KHS65 AUTHOR PAR EXCELLENCE PUBLISHES YET ANOTHER TOME, SUSAN CROCE KELLY MAKING US PROUD AGAIN!

 Here is the news release about Susan's latest book.  She is not only living in the southern part of our state, not too far from the Ozarks, but she has published a biography of an amazing woman of the Missouri Ozarks.  As a person who has enjoyed the area since childhood, I am excited to learn about this woman, her story so beautifully told by our own Susan.  I'm taking my copy next time I expect to see Susan so she can autograph it for me!  Thank you Susan for being one of our KHS65 STARS, making us look so good for so long.  Such a group we are!!  Happy New Year to everyone, we all need a GREAT new year, with the rest of the world too~

An Independent Woman, Changing Times, And A Bully Pulpit:

NEWSPAPERWOMAN OF THE OZARKS Traces the life of an Ozarks Icon

Before the word Ozarks was synonymous with the idea of goofy hillbillies, fast boats, and family vacations, it was a place where real people lived their lives day-to-day and learned about the world from their local newspapers.

Lucile Morris Upton was one of the people who made reading newspapers worthwhile, and she is the subject of a new biography published by the University of Arkansas Press this year: Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: the Live & Times of Lucile Morris Upton, by Susan Croce Kelly.

One hundred years ago (1923), when Upton traded her teaching job for a reporter’s notebook, she had no idea that during her career, she would rub shoulders with presidents, fly with aviation pioneer Wiley Post, cover the worst single killing of US police officers in the twentieth century, write an acclaimed book on the vigilante group known as the Bald Knobbers, and chart the growth of tourism in the Ozarks.

Between and during all that, however, she may have been best known as half of the Lucile Morris Upton-Betty Love reporter-photographer duo sent by the Springfield News & Leader to cover everything from murders and bank robberies to centennial celebrations and Ozarks folkways, often making the news as much as reporting on it.

After her retirement, she put her experience to good use as a member of the Springfield City Council, played a large part in seeing that Wilson’s Creek became a National Civil War Battlefield and the Nathan Boone Home in Ash Grove was made a State Historic Site.

Told largely through Upton’s own words, this insightful biography captures the excitement of being on the front lines of newsgathering in the days when the whole world depended on newspapers to find out what was happening.

Ozarks folksinger, writer, and raconteur Marideth Sisco says of the book, “To call this work a significant contribution to the history of the Ozarks is an understatement. Author Susan Croce Kelly grasps the importance of Lucile Morris Upton in the development of the Ozarks, charting the events of Upton’s life with an understanding of the characters involved in their historical context. This is an important and enjoyable read.” 

Kelly, a former reporter at Upton’s own Springfield News-Leader and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, is the author of two award-winning books on the history of old US 66: Route 66: The Highway and Its People (University of Oklahoma Press), and Father of Route 66, the Story of Cy Avery. She is also managing editor of OzarksWatch Magazine for Missouri State University’s Ozarks Studies Institute.

The book is available in local book stores, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and through the University of Arkansas Press distribution center (1-800-621-2736).

To talk with the author, arrange book signings, or set up speaking engagements, contact Susan Croce Kelly at susancrocekelly@gmail.com, 573-569-1585

Another of our wonderful KHS65 GIRLS passes away, RIP Susan Wallach Rothenheber

 I am so sorry to have to post the way-too-early death of another of our classmembers.  Susan Wallach died on 7th December.  Please go here:  https://www.stlfuneral.com/obituaries/Susan-Rothenheber/#!/Obituary to read her obituary and see her photo.  You can also scroll down the right side of this blog to the image of our PIONEER yearbook and click it then go to page 220 for Sue's entry.  She went to Mizzou too.  I am so sorry I lost contact with her in more recent years; for a long time we corresponded regularly.  She and her hubby lived in Frontenac, near the border with Des Peres, just off Bopp Road, not far from where I lived for awhile at KHS & later in Harwood Hills.  Her dad was a well-known coach around town, either at one of the colleges or another high school...somewhere in my archives I have a record of it, but I think some of our classmates may remember.  I hope she did not linger in ill health for some long time, none of us deserves that and she certainly didn't. RIP Sue!

Barbara Pinkley Moore passed away this summer.

 We learned this summer that Barb passed away in Bradenton, Florida where she lived for many years.  There was no obituary but I was in touch with a grand-daughter who kept me posted as she encouraged her family to get one written!  Finally, a skeletal one was written which she sent to me but she added more information.  Here is what we have.  So sad that another of our classmates has left us.  

Time to share Christmas Cheer and Party Hearty!

 Everyone don your fun Christmas sweaters or Kirkwood garb and join your classmates on December 9th, starting at 6:30pm at sweet Karen Lowe Adams' house for good food, libations, reminiscing and fun.  Her address is 1459 Lark Avenue (Sugar Creek Ranch subdivision); Couch Avenue to west on Lark and straight down to her house on the right.  Lark is just south of Adams Avenue just west of Kirkwood Park - you would turn left (south) off of Adams onto Couch then right onto Lark - or just follow your GPS!  Karen's phone # is 314 965 2909 - please RSVP to her so we have some idea of attendance.  Please do not publish her street address or phone # on any of your on-line places.  You can certainly ask people to contact you for the information.  Karen is always a gracious hostess, and will welcome your food or beverage contribution to the party - appetizers, bottles of wine, etc. etc.  but it is not mandatory to bring a food or drink to attend!  There is always plenty to satiate us one way or the other and usually leftovers because we seem to love to talk more than eat!  And if you find you can attend at the last minute, go ahead and join us!  But it will help if we have an idea of the number of attendees.  Meantime have a great Thanksgiving, and GO PIONEERS!

We are working on finding our classmates that we aren't already in contact with so if you have current contact information on any classmate, please let me know as soon as you can so we don't waste time and effort calling/contacting folks for whom we already have information.  Thanks so very much! leslie@khs65.com or 636 220 2442 will find me wherever I am.

SHARON HOLT WYMAN'S OBITUARY 11/16/1946 - 7/22/2022

Thanks to Pat Moisio I have just today received the obituary of our classmate Sharon Ann Holt Amelung Wyman.  I knew Sharon at KHS, I believe we had a class or two together, but later in my computer company days, McDonnell Douglas Field Service Co., I met and worked with her husband Bob Wyman.  Bob is now married to our classmate Sharon Merritt whom I knew better as we went to Robinson School together and were in Scouts together.  Herewith Sharon's obituary, another gone earlier than should have been.

"Amelung Wyman, Sharon Ann (nee Holt) died peacefully, surrounded by her family on July 22 at the age of 75.  Born to Robert C. Jr. and Lettie Holt on November 16th, 1946 in Nashville, TN, the family moved to Kirkwood in 1955.  She was married twice, first to Scott Amelung and later to Robert Wyman, but was a fiercely independent woman in her later years.  Each Marriage produced one child:  Christopher (Sarah Horton) Amelung and Noelle (Scott Roth) Wyman Roth.  She was a lover of music, literature, gardening and animals.  She is also survived by her brother Robert (Gay) Holt III, 5 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins....In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in Sharon's name to the Endangered Wolf Center, the St. Louis Zoo or the MO Humane Society."  You might remember, if my memory serves, that Sharon's brother Bob was a writer/reporter for the St. Louis Post Dispatch in the past. 

I joked with Bob that he had married two KHS65 girls both named Sharon, wondering if there was a reason?  There is a good story about how I met Bob and he discovered I too was a KHS65 girl; it's much too long to type, but come to some of our KHS65 "do's" and I might tell it!

Poet Laureate Alan Yount and son Arlen writing poetry together - doesn't get much better than this especially on Father's Day!

 From my Facebook post of today, 18 June 2023:

Oh my goodness, KHS65 folks AND anyone interested in jazz music, Duke Ellington, trumpets or just easy listening, check this out. I've been waiting for 2 months to post this today but had to wait until it was first published on Jerry Jazz Musician website. Our class poet, Alan Yount (The Count from our high school dance band years), and his son have written poetry together. It is published today as Sunday Poem but really it's a series of several, about Alan and his dad's visit to a performance of Duke Ellington in 1964. Even if you're not a big poetry fan, you should read it. Read it with your father or son if one is at hand. At the end of the poems Arlen and Alan read the poetry so you can hear the words. There is a blurb about each one of them at the very end. I am so excited to be able to bring this to you all. Alan had a serious heart attack awhile back and can't travel much, and if you read my posts you may have seen that Alan's mom recently died at age 102; dying of natural causes very peacefully and not in any pain or distress. Check back a couple of months on my FB posts. A wonderful family, and Alan is still playing that trumpet! Think back to the dances on Friday nights at the KHS cafeteria OR the gym when his band played for our dances! Fond memories -

congratulations to US for having such talented contemporaries, still making a difference! Enjoy and again Happy Father's Day!  The below link takes you to the page where you'll see Sunday Poem on the right then scroll down a bit to see the beginning of the poem on the left....then keep reading until you've seen the short bios of both Alan and Arlen.

 

https://jerryjazzmusician.com/the-sunday-poem-duke-ellingtons-big-band-orchestra-live-at-basin-street-east-new-york-city-summer-1964-by-alan-and-arlan-yount/

The Sunday Poem: "Duke Ellington’s Big-Band Orchestra: Live at Basin Street East, New York City. Summer 1964" - by Alan and Arlan Yount - Jerry Jazz Musician

The poet Alan Yount and son Arlan write about a live 1964 performance by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

Kirkwood's Hall family making the news once again, Class of 1969 and 1965 star pupils and their wonderful family!

 I know our classmate Mattie (Carol) Hall is very proud, another honor for her family!  From the current KHS Alumni newsletter sent via email:

Kirkwood School District Foundation’s KTOC Scholarship Receives Donation from KHS Alumni in Honor of Reverend William Edward Hall

Kirkwood students will benefit from a $5,000 donation by Henry Edward Hall in honor of his father, Rev. William Edward Hall. Rev. Hall was a product of Kirkwood’s Booker T. Washington School and became principal of the school and an active leader in the local civil rights movement.

The Booker T. Washington School opened in 1870 on Adams near Geyer Rd. to serve the community’s African-American children. Rev. Hall, who was born in Kirkwood in 1912, attended Booker T. Washington School for all of his local public education. He then pursued higher education, graduating from Lincoln University in Jefferson City with a Bachelor’s in Education, from New York University with a Master’s in Vocational Guidance & Counseling and extending his studies to St. Louis’ Stowe Teachers College and the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York. In Kirkwood, he served as principal of the Booker T. Washington school twice, once from 1940-1942 and again from 1946-1948. In June 1950, the school closed and the students were transferred to the J. Milton Turner School in Meacham Park.

The Kirkwood School District Foundation (KSDF) Named Awards program is one of many ways KSDF works to enrich the lives of Kirkwood students.

For more about Rev. Hall and KSDF's Named Awards visit our website.

Rev. William Edward Hall in 1944	(From left) - Stephanie Collet, KSDF Executive Director; Roberta McWoods, Master Mentor for KTOC; Mildred Jones, William Halls’ sister-in-law; Jeremy Mapp, KSD Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion who is displaying a 1943 picture of Rev. Hall; and Mary Loida, KSDF President	Henry Edward Hall, KHS Class of 1969

Bill Mueller, another classmate gone way too soon...

As I traveled last month our wonderful classmate Jim Day let me know that Bill Mueller passed away.  I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get it posted, just a busy time.  I drove 3700+ miles and spent much time on the road, in hotels and visiting good friends and a cousin, but most of all with my adorable grandson in Maine.  Please know I normally try to get news posted in a more timely way, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.  What a shame that another of our favorite classmates has left us too soon.  Thanks as always to JD for keeping his ears to the ground to keep us posted on our friends.


    Mueller, William Bryant (Bill),  75, of Midland, Texas, passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023.  A visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, April, 21, 2023, at Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home. Memorial service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

    Bill was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Roy and Daisie Mueller.  He grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri, and was a standout athlete and student at Kirkwood High School.  He attended The University of Tulsa, where he earned his bachelor of science degree in geophysics and joined the lifelong brotherhood of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

    It was at TU where he met his soulmate and wife of 53 years, Ann Brooke Sloss Mueller. Bill is survived by his children, Bryant and Bridget Mueller, Aaron and Ireland Mueller, and Ashley and Brandon King. He has been blessed with seven wonderful grandchildren: Ali, Mason, Peyton, Brooke-Ann, Braxton, Brylee, and AJ.

    Bill loved all sports and was a staple at the local gym. He began his career with Union Oil Company, which led to a successful 35-year journey around the globe searching for and finding oil and gas. He then followed a dream and co-founded Antlers Exploration, LLC, an independent exploration company where he continued to be an industry leader in the field of geophysics. He was very active in his alumni associations for TU and Sigma Chi, and industry associations such as SEG and SIPES.

    A dedicated husband, father and grandfather, Bill was a generous philanthropist and passionate supporter of the Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

    Bill is preceded in death by his loving parents, Roy and Daisie Mueller; James and Elizabeth Sloss; and sister-in-law Kate Tabor.  

    In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center: www.midlandchildrens.org.

    Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory in Midland.  Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.

Jane Harris Yount, age 102, dies - her funeral information...the mother of our classmate Alan "the Count" Yount

 Dear dear Mrs. Yount, with whom I had the nicest chat in February, has died at age 102.  Please read her obituary - what a life she led!!!  Alan inherited a lot of his 'good' from his parents.  His dad and mine were acquainted at MAC back in our childhood.  Mrs. Y remembered my dad's picking up her husband in his Morris bus in which he drove a carpool of Kirkwood MAC men to "the plant" on weekdays.  I was amazed when Alan said she remembered that!  Please keep Alan and his sister in your thoughts and prayers.  I'll be at Bopp Funeral Home Saturday to pay my respects and visit with Alan...

May she rest in peace, we know she was very much loved and will be missed.

https://www.boppchapel.com/obituaries/Jane--H--Yount-?obId=27587313#/obituaryInfo

Kirkwood School District Foundation Grant program benefits from generosity of KHS65 Classmate to pay it forward!

 This was posted via email by the Kirkwood School District Foundation  today; please read down and note in the 3rd paragraph under the photo - the Mr. and Mrs. Rodger Riney are better known to us as Rodger and Paula Fauks Riney.  They are often found paying their goodness forward in the Kirkwood realm.  Thank you Paula and Rodger!  You are among the group of KHS65ers who continue to make us all look good!  We're proud to know you!

KHS COLLEGE KICKSTART GRANT

On Thursday, March 9th, the Kirkwood School District Foundation (KSDF) awarded a $5,000 grant to the Kirkwood High School (KHS) College Kickstart Program. KSDF representatives surprised grant applicant, Melinda Hall (KHS Social Worker), and her colleagues with the award during National School Social Work Week.

 

“We all know how expensive it is to send a child to college for the first time with heavy upfront expenses for various items such as bedding, electronics, clothing, personal care items, etc. The College Kickstart Program will help relieve this upfront burden and help our kids feel confident and comfortable as they begin their first semester at college," said Hall.

 

This donation was made possible by a generous gift to KSDF from Mr. and Mrs. Rodger O. Riney, made in honor of retiring Principal Dr. Michael Havener and his years of dedication to Kirkwood students. Dr. Havener expressed his desire that a portion of these funds in his honor be directed to the KHS College Kickstart Program.