Our Yesterdays

Richland quiz team won the 1952 Iowa State Fair quiz derby after forging through three rounds of questioning to come out victorious over 36 other teams. Members of the team are Betty Ruth Fritchen, Janet McCracken, and Jimmie Wolcott, with Dennis Kelly as an alternate. In the first round each of the 37 teams were asked a set of 25 questions. Each set was supposed to be of equal difficulty. 35 questions were asked each team in the semifinal round and 20 in the final round. A contestant on each team drew a number from a box, thereby determining the number of the set of questions his team would answer. Betty Ruth drew the numbers for the Richland team. The Richland team received their hardest questions in the semifinal round. They knew that vesicular exanthema was the name of a hog disease, that a foil was a sword, and that carousel means a merry-go-round; but they did not know that tapioca is made from the root of the cassava tree nor that the English word alphabet is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. First prize was $42 and a set of encyclopedias.

Wonderlich Reunion held at Ollie: Approximately 125 attended the Wonderlich Reunion in the Ollie Park Sunday. Highlight of the gathering was the presence of 5 brothers and sisters, ranging in age from 77 to 88. There were Mrs. Anna Hayes of Enid, Oklahoma; Abram Wonderlich of Ollie; Aaron Wonderlich of Richland; George Wonderlich of Ollie; and Mrs. Ollie Gund of International Falls, Minnesota.

A cooperative family dinner was held at the Ed Hammes home Sunday. Those present were Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Peiffer, Mr. and Mrs. Adrien Peiffer, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hammes and family, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Horras and family, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Horras and family, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Hammes and family, and Mrs. Mike Hammes, Sr.

Miss Lois Wade returned Monday to her work with the Iowa Southern Utilities Company in Washington after spending a two-week vacation in Richland.

Richland folks were pestered Monday by a personage known as a “tramp.” He successfully called on a number of homes where he was given food and money.

From the Oct. 5, 1961 Richland Clarion

The pupil school enrollment of schools in Keokuk County is 3876. It is virtually unchanged from 3867 last year at this time. There are five high school districts with 14 elementary attendance centers, two town elementary and eight rural schools. Total enrollment in the districts is as follows: Hedrick Consolidated 352, Keota Community 558, Pekin Community 761, Sigourney Independent 903, Tri-County Community 761, Delta Elementary 155, Richland Elementary 216, Rural 170. Largest enrollment is in the ninth grade, 332.

Mr. and Mrs. Max Woods and children spent Sunday in Memphis, MO, at the Arthur Hyde and Ed Woods home.

Mr. and Mrs. Orb Bennett visited Sunday at the John Hadley home near Richland.

Several families attended the cooperative dinner of the Legion and Auxiliary Sunday. Doug Dickey gave his report on his trip to Boys State.

Sheriff John (Bud) Wallerich said Monday three men arrested at a Brighton automatic laundry are also accused of the break-in at the Richland automatic laundry. The three are Abe Stoner, 37, and James Stoner, 34, brothers, and their nephew, Thomas Miller, 16, all of Tipton. They are being held in the Washington County Jail. Officers say the three broke into the Richland laundry Thursday night, knocking a coin-changer off the wall. The machine and $60 in change were later recovered. Dick Hisel of Ollie operates the business. At Brighton, the trio allegedly broke into the self-service laundry and took $85.