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St. Mary’s Golden Jubilee Edition
16 PAGES — 2 SECTIONS ' I SECTION — 8 PAGES
VOLUME 69 NUMBER 50 O NEILL, NEBR., THURSDAY, APRIL 20. 1950 PRICE 7 CENTS
V i-. _. ... ■ .. . ■— -- ■ — ■ - - 11 1
50th Anniversary
To Be Celebrated
- i
Pageant to Portray St.
Mary’s Story Through
50 Years
(More St. Mary's academy
golden jubilee articles and
features may be found on
pages 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13,
14, 16.)
St. Mary’s academy Sunday
will mark its golden jubilee an
niversary.
The all-day affair will beckon
thousands of alumni, former
> students and members of their
families to O’Neill.
Already the trek to O’Neill
has begun for dozens who are I
coming from distant corners of !
the land.
The celebration will begin
with a 9 o’clock solemn high
jubilee Mass. Officers of Mass
will be St. Mary’s graduates:
Rev. Clement Ryan, S.J., of
Denver, Colo., celebrant; Rev.
Eugene Gallagher, S.J., of St.
Louis, Mo., deacon; Rev. Fran
cis Price, of South Sioux City,
subdeacon; Mr. Basil Price,
Jesuit seminarian, of Prairie
du Chien, Wise.; Mr. Wil
liam Froelich, Jr., Jesuit semin
* arian, of Florissant, Mo.;
Mr. Thomas DeBacker, secular
seminarian, of St. Paul semin
ary, St. Paul' Minn., all masters
of ceremonies.
. Appointments were made by
Very Rev. Timothy O’Sullivan,
church pastor, who will direct
the Mass, assisted by Rev. Alex
Onak, curate.
Rev. Peter Price, S.J., of De
catur, 111., will deliver the
jubilee sermon.
The Prices are sons of Mr.
and Mrs. L. B. Price, who livje
on a farm south of O'Neill.
Father Ryan is a son of J. B.
Ryan; Father Gallagher, a
son of Mrs. R. E. Gallagher;
1 Rev. Froelich and Rev. De
Backer, sons of Mr. and Mrs.
William J. Froelich, sr., and
Mr. and Mrs. G. C. DeBacker,
respectively.
Simultaneous return to O’
Neill of the 5 Jesuits is an ex
traordinary event in the order,
Father O’Sullivan said.
Other Masses will be held at
8 ar d 10:30 o’clock.
At 10:15 there will be an
alumni breakfast at the M & M
cafe.
Open house will be observed
at the academy throughout the
day.
At 2 p.m., in the O’Neill pub
lic school auditorium there will
be a pageant, entitled “Symbol
ic History of St. Mary’s.”
At 4:15 p.m. a panoramic pho
* tograph of the assemblage will
be taken, and at 6 o’clock in the
academy gymnasium the alumni
reunion banquet will be held.
History of St. Mary’s in many
respects closely parallels the his
tory of O’Neill.
In 1890 the original convent
building was nearing comple
tion when fire broke out and it
was destroyed. A decade later
the building was reconstructed.
Since it has been enlarged and
today it is one of the largest in
stitutions of its type in Nebras
ka.
One thousand and sixteen per
sons have graduated from the
academy, many more have been
students. A few are deceased
<+ and a handful have been “lost”
as far as the school’s records
are concerned.
Grade school since the acad
emy’s founding has been for
both boys and girls, but until
1929 the high school was for
girls only. (A thumbnail sketch
of each graduate between 1900
and 1925 begins on page 7). Sev
eral former St. Mary’s students
have made an impact on the
national scene.
Down through the years the
institution has been a widely
known girls' boarding school,
annually drawing students
from a half-dozen states. Its
t forte has been in music and
other fine arts.
Present personnel includes:
Father O’Sullivan, pastor; Fa
ther Onak, asst, pastor, religion I,
II. Ill, IV; Mother M. Boniface,
superior; Sister M. Antonella,
principal, algebra, social stud
ies; Sister M. Fides, science and
higher mathematics; Sister M.
Christiana, Latin I and II, Eng
(Continued on page 8)
Mother M. Erica ... St.
Mary's grad now head of Sis
ters of St. Francis provincial
mother house in Denver, Colo.
KA § l « . 38si ■ „
Sister M. George . . . directs
production of documentary St.
Mary's yearbook.
(Story at left)
O’Neill High Grabs
22 Music ‘Superiors’
More than 1,400 people at
tended the closing session of the
District 3 music contest here
Friday evening.
Smartly dressed bandsmen
from 8 class B high schools
competed in the closing session.
Edward F. Kurtz chairman of
the music department Iowa
State Teachers’ college, Cedar
Falls, la., was the judge.
Shrieks of joy mingled with
tears of sorrow throughout the
3-day session as more than
1,800 students from 35 schools
nQr'tipinptpri •
O’Neill compiled 22 superiors
to lead in the ratings of the
schools. Second was St. Mary’s
academy of O’Neill with 18,
third was Atkinson with 16, a
tie for fourth place between
Ainsworth, Neiigh and St. Ag
nes academy of Alliance, each
with 14.
Results of the Class B band
competition:
Superior — O’Neill, Valen
tine, Butte.
Excellent — Bassett, Creigh
ton, Ainsworth, Neiigh and Bur
well.
Class C bands:
Superior—St. Mary’s Atkin
! son.
Excel ent—Tiiden.
Good—Ewing.
(Other superior and excellent
individual and small groups re
sults may be found on page 10).
Chambers IOOF To
Mark 50lh Anniversary—
CHAMBERS—The Chambers
1 lodge 239, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, Thursday, Ap
ril 26, will celebrate its 50th
‘ /ear in the order.
The golden jubilee celebra
ion will be commemorated
with an open house Tuesday,
April 25. The open house will
begin at 7 p. m.
Meanwhile on Monday, April
24, a district meeting of the
IOOF will be held in O’Neill.
Following a banquet, which
will be served at the Methodist
church, a school of instruction
will be held at the O’Neill pub
lic school at 7:30 p. m
Visit Grand Island
and St. Libory—
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bryan
Lacy were guests in Grand Is
land at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Merle Horst and in St.
Labory at the home of her par
ents, Mr- and Mrs. John Glause.
FRANK PRUSS, 83,
O’NEILL MAN, DIES
Retired Stock and Grain
Dealer 111 Since
January
Frank Pruss, 83, a retired
-dock and grain buyer, died
Tuesday night, April 18, at (
11:45 o’clock at his home here, j
He had been in failing health
since January.
Mr. Pruss was a former resi
dent of the Atkinson and Em
met communities for many
years.
Born at Buffalo, N. Y., Janu
ary It), 1867, a son of the late
Henry and Louise Pruss, he
came to Holt county in 1893 and
settled at Atkinson. He spent
his boyhood days in Muscatine,
la., and he came to Holt .from
Glidden, la.
On January 10, 1896, he was
married to Anna Myers at O’
Neill. They became the parents
of 2 daughters.
In 1903 they moved from At
kinson to Emmet. They resided
at Emmet for 20 years, leaving
there in 1923 to come to O’Neill.
They have lived here since.
Mr. Pruss was well-known in
the grain and stock buyers’ bus- i
iness. He retired in 1936.
Funeral services will be held
Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock
at Atkinson. Rev. E. G. Ihrig
will conduct the rites from St.
John’s Lutheran church. Bur
ial will be in Atkinson.
Survivors include: Widow;
daughter — Mrs. William (Jo
hanna) Stratmeyer, of O’Neill;
granddaughter — Mary Ann
' Stratmeyer, of O’Neill; and a
brother — Joseph C., of Glid
1 den, la.
! A daughter, Bertha, preceed
1 ed the late Mr. Pruss in death.
Charles Paxton, 92,
Expires in Dakota
Charles Paxton, 92, a long
time resident in the Star and
[ Middlebranch communities, died
Wednesday, April 12, in a hos
pital at Martin, S. D. He had
been in the hospital 2 weeks.
He and his family resided in
northeast Holt county for many
years, moving a number of
years ago to Valentine where
they resided for several years.
Survivors include: Widow;
4 daughters; 3 sons. One son
preceded him in death. Mrs. Ar
thur Renner, of Inman, is a sis
t ter of the late Mr. Paxton.
Volunteer Firemen
Summoned Three Times—
O’Neill volunteer firemen
were summoned 3 (times this
; week, twice to extinguish grass
• fires.
On Friday at 3:30 p. m. a
i grass fire developed on a plot
of ground in the northeast sec
• tion of O’Neill on a place
1 known as the old fair grounds
, site. A southeast wind aided
L the fire in burning on about a
75-yard front. Damage was not
1 estimated.
: Monday at 2:30 p. m. firemen
. were called to the David Widt
t feldt home. A grass fire caus
t ed no damage. ^
i Wednesday, at 11:45 a. m,
- hot air furnace pipes at Stan
nard’s began to smoke. Fire
Chief G. E. Miles said appar
ently some extraneous matter
was in the pipe causing the
i smoke. No damage resulted.
I Mrs. Anna Asher spent the
. weekend in Omaha visiting her
son and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Le
. on Asher.
Among O'Neill guests on Thursday, April
6—recognition day for rural women leaders—
were: Mrs. Edward Gallagher, of O'Neill (mem
ber of reception committee); Mrs. George Kei
del, of Stuart; Mrs. E. E. Weber, of Stuart; Mrs.
■aw?-" ""‘swss
Charles Beilin, of O'Neill; Mrs. Ted O'Hare, of
Johnstown; Mrs. Dick Duryea, of Brewster;
Mrs. Robert Mitchell, of Amelia; Mrs. David
Rohn, of Dustin; Mrs. L. H. Junod, of Valen
tine. and Mrs. Leslie Kime, of Valentine.
JOHN C. CARNEY,
RETIRED, DIES
Came to O’Neill Region
In 1876 — 2 Years
After Settlement
Funeral services were held
from S t. Patrick’s Catholic
church here Monday at 10 a.
m. for John C. Carney, a 79
year-old retired O’Neill farm
er. Very Rev. Timothy O’Sul
livan officiated and burial was
in Calvary cemetery here
Mr. Carney died in O’Neill
Saturday at 1:45 p. m. He had
been ill only 1 day.
Pallbearers were: Harry Sul
livan, P. V. Hickey, Leonard
Shoemaker, Frank Murray,
Frank Fallon, Robert Cook,
Dick Minton and Anthony Stan
ton, all of O’Neill.
Born at Danville, 111., Feb
ruary 7, 1871, a son of the
late Patrick and Bridget Car
ney, the late Mr. Carney came
to the O'Neill region and
Holt county during 1876, 2
years following the first set
tlement. He had lived here
continuously since.
On Novmeber 28, 1899, he
married Anna Bridget Welsh at
O’Neill and to them 6 children
were born.
Mr Carney lived north of the
O’Neill city limits where he
farmed. He retired in 1948.
i Mrs. Carnev died May 29,
1944.
Survivors include: Daughters
-Mrs. Joseph (Anastasia) Don
j ohoe, of Fremont: Mrs. Cather
! ine T. Craig, of O'Neill; sons—
Edmond H., and James, both of
! O’Neill; Aloysius, of National
City, Calif.; 4 grandchildren;
brother — James, of Kearney;
j a sister—Mrs. Jeff Gibbon, of
! Kearney.
Atkinson Power
Squabble Settled—
Plaintiff Leo F. Seger et al,
of Atkinson, Wednesday dis
missed a suit against Consum
ers Public Power district. Sub
ject of the suit was the con
struction of the new' 33-thous
and-volt pow’er line through At
kinson’s residential area.
Seger and 17 other Atkinson
citizens met with CPPD officials
and attorneys Tuesday in At
kinson and agreed upon a set
tlement.
Settlement includes the re
routing of the power line from
the residential to the industrial
area in Atkinson to the substa
tion site. _
.
‘"proposed ST. ANTHONY'S HOSPITAL . . . Architect
Trank N McNett's sketch of the proposed $300,000 medical center
frON.illTheo'l-modern 2sto,y .lructurc will b. buill on lb.
site immediately west of St. Mary's academy. Construction is plan
ned to get underway in July. Advertising for bids on the contract
will begin in May.
% mam ■—■ i —mi —m
Other O'Neill Chanjber of Commerce recognition day guests
were Mrs. Lyle Ferguson, of Brewster; Mrs. Jack Galloway, of
Bassett, and Mrs. Vern Sageser, of Amelia, state president of ex
tension clubs.—The Frontier Photos.
Holt Prep Athletes
Honored at Banquet
Holt county sport men and
oys Wednesday night packed
he American Legion auditori
n here to honor county prep
hletes and to hear J. William
Jlassford, head football coach
at the University of Nebraska.
The banquet was sponsored
by the O’Neill Chamber of
Counmerce.
Coach Glassford delivered
the main address and Gregg
McBride, Omaha World-Herald
sports scribe, spoke.
John R. Gallagher, promi
nent O’Neill attorney, served
as toastmaster and gave the
welcome address. Rev. Alex
Onak, assistant pastor of St.
Patrick's Catholic church, gave
the invocation.
Letter winners from Inman,
Page, St. Joseph’s, of Atkinson,
Chambers, Stuart, O'Neill, St.
Mary’s, of O’Neill, Atkinson
and Ewing along with their re
spective coaches were honored.
The Cornhusker coach also
showed films of various Ne
braska football games
Other entertainment was
furnished by O’Neill high school
and St, Mary's academy.
Grutsch Appointed
Service Officer—
John Grutsch, 41-year - old
World War II veteran, Wednes
day evening, April 12, was ap
pointed county service officer
by the county service board.
Grutsch succeeds Kieth Abart,
resigned.
Married, Grutsch has been a
lifelong resident of Holt coun
ty He served in the Pacific
theater with the Army infantry
during the late war. He is the
father of 2 children. He is a
member of Simonson post 93 of
the American Legion.
Abart, also a World War II
veteran and father of 2, has
transferred to the Niobrara
Electric Membership corpora
tion as an auditor.
Margie Finch
To Girls' Sfate—
PAGE— Miss Margie Finch,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. W.
Finch, of Middlebranch, will
represent the Page communi
ty at Cornhusker girls’ state
that will be held at the Uni
versity off Nebraska June 6-12.
She will be sponsored by the
Page American Legion auxil
iary. Miss Finch has participat
ed in many activities during
her 3 years in high school
Holt ARC Fund
Drive Over Top
Holt county chapter of the
American Red Cross is $557 oy
er its 2-thousand-dollar goal in
the 195C fund-raising drive and
1 community’s report is still in
complete.
This was announced Wednes
day by the Holt ARC drive
chairman, Mrs. Guy Cole, of
Emmet. To date, $2,557.54 has
. been raised in 7 Holt county
! communities and in rural sec
tions, Mrs. Cole reported. At
kinson’s report is incomplete.
Following is a breakdown for
the respective towns, quotas
and amount raised:
Town Quota Raised
Emmet $ 100 $ 175
Ewing 125 225
Inman 75 104
Stuart 225 236.25
Chambers „ 150 286
O'Neill _ 675 933.99
Page 100 204.20
Atkinson
(Incomplete) 550 393.10
Totals $2,425 $2,557.54
Rev. Orirt C. Graf
Atkinson Elected
Rev. Orin C. Graf, pastor of
the Atkinson Presbyterian
church, Monday was elected
moderator of the Niobrara
Presbytery at its 2-day con
vention at Norfolk. Rev. Graf
succeeds Rev. William Spence,
of Valentine.
The convention concluded
Tuesday. Among those from
O'Neill attending the meet
were: *
On Monday — Mrs. J P
Brown. Mi's. D. C. Schaffe",
Mrs. R. H. Parker and Mrs. J.
D Osenbaugh.
On Monday and Tuesday —
Mrs. George C. Robertson. Rev.
Ralph Gerber and R M Sauers.
Tax Assessment
Deadline Today—
Today (Thursday) is the
deadline for filing personal tax
schedules with the county ss
; sessor, according to L. G. Gil
! lespie.
Penalties up to 50 percent of
! the assessment will be inflict
1 ed if schedules are not filed by
j taxpayers, Gillespie warned.
REGIONAL STOCK
MEETING SLATED
Stock Growers and Brand
Group to Gather Here
April 26
A panel of livestock men will
discuss the future of the indus
try when the Nebraska Stock
Growers association and the Ne
braska Brand committee hold a
regional meeting for all stock
men and their wives in O’Neill .
on Wednesday, April 26.
In organizing the sectional
meeting. Dr. C. R. Watson, of
Mitchell, president of the Ne
braska Stock Growers associa
tion. has stated, “It is our sin
cere hope that no stockman will
miss the opportunity to attend
this meeting. It is one which
makes it possible to meet and
visit with people who are en
gaged in the same work that
you are and who are interested
in the welfare and improvement
of the industry.’’
Plans for the meeting have
been worked out in cooperation
with the O’Neill Chamber of
Commerce.
In charge of arrangements
are: D. C. Schaffer, chairman,
L. D. Putnam, F. N. Cronin.
Melvin Rusicka, Edward M.
Gallagher and James W. Roo
ney, of O'Neill; Lyle P. Dierks
of Ewing; E. M. Jarman, of
Chambers; Bob H. Clifford and
E. C. Weller, both of Atkin
son.
Meanwhile, under the leader
ship of Mrs. Schaffer, the wom
en’s committee is planning a
special program for all visiting
ladids who come to O’NeilL
Mrs. Felix Taylof, of Whitman,
president of the Nebraska Cow
Belles, will attend and as many
of the other officers as possible
will be present.
The men will register at the
Royal theater starting at 10:30
a.m. The program for the day
for the stockmen will get under
way at 2 p.m. in the theater.
At the same time, the Nebras
ka Cow-Belles and all visiting
ladies will meet in the lounge
of the American Legion build
ing for registration, a program,
and tea. A banquet for all stock
men and their wives will be ser
ved at the American Legion au
ditorium at 6:30 p.m., following
which Dr. A. L. Miller, member
of congress, will deliver the fea
tured address.
As banquet speaker, Doctor
Miller, Fourth district congress
man. will draw on his resources
as a native son of western Ne
braska and as a representative
in congress to predict “Where
Goes America?”
After the banquet there will
be a dance and other enter
tainment in the American Le
gion auditorium for all stock
men and their wives. A good
orchestra has been secured.
Doctor Watson will open the
program at 2 o’clock in the the
ater building. Dr. E. P. Ander
son, state veterinarian, will ad
dress the cattlemen on “Animal
Disease Control in Nebraska”
This will include a discussion
of Bang’s disease and the pro
posed voluntary ranch program
to combat brucellosis, testing
for tuberculosis, screw-worm de
; tection and the progress being
made in the study of hyperkera
j tosis or X-disease.
weDrasKa Diana inspevuuu
will be explained by Chase Fea
gins, of Alliance, secretary of
the Nebraska Brand committee.
In the last fiscal year, 1,719,904
head of cattle were inspected
for proper branding and 17,891
head were held for proof of
ownership. The cost to the sell
er for brand inspection is neg
ligible compared to protection
assured by the Brand commit
I tee’s corps of inspectors.
Through the efforts of Earl
(Continued on page 4)
■„ -- ■— .
EVANS TO IMPERIAL
EWING—A. S. Evans, super
i intendent of schools here the
past 4 years, will head the
i Chase county high school at
i Imperial next year. Mr. Evans
| is a graduate of Wayne State
Teachers’ college and complet
ed his graduate studies at the
! University of Nebraska.
—
To Hold School,
I Demonstration Today—
Montgomery Hardware of O'
Neill is sponsoring a free cook
ing school and freezer demon
stration today (Thursday) at
the American Legion auditori
um. Event will begin at 2 p. m.
• 0