Win Some, Lose Some

     Well, I guess our speculation was wrong. The Kornerman had a feeling something might be happening at the old Redeker's facility.......highlighted by the fact that, for a time, anyway, the huge "For Sale" sign, that had been so obvious for so long in front of that building, had finally disappeared. However, I'm told the sign has now reappeared. So maybe something that might have been cooking has cooled off.
     STREET TALK: We do understand that the Top and Body shop has been sold to an "insider" and we also hear the possibility of a strip mall being built at the site of what, at one time, was Gillespie Motors and then, later, S and H Motors on South Marshall.
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     The Kornerman found this interesting. Gary Knox wrote, "I had mentioned once my dad, Alvah Knox, telling me he played guard on the Boone Junior College football team. He never mentioned he had also played basketball there. He was in the first BJC graduating class (1928-29). He was a 5-6 and about 175 pound "strong man" and joked that opponents ran over the top of him when he played football. Being from Luther HS, he had never played football, just baseball and basketball. I guess I inherited his math ability. I graduated with a BS in math from Iowa State and an MS in math from Northwestern University."
     A few comments about Gary's email. (1) He sent photos of his dad's BJC teams that show they had about 14 football squad members and 10 basketball players. (2) Regarding those math skills, in Alvah's graduation comments it says, "when we get stuck with Physics or Math problems, we run down to the lunch room from second period and let Alvah help us out. (3) the Kornerman is a BJC graduate, 1955, having taken all those courses on the third floor of the "old" BHS building. That was way before the more "modern" facilities of Franklin Hall, at the site of the old Franklin elementary at 12th and Carroll, or today's beautiful DMACC facilities in south Boone. And yes, I played basketball on a non-successful Bears team during my two years with no knowledge, whatsoever, that the school had, at one time, provided a football program. (4) For some reason, at various times, when in the company of DMACC athletic department employees, members of our coffee group would, teasingly, come up with the question, "why don't you guys have a football program.?" It always seemed to be met with some disdain. DMACC does have lots of athletic programs now for both genders but a football program these days is expensive with special recruiting and staff needs, equipment etc. etc. I suppose that's why there are very few Iowa community colleges that do have football programs. (5) In looking at Jerry Manriquez terrific website and its BJC yearbooks, it appears that football was part of  the BJC program just that one year. The Bears had a 1-3 record.
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     Speaking of DMACC, the Kornerman heard from Dave Dunkelberger this week. He was replying to me after I had sent him condolences on the recent passing of his dad, Harold. Big Dave was a standout basketball player for the DMACC Bears during his time there. He still works for Wells Fargo, but now lives in Ames.
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     Apparently Jon Wilson, BHS-62, saw that the Kornerman had listed him as a viewer we hadn't heard from for some time. He responded this week, "I wish I had your talent for telling a story. I saw the note about some of us readers. I thought I'd give it another try. I got a new cell phone the other day and started thinking about our old phone service in Boone. The letter at the end of our number meant it was a party line...749-j. Sometimes, we would pick up the phone and hear the Browns who lived across the alley. Their number was 749-w. You would hang up, wait a while and then, try again. The telephone was provided by the company and when you picked it up, the operator would say, "number please?" One day, I was calling my mother at my aunt's house. The operator knew my mother and my aunt were at my grandmother's house. She connected me right up."
     Jon added, "later,we got a rotary dial telephone. You dialed the number yourself and didn't have to talk to an operator. That is, unless you were making a long distance call. The rotary dial was mechanical and they would never break. In a few years, they changed to touch tone phones. You still dialed yourself and the phone company owned the phone. They were just as reliable but faster to use. These new phones had a transistor in them to do the tone dialing. Just one transistor.  I own my new cell phone and if I ever drop it or it breaks, I have to fix it. It has at least 10,000 transisters and no wires. I have to charge the battery every day or it doesn't work. It is full of "apps," it has a calendar, a clock and it plays music. It even has maps. It has a camera and can store pictures. It has games that I don't know how to play and "apps" from companies I do not know. It even has a flashlight. The other day, I needed to make a phone call. The little green phone was the last thing on the third page of the "apps." The days when we were 749-j were not really so bad. Do you remember your old Boone number?"
     The Kornerman replies, "no."
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     BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS: Arvilla Nunley. Burial near Stratford..........Lillian Allison, 90, Boone. Was married to husband, Orville, in Boone. Worked at Hawkeye Laundry, Green Giant in Ames and was a volunteer for RSVP, the Scenic Valley Railroad and operated the information booth on South Story for the Boone Chamber. Retired in 1991..........Jim Bustad, 72, Stratford. Formerly of Boone. Worked for 30 years for the city of Boone, retiring in 2008 as Public Works Director. Boone area survivors are his daughter, Jennifer Frank of Stratford, his mother, Bernice, and brother, John, both of Woodward, and his special friend, Dodie Flockhart of Stratford.........Lonnie Nichols, 52, Boone. Attended Grand Community schools. Was a Peace Corps volunteer for three years in Belize and was employed by Webster County at the time of his death. Boone area survivors include his wife, Digna, daughter, Zana, and son, Arlo, as well as his sister Jackie Moore 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/SUPPORT........
kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.