Memorial Day weekend is one of my favorite holidays because some of my best memories are from the days when my grandmother, Mildred Kell Schooler, and I got flowers ready to place on the graves of our family.
We used real flowers because her mother always told her that she didn’t want plastic flowers on her grave.
My grandmother had a yard full of pretty flowers, but it takes a lot of flowers to decorate 10 graves. We always visited my grandfather, her parents, her grandparents, her in-laws and all her aunts and uncles.
Peonies are my favorite flower and they always remind me of my grandmother. Besides peonies, we used iris, snow balls and any flower that happened to be in bloom.
Some years the peonies would bloom early so she would put them in her refrigerator until the weekend arrived. We used the same containers year after year, so we always had to stop by and pick them up a few days after the holiday.
Sometimes we used coffee cans covered in tin foil or fruit jars, but it didn’t really matter because we used real flowers.
We had four cemeteries we always visited, and then we added two more after I found a few more family members from our past.
I miss this family tradition so much, but I still visit our cemeteries every year and pay my respects to my grandmother’s family. I still visit her favorite aunt and uncle’s graves on the hill. They didn’t have any children, so I doubt that anyone else ever visits their grave.
One of my favorite cemeteries is only open Memorial Day weekend. It’s the Vanbebber Cemetery, which is located three miles east of Knoxville on HH Highway. The cemetery is in the middle of a pasture behind St. Paul‘s Church.
You have to drive through two cowfields to get there but it is worth the drive. It is one of the most quiet and peaceful spots in Ray County. I have three generations buried here and even though I never knew any of them, I feel like I did. I heard stories about them when I was little as my great grandmother, Nellie Jane Campbell Schooler, told me about her family. I love that small piece of Ray County soil so much because it is a part of my history.
Nellie Jane was the perfect great-grandmother. She lived with us when she was older and I will always treasure those memories. Looking back on it now, I hope she enjoyed it, too. My sister and I shared a room with her and I know it had to be hard for her.
We lived in a four-bedroom house with lots of room, but we had seven people living under one roof – my parents, my brother, myself, my baby sister, our great-grandmother and my dad’s father, Ollie Martin.
Our grandmother went to bed early and we had to quietly sneak into our room to go to bed each night. Anyone that knows me, knows that I don’t do anything quietly. I never have and never will.
So how did Memorial Day get its start? It was originally named Decoration Day and was created to honor those who died while serving in the military. It started after the Civil War, but did not become an official federal holiday until Congress passed the National Holiday Act in 1971. Now it always falls on the last Monday of May and we get a three-day weekend. In our modern world, Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer.
Before it became a national holiday, it was still a big deal because our President issued a proclamation each year. “I, John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, Thursday, May 30, 1963 as a day of prayer for lasting peace, and I urge all citizens on that day to invoke God’s blessing on those who have died in defense of our country and to pray for a world of freedom with peace and justice.”
In 1963, Richmond had a Memorial Day much like the one we have today. The Richmond News  of May 29, 1963 had this announcement: “Memorial services will be held by the American Legion Griffith post 237 at Memory Gardens and Sunny Slope cemetery tomorrow morning. Don Harrell, vice commander of the post, said that all Legionnaires are asked to assemble at 9 a.m. at the women’s club for participation in the ceremony. Harrell also said the Legion requests the people of Richmond fly the American flag tomorrow.”
Then this was in the News May 31, 1963: “At least 21 Richmond businessmen came downtown Memorial Day to put out the flag in commemoration of our nation’s war dead. At 1:30 p.m. the following firms had flags displayed in front of their store windows: Carter’s Funeral Home, Harrell’s Sundry, Central Drug, Pointer’s Jewelers, College Liquors, Kansas Jewelry, The Jones Store, Town Tavern, Happy Hollow Bar, Broadmore Finance Corp., Carter Bowen real estate, Rader’s, Economy Drug, Smith Hardware, Davis Paint, Mohn-Clark and Alder, Duvall Clothing, Mansur Radio, Wall’s Cut-Rate store and The News. In addition, the post office building and city hall displayed flags. The last national holiday, Washington’s Birthday, Richmond merchants did not have to make a special trip to put out their flags. The last two holidays local merchants appear to have become flag-flying-conscious. On Lincoln’s Birthday anniversary only a few days before Washington’s, only about five flags dotted the Richmond business area.”
Some things have changed since 1963, but it is good to see that many people still honor their forefathers by placing flowers on their graves and flying our American Flag.
I love visiting cemeteries and I don’t limit my visits to Memorial Day weekend. I visit the graves of Ray County in all kind of weather and I don’t just visit my family. When I’m working on a story about someone, I need to know where they were buried and pay them a visit.
I’m working on a story about the cemeteries of Ray County. At last count, there were around 250 cemeteries and family burial plots on my list.
Please take some time over the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend and visit some of Ray County’s past as we honor our forefathers this holiday weekend.

Write Linda at rayc...@aol.com

A simple grave at Todd’s Chapel Cemetery is decorated with natural flowers. (Photo by David Knopf/Richmond News)

The problem starts slowly. So slowly you don’t realize it is a problem until someone knocks you down and takes your watch.
First, there may be rustling in the bushes. Or maybe loud music in the trees. Or maybe, just maybe your yard gnomes are covered in spray paint and all the food’s gone from the fridge.
Then the horror hits you – the crack squirrels are in your yard.
In New York, Washington, D.C., and London, drug addicts have taken to stashing crack rocks in people’s yards like, uh, well, like squirrels hiding nuts for the winter.
But the crackheads have invaded the wrong rodent’s turf.
Once friendly, playful squirrels are reportedly digging up crack cocaine from people’s yards and eating it.
“I was chatting with my neighbor who told me that crack users and dealers sometimes use my front garden to hide bits of their stash,” said an anonymous source from a story in the South London Press. “An hour earlier I’d seen a squirrel wandering round the garden, digging in the flowerbeds. It looked like it knew what it was looking for.
“It was ill-looking, and its eyes looked bloodshot, but it kept on desperately digging.”
But animals getting high isn’t a new phenomenon. Scientists have known for years that it’s common for critters to get a buzz on.
“Animals even seek out psychoactive substances,” according to the academic paper “Wild Health,” by Cindy Engel, Ph.D. “They get drunk on fermented fruit, hallucinate on mushrooms, become euphoric with opium poppies.”
It’s true. I’ve seen it happen. Growing up on a farm, we used to cut down wild marijuana plants and toss them into the hog lot. The pigs loved it.
Yeah, who wouldn’t want to party with those guys?
But stoned animals in the wild are fine, as long as they’re not driving. Stoned animals on city streets is a problem – society’s problem.
Veterinary care rates will skyrocket, animal-control officers will be spread too thin, and there will be a growing number of squirrels out of work.
And an idle squirrel is a dangerous squirrel.
So, if you hear some chattering in the trees above you, watch out. It could be the crack squirrels coming to steal your watch.
They’ll do anything to get a fix.

Jason Offutt’s column has been in continuous publication since 1998 appearing in newspapers and magazines across the United States. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheJasonOffutt.

For most of our American history, the clergy have been a male dominated group. When calling a new minister pulpits across America only considered male applicants. Theological schools across the country were almost all male with a few women studying for missionary service overseas.
Today is different. Women across the country in many protestant circles are stepping up to the pulpits with all the freedom and respect of their male counterparts. Methodists, Presbyterians, Assembly of God and some of the Baptist groups have opened their pulpits and women are responding.
Some entering today’s ministry do not always choose the pulpit side of ministry, but choose to serve as administrators, educators, associates or Christian counselors.
Joan Angelyne Watson Ganns of West Palm Beach, Fla., received her Ph.D. in Christian Counseling at the 2012 Commencement and said, “This is the end of a 24-year dream for me. I have fulfilled all of my dreams and I am living my life with purpose.”
Ruth Martin of Lawrenceville, Ga., reflected, “Completing my seminary education is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.”
Newburgh Theological Seminary, Newburgh, Ind. will hold its annual commencement, June 1 with a total graduating class of 140 students. Of those graduating 36 percent are women who will travel from different parts of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Africa to attend the commencement ceremony.
“Women are studying for all aspects of today’s ministry, “ said Dr. Keith Wilhite, Newburgh Academic Advisor for Newburgh Seminary. “Women enroll in Theology, Missions and Evangelism, Preaching, Christian Education and Christian Counseling just like their male counterparts.”
Several women will make presentations at Newburgh’s graduation in June. Along with Dr. Norman Sanders of the Billy Graham Association and Dr. Keith Ogden of Asheville, N.C., Dr. Bernice Belt of Kentucky, Dr. Patsy Highland of Tennessee and Dr.Cheryl Sanders of North Carolina will be on the program to encourage the graduating class of 2013.
Those interested in more information may visit www.newburghseminary.com

Glenn Mollette is the author of American Issues plus hundreds of articles, stories and other books. Contact him at gmol...@aol.com

Mary Beth Bailey takes the baton from Lady Spartan teammate Savannah Hamilton to begin her leg of the 4 x 800 meter relay at Saturday’s Class 3 sectional meet in Blue Springs. (Photo by Butch Shafer/Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune.)

By Russ Green-Sports Editor

Both of Richmond’s entries did not get past their events Saturday afternoon at the Class 3, Sectional 4 track meet held at Blue Springs High School.

The Lady Spartans 4 x 800 relay team and Spartan triple jumper Lendarrius Pritchett did not finish in the top four and did not advance to this weekend’s state meet in Jefferson City.

Pritchett fell one spot short with his fifth-place showing. Pritchett’s longest leap of 43 feet, 7 ½ inches was just 1½ inches shy of the fourth-place jump of Grandview’s Harvey Kendall. Peyton Mizera of Maryville had the winning jump of 46-1½.

Grandview dominated the team results as it ended the day with 111 points, with Liberty North finishing a distant second with 73 points.

The Lady Spartan 4 x 800 relay team placed sixth as Savannah Hamilton, Mary Beth Bailey, Emma Long and Elizabeth Windsor combined for a time of 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds.

The Hardin-Central Bulldogs had four fourth-place finishers at the Class 1 State Track Meet held Friday and Saturday at Lincoln University in Jefferson City. The four finishes helped the Dawgs to a 12^th-place showing in the team standings, while Wellington-Napoleon edged Cass Midway for another team title 48-44. Rock Port was third with 41, and Missouri School for the Deaf grabbed the final team trophy with 34 points.

The Lady Bulldogs, with Macy Foster in three individual events, and two relay teams ended the two-day event in 39^th with 4 points.

Wyatt Craven captured one of the fourth-place finishes for the Bulldogs. The Hardin-Central sophomore finished second in the opening heat of the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.11 seconds and was the fourth overall qualifier. In the finals, Craven crossed the line in 52.58, just .55 out of third place. Craven also ran the 200-meter dash for Hardin-Central. His time of 24.11 in the preliminaries was eighth in the first heat of the preliminaries and he did not make the finals.

Hank Bowers made the finals in the 300-meter hurdles as he turned in a time of 41.48 in the preliminaries, which was good for fourth overall. In the finals on Saturday, the Bulldog senior crossed the line in 42.01 and finished in fourth place.

Clif Kugler brought home another fourth-place medal for Hardin-Central with his performance in the high jump. The freshman cleared 6 feet, 2 inches with John Spiking of King City taking third with a height of 6-6. Rock Port’s Eric Duncan took first with 6-8.

Orrick sophomore Samantha Fulte closed out a good year with a second-place finish in the long jump at the Class 1 State Track meet in Jefferson City. Fulte also qualified in two other events Friday and Saturday afternoons at Dwight Reed Stadium. (Photo by Michael Smith/Cedar Co. Republican)

By Russ Green-Sports Editor

Orrick sophomore Samantha Fulte capped off a good season for the Lady Bearcats with a second-place finish at the Class 1 state meet held Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City on the campus of Lincoln University.

Junior Sydnee McGlothlin closed out her season with a sixth-place finish in the discus.

Fulte’s best finish of the weekend came in the triple jump with a leap of 34 feet, 4 ½ inches. Her top distance came on the third of six attempts after she had fouled on her second jump.

Allie Heckemeyer, junior from St. Elizabeth, had the winning distance of 34-4 ½. Norborne senior Cheyenne Baxter took eighth place with a leap of 33-4 that came on her next-to-last attempt.

Fulte also qualified for the long jump where she turned in a seventh-place distance of 15-9 that came on her second attempt of the day.

Memorial services will be 10 a.m., Monday, May 20, at the Presbyterian Disciples Church in Lexington.  Visitation from 6 to 8 p.m., Sunday, May 19 also at the church.  Burial in Lexington Memory Gardens.  Memorials  may be made in Dale’s memory to:  C.A.R. (Cancer Assistance Relief)  c/o Trinity UCCC, 1312 Franklin,  Lexington, MO  64067

Arrangements by:  Walker-Nadler-Fuller Funeral Home,  Lexington,  (660)259-2245

Richmond catcher Matt Stafford did not get the tag in time on this play, but the Spartans have little trouble in their 8-2 semifinal win over St. Paul Monday. (Photo by Russ Green/Richmond News.)

Spartans down top-seeded Lawson to win second straight district title

By Russ Green-Sports Editor

The Richmond Spartans had a huge hurdle to clear if they wanted to record back-to-back district baseball championships. After getting past No. 3 seed St. Paul Lutheran 8-2 in the semifinals, the Spartans faced a Lawson Cardinal squad that had won the two previous meetings with Richmond this spring by a combined 25-0.

The top-seeded Cardinals and Spartans met at a packed Southview Field Wednesday night and with just the right amount of hitting and clutch pitching, Richmond won its second straight district title with a 6-4 decision over the Cardinals. The Spartans (11-6) will host Maryville (5-10) in the Class 3 sectional at Southview Field Monday at 6 p.m.

Richmond Coach Brandon Quick said having his team at full strength was a bonus.

“The first time they caught us at the end of a six-game week, and then the other time, we just didn’t show up, made a lot of errors and gave up a lot of hits,” he said. “I knew we would come ready to play tonight.”

Spartan senior Jimmy Hamm worked the first five innings, with Reid Summers pitching the final two frames to earn the save. Richmond collected 14 hits to back the solid effort from the mound. Blake Sellers pitched the first four frames for the Cardinals (10-6), followed by Blake Edwards, who pitched 7 innings in Lawson’s 5-3 semifinal win over Higginsville Monday.

“We had key hits and great at bats,” Quick said. “We made both of their pitchers throw a lot of pitches. That was the key. We worked them and making them throw a lot of pitches helped us later on in the game.”

Quinton Maxwell had 3 singles, while Summers scored 3 runs after reaching base four times on a walk, a pair of doubles and a single. Matt Stafford also had three hits and Hamm helped himself offensively by adding a pair of singles.

Richmond sophomore Philip Kincaid’s first appearance at the Class 2 state golf tournament was a learning experience, according to coach Murray Dennis. Kincaid finished in a three-way tie for 47^th with a two-day total of 170 at the Freemont Hills Country Club in Nixa.

Dennis said Kincaid played well in a format that he was not used to.

“This is a totally different ballgame compared to the regular season,” he said. “At no point during the regular season do the boys play a tournament or a match that consists of 36 holes over two days, so stamina plays a key role at the state tournament.”

Dennis added that the two days of warm and sunny weather took its toll on all of the golfers in the field. Kincaid opened with an 87, but came back on Tuesday to shave 4 shots off his first 18 holes.

“I think he might have been a little disappointed with his total, especially Monday’s score, but I thought he did an outstanding job for this being his first state trip,” Dennis said. “It was a great experience for him. His attitude all season has been, in my opinion, the strongest phase in his game. He may hit a bad shot, but he let’s go of it and bounces back and makes sure he doesn’t compound the mistake by continually dwelling on the bad shot.”

Orrick golf coach Mitch Comstock was pleased with the performance of his two Bearcats at the Class 1 state tournament Monday and Tuesday at Silo Ridge Golf Course in Bolivar.

Austin Meyer had two solid rounds and ended with a 36-hole total of 171 that put him in a six-way tie for 19^th, while Mason Karnes shook off a tough opening round on Monday and ended the tournament with a 198.

Meyer’s 19^th-place showing is the first time a Bearcat golfer has ended up in the top 20. Comstock said his senior went to Bolivar with two goals in mind.

“He wanted to shoot the lowest two-day total in Orrick golf history, and came up a little short of that goal,” Comstock said. “But he did accomplish the goal of posting the lowest finish in school history. It was a great two days for him and a great way to go out his senior year.”

Meyer carded an 86 on Monday and trimmed one shot off that total for Tuesday’s round.

Karnes, a junior, struggled in Monday’s opening round as he posted a 104, but came back on Tuesday to shoot a 94.

“I was proud of how he battled back after some adversity and played good golf the rest of the tournament,” Comstock said.

The complete story is in the Thursday, May 16, 2013 Richmond News.