Some KWBG Memories

     Unbelievable! The Kornerman hadn't heard from a pair of his old KWBG compadres for years and, alas, they both make contact in the same week.......this week.
     In last Sunday's Des Moines Register sports page, a letter the Kornerman had written appeared in print. In the letter, I had wondered why these college basketball coaches seem to think they must guide their players on the floor dribble-by-dribble. They stand and pace in front of their bench the entire game, sometimes even deterrng the work of the game officials who are forced to manuever around them.. In high school, the coaches must remain on their bench when the ball is in play and I suggested that the colleges should follow that same rule.
     Old KWBG teammate Bernie Lewiston wrote from West Bend ,IA, "Nice letter. I certainly agree. More coaches need to be like the late John Wooden. Enjoy your blog. Keep up the good work. Your old KWBG buddy from 50 years ago. Bernie."
    The Kornerman says  John Wooden at UCLA, of course, has won more national championships than anyone and he had a reputation for calmly sitting on the bench the entire game except, of course, for timeouts etc.
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     Then there was a note from Larry Kelley who was doing some KWBG work while a sophomore in high school. He wrote, "Just letting you know how much I (along with a ton of other folks) enjoy your online column. A bunch of us old Boone students have been conversing about some many past Boone buildings and experiences and re-living our memories of good old Boone High as that original building is being torn down. It's sad to see but it's getting our minds to re-live some great times. Oh, and I remember when you wouldn't let me back to the on-air studio when I was working DJ by blocking my way in the hallway at KWBG on Keeler Street. I had to run out the back door and around the block to the front door and then to the studio where the record was hitting up against the end of the record. Surprised the boss didn't chew me out on that one. Still, great memories. I miss "that voice" at the girls basketball games, too, along with Dial Your Neighbor, etc."
     The Kornerman explains that I guess that incident was just a little hazing action our youngest staff member had to endure as an introduction to the "real"  working world. Yes, I guess I, the Kornerman, must admit I was just a slight bit ornery on that one lone occasion?
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     There's been talk of the Lake Robbins Ballroom in recent Korners and Mark Tompkins wrote, "That made me think of the old ballrooms that were spattered all over Iowa, perhaps in hundreds of towns and cities. Some still let folks "trip the light fantastic," like the Val Air in West Des Moines and the Surf in Clear Lake. Those two, among others, were famous and drew big crowds. In the late 50's and early 60's, you could go to the Val Air on Thursdays, teen night, to dance to Jerry Lee Lewis, and on Saturdays, for a big band like Woody Herman. The Surf, of course, has become almost immortal because it is where Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper last performed on February 3, 1959, before their tragic plane crash. Some from Boone, I believe, were at the Surf that night. Readers may recall other ballrooms like the Avalon in Remsen, the Cobblestone in Storm Lake, the Coliseum in Marshalltown, the Laramar in Fort Dodge, the Plantation in Whittemore and others in Carroll, and at Spring Lake near Grand Junction. Elmo Hansen, John Clymer, Ron Carter and I visited several of those when we were much younger. Others, no doubt, have tales of ballrooms not mentioned. Put on your dancin' shoes, Mo, and get stompin'."
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     Boone Area Deaths: Lee MacDonald, 74, Cambridge. Born on family farm in Boone County. Attended United Community school. Worked at Donnelly's in Nevada. Boone area survivor is a brother, Lysle MacDonald of Boone............Thelma Henricks Boyd, 97, Boone. BHS-34. Returned to Boone in 1983 after living in Cedar Falls and working in real estate. Boone area survivors include a niece, Irene Lee, and a nephew, John Nelson, both of Boone............Irene Crowell, 93, Ogden. Farmed near Perry and then Beaver before moving to Ogden in 1994. Served as a school cook at Beaver, worked in an Ogden grocery store and was a nurses aide at the Boone County Hospital. Boone area survivors include daughters Martha Knight, Deloris Harshbarger and Mina Bielfelt of Boone and Beth Cleland of Ogden.............David (Morris) Rogers, 83, Riverside, CA. BHS-48. Worked as an engineer at several locations. Boone area survivors include sisters Mary Lois Corson and Faye Grems of Boone.............Michael Bell, 77, Boone. BHS-55. Worked in the family painting business. Boone area survivors include his mother, Jerry, wife Cindy and sister Carolyn all of Boone.
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     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 710 Aldrich, Boone, Iowa, 50036-4703. Phone number is 515-432-1530. To email your stories/memories/comments.......
Kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.