Congratulations
. . . to the first graduating class this year, the adult class at Nebraska City Senior High. The commencement exercises were held Thursday night.
Senior High Principal Carl Fielder and his staff are to be commended for getting the adult program off the ground. The success speaks for itself in the number of people who complete the courses.
There will be a whole lot of other success stories coming up in the coming weeks. That New Breed of the young will be exchanging tank tops, jeans and tennies for caps and gowns. You'll be reading a lot in the News-Press about the baccalaureate and commencement exercises from the schools in the area.
Thanks for the plug
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission did it up right in the May issue of the Nebraskaland by featuring the south garden and portico of Arbor Lodge mansion.
It was particularly fitting because of the Arbor Day celebration this weekend in Nebraska City. The 16-page color section features Nebraska's parks. It's kinda nice to see Nebraska City on Page 1.
A busy week
The Arbor Day celebration was one of the last things to occur this week in Nebraska City and area, but there were several other events that attracted a lot of attention.
One in particular was the Tom Hume benefit Friday night. Tom was injured in an auto accident and will soon be transferred from an Omaha hospital to the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minn., for rehabilitation.
There are a lot of people working on that benefit. Duane Choutka of the Jaycees and Carline Moles, one of the boosters of all youths and their activities, played a major part in the programs.
The First National Bank at Unadilla held its open house Saturday in observance of its remodeling. George Brandt is president of the bank which has served the community since 1888.
And if you like music, music, music, then there's the district music contest with 2,200 high school students in bands and vocal groups at Senior High and Bethel United Church of Christ. That event ended Saturday with the voices of 1,300 young people in solos and ensembles.
An eye opener
Bob Greene is senior editor of Newsday in Long Island, N.Y. That probably doesn't do much for you. He's also a two-time Pulitzer winner. That may not jog you either. And he headed up the team of newspaper reporters who investigated "the mob" in Arizona after a newspaper reporter was killed in Phoenix while working on a gang-type story.
We don't feel the impact of his knowledge and successes in the midwest, but he can knock you off your chair with what he tells you about "the mob."
Mr. Greene, a huge man with an appetite for cigarets, told newspaper people at a meeting a week ago in Lincoln that this country is rapidly moving into a third party — he said that's The Mob.
He named cities and states that are already controlled by The Mob and those included Chicago, and the states of Arizona and Nevada.
The other day we spoke with a man who moved from a city to a small town. He feared for his family and he made the decision when he witnessed a beating at a service station.
Maybe that's why the small town is so rapidly growing. People are getting tired of that kind of life and seeking as many have said, "a good town to raise a family."
Welcome to Nebraska City.
Aviation
Offutt Air Base will open its gates May 21 for aviation buffs at the annual Armed Forces Day open house. The Thunderbirds will be there as well as one of those Vulcan bombers of the Royal Air Force.
There will also be aerial appearances by the Nebraska Air National Guard and a wingtip formation demonstration by the Iowa Air National Guard.
And if the weather is pleasant, there'll be a mob.