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The Weekender Saturday, February 27, 2016
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Details emerge of Hesston gunman Former Iolans near scene By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Jane Carder grew up in a quiet Humboldt neighborhood, lived in Iola for years and was “absolutely horrified” Thursday when four people, including the shooter, were shot to death eight blocks from her Hesston home. “It was unbelievable that it would happen here, and just because of a protection from abuse (order)” that was handed to Cedric Ford, the
suspect, 90 minutes before he went on the rampage. Investigators think that was a cause. “You don’t think of it happening in a place like Hesston,” Carder said. Calls flooded the Carder household Thursday evening, from friends and relatives concerned about their welfare. John Carder is an executive with GVL Poly, a company that fashions various products from plastic. See SCENE | Page A3
By ROXANA HEGEMAN and MARIA FISHER The Associated Press
HESSTON, Kan. (AP) — A man who stormed into a Kansas factory where he worked and shot 15 people, killing three, had just been served with a protective order that probably set off the attack, authorities said Friday. The assault at the Excel Industries lawnmower parts plant in the small town of Hesston ended when the police chief killed the gunman in a shootout. Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton described the officer as a “tremendous hero” be-
Police guard the front door of Excel Industries in Hesston, where a gunman opened fire Thursday. Three died before officers killed the gunman. WICHITA EAGLE/FERNADO SALAZAR/TNS cause 200 or 300 people were still in the factory and the “shooter wasn’t done by any means.” “Had that Hesston officer
not done what he did, this would be a whole lot more tragic,” Walton said. The gunman was identified See SHOOTING | Page A3
Aging piece of Elsmore’s history up for sale By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
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LSMORE — Nearly every little tumble-down town in southeast Kansas has an old building or two whose empty rooms echo with the memories of a time when the town was great. In Elsmore, it’s the abandoned school — a bi-level building, which, with its huge bowed-back roof, hulks like a dozing beast on the far edge of town. Today, the school and adjacent land is up for sale for anyone with $30,000 and an idea for how to restore it. George and Betty Hawley of rural Elsmore are its owners. The school was constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration. It’s a solid thing, which crouches heavily on the earth, not like a school at all, but like a military installation or a concrete bunker. There’s a sense, just looking at the low-slung, 20,000 square-foot building, that if the tiny town ever did tip
The old Elsmore school building is up for sale. REGISTER/RICK DANLEY into extinction, this building would survive, braced as it appears to be for end-times. “You see, the concrete work on that school was put to a kind of competition between the local cement companies around here,” explained Carl Otto, who arrived as an administrator at the Elsmore school in 1953. “Anyway, whoever got it, they put the hardest darn concrete in that building I’ve ever seen. The reason I know is that when I first went there, they had the basketball goal at one end, bolted down to the stage. Well, every time we had a play — or needed to use the stage — we’d have to move
that goal over in the corner and bolt it down again. So, I decided I was going to build a goal and hang it up above. In so doing, I had to put holes in that concrete, about 16 inches in. Of course, back then we didn’t have drills like we do now. We had what was called a star drill, which was nothing but a long steel rod, like a chisel. And you just started pounding on the end until you finally got it through. I didn’t think I was ever going to get two holes. I needed two 3/4– inch holes in order to put in bolts big enough to hold it up. And as far as I understand, it’s still hanging there where
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Allen Community College students, from left, Jason Davis, Lauren Perez-Engel, Jacob Cooper, Rachel Mentzer and Miguel Roberts will direct a series of one-acts starting Thursday at the ACC Theatre. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Vol. 118, No. 83
“So all my life I had to walk to school,” says Betty. “Half a block. “Now, we own that city lot, the school, the playground, the ball field,” as well as four acres east of the school, which the couple purchased at a subsequent sale. “But,” said the 71-yearold George Hawley, owner of Hawley Lumber, “we’re ready to sell it all. I bought it to help a friend out who wanted to get rid of it. Back then, you could hardly see the building for trees. We’ve cleaned it up quite a bit. The thing is, See ELSMORE | Page A4
One-act plays Iolan pays open Thursday garden’s
READY FOR THEIR CLOSEUPS
Quote of the day
I put it up.” Mr. Otto turned 90 on Feb. 12 (“Yes, Lincoln was born on my birthday.”). He began his career in Elsmore as a coach and a bus driver. He later became principal, then was superintendent at the school until 1966. “Now when you go talking about Elsmore school,” chuckled Mr. Otto, “that’s right down my alley.” As it happened, Betty Hawley (then Boler) was one of his students. Mr. Otto remembers all the Boler girls for being smart and pretty. She and her parents and eight siblings grew up in a small house on the lot next to the building.
Scoot over, Scorsese. Step back, Spielberg. A wave of directors, courtesy of Allen Community College’s theater department, is about to hit the big time. A quintet of directors will each present a series of plays — humorous all — for “ACC’s Student-Directed One-Acts,” which opens Thursday at the college theater. Sophomores Lauren PerezEngle, Miguel Roberts, Rachel Mentzer, Jason Davis and Jacob Cooper, who normally are the on-stage performers, have been working feverishly to get their productions ready for the public. Davis, a Rossville High See PLAYS | Page A6
“I always entertain great hopes.” — Robert Frost 75 Cents
water bill By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
When Iola City Council members learned Monday the city’s budget would not support another $1,000 worth of free water for the Elm Creek Community Garden, they told organizer Val McLean to return in a month to see if they could raise the funds privately. The answer took less than a day. Iolan Earl Croley, who has benefited from other benevolent gardeners as much as anybody, phoned City Councilman Aaron Franklin with a $1,000 offer. Croley’s donation was See WATER | Page A3
Hi: 69 Lo: 49 Iola, KS