SAME OLD, SAME OLD

     What a disapointment! The old Kornerman looked in the mirror this morn hoping things may have changed. A Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt look or even a Dick Clark look would be acceptable. But nothing I could see was really different which, upon reflection, is alright. After all, as the late film star Audrey Hepburn explained, "Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you're exactly the same." Hey, I'll take that.
     Yes, my life's book, had I written it, would have turned to the 80th page on this very day, March 18, 2015. I'm told I was born on a Monday afternoon under the astrological sign Pisces with a life path number of 3, whatever that means. My fortune cookie reads, "To Love is to Forgive." Sounds good! My birthstone is Aquamarine and my birth flower is the daffodil. Won't Mary Maybee love that? O.K., I accept reality, the way things really are. Everything's great, well, except, maybe, for one thing. For a real bit of excitement I have to wait another 24 hours. Tis' said that my lucky day is tommorrow, Thursday, and every Thursday thereafter. I can hardly wait. You guessed it. I'll be looking in that mirror again first thing tommorrow morning and I suppose it's alright if everything, again, still remains the same.
K-----K
     By now, even you out-of-towners are probably aware of Boonetown's top story of the week. A building that once housed Lynn's Lounge on the north side collapsed or, at least, one wall gave in, completely opening up some apartments "innards" to the outside world. Thankfully, nobody was injured.
     That has opened up lots of memories of old northside businesses for the town coffee drinkers and was also the basis of a note from Pat Olofson, BHS-69, who wrote, "I talked to my dad, who is  88 and will be 89 in June, and he was not aware of the building collapse. However, he went on to tell me about Lynn's being a Coney Island owned by a Greek family when he was growing up in the 30's. He also told me of a place south of the tracks, just east of the viaduct, where manufactured gas was stored and sold. I don't remember it but I do remember the huge water reservoir in the same area. He talked about 6' wooden water mains and J.C. Petersons' being located north of the tracks. He mentioned when he came to town from Stratford in the 30's and went as far south as Moffitt's, you were out of town. It's nice to hear about what Boone looked like years ago. I'm sure others know of the same things. Keep the column going, it's great. It's interesting, informative and just plain nice to read. There's no end to stories from/or about Boone Iowa."
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     Janelle Givens Henry, BHS-70, wrote in response to the query in the last edition by Mary Beth Waldman, BHS-78, regarding the way the Toreador nickname was achieved. Janelle pretty much verified, via a 1926 Scroll, what the Kornerman had said was the catalyst for the nickname. Boone High's basketball team that year had played three games in less than six days against Marshalltown, Fort Dodge and Ames teams at Marshalltown and had earned the nickname because the Marshalltown newspaper stated the games Boone played in resembled a bull fight. BHS had been seeking a nickname for some time with no success until those games in Marshalltown and the accompaning newspaper clipping gave them an acceptable idea.
     Janelle found some other things of interest in various Scrolls. In 1925, the Pepstir Club (later named the Pep Club) was formed with each member having their own green or red fez. In 1924, baseball was first started with four teams, each including a Captain and three members from each class. However, there were no scholastic games scheduled.  In the 1922 Scroll it was mentioned that it was the second year for wrestling. In the 1919 book it stated that there were red and green carnations on tables at the banquet honoring the undefeated football team. Janelle said, "I had a great time looking at the old pictures."
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     Quick Hits: (1) John Kueck, BHS-61, wrote, "I never tried the different tenderloins recently mentioned but I wrote several months ago about Clyde Moore's. My guess is it stacked up to the others mentioned, but it was not a feature like his hamburgers were. I wonder if anyone had both Clyde's and the Cookie Jars tenderloins?" John also extended a happy birthday to the Kornerman.
     (2) Many Kornerman thanks also to Vern and Ken Zanker for their special birthday card and greeting,  to Roger and Lou Oxenford and Kathleen Wheelock for the nice email St. Patrick's Day cards they sent and to Loren Frazier, BHS-58, and Steve Hilts, BHS-62, for birthday greetings.
     (3) Noticed in the Iowa High School Girls State Basketball program that one of the competing teams was Red Oak and their coach was Dan Martinez. I assume that was the Dan Martinez that taught and coached in Boone many years ago. I believe his wife was Nina or Nita? and I believe she also taught. Both were outstanding tennis players and were very much involved in the school and the cities tennis program while they were here. Then too, I know they went from here to Red Oak so I'm quite confident that truly is THE Dan Martinez, a one-time Boone resident.
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     Boone Area Deaths: Dorothy Harris, 82, Boone. Worked at Pamida for 20 years, then CDS Global for 18 years prior to retirement in January of 2014. Boone area survivors include her son Kim and daughters, Laurie Platter and Julie Harris............LaVern Hilsabeck, 76, Boone..............Arnie Carlson, 78, Stratford. Stratford-54. Born in Boone, longtime Boone County farmer. Boone area survivors include his wife, Donna, and sons, Greg, Grant and Rick of Stratford.........May Anderson, 93, Madrid. MHS grad. Was a rural school teacher and then a medical aide at the Madrid Home prior to retirement. Madrid friends surviving are Connie Wicker and the Nalean family.
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     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 710 Aldrich, Boone, Iowa 50036-4703. Phone number is 515-432-1530. To email your stories/memories/comments/support........
kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.