Today is Oct 10, the 286th day of the year. There are 80 days left in 2019. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Oct 11-17) in history:
Fifty years ago
Afton elected a new mayor and an all new town council at the municipal election on Nov. 4. Mayor Frank McGuire and all five members of the present council were not seeking reelection.
However, two candidates have been nominated for mayor and for each of the council posts in papers filled with Mrs. Walter Siddens, town clerk, before the filing deadline Tuesday.
For what it believed to be the first time in Afton history, there will be a woman running for mayor. Two women also are seeking election as members of the council. The husband of one of the women also is a candidate for the council.
Mrs. Richard (Sue) Siddens and Howard Nichols are the candidates for mayor.
Candidates for the council are Mrs. Ron (Kathy) Flam, Mrs. Harold (Cheryl) Henrichs, Charles Bullock, Frank Day, Ron Flam, Charles Watt, Russell Hardisty, F. A. Witt, Joe McGrath and Donald Krantz.
The entry of the women into town politics is creating more interest than has been shown in a number of years.
Twenty years ago
Along with photos, uniforms and other memorabilia, the veterans brought stories. Lots of them.
Invited by Lisa Downing’s modern history class students, more than 50 Union County veterans shared personal histories at Creston High School. Surprised by the large turnout, students scrambled to organize items for video scanning. A video was shown at the high school during a Veterans Day program.
The majority of items brought were from World War II. However, there also were items form World War I, Korean War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.
Marshal Frederickson, 75 of Creston, showed Crystal Miller, 17, his World War II Army jacket, one he says wouldn’t fit him anymore. “See how skinny I was then.” he laughed, showing Miller a group photo of his unit in training camp. Frederickson was drafted at 18 and wounded on Normandy Beach.
Miller told him she’s leaving June 30 to join the Army and become a nurse. “Those Army nurses were very dedicated.” Fredrickson assured her.
Negotiating the hallway, Max Porter, 80, of Creston, held a frame with photos, metals and other items collected while an infantryman in World War II. There were two Purple Hearts and a Good Conduct medal earned in Germany and France.
Veterans gathered around tables, waiting their turn. Stories and photos were freely shared.
Dale Weed, 79, of Creston, held a large, framed colored photo of himself and three brothers as a proud Navy Color Guard in 1944. He was 24. “I think it’s good these kids are doing this,” said Weed’s wife Ruth, “I’ve always said they needed to see what went on. Lives were given and everybody at home sacrificed.”
Virgil Andreson, 74, was 17 when he joined the Navy spending World War II in the South Pacific.
Gene Blazek, 71, of Creston, served in Korea. He brought his old uniforms and intended to donate them to the school.
Bill Burgduff of Creston, a former VFW commander, told students the U.S. government had only recently declared the Korean conflict a war. It ended in 1953.
Seated in one of the chairs lining the hallway was Red Benson of Creston, 79. “I was in World War II,” Benson tells Hagen, “In the 101st Airborne. We jumped out of a C-47 into Italy.” Benson was 22 when he entered the military.
Steve Mellinger of Creston, a Vietnam Navy veteran, brought photos of his late father, Amos. “He was a B-24 bomber top turret gunner,” said Mellinger. “It was while making a bombing run in the South Pacific he heard the war was over.” Mellinger liked what the students are doing to honor veterans. “I think it’s about time vets get recognized,” he said.
Student Krystal Hacker agreed the idea was a good one. “Mrs. Downing really put it together,” She said. Downing worked hard with Dori Pendergraft to keep up with the videotaping. Neither she nor the students knew what to expect. “If we’d known there would be this kind of response, we’d have scheduled two nights,” said Downing.
Heidi Hudson welcomed veterans at a hallway table and was surprised by the turnout, too. But, she added, “It’s exciting, listening to the stories tonight.”