TLC - The Lexington Connection

WOW! #36 Already!!!! Keep it up.

A couple of topics in #36 motivated me to write a little bit. First, the class of '60 reunion requests. That's my class and I'd love to have another reunion. Even if there are only a handful of us, it would be good. I understand that Ron Peterson and David Goodloe are back in town. They can most likely be found at the golf course! There are a few other '60's folks around the area (and I'm sure some more in Lexington, too). I think Phil Stompoly is still living in the KC area, as is George B. Gordon. Although he graduated from Wentworth, Jim Skelton is always considered "one of us" and he was living in Warrensburg the last I heard. Art Whitney and I are out here in the wild West, but I'm sure he'd be interested in attending. His dad is still living in Lexington. So, where am I going with this? I learned in the Army to never volunteer.

Bob Ball's piece on the Ford water meters was interesting. Funny what we do
when we retire! My dad, who ran the water company in Lexington from 1945 to
1970-something would be the most expert historian on the Ford Meter Co. He
bought and installed a lot of them! After retiring from the water company, he worked for the Collar Company in KC and sold the darn things. We can ask
if he remembers anything about the Ford company, but he's 93 now and doesn't
remember a whole lot. Do any of us?

I never remembered, or knew, that my sister, Barbara, dated Tom Corbin to the
Prom. It was later in my life that I discovered the local dirt track racing and then saw Tom and his brother-in-law George Lasoski race many times. Tom was an excellent driver and car builder. They lived in Dover and Danny Lasoski attended LHS. Our mother, Betty Lee, remembers him in her English class. His new racing shop is now in or near Higginsville and I guess with his new fame he wants to be identified with the "big city" rather than little ol' Dover.

Anyone remember Bill Utz? He wasn't an LHS grad, but he lived in Lexington
for a short time in the '50's. His uncle was Don Utz who ran the riding stables at the Country Club. Bill was a farrier of quite some renown in the northeast Missouri show horse fraternity. But his real claim to fame came at the wheel of race cars. He had moved to Lexington to care for his ailing father, who lived in an apartment above my Dad's office on Main St. Mr. Utz had a bad heart and Bill had to carry him up and down the steep back steps to the apartment. After his dad died, Bill moved to Sedalia to be closer to a large horse shoeing market. He went on to win many races and championships in the '60's and '70's and I understand he is now retired and still living in Sedalia.

Do you have a list of the Saluda survivor descendants?

Ed: No, I don't. Does anyone?

Mary Pat Gueguen Miller checks in:

Comments on TLC #36: Oh, how I can see all the faces of those '56ers you talked about, and most of their mothers, too. Such dear ladies. Barbara Lee, you spoke of the '57 Prom. That would be the year you were a senior and our junior class decorated. Remember the Japanese Garden that John Cross so eloquently recalled in one of the past issues. (I was his date, by default.) That was also the night of the Ruskin Heights tornado. Yes, I remember Tom Corbin. Bob Ball, you still have retained the DRYEST sense of humor from high school. Water meter boxes, indeed!! Where is your camera? I just remember it being IN MY FACE most of my high school days. Thought sure you would be a professional photographer some day. I still have some of the pictures you took with me playing the tampani in orchestra. Anybody remember Bill Seiter? I'm going to try to get his Email address and put him on the list. I think he would love this exchange. I downloaded the pictures, and they were great!!

Then Jim O'Malley:

Thanks for the photos of such wonderful Lexington locations. They bring back a flood of memories to me. The old Wentworth Bank, which is now a wine shop, was the site of Dave Profitt's Grocery in the 1930s. My grandmother, Sarah Terrell Howard, used to live in a flat on South 9th St., practically across 9th street from Profitt's Store. Sam Bell, father of Sue Bell Bartley of Lexington, was the meat cutter at Profitt's. My grandmother used to send me to Mr. Profitt's for bread and stuff when I was just a little guy. Mr. Profitt and Mr. Bell were favorites of mine and always treated me with a lot of deference. Speaking of banks, did the Jesse James gang rob the Wentworth Bank or the the State Bank of Missouri, which was in the current Elks Lodge Building? If anyone knows please let me know.

The picture of the former Payne's Shoe Shop, which is now called Limrick's, touched me very much, too. From 1950 to 1953 my family lived in an apartment on the second floor of that building.   Our landlord was Luther Payne.   Long before we moved into the apartment, back in the 30s, that space was occupied by a night spot (speakeasy??) called "The Shamrock."   Maybe some of your readers
will remember the place, or have parents who do.   I'd like to hear their comments. By the way, I should also add that the "Victorian Peddler" was the location of the "Lexington Night Club" back in the early 30s. The night spot was owned by Jimmy "Piggy" Phipps.   He hired a Kansas City band to play for the opening. It was led by a young Kansas City musician named Count Basie!

Best wishes to everyone. I think we'll all agree that growing up in Lexington was a wonderful gift.   What a neat collection of persons made up this community. It was a rich mix of backgrounds, ethnicity, and gifts. Hope you all have a marvelous spring.

Thanks for the email and update. I had lost all my email addresses as my computer went belly-up. So glad to get your address again. Let me know when you gals are going to have another slumber party, sounds like something I could go to. Ha.

Susan, you may not remember, but the building on 9th & Main was Dad's old second hand store. Of course Connie (Beretta '55 Pulley) would remember as she is much older than us. Dad had the store from about 1942 until 1953. We lived upstairs for 5 or 6 years and were living there when we moved to Phoenix in 1953. Just a little trivia. Brings back a lot of memories, Gordon Wright and I spent a lot of time there looking across the street as some pretty girls lived there. It was all Gordon's idea of course.

P.S. He brought the old Binoculars when he came up here hunting, and they were still fogged up. Ha

Double PS.........Dad always said the James Boys robbed that bank, I wonder if it was true?

Charlotte Skelton Guiberson:

All your efforts are enjoyed by so many. Please keep on writing the way your dad did in his little column on the front page. (What was the name of it? I remember the figure of a man sitting at his desk, hat over his eyes and a fishing rod in the backgound). Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your letters.

Thanks, Charlotte: It was called The Editor's Corner. He had his feet up on the desk, hat over his eyes, and a shotgun and fishing rod were in the background.

More newspaper stuff from Jane Ann Whitney '56 Hunt:

You are a true newspaper, complete with photos---thank you so much! Digital cameras are remarkable, aren't they? JoAnn (Oetting '56 Tognascioli) called last Mon. morning, bubbling over with all the fun you guys had. The military ball, yet! I was so jealous. (Ed: She could not attend.)

Dear old Lex.----I can't believe how it is blossoming. It is alive with new wonderful businesses, thanks to farsighted and energetic people willing to take a chance. It will be a destination for day trippers now, anxious to buy antiques and other goodies.

Looking through the list of TLC subscribers, I can't believe how few we've heard from. Obviously all have strong ties to Lexington, and that usually means TONS of memories, but maybe we could evoke some by offering some starting points, like monthly questions or themes. Some off the top of my head are:

l - Lexington "characters"

2 - Things learned from Ernestine Seiter that hadn't anything to do with English (I vividly remember her saying never to eat the olive in a martini because that was where all the alcohol was concentrated!)

3 - Things learned from Ernestine Seiter that expanded us beyond rural Missouri (vocabulary expansion by studying Latin derivatives; being exposed to literary awards, etc.)

4 - Miss Mautino vignettes (It wasn't hard to make her cry. I remember someone telling her on Ash Wednesday that she had dirt on her forehead, which set off the tears and the exclamation, "You're making fun of my religion!") Or when she was trying to locate a hanky in her bra and her saying, "I know there were two in here this morning."

5 - Out of school activities: jobs, Scouts, baseball and softball, sledding on Franklin, church activities, dancing classes, Teen Town, etc.

6 - Non-related "others" who made a personal impact on us.

7 - Minstrel or variety show numbers.

Okay, folks, there's the challenge. Please don't be intimidated about writing. I print only what is for general consumption or to make the sense flow. Actually my skills lie more in editing than in writing, so be sure I will do my best to "clean it up" for you if you just want to dash something off quickly. I think of this exchange as the real Lexington history. Keep it coming!

Yr. Obedient Scribe,

Susan