WHAZ THAT? A MENU.....IN THE KORNER?

       I've spent 75 years of my life here and with a news gathering background, I'm still  enthralled anytime I see or hear about people and/or events linked, even worldwide, to this area.

       While scanning the internet I wasn't completely surprised to be staring at a well known picture of Boone native Mamie Doud Eisenhower, who was born here November 14, 1896, and in 1953,  became the First Lady of our country. Her husband, Dwight David Eisenhower, was our 34th President and served from 1953-61.

       HOWEVER, the subject matter I witnessed was completely unexpected.

       Fitting in nicely this time of year, a story began with the headline, "Mamie Eisenhower's million dollar fudge, a vintage treat we can't stop making."

       Mamie's fudge recipe first gained fame in 1953 when it appeared in the Christmas edition of Women's Home Companion, one of the most popular women's magazine's of the day.

       Story author Annie Campbell reminded us of all the wonderful attributes we've always known about "our First Lady." She wrote, "there's something about the holidays that make us remember Mamie Eisenhower. She had a natural warmth and friendliness about her that felt as festive as the season."

       Ms. Campbell continued, "but it wasn't just the decorated Christmas trees, the generous gifts she gave to the White House staff, or her signature touches of "Mamie Pink" that make her mark on presidential Christmasas. It was also the way she celebrated the kitchen, keeping it well run, cheerful and full of comfort. Mamie's midwestern roots gave her a grounded, relatable approach to cooking and she gravitated toward comfort dishes that filled the White House dining room during the season."

      "But one recipe more than any other has come to define her sweet, classic style and serve as a national nod to her legacy, her Million Dollar Fudge recipe," Ms. Campbell concluded.

      Now, you just know that I, the Kornerman, after this big buildup, would not let you down if you were interested in the recipe.......so here it is. And by the way, several outlets give it a five star rating.

     INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup butter, divided: three milk chocolate candy bars (two seven ounces, one 1.55 ounces) broken into pieces; four cups semisweet chocolate chips; one jar (seven ounces) marshmallow creme; one can (12 ounces) evaporated milk; Four and 1/2 cups of sugar...ouch: two cups of chopped walnuts.

     DIRECTIONS: (1) Line a 13-in. x 9-in pan with foil and butter the foil with one tablespoon of butter, set aside: In a large heat proof bowl, combine the candy bars,chocolate chips and marshmallow creme, set aside. (2) In a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, sugar and remaining butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for four and 1/2 minutes. Pour over chocolate mixture, stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm. (3) Using foil, lift fudge out of pan; cut into one-inch squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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    That recipe wasn't all I found of interest in my most recent scan.

     I saw that a friend to the south, Polk City, by one account, is the richest town in Iowa. With a population of 5,833, the story says that the median household income there is $163,000 and that can't be beat.

     Loren Frazier, BHS-58, wrote, "we remember when Polk City was a bump in the road on the way to Des Moines. Good location. Next to Saylorville Lake, close to shopping in Ankeny and close to entertainment in Ames or Des Moines." Loren, however, won't be moving there. He says he's happy on the outskirts of Council Bluffs.

     There are many other such "ratings" of Iowa communities and they all have different criteria for making their determinations.

    There's another of "the richest cities in Iowa" that don't peg Polk City in the top 10. Rodman, in Palo Alto county, is number one with only 28 residents and an average income of $337.712. Most of that list features communities with smaller populations but very high average incomes. 

     Oak Hills, in the Des Moines area, is first on one list and second on another. Clive and Polk City are 1-2 on still another.

     How about safe communities? Polk City hangs in there at number two but the safest city in Iowa is........Sioux Center? Still another northern Iowa community is number three.

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     Good to hear from Dee Deal Burke, BHS-57. Had a chance to see her and her classmates at their class reunion gathering.

     Dee wrote, "classmate Richard Hicks, softball player, BHS-57, recently participated in a senior age 50 plus softball tournament in Las Vegas. He's played senior softball for over 18 years and has participated 12 times in the senior Scrap Iron tournament with his local team as an infielder. Members of the team were awarded accolades, a team trophy and tournament rings for each player."

K-----K

     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email the Korner with memories/stories/comments/death notices......https://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com. 

       

 

 

        

        

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

       Linda Kay Reighard Tolle, 66, Ogden. Born in Winfield. DMACC-95. Worked several years as a Registered Nurse at Mary Greeley in Ames, then at Boone County Hospital until retirement in 2024. In part time after retirement, she worked at Perry Lutheran Homes. Married Brian Tolle in Madrid in 1999. The couple made their home in Ogden. Linda loved her church, her faith and her burbabies. She had a calling for helping others. Someone you could call when you needed help or just to talk. Survivors include three children, a brother and sister-in-law. Services in Jefferson.       

       Beverly Jean Madden Van Schuyver, 84, LaBelle, FL. Formerly of Boone and Ogden. Born in Boone. BHS-60. Married Arland Van Schuyer in 1963. Beverly spent many years working at Bishop Engineering in Urbandale. She loved the outdoors. She and Arland enjoyed summer months camping at Don Williams Lake, fishing and boating. She excelled in ceramic work and oil painting and loved gardening, especially growing orchids in Florida. Survivors include her husband, Arland, a son, Marty, and a sister Donna Mae Thede. Services in Boone.

MY BUDDY, GARY IRVINE

       Seventy five years. Can it really be?

       It was the late 1950's and two young lads were returning home after serving our country, Gary Irvine in the U.S. Navy and me, the Kornerman, in the U.S. Army.

       Just like numerous others, feeling our way into real manhood, and wondering what the future had in store.

       I'm absolutely sure, in our cases, part of that question was quickly answered. We were Iowa born and Boone raised and, despite the fact we had seen our services world, Gary in the U.S. and on ships overseas, and me from sandy Arkansas to sunny California, we had determined early on there was no place like home and that was in this small Central Iowa community named after Nathan Boone.

       We both loved and looked forward to "coming home."

       That decision was important and the lifetimes spent here proved to be "right on."

       Youthful free wheeling lifestyles did require some income. So, while I returned to a lifetime of media work, Gary followed his dad at Boone's Culligan franchise before taking charge himself. Car salesmanship followed for a time and work at Arnold Motor Supply completed his work days.

        Gary Lee Irvine, a good friend to many and a 1955 graduate of Boone High School, passed away Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 88 years of age, after way too many years of struggle with various health issues.

        Meantime, I'm still here at 90 plus, a 1953 BHS grad who doesn't know why my name has yet to be called.

        Memories of our friendship? Oh, my.......yes, they could fill a book.......whether truthful or not.

        As much as he loved athletics, that wasn't Gary's strongest point. He was a pretty good Toreador swimmer and was a football team participant......mostly in practice. I'll never forget his appearance in a Des Moines Register photo of a successful Toreador football team that had just upset a Newton squad that had been acclaimed number one in Iowa.

        Let's see, who's that very joyful lad standing out in the front row, fist raised in victory for all of Iowa to see? It had to be the winner of the Outstanding Player of the Game honor. Nope. It was our Irv, who thoroughly expressed the excitement of the victory, but minus any real playing time in it.

        Hey, remember, at the start of our long friendship, we were young kids with IMPORTANT things on our mind like cars and sports, Gary's boat at the Great Lakes and those newly hired young teachers that were sure to gain some notice.

       Speaking of that boat, Gary, without shame, always conceded that he was a spoiled kid. His dad, a very successful business man, surely provided that fancy boat AND Gary always seemed to have a new car on an almost yearly basis, oftentimes shiny Corvette's.

       Irv and I loved our teams, from the Toreadors on up and all Iowa based.

       One of our dreams was to visit every single Big 10 Conference football stadium and we did catch quite a few......Ohio State, Northwestern, Purdue and Michigan State. In fact, those last two provide a pair of special memories we've shared numerous times through the years.

      At Purdue, we failed to recognize the time difference and didn't reach the stadium until  play was well underway. Then, Michigan State.....that was also unforgetable.

      The Spartans were a talent laden team led by All American running back Clint Jones. They were rated number one in the nation and an overwhelming favorite over our Hawkeyes.

      Early in the game, Eddie Podolak got loose for a long touchdown run and a 7-0 Hawkeye lead. But, this game was wayyyy too long. The final score was Michigan State 50 something and Iowa 7. But that was only half the memory.

      Being the Sports Editor at the Boone News Republican at the time, I had sent for and received press box tickets for that game. Long time press box rules tell all inhabitants that "this box" is a neutral area and any type of disruptive behavior will simply not be tolerated.

      Unfortunately, that early Hawkeye touchdown and lead was way too much for good ole' Irv to handle. The first thing I knew, he was jumping up and down, shouting, pounding me on the head and simply being obnoxious to all those around in the 100 yard long media box, which, of course, was filled to capacity.

      I tried to escape but was in the middle of a storm that drew uncomplimentary comments from a cadre of national news people. Even our Iowa news friends were upset with us. 

      Eventually, those wounds were salved and somehow, on a cold wintry night, we found ourselves on the Hawkeye team bus heading for the motel after the game. Never bashful, Irv had talked the right person into sharing the ride. Gary thought that experience was cooler than cool.

      I admit it. I perhaps expected or at least wanted Gary to name me his best friend ever. One problem. Everyone he ever talked too or had a moment with was his REAL best friend and there were tons of them, from community elite to those in the grime of the Boone Speedway pits and everyone in between. If he didn't know them NOW, he was researching to find out who they were.

      In the last couple weeks, we had a few final moments together. Gary did do some limited texting but was not very privy to other communication outlets. One last text message from him reached the Kelley home at about 9 p.m. Friday night, just a few hours before his passing.

      A time before that, he had called, very upset and wondering if it was true that one of those Best Friends had passed away. It was true but the death had occurred a full couple weeks earlier.

      So, to keep him up-to-date, I started mailing the Korner to him periodically.  My final dispatch was simply a list of 15 or so of the latest deaths, as listed in the Korner. He called and was so thankful for that information.

       A few days before his death, Gary called with what seemed like a "goodbye" message. He said he knew his time was limited and asked if I would tell readers in the Korner how much he loved Boone and everyone here he had come in contact with.

       Obviously, the man loved all of life and set few limits for his display of exuberance for all of its pathways. Yet, family, that was the gold standard. Wife Rosie was met and convinced at the right time and was just what Gary needed. The exceptional trauma she's faced for many months was not desired but is finally conquered and admiration for her support is endless. And grandkids? Stories abound about his devotion to them.

       In conclusion, I won't bore with the too often used greatness cliches. Instead, how about repeating what my good friend Shakespeare once said, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women in it, merely players.They have their entrances and exits, and each one, in their time, play many parts."

       Sounds like my ole' buddy, Gary Irvine. 

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     Worldwide Korner headquarters are still located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email your stories/menories/comments/death notices........https://kelleyskorner1@blogspot. com. 

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

        Ron Bass, 79, Boone. Born in Fort Dodge. Dayton HS-64. Army vet. Married Alice Eckley, BHS-66, in Boone in 1967. The couple lived in Dayton, then Boone and since 1998, in Jordon. Ron enjoyed NASCAR, especially Dale Earnhardt Sr., fishing, classic cars and Chevy trucks. Well respected, he loved to share his knowledge with anyone. He could fix anything and make anything out of nothing. Survivors include his wife, Alice, a daughter, Sarah, and siblings, Ilene Buttz, Viola Winters, Allen (Nancy) Bass, Alvin (Brenda) Bass and Janet Bass. Visitation in Boone.     

        Rex Arnes Christensen, 84, Ogden. Born in Ogden. OHS-59. Took engineering at ISU. Joined the family farm. Ten year National Guard vet. Married Janice Peterson. Worked in farm/livestock operations but also had a love for building and creating. He made an untralight plane, created artistry via welding and loved working on his Alfa Romero. Loved to ski, fish and travel. Married Donna in 2007. There was traveling and reading during there retirement years, spending winters in Mesa, AZ. Survivors include his wife, Donna, sons Craig and Cory, brother Roger and step-children. Celebration of Life in Ogden.      

         Lucinda Jane "Cindy" Iles Anderson, 73.  Born in Boone. Married David Anderson in Stratford in 1974. She worked for Sundstrand and Danfoss for 38 years. Survivors include her husband, two children and her sister. No services scheduled.

        Donald Vernon Reckler, 88, Ames/Eastern Star. A memorial will be planned for springtime. 

        Iola May Hicks Bainter, 75, Perry. There are three sibling survivors, including Shirley Anderson of Boone. Services in Perry 

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

      Stephan Dean Nims, 70, Urbandale. Married Christine Kzurich in Madrid in 1981. She and a daughter survive. Services in Urbandale.

       Donnie Lee Sonksen, 82, Stratford/Southwest Wellness Webster City. Services in Stratford. Memorials to the Boone Veterans building to be constructed.

       HERE ARE A COUPLE OCTOBER DEATHS  I MISSED.

       Thomas C. Schall, 76, Saluarita, AZ. Passed away October 20. Born in Boone. Grew up on the family farm near Ogden. OHS-67. Boone Junior College. Air Force vet. Farmed and worked for Rolfes in Boone and Northern Natural Gas in Ogden before moving to Colorado. Worked  there as a taxi driver, in construction, as a chimney sweep and as a horse drawn sleigh driver at a ski resort. Tom joined the Twenty Mile Coal company and moved to Green Valley, AZ. to work in the copper mines. After 21 years, he retired but worked security for several years. He loved fishing and hunting and was an avid horseman. Very adventuresome, he had a great sense of humor and he loved nature. A son and two daughters survive, as do a brother, Dan (Shelly) Schall of Ogden, a sister and step-children. Services were held in Arizona with burial in Ogden.

       Deborah "Deb" Christine Thomas, 75, Albia, passed away October 23. Deb and her husband, Bill, lived in Madrid for several years in the 70's and 80's before returning to Albia in 2010. She worked for the Madrid school district as a teacher's aide and in food service until her retirement in 2010. Her husband and two children survive. Services were held in Albia. 

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

        Kent L. Jones, 73, Ogden. Born in Boone. OHS-70. Iowa National Guard vet. Worked 40 years for Northern Natural Gas and Youngren Excavating. Kent loved working around the farm, especially with the cattle. He helped his dad, and then son Chris, with everything involved in farming and livestock. For 10 years, he worked with Harold and Randy Eich auctioneering. Kent looked forward to sales at the Perry Sale Barn, loved a big garden and did a lot of canning. In Ogden football, Kent held a passing yardage record for 54 years and was delighted when his grandson, CeJay, broke that record. Kent loved the Hawkeyes and Steelers but the Bulldogs, they were number one. Survivors include his daughter, Gina (Scott) Church, son, Chris (Lanna) Jones, and two sisters, including Jodi (Alan) Sward all of Ogden. Services in Ogden.

        Jerolyn Kay Sundgren Webb, 83, Norwalk. Raised in Boone. At age 14, met Ted C. Webb and they married four years later. Ted passed in 2024. The couple were travelers, visiting 71 countries together. At 18, Jerolyn began a career in insurance. For Blue Cross/Blue Shield, she worked her way up to Executive Vice President of Administration at Broker's Clearing House insurance until retirement. She had a deep appreciation for nature and its beauty and instilled in her children the importance of finding joy in the simple things. Survivors include four children, a sister, Zoe Anne, BHS-71, Dixson, and a brother, Charlie, BHS-69, Dixson. An COL will be held in Norwalk. 

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

       Janette Ruth Foster Westberg, 94, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in Boone.  Attended Lutheran school and Iowa Teacher's College (UNI). Married Dean Westberg in Webster City in 1950. Three daughters survive, Cathy (Robert) Hague; Mary (Ritch) Conrad and Jerry (Larry) Foley. Dean (BHS-47) passed away in 2020. A graveside will be held in Boone for both Janette and Dean.  

       Kerry Allen Randolph, 44, Boone. Born in Boone. Grew up in Ogden. OHS-2000. DMACC, Boone Campus. An over-the-road truck driver, he spent many years with different Carriers. At home, he liked to tinker and repair things. He updated his garage and experimented with growing vegetables in his basement.  Kerry also developed a system to put on fireworks displays. Kerry and his longtime companion, Jamie Dawkins, enjoyed time camping, which usually included NaNa Diane as well as their two children. Survivors include his father, Ron (Vicky) Randolph and brother, Keith Randolph of Ogden. Boone survivors are his mother, Diane Drennen, and daughters, Kolleen and Mia Randolph. Services in Ogden.

       Richard "Dick" Bengtson, 94, Grimes. Born in Dayton. Grew up in rural Boxholm. Dick earned a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture Education and his teaching certificate from Iowa State College (ISU). Air Force vet. In 1956, he married Bonnie Jean Edwards. During over 20 years of military service Dick progressed to the rank of Major and was a flight navigator and maintenance officer during the Viet Nam war. Dick retired from service in 1972 and in 1974, the family settled on a farm near Randall. After that retirement, Dick and Bonnie lived in Story City, Ames, Waukee and Grimes. Bonnie died in 2022. Survivors include his children, David, Michael and Jim Bengtson, as well as Lori Timmons, Lisa Humke and Linda Clauson. Services in Ogden and Boxholm.