SPARE TIME MEANDERING

     I, the Kornerman, hope you're not expecting any miraculous moments in this edition.

     I guess I would title today's Korner......"Spare Time Meandering." Just some items I've happened to scan during some holiday "down time."

     I was surprised to note in the November/December, 2021, edition of the Iowan magazine a note or two about Boone which, of course, would always pique my interest.

    There's an article, "Signs of the Times" which highlights the big neon-lit motel signs, past or present, on the sides of Iowa highways. In this particular mention.....the side of the Lincoln Highway, Highway 30.

    Erich Gaukel, in his story, writes of all the post-war travel Americans did and that spurred the establishment of roadside motels along major highways. He said the motel buildings, unremarkable for the most part, relied on flashy signs to lure in the travelers.

    The old Topper Motel in Boone is mentioned in the story and, in fact, a full-page photo of the Topper is shown. 

    Postcards that featured the Topper proclaimed that it was, "the first stop from the east and the last stop from the west." I wonder how many Boone folks have an old Topper postcard in their possession?

    By the way, for you "newer" residents, the Topper was located north of the current downtown Subway and south of the Century Link building....on the same side of the street between Mamie and Fifth street.

    If I recall right, the final owners of the Topper was Alex Mahood, that talented drummer man, and his family. I'm sure I'll hear different information if I'm wrong.

K-----K

   Then, in a recent Des Moines Register was a note about a Boone County item that I was completely unaware of. The story was citing several Iowa points of interest that may not be generally known by many Hawkeye State citizens.

   The question was asked, "The famous horse Farceur lived at Oakdale Farm in Boone County. What was his breed?"

   Quite a detailed answer was given but I'll just note some highlights. The breed was Belgian and the barn at Oakdale Farm is the gravesite of the champion Belgian stallion Farceur.

   Farceur was imported from Belgian in 1912, was undefeated at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair and was purchased by C.G. Good of the Ogden area in 1917 at a horse sale in Waterloo. Good paid $47,500, the highest price ever paid at the time for a draft stallion. His name still appears on Belgian pedigrees, including all the horses at Oakdale Farm a century later.

   Farceur died in 1921 and was buried following a European custom, standing up, beneath his stall, along the south side of the barn.

   C.G. Good's great-grandson, Denny Good, restored the barn and no other stallion has been housed in Farceur's stall in 100 years.

K-----K

   Then, finally, anyone who has been in Boone for a time is familiar with the Teddy Roosevelt statue in McHose Park. Have you ever wondered why that is there?

   James and Ella McHose donated the park to the city and they were great admirers of Roosevelt, our 26th President, who campaigned to develop national parks and promote conservation.

   Through his efforts,150 national forests, five national parks, 28 national monuments, 51 federal bird reservations and four national game preserves were established.

   The McHose donation included a condition that a large sculpture of President Roosevelt be erected in a central location in the park. It was erected in 1946.

K-----K

   BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS

   Leroy (Butch) Behling, 83, Boone. BHS-56. Was a Boone city fireman prior to retirement. Survivors include his wife Morene (Betsy) Behling, a son, Bill, and a daughter, Shirley Wirtz, all of Boone.

   Michael Layne Butler, 74, Boone. Army and National Guard vet. Received a degree in business administration from Florida Atlantic. He married Barbara Carlson in Boone in 1968 and in 1979, the couple moved back to Boone. He was involved in several sales positions. Survivors include his wife, Barbara, of Boone, a son, a daughter and a brother.

   Patrick Eugene (Gene) Pepper, 87, Boone. Jordan HS-52. National Guardsman. Married Margaret Carlson in 1958 and she passed away in 1987. Married Janet Platter Carman in 1993 and she died in 2017. Survivors include a son, Dave Pepper, of rural Boone and a brother, Bill Pepper, of Boone.

   Richard White, Ames. The White family lived in Boone and  Richard attended BHS until his junior year when the family moved to Ames. AHS-58. Richard was an Ames school teacher for 35 years.

   Beverly Hanson, 93, Ames. She served as a nurse at several Hamilton and Boone County facilities. Was also a Stratford school nurse. Three daughters survive.

   Ralph Kiel, 68, Norwalk. His working years included time at Quinn's in Boone.

   Daniel Ivis, 64, Ames. Formerly of Boone. Was an insurance adjuster in Des Moines.

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 your stories/memories/comments/death notices.....

kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.