Although he's over 100 miles away, in Council Bluffs, Loren Frazier, BHS-58, has been and is a solid supporter of his "home" community and has some thoughts on the upcoming school bond election.
Loren wrote, "I am an advocate of quality education, and, I think that good school buildings have as an important part of education as do the teachers and other staff."
He said he felt it was very important that his home town vote in favor of the upcoming bond issue (March 2).....and stated that he's paid many tax dollars for schools and considers those dollars well spent.
He wrote, "I spent seven years at Bryant School when the building was only a few years old when I started there in 1945. If it was still standing, Bryant would be 81 years old, a year older than me. I can testify that anything that old certainly has plumbing problems, and, probably, electrical and other infra-structural problems. Lincoln is the same age as Bryant was, and Page is not much younger."
Loren went on, "I can tell you, without even going in those buildings, that they are likely full of asbestos, the plumbing is falling apart, the electrical system is dangerous, the plaster is falling off the walls and ceilings, and the structure may be sagging and settling, due to old age."
"There comes a time in a building's life when the cost of upkeep exceeds the cost of replacement. These two buildings, I'm sure, have reached that time. It might be possible to keep putting money into them for a few more years, and avoid the replacement cost. But, the money will not be well spent, as replacement costs will continue to increase, and it will cost even more to replace them in coming years."
Loren urges potential voters to take any action being offered for an "up close" look at the problems, with an explanation of them and the answer of questions from the school officials.
An open community meeting is scheduled for Boone High School from 6 to 7 p.m. on February 28 to answer questions about the project. Then too, live streaming is available via the Boone TV You Tube channel.
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IN BHS SWIMMING.....JENNIFER KOLLBAUM STANDS APART
The Boone High School girls swimming program has shown added strength in recent years.......the school record board shows it.
Of the 13 events offered, almost all of the current marks have been earned the last couple years. Six new school records were set this past season as the 2020 Toreador team posted a 10-1 dual meet record, qualified four individuals and three relay teams to the State meet and placed four team members on the first All-Conference team.
Still, its the oldest record still "alive" that stands tallest because it was set by, far and away, the Boone girls swim programs brightest star ever. Jennifer Kollbaum still holds the 200-freestyle school record of 1:57.81 and it was established back in 1988, over 30 years ago.
Kollbaum was a two-time Iowa state champion (Boone's only girls state champion) and later, at Iowa State University, she became the Cyclones Most Valuable Swimmer three times while setting three ISU records in the conference championship meet and qualifying for the NCAA meet in three events.
Jennifer qualified for the Iowa state meet three times, winning the 50-free event in 24.50 and the 100 free in 53.58 both in 1988.
She was the Boone team's MVP four straight years and was her team's co-captain twice. She's been selected a member of the Iowa State High School Swimming Hall of Fame.
During the 1988 summer Iowa Games, she won seven gold medals and one silver.
At Iowa State, in 1993, she qualified in three events for the NCAA tournament. Out of 15,700 Division 1 swimmers, only 200 had qualified.
In the Big Eight Conference meet, she had set new ISU records in the 50, 100 and 200-freestyle events and was a member of three relay teams that set new Cyclone standards.
Jen's academic achievements were as impressive as her athletic achievements. She was named to the College Swim Coaches All-Academic team and was a district academic All-American. She also received the Big Eight Conference Medal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics.
She's always lauded the early direction she received from her Boone swim coaches, Jack Ver Helst at the YMCA and Kathy Abrahamson, her Toreador coach.
Jennifer was really a two-sport star at BHS. A guard, she was an important member of a Toreador basketball team that played its way into the 1989 State Tournament. She earned all-conference and third team all-state honors in that sport.
Although none of the most current members of the BHS team have matched Jennifer Kollbaum's star-studded career, they have propelled the Boone program to some exciting heights, showing great improvement for the future.
It was swimmers Liz Purtle, Anna Gute and Regan Peter, diver Jacie Flockhart and three relay teams that qualified for state, with those four also earning All-Conference honors.
Purtle is the school recordholder in two events, the 50-freestyle and 100-backstroke, and Gute also holds two marks, in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle.
Two 2020 relay teams also hold current school records, the 200-free team of Gute, Emily Wingert, Marin Powell and Liz Purtle and the 400-free team of Gute, Wingert, Powell and Purty.
Chelsea Hartwig still holds the 500-free record she set in 2005; Haiden Jennings holds the 11-dive mark set in 2013; Kennedey Bass the 6-dive mark set in 2015; Erin Kokemiller in both the 200-IM and 100-breaststroke set in 2016 and the 200-medley team of Madelynn Santi, Kokemiller, Haley Hall and
Annemarie DeVries they set in 2016.
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BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS: Wayne E. Larson, 88, Stratford. Born in Dayton. DHS-51. Furthered his education at Drake and the University of Northern Iowa. Army vet. Taught briefly at Webster City but then spent 35 years total being the Superintendent of Schools at Northeast Hamilton in Blairsburg, Ida Grove and Stratford. In retirement, he added 20 years as a school bus driver. Wayne married Carol Sackrison in 1960. Survivors include two sons, including Jay Larson of Stratford and two brothers........Rebecca Jordan, 67, Madrid.
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Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email your stories/memories/comments.....
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