MORE SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS

     I'm not done.

     Many interested people, especially those who have moved elsewhere, out-of-state or even in-state, missed my presentation, "BOONE-My Kind of Town" in October, 2023, at the Boone County Historical Society.

     A recording of the talk was made and is available for listening at the BCHS but that is no solution for outsiders. So, I've attempted to relate in this column some of the highlights of that speech. We've already issued several updates with more to come.

     Please keep in mind that there's no way I can accurately describe the original speech word-by-word (there was no script for the 90-minute presentation), so what I release in the Korner is a much more detailed version of those remembrances.

     First, I must say I feel so blessed by the fact that, in my long life, so many amazing things have "gone my way." It seems as if I've, so often, benefitted by simply "being in the right place at the right time." Today's remembrance is a good example of that.

     When I was working as Sports Editor at the Boone News Republican in the 1960's, it was a given that I would follow all area sports teams and team members and write about their accomplishments. I, perhaps, didn't know that I would be expected to also be a photographer.

     I had no previous interest and absolutely no experience in that skill.

     Fortunately, a co-worker, Rollie Peterson, was an experienced professional photographer who was in constant demand for photo coverage of weddings and other important events in addition to his normal newspaper duties.

     In those days, the newspaper provided equipment was much less sophisticated that it is today. In fact, we used those bulky "black box" type cameras that were often seen in movies of that day.

     Good old Rollie gave me a quick lesson. If I recall right, he said, "you don't have to buy the film, so don't worry about how much the job requires. Just pick out your subject, highlight it by shooting at several various angles and at least one decent picture should become available."

     In one of my first newspaper photographic experiences I hauled that cumbersome black box camera to Goeppinger Field where a track meet was being held.

     Oh yes, there's the pole vault taking place. O.K. I pointed that hefty camera skyward and started shooting just as Toreador athlete Clyde Hovick, BHS-66, was sailing over the bar.

     I didn't realize it at the time but I had just witnessed and taken several camera shots of Clyde becoming the very first Iowa high school athlete to ever clear 14-feet in the pole vault.

     When I found that out, I was very anxious to get that film back to the office to see if any of the shots I had taken  were acceptable.

     One of the shots was especially beautiful......couldn't have been better. If I remember right, I think it found its way to the sports pages of the Des Moines Register.

     Young Clyde Hovick started vaulting as a seventh grader, using bamboo poles. In the last meet of his eighth grade season, using a steel pole, he cleared 10-4, which, at that time, was believed to be the best mark ever for an Iowa athlete that young.

     As a freshman, Hovick cleared 11-foot and as a sophomore 12-foot. As a junior student, he cleared 12-10 3/4 indoors and 13-1 1/2 outdoors.

     His senior campaign began successfully with a 13-2 winning record at the State Indoor meet. A bit later, he did 13-7 and a season long rivalry with a Villisca vaulter began. Both cleared 13-9 at the Drake Relays and the two went back and forth all season long.

     Finally, Hovick, in the Toreador Relays, set a new meet and school record and became the first Iowa prep vaulter to clear 14-foot. The official mark was 14-0 3/4.

     Clyde was a fine all-around Toreador athlete. He also played defensive end or corner back at 130 pounds for the famous 1964 undefeated and top-ranked BHS football team as well as being a pitcher-outfielder on two good Boone High baseball teams, including the 1965 state championship club.

     At the University of Northern Iowa, he set a school record but explained, "I only improved four inches in four years."

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......http://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Scott Reynold Fank, 23, Boone. Born in Ames. Homeschooled/L.P.J. Academy-18. DMACC. An electrical engineering degree from ISU in 2023. Interned at PowerFilm Solar in Ames and completed two semesters of a foreign exchange program in South Korea. Loved being creative and had a zeal for discovering hands-on learning. Enjoyed a wide  range of interests from music to sports, photography, cooking etc. Survivors include his parents, Michael and DeAnna Fank, and three siblings, Heidi (Calvin) Leeds, HolliAnna Fank and Luke Fank all of Boone. Services in Stratford.   

     Mary Elizabeth Fosenburg Jones, 96, Boone/Westhaven. Formerly of Ogden. Born in Woodward. North HS/Des Moines. Married Robert C. Jones in Omaha in 1947. They later divorced. Mary worked 20 plus years at ISU before retirement. After retirement, she started a part-time cleaning business and volunteered at the Boone County Hospital and area nursing homes. She loved to dance, the outdoors, playing cards, watching TV, nature rides through the Ledges and 50's/60's music. Survivors include four adult children, Susan Clauson, Bob (Rae) Jones, Tim Jones and Jill Dobson. Services in Boone.   

      Connie Rene' Stewart Hadley, 60, Wilmore, KY. Born in Boone. BHS-82. Earned an Associate's Degree from DMACC and a Bachelor's Degree in Christian Education and Religion from Northwestern College in Orange City. In 1991, she received her Master of Arts and Religion in Christian Education with a minor in Music from Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. She was employed by Subway and Asbury University. Loved children and enjoyed spending time with them at the Jessamine Early Learning Village. Music and art were also important to her. Survivors include her husband, Matthew Hadley, a son, and a sister. She is also survived by her father, C. Eugene Stewart of Boone. A Celebration of Life will be held in Boone.   

      Pearl L. Cole, 91, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in Boone. BHS-50. Married Elmer Warman in 1963. They divorced. Pearl worked at Northwestern Bell for 34 years until 1986. She had also worked for Mountain Bell in Denver. Was a member of the Des Moines Telephone Pioneers of America and enjoyed sports, traveling, playing cards and growing flowers. Survivors are two sisters, including Betty (Rawleigh) Mowrer of Boone. Services in Boone.

     Daniel Thomas Siegler, 84, Bemidji, MN. Born in Chicago. BHS-58. Greenville College until U.S. Army service. In 1968, he resumed his college studies at Northern Illinois University. Earned a B.A. degree in 1971. He and his fiance', Susan Aguinaga built a house in Puposky and they were married in 2003. Daniel loved nature and was a homesteader who enjoyed maple syruping, gardening, canning, cooking and cutting firewood. Loved music and reading. Survivors include his wife, Susan, two sisters and his best friend, Terry (Cassandra) Duy. Celebration of Life will be held later.   

     John Thomas Warren, 77, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in Des Moines. Waukee HS-64. Married Janice Felt in Waukee in 1966. Worked for Firestone and joined the Iowa National Guard where he was a Warrant Officer and full-time communication technician at Camp Dodge. Moved his family to Boone in 1977 when he became part owner of Fairchild Communications. Health issues forced retirement in 2015. Hawkeye fan, loved Canadian fishing and grilling, with steaks being a specialty. Survivors include his wife, Janice, a daughter, DeNae (Tim) Foster and two brothers. A private family service.

     Rodney Lemon, 57, Winterset. Boone racing was a favorite pastime. Services in Winterset.

THE GREATNESS OF JACK MUSTAPHA JR.

     I, the Kornerman, though knowing it was enroute, immediately refused acceptance. But there it was......

     Jack Henry Mustapha, 76, passed away Wednesday morning, about 3 a.m., February 21, 2024, at Veterans Hospital in Des Moines.  

     I don't know about you, but I felt his death closed out an important part, an exciting part of my life's long history.

     Caitlin Clark's Iowa basketball history continues to grow while Jack's baseball history has concluded. The achievements of both, however, are destined to always remain timeless.

     Perhaps, other than family members, no one has followed Jack's baseball career as closely and as long as I have.

     He and I were neighbors in the 17th and Crawford area, I, as a young adult, and he as a youngster, eight years old in the 1950's.  Who couldn't recognize this young lad and his dad playing catch with a baseball, day after day after day, regardless of the weather, in Mustapha's backyard. Iowa's winter weather? Didn't matter. On those days, he was bundled up in a heavy jacket, hood and a winter glove on his LEFT hand. Back and forth, back and forth.

     This daily routine with his dad, Jack Mustapha Sr., continued for several years, until junior got too big and strong for senior. Jack senior, the Boone Fire Chief, was an exceptional athlete himself at BHS and Northern Illinois University and taught his son the various pitching intricacies, aim high/low, inside/outside, on the corners and how to add speed. Everything EXCEPT the art of throwing a curveball. That lesson wasn't even considered until a 14th birthday arrived.

      Little League started in Boone at just the right time. "When we were 12 years old, I couldn't hit him, nobody could," Bob Atherton, BHS-65, recently stated. Musty led the Boone boys to a state Little League championship.

     The Boone Babe Ruth League was  next and certain to be more of a challenge. Well, not really. In 1962, he led his Boone All-Stars to a State championship in Hampton, a Regional (7 state winners) championship in Wellington, Kansas and a berth in the Babe Ruth World Series in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Only eight Ruth teams from around the world were World Series contenders. The travel weary 13-15 year old boys lost a pair of games, including a rainy first rounder.

     Even reaching Iowa's biggest stage, the Iowa High School Baseball program, nothing changed. He just kept getting better and better and continued to dominate his opponents. Jack was 10-0 in his 1963 sophomore campaign with 131 strikeouts in 82 innings on a team that finished 17-8. In 1964, his junior season, Mustapha was 12-2 with 174 strikeouts in 97 innings and a 1.44 earned run average on a squad that finished 20-5.

    The pinnacle was reached in 1965 after a less than glorious beginning. Somehow, Mustapha contacted a serious illness that kept him from starting that much anticipated campaign. The Toreadors lost five games early when Musty was unable to "answer the call." The Boone team lost only six games all season.

     Superlatives reigned as Mustapha regained his health and full potential was reached. The aftermath of that illness was simply miraculous, teamwise, and, of course, with Mustapha, healthy again, leading the way.

     Read the following two paragraphs at least twice.....to get the full flavor of some of the mound greatness of Jack Mustapha.

     In the 1965 team's last 12 games of the season, he allowed just seven hits, two UNEARNED runs with 118 strikeouts in some 60 innings of work. 

     During that final stretch, the state tournament stretch, all team wins of course, he pitched six games. Five of the six were no-hitters and all six were shutouts. Three of the five no-hitters came IN SUCCESSION in the final three games of the state tournament, sub-state victories over North Tama and Shenandoah and a 2-0 victory over Burlington in the state title game at Williamsburg. Those feats remain unreachable and may never be challenged.

     Hall of Fame coach Bill Sapp guided that state championship team to a 21-6 finish.

     By the way, for his total high school career, Mustapha finished with an overall 31-2 record. In some 243 innings, he earned 430 strikeouts. In addition, his seven no-hitters in that '65 season still stands as an Iowa high school one season record. He also leads in state career no-hitters with 15.

      For years, the Slater Nite Hawks were the state semi-pro baseball champions. This combination of great collegians and former pros joined forces to represent Iowa in the national semi-pro tournament in Wichita, Kansas. 

      Just days after pitching the Toreadors to a state high school championship, Mustapha responded to an invitation to play a game against the Nite Hawks. He beat them too.

      Unfortunately, the conclusion of this astonishing story is sad and leaves lots of questions, lots of "could he" take that fast ball and vanishing curve to even further, more challenging success?

      The pros had followed his fantastic high school career and the St. Louis Cardinals signed him to a contract. However, just as major league greats Bob Feller, Ted Williams and others had lost time in the major leagues due to World War II, Musty was called to service during the Viet Nam crisis. Unlike Feller and Williams and others, Jack, however, never got that second chance.

      In his service time, several serious injuries in, among other things, a helicopter crash, prevailed, injuries that curtailed any chance of a future professional career.

      Perhaps unknown by many, the major league Cardinals main interest in Mustapha was his hitting potential. Throughout his high school career, he had hit for a .377 average. In fact, it was Musty and Steve Crandell who drove in the runs in that 2-0 state championship victory over Burlington.

      Oh those were the days. Who knew those laborious games of catch at a very early age would eventually lead to such amazing feats? 

      Jack Mustapha senior, a former Toreador, and Clint Kelley, a former Ames Little Cyclone Hall of Fame selectee, had battled in sports competition numerous times during their high school careers. Years later, they often recalled memories of those battles in Kelley's Superette grocery, on 17th street, an arm's length from Musty's home grounds. Of course, Jack Junior's progression as a baseball pitcher drew lots of conversation as well. Jack's mom, Pauline, clerked now and then in Kelley's store.

      Somehow I get the feeling......way up high, Jack and Jack are now meeting again and you know what the main topic of conversation will be.......intertwined, of course, with a few tosses.....back and forth, back and forth.

     

    

    

    

    

    

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

      Douglas Hilton, 69, Ames. Born in Emmetsburg. Lived in Laurens but at age 12, his parents passed and Doug was welcomed to the home of his uncle, Harold Johnson, of Boone. BHS-74, he lived in the Boone/Ames area. Woodworking was a special talent. Doug contributed to medical science by allowing his body to be used for research. He was the first in the nation used in a special gene study intended to help repair organs in a living body. Survivors include his uncle, Harold, and four siblings including Roger Hilton of Boone.   

      Barbara Lincoln, 70, Perry. Born in Missouri. Grew up in Boone before settling in Perry. Married Mark Lincoln. Had a special affection for dogs and enjoyed numerous gambling trips to Nevada. Survivors include her husband, Mark, and two sons. Services in Perry.  

      Duane Rex Burk, 86, West Des Moines. Born in Boone. Rippey HS. Air Force vet. Married Patricia in 1964. Duane worked for Massey Ferguson and Wright Welding Supply until retirement. Survivors include his wife, a son, a daughter and a sister. Services in West Des Moines.

     John Lee "Bull" Wheelock, 73, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in Boone. Army vet. Received GED while in service. Married Donna Sizemore in Missouri in 1973. They devorced. Lived most of his life in Eldora and Boone. Was a truck driver and then 40 plus years as an auto mechanic Had his own shop, John's Auto, from 1983-91, then worked for several area shops before retiring. He enjoyed cars, trucks, motorcycles, races, his pet wolf, Nakota, and professional wrestling. Survivors include his daughter, Misty (fiance' Thomas Shaw) Pickens and a granddaughter, Jeanie Foster, both of Boone. Services in Boone.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

      Jack Henry Mustapha Jr., 76, Pleasant Hill. Born in Boone. BHS-65. Holds virtually all of the Boone High School baseball pitching records. Was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. Signed a pro contract with the St. Louis Cardinals but a professional career was halted due to military service and some serious injuries suffered during that service. After discharge, Jack was a State Trooper, the Police Chief in Madrid and he retired from working for the Iowa Workforce Development organization, working in welfare reform. Survivors include his wife, Janice, a son, a daughter and his sister Karen Langmade, a resident of Boone. A brief service will be held at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

      Donald Christian Bruene, 88, Grimes. Born near Gladbrook. Toledo HS-54. Married Rita Petersen in 1957. Air Force vet. After discharge from the service in 1983, started farming near Traer. Moving to Toledo, Don worked at the Big Bear farm store and Rita ran her own ceramic business. In 1989, the couple moved to Boone where Don managed the local farm store until retirement. In 2017, the couple moved to Grimes. Don enjoyed gardening, growing flowers and following his granddaughters activities. Survivors include a son Wayne, a daughter Sharon, a sister and a brother. Services in Johnston.

     Dorothy Elaine Thompson Bovey, 98, Boone/Eastern Star. Formerly of Pilot Mound. Born in Ogden. OHS-43. Was a telephone operator for Ogden Telephone. Married Wayne Bovey in 1945. The couple resided in Pilot Mound and farmed until 1958 when they purchased Bovey Grocery and Locker in Pilot Mound. They operated the grocery until Wayne's death in 1966. Dorothy continued to work in the grocery and also at the Pilot Mound post office. She enjoyed quilting, reading and doing crossword puzzles. Moved to Boone in 2008. Survivors include a son, Brian (Denette) Bovey of Boone and a daughter. Services in the spring. 

     Robert Eugene Burgess, 70, Ogden. Born in Boone. OHS-71. Married Debbie Jean Chiles in 1977. Worked for John Deere Ankeny for 33 years. In retirement, worked for Highway Farms in Ogden. He loved gardening, canning vegetables and fishing. Survivors include his wife, Debbie, of Ogden, two sons, including Chad (Christy) Thede of Ogden and two sisters. Services in Ogden.

     Finis Charles (Charley) Jones, 80, Madrid. Formerly of Oklahoma. Born in Oklahoma. Started calling Iowa "home" in 1962. Married Karen S. Jones in Eagle Grove in 1988. Was a Jack of all Trades but auto mechanic work and being a cowboy made him happiest. He loved horses, hunting and fishing. Survivors include his wife, Karen, of Madrid, two sons and a daughter. No services will be held.

    

     

FORMER PLAYER CONNECTS; MORE ABOUT CLARK

     I, the Kornerman, always enjoy hearing from or seeing one of my old ballplayers. I had just been discharged from U.S. Army service in 1958 and "back home" was immediately invited to be a Babe Ruth League baseball manager. I certainly never dreamed, at that time, that it would be 25 years later before I finally yielded those duties to a younger enthusiast. 

     Larry Lindmark, BHS-63, was on my very first team and I just received a note from him. Not baseball but fashion was on his mind.

     Larry wrote, "in recent years, a popular jean style has been to have horizontal rips or tears across the thigh area. I've even noticed this kind of wearing apparel is suitable for the winter months as well as summertime. When I was in grade school, if my mom saw a hole developing in the knees of my jeans, she would quickly iron on a denim patch to prevent the hole from becoming larger, thus, increasing the longevity of the jeans. Now, a buyer can purchase jeans with a ready-made hole. However, the rage in the late 1950's and early 60's was to wear bright colored trousers, red or blue or green or maybe even yellow. Now that, was fashionable."

     Editor's note: I remember sitting at a mall years ago and across the way was a store selling these jeans with holes in the knee area. It gave me a great idea. I remembered that I had lots of old jeans at home. I could cut holes in those jeans and see of that store would be interested in buying "my" jeans at a very reasonable price for their future sale in their store.We'd both be happy.

     More from Larry Lindmark, "Some time back, you mentioned in your posting about a home run hitter on a Little League team from Burlington. They were visiting Jimmy Archer Field as part of the state series of tournaments. That team followed the fashion of the day by having uniforms that were not uniform. Like the brightly colored slacks that were worn to Boone schools, Burlington players were outfitted with brightly colored uniforms. One player was decked out in bright green pants and jersey and another had bright blue pants and jersey and another was in red. The team was wearing a variety of colors while sharing the same dugout. The Major League Houston Astros and Oakland A's, you might remember, followed this 50's and 60's fad with brightly colored uniforms in the 1970's. Thanks for the memories."

     Editor's note: I can't help but mention that the Burlington Little League home run hitter was Jim Dunegan, who eventally became a Major League player. He is remembered for hitting the longest home run ever hit by a Little Leaguer at Jimmy Archer Field. It easily sailed over the outfield fence, across 10th street and hit a house before coming to rest. Anybody else remember that?

K-----K

     Amidst all of this recent Caitlin Clark talk there's been mention made of the fact that the Hawkeye star still has a women's scoring record to break.

     Here's the difference. Clark broke the NCAA record. HOWEVER, in 1981, before the NCAA recognized women's collegiate basketball as a program, Lynette Woodard, a star player at Kansas University, scored 3,649 points, 81 points more than Clark has achieved. Clark, of course, will shatter that record also in just  few more of her games in the coming weeks.

     I'm sorry.....I'm proud.....so I have to mention.........in 1989 at Wesley Chapel, Florida, that Lynette Woodard was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations

     Yes, it was me, this now very old timer from Boone Iowa who presided over that induction ceremony over 30 years ago. In my possession is a nice picture of Lynette and me and she, also, kindly, autographed my banquet program and made some nice comments.

     Lynette was a collegiate All-American, a gold medal Olympic team member and even played a short time for the Harlem Globetrotters.

     P.S. Yes....there is still one more record for Caitlin to break. The all-time NCAA scoring record, considering both men and women athletes, is the 3,667 established by Pistol Pete Maravich. Clark's 3569 total in just 98 points back of the Maravich total. 

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......http://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com.

   

    

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Melissa Sue Licata Neely, 36, Boone. Born in DeWitt. BHS-2005. DMACC and ISU. Earned a B.S. in Child, Adult and Family Services. Married Justin Neely in Boone in 2014. Has been a loan assistant at Vision Bank for 10 years. She enjoyed tending her garden and flowers, going for walks, watching Iowa wrestling with Justin and shopping. Was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct liver cancer in March of 2023. Survivors include her husband, Justin, and children Madison and Olivia, all of Boone. Her parents and a sister also survive. Services in Boone.