Mrs. Ralph Rodgers, who directed the very successful Heart fund campaign in Nebraska City, said it is hard to say "thanks" to everyone but she tried to include everyone in her Safety Valve by simply saying "thanks to all who helped."
Mrs. Rodgers' late husband, Red, would have been proud of her volunteer work. A fatal heart attack claimed him while the couple was on a camping trip.
He was quite a guy, a determined cuss. Maybe some of that rubbed off on Mrs. Rodgers when she joined Ardis Heng for the Heart campaign.
Red, as he was affectionately called by his friends, was proud of his work as skipper of the dredge Meriwether Lewis. And, he lost a friend because when he was piped over the side as the retiring skipper, the dredge was retired from service.
The dredge was Red's life work. He was proud that he started out as a "deck ape" (that's a common ship laborer to you land lubbers). He worked hard and was eager to know more about the dredge.
He was promoted time and again until at last he achieved the goal he wanted so much — skipper of the dredge.
So, when I read Mrs. Rodgers' thank you note, I knew that her message was deep and personal. She has a special determination in alerting people to the dangers of heart diseases.
We enjoyed working with the Peru State English and journalism students for two days the past week.
All of us here agreed, that what the students lacked in experience, they made up for in energy.
Bobbi Thiesfeld, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Thiesfeld, Nebraska City, shouldered the major part of the work. She is also editor of the college newspaper, the Peru Pedagogian.
Another interesting student is Mrs. Joyce Jansa, whose story on the grocery bill appeared in the Thursday NewsPress. Mrs. Jansa has four children and is well aware of the cost of living.
Chuck Smith chased American Eagles along the river, with his camera, and despite the cottonwood locations offered by Jim Chaney, he was unable to locate the eagles. Oh, well, maybe there'll be a next time.
Everett Browning, who heads the journalism-English department at Peru State, accompanied his students as their adviser.
Mr. Browning, a former Kansas and Nebraska newspaperman, was my vacation partner last summer. We took our wives on a one week vacation and ended up 1,700 miles north of Nebraska City in Manitoba, Canada, on the west side of Hudson Bay and liked to have frozen to death in June.
So, I speak with authority when I tell Mr. Browning's students about his escapades in the wild country and the noticeable mild-mannered attitude he has in civilization.
I dunno if the students believed me. They all smiled politely and nodded and went back to their work.
Well, anyway, Mr. Browning is taking off again this summer with 10 or 12 other companions — Boy Scouts.
He will take the scouts to Philmont Scout ranch in New Mexico. I've never been there, but according to No. 1 son and the colored slides he brought back last summer, it's two weeks of mountain living and a whole lot of fun.
Garry Ailes who returned recently from a meeting in Chicago told about an incident which occurred one evening while he and Sam Deaver were in a club which we won't identify other than say it's a hippety-hop job.
The stage announcer pointed out that one of the guests in the club was an exPOW. The young man stood and attracted a great deal of applause and admiration from the men and women.
Garry and Sam introduced themselves to the soldier along with many other well wishers and in the few brief minutes they got a chance to talk with him, they learned that he had lived at Plattsmouth at one time and had visited in Nebraska City many times.
Unfortunately they were unable to get his full name. Everyone just called him "Mike."
From the Nebraska Oil Jobber.
Two stockbrokers were talking. Said the first, "let's talk about something besides business."
Said the second, "Good idea. Let's talk about women."
The first broker said, "Okay. Common or preferred?"
And then there was the one about the trucker who fielding a complaint from his wife. She was telling him about their new neighbors being so much in love.
"Every morning as he leaves for work he kisses and hugs her. Why don't you do this?"
"Give me time, honey," the trucker said. "I don't even know her yet."
His POW comes home.
Ed Chizek, Omaha, represents several thousand veterans as commander of the Nebraska American Legion. And, Mr. Chizek not only has a warm heart, but he has been devoted to helping with the return of the POW's and MIA's.
Now, he can smile. His POW, Capt. Loren Torkelson, who was taken prisoner April 29, 1967, has been released. Mr. Chizek spoke about the POW bracelet he wore during a recent appearance before Legionnaires and guests at Adam Schellinger Post No. 8.
Captain Torkelson's sister is the director of the Forgotten Americans Committee in Omaha. Mr. Chizek serves on the board of that organization.
We know that Mr. Chizek is proud that "his" POW has been freed.
There are still more in the prison camps. No. 2 daughter, Clarissa, is still wearing her bracelet and anxiously awaiting the release of Capt. H. H. Buddy Fleming, III, who was taken prisoner May 10, 1968.
The U.S. is in the minority in weights and measures in the world and there are strong indicators that the end is in sight for inches, feet, pints and quarts.
According to the National Highway Institute, a bill passed in the U.S. Senate calls for a change to the metric system in the next 10 years.
Transistion to the metric system will require new learning.
Imagine trying to answer.
"Heya, gringo, how many miles from Lincoln to Omaha?"
"Oh, 45 or 50 ooops . . . let's see it's kilometers and each kilometer equals .6214 miles. Just follow the interstate."
The Road Runner, the publication of the State Department of Roads, has a few comments, such as.
"Give him an inch and he'll take a mile."
Under the metric system you'd have to say:
"Give him a little less than three centimeters and he'll take one and four-tenths kilometers."
Roy Baker isn't going to tell you at his station that you need a quart of oil in the engine of your car. He's going to say if you wanna keep the jalopy jumpin' then you're gonna have to put a liter of oil, which is 1.0567 quarts. (Isn't that snazzy?)