Doughnut Day, Fred Surman memories and railroad treasures

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Cecilia Walton.

Happy birthday to Morris Montgomery, Herman Sadler, Betty Keller, Jeremy Sadler, Bernice Atkins, Avis-Jean Wolfe, Movidene Cutler, Bob Dacus, Carol Lee, Gabe Pfefferkorn, Shirley Glastetter, Dallon Horman, Kathy Rice, Wayne Held, Athena Hampton, Gerald Beck, Scott Barnhart, Andrea Horman, Deidra Coleson, Lisa Stagoski, Richie Swain, Bill Hawkins and Veronica Bennett. Also Lavern Ballard, Susan Delles, Mike Dumey, Ed Freed, William McCann and Jack Owens.

Happy anniversary to Jeremy and Jennifer Vandeven, David and JoNell Schaefer, Denny and Mary Rose, Don and Jo Rutz, Wes and Sheila Howard, Scott and Leslie Horman, Steve and Regina Wall, Shannon and Jenifer Brown, Jason and Sabrina Pobst, Carl and Mary Ann Kagle and Lester and Pam Eichhorn.

We hope everyone had a safe Memorial Day weekend and that you shoppers who were undeterred by the rain found some treasures at the 100-Mile Yard Sale! Circle Park was looking fine with its fresh paint and American flags.

June is Aquarium Month, Dairy Month, Accordion Awareness Month, Fruit and Vegetables Month and Rose Month. Today is World Environment Day, which was established in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly to bring global awareness to protecting nature and Earth. Hosted this year by Angola, the theme is "Fight Against Illegal Trade in Wildlife."

On a much lighter note, did you happen to get a free doughnut this past Friday on National Doughnut Day? This day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise funds and to honor the female volunteers, referred to as Lassies of World War I, who made home-cooked meals and doughnuts for the soldiers on the front lines in Europe. It is reported that oftentimes the doughnuts were cooked in oil inside the metal helmets of American soldiers.

Thinking of Myrtle Hubbard

We wondered about Myrtle Hubbard recently and Dorothy (Halter) Dees tells us she knew Myrtle in 1949 when she lived on the fourth block of Yoakum with her sister Opal Walton. Opal and her two children lived in the two front rooms and Cecilia Walton and her two children lived in the two back rooms. Dorothy says they all went their separate ways, but she has thought of Myrtle often through the years.

Remembering Fred Surman

There was a great picture recently in the Southeast Missourian of The River Port Authority commissioners touring the site for a new railroad spur. Among those pictured in the June 1991 photo was the late Fred Surman. Many of us remember the friendly gentleman who worked for the Frisco Railroad. I last saw him at the Chaffee Nursing Center when we were checking on our loved ones. He remembered my dad and always asked about my mother. He was a good man.

Railroad treasures found

The month of May, my dad's birth month, was made extra special when I ran across not only a book about railroads, but also a high fidelity record "Steam Locomotive Rail Sounds -- Farewell to the Steam." It was fun hearing the whistles and screaming of the flanges as Santa Fe 3759 turned the steep corners and climbed the hills in California. Built in 1928, the steam locomotive was retired in 1957 and is on display in Kingman, Arizona.

Sea Biscuit memories

There are several pictures and references to the Frisco Railroad in the book "Railroads Across America." Seeing one of the 23 massive red engines named after famous race horses brought back memories of how excited my sisters and I were to see our dad's engine, the Sea Biscuit.

As engineer of the passenger train, his run was Chaffee to Memphis and back, in one day and out the next. I remember how eager we four little girls were to get into the family car with our mother to meet him when he came in from his trip at noontime. We were thrilled to catch sight of our tall, lanky dad with his grip in hand as we ran down to greet him. He left us much too soon.

Final thoughts

We remind you that Father's Day is June 19. You have time to make those special plans to celebrate your dad.

Remember to tell those special people in your life that you love them -- those three words mean so very much.

Please email your news and comments to darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then ...

Then there was Dr. Heimlich, who at 96 performed his first Heimlich maneuver and saved an 87-year-old tablemate.