Changes
Ray Ott will be missed at Morton House Kitchens, Inc. Mr. Ott will retire February 1 after almost 50 years with the company beginning with odds and ends jobs as a high school sophomore.
Mr. Ott has hosted the plant's Quarter Century club for several years and he does a thorough job of introducing the "oldtimers" of the plant. He also tosses in a few stories of yesteryear.
We have enjoyed calling on him in daily newspaper assignments and wish him and Maxine good health and happiness.
His successor is Bob Hawkes who has been with the Lipton company, owner of Morton House, since 1965. Mr. Hawkes has been assistant plant manager for several years.
Jim McKim, the newest member of Nebraska City's police department gave up the sun in California, to make his home here. Jim wanted to attend Peru State because of family ties and the friends he has in this area.
His dad is a graduate of the campus of a Thousand Oaks, so that may have been a helpful reason to leave Anaheim and attend Peru State.
Congratulations . . .
. . . to Frank Ullsperger on his 100th birthday. Mr. Ullsperger also was recognized with a birthday card from President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter.
He is a resident of Nebraska City Manor. The centenarian quipped: "I feel pretty good. Another 100 years wouldn't hurt me."
Execution
We listened to an out-of-state radio program the other morning and since we were interested in Nebraska news, we perked when the announcer told about the three men on death row in Nebraska and the 90-day stay of execution.
What really got us was the inaccuracy of the announcer. He said the last time someone died in the electric chair in Nebraska was Charles Starkweather in 1959 who was accused of several murders in several states.
The announcer was off his rocker. There were 12 or 14 murders ranging from teenagers at Bennet to a very fine family in Lincoln. Starkweather was not "accused" and put in the chair to burn. He was a convicted killer. Fourteen-year-old Caril Fugate who was with him, is now out of the Nebraska women's prison and living and working out of state.
Your help needed
Rescue Squad Secretary Frank Bataillon is usually in a jolly mood and carries a mental volume of jokes to share with patrons on his mail route.
The past few days, however, he's been frowning. Another theft of a red blinking light was reported.
The red lights are owned by the rescue squad and issued to the volunteers. Nebraska City's volunteer firemen also have the lights and they also have reported them stolen.
The latest theft was from one of the newest members of the squad, Sister Mary, a teacher at Nebraska City Lourdes.
All volunteers with red lights on their vehicles use them only when answering rescue or fire calls. Vehicles must have a permit issued by Sheriff Russ Seals.
Frank is asking for help. He'd appreciate a call to help the volunteers recover the lights. The rescue office number is 873-3444 and the fire office number is 873-3579.
American Meter[illegible].
Congratulations to Norm Bruening on being named manager of American Meter company in Nebraska City. He succeeds Gary Blakeman, who has been with the company for 14 years and now will move to Philadelphia as vice president of personnel-organization.
The changes in administration are effective February 1.
Norm has been with the company for 15 years and recently was manager of quality control. The Bruenings have three growing sons.