55/30 Details, A2
The Iola Register
Locally owned since 1867
Weekender Saturday, October 27, 2012
FOOTBALL
Iola Mustangs end season with a victory See B1
www.iolaregister.com
Bringing hope amid tragedy By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
“No wonder I’m so tired,” Donna Culver chuckled. She raised 10 children, completed a community degree a few courses at a time over eight years, seldom was out of work and is first to volunteer with the need arises. Wednesday she will celebrate her 80th birthday. She will be honored at a party from 2 to 4 this afternoon at the community building in Riverside Park. It was to
have been a surprise, but it’s hard to keep something like that under wraps with 10 children, 19 grandchildren and 25 greatgrandchildren. “I’ve had a good life,” Culver said, with “pretty good health. I had diphtheria when I was 12 and colon cancer at 45,” but she has had no lasting effects. She lives alone and keeps on the go, including still working with the Red Cross. In the public eye, Culver is the face of the Red
Cross. She has been involved with its humanitarian efforts since the early 1990s. “Dorothy Sherwood (a friend and another of Iola’s premier volunteer activists) went to California in the early 1990s to help with an earthquake,” Culver recalled. “I thought if she can do it, so can I.” Culver’s first assignment of consequence was in 1995 to St. Thomas, an island in the Caribbean that had been hit by Hurricane Marilyn. She had to steel herself a bit before leaving Iola: “I wasn’t used to flying.” On St. Thomas, Culver spent three weeks interviewing victims and writing vouchers so they could get clothing and shoes. “We had no (running) water and no electricity,” she said, and communications was limited with cell phones then being a novelty of little use outside of See CULVER | Page A6
This race is not a competition by STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Chanute and Iola do many things well. Both enjoy strong community support, rich historical backgrounds and special events. One shortcoming? Doing things together. The goal of next Saturday’s Portland Alley Marathon looks to change that fact. The marathon is a Thrive Allen County event, co-sponsored with the Chanute Regional Development Authority or CDRA. Up until now, any word with the prefix “co” has been few and far between for the two communities. “Growing up in Iola, I have always been aware of the aspect of competition with Chanute,” said David Toland, executive director of Thrive. He has been organizing the marathon with Tim Fairchild, a member of the CDRA, for the past several months. Fairchild said competition can be healthy in certain aspects of the community, but in many ways it can hinder economic development and relationships. “Rivalry between the communities generally runs from about 6 to 9 p.m. on Fridays nights,” Fairchild said, “and that’s the only place it should be.” The healthy sports rivalry beSee RACE | Page A6
Photos submitted by Donna Culver
Above right, Donna Culver stands outside where she was stationed during a Red Cross deployment in September 1995 to St. Thomas to help with recovery from Hurricane Marilyn. Above left, Culver poses with two National Guard soldiers who were on guard duty on St. Thomas.
See, Hear Iola By ALLISON TINN allison@iolaregister.com
Register/Steven Schwartz
From left, Murray McGee and Tim Fairchild of Chanute and Iola’s David Toland stand near the starting line of Saturday’s Portland Alley Marathon between the two cities.
Marathon nuts and bolts The marathon is set for next Saturday and Fairchild said he expects to see 100-125 runners on race day. The race is planned to start at 8:30 a.m. The route follows through downtown Chanute before heading north on Petrolia Road and west on Bridge Street to Humboldt. From Humboldt, runners will follow 1400th Street, then head east on Montana Road and weave their way to the square in Iola. Along the way, runners will pass the Ashland Grove Portland cement plant, Monarch Ce-
ment Co. plant and the former Lehigh Portland Cement Plant. Shuttles will begin transporting runners to the starting line in downtown Chanute at 6:45 a.m. from the south side of the square in Iola, across from El Charro restaurant. Once at the starting line, the first shuttles will leave just after the start of the race at 8:40 a.m. From that point, the shuttles will run every 15 minutes to drop off runners at relay points to meet their See NUTS | Page A6
Iola community members braved the cold Friday morning to attend the “See, Hear Iola!” program at the Riverside Park Community Building. City Administrator Carl Slaugh announced the dog park, Happy Tails, is almost complete with the exception of signs. It will open in the spring with a grand opening sponsored by Sonic Equipment. Realtor John Brocker had good news to report. There have been more closings in Iola versus last year. September 2011 did not have any closings in Iola and this year there were two. Becky Nilges promoted the 8 Wonders of Iola. Nominations are still being accepted and can be submitted to the Iola Public Library, city office and the chamber office. “We have treasures and wonders in our area that we look at every day and take them for granted,” Nilges said. The public will vote on the nominations at the Iola Family Reading Festival, Nov. 17. Marci Penner, author of the 8 Wonders of Kansas, will be in Iola on Nov. 16 to present at the Bowlus for free at 7 p.m. in the recital hall.
Elyssa Jackson, the new director of the Allen County Historical Society, was the keynote speaker. “I am sure you are all asking, what is a girl from California Elyssa Jackson doing in Iola,” Jackson said. “Well, I have to ask, have you seen what they charge for gas in California?” Jackson, 24, has a special place in her heart for Allen County because her grandmother, Alberta Rock, is a resident of Allen County. Jackson spoke about her plans for the historical society. “I want to make sure we know how to take care of what we have,” Jackson said. “It is yours, we just hold it and take care of it for you.” She is also making strides to “bring in the Millennium people,” by promoting social networking sites. “We have to remember we are a mission- and purpose-driven institution and our purpose is to serve the community,” she said. “Tell me how to tell our story. Come in or call me and tell me your story.”
Tough as a firefighter? Monday’s the test By ALLISON TINN allison@iolaregister.com
Monday evening, as part of the Allen County Meltdown’s Male Domination Monday, firefighters will be giving civilians a chance to see what it takes to fight fires. When someone applies to be a firefighter, the first thing they go through is a physical agility test. “We want to make sure applicants are physically fit,” Iola Fire Department Lieutenant Ryan Sell said. “If they can’t pass it then they know where they stand and can work on it.” The test is a linear course with nine stations. The test must be completed wearing bunker gear — boots, trousers, jacket, helmet and a self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
“Depending on the size of the bunker gear, it is an additional 50 pounds,” Sell said. The course must then be completed in less than 17 minutes, if taking the test as an applicant, but Monday’s test can be completed in any amount of time. “People should set a goal for themselves,” Sell said. Before the test begins, participants will have their vitals taken and again immediately after the test is completed to see how taxing the test is on the body. A third set of vitals will be taken 10 minutes post-test to see how well they recover. Sounds hard, but Sell assures it can be done. “Everyone can complete it,” he said. “It’s just a matter of whether they can complete it within the 17 minutes.” See TEST | Page A6
Vol. 115, No. 1
Stormin’ Sandy
Lannis Waters/Palm Beach Post/MCT
Eric Peterson, Tequesta Fla., casts his line and shoots some video of the crashing waves caused by Hurricane Sandy on the fishing jetty at the Jupiter Inlet on Friday afternoon. 75 Cents
Iola, KS