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The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday,
May 31, 2007 |
Stark Recalls Middle East Tours During Memorial Day Ceremony
by Susan Yario |
Pastor Ron Thatcher of First Baptist Church began the Memorial Day ceremony at Riverside Cemetery with a prayer in remembrance and honor of those that served and those that continue to serve in the United States Military.
Master of Ceremonies Pastor LaVern Beener began the recitation of The Pledge of Allegiance, with a reminder to use “under God” when saying the pledge.
The Anamosa High School Marching Band under the direction of Letitia Ceynar played the Star Spangled Banner followed by Beener introducing speaker Pat Stark of Marion. Stark saw two war tours of duty in the Middle East. He is a retired Army National Guard Sargeant and is now a counselor at the Anamosa State Penitentiary.
Stark addressed the audience with words from the perspective of a common soldier. He spoke in memory of the 56 Iowa soldiers that have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq and asked for a moment of silence.
Shark shared that most emotional part of going on duty is the wondering question if one would ever see home again. He reminisced of his Iowa City National Guard battalion convoy traveling on Highway 13 from Iowa City to Wisconsin in 1990 for his first tour, “As I watched the countryside slip by I was wondering to myself if I would see this land again. It is a very powerful emotion in having great appreciation for the life that we have here.”
Stark spoke of his comrade in two wars, Rob Moyer from Anamosa and recognized three of the lives lost from Eastern Iowa; US Army SPC David Behrle from Tipton, U.S. Army SPC. Craig Amundson who lost his life at the Pentagon during 911 and PFC David Kirchhoff from Anamosa.
Words from a regular soldier about his tour across Kuwait and into Iraq reflect the fighting atmosphere, “It got hot down there but we got through it”.
In closing, Stark mentioned a World War II Veteran, Virgil Martin who took the time to send him a card four years ago.
He thanked Virgil for supporting Veterans his age and younger. The audience was reminded by Stark to honor all veterans by serving the living as we are all in this together.
The AHS Marching Band played America The Beautiful while a 21-gun salute and a canon volley were fired. Taps was sounded by AHS students, Jessica Gates and Jordan Devaney.
A concluding benediction was given by Thatcher with words of inspiration, “Thank you and God Bless America.”
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The Anamosa Memorial Day Parade meandered from Main Street to Riverside Cemetery on May 28. For more Memorial Day photos, see page 31.
Sgt. Steve Vincent, Maquoketa, SPC. Kevin Rammelberg (AHS graduate), SPC. David Weir (graduate of Central Germany), SPC. Duane Harms, AHS graduate with the PLS (Palletized Loading System) truck, which they drove in the Memorial Day Parade. These trucks can carry anything that can be put on a pallet. The hauling capacity is 33 tons. The tires deflate and inflate with the push of a button for easy sand travel or hardtop surfaces. The five-axle trucks have all wheel drive for turning tight corners and can haul an additional trailer providing the combined load is not above 33 tons; Alexis Heeren granddaughter of Anamosa Air Force Veteran Verlin Heeren places a Memorial Wreath in Honor assisted by Staff Sargent Elden of Army National Guard Boone Unit; AHS performs the Star Spangled Banner.
Above: Speaker, retired Army National Guard Sgt. Pat Stark reflects on his tours of duty in the Middle East;Civil War Re-enactors at Riverside Cemetery after firing a Cannon; Below: Firing a gun salute to Veterans.
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Anamosa Man Drowns in Mississippi River
By Michelle Phillips |
The body of a Jones County man was recovered from the Mississippi River near Guttenberg at approximately 9:20 a.m. on May 28.
Samuel J. Spinler, 24, of Anamosa was a passenger in a boat when he suddenly leaped out of the vessel and into the water of the Mississippi River two miles north of Guttenberg at approximately 2 p.m. May 27. The boat was operated by Russell J. Merfeld of Martelle. Spinler was not wearing a life jacket.
River mile 620 on the Mississippi River had been declared a no wake zone during the recovery operation. The no wake zone has been lifted. The recovery operation was suspended at 8 p.m. Sunday and resumed at 8 a.m. Monday.
Several law enforcement agencies and fire departments from Iowa and Wisconsin assisted in the recovery effort.
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Grant Wood Art Festival Secures Rare Museum Loan for Originals Exhibit
By Michelle Phillips |
Grant Wood Art Festival committee members Kristy Raine and Loretta Brickley have secured an original Grant Wood painting, Corn Shocks, for the Grant Wood Art Festival on June 10. The painting will be on loan from the Dubuque Art Museum, and will be part of the originals exhibit at the Anamosa Library and Learning Center.
“It is unheard of for a museum to loan a painting to a festival,” commented Raine.
“Since I’ve been here this is the first time we’ve loaned an original piece to a festival,” said Stacy Gage, Exhibitions Manager at the Dubuque Art Museum. “It’s usually due to the environment and security.”
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The Grant Wood painting Corn Shocks, above, will be on display at the Anamosa Library and Learning Center during the Grant Wood Art Festival on June 10. |
Gage said the museum made an exception because the library is climate controlled and has a security guard during the Grant Wood Art Festival.
The painting was created in 1931 and was given to Stone City Art Colony student Pauline Phelps (Trask) as a gift from Wood for her excellence as a student. She attended both sessions of the colony and was considered a “core” student.
Following her time in Stone City, Phelps attended Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. In 1944 she began working with returning WWII veterans through an occupational therapy program. In 1966 she moved to Sedona, AZ and became a part of the flourishing art community. She died in Glenwood, IA in 1994.
The painting was privately owned by Dr. Randy Lengeling, who gifted it to the museum in 2004.
Lengeling and his wife Cathy are great supporters of art and a gallery at the Dubuque Art Museum has been named after the couple.
Lengeling, who gives a lecture entitled Grant Wood: Artistic Rags to Riches–An American Success Story, petitioned for the piece to come to the festival, according to Raine.
“We want to support the Grant Wood Art Festival and be part of something that honors Grant Wood and the Stone City Art Colony,” Gage included.
Gage said the museum has about 30 original grant Wood pieces, including paintings, lithographs and two sculptures. She added that three pieces were loaned to the Cedar Rapids Art Museum and the Renway Gallery at the Smithsonian last year, when each paid tribute to Wood.
The painting may not look like the paintings Wood was famous for because it is an early piece.
“It was before his signature style,” concluded Gage. |
Skills Advantage a Tool for Area Companies
By Michelle Phillips |
For many businesses, finding employees with skills a job requires can be a challenge. That’s why Kirkwood Community College offers Skills Advantage, a program which certifies workers in various areas, to showcase their skills.
“Businesses have such a problem hiring quality employees, with skills, that will stick around,” said Jennifer Fischer of the Jones County Economic Development Commission (JCEDC).
According to Amy Lasack, Skills Advantage Program Director, the program assesses and certifies employees in a variety of areas including applied math, reading for information and locating information at the cost of $45, which is paid by the student. Other certifications are available and include applied technology, observation, teamwork, listening, writing and business writing, which are typically requested and paid for by the employer.
“This whole initiative came out of a survey that Kirkwood and Cedar Rapids employers conducted in 2002 and 2003,” explained Lasack. “Employers felt they were having a hard time identifying core skills.”
Lasack said the certification offers a common language between employers, employees and learning institutions. At the present time there are 52 businesses in Eastern Iowa that participate in the program, which is free to employers, 10 of which are in Jones County.
“We knew to be successful, we needed businesses to get together and create a consortium. They are much more likely to take assessments when they find out there are 52 employs involved,” said Lasack.
“One of the big things we’ve seen is an employer may not have the same turnover, but with this program, it doesn’t matter if you hire every single day or only occasionally,” added Fischer. “By joining Skills Advantage, employers are sending the message that they value these particular skills.”
Fischer added that businesses in Jones County need to take advantage of the programs that are available, such as Skills Advantage.
Lasack said there are 41 states that have similar initiatives and ACT is currently working on a nationwide initiative, which will include the same work keys around the country. She said Kirkwood is in the process of creating a database of employees who have taken the Skills Advantage assessments.
“As far as we know, it hasn’t been done before,” she said.
For more information on Skills Advantage, contact Kirkwood Community College at 319-398-7145 or 1800-332-2055 ext. 7194.
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Strawberry Hill Students Collect Items for Marines
By Michelle Phillips |
Strawberry Hill students collected 280 pounds of food, toiletries and other items to be sent to Marines stationed in the Middle East, and on May 29 the items were collected by former Marine, Derek Wittenberg, who served in the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.
“My oldest daughter (Gabrielle) came up with the idea to adopt a soldier,” said Wittenberg.
He decided to help her by calling the Marine Recruiting office, that put him in touch with Marine Moms.
“She sent us the names of nine Marines, who needed family support,” he explained and added that nine was a large number, but the students pulled it off.
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Some of the fifth grade students who helped collect items to send to Marines. Back row L-R: Jacob Gerth, Ryan Berthea, Derek Wittenberg, Sydney Wolfe, Olivia Loy and Kaylee DeSotel. Front row L-R: Ryan Wageman, Josh Louviere and Tana Baftiri. |
“They (Marine Moms) were surprised that everyone on the list got covered,” he said.
In addition to bringing in items for the soldiers, the kids also brought 50¢ each to cover the postage. The items are scheduled to be shipped out on May 31.
Students from all grade levels participated in the drive, and wrote letters to be included in the packages.
All of the soldiers receiving goods from Anamosa students are from Eastern Iowa.
Wittenberg encourages groups to get together to collect items and send them in one shipment to reduce mailing costs. |
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