BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

The sacrifice of a Montgomery County military officer who served in the U.S. Army during World War II was recently remembered in a unique way.

The children of George S. Wiggins, a Cherryvale High School football coach during the mid-1930s and later an Independence business owner, have endowed a football scholarship at Kansas State University in Wiggins’ honor. Joan (Wiggins) Goodknight of Independence and her brother Larry Wiggins of Wichita presented the scholarship money to Kansas State University officials in a ceremony on May 10 — which was the observance of Wiggins’ 100th birthday.

The scholarship will be awarded to any undergraduate student who plays football for the KSU Wildcats. Preference will be given to students who are Kansas residents and play the position of fullback or runningback — a pair of offensive backfield positions for which Wiggins played when he donned the leather pads for then-Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in the early 1930s.

The scholarship ceremony on May 10 was held in the KSU Alumni Center that overlooks the old football stadium where the elder Wiggins carried the pigskin.

“Dad is finally home,” said Larry Wiggins in a telephone interview from his Wichita home. “Over the years, my sister and I always felt it was important to do something to remember our dad. And, our mother, Maxine, who died in 2007, always had a goal of doing something to remember dad’s name by linking it to Kansas State University.”

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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

When Coffeyville resident Ursula Turner was visiting the home of her sister in Allendorf, Germany, several years ago, she stumbled across a small box containing decades-old mementoes from her parents.
That’s strange, Turner thought, believing she had known of every detail and seen every item from the days when she was a child growing up in Germany during World War II.

After shaking years of dust from the small box, Turner discovered a journal written by her mother, Erna Winter, in the mid-1940s — a period when she alone tried to raise two small children while Ursula’s father, Karl Winter, was a German prisoner of war in France in the later years of the conflict.

And, underneath the journal was a stack of letters — all with the bold “Return to Sender” stamp affixed squarely on the envelopes — neatly placed and tucked away as if no one had ever bothered to read them.
They were letters from her mother to her father — and letters from her imprisoned father to her mother. And, most of the letters never reached their destination until after the war had concluded and Europe was in the midst of rebuilding.

What Turner found were heart-wrenching words pouring from the soul of a separated family. And, those letters offered the only glimpse of hope that the husband and wife would someday be reunited, even while war-torn Europe attempted to rebuild itself from its bombed-out ruins.
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Four Coffeyville Police Department officers were honored at the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP) at the association’s annual awards banquet in Hutchinson, Kan., on May 24.

Awarded the Gold Award, which goes to an officer who shows uncommon valor in the line of duty were Lt. Herman Colbert, Sgt. Darin Daily, Det. Sgt. Kwin Bromley and Master Patrol Officer Craig Males for their actions in the Feb. 17, 2009, response to an armed robbery at the Bank of America branch at Eighth and Buckeye streets.
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One of Caney’s most revered events, the Memorial Day Service, will take place at 11 a.m., Monday, May 31, at the Veterans Memorial Park across the street from Sunnyside Cemetery. The event is annually sponsored by the American Legion Post and Auxiliary along with a host of volunteers. Dale McBride is the program director and emcee.

Daniel Roberson, Olathe, Kan., past Kansas American Legion Commander, will be the featured speaker. Mike Bush, pastor of Open Door Fellowship, Caney, will give the opening and closing prayers and the Caney Community Choir, under the direction of Edie Vernon, will sing patriotic songs. Boy Scout Troop 3 will have part in the opening flag raising. The playing of “TAPS” will be given by Dan Vernon.

The memorial wreaths will be laid on the veterans’ monument by Sara Shively, Gold Star Mother, escorted by Past Caney Legion Commander Jerry Kitchens; Terri Wilson of the American Legion Auxiliary and Becky Wheatley of the Blue Star Mothers Chapter of Southeast Kansas, both escorted by Caney Post Commander Kelly Stacey.

The Avenue of Flags will be placed at Veterans Memorial Park at 5 p.m., Sunday, May 30, and McBride said that volunteers are always welcome to help with the raising of the flags. They will be removed from the park at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 31, and again volunteers are welcomed to help.
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A Caney native is returning to the music stage of his hometown on Friday night, May 28, to unveil a new recording.

Jared Daniels of the Jared Daniels Band will bring his blend of country, rock n’ roll and honky tonk sounds to Short Creek for a CD Release Party at 8 p.m., Friday, May 28, in front of a crowd that is expected to be filled to the rafters with local natives returning for high school reunions.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

A Cherryvale High School senior who graduated from the school on May 15 has filed a lawsuit against USD 447 and former CHS head football coach Chris Endress.
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A 73-year-old Cherryvale man was in custody Monday afternoon (May 24) following a three-hour standoff with law enforcement.

Police chief Matt Dennis said local police were alerted to a situation at 810 W. Main shortly after 2 p.m., when Fred Jones of Cherryvale was observed to be in a suicidal state. Jones was followed to an area near U.S. 169 and county road 5200 where a standoff then began. Jones was carrying two loaded guns — a rifle and a handgun — and was threatening to shoot himself and any law enforcement officers who were approaching him, Dennis said.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR

CHERRYVALE — A Cherryvale man faces numerous vehicle charges following a motorcycle chase that left the man injured late Thursday night, May 20.

Police chief Matt Dennis says local police spotted Douglas Heiskell, age 28, of Cherryvale driving a motorcycle without a visible license plate on Main Street shortly after 11:15 p.m., Thursday.  When the police officer attempted to pull Heiskell to the side of the road, Heiskell sped away on Main Street, traveling in an easterly direction at speeds reaching 90 miles per hour.
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DOUGLASS — Caney Valley High School’s softball team will play for the class 3A regional championship against Leon-Bluestem.
However, just when that tournament finale will be played is unknown.

The championship game was scheduled to be played late Wednesday in Douglass, Kan., but was postponed earlier in the day due to inclement weather. The game will be played at 5 p.m., Friday, May 21, in Douglass, Kan.

Should Caney Valley defeat Leon-Bluestem, then the Bullpups will advance to the class 3A state tournament on Friday and Saturday, May 28-29, in Manhattan, Kan.
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