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PIX #1 - Patricia Knobbs, a resident of Kansas for many years. Readers will recall that she was an assistant in Dr. Reuble's dentist office in Fostoria when it was located in The First National Bank building at Main and Tiffin Streets.

PIX #2 - HELEN YODER

PIX #3 - Kansas kindergarten graduating class 1960. Seated left to right: Dawn Harris, Brenda Lucius, Linda Strong, Pamela Moe, Linda Hatfield, Dawn Hoover, Roberta Williams, Lolla Belmares. Second Row: Gene Brubaker, Michael Yoder, John Jakcsy, Ricky Findley, Kevin Coleman, Betty Lou Border, Darrell Edinger, Jerry King, Kevin Pierce, Terry King, Peter DeLaRosa. Third row: Edward Zimmerman, Stanley Luzader, Donald Brennamen, Jeffery Scherger, Chris Fosnaugh, Mike King, Mike Woodruff, Paul Harrison, Ricky Smith, Cleve Rein- hard, Mrs. Carroll, teacher. Absent: Linda Hurtt, Linda Baumbarger, Danny Cramer.

PIX #4 - Harry McDaniel and his wife Jean, photographed in one area of their office in Bettsville where they have conducted their insurance business since 1933. The partners have also been avid collectors of antiques, as the background in photo indicates.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Today's article about Kansas is No. 8 in the series. After going over other material which has been submitted and not used I find that there is still enough copy and photos for another article. Anything else re- maining will be used as "Feedback" or featured in future columns.)

In the earlier days of the 19th century the village of Kansas had its own weekly newspaper, The Kansas News, published in Bettsville, Stanley Feasel being the owner and publisher one period in time.

Although Hal Stout, city editor of The Fostoria Daily Review, and myself once considered buying the paper from Feasel, to the best of my knowledge neither of us had seen a copy of it. We made a trip to Bettsville to look over the property and equipment, and were so unfavorably impressed with either, that it ended there.

Visiting with Patricia Knobbs, a Kansas resident, when collecting data for this series of articles, she brought forth copies of The Kansas News as evi- dence, both being eight page issues.

Later, The Weekly Herald, published at Bettsville, a tabloid size newspaper, serving Amsden, Kansas, Burgoon and that whole rural area. It too died, like The Kansas News.

HELEN YODER LIFELONG RESIDENT

Aside from the younger generation of families living in Kansas, there are a few "old-timers" (that phrase used cautiously), who have lived in the village for many years.

One of those is Helen Yoder, who before her marriage was Helen Hedden, one of eight children, she being the oldest. Her husband, O.H. Yoder, now deceased for 14 years, followed many trades, one of those being the repair and main- tenance of high towers.

Mrs. Yoder recalls that her husband worked on one in Fostoria which was a particularly high and dangerous one, he being the only one who would contract for the job.

The Yoders were the parents of two boys and two girls.

After the Kansas series was underway, Mrs. Yoder delivered to my home a box of clippings of various events about people and activities in the Kansas area which she has accumulated for many years...marriages, graduations, deaths, area meetings, school activites and much more.

CORRESPONDENT FOR AREA PAPERS

Had there been space for some of it, it would have increased the historical value of this series. I can only say that if anyone wants to know what trans- pired in Kansas through the past years, contact Helen Yoder at Box 194, Kansas, 44841. She was a correspondent for area newspapers at one time.

One of her hobbies has been the making of men's leather billfolds and key holders. She taught residents at Fostoria's Good Shepherd home how to make various items to pass their time.

In 1960, Mrs. Yoder was awarded the honor being named Mrs. Good Neighbor in the village of Kansas...that title being engraved on a silver tray presented to her at that time.

REMEMBER THE 1960 KANSAS KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION?

A contribution to the Kansas series of articles came to me from Mrs. Marion Brenamen, 3241 N. CR 39, near Kansas.

The Brenamens and Mr. and Mrs. Tom (Clara) Williams live closeby. The two women in that family had been reminiscing about the Kansas series and the subject of kindergarten came up. So, Mrs. Brenamen brought me clippings from The Review Times of June 30, 1960, telling all about the "plush" graduation service held for a group of first graduates from the Jackson-Liberty, Amsden and Kansas schools and the photo of that graduating class which appears in today's article.

The diplomas were presented by Ruth A. Mumaw, principal of the Kansas elemen- tary school.

Officers of The Mother's Club was was organized to sponsor the kindergarten program in the two schools, consisted of Mrs. Richard Findley, Mrs. Mary Schultz, Mrs. Marie Brenamen and Mrs. Clara Williams.

The Mother's Club raised more than $1,000 for furniture and other properties for the kindergarten program.

I wonder how many of those kiddies are still living in this area and if they recall that day when they "graduated?"

READER FEEDBACK: MCDANIEL, LIFELONG KANSAN, PROVIDES HISTORY AND HUMOR

Harry B. McDaniel, born and raised in Kansas and still living in the same house where he was born, responded to my request to provide some of the im- portant and interesting memories of his 75 years. Here they are, just as he told them.

"I was born in Kansas 74 years ago and have lived on the corners of Main and Chestnut Street there all of my life."

"In October 1944, I married Jean E. Warner of Fostoria."

"In 1933 I joined my father in the general insurance business which was con- ducted in Kansas, and at that time the business was moved to Bettsville, the center of the business. Prior to 1955, when my father retired, my wife joined me in the business, and we have operated the McDaniel Insurance Agency to date."

MCDANIEL INTERESTS WERE INSURANCE AND ANTIQUES

"To pass what small idle time we had, we collected Indian artifacts, antique guns, and specialized in the early Indian trade goods, like Indian peace medals, Captain Gorgets, pendants and religious crosses...all made by the early silversmiths for the French, English, and American governments, the fur trade companies to present and trade to the Eastern Indians, some dating back to the 1600s."

"I can remember back when Kansas was a booming town. The horse hitching posts lined the Main street business district, and south from Main Street on Chest- nut Street, and on Saturdays they would be full of horse drawn rigs and people shopping."

"We kids made our own fun. In the winter time we would hitchup to the bob- sleds or cutters of the farmers leaving Kansas after shopping in the winter time, then we would catch another sled and ride back to Kansas."

KIDS HAD FUN IN KANSAS MANY YEARS AGO

"We would skate on the town quarry...always having a big bon-fire at night, with coal "borrowed" from the C.C. Weisinger store coal bins. Many cut faces of us kids were the result of a battered Pet Milk can being used for a hockey puck in playing ice hockey."

"I used to ride with Dr. W.S. Mumaw, our local doctor in his sled, to call on the sick in the country. He went in all kinds of weather, wearing his horse hide overcoat. In the summer, we would fish in near-by Wolf Creek, swim in the three local quarries, play dunk-on-the rock, yard-off, and baseball... Kansas always having a good baseball team."

"Football was also played, Kansas played teams in Marion, Toledo, Fremont, North Baltimore, and Fostoria in the Pee Wee Bradner days...also the Gorril and Berry days." (To be continued)