After reading our recent edition about the Boone County Hospital, Ozark Vern.......Vern Modeland, BHS-50 that is..... had some memories of some of those early years of the hospital.
Vern wrote, "your Korner got me thinking about what the hospital looked like and what it was like to work in when my mother was a nurse there, circa, the late 1930's. The hospital sat on a modest hill in the 1930's with its main entrance a "Sally Port" opening to the west on a curved drive that opened at the intersections of the two streets whose names I can't recall. It was a red brick construction with polished wooden floors inside. There wasn't enough room for a nurses residence to the southeast. Hard to imagine,isn't it? My grandfather's house was just beyond and across whatever street that is/was. Mom (Cecil Modeland) used to recall, vividly, being on duty when that fire you mentioned happened. She was in surgery, administering anesthetic while the surgeon did his work. The anesthetic of the day was ether, a highly explosive substance. But, they stayed the course and finished the surgery. I recall also when Mamie Eisenhower was, briefly, a patient there. Ike, of course, was commander of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). He visited briefly with some of us youngsters of the day in the ER entrance while there to visit her. That resulted in a photo in the Des Moines Sunday Register. The city of Boone has every reason to be proud of its exemplary hospital for lots of memories for us old, old folks."
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Our man Pete.......Pete Kostelnick, BHS-2005, is still rarin' to go. Known nationally and even internationally as a very successful, very looooong distance runner, has been among just 100 runners who have been selected to compete in the annual Badwater 135 in July.
Let's stop right there.........so we can all get a much better read on exactly what this marathon run is all about.
Its called the "World's Toughest Foot Race" and here's why.
Covering 135 miles, non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA., its the most extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. It offers its winner the 135 mile World Championship.
The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280' BELOW sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300', which is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the HIGHEST point in the contiguous United States. The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600' of cumulative descent. Competitors travel through places or landmarks with names like Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil's Cornfield, Devil's Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs, Darwin Keeler, Lone Pine, Alabama Hills, and the Sierra Nevada.
So, the route extends from low to high, fiery heat to bitter cold.
So, why is this brutal challenge being accepted.......again?
In Pete's own words, "I told myself last year when I failed to make it to the finish, that I would either hang this up or come back ready next time. Ready can mean a lot of things, including being injury free. I think and hope my time off from running recently will help, but it's attending to all the details between now and July 11th that will ultimately tell."
Winning events like the Badwater, he's won it twice previously, are not new to Pete who has been an ultimate winner. He's still known, primarily, for his record 3,100 mile journey by foot in 2016 from the San Francisco City Hall to the New York City Hall in 42 days, six hours and 30 minutes. The 34 year old AVERAGED over eight minutes per mile during that long journey and that was straight running compared to the many inhumane challenges the Badwater poses.
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BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS
Allan Lee Knudsen, 64, Urbandale. Grew up in Boone. BHS-76. Was a Toreador baseball pitcher. University of Iowa law school, 1983. Was a bank examiner for the Iowa Department of Banking. In 1989, began his 31-year career at Iowa State Bank as a Vice President/Trust Officer in the Trust Department. Retired in 2020. A Make-A-Wish volunteer for over 20 years, he helped establish Jolly Holiday Lights and the formation of the Des Moines Kiwanis Miracle Baseball League. An avid golfer. Five siblings survive.
Ann Louise Anders, 93, Cincinnati, OH. Formerly of Boone. Was a member of Boone Presbyterian church. A daughter and son survive.
Judy Ann Moore, 81, Boone. Grew up in Tracy Iowa. Tracy HS-59. Was very athletic.In 1973, married John Moore. In 1959, became a telephone operator for Northwestern Bell in Des Moines. She had a long and highly respected career as a pioneer in the telephone industry. Working for several phone companies, in several cities, she eventually landed in Boone as a Regional Manager. She retired from U.S. West in 1990 after a 31-year career in the telephone industry. She worked for the Boone Community School District and the Iowa High School Athletic Association before her second retirement in 2003. Survivors include a daughter, Jonna Sondall and Fiance' Stan Vetterick, a step-son, step-daughter, brother, sister and sister-in-law.
Troy Duane Brower, 55, Madrid. Born in Boone. BHS-84.He was a pitcher on the Toreador baseball team. DMACC, where he earned valedictorian honors. On a bowling scholarship he attended the University of Nebraska but then came home to attend ISU for a degree in finance. He worked for Brunswick Bowling in Colorado and then worked his way up to an area supervisor job with Subway. Troy concluded his working career owning and operating Tiger Bowl in Madrid. An avid bowler, he started the sport at age 13 and had his first of many 300 games at 16. He became the youngest bowler in Iowa to be inducted into the Bowling Hall of Fame. Troy and Michelle O'Brien were married in 1998 and made their home in Madrid. Survivors include his parents, Max and Judy Brower of Boone, his wife, Michelle, and daughter Hallie of Madrid, his sister, aunt Leann Freel of Boone and an uncle.
Nicholas (Nick) Dodson, 38, Lehigh. Born in India. Southwest Webster/Grand Community HS-2002. Attended DMACC, Ankeny campus and farmed in Webster and Boone counties.He also operated a truck/tractor business in Dayton. Survivors include his mother and sister.
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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/death notices......
kelleyskorner1@gmail.com
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