I enjoy the blogs that are in the Cedar Vale Lookout. Recently there were memories of basketball teams and Dick Stone was mentioned. Dick graduated in 1942, we had a very good basketball team that year. We had five letter men returning. This team won first in the South Central League, the District Tournament and the Regional Tournament. By winning the Regional an invitation to the State Tournament in Hutchinson was received.
At this tournament the Broncos defeated Utica 33 to 22 to be the first team from Cedar Vale to go beyond the first hurdle. The next game was against Halstead, the team who went ahead and carried off the championship. This game was recognized as an outstanding feature for Class B basketball for the State of Kansas. Halstead defeated the purple and gold in the second overtime. The game was tied up 8 times. The final score was 27 to 25.
The South Central League ended with Cedar Vale first, Caney second, Sedan third, and Peru fourth. The Broncos won 23 games and lost 5 (2 to class A schools). The team made 926 points to their opponents 575. Wilbur Humphries, forward and captain, was high scorer with 281 points. (Wilber recently passed away on October 2, 2009) Ernie Clark, center, 214 points, Jr. Barger, forward, 132 points, Dick Stone, guard, 112 points, Kenneth Bohannon, guard, 46 points. Other players were Lee Lemert, Rollin Leedy, Neal Sullivan, Roy White and Merrill Tipton . Graduating seniors were Clark, Humphries, Stone, Bohannon and Sullivan. Clark lives in South Carolina and Sullivan in Alaska- we have lost the other three.
Coaches for the Broncos were Earl Vore 39-40, Cecil Humphries 1941 and LeRoy Uhlenhop 1942. Mr. Uhlenhop didn't finish the school year as he joined the Navy Reserve. I remember the students turned out at the bottom steps to cheer our team on. We had gas rationing (war was on) so we didn't get to see the games. A few local people pooled gas stamps and attended.
The first time I was in the Hutchinson building for a tournament was when Bob Bailey was on the team. I remember seeing him walking down the court and checking it out. I wondered if it looked as big to him as it did to me. It looked so much larger than out court. Was it?
Norma Wesbrook Knowles
Class of 1942
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
How Highway 166 Changed the Life of One Family
When I want to know something about gardening or local people I always go to my aunt, neighbor, and friend, Norma Wesbrook Knowles. I asked her to tell me a memory about the Wesbrook family and this is the result.
Clarence and Edna Wesbrook lived 12 miles west of Cedar Vale. Their family included Cecil (my Dad), Mildred, and Norma. They were rather shut off from the world. To get out they had to open 3 gates, then drive north to Hooser, on north and west to Dexter or east to Cedar Vale. Edna would sometimes drive the model T up to Hooser to take the train in to Cedar Vale to visit Mrs. Frank Hubbard. She would take the train back later the same day. Clarence, in his younger days, played on a baseball team from Hooser. They had uniforms and played often.
Closest neighbors were the Metcalfs, Wesbrooks had to cross Metcalf land to get to the Hooser road. Carl Metcalf was Cecil's best friend.
When a family lost a loved one, neighbors came to their aid. Clarence set up all night with Mr. Metcalf before his service. Edna was called to get a neighbor lady, that had died in childbirth, ready for burial. There were 3 little boys in the family. The grandparents took the 2 youngest and the father kept the older boy.
Cecil was the oldest of the Wesbrook children. He and his sister Mildred went to country school, Glendale, where his teacher was Nellie McGill Mills ( he thought very highly of her all his life). After 8th grade he went to high school is Dexter where he graduated. He roomed with a Mrs. Marsland during the week, going home only on weekends.
The building of Federal Highway 166 changed this family's lives. Some of the Wesbrook land was purchased for this project. Clarence and Edna were happy about the highway even though it divided their land. It made life easier. They took the money (about $1000) and built a new home. This amazed me, but Norma said $1000 went a long way back then.
This was during the depression, the highway gave work to local men. My dad drove a dump truck for a while. A family from back east lived in a tent in the walnut grove north of the Wesbrook house. The father and oldest son worked on the highway. The oldest boy eventually married a neighbor girl (Gary Metcalf's aunt). Lots of horses with slips were used to move the dirt. The highway people watered the horses out of the Wesbrook pond.
After the highway was completed local men were given the work of mowing, they were still in the depression, so this was much appreciated. Clarence mowed 3 or 4 miles.
Mildred Wesbrook stayed out of school while the road was being built, then drove into Cedar Vale where she graduated. Norma wasn't in school yet, but later rode with neighbors to school in Cedar Vale. She said the car was just packed with kids.
There wasn't a lot of traffic at first, Norma learned to roller skate on the highway. Relatives would come for a visit on the bus, the bus would drop them off at the house and pick them up when they were ready to return. Norma would wave at the driver and he'd honk.
As a result of the depression there were tramps on the highway. Grandma would feed them, if Cecil's Police Dog Bill would let them come to the house. There were also Gypsies in covered wagons, they would trade willow stools for milk and potatoes.
Norma has an invitation to the dedication of the completion of the highway to take place in Arkansas City April 16, 1935. Dedicatory address by Governor Landon.
Clarence and Edna Wesbrook lived 12 miles west of Cedar Vale. Their family included Cecil (my Dad), Mildred, and Norma. They were rather shut off from the world. To get out they had to open 3 gates, then drive north to Hooser, on north and west to Dexter or east to Cedar Vale. Edna would sometimes drive the model T up to Hooser to take the train in to Cedar Vale to visit Mrs. Frank Hubbard. She would take the train back later the same day. Clarence, in his younger days, played on a baseball team from Hooser. They had uniforms and played often.
Closest neighbors were the Metcalfs, Wesbrooks had to cross Metcalf land to get to the Hooser road. Carl Metcalf was Cecil's best friend.
When a family lost a loved one, neighbors came to their aid. Clarence set up all night with Mr. Metcalf before his service. Edna was called to get a neighbor lady, that had died in childbirth, ready for burial. There were 3 little boys in the family. The grandparents took the 2 youngest and the father kept the older boy.
Cecil was the oldest of the Wesbrook children. He and his sister Mildred went to country school, Glendale, where his teacher was Nellie McGill Mills ( he thought very highly of her all his life). After 8th grade he went to high school is Dexter where he graduated. He roomed with a Mrs. Marsland during the week, going home only on weekends.
The building of Federal Highway 166 changed this family's lives. Some of the Wesbrook land was purchased for this project. Clarence and Edna were happy about the highway even though it divided their land. It made life easier. They took the money (about $1000) and built a new home. This amazed me, but Norma said $1000 went a long way back then.
This was during the depression, the highway gave work to local men. My dad drove a dump truck for a while. A family from back east lived in a tent in the walnut grove north of the Wesbrook house. The father and oldest son worked on the highway. The oldest boy eventually married a neighbor girl (Gary Metcalf's aunt). Lots of horses with slips were used to move the dirt. The highway people watered the horses out of the Wesbrook pond.
After the highway was completed local men were given the work of mowing, they were still in the depression, so this was much appreciated. Clarence mowed 3 or 4 miles.
Mildred Wesbrook stayed out of school while the road was being built, then drove into Cedar Vale where she graduated. Norma wasn't in school yet, but later rode with neighbors to school in Cedar Vale. She said the car was just packed with kids.
There wasn't a lot of traffic at first, Norma learned to roller skate on the highway. Relatives would come for a visit on the bus, the bus would drop them off at the house and pick them up when they were ready to return. Norma would wave at the driver and he'd honk.
As a result of the depression there were tramps on the highway. Grandma would feed them, if Cecil's Police Dog Bill would let them come to the house. There were also Gypsies in covered wagons, they would trade willow stools for milk and potatoes.
Norma has an invitation to the dedication of the completion of the highway to take place in Arkansas City April 16, 1935. Dedicatory address by Governor Landon.
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