50 YEARS AGO

June 23, 1976

Harvest is getting into full swing, moving from spot to spot as fields ripen. Reports from fields are not good. Some fields are yielding 30 bushels to the acre. At one elevator, wheat has been averaging 55 pounds per bushel instead of the usual 60.

Marion Country Club’s new grass greens are ready. Play will start July 1 when members get their first opportunity to try the redesigned course, new greens, and new tee boxes. A dedication ceremony at 7 that evening will be followed by a potluck dinner.

Mr. and Mrs. Will Helmer and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Sandwell sponsored a dance to celebrate the 13th birthday of their daughters, Gena and Tammy. Invited guests included boys and girls who will be 8th graders next fall.

Terri Enos, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Enos, will leave Friday for Philadelphia, where she will represent Flint Hills Girl Scouts at scouting’s International Congress.

Volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce have been busy installing new welcome signs painted by Bill Baker. The signs read: “Welcome to Marion, a Bicentennial City with PRIDE!”

James J. Ryan, 92, retired Florence grocer and philanthropist, died Sunday at St. Luke Hospital. He was a major benefactor of Kansas Newman College and contributed generously to a scholarship fund at the University of Kansas to finance medical education of a Marion County student each year.