The News-Press was complimented the other day with an award from Whitehead Speedway which had a successful season last year and which is looking toward another success beginning April 26.
Richard Whitehead said it was pretty tough to single out any one person or organization that helped with the successful season, but he wanted the News-Press to know he appreciated its news coverage.
Thanks, Dick. The handsome trophy is accepted. Many of our readers (including a few of us pit hounds) are racing enthusiasts. Your attendance pretty well reflects the response to the management and to the drivers who pound the half mile dirt oval.
It was refreshing to attend the district basketball tournament at Wesleyan University. It was disappointing to arrive an hour before the game and be locked out until game time at 8:30, but I guess everyone got a seat.
Nebraska City does not have the facilities to handle anything as big as a district tournament, judging by the over-capacity attendance at Wesleyan which has a gym larger than at Senior high.
But we should be able to take care of many of the smaller schools. Nebraska City should be the site for those playoffs and championships.
Coach Troy Lyon of Lourdes would also like to have Class C activities at Nebraska City. Track is the big thing right now, and Nebraska City has one of the fanciest tracks in this part of the state.
Coach Lyon bid Hayward park as the site for the Class C district meet, but we lost out because of a time conflict.
Coach Lyon said the Class C event would comprise approximately 300 boys from 15 schools. Doane college was first choice, with Hayward park as second.
The Class B district meet will be here May 15 and that will mean a lot of young boys at Hayward park.
The Bill Schmidt family will move to Omaha in a few weeks where he is now employed with Campbell Soup Company. Bill served several years as plant engineer at Morton House Kitchens, Inc.
He also served the community as a volunteer fireman and was a council member of his church the First Evangelical Lutheran.
Best wishes to the Schmidts.
V.C. Olsen writes that he's had enough of the sun and beautiful weather at South Padre Island, Texas, and he's heading back to Big Lake, Missouri.
Vig says there's not much to do in southern Texas except fish . . . like the day he and a fishing partner pulled in 90 pounds.
He writes that he wishes he could have attended the City Utilities meeting of industrialists when those with the "grandparent bragging permits" introduced themselves.
Vig would like to have added his eight grandchildren.
(His son, Jim, counted something like 30 or 35 grandchildren . . . represented by proud granddads at the meeting).
Jack Johns reported to Legionnaires the other night about a Law Enforcement program being offered this year to young men from this area and probably from any area represented by Legion posts.
The Legion prides itself in military discipline and law enforcement and the new program pleases the organization of veterans very much.
The Ben Ryans and Campbell Kropps have returned from a trip to southern Texas and the gulf areas.
Ben says they toured the Gulf Coast area where hurricane Camille ripped the towns and countryside last summer. He said the destruction is beyond imagination.
Much rebuilding is being done every day, but the loss and tremendous impact of the storm was clearly visible every place they visited.
Thanks to Vice President Spiro Agnew, a couple from Nebraska City were guests at a dinner Tuesday evening at Offutt Air Base.
Mr. and Mrs. George Bryant's son, George Jr., is a steward with the VIP Squadron, a select group which travels with diplomats and government officials.
George Jr., accompanied Mr. Agnew to Offutt. The Bryants met their son at the base for the dinner. He is a career Air Force serviceman and will complete 20 years of service the last of December.
The Bryants and their three sons make their home in Alexandria, Virginia. He is a graduate of North High in Omaha.
The Bryants of Nebraska City have two other children, Robert who lives at Avoca, Iowa and Mrs. William Frey who lives in Los Angeles.