Community Spotlight

Community honors Myron Lady

Community honors Myron Lady

Myron Lady

Myron Lady

Thirty-six years of service is a record to be honored, and the Talmage community showed their appreciation to Myron Lady, a retired Talmage teacher, on Saturday, September 20, from 2-4 p.m., at the Talmage Museum and Library.

A 1947 Chapman High School graduate, Lady began his teaching career in 1953 with a job at Chronister School, followed by two years at Navarre.

He began teaching at Talmage Grade School in 1956 and remained there until his retirement in 1990.

Some of his first students were JoAnn Bathurst, Sondra France, Nancy Hoover, Muriel Noel, Ardis Winslow, Roy Book, Earl Frey, Gene Meeker, Bob Schaich, Dwight Zook and Lyle Zook.

“Mr. Lady prepared us well for high school and was very patient and softspoken,” said JoAnne Bathurst Stoskopf, who enjoyed eighth grade under his instruction.

Debra Romberger agrees that Lady was a wonderful teacher and recognizes that what continues to make him extra special is his impact beyond the classroom.

“The way in which he always inquires about what and how I am doing any time he sees me continues to show how much he cares about his students and their life long development.

Lady believes that two of the joys of teaching are “watching how the students develop into their adult years and the memories associated with them. Some have become distinguished in outstanding professions and some of the students we considered average worked hard and accomplished great success.”

He remembers that even those students who were full of antics enjoyed solid citizenship and success in their jobs.

“When I visit with students, they remember things which I have forgotten,” Lady said. “In recalling their antics, we laugh about it now and I admit that maybe I could have lightened up a little.”

Myron LadyLady’s respect and commitment to his students also extended to the community.

“I am grateful for his commitment to this community,” Romberger said. “He always sought ways to help others with their challenges, not only in his teaching career, but in the community, before and after he retired.”

Many a community member has stories to tell about the time Lady helped with harvest after the loss of a loved one, gave rides to events, and helped in many other times of need.

Everyone is welcome to come and honor Myron Lady, a former Talmage teacher, who often remarks that he respects and values each of his students and appreciates any contact with them.

Many in the Talmage community attended the reception to honor and thank a man who has served the youth and adults of our community for 36 years.

Lady, a 1947 Chapman High School and Upland College graduate, also has a degree from K-State and a masters from Emporia State.

Noel shares Kansas values with people in Africa

Noel shares Kansas values with people in Africa

Kent Noel

Kent Noel

Even though Kent Noel calls Nairobi, Kenya home these days, he believes he transplants some of his Kansas roots in the fertile minds of the children, youth and adults he serves every day in his work with the Education Development Center, a fifty year old nonprofit company specializing in domestic and international literacy and numeracy, curriculum development, teacher training, and adolescent health, youth leadership and work readiness in 25 to 30 countries.

“The rich tradition of missionaries and strong leaders from this area, both women and men, people’s friendliness and tolerance for others, their generosity and understanding that education is key…” are just a few of the lessons Noel observed as he grew up in the local farming community.

The education and empowerment of girls and women are the keystones of developing sustainable infrastructures in a society, says Noel. “For every year you educate a girl, her own children stay in school longer, her family’s health and wealth increases, and mortality rates decrease.”

Noel and others working with the children and youth in countries like Rwanda have the opportunity to improve the education and lives of millions of children and their families. This grand scale outreach allows Noel to effectively manage multiple projects in the East and Southern African countries he manages, which include Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi, and Tanzania.

Kent Noel

Noel and others working with the children and youth in countries like Rwanda have the opportunity to improve the education and lives of millions of children and their families.

Along with education, health, and literacy, EDC partners with other entities like World Bank to provide technology to revolutionize educational systems and the people they serve. Many children are learning literacy through handheld devices such as mobile phones and tablets, a learning leap which places them at the forefront of the use of appropriate technologies.

Noel feels he carries on a rich tradition from his hometown community, which fostered missionaries such as his Aunt Evelyn Noel, who served in Southern Rhodesia when he was growing up.

“While growing up, I was fascinated by stories from relatives who had worked in Africa and other parts of the developing world,” Noel said. “Having the opportunity to work with people from interesting cultures, philosophies, and religions and partnering with them to improve their circumstances is one of the most satisfying aspects of my work.”

The Talmage community can only hope that someday Noel will come full circle and return to his Kansas roots, as he continues on a journey that began in Kansas and led him to many other countries, including Botswana, Turkey, Pakistan, Zambia, and now East and Southern Africa.

Noel received a BS in English Secondary Education and a MS in Curriculum and Instruction from KSU, and a PhD in Instructional Systems Design from Florida State University.

Shivers Family Re-Dedicates Memorial Flag Pole, Plaque

Shivers Family Re-Dedicates Memorial Flag Pole, Plaque

November 2, 2013, the Shivers family members re-dedicated the flag pole and plaque in honor of Ralland “Butch” Shivers, which was located many years at the Farmers Coop, and now has a permanent home at the museum.

2 Museum Events  b

L to R: Sandy Feigner, Ron Shivers, Sharon Cramer, Evelyn Carter, Shirley Jackson.

Plaque

Flag pole plaque – “IN MEMORY OF ‘BUTCH’ SHIVERS DEC. 20, 1988

 

Bennett Family Donates Hitching Post

Bennett Family Donates Hitching Post

Hitching PostDedicated during the 125th Anniversary of Talmage celebration in September, the hitching post was donated by Marvin, Keith and Bob Bennett, sons of Virgil and Ruth Bennett, with a memorial plaque honoring their parents. It came from the Abilene to find its permanent home here in front of the museum.

“ I remember that the hitching post was brought from Abilene about 1920 by grandfather G.M. Bennett when he bought the farm in Cheever Twp. where Anna Hornecker (married name) had previously lived – her father homesteaded there in approximately 1870,” said Keith Bennett, eldest son of Virgil and Ruth Bennett. The farm is now owned by Darin Bebemeyer.

“In searching for the maker of the hitching post another one looking like an identical twin was found in Abilene,” Bennett said. “Probably, several were cast in early 1900’s, most likely in Abilene. My father Virgil thought Buckeye street may have been lined by several such posts before streets became auto traffic only. He was about 5 years old in 1920 when the family moved from Abilene to the farm. The last horse tied to this post, before being donated to Talmage Museum was on our farm west of Salina. Perhaps there have been a horse or two since? I think it weighs about 500 pounds.”

 

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