50 YEARS AGO TODAY - THE NEW PARADISE GRADE SCHOOL OPENED

50 years ago the new Paradise grade school opened.
78 students were enrolled.
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Frances Mahoney was the principal and teachers were Louise Helscher, Virginia Robertson, Vesta Henery, and Helen Hoisington (part-time).
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Jim Harrell started 3rd grade that year and Mrs. Robertson was his teacher. 
.(I will be in trouble for adding this.)
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August 28, 1961 - 50 yrs ago today.

Thanks Jim for the information. 
I appreciate all of the information you send to me and the help you give to me for the blog. 

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LAWRENCE FINCH'S 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Lawrence Finch celebrated his 100th birthday, August 13, with a weekend of events including a family reunion dinner followed by an open house for family and friends at the Fossil Creek Inn banquet hall. Hundreds of well wishers traveled from near and far to give tribute.

Finch was born August 13, 1911 south of Natoma, Kansas. Until recently he was a long time resident of both Natoma and Paradise. He now resides with his daughter Dixie Eggleston, Liberty, Missouri.

Photo:  Lawrence Finch celebrated his 100 birthday with hundreds of well wishers including his daughter, Dixie Eggleston.
Born August 13, 1911 south of Natoma, Kansas, Finch experienced 18 United States Presidents beginning with William Howard Taft at the turn of the century.

Photograph and storyline:
Laay Tucker, 785-885-4116

I received an email and the following pictures from Dixie.  She said . . . .

"Dad wasn’t really feeling to good that day and had to leave for about an hr and came back in at around 2:30. He was pretty weak so we had a wheel chair for him. Then Sat. night he fell and we had to have the ambulance take him to the hospital as he really bumped his head and had a cut above his eye. He was so dehydrated they pumped him full of fluids for a couple of days. We did get him home back here Monday. He isn’t doing very good. If you need anything else let me know. Dixie"



Lawrence, Dixie & Brodie  → 
Behind Dixie is her daughter, Beverly
and Dixie's grandson, Chad.

←  Lawrence & Robbie

Kendra & Jo (Great, Great, Great)  →





Sunday worship at the United Methodist Church in Paradise brought family and friends for a special message by guest Lay Pastor Dennis Finch formerly of Natoma. Preaching from the Gospel of Matthew coupled with life experiences, he honored his uncle Lawrence Finch who celebrated his 100th birthday the previous day, August 13. Family and friends enjoyed the service followed by an ice cream social. The event also brought together life long friends and former Prophet Band members, Dennis Finch of Beloit, Gene Angel and Dan Hoisington, Paradise. The Prophets, a regional band during the era of The Beatles, played throughout much of the 1960's before disbanding. Finch now pastors two churches: First Baptist Church of Barnard and Simpson Community Church in Simpson. Angel and Hoisington are members of their home church in Paradise, Kansas."

Photograph by Courtney Thompson, Salina

Storyline by Laah Tucker, 785-885-4116



Janette (Angel) Ross also sent an email about the church service . . . . .

"Dennis gave a wonderful sermon (which I know would be very hard in your own almost home-town) about wanting to see all of us – his friends and cousins in heaven. And he gave the message of salvation.
.Dennis, Gene & Dan spent many hours practicing in my mom & dad’s basement! I’m so glad that we visited Paradise this past weekend to be there to hear this wonderful message and so that Dennis could hug my mom for all she put up with in her basement (you can imagine – loud guitars, drums & great singing)!! I got to enjoy them too along with some of these guys girlfriends and we’d dance together to their music.
 THEY WERE GOOD! As good as the Beatles (we thot)....WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND!!!
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Dennis told many stories of playing basketball with Glen Strecker, Gene Angel, & Dan and how they beat Natoma in basketball that year of 1965, I think! Do you remember it? Any way Dennis was a great ball player himself (however, he didn’t mention that)! He just explained how the Natoma team could not hold down that Paradise team and got beat that year. Of course we all enjoyed hearing about that!!! Then Dennis mentioned a few of his sins: one of which he came to Paradise (probably with other guys from Natoma, tho he didn’t mention that) and stole our Paradise Pirate – took it to Natoma and thought it was so great that he’d captured the Pirate! But Mr Rogers, Natoma principal,  had Dennis in his office the next day WIth THE PIRATE – let Dennis borrow his pickup and he had to bring the Pirate back to Paradise.
Do you remember any of this? Ask Dan about it OK – he may remember other funny stories about Dennis too!  Janette" 

56034

CHARLES LANDIS - CLASS OF 1959

Delta Charles "Charlie" Landis

(October 24, 1941 - August 15, 2011)
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Delta Charles "Charlie" Landis, 69,
died August 15, 2011


.He was born Oct. 24, 1941
to Delbert and Veta Landis in Fairport, KS.
He was a U.S. Postal Carrier in Bethany
for over 30 years
and was known as “Good Time Charlie”.
He enjoyed fishing, eating with his brothers, good times,
and was a lifelong member of the
National Assoc. of Letter Carriers.

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Preceded in death by his mother, he is survived by his father, Delbert Landis;
son, David Landis;
brothers, Don and Delmar Landis;
sister, Virginia Maddox;
grandchildren, Erin, Eileen, David, Maddison, Ellen and Zinnia Belle;
and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be Friday, August 19, 10:00am at Mercer-Adams Chapel.

To share a memory or condolence, visit

 

http://www.mercer-adams.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1238391&fh_id=11760

†

I received this email from Don Landis yesterday.


"Charlie passed away about 11:30 this morning.
He was in a coma for the past two days and was without
pain and passed peacefully.
Services are pending. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.
Don Landis"

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Landis family.

DALE ROLAND POST

Dale Roland Post, 88, Russell,

died Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011

at St. John's Care Center, Victoria.

Dale was born December 12, 1922 in Paradise, Kansas -
son of Clifford and Ethel Pearl (Swartz) Post.
He grew up in the Paradise and Waldo areas and graduated from Waldo High School in 1940.

Dale served his country in the U.S. Army during WWII. After the war he returned to the Russell and Waldo area where he has lived ever since.

Dale was united in marriage to Della D. Sanders on May 26, 1945 in Russell, Kansas. This union was blessed with three children; Kenneth, Glenda and Gerald. They lived in Bethany, Oklahoma during the 1050’s but the rest of their marriage has been in Russell.

Dale worked in the oil field before he started working for the city of Russell driving one of the trucks. He retired in 1982. He also ran the Russell County Landfill for several years and was in charge of the Russell County Food Pantry. In his spare time he did metal salvage, lawn care service and snow removal and collecting anything that had a Pepsi lego.

Dale was a member of the Calvary Assembly of God Church of Russell. He also belonged to the Russell American Legion.

Surviving family include his wife of 66 years Della of the home;
sons, Kenneth Post and wife Ruth of Enid, Oklahoma and Gerald Post of Hutchinson, Kansas; daughter, Glenda Hammerschmidt and husband Verlin of Victoria, Kansas;
three grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren and two great-great grandsons.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Maurice Post and sister Gwendolyn Ashey.

Celebration of Dale’s Life will be held at 10:00 A.M. Monday, August 8, 2011 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell with Rev. Jim Alexander officiating. Burial will follow at Wilson City Cemetery where Military Rites will be conducted by the Russell V.F.W. Post #6240 Honor Guard. Visitation will be from noon to 8 PM Sunday at the mortuary with the family present to greet friends from 6 PM to 7 PM. A memorial has been established with Calvary Assemby of God Church. Contributions and condolences may be sent in care of Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary who is in charge of these arrangements.  http://www.pvpmortuary.com/index.asp?DocumentID=736

Here is a link to Dale's sister's - Gwendolyn Ashey - obituary.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=post&GSiman=1&GScid=93118&GRid=60741821

047415

A MESSAGE FROM AN UNKNOWN READER

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I received this today - from an unknown reader.  However, I am sure I will know soon who it is.


"It was refreshing to learn that the 2010 census for Paradise was finally completed.

I'm sure that it was time consuming and took a large effort for Mr. Hoisington to get this completed.

However, the census was to be completed last year.

Knowing Mr. Hoisington, I'm confident that the numbers that were acquired is a proactive effort to complete the 2020 census on time."
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047259

DAN HOISINGTON HAS WORKED VERY HARD FOR THE BLOG!

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Thank You Dan

for providing us with your expertise

in counting up the

current population of Paradise.

I received an email from him today. 
He is so very busy I was thrilled that he took out the time to send this information for the blog . . . . . .

"I was looking at the old news in the blog about Paradise so I decided to do a finger and toe count to see what the current population of Paradise is. It is 35 full time and 6 part timers. This includes the 2 houses that are just out side of the south city limits. We need some new bodies in town however I believe all houses are occupied. Several have been demolished to keep anyone from the Emporia area from moving in.

Dan"
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Wow!  That last sentence certainly messed up his rating as my "favorite student". 
I wonder how he will ever get back in good standing.  I doubt that he can accomplish that.
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