50 years ago

Feb. 25, 1976

— Musicians Add To Growing List of Honors

After departing from Cassville at 2 a.m. Saturday morning, the CHS Stage Band traveled 300 miles to compete successfully against bands from the Kansas City and St. Louis areas to be awarded the first place trophy in Class 2AA at the Swinney Conservatory of Music at the Central Methodist College Stage Band Festival in Fayette. Greg Roark, sophomore, also received a special citation as outstanding jazz soloist. The CHS Stage Band was also honored by being asked to perform in the night concert in front of the other visiting bands, reports director John Knight. “To receive first place against such strong competition is an honor that will bring statewide recognition to our school and community. I’m very proud of this band because of their self-discipline and dedication. They deserve the recognition of being outstanding young men and women united in a common goal,” commented Knight. All three of the judges from North Texas State University praised the band. “Excellent jazz feel. Lots of fire. Great bone solo. Strong, driving rhythm section; good drum solo. This is one of the most energetic and exciting bands I’ve heard all day. The band really looked and played relaxed and with lots of confidence. You guys definitely have soul. This is a very strong group that is obviously very happy and it reflects in their performance.” Members of the stage band are, saxophones: Cathy Hollingsworth, Judy Smithson, Holly Edmondson, Marilyn Stringer, Jeff VanZandt and Alan Cannady; trombones, Greg Roark, Danny Seely, Denise Malarkey, Stuart Borders and Brian Hunt; trumpets, Jil Stephens, Doug Hart, Mike Fitzpatrick, John Cowherd and David Buntin; rhythm, Jamie Bowers, Rhonda St. John, Joe Linnenbrink, Steve Vaughan, Danny Priest and Phil Voorhees. The Cassville music department was the only unit to win straight I ratings in both concert band and stage band at the Miami, Oklahoma music festival. Cassville units were in competition with bands from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, John Knight reported. Individuals and groups winning I ratings at the contest were: Mike Fitzpatrick, Jil Stephens, Greg Roark, Danny Seely and Brian Hunt for the brass quintet; Cathy Hollingsworth, Judy Smithson, Holly Edmondson and Alan Cannady for the saxophone quartet; Marilyn Stringer, Rhonda St. John and Annette Preddy for the clarinet trio; Troy Casteel, French horn solo; Mike Fitzpatrick, trumpet solo; Cathy Hollingsworth, alto saxophone solo; and Greg Roark, trombone solo. The CHS vocal department received I ratings at Northeastern Oklahoma State College in Miami, Oklahoma last Thursday. The concert choir received a I rating for their performance of the selections. The choir, under direction of Russell Robinson, received excellent comments from the adjudicator. Robinson had this to say after the contest, “This is our second contest this year, and so far we are batting 100% with I ratings along with Knight and the instrumental department. We sang in the afternoon and up until we sang there were no I ratings of any schools in the Big Ten Conference, but when the kids got up to sing they really got with it and seemed to turn their nervousness into excitement.” As it turned out Webb City was the only other school in the Big Ten Conference to receive a I rating. The records show that this is the first I rating for Cassville choir in over ten years at Miami. Their next contest is at Missouri Southern College in Joplin for the state competition. Vocal soloists receiving I ratings were Alan Cannady, Kathy Sisney, Brian Hunt and Danny Preddy.

40 years ago

Feb. 26, 1986

— Over Half Funds Raised For Extension 

Businesses and individuals have pledged over $7,700 toward the $12,000 needed to keep the Barry County Cooperative Extension Service open. The bulk of the money has come from financial institutions and ag-related businesses, says Ruby Vincent, extension council president. Businesses, individuals and organizations who use and believe in the educational services of Extension are encouraged to contribute to the fund by sending their tax-deductible contribution to Box 336, Cassville, 65625. Checks should be made payable to Barry County Extension Council. Extension programs offer off-campus educational opportunities to all county residents. Extension is sometimes referred to as the “fifth campus” of the Missouri University system. Whether it is identifying an insect, offering a 4-H member the opportunity to become a leader, testing soil, managing farming operations, taking college credit, teaching how to plan economical meals, or a wide variety of other opportunities, Extension facilities are at your disposal, says Mrs. Vincent.

— County’s Eagle Population In Factor Missouri’s Leadership

Whether the addition of two more eagles will be enough to vault Missouri into the number one spot nationally is both doubtful and academic. Missouri has been either number one or number two with Washington State in the number of wintering bald eagles for the past several years and no doubt will be again this year. Department of Conservation and other eagle counters saw two more eagles this year than in 1984, the last record year. The count is taken during the first full week of the new year. There were 35 bald eagles in Barry County in a Christmas bird count conducted by Merle Rogers, Roaring River State Park naturalist, and volunteers. Barry County’s 35 birds were concentrated in the southern part of the county. Most were in the Washburn Prairie area, where the birds are provided a good supply of chicken. Rogers said the birds fed almost daily on poultry that was disposed of by growers. Some of the dump areas back in woods are visited by as many as 30 birds at a time, according to one resident observer. Eagles are also frequenters of Roaring River State Park, of some areas on Table Rock Lake and have been seen at various points down Flat Creek. They will all be leaving within two weeks, according to observers. Their departure is due either to increased human activity or nesting calls elsewhere. “The eagle count is in conjunction with the annual mid-winter waterfowl survey,” says Jim D. Wilson, ornithologist for the Conservation Department. Conservation agents, biologists and Wildlife Division personnel, and people from the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Service do the counting. Wilson said the survey recorded 977 bald eagles in Missouri, not counting the Mississippi River which is recorded separately because Missouri shares those eagles with Illinois. Weather conditions were favorable for counting eagles, Wilson says. The cold weather in December froze from 60 to 90 percent of the lakes in north Missouri which concentrated the birds around the remaining open water. The Missouri River north of St. Joseph was a hotspot, with 76 birds recorded. Wilson said the water in southern Missouri was largely open, which spread the birds out more. He said there were eagles reported in 55 of Missouri’s 114 counties. There were seven golden eagles and three unidentified as to species. Nearly a third, 31 percent, of the bald eagles seen were identified as immature. That figure indicates an average recruitment of young birds into the overall population. The Mississippi River contributed 258 eagles, which will be attached to a survey by the Illinois Natural History Survey. The previous high eagle count was in 1984 with 975. There were 955 seen in 1981, 779 in 1982, 908 in 1983 and 758 last year. In other eagle news, the Department hacked six eaglets last summer. Hacking is a process of conditioning parentless birds to the wild by feeding them in an isolation tower, with no human contact, until they are ready to fly. The young birds come from other states where the nests have been destroyed or something has happened to the parents. The Department has been working with the Fish and Wildlife Service at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge since 1981 and has hacked 18 eagles so far. Plans are to work with at least six more this year. If Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield is successful at hatching eaglets, we’ll have more to work with at Mingo, Wilson says. The zoo has been trying to hatch eagles, using parent birds that have been injured so severely they can’t be released to the wild. The project has been plagued by difficulties with survival of the young. There already are four eggs being brooded by bantam chickens, with prospects for more. And we had two active nests in the wild last year that produced four eaglets, Wilson says. We expect those to be active again this year. And there are other nests built but not used by eagles which could become active.

30 years ago

Feb. 21, 1996

— R-IV school board approves $500,000 renovation project

Ground source heating and cooling system to be installed — The Cassville R-IV School Board accepted bids last week on a one-half million dollar project that will renovate portions of the elementary and middle school’s existing heating systems. A base bid from Ground Source Systems in the amount of $474,785 was approved, along with a $50,659 bid for an alternate portion of the project. Ground Source is the company that installed the high school’s heating and cooling system. Superintendent Dan Bailey said work on the project will begin the day after school ends in May and will be completed by summer’s end. The new heating and cooling system, which will be similar to the one installed at the high school, will be placed in two main portions of the school’s elementary and intermediate wings. One section will include the current fourth and fifth grade classes, which are located in the old high school hallway, as well as the art room, band room and middle school gym. In the elementary wing, the main hall, including second through fourth grade rooms, the elementary art, music and primary cafeteria, will be affected. Bailey said the newest portion of the elementary school and the old portion of the middle school would not be included in the renovation. Bailey said the project will probably be financed through lease purchase funds. The district expects to receive about $50,000 back in rebates from Barry Electric and KAMO for installing a ground source system. “After this summer, we’ll work on the rest of the buildings a section at a time,” Bailey said. In a related project, board members voted to accept the low bid of $90,500 from R.E. Smith Construction for completion of a window and wall renovation project in the elementary wing. According to Bailey, the bid from R.E. Smith came in well below the projected cost of $125,000. Bids for a new track surface were taken under advisement until the board could negotiate with Hutchens Construction, the project’s low bidder. Bailey said Hutchens’ bid of $150,536 was over $35,000 higher than the expected cost. The board will now try to delete portions of the project to reduce cost. Bailey said the board is currently comparing a latex surface with a polyurethane surface. The polyurethane is a slightly better surface but would require more costly maintenance. 

— Extraordinary act of bravery: Men pull driver from burning tractor-trailer

John Moore, pictured on the left, and Josh Jones, center, were honored for “actions above and beyond the call of duty” by George’s, their employer. The two men pulled a driver from a company truck that had overturned and was on fire. Glenn Balch, corporate loss control director, is shown presenting the two men with $100 checks and Good Samaritan plaques on behalf of George’s. The presentation was made during lunch break before a crowd of fellow employees. Last Thursday, John Moore and Josh Jones had finished work and were heading home on Highway near Butterfield. About four miles west of the George’s Processing plant, the two George’s employees passed a company live haul truck loaded with chickens. As the truck went by, Moore noticed that the trailer didn’t look right. When he glanced back in his rearview mirror, Moore saw the trailer overturn, pulling the tractor with it. Moore immediately stopped and drove back to the scene. When the two men approached the overturned rig they found the driver disoriented and still in the cab. At the same time flames began to leap out of the grill. Instantly, Moore and Jones grabbed the driver out of the truck and got him out of the way. A few minutes later, the tractor was fully engulfed in flames. The driver received 20 stitches and was kept overnight in the hospital for observation. He is now back at work. In recognition of Moore and Jones’ efforts, George’s presented the two men with plaques and checks for $100 during Tuesday’s lunch break. The plaques read: “George’s Farms presents the Good Samaritan Award to John Moore/Josh Jones for his action above and beyond the call of duty. Your concern for others as well as your company has earned our respect and appreciation.” Glenn Balch, corporate loss control director who investigated the accident, said that Moore and Jones humbly declined to take credit for their bravery, stating that anyone would have done what they had. “We are very grateful,” Balch said. “It could have been really serious. There could have been the loss of a life if the men hadn’t risked injury to themselves to get the driver out.” Moore, 39, lives in Rocky Comfort and has worked at George’s for the past two years. Jones, 17, is from Stark City. He has been employed at the plant since November of last year.