McPherson County High School Alumni Newsletter 2019

2019 Executive Committee President – Errol Waits - 703-525-4616

VicePresident - Joyce Snyder - 308-587-2451 Secretary – Rochelle Kemp - 308-587-2369

Co Secretary – Nancy Munson - 308-534-7338 Newsletter and Address Chairman –

Gayle Neal – 308-587-2352

You and guests are invited to the

Annual Alumni Reunion of

McPherson County High School

Saturday eveningMay 25, 2019

McPherson County High SchoolTryon, Nebraska

Meal 6:00 p.m.$15 per plate

Reservations required by May 20

Business Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Grand March - 8:00 p.m.Dance 8:00 to 11:00 P.m.

Refreshments will be available during the dance

Alumni Dues - $10 each memberGuest Admission $10 each

Membership and reservation form is found on the next to last page of this newsletter and may also be downloaded from:

http://mcphersoncountyalumni.weebly.com/

Join the Facebook group: : McPherson County High School Alumni, Tryon, NE

Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament & Pitch Tournament

MCHS Commons Area 3:30 p.m.

Show up and have fun!! Entry Fee $10

Enjoy dancing to

Doug Powers and Top Shelf Country

Dance is open to public 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Public admission $10 per person

Class of 1969 50 years for them

�2Honored Classes

1929—all deceased Jess KahoeGlen KeeslerAlma Jensen KellyMillard Smolik

DECEASED SINCE 2018 NEWSLETTER Harold Pinkerton Class of 1958 Died Nov. 14, 2012 Ruby Tucker Patton Class of 1942 Died Apr. 22, 2018 Dorothy Marie Winters Kramer Class of 1940 Died July 11, 2018 Joleen Michelle “Shelly’ Black Arensdorf Class of 1973 Died July 27, 2018 Enid Marlene Anderson LaRue Class of 1941 Died Aug. 9, 2018 Katherine Pinkerton Gove Class of 1958 Died Oct. 30, 2018 James Richard Kemp Class of 1952 Died Jan. 5, 2019

1939 - all deceased Maxine Clifford AbramsHazel Pinkerton FellinDale HolmanGeorge MastersRuby Lamb McIntoshGloria Hatch MillerGlen NewberryEileen Babb Young

1949 Byron DalyRose Shimmin Dobbins - Dec.Arthur French - Dec.Karl Hunn- Dec.Eunice Miller KramerMary Lou Rundback Lake - Dec.Delbert SchmidtGaylord Wright - Dec.

1959 Jack ConnellDewayne Cook - Dec.Shirley Paxton EggersCarolyn Black KempYvonne Stoddard MiddletonHerbert O’ConnorMerlin Pettit - Dec.Vera Miller PettitJames PowerCarol Munson Rookstool - Dec.Sharon Connell Smith

1969 Clara Munson BercotDavid BiermaDonna Stoddard BittermanSandra Nicholson BlackCecil BullingtonJudy Stevenson GraggRenee Ellis GruenkeJerry KempAllen Kinsman - Dec.Randy MunsonShirley Adamson Murphy - Dec.Gayle NealJim NealRocky NicholsonLinda Hallsted PennyEvelyn Neal PettitJoyce Thompson RehneltRobert Stevenson - Dec.Vicki Miller Weber

1979 John ArensdorfPamela Galey ArensdorfRodney BrownGordon Connell - Dec.Pat Arensdorf DaileyRebecca Long DaileyBart Daly - Dec.Jill Snyder McNuttSteve MillerAlisa Bullington PhillipsJames PinkertonLeAnn Daly ReichenbergSteven SchmidtEd SowdersRoger Trumbull

1989 Craig ConnellMarty Moore GriessAngie JamesonRusty KempIra MastersBrenda Connell OsekaMelissa Power Steele

1999 Ross BrouwerRebekah Gale CheppenkoLuke ConnellEricka Albrecht CoxGina Fisher CurtisWayne McNuttTy MelvinJeremy NealCharlie PaxtonMicki McNutt Aaron Schroder

2009 Chris BurchMatt DalyNicole Fiechtner KohlTyrel FischerJordan LovittTasha MillerKate SeiferJacob Sowders

2019 Nick GiffordAbigail GooseyRainah HolmGarrett NealAubrey SchultisAlexx StarrMason Ward

�3Class of 69, David Bierma I must admit that I do not have many memories to share. However, I would like to add to my contemporary times for what it is worth. The medical issues, from 2007 forward have transformed my life. The celiac aneurysm (one of 180 in world medical history) which caused an ascending aortic aneurysm in 2009 changed my way forever forward. Thank God for Cedars Sinia Medical Center in Beverly Hills, California. I still have two companies (the heavy equipment grading business and the customized exotic lumber furniture business), but am slowly moving away from that world. Previously I may have mentioned my going back to school to add to my undergraduate degrees in Animal Science and Economics a Masters in Science from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Since graduating in 2014, I took a secondary interest to full fruition in a Masters of History in Judaic studies. My three-hundred-page paper is titled On The Road To Israel. Graduation is in May. Although health issues continue to rein me in, I am able to give lectures, and I will be working with Cal Poly Pomona starting in the fall in classroom lectures in animal science. On a local level, lectures on Zionism include involvement with the UCLA Judaic studies department. On another note, I teach what we call shop/ranch classes to urban teenagers who know little about the things we all took for granted growing up. I have an acreage that has a large mechanic shop due to our equipment business and a large woodworking shop for the same reason. This makes for good classrooms to teach hands-on knowledge. It runs fourteen weeks twice a year to teach mechanics, woodshop, and other common sense items like running a tractor, etc. It is gratifying as it magnifies that so few know so little about agrarian know how.

MCHS’ 2018 Play Production Troupe Wins

Conference, District and State CompetitionsCompeting against a field of six schools,

McPherson County’s High School’s Play Production of Laura Lundgren Smith’s drama “Dark Road” won the Nebraska State Activities Association’s D-2 competition in Norfolk, Nebraska, this past December.  In 2017, the troup placed 3rd at the state contest, so they were thrilled to compete once again and bring home the Championship Trophy.

In order to win a trip to state, the troupe beat out Hyannis and South Plate at the D2-6 District Competition.  Prior to this contest, the team earned conference championship honors with Hyannis placing 2nd and Thedford placing 3rd. 

Also noteworthy, Miss Hollianna Watson earned the “Best Actress” medal at the state contest.  She is the third MCHS student to take home this coveted honor.  She joins this elite group of Ty Waits and Jeremy Arensdorf who earned this award when their plays competed at state.

MCHS’ play centered around a Nazi war criminal that was being interviewed before her scheduled hanging.  Through the journalist’s questions and a series of flashbacks, the audience learned this former Nazi guard gave everything to the Reich, including her own sister.  The judges complimented cast and crew for tackling a serious drama.

Twenty of MCHS’ twenty-four students participated in the production directed by Robyn Dalton and assisted by Melissa Sandager. 

McPherson County School and Stapleton Public School have entered into a contract to coop their sports teams beginning in the

fall of 2019.

They will be known as Sandhills Valley Mavericks.

Good Luck with your future competitions Mavericks!

Colors Black and RedGood things happening in McPherson County!

�4Herb O’Connor

Class of 1959

I attended Nebraska Wesleyan for a semester and then joined the Air Force where I spent the next twenty-three years working in Information systems shops. I spent a total of nine years in Japan and another nine years at San Antonio, Texas and these stable tours enabled me to take advantage of the tuition payments provided by the Air Force to complete 3 degree plans by the time I retired..

We moved to Austin, TX upon retirement where I worked at a state agency and attended the University of Texas to complete two more degree’s including my Ph.D. My field of concentration, and my dissertation, were in a (then) new aspect of information technology, “Artificial Intelligence (AI).”

We moved to a small city near Dallas, TX in 1985 and here we remain. Now retired after five years at a large healthcare system and then with my own consulting firm. I taught courses on Artificial Intelligence at several colleges on a part time basis, but mostly, we just try to live up to the caption on our shirts:

“I’m not lazy, I just enjoy doing nothing.”

We spend some of our time at the senior rehabilitation center and the assisted living center near our home maintaining the computer networks and equipment; helping the residents in their use of the computers and teaching classes on various topic’s related to information technology. I still do a bit of consulting for companies when they ask for assistance in the development of AI software.

My wife of 57 years and I have enjoyed our travels, visiting all the states and 36 countries. We’ve especially enjoyed our time spent in the many

museums and art galleries throughout the world that we’ve been privileged to see. The Smithsonian remains the finest in the world to us and we have vivid memories of many historical sights, none more than the WWII Dachau concentration camps where so many victims were deprived of their lives.

Our daughter and her family reside in San Antonio, TX and our son and his family live 30 minutes away from us. My mother passed away in 1998 and dad in 2003. Katie remains in Tulsa, OK with her children and “the grands.” My wife has sisters in Washington DC, Honolulu and southern Japan, so we take a trip or two to visit them. The cherry blossom festivals in Japan are truly incredible sights.

It seems impossible that 60 years have passed since I attended MCHS – I hope all of the class of 59 have enjoyed those 60 years as much as I have – I wish each of the MCHS grad’s a most wonderful day today and an even better day tomorrow.

Herb and his wife for their 50th anniversary

The Graduating class of 2020 will be the 100th class in the history of McPherson County. What will we do to celebrate the milestone? Put on your thinking caps and throw out ideas. Make the 2020 reunion a notable one. Volunteer to be on the board and create a great reunion.

�5Rod Sowders company doing good work in Madagascar Class of 1980 You can't go wrong with vanilla. It makes anything -- from ice cream to soda drinks -- taste better.But it's also vanilla that's driving a Wauconda-based company to make life better for children half a world away.Synergy Flavors, a global manufacturer of flavors and extracts for the food and beverage industry, is building two new schools in Madagascar. The schools, being built in the towns of Antsirabe Nord and Menagisa, will add to four others the company has already built through a partnership with the local Madagascar Development Fund. The island country off the east coast of Africa is the world's largest producer of vanilla, and Synergy has been obtaining flavor extract there since 1911, according to President and CEO Rod Sowders. He said the company's presence over the years has led it to become more involved in improving the lives of the Malagasy people. "In this area of the world, a widespread shortage of materials and access to secondary schooling continue to be challenges," Sowders said. "This initiative is a way for Synergy Flavors to give back to the underserved community of vanilla growers and processors who have been at the heart of our success for decades." Sowders said the need for new schools was highlighted when he met Brian Donaldson, a former British ambassador to Madagascar and patron of the Madagascar Development Fund, during his travels to the country."He was actively highlighting the need for corporations to become involved in key projects, such as schools, clinics and fresh water," Sowders said. "I saw the need for educational opportunities to be improved, as a way for future generations to lift themselves out of poverty." The Madagascar Development Fund is focused on improving the quality of life in the country through projects, such as installing clean water systems and building and providing access to health centers and primary schools. School attendance in Madagascar is the third lowest in the world, behind only Haiti and Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Development Program. Donaldson added the conditions that exist in most primary schools in Madagascar discourage parents from sending their children to school. "Thanks to Synergy Flavors and the six primary schools they have built so far, 2,622 children are now able to study in decent and acceptable conditions," Donaldson said. "They (and their teachers) are relieved of the worry and distress of leaking roofs, flooded, muddy classrooms or being sent home whenever it rains. And Synergy Flavors is helping to improve these children's future employment prospects, giving them the real possibility of a better, more prosperous future."The two new schools will be completed and opened later this year. In 2016, Synergy Flavors completed construction of two schools near Sambava, and two facilities were built last year in Antohomaro and Farahalana to replace schools that were destroyed by a cyclone. Sowders notes the efforts are part of Synergy Flavors' corporate social responsibility initiatives."We continue to evaluate other projects within Madagascar, and in other key areas around the globe, and hope to have more specific plans announced later in the year," he said.

Keep your contact information up to date!

We save on postage costs by sending the newsletter by email. Please update your mailing address and email address with Gayle at:

mchpersoncounty.alumni@gmail.com or PO Box 51

Tryon, NE 69167 If you are on Facebook, join the group

McPherson County High School Alumni Just search for it in the search bar. Share memories and contact other alumni there.

�6

Jeremy J. Neal, Class of 1999

Wow, Twenty Years!! When looking towards the future it looks like it will never get here, then “boom” it’s here and gone, and you wonder where the time went.

I’m the oldest child of Margaret (Peggy) Neal (NPHS 1970) and the late Sanford (Sandy) Neal (MCHS 1964). My two younger siblings, Corey (2001) and Stacy (2004), also graduated from MCHS. I wouldn’t trade growing up in McPherson County and attending the small schools for the world. Sure, we missed out on things, however, the teachers knew us, and we weren’t just a number. Sometimes, unfortunately, reports of our deeds made it home before we did.

It’s interesting talking to others when they say they came from small towns, 20,000, 4,000, or even 1,500 people. I just laugh, then tell them our whole county has around 550 people and Tryon itself has around 150. I don’t think most of them believe me. They can’t believe my class graduated with 11, or that our entire high school maybe had 45 kids, with most us being related. They scratch their heads on hearing some classes graduated with only 5.

I started Kindergarten at Dist. 9, a one room school house about a mile from home, with three older students. I had to retake 1st grade, my folks said it was because I wasn’t ready to move up, I say it was to make up for dad skipping a grade. Dist. 9 was closed before I entered 2nd grade, as there would have only been two of us until my brother could start school. I went to Dist. 4, “The big four room school” in Tryon, from the 2nd grade to the 8th grade.

Aunt Bea’s Café was a large part of my life. We took ownership on May 1, 1995, as I entered my Freshman year. My siblings and I were there before school, for lunch, after school, weekends, college breaks, and even for “vacation”. It closed Dec. 31, 2017 after dad’s passing.

In high school several of us went out for all sports available, which numbered four: volleyball, football, basketball, and track. Several of us went out for choir and/or band. There were no school buses, so our parents and fans drove, providing us a lot of support at events. We were in some of the first long distance interactive classes for Spanish, College Algebra and English. I attended Cornhusker Boys State and the HOBY Youth Leadership camp. Wish I could tell you about the fun Senior Sneak trip, when the class went skiing in Colorado, but I was sick and missed it. Overall, I think my class got along well, enjoyed life, and had fun. Senior year was tougher, we lost our classmate, Brandon Blake, after our Junior year to a vehicle accident.

After graduation, I attended DeVry University in Kansas City. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems, a computer programming degree. My first real tech job was as a Server Administrator. After I told the interviewer I came from a ranch in NE, we spent the rest of the interview talking about growing up on a ranch. He hardly asked about school or my tech background, he said he knew us rural ranch/farm kids had a real work ethic, so he offered me the job. Two years later the tech market crashed in KC, and my contract was not renewed. I bounced around doing different jobs for a while in KC and Tryon.

In 2005 I moved to Hiawatha, KS as a Customer Support Rep. for Outback Guidance, which sells Agricultural GPS equipment. About a year later I became the Server Admin. I’m still in Hiawatha, with Outback Guidance, as the Enterprise Network Admin. If I remember correctly, it was Mr. Alan Miller, that said he sees me changing jobs every five years or so. Well, he was sort of correct. These last 14 years, I have been through six company name changes, numerous acquisitions/mergers and sell-offs. The last sell-off happened in Sept. 2018 when my office was sold, once again, to a division we sold off previously, and they renamed us Outback Guidance. In my spare time, I am a volunteer firefighter and an EMT for a couple different departments.

�7

Roast Beef meal prepared by Kathleen Fisher

at 6:00 p.m. $15 each meal

McPherson County Alumni Scholarship The 2018 Scholarship was won by Gentry Barner. Gentry is attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

At the time of printing we did not know the 2019 recipient, but will announce the winner at our reunion in May. You may contribute to the scholarship fund through the membership form.

Reservation Form

I am contributing to the MCHS Alumni Scholarship Fund. Checks for the scholarship should be made to: Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation $___________ If you’d like to contribute in memory of someone

please include their full name and their date of birth and death. When you contribute $10 or more in memory of someone their name is written in the foundations “Book of Life”.

McPherson County Alumnus AssociationPO Box 51

Tryon, NE 69167-0051

Names___________________________________________________Graduation years____________________(If both, husband and wife are alumni members, please list both names and year graduated)

Address______________________________________City____________________State_____Zip______

E-mail____________________________________________________________________________

Membership Dues $10 each……………………………………………………. Dues $____________

Guest Admission $10 each…………………………………………………… Guests $__________

Reserve _________ meals at $15 each………………………………………. Meals $____________

Checks for Dues and Meals should be made to: Total $ ____________ MCHS Alumni Association Money must accompany reservations.

Class of 1969 to hold class reunion There will be a pot luck dinner at noon May 25, 2019 at McPherson County Fair Building for the Class of 1969. Table service and drinks will be furnished. For further information call Judy Gragg at 308-587-2495.

Hope to see you there.

�8McPherson County Alumnus Association PO Box 51 Tryon, NE 69167-0051

Return Service Requested

A word from President Errol Waits

Well, folks, we're approaching that time of year again when I'll ask you at the annual business meeting of the Alumni Association, who you want to nominate for a position on the Executive Committee.  I would like to ask you in advance to seriously consider volunteering to run. 

By your presence at the Annual Meeting and the Alumni dance, you show how much you care about this group and our events.  We need you to help us continue and we need good people on the Executive Committee.  As I indicated when I allowed you to nominate me as Vice President, yet again, that this would be my last go around as VP and President.  This is now my third term as President and while I've enjoyed it, it's time for someone else to step up.  

Nancy Munson will be remaining as Co-Secretary/Treasurer and Joyce Snyder will move up to the President's position.  So, we will need another Co-Secretary/Treasurer and a Vice President.  Both positions will allow you to learn what you need to know to move up to the next position next year.  Both Nancy and Joyce will be great in their respective positions and you will have plenty of time to prepare for the next year.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at Alumni this year and hopefully, we'll continue for many more!