An Unflattering Portrayal of Boonetown

     In recent months, the Korner has hosted its own Book Fair as the work of several authors with Boone connections have been touted. Most have been positive laden but now, we just received a tip concerning a book that paints an unflattering portrayal of our town.
     The cover reads: For Shame, Boone! For Shame, Iowa! The Disappearance of Norma Maynard.
     The book was written by Sidney Louis, a retired U.S. Public Health Service commissioned officer, who resides in Fort Worth, TX.
      Googled information states that Mr. Louis, a brother of Norma Maynard, "was born and raised not far from Boone, knows the area well and can write, knowingly, about her murder."
      A review indicates, "the author provides readers with the ability to set up their own investigative files" regarding this case." The book is lengthy.........1,116 pages, published by Dorrance Publishing in 2017.
     Norma Maynard, 61 and recently divorced, disappeared in late January to early February of 1979 and the author wrote, "an innocent woman was murdered and made to vanish as if she had never existed."
     The Table of Contents show that the author left no stone unturned in his search for an answer to his sister's disappearance. Through the years, he has met, personally, with two Boone Chiefs of Police, Boone City and County Attorneys, the Iowa Attorney General, the FBI, the Iowa DCI., even a U.S. Senator and "Boone city and county officials and Iowa State law enforcement were never able to determine what happened. To this day, it is not known exactly when the missing woman was murdered, who committed the murder, how it was done, why it was done and where the missing woman's remains are," Louis wrote.
     There are, of course, two sides to every story and, in this case, there is some disagreement as to whether a murder was even committed. Mr. Louis was once told by authorities that,"Mrs.Maynard disappeared of her own volition and was seen boarding a Greyhound bus." Then too, at least a pair of witnesses had, supposedly, disclosed "sightings" of Mrs. Maynard after the date of her disappearance.
     In a Foreword, the author writes, "today, more than 35 years after the disappearance, what was a simple, local murder case remains unsolved. I will show that from the beginning, there was no mystery. It will be made clear that both the missing woman's son, my nephew and the Boone Chief of Police knew who the culprit was."
     To add salt to our community wounds, Louis uses the Epilogue to revisit a 1976 brawl at  Wilson's, a Boone tavern, that resulted in one death and five injuries. Even a Grand Jury failed to produce indictments in that matter, causing the author to spank Boone for its, "two unsolved murders in a three-year period."
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     On a much happier note, Jo and I have received an early invitation to attend the 50th class reunion of the classes of 1968.
     It will be held July 20-21 with events at the Adobe Lounge and Cedar Pointe Golf Course as well as the usual tour of Boone High School.
     Plans are being made for the "largest turnout ever of the 1968 class......we're going to break the record."
     Leading the planning are Michael Sundall, Carol Erickson Fairchild and Shelly Lovin Dannatt.
     I guess the Kornerman shouldn't ignore his own class reunion. We, the class of 1953, have set a date of August 18 for our 2018 reunion.
     Its early......but now you know.
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     Jerry Manriquez, BSH-57, reports the death of a former Boone resident. Darrell Dean Knox, 73, who passed away in November in Bakersfield,CA. He was born in Boone and his family farmed north of Boone until moving to California in 1953 when Darrell was in fifth grade. His sister, Wilma Knox Horan, would have been a BHS graduate of 1953 if the family still had lived in the Boone area at that time.
     BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS: Burton Patterson, 81, Stratford. Born in Boone. Married Ronda Bornholt in 1960. Vet. Farmed south of Stratford and was an outstanding fast pitch softball pitcher. Drove a school bus for 18 years in retirement. Boone area survivors include his wife, Ronda, and son, Nolan, both of Stratford............Wanda Harrington, 94, Boone. She married Earl Harrington in 1972 and they farmed southeast of Ogden. Boone area survivors include sons, Dave and Dennis Borsos, and daughter, Sandy Wells, all of Boone. Two other sons and a second daughter also survive.
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     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. To email your stories/memories/comments/SUPPORT.......
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