January 10, 1947

• A large hay barn on the F.B. Strickler farm, southeast of Fairfax, was destroyed by fire the afternoon of January 1, but luckily there was no feed or hay in the barn and only a few pieces of machinery. Mr. Strickler and his hired man, Ray Randall, had used a blow torch to thaw some pipes in the barn earlier in the day, but had checked two different times later to make sure there was no fire. However, some time between three or four hours after the blow torch was used, a fire broke out.

• Mrs. C.H. French of Cameron announces the engagement of her daughter, Dorothie, to Ralph D. Seymour, Jr., of Fairfax. The bride to be is attending college at Fayette and Mr. Seymour is a senior student at the Iowa State College in Ames.

• George W. Booth, former Fairfax boy, now in the Marines and on the staff of The Leatherneck, magazine of the U.S. Marines, sends the Forum a copy of the January issue, which shows a double page of comics drawn by him. The drawings are good and indicate that George has a position that will allow him to demonstrate his superior talent in this line. George went to Washington, D.C., soon after returning from overseas to take up his work at The Leatherneck.

January 13, 1972

• Richard Rupe has recently sold the 1200 acre family farm west of Fairfax to Stantons of Rock Port for $300 per acre. The Rupes’ grandfather came to Atchison County in 1839 and decided to locate here. Much of the 1,200-acre holding was purchased for $1 to $1.25 per acre. Mr. Rupe, now 89, has managed the land since he was 20.

• J. Hayden Pyeatt, coordinator for the Adult Farm class in this area, has announced that the first meeting will be held at Elkdale Community Center January 17. Don Mobley, area extension specialist in livestock, will have as his topic “Beef Cow Herd” with special emphasis on production, management, records, advantages, and disadvantages of a beef cow herd.

• All segments of the area are being hit by an epidemic of flu with absenteeism in schools and businesses running high. On Tuesday, a total of 64 students were absent from Fairfax R-3. The hospital has converted a waiting room, chapel, and sewing room into patient facilities to accommodate the influx of patients.

• Mr. and Mrs. Dean Wiley plan to leave by air Friday for a 4-day vacation at a Mexican coastal resort near Puerto Vallarta. The expense-paid trip was won by Mr. Wiley for meeting certain quotas at the local MFA Exchange, where he is manager.

January 9, 1997

• The first baby born in the new year at Community Hospital in Fairfax was Katherine Paige Henning, daughter of Jim and Madelyn Henning of Craig. She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and arrived at 6:24 a.m. January 1, 1997.

• Floyd and Charlotte “Judy” Schooler of Fairfax will observe their 50th wedding anniversary January 18. They were wed on that date in 1947 by their college Bible professor Rev. A.W. Martin, D.D., at his home in Tarkio. They have farmed all their married life near Fairfax, semi-retiring in 1991.

• Over The Back Fence by Nancy Gaines: “Thought for the day…‘never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it.’”

• Ronnie and Merrilyn Ray are new residents at Tarkio. Ronnie has retired from Hughes Air Craft in Seal Beach, California, and they moved back to the home of Leora Mitchell.