An era has come to a close with the death of Marcella Bruce, former co-owner of the Hillsboro Star-Journal. She and husband Kenneth ?Bud? introduced me to the newspaper business in 1959 when I was in seventh grade.
I?m not sure what they saw in me back then, but I happened to be in their daughter?s grade in school. That may have helped.
It?s almost automatic for me to think of both of them when I think of one or the other. It?s simply Bud-and-Marcella to me.
Marcella was a unique individual with many talents. She always treated me as though I was special, and I will never forget that. It was either the first or second Christmas that I was working there when they told me I could go to Hiebert?s Store and pick out a winter jacket. I thought I had won the jackpot.
She had a great sense of humor, which I appreciated.
The training I received from the Bruces, starting in my upper grade school days through my senior year in high school, gave me the tools and experience I needed to work my way through college in the newspaper and printing trade.
Because of that knowledge and their connections in the newspaper world, which helped me get work outside of Hills?boro, I owed only $750 when I finished college.
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Fans of NCAA men?s basketball in Kansas have now all had their hearts broken in post-season play. What it comes down to is that on any given day any team can beat any other team?even ones that on paper are better than they are.
Since no games are won or lost on paper, they play them on the court, which makes March Madness so interesting.
I was hoping K-State could take care of Butler, then I was hoping Baylor could take care of Duke. Now I will be for Butler all the way. Why not? It?s the first Final Four for that school.
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Now that it?s gardening time, I?d like to share a tip about another way to use newspapers after you?re done reading them.
This comes from HomeandGardenSite.com and the MMA Toolkit. Place newspapers (no glossy inserts) on tilled soil, then cover them with topsoil. When planting seedlings, punch through the paper to the tilled soil below. The newspaper liner will provide a barrier against weeds, and by the end of the gardening season it will have rotted into the dirt.
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I feel bad for Coach Don Penner, who has been helping with throwing events for the Hillsboro High track team since retiring from teaching several years ago. And this year is the first at the new Joel H. Wiens Stadium.
Due to complications from knee-replacement surgery, he spent weeks in Newton Medical Center trying to beat an infection that settled in the knee joint. He reluctantly to give up coaching for this season.
Enter Grant Overstake, a masters track-and-field champion, who will be assume Don?s role this season.
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What was Adam and Eve?s last name? I?ve always wondered. So I finally did some research and learned that until about 1200 A.D. no one had a last name.
When there were too many people with the same name, they were given a surname to tell them apart. For example, if John was a carpenter, his last name became Carpenter. If Bill came from the other side of the hill he became Bill Overhill.
