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OREGON TRAIL DAYS
Old Settlers Honorary Presidents, Vice Presidents honored since 1929 Old Settlers Honorary Officers are elected a year prior to the Oregon Trail Days of reign. The following is a list of the past Old Settlers Honorary Presidents and Vice Presidents: *deceased 1929 – E.P. Cromer, * Gering Mrs. Perry Braziel, * Lyman 1930 – R.C. Campbell, *,Gering Mrs. O.W. Gardner, * Gering 1931 – J.O. Ammerman,* Lyman Mrs. Wendell Gross, Sr., * Gering 1932 – E.J. Whipple, * Mitchell Mrs. Sarah Claypool, * Gering 1933 – B.F. Gentry, * Gering Mrs. W.H. Ingles, * Gering 1934 – W.H. Bartow, * Gering Mrs. Dan D. Davis, * Scottsbluff 1935 – T.D. Deutsch, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Ed W. Sayre, * Morrill 1936 – Harvey Harward, * Minatare Mrs. Vance J. Cross, * Harrisburg 1937 – Robert F. Neeley, * Gering Mrs. B.F. Gentry, * Gering 1938 – John M. Ewing, * Gering Mrs. Ida Adcock, * LaGrange, Wyo. 1939 – Al Preston, * Lyman Mrs. Fremont Scott, * Mitchell 1940 – J.G. Neighbors, * McGrew Mrs. C.H. Spieth, * Mitchell 1941 – C.B. Foster, * Lyman Mrs. Harry Wisner, * Scottsbluff 1942 – Ed Wright, * Minatare Mrs. Bessie Harding, * Gering 1943 – Vernon Kingry, * Gering Mrs. Melvin Snyder, * Harrisburg 1944 – Winfield Evans, * Scottsbluff Mrs. C.C. Hampton, * Gering 1945 – Harry T. Johnson, * Scottsbluff Mrs. F. Schuemacher, * Gering 1946 – Wheeler Raymond, * Scottsbluff Mrs. W.W. White, * Gering 1947 – James F. Westervelt, * Gering Mrs. Nancy McKiney, * Gering 1948 – Fred A Wright, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Melissa Randall, * Bayard 1949 – G.M. Crabill, * Melbeta Mrs. O.O. Ferbrache, * Scottsbluff 1950 – James McKinley, * Gering Mrs. C.E. Franklin, * McGrew 1951 – Frank Koenig, * Mitchell Valley Mrs. Anna Ripley, * Gering 1952 – Austin Moomaw, * Bayard Mrs. Florence Raymond, * Scottsbluff 1953 – Ed O. Harshman, * Minatare Mrs. Mamie Hilsabeck, * Scottsbluff 1954 – Alva Leonard, * Gering Mrs. Roy Baker, * Gering 1955 – Dean Randall, * Minatare Mrs. Al Preston, * Hull 1956 – Harry J. Wisner, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Martha Stauffer, * Harrisburg 1957 – Emerson Ewing, * Gering Mrs. Addie Hulbert, * Gering 1958 – Clyde O. Wyatt, * Gering Mrs. Earl Harvey, * Gering 1959 – Claude Westervelt, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Will Hampton, * Gering 1960 – Lee Cashier, * Harrisburg Mrs. Daisy Ewing, * Gering 1961 – Uzell Snook, * Harrisburg Mrs. Kathryn K. Lee, * Harrisburg 1962 – Elmer Peters, * Minatare Mrs. Frances Yount, * Gering 1963 – Perie Stone, * Mitchell Mrs. Bess Sanford Lee, * Mitchell 1964 – Roy Baker, * Gering Mrs. Edna Cleveland, * McGrew 1965 – Ray Weiner, * Bayard Mrs. Jennie Harris, * Gering 1966 – Roland Warner, * Hull Mrs. Madge Rundell, * Gering 1967 – Eugene Sowerwine, * Gering Mrs. Fannie Harshman, * Minatare 1968 – Charles S. Simmons, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Alta Cooper, * Gering 1969 – Frank Jessup, * Harrisburg Mrs. Pansy Gering, * Gering 1970 – Dr. W. Max Gentry, * Gering Mrs. Ida DeMott, * Gering 1971 – Leon Moomaw, * Bayard Mrs. Carrie Pattison, * Gering 1972 – Henry Stands, * Gering Mrs. Faye Hanks, * Gering 1973 -- C.D. Wildy, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Dean Randall, * Minatare 1974 – Fred Beltner, * Bayard Mrs. Duice Dooley, * Scottsbluff 1975 – Lawrence Warner, * Harrisburg Mrs. Dorothy Ponder, * Gering 1976 – John R. Jirdon, * Morrill Mrs. Dorothy Sorensen, * Gering 1977 – John Lawyer, * Scottsbluff Mrs. E.L. Sowerwine, * Gering 1978 – C.A. Emery, * Gering Mrs. Dessa Allison, * Gering 1979 – Carl Thomas, * Gering Mrs. Mabel Young, * Gering 1980 – Wilbur Dutton, * Melbeta Mrs. Aileen Duff, * Gering 1981 – Marvin Ewing, * Gering Mrs. Beulah Ewing, * Gering 1982 – Dewey Reeder, * Gering Mrs. Ella Parmenter, * Melbeta 1983 – Alden and Valden Rundell, * Gering Mrs. Helen Terbune, * Scottsbluff 1984 – Jeff Hampton, * Gering Mrs. Lillian Ouderkirk, Gering 1985 – Quentin Dean, * Gering Mrs. Lorene Smith, Gering 1986 – Edward Pattison, * Gering Mrs. Goldie Ewing Bigsby, * Gering 1987 – Don Childs, * Gering Mrs. Hazel Ewing Dutton, Gering 1988 – W. Richard Prohs, * Gering Mrs. Margaret Lockwood, * Gering 1989 – Ishmael “Ish” Schmidt, * Scottsbluff Mrs. Betty Sowerwine Vickery, Gering 1990 – Charles Young, * Gering Mrs. Beulah Bartow Hall, Gering 1991 – Emanuel Roth, * Gering See OLD SETTLERS, 4
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Lifelong educator named Old Settlers President By Jerry Purvis Star-Herald
John Harms of Scottsbluff, who has spent much of his working life in education and has also served as a Nebraska State Senator, was named as Honorary Old Settlers President for the 2018 celebration of Oregon Trail Days. Born in Bayard in 1940, John and his family moved to Morrill when he was six years old. “Morrill was a great place to grow up as a kid,” he said. “Everyone knew each other and if I did anything wrong, my mother knew before I got home.” John remembers the annual Oregon Trail Days celebration as an exciting time for kids as his family came down from Morrill to watch the parade. “Later when I had my own children, they also got involved in the kids’ parade,” he said. “My granddaughter was also in the parade.” Graduating from Morrill High School, he attended Chadron State College for his undergraduate degree in health and physical education in 1962. From there, John spent the next three years teaching biology and geography at Gering High School. He also coached the track and cross-country teams. Under his leadership, the cross-country team won its first state champion in 1963. “Pat and I got married while I was at Gering,” John said. “Then we went back to Chadron State to work on our master’s degrees. I was also an assistant to the Director of Housing and was a Dormitory House Parent.” After three years and a master’s degree in Secondary Administration, John was named as Director of Housing and Financial Aids at Chadron State in 1966. By that time, he was also working during the summers on his doctorate at Montana State University. In 1975, he was awarded an Ed.D. Degree in Higher Education Administration. He also served as Dean of Instruction and Dean of Students at Northeastern Nebraska College and Dean of Instruction at Northeast Technical College. John also served as President for both McCook Community College and North Platte Community College before coming back to the Panhandle. In 1976 he became President of Nebraska Western College, which later became Western Nebraska Community College. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2006. “When we arrived, Nebraska Western was more of a junior college,” John said. “We wanted to become more comprehensive, to be a complete community college with both liberal arts and vocational/ technical education. As we progressed, it became clear part of our responsibility was to reach out and do training for business and industry. We prepared the college to teach any kind of skills the community wants.” For students who go on to pursue a liberal arts education, college debt becomes an issue. “This is something parents have to look at carefully,”
John said. “It’s a nice opportunity to attend a community college. It’s more cost-effective and students get the same basic level classes offered at larger universities.” John called community colleges a “smorgasbord” where students can discover their interests, whether it’s on the academic or technical side. “There are so many skilled, technical jobs in America that go unfilled,” he said. “Community college can help fill that gap.” No matter a person’s career path, Oregon Trail Days hold a special place in people’s hearts – memories of home, family, friends and mid-summer celebrations. For the Harms family, it included taking part in the Oregon Trail Days International Food Fair. “For about 10 to 15 years we served Greek food,” John said. “It was a family activity where the kids and grandkids could get involved. It was also a time when I got to see a lot of people I didn’t see on a regular basis. Those were really rewarding days.” Just prior to his retirement in 2006, Western Nebraska Community College established a new education center: the John N. Harms Advanced Technology Center of Nebraska. The name was in recognition to John’s years of leading the charge to develop a regional technology training center at the college. Since then, the Harms Center has trained students for the workplace through education with no boundaries. Whether it’s training in technical or professional skills, the center responds to the community’s economic needs while promoting the success of a diverse community. The center’s goal is to offer worldclass training that meets the needs of rural America. Although he retired from leading the college, John still wasn’t finished with serving the community and the state. In 2006, John ran for the Nebraska Legislature, serving two terms until 2014. As a strong advocate for education in the state and beyond, some of his memberships over the years have included the American Educational Technical Association; American Association of Community Colleges; Council for Advancement and Support of Education; and the Committee for Educational Progress. “I was surprised,” is how John reacted to being elected as Old Settlers Honorary President for Oregon Trail Days. “It’s a real honor but I never dreamed about it.” John added that since he returned to the valley in 1976, he’s tried to always take time to appreciate the area’s unique beauty and the rich history that has led us to where we are. “Oregon T ra il Days is important because of the history we celebrate,” John said. “We live here and the history surrounds us every day. It’s sometimes easy to forget that.” jpurvis@starherald.com
COURTESY PHOTO
During his years at Morrill High School, John Harms was a running back on the football team.