Hot off the press 2008:

Joanna Holt Caudell, NHS 1953, passed away in 2008.

George Lux, NHS 1950, passed away January 12, 2007 from cancer. Father of Larry Lux.

Pamala Reves Drake has sent pictures of her mother, Charlene Ayars Reves, as Neodesha's May Fest Queen in 1933. Click here to see the three pictures: REVES Pamala is related to Neodesha Derry.

Laura Gildart, 80, died March 23, 2008. Mother of Randy, Rick & Jackie.

Sarah M. Weems, NHS 62, passed away from a brain tumor on March 3, 2008. Sister of Janet and George IV.

Marjorie Hemme, 89, passed away March 8th, 2008. Mother of Keith, Don, Linda and Nancy.

From David & Vicki (Carver) Pendleton:

From Terry Peck & Tonya Peck Cox:

T. T. "Bud" Sutton, 87, passed away February 27, 2008. Father of Bobbi Katzer & Richard Sutton.

Robert "Bob" Allen, 66, passed away February 13th, 2008. Former police officer.

Howard Howell, 80, passed away February 8th, 2008.

The Neodesha High School Class of 1959, 50th reunion to be held in the summer of 2009. Peggy (Talley) Winfrey would like for class members to send their addresses, phone numbers and emails to her at pegstr7@yahoo.com .

Special thanks to the Neodesha Alumni Association for their continued financial support for this website. In addition, thanks to the recent contribution by Robert & Marilyn (Smith) Graham, NHS 1963 as well as Dennis & Peggy (Talley) Winfrey.

Irene Howe, 92, died February 8, 2008. She was owner of Merle Norman Boutique and worked for the First National Bank in Neodesha at one time. Mother of Gerald, Katherine, Charlotte, Wesley, Helen and Mort.

Max Allen, 87, NHS 38, passed away February 8, 2008. Husband of Gayle Killion Allen. Father of David, Jeanne, Nancy and Charlene.

Lawrence J. Katzer, 96, died January 23, 2008. He graduated from NHS in 1929.

Larry Meigs, 57, of Altoona, NHS 1968, died in an automobile accident January 21, 2008. He is survived by his brothers Claude Meigs of Thayer and Vincent Meigs of Altoona.

Edson's Thunderbird: In 1956 Bert Ally sold a green Thunderbird to Martin Hale and Belle Edson. They ran Edson's Liquor Store on Main Street in the 1960's. By then the car had a black roof. Many of you should remember Belle in the car with all of her jewelry on and the cigarette holder. She had a little dog that she would have on her lap. The car is restored today and is owned by Mid-Kansas Vintage Thunderbird Club President Rod Wake of Wichita. It may even be in town this year for a car show. Here is a link to the website with a picture of the car shown in the Member's Rides section of their website: : kansastbirds.org If you have any further information about this car, Rod & I would appreciate hearing from you. He really would like to see a picture of the car back then to compare to what he currently owns, or stories about the Belle or the car: kerry@neodygrads.com .

Gary Smith reports his band, The Haywires, had their picture taken about 1980 with the car:

Da Bell: Approximately 50 years ago marked the end of an era. Neodesha would play a Thanksgiving Day football game each year against their rival Fredonia. The winner would get to display the trophy bell for the following year. But this time it was stolen or removed after Neodesha won it. The bell was an old Frisco locomotive bell and was painted half in our colors and half in Fredonia colors. It had caused many fights and "rumbles" following the games, and was often the target of thieves from the rival town. However, this time the bell never reappeared. No police were called about the break-in, and the bell was gone forever. The most common theory is that it was thrown in the river. Now that Ed Lyon has passed away, we will probably never know if it was removed by the administration(s) and mutually agreed upon. Any later bell not matching the original is probably not it. Some claim to have seen and rung it, but that bell does not come close in description. Do you have a theory? You can e-mail me your facts at THE BELL or tell Joe McGuire or Pattie Deer Bailey (NHS 62).

 

Darren Livingston, a past Neodesha student, sent a picture of the 5¢ Coke Machine that stood in front of the Ben Franklin store. Darren owns the machine. To see the picture click here COKE

Can you connect the following five items?
1. Neodesha
2. The Atomic Bomb
3. The Space Shuttle
4. Mailing a Letter
5. A Nobel Prize for Physics
Give up? Click here to see how they are related: 1-2-3

Bill Lee, NHS 1965, is President of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame at Lawrence, Kansas. He was busy collecting Rock & Roll memorabilia when an apartment complex fire destroyed about everything he had. Here is a link to his website: Kansas Music Hall of Fame and here is a link to the newspaper article with footage of the fire last December: Fire survivors have new outlook on life
Don Shacklette has sent a photo of the Central School Kindergarten class 1950-51

I was sent this picture by someone many of us know. Click on the picture for details:

Kathleen Hartman of Colorado recently found a brick from Neodesha VVV plant where the name was not spelled correctly. Here is a picture and and article:
 
 

The Neodesha Library has copies of many of the Class Annuals on file, in addition to Joe Allen's files. I have a small collection of Annuals that I am slowly getting scanned into the computer to share with you. If you would like to donate an annual that I do not have, you may mail it to the address at the bottom of the page. Here are the annuals I already have:
1913. 1925.1926.1948.1949.1950.1952.1954.1955.1956.1957.1958.1959.1960.1961.1962.1963.1964.1969.
1971.1972.1973.1976.1977.1981. and 1982.If you have an annual that is not listed, it would be welcome here.
 

You can now search this website with this page: NeodySearch

I have written a page about flying kites in Neodesha: Go Fly A Kite!

Pamala Reves Drake has sent me early photographs of her relatives. I am still getting them ready for the website. Her parents are Tom & Charlene (Ayars) Reves. They were both born and raised in Neodesha. Her grandparents were George & Ethel Reves and Charles & Minnie (Gastineau) Ayars. Neodesha Derry Fulton was her great, great aunt (and the first white person born in Neodesha). She has pictures of her great grandfather's barber shop, a dry goods store where her grandmother Ethel Garriott Reves Smalley worked as a young woman, plus many others. I hope to have them up and running soon.

Here is a link to the 60's musical group "The Trashmen" that recorded Surfin' Bird. They stopped their van at Sherm Nooney's filling station one night and Keith Hemme had the honor of filling up their gas tank. The announced that they were The Trashmen! To which Keith replied, "Who?". You can listen to four of their songs here, or even send them mail: http://www.myspace.com/surfinbird1964
 

May:
Pat Casey Hamilton, NHS 55, also read the article I had scanned in about the World War Troop trains that stopped in Neodesha. She agreed to let me print her addition to this article: PAT
 

I have processed the pictures submitted by Warren McClintock of the Stephen's Grocery Store and of the Argo Pump Station (NOT the postcard picture). Again, thanks for the donations: WARREN
 

From Rich Lovett: The Class of 1964 has a new web site http://www.kcwordworks.com/classof64.
 

April: Lloyd Fernandez Junior has sent me 3 pictures taken in 1954 of my father, Esley (Junior) and my mother Ocie Lee Elkins. The third picture is of Lloyd Fernandez Senior and my father. My father also went by the name of Elko. Here are the three pictures: ELKO
 

My mother, Ocie Lee Elkins-Gentry, collected many articles about Neodesha and saved them in a scrapbook. After two fires and 60+ years of wear, I have begun trying to scan some of the information into my website. One article she kept was about a fire in 1944 at 8th & Main in Neodesha which killed John W. Deer and his married daughter Vivian Brown. Pattie Deer Bailey has been kind enough to provide us with a picture of the fire and comments from her scrapbook. She now has the article and now we have the picture and more information.
You can see both here DEER FIRE
 

March: Gather around, boys and girls. Uncle Kerry has another story for you. Click WW2 City Canteen

Still awake, huh? Well, here is another little tale about Neodesha: Oils Influence on Neodesha

And here is a third story: First Brochure of Wilson County

My scanner has been busily humming away. I have a scan of the big picture found on the far wall of the Norman No. 1 Museum in Neodesha. It has the 1931 employees of Standard Oil and Warren McClintock (now of Texas) added identifications to the picture in 1991 (15 years ago) that Cecil Boster (of the original Norman Museum on East Mill Street) gave him. The list is below the picture, but it is gigantic and not a prime candidate for scanning. I have set the page up so when you put your cursor on each face (eyes) it should put a small text on the screen as to that person's name. Click STANDARD 1931
 

February: Lloyd Cecil Fernandez attended Neodesha's Central Elementary School until age 9, when he moved to Florida. He has sent some pictures of his class (NHS 65) at the Shelter House, pictures of the school playground, and of him on the lap of Smiley Burnette. You can see them here:  CECIL
 

There are a good hundred people in the Neodesha area that have unclaimed funds. They can range anywhere from a dollar to millions. The service is free and it sometimes take a lot of work to collect the money, because documentation is required. Here is the site to search for Kansas Claims only: http://www.kansascash.com or you may use a national site search, also with no fees, here: http://www.missingmoney.com
 

Becky Bodley Moar has sent me some of her favorite things about growing up in Neodesha. Her parents ran Bodley Hardware and they left Neodesha when she was 10 in 1961. UPDATE
 

Janna Watson Swizercek, informed me that her sister, Cathy, died after a very short illness in California. Her father and mine owned Watson-Elkins Dodge on Main Street. Leon Watson taught Spanish for many years at NHS, and his wife Dorothy was well known to us all.
 

December: Grimes Poznikov graduated from Neodesha in 1964. He passed away in September on a street corner in San Francisco. I have copied an obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle by Kevin Fagen and is available here: Grimes Known as The Human Jukebox, Grimes played his trumpet in the Wharf for many years, succumbing to alcohol and the ravages of years living on the street. He has been cremated and his ashes were spread over the bay. Grimes did leave his heart in San Francisco. One reader informed me that she is planning an opera about his life. Here is an article about him written in 2002: Poznikov . Here is a collection of pictures: Jukebox

This website is only possible with your contributions. I have grouped some of the many people that have recently assisted with this project:

Neodesha Alumni Association, Dennis & Peggy (Talley) Winfrey, Bob & Marilyn (Smith Graham), Doug & Ruth Ann Guess, Cheryl (Fenner) Ivy, Edna Smith, Allen & Betsy Zadorozny, Gary Smith, Pat (Casey) Hamilton, and the NHS Class of 1982.
 

VISIT THE OFFICIAL NEODESHA WEBSITE
www.neodesha.com

VIEW THE NEODESHA BUSINESS INDEX
http://www.ks-dir.com/neodesha.htm

VISIT THE NORMAN NO. 1 MUSEUM
VISIT MUSEUM
 

VIEW A MAP OF NEODESHA

REGULAR FEATURES

RECENT DEATHS

Leonard Johnson, August 22, 2006. Photographer. Father of Ralph and Ron Johnson

Gladys May (Jackson) Clanton  7-27-2006. Mother of Jimmie Clanton, Janice Marten and Judy Mann.

Terry G. Wilkes, NHS 1962, died from heart complications, July 20, 2006

George Dale Carr, NHS 1962, died of cancer July 8, 1006 at 61.

Jolene Marler Secrest, NHS 1972, passed away July 8, 2006. Wife of Ron Secrest.

Mike Brady, NHS 1965, passed away June 2nd, 2006

Ruth Greer, NHS 43, my aunt, February 16, 2006

This site is privately owned, donation funded.
Students from any year, whether they graduated from Neodesha or not, may submit material at no charge. North Lawn and Central pictures are especially appreciated. No claims are made to the accuracy of any of the contents of this web site, and portions may be pure fiction.
Thanks to Mrs. Leonard Johnson & the late Leonard Johnson for the school pictures such as the one above.

Contributions may be mailed to: Kerry Elkins, 711 Daylily Drive,
Langhorne, PA 19047