that you can view.  Some of them are postcards showing downtown McCook in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  Don Schaaf ‘55 has posted several photos that were taken at McCook Junior High in the early 1950s.  There are pictures of a North Ward beanie, Little League baseball teams, and kids riding the circus elephants that came to town.  Aaron Cathcart ‘91 has posted several pictures that his father Steve took back in the 1980s, including shots of damage done to McCook from a microburst storm that hit in July of 1984.  These pictures make a great montage of McCook scenes from the last 80 years.

My favorite part is the discussions that have gone on using this page.  People can “post” or type in a memory or question and then others can add to the post with their own remembrances or thoughts concerning it.  There have been great discussions on topics such as the names and locations of all the little grocery stores we had in McCook, how wonderful Amor Huff, the milk delivery man was, what cars we drove in high school, Ma Teter, DeGroff’s Santa Claus, and our favorite part of Woolworth’s store.  Old friends have reconnected, names of classmates in pictures have been recalled, and lots of happy memories have been shared.

Be prepared to spend several hours on the page once you get there.  It’s addictive!  The most current posts or the ones that have been commented on recently will be on the first page.  But if you scroll to the bottom of the page and hit “Older Posts” it will take you back, a page at a time, to read things that were posted earlier.  Feel free to post or comment on any of these older posts.  It then brings them back up to the current page so other group members can read what you have to say on the topic.

I asked Tom Murphy ‘66 to give his thoughts on the Remember When page.  Recently he spent a few hours going back and reading every post on the page.  Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

“I attempted to get back to the very first post on several occasions. Last Sunday, I had some free time and decided this was going to be the day I made it to the first post or I’d forget it. Once I began, it only took a few hours.

The stories about the people I have forgotten and who were part of my youth or adults who have long since been gone were by far the most enjoyable to read. It brought back to life the people and characters of Pop Kelly, Blind Sam, Stan at Stan’s Newstand, Franny Weiland and his little red wagon, and the man who pulled his little cart to do lawn jobs around town. The events like Back-to School Parades, Kelly Park Canyon, and fun times at the river, sand pits, and drive-in theatre were visualized with a big smile. Equally enjoyable was reconnecting with people I had not seen or heard of in 40 and 50 years. Since reconnecting several of us have kept in touch just like old times. After that first hello, it is like time stood still; our friendship is as strong as it was many years ago—the bonds that brought us together then did so again.
To see a picture of Main Street with the red brick road facing south with a picture of the sign for Murphy’s Cafe taken in the 50’s, which was owned by my parents, was a real treat. The photos of the various young and old school classes brought back lots of memories of people, places and events. I would find myself reminiscing as I read and viewed the photos. When one is born in a smaller town and spends 20 years living there, there are many, many things and people remembered and also forgotten that a site like this brings back to life.

What boy could forget Little League Baseball? In the summer it was the center of our universe. We practiced, played games, watched games and just played around at Felling Field.  One photo was of the U C T team. I have no idea what those initials stand for today; however, I played on that team several summers and had erased it from my memory until I saw that photo.

A big thank you from me and everyone who has participated in this site needs to go out to its creator(s). Just think of all those memories which would have been lost had they not taken the initiative to create Remember When in McCook, Nebraska.”

So what are you waiting for?  Grab your keyboard, tablet, or laptop, get to Facebook, and start remembering the “good ol’ days” in McCook.  You’ll be glad you did.

Oh yes, here are the answers to those questions back at the beginning of the article.  The business to the north of Mac’s was a trampoline center, where parents could take their kids and let them jump on trampolines and endanger their lives for just a few cents in the late 1950’s.  The dance Mrs. Coffey had us skillfully perform was the May Pole dance.  And we believe the first drive-in in McCook was called the Coney Island, ran by the Rutt brothers on the corner of B Street and West 4th.  How’d you do?

By Diane Wilson Lyons ‘76

His civic contributions are numerous! He served on the McCook School Board of Education. He was instrumental (pun intended) in keeping the McCook Concert series alive for many years.  He was one of the original incorporators of the McCook Arts Council and was the first chairman of the Lied Main Street organization. He was a past President of the McCook Rotary Club and Floyd originated the name for McCook’s Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival. He was active in starting the walking trail through the old golf course.  He started and completed the drive to put a NE Public Radio translator in Southwest Nebraska. Maestro Floyd was the sparkplug behind the formation of the McCook Community Foundation in 2000.  He realized that the area could benefit from a community wide charitable organization. And Floyd, along with Lloyd Benjamin ‘56, purchased the historic Fox Theatre building in downtown McCook with the goal of turning it into a community center for the visual and performing arts.

Floyd’s interest in community involvement took much of his spare time, but when he wasn’t busy running a successful business, he loved to sail on the various lakes surrounding McCook. He was interested in history and as a private pilot he flew the route taken by Lewis and Clark just to see what it looked like from the sky.

Floyd backed school musicals and the community theater and he made the production of the Messiah, using a community chorus, an annual event. He directed that chorus and he often provided musical entertainment, using his wonderful, strong baritone voice, for many community events.

My good high school and life long friend, Larry Frazier ‘55, and I were in Floyd’s mixed chorus in both high school and McCook College. We enjoyed Floyd’s sense of humor and driven desire to make us better vocalists. One Sunday after church, many years after our high school experience, Larry and I were visiting with Floyd and out of the blue he said, “yaaa know you two were the reason I quit teaching, don’t you?”  That was part of his dry humor—or was it?

As we pass though life, we’re lucky if we can encounter two or three individuals like Floyd Hershberger. He was a wonderful teacher, not only in school but in life. His warm, vibrant and caring personality always gave those who knew him an extra inspiration to be a better person.

Floyd, McCook will miss you forever.

J. T. Harris ‘55

 The Rev.  Adam Sughroue ‘02

Adam Sughroue graduated from McCook Community College with an associate’s degree in elementary education in 2004. He had planned to get a four-year degree to teach. However, because he had often thought about the priesthood, he changed directions and entered St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward.  Following his studies at St. Greg’s he traveled to the East Coast, where he spent the next four years studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmetsburg, Maryland, receiving a Master’s degree in Theology . On May 28, 2010, Adam was ordained as a transitional deacon. He was ordained into the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. The next day he delivered his first Mass, the Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish, St. Patrick Catholic Church in McCook.  Adam is serving in the Lincoln diocese at St. John’s Parish,  as an assistant pastor and is teaching religion at St John the Apostle School.

Adam says, “Four years on the coast showed me that there’s no place like small town Nebraska. The coast was interesting and I’m glad I had the experience, but it is great to be home.”

The Rev.  Neal Hock ‘96

As a senior in high school, Neal had thoughts about being a priest.  He decided, however, to go to the university and following graduation, became an accountant for a grain company. Then, Sept. 11, 2001!  He began to think about his own mortality and realized how quickly, and without notice, death can descend upon us.  Neal turned to prayer to find answers from God.  He was led to become a priest and to return to the path he now sees as God’s plan all along.

Neal went to Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, continued his seminary life in Rome, Italy and on Oct. 7, 2010, in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was ordained as a deacon. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest on June 10, 2011 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Grand Island. His first Mass was presented the following day, at his home parish, St. Patrick Catholic Church in McCook. He returned to Rome in October to complete his license degree. Sponsored by the diocese of Grand Island, Neal will move back to Nebraska in June 2012, and will be assigned to his first parish within the diocese’s boundaries.

   Don Thompson ‘28 was nominated primarily for leadership in the Republican Valley Conservation Association. This organization was responsible for the dam and lake projects in the Republican Valley.  To quote from the letter of nomination, “We would not have our lakes without Don Thompson, and Nebraska would not have its water law structure without him.”

Because he witnessed the destruction of the 1935 flood, Thompson became involved in conservation and flood control.  His philosophy that “underground water and surface water must be considered together or there will be problems in the future” led to his authoring of two legislative studies with UNL on the topics of underground water and public power.  He also penned some of the first underground legislation for the state.  For this vision he received the “Headgate Award” from the US Bureau of Reclamation.

Elected to the legislature in 1954, Thompson’s first bill with Senator Harry Pizer from North Platte was to pave Highway 83 between the two communities.  He served as Speaker of the Unicameral in 1961-62.

Don and his brothers, Dale ‘38 and Chester ‘25, gained national recognition as leaders in the Registered Hereford Business. Because he remained in the McCook area, his influence was also evident in Kiwanis, Jaycees, the District 8 school board, the Chamber of Commerce and the McCook College Foundation. He served not only on the Red Willow County Fair Board but also as president of the Nebraska State Fair Board as well as the Nebraska County Fair Managers Association. He was a life-long supporter of 4-H and as such chaired the Red Willow County 4-H committee for a time.

  Jerry McIlmoyle ‘48 was nominated specifically for flying U-2 reconnaissance over Cuba and providing information to help avert the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.  For this he was thanked personally by President Kennedy and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. At one time he was also assigned as Director of the Joint Personnel Recovery Center. Their task was to recover all allied MIAs and POWs from Southeast Asia.

A thirty year Air Force career included intelligence duties at Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, as well as the Pentagon. Conceptualizing and documenting SAC needs in cameras, films, processing, electronic and other intelligence collectors as well as specifying SAC’s worldwide intelligence requirements and processing and dissemination of the intelligence data collected were projects under his leadership. McIlmoyle was instrumental in briefing the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the need to endorse and fund the Space Shuttle. Before Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, it was McIlmoyle’s duty to brief him on nuclear responsibilities and release codes. When he retired in 1981, Gen. McIlmoyle was well decorated. In all he had been awarded a Distinguished Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, and 3 Air Medals.

  The Wall of Fame Committee is always wanting to add to the pool of nominees.  If you know of individuals who have been out of high school for at least ten years and who have contributed significantly to community and/or profession, please submit a nomination on their behalf. Letters should include the candidate’s name, address and phone number if applicable, and graduating class year as well as a paragraph outlining significant contributions.  Nominations must be signed and dated and include a phone number for further clarification.  They may be mailed to Steve Clapp   307 Park Ave.   McCook, NE  69001.

Alumni interested in serving on the selection committee may volunteer at the same address or by calling (308) 345-6835.

Southwest Nebraska Community Theater Association presented “The Music Man” in March. Large crowds turned out to see Doug Ohlson ‘76 as Harold Hill, a flim-flam salesman who was out for a quick buck in this delightful musical. The grand finale each night had members of  the McCook High School Band parading to “76 Trombones.” “SWNCTA” supported the band with a $10 donation per person per performance to help them raise funds for their next band project. Some alumni who acted or worked backstage included: Phil Goodenberger ’54, Chuck ’59 & Dian Keene ’61 Trail, Charles Coleman ’67, Sarah Gansebom Brown ’72, and Jim Coady ’73.

In August, “SWNCTA” presented “God’s Favorite. The 1974 Neil Simon comedy was performed in the round at the McCook Community College Weeth Theatre. God wagers with the Devil that Joe Benjamin (Randy Andrews ’73) will never renounce God no matter how much pain and suffering Joe has to  endure. Rose Benjamin (Peg Augustyn Andrews ’74) is Joe’s nervous and excitable wife. The Benjamin’s servants were Nancy Haller-Towne ’69 and Chuck Trail ’59.  Chuck and Diane Keene Trail ’61 did their usual wonderful work of designing and building the set.

The 15th annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival was the second weekend of June.  The festival began in 1997 with the belief that a community’s greatest gift is the evolving history of its people and their stories. In 1987, Frank Popper, the chairman of the urban studies department at Rutgers University, and his geographer wife, Deborah, concluded that the arid Great Plains would lose almost all of their people within the coming quarter-century. Time has proven them wrong! This year’s events included a Wild West Bus Ride” tracing the historic cattle trails through the rugged hills of Southwest Nebraska. Award winning storyteller, recording artist and educator Awele Makeba treated the audiences to her own tale of western trails. The finale at the Fox Theatre was emceed by Cal Siegfried’ 73.

September brought the NET/Fox Theatre Film Festival to McCook. Spearheaded by Tim Monzon ’75 and Charlie Coleman ’66, the Fox Theatre became the first venue in the state to ever host a film festival exclusively devoted to showing original films produced by Nebraska Educational Television. Several NET producers were on hand to discuss their films.

The four day event included these films: “Walk Ons: Husker Edge”; “Homemade Astronaut: The Clay Anderson Story”; “Standing Bear’s Footsteps” and “STRATCOM 9/11: A Different Doomsday.” It was an engrossing film about the involvement of how STRATCOM, (based in Bellevue, Nebraska) was an essential part of protecting President Bush when America was threatened by the horrific acts of terrorism on September 11, 2001.  Included in the finale on Sunday, September 11, was a “Salute to Heroes,” a filmed series of interviews paying tribute to our own local First Responders and America’s military men and women. Dan Stramel ’73 told of his late father Ray, who had a point position in the deadly Battle of Peleliu during World War II. He summed it up this way: “In the view of our fighting men, including those who have won the Congressional Medal of Honor, America’s real heroes are those who did not return from the battlefield.”  The film was produced by Cody Dame ’01 of Divine Productions and sponsored by McCook National Bank.

The last weekend of September was the 41st annual Heritage Days. Do you remember when it was German Heritage Days? Chamber of Commerce director, Pam Harsh ’73 couldn’t have asked for better weather!   The grand marshal of the Saturday morning parade was Mickey Stubblefield, a barrier-breaking right-handed pitcher who played with the McCook Cats in the early 1950s. On Thursday evening, several hundred people turned out to pay tribute to Mickey and reminisce about the 20 years he lived in McCook and raised his family (see our front page story). Most of his children who attended school in McCook accompanied him throughout the weekend.

Friday morning was the Norris Foundation Prayer Breakfast at the Heritage Senior Center. Tom Vickers, a former State Senator, was the keynote speaker who offered his opinion on what Senator Norris might think of the current state of the unicameral. Friday afternoon the McCook Community Foundation awarded over $25,000 in grants to McCook organizations at Norris Park. Their first annual Random Act of Kindness Grant was awarded to the McCook Heritage Senior Center. John Kugler ’75 and several of his hot air balloon enthusiast friends drifted through the skies of McCook to the delight of those who looked upward.

The parade on Saturday morning had nearly 100 entries and was enjoyed by a large crowd. The Class of 1971 had their 40th reunion and many attendees rode on a flatbed truck together. (see picture page).

Yes, McCook was “hot” this past year. Hope you were there to enjoy some of these events!

By Randy Andrews ’73 & Peg Augustyn Andrews ‘74

  Both the boys and girls track teams were able to post new records on the Bison track charts last spring.  For the girls, McCook set a new school record in the 1,600 relay, not once but twice. They broke the old record at a track meet in April, and then went on to better that time at the state track meet in May. Molly Sughroue, Kelsea Geshwentner, Emilyne Nichols and Jessa Sughroue are at the top of the leader board in that event with a time of 4 minutes, 2,059.seconds

Senior Kyle Craw rewrote the Bison boys pole vault school record twice in a span of 72 hours to earn the title of best vaulter in MHS history, at least so far. He cleared the bar at 14 feet, 4 ½ inches at the Dutch Zorn Invite in Gothenburg – a half inch higher than the McCook school record set by Trent Lyons ’03 in 2004. Three days later Craw went over the bar set at 14 feet, 6 inches at a meet held in Lexington.

Congrats to Kyle, Molly, Kelsea, Emilyne, and Jessa for setting new Bison track records.  They give future MHS tracksters lofty goals at which to aim.

  Color Day was held in February and the 2011 Color Day King and Queen were Grant Wilcox and Bonnie Dominguez.  First attendants were Connor Larson and Laura Brooks while Brad Baumbach and Elise Polly served as second attendants.

McCook sent four wrestlers to the Class B state wrestling meet.  Junior Skyler Kalinski survived a bout with the flu bug earlier in the week to win third place at 145 pounds.  Two Bison seniors, Keldon Osterman and Rusty Sullivant, did not place in the top six of their respective weight divisions, but both won matches at state to end their prep wrestling careers. Sullivant won two straight matches and came within one win of earning a medal at 152 pounds. Sophomore Clayton Korus lost both his matches at 119 pounds, but he got another state tournament under his belt that will hopefully pay big dividends the next two seasons.

The Bison girls tennis team qualified for state in all four singles and doubles divisions.  Despite playing well, the Bison managed to win just one match in the first two rounds of tournament play and finished in tenth place.  In #1 singles, Brooklynn Trew (6th seed) defeated her first-round opponent but lost in the quarterfinals.

The boys track squad finished third at the state track meet, their best finish since being runners-up in 2006.  Matt Chitwood, a junior, claimed an individual Class B gold medal, winning the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 9 inches.  Austin Cherry ran the second-fastest 800 in McCook school history at the meet with a time of 1:56.194, which gave him a second place finish.  He just missed the school record of 1:55.38 set by his older brother, Josh Cherry ‘07 at the 2006 state meet.  Senior Kyle Craw cleared 14 feet, 10 inches in the pole vault event to place third.  The 1600 relay team of Cody Wudtke, Matt Chitwood, Brad Baumbach and Austin Cherry finished fourth with a season-best time of 3:26.343.  Sophomore Trevor Pate turned in one of the best 1,600-meter run times in Bison history.  He placed fifth with a time of 4 minutes, 32.536 seconds.

The highlight for the girls track team at state had to be the girls 1,600-meter relay quarter of Kelsea Geschwentner, Emilyne Nichols, Jessa Sughroue and Molly Sughroue.  They came in first place with a school-record run time of 4 minutes, 2.059 seconds, bettering the school record the same foursome set earlier in the spring.  The McCook girls squad has now won state titles in the 1,600 relay four straight years.  The same group ran the 3,200-meter relay team and came in second to Seward.  Both teams broke the state meet record, and McCook’s time of 9:29.126 was just 12 hundredths of a second behind Seward’s.

It’s time to hang up another team championship banner in the gym, as the 2011 boys state golf tournament was won by McCook. MHS has now won eight Class B state titles since 1990, and this year was the first since back-to-back state championships in 2003-04.  Senior Ben Vetrovsky led McCook and tied for fourth in individual standings.  Sophomore Sean Backer tied for 10th.

Five MHS band students participated in the UNK Honor Band Clinic.  They had to audition against more than 1,000 top band students from around the state to win a position.  McCook students attending were Phillip Clay on the French horn, Amber Hilker on the trombone, Erin Premer on the baritone sax, and Nate Priebe on the snare drums.

Prior to the Class of 2011’s graduation ceremony on May 15, Pam Wolford, MHS senior English instructor, was awarded the Allen Strunk McCook Area Educator of the Year Award.  120 seniors walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.  The winners of the Bison Award were Beth Peck and Wyatt Kain.  Peck also received an award for having straight A’s for her entire high school career, the only student to receive this award.

by Diane Wilson  Lyons ‘76

Construction Site of McCook Community College Events Center

Hail Damage to Maple Wood Apartments from storm this summer

Class of 1971 takes part in Heritage Days Parade

Send a donation of $15 or more per book.  Make your check to: McCook Community Foundation, and please designate on memo line: Bison Alumni Newsletter. Books will be mailed in the order they are received until our supply of nearly 100 books is depleted.

Send your donation to:

Bison Alumni Newsletter

POB 665

McCook, NE  69001.

In Memory of:

Floyd Hershberger

    J. T. Harris ‘55

  Loretta  Steckmyer Felker ’37

   Ernie’56 & Terri Felker Markwad

Tom Felker

Ed Harris’38

    Dewain’39 and Jackie Morris’40 McCartney

Bob Egan ‘44

    Betty Knierim Shoulders ‘44

 Deceased Members of Class of 1949

    Col. Gary Marsh ’49

Gary Lambert ‘51

Bill’51 & Jean Lambert

 Richard Klein ‘51

    Frank Cuellar ‘51

Willa Cummings Carlton’53

June Godwin Dondlinger ‘52

    Class of 1952

 Donald McDonald ‘53

     Sharon McDonald Morrison ‘55

Honey Lou McDonald Bonar ‘59

Darrell Bonar ’58

 Melvin Reiners ’53

     Willa Cummings Carlton’53

 Ron Kepler ‘55

Ed Caswell-Gillard’57

 Bill Harris ‘57

     Ed Caswell-Gillard’57

Dixie Shepherd Buffington ‘61

    Charles Peek ‘60

Barb Sundem Frasier ‘63

    Larry Owens ‘64

Les Wilhelm ‘64

    Larry Owens ‘64

Craig Rutledge’74

    Gloria Rutledge Thelen’73

Gregg Kasl ‘79

    Frances McCartney Kasl ‘51

Julie Kasl ‘82

Marty’86 & Pam Rathjen’87 Kasl

Joe Tarallo( son of Wanda Rowland Tarallo’53)

    Willa Cummings Carlton’53

In Honor of:

 Ted Perry’54

    Jay Schnoor’54

Gifts Given to “Insuring The Future”:

39 Dewain McCartney 40 Jackie Morris McCartney 44 Howard Hill, Betty Knierim Shoulders 47 Bill Bunstock, Nadine Nelson Owens 49 Col. Gary Marsh 51 Frank Cuellar, Wilda Hanke Willis, Frances McCartney Kasl 52 The Class of 1952 53 Maxine Shields Patterson  54 Jay Schnoor 55 Sharon McDonald Morrison, J. T. Harris 56 Ernie & Terri Felker Markwad & Tom Felker  57 Claudelle Kennedy Oren 57 Ed Caswell-Gillard  58 Darrell Bonar 59 Honey Lou McDonald Bonar 60 Charles Peek 62 John Wagner 64  Larry Owens 73 Conrad Neverve, Gloria Rutledge Thelen 76 Jim Carlson 77 Mary Wagner Carlson 82 Julie Kasl 86 Marty Kasl; 87 Pam Rathjen Kasl