I, the Kornerman, Jerry Manriquez and the late Gretchen Otis are/were collectors. I guess all humans are collectors of sorts, with various items that have been accumulated over the years. And, when you get to the "upper ages" of those years, its amazing the material that clogs all available space..........basement, attic, etc.
But, that mentioned trio succumbed to a special, a unique, collection affliction........all things Boone, with an even more special lean toward Boone High and Boone Sacred Heart histories or mysteries.
Jerry, BHS-57, has that wonderful website of his that is more than a huge fistful of great such information. Hours, even days, can be spent joyfully perusing his site and bringing back the magic of those school days, rule days of years ago.
Gretchen Caldwell Otis, BHS-57, was completely unafraid of stepping on anyone's toes when it came to ferreting out information on activities involving former BHS or BSH students. She would follow every lead possible, including those obtained via numerous phone conversations, locally and beyond, to locate career paths, deaths, weddings and moves etc. etc. pertaining to former Booneites.
The Kornerman? BHS-53. Being in the "news" business throughout much of my life, I had an easier way of obtaining such historical info.......and I just kept adding and adding more with no inclination to ever really "clean it out."
Unfortunately, there does come a time. Age prevails and its a sure bet that a day will come when the "collecting" is over. Gretchen, of course, is gone and a valuable resource disappeared with her passing. Jerry and I, 83 and 87 respectively, are still active today but who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Meantime, Jerry and I now begin wondering, more often than not, "what does the future hold (if any) for all of this vast information we have accumulated." Its been hard, but we've already faced the realization that the younger generation has so many different directions to take their lives these days that anything historical is of little interest to most.
On his website, Jerry has listed every BHS/BSH graduate each year, starting in (gasp) 1889. However, I noticed recently that the 2015 class was the last so honored. That fact and my recent acquisition of some very old Scrolls prompted me to contact Jerry.
To my question, he replied, "I stopped listing because Boone High did not want to send them to me." Regarding old Scrolls, Jerry never did keep them "on hand." He just made copies and returned them to the senders. He added, "I tried giving some scrolls to the Historical Society but they said they didn't want them, since they already had them?"
In all honestly, Jerry did confess, "since I'm getting long in the tooth, it takes so long to scan, improve and convert the scrolls for upload that I don't want to do it anymore. Also, the new yearbooks are so large now, not like our old yearbooks."
So, here we are......a couple old duffers with an unknown, but limited amount of time remaining, and lots of historical information with no future destination determined. By the way, we're still accumulating more every day it seems. I guess you could say its habit forming.
When the time comes, would you be interested?
BOONE CONNECTED/AREA DEATHS
Diana Dee Knauf, 67, Boone. Services in Hampton. A later service in Boone.
Michael Eugene Swarts, 73, Boone. Born in Illinois. East Moline HS. Married Sue A. Swarts in Boone in 1990. Worked at Ryko Manufacturing in Grimes. Served on the Boone City Park Board. Was active with the Des Moines River Ridge Riders ATV club and the Rail Car Riders. Survivors include a daughter and Boone grandsons, John and Bill Ward. Services in Perry.
Michael Hathaway-Madison, 58, Nevada. Survivors include his husband, Brad, a son, Nathan Madison, of Madrid, three daughters, including Brittney Mathre of Madrid and Clarissa Luther of Luther. A sister and sister-in-law also survive. Services in Nevada.
George D. Pestotnik, 83, Boone. Born in Boone. Married Colleen Westrum in Stratford in 1958. Colleen passed in 1995. The couple made their home in Stratford, moved to Longmont, CO in 1966 and back to Boone in 1969. Worked at Massey Ferguson for 14 years, owned and operated a auto detailing shop in Boone, worked at Ames Cycles and retired from Toyota in Ames. A big auto race fan, he raced go carts and every Saturday night during race season, you could find him in the V.I.P booth at the Boone Speedway. Survivors include his son, Tim, his sister, Betsy Behling, and brother, David, all of Boone. Three sisters-in-law also survive. Services in Boone.
Belva Ann Vest, 89, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in Paton. Educated in Boxholm. Married Keith Vest in Ogden in 1951. The couple had a son, Jeff, and a daughter, Jane, and lived and farmed near Boxholm until retiring in 1980 and moving to Boone. Son-in-law Mark Trueblood of Ogden is a survivor. Services in Ogden and Boxholm.
John Bernhard McGee, 82, Arvada, Co. Born in Boone. BHS-58. As a high school senior, he joined the Iowa National Guard, where he began flying and maintaining helicopters and airplanes, as well as repairing radios in jets. Earned an Associate Degree from Boone Junior College, majored in accounting at Drake and graduated from the Iowa Military Academy in 1961. Saw active duty in Europe and Viet Nam. Retired from the National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1978. He stocked fish by airplane in Oregon, performed helicopter logging in Washington and fought forest fires all over the western states. He also piloted avalanche bombings in Colorado and was a pilot for Flight for Life in Denver. He retired in 2001. Survivors include his wife, Sharon, his brother, Russell McGee, BHS-49, a son, a daughter, a step-son and step-daughter.
John Coleman, 82, BHS-58. Survivors include his wife, Leilia.
Terri Lynn Munford, 63, Des Moines. Married Robert Munford. The couple made their home in Madrid. Terri worked as a Health Aid for Wesley Life Care Services. A daughter, Michaela Johnson of Madrid is a survivor. A son and brother also survive. Services in Bondurant.
Molly Pauline Nash-Holman, 41, Boone. Born in Anamosa. BHS-1999. In 2014, married Steven Ray Holman in Boone. Worked at BioLife in Ames, was a Certified Pharmacy Technician for Walgreen's and finished her career at HyVee. She was a proud military wife. Survivors include her husband, Steven, sons Nathan Holman and Ryan Holman, step-son Kalvin Holman and her mother, Sindee Bechtel all of Boone. A Celebration of Life is planned for a later date.
Leo W. Ray, 75, Ogden. Born in Boone. Ogden schools. Was a railroad trackman for 33 years until retirement in 2007. Married Geraldene Curry in Boone in 1964. Survivors include four daughters including Teresa Brown of Ogden and Brenda Davis of Boone. A brother-in-law, Les Curry of Pilot Mound also survives. Services in Ogden.
Barbara Marie Gibbs, 81, Ogden/Eastern Star. Born in Missouri Valley. BHS-58. Married David Allan Gibbs in 1959. After raising her kids, she worked for 10 years as the "Shake Lady" at the Boone High School cafeteria. She was an accomplished seamstress and had a great love for animals. She enjoyed her lifelong "Girls Week" friends, LaVonne Warak Elfing, Karen Dutton Harris, Karen Mustapha Langmade and Priscilla Chinstedt Thomsen. Survivors include her husband, David, a son, Mike, two daughters, Annette Satre and Diane Brown, two brothers, John and Christopher, and a sister, Mary Smith. Services in Boone.
K-----K
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