Too Long in the Wind

September 2012

Leona Chestnut has died

[September 24]   Leona Chestnut, who lived in Great Bend and died Friday, will be buried Tuesday in the Pawnee Rock Cemtery. She was 90 years old.

She was born in Newton in 1922 and married Clarence Chestnut. He died June 30. She worked for several cleaners in Great Bend and for Fuller Brush. She was a member of the First Church of God in Great Bend.

Mrs. Chestnut's funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday, with family receiving friends from 6 to 8 p.m. (Full obituary)

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The Originals

The Originals of 1966: Noel Shank, Dave Steinert, Verlin White, and (maybe) Glen Grunwald. (Bill VanSkike photo; and thanks to Berny Unruh for making the photo available.)

[September 21]   Barb Schmidt is with the band. Here's her note:

You already know how much I love your website and all the photos you post.

But every once in a while, you post a photo that makes me think, "If Leon never posted any photos on his website except this one, all his years of work here would have been worthwhile."

For me, the photo you posted earlier this week of "The Originals" is one of those priceless photos. Thank you for having it, saving it and sharing it.

Oh, and some details:

The fellows in the photo are (left to right) Noel Shank, Dave Steinert, Verlin White and (I think) Glen Grunwald. It looks like maybe the photo was taken in the old Great Bend music store that used to be near J.C. Penney (or was it still Wiley's Department Store in 1966?). "The Originals " was a great group that morphed over the years, changing names and personnel from time to time. Noel, Dave or Glen could provide more details. I know that Noel still plays, sings and records but don't know whether Dave or Glen have kept the music flowing.

And on a bit of a tangent, I wonder how many of us had our FIRST ESCALATOR RIDE at Wiley's/J.C. Penney? Or felt especially chic the first time we dined in the little restaurant on the back side of the store?

Barb

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Others in the Christian Church photo

Christian Church in Pawnee Rock, 1947 or 1948. Photo sent by Dean Blackwell. A larger version of the photo, with Blackwell identifications, is in the Gallery.

[September 18]    Susan Unruh Ellis, formerly of Pawnee Rock and now of Louisiana, connects us to the 1940s by identifying more people in the photo of the Christian Church congregation.

She wrote:

I love the old picture that Dean Blackwell sent you. Some more of the people in the photo are:

•  Little girl on the right side, front row, with one knee up is my sister, Janet Unruh Bowman.

•  Sitting directly behind her is my oldest brother, Jim.

•  On the far right, front row of children, is my brother Bill.

•  Far right side, first row of ladies sitting on the chairs, is my grandmother, Margaret Converse (cool hat).

•   Far right side, first row of standing ladies is my mother, Nancye Converse Unruh.

•  The man standing on the far left, behind the sitting ladies, with the dark hair and suit with wide lapels might be the minister, Orvan Gilstrap.

•  Two people to the right of him, the lady that is framed by the window, holding a book, is Mary Louise Hill Wilhite.

•  The only man sitting, in the middle of the picture, might be George Hill (Mary Louise's father).

Mom and ML were only 25-28 when this was taken, and the minister in his early 30s.

•  Third lady, from the right side, standing sideways holding a child could be Betty Hill Crosby (two people to the left of my mom).

Did you notice that the church was still a basement church? The top was put on in the very late '50s. The alley side may have been the entrance. Remember the old outhouse that stood back there? They were using it for lawn care storage by the time we came along.

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Hello? Yes, I'm here.

[September 17]   It has been more than two weeks since we've had anything new in this spot, the longest absence since I launched the site in December 2005. I've been swamped this month, but it's possible that I'm catching up. On the happy side, my 16-year-old just earned his driver's license and I'm this >   < close to finishing my novel set in a town much like Pawnee Rock.

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