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The Iola Register
Locally owned since 1867
Weekender Saturday, November 10, 2012
BASKETBALL IMS eighth-grade girls win See B1
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Moran woman’s childhood lost to WWII By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
MORAN — Diana Ross’ home on the west side of Moran, with bungalow features, would fit nicely into the English landscape, just like the home where she was raised. Today Ross, 80, lives a quiet life, typical of small-town U.S.A. She volunteers four days a week to prepare meals-on-wheels for others of Moran’s elderly, likes to knit and crochet and “I love to do jigsaw puzzles.” She doesn’t drive, so getting out to help with elderly meals is a treat. All that she does today is far different from her youth, although even that changed dramatically in 1939, when World War II broke out in Europe. At an age when she should have been planning make-believe tea parties and dressing dolls, Diana found herself often huddled in a bomb shelter near her rural home 72 miles north of London, occasionally spending the night when German planes came in waves to attack four nearby air bases. Coming of age included discontinuing formal education after grade school — her parents couldn’t afford to send her to high school — and going to work in a shoe store. Her father worked on a
Diana Ross
nearby farm, putting in “long, long hours, quite often 16 hours a day,” to help the nation keep up with demand for food exacerbated by German submarines sinking many ships carrying food for the U.S. Need for food quickened when the United States entered the war and American soldiers and airmen began to mass in England in preparation for the June 6, 1944, invasion of Europe. And as the war wore on, there also were German prisoners to feed, including hundreds kept a few miles from where Diana lived. “Food was rationed,” she recalled, with most meat and eggs commandeered by the government for military use. “What meat we had went with Dad to the fields,” so he could work those 16hour days. “But, we never went hungry,” Diana said. “After vegetables were harvested on the farm, we could pick up what the machines missed and we got wind-fall apples and pears. The government took fresh eggs from our chickens, but Mom made scrambled eggs from powdered eggs that tasted like the real thing.” Bicycles were the transportation of choice, for young and adults alike. “ D a d rode a bicycle to the farm every day,” she
said, and on patrols several nights a week to make sure everyone was observing the blackout. Vehicle lights, and those on bicycles, were taped or painted over, with just a sliver of light escaping and heavy, dark curtains were pulled tight over windows in homes. The fear was even a smidgen of light would alert the enemy and German bombs would rain down. TWENTY YEARS ago, on the second of two trips she has made to England since moving to the U.S. in 1957, Diana looked out over row after row of snow-white crosses in a World War II American cemetery. Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks. Thoughts of all the young men who gave their lives during “those ugly times” came to mind. She recalled going outdoors with her brother and father as dusk approached each evening to watch hundreds of American and British bombers rendezvous, form into “big black T’s” and head across the English channel to bomb targets throughout Germany and occupied Europe. Before the sun rose the next morning, “Dad would come and say, ‘Wake up, let’s count them back,’” Diana said. “We’d wait for the planes to come back. Ones with wounded on board would have red lights,” to alert medical personnel. “They’d land first, and then the good planes, ones that weren’t damaged.” Last to land were those with tattered wings, parts of tail sections missing and other obvious damage. “We couldn’t see them land, and we had our hands clasped,” prayer-like. “We could hear them when they crashed,” Diana said, choking back tears nearly 70 years later.
Iolan Earl Bell, a veteran of the Korean War, joined a group of about 25 Oct. 24 for a daylong trip to Washington, D.C. The Honor Flight trip of war veterans was organized by Holton volunteers. Serving as volunteer helpers for the veterans were Jackson Heights High School students. Bell, 83, said the Washington trip included several stops for the veterans, including the World War II Earl Bell Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and the famed Marine Corps War Memorial, which depicts the iconic scene of Marines planting a flag on Iwo Jima’s Mt. Suribachi during World War II. Bell, who keeps busy painting “whenever I can get a job,” recounted his tour of duty. He enlisted in December 1951 and served in California, Texas, New York City and Massachusetts before heading overseas as part of the 398th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion.
See BLITZ | Page A4
See VETERAN | Page A2
Veteran takes Honor Flight By RICHARD LUKEN richard@iolaregister.com
Happy Tails opens By ALLISON TINN allison@iolaregister.com
Duane Allen
The Oak Ridge Boys break down in Iola By RICHARD LUKEN richard@iolaregister.com
The townsfolk of Bronson, Iola and places in between got a bit of surprise Friday morning when a tour bus carrying all four members of the country music legends The Oak Ridge Boys broke down. The bus first encountered trouble just west of Bronson on U.S. 54, when engine pulley problems caused a belt to break. “We were broken down right in the middle of the highway,” said driver Billy Smith. The situation was dangerous enough without the curiosity factor. “There were quite a few people pulling to the side of the road, then doing a double take when they realized who was on the bus,” Smith said. Smith had a spare belt and replaced it as quickly as he could, but the malfunctioning pulley caused it, too, to eventually wear
down and snap. The bus made it as far as Herb Sigg’s Iola Auto Parts store in Iola before it broke down once again. “They’ve got everything we need, so we’ll be OK,” Smith said as the repairs were being completed. The band members were asleep for most of the ordeal, with one exception. Lead singer Duane Allen popped out to say hello to a handful of folks from the auto parts store while the bus was being repaired. THE OAK RIDGE Boys were en route from Branson, Mo., to Emporia, where they were to perform Friday evening. A portion of their concert was dedicated to military personnel to coincide with Veterans Day weekend. “Our ties to southeast Kansas run deep, and they’ve been that way for 35 years,” Allen explained. The group’s long-time manSee BOYS | Page A2
Vol. 115, No. 11
Dog lovers finally have a place to go to be with their own. The new Iola dog park, Happy Tails, opened Wednesday. The park is along the west side of Chestnut Street between Rock and Irwin streets. Sonic Equipment Co. sponsored a contest among local school children to name the park. Casey McKarnin won the contest with the name, Happy Tails. The park is divided into two sections, one for little dogs under 30 pounds, and the other for larger dogs. Each side has a watering station so parched pups can get a drink. The large dog side is fully equipped with a hill that has a tunnel going through it, and a fire hydrant. There are old courthouse benches that have been renovated for pet owners to sit and take a break. All dogs must be current on all vaccinations and licenses and
Register/Steven Schwartz
Algy enjoys a day at the dog park Friday.
aggressive dogs are not permitted. Owners must remain with and pick up after their dog(s) at all times. The dog park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Anyone who does not abide by the park rules will lose park privileges. For more information contact the Iola Parks Department, (620) 365-4930.
Man charged with rape Shane Preston Ray, 45, Iola, remains in Allen County Jail after being charged with four counts of rape of a child. Shane Preston Ray is accused of committing the crimes between July 1, 2006, and June 30 of this year. According to documents filed in the Allen County District Court clerks’ office this week, the victim was between the ages of 7 and 13 while the crimes were alleged to have occurred. Ray appeared Wednesday in front of Magistrate Judge Thomas Saxton, who scheduled a status hearing for Nov. 21. Ray remains in custody on $10,000 bond.
Gov. says no again to health insurance exchange KHI News Service
TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback today squelched Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger’s efforts to partner with the federal government on a health insurance exchange. The federal health reform law calls for each state to have an exchange in place by January 2014 as a centralized online shopping place for government-subsidized and affordable health insurance plans. Brownback has been a consistent opponent of the Affordable Care Act, first as a U.S. senator and since election as governor in 2010. “Kansans feel Obamacare is an overreach by Washington and have rejected the state’s partici75 Cents
pation in this federal program,” Brownback said in a prepared statement. “My administration will not partner with the federal government to create a statefederal partnership insurance exchange because we will not benefit from it and implementing it could costs Kansas taxpayers millions of dollars.” The governor said any other official who wanted an exchange could take their chances with the Kansas Legislature. “Any other elected official who supports implementation of a federal-state partnership exchange should pursue legislation in the 2013 legislative session where lawmakers can debate and vote on the proposal,” he said.
Praeger earlier this week said the grant application to help develop a state-federal partnership on a Kansas exchange did not need explicit approval by the governor but could not go forward without his tacit support for it. Brownback in August 2011 turned back a $31.5 million federal grant to help develop a state-run exchange that federal officials hoped would serve as a model for other states. He rejected the grant after giving Praeger assurances in December 2011 that he would allow her to continue her work with insurance companies and consumer groups to develop a KanSee BROWNBACK | Page A5
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