Miss Rebecca Rorem (-1934)

ROREM

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 6/9/2010 at 20:49:18

The Roland Record, Roland, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, June 18, 1934.

FORMER TEACHER IS CRASH VICTIM

MISS REBECCA ROREM ONE OF FOUR PEOPLE KILLED IN ACCIDENT

Miss Rebecca Rorem of Sioux Falls, S. D., a former teacher of the Week Day School of Religion in Roland, was one of four persons killed in a grade crossing accident at Sebeka, Minn., last Thursday.

The car in which she was riding was struck by a Great Northern passenger train on a grade crossing two miles north of Sebeka, where Miss Rorem had gone to see about a position as music techer in the schools. The others who were killed outright were Mrs. J. Bakken of Theif River Falls, Minn., Mrs. T. Ekelund and her 12 year old son of Sebeka. Rev. T. Ekelund, 56, of Sebeka, and J. Bakken, 73, of Theif River Falls, were severely injured, receiving fractured skulls.

Miss Rorem was a sister of Rev. E. R. Rorem of Slater and had taught religion in the schools of both Roland and Slater a number of years ago. She taught in Roland two yars, in 1925-1926 and 1926-1927.

A Minneapolis paper, in giving an account of the accident the next day, contained the following:

Attempting to reconstruct the tradegy, authorities were convinced that Ekelund, who was driving, saw the train approaching but made a mistake in manipulating the controls of his car. The accident happened on a lonley grade crossing on a detour about two miles from Sebeka.

The train sheared the automobile in half, crushed four of the occupants and hurled two clear of the machine and down the railroad right of way. The Ekeland car was reduced to a tangle mass of wreckage.