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Picture: Arizona Memorial
Where were you on December 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor Day?
Elda Licht : It was a cloudy Sunday. We heard about it on the phone on the party line. We were very fearful. I remember it especially because a young neighbor hung herself.
Florence Bachman : It was a soupy type of day. We were having company for dinner. We lived in the old house where Bill lives. (First place North on O.J. Road) The attack was the main topic after we heard about it on the radio. It was scary.
Frank Fisher Jr. : I was in Stanwood visiting my cousin, Erwin Toerber. He wanted to know what we planned to do about my wedding to Evelyn scheduled for December 31. I told him we hadn’t planned a war, but we planned the wedding to fit Ellen’s vacation from teaching.
Midge Pruess : I was on duty at the hospital in Clinton. It was really no surprise when it occurred. I expected it.
Myrl Edler : I was home with my folks. We heard about this on the radio. I decided it would be better to enlist because I did not want to be drafted. I joined the Naval Air Corps.
Ronnie Armstrong : The family and I couldn’t believe it. We had listened to it on the radio. When we visited in Hawaii after the war, we still couldn’t believe it.
Rosalyn Bergmann : Lavern and I had gone to visit Uncle Elmer and Aunt Helen Bergmann. We heard it on the radio. We couldn’t understand it or believe how terrible it was.
Lloyd Hasselbusch : Lloyd was drafted in September, 1941, out of Scott County. He was stationed in San Diego at the time of the attack. The men there were told it was possible that California would be bombed next. This really kept them on the alert.
George Hoffner : Foxie and I were living in Cedar Rapids at the time. I don’t recall exactly what I was doing at the time I heard about the attack but I do remember we were very concerned as my brother Charles was in the Navy stationed on a ship in Hawaii at the time so we were very concerned about his safety. Eventually we found out his ship had been out to sea when the attack occurred which was a great relief to our family.
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Picture
Where were you the day JFK was assassinated on November 24, 1963?
Vern Schroeder : I was on my way to the neighbors to shell corn and when I arrived at his place he came out of the house to tell me Kennedy had been shot. We went into his house to watch the TV for a few minutes before we went to work.
Ruth Horman : I was home and the TV was on when there came a newsflash informing of the shooting of President Kennedy in Dallas. That was the end of regular programming for four or five days. We were glued to the TV.
Doris Kemmann : I was home with Rick getting him ready for his afternoon nap. The TV was on and a news bulletin came across informing us of JFK’s shooting and we didn’t do anything else the rest of the day except watch TV.
JoAnn Wenndt : Cliff and I were near Mechanicsville driving to the Platner farm. The news of the assassination came over the car radio. I drove home with Kirk and watched the news the rest of the day. It was very upsetting to me as I really liked Kennedy very well.
Pike Hasselbusch : I was on the school board at the time and Jim Irons and I were in a meeting in Des Moines. We heard it on the radio and listened all the way home.
Dean Claney : At that time I was working in Tipton at Meriweather Wilson. I had gone out for lunch and when I got back to the office the employees informed me JFK had been shot. I listened to the radio the rest of the afternoon. It was quite a shock.
Robert Dircks : I was in my high school history class with Mr. Bottorff. He announced the news of Kennedy’s assassination and broke down saying it was a terrible time for our country. We were dismissed from school early and went home to watch TV.
Robert Miller : Kathy and I were at Darrell and Donna Wulf’s. It think the girls were hanging wallpaper. The news came across the radio.
Dorothy Russell : It was a shock to everyone. The TV went on and we watched nonstop.
Kris Plueger : I was in my seventh grade history class with Mr. Grantz in Stanwood. Mr. Stahle, our Superintendent, came to the door and announced President Kennedy had been assassinated. At the time I was not 100% sure what “assassinated” meant and one of my classmates explained its meaning. It was hard to believe someone would kill the President of the United States.
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Where were you when the Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster occurred?
January 28, 1986
Kevin Kelly : “I remember it very, very well. My dad and I were getting ready to grind corn. Dad heard on the radio that the Challenger was about to be launched and he wanted to go into the house and watch. I didn’t really want to, but he insisted. When we got to the house, we couldn’t find it on any of the TV channels. My mom had the radio on and we heard that there had been a “malfunction” with the shuttle, so we immediately flipped on the TV and watched the coverage.”
Cindy Buck : “I was teaching when the shuttle exploded. I had received all the lesson plans from NASA to conduct class with the teacher (Christa McAuliffe) on board. I had done all the pre-lessons and had just taken my classes to the library for launch. When the explosions happened the librarian turned off the TV quickly, and I had to take the classes back to my room and explain what happened. It was a traumatic experience for all of us!!”
Mike Blake : “I lived in California. I remember watching it over and over on T.V. Most all of the towns had some form of memorial service. It felt like the whole country drew together in this tragedy just as when a president is killed.”
Bryan Schroeder : “We were watching it in the high school library. I was a sophomore. The librarian turned it off right away. When we came home that night it was all over the TV. The next day at school we talked about it a lot because that teacher was in it.”
Ryan Mostaert : I was attending Northeast Missouri State at Kirksville, MO. I was involved with a work study program at the college farm. We were doing chores when we heard about the disaster, so we went into a house located on the property and watched it on T.V.
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Picture: Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, 73 seconds after launch (flight S1L).
The Challenger Shuttle Crew: Back row, from left, mission specialist Elison S. Onizuka, Teacher in Space Participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe; Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and Mission specialist Judy Resnik. Front row, from left: Pilot Mike Smith, Commander Dick Scobee, and Mission specialist Ron McNair.
Kim Venner : “I was driving home from work in Oklahoma and I heard about it on the radio. My first thought was ‘How said it is for the students in that teacher’s class.’”
Jen VanOort : “That day is so vivid for me. I was in the third grade. I can remember we were working on multiplication tables in the math room when our homeroom teacher came in and whispered something to our math teacher. They conferred briefly, looking very serious. Then a TV was brought into the room on a little cart and all the third graders were herded into the room. We watched the news for what seemed like hours. I remember it got to be very painful to watch them replay the explosions over and over. Extremely frightening for an eight year old.”
Marge Christopherson : “I was watching it on TV and at first I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. But then the TV camera went to the parents of one of the astronauts that was there for the launch, and when I saw the look of their faces, I knew exactly what had happened. I thought ‘What a way to lose a child after all that training.’ It was very sad.”
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Where were you on September 11, 2011?
Brian Bergmann : I was on my way to visit a customer in Independence when I heard on my car radio about a plane crash in Manhattan. For some reason, the thought “terrorist” came to mind. When I reached the customer, they were saying that “Yes, it was a terrorist attack.” I never saw pictures of the planes hitting the buildings until that evening at home.
Bricen Krafock : We were in Vancouver, B.C., preparing to start a tour of the Northwest coast. I turned on the television in the hotel to catch the news and the first thing I heard was “they are evacuating the White House”. Arlene thought I had turned on a movie but they next had a picture of the planes hitting the towers and then we knew how serious it was. Everything was behind schedule that day due to extra security, plus we needed to reenter the States. Several of our tour travelers were from the East Coast and were very aware of the location of the towers and people from New Jersey also knew young men who worked on the top floors.
Cale Pruess : I was in 5th grade at Lowden elementary. We were singing in music class when they came and got our class and we were taken to the media room, where we saw the second plane hit the tower. I was in a daze, as I couldn’t quite understand what was happening. Scared? Yes, I guess I was, I think all of us were a bit.
Chris Williams : After another stop in town, I went to Lange’s Grocery and Dan told me about the planes striking the twin towers. He was waiting for his employee so he could go home and get a glimpse of the events on television. I continued on to the Methodist Church to work and listened to the radio there. Jack and I watched television in the afternoon and I kept feeling so sorry for the people who were enveloped in the huge dust roll from the building collapsing. Those running had to feel like they had a monster on their heels. What a terrible feeling, like a bad dream.
Craig Irons : I was doing bookwork in the kitchen with the radio on, when they said a plane had crashed. By the time I got the television on they were reporting the event as a terrorist attack. I spent a lot of time that day watching television and wondering what would result from the attacks.
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Dave Shinker : I was working the day shift and had just stopped at the Sheriff’s home when I got a call to listen to the radio. On hearing the news of the planes flying into the twin towers, I remember immediately looking up at the sky, and since they had announced that all flights were grounded there were no vapor trails. That was very strange. By then I was getting other calls and e-mails on the events of the morning. We received no special instructions and I wasn’t concerned although I might have been if I had stopped to realize the President had probably evacuated to Offutt Air Force base in Omaha and that they were concerned about air strikes in Chicago.
Duane Stonerook : I was loading a semi of corn and went into the house. The television was reporting the terrorist attack and when I asked the truck driver if he had heard the news, he said he had because his son was trying to get out of Chicago with his truck. Traffic leaving Chicago was a total snafu as they thought there was a possibility that the Sears Tower would also be a target. I spent the rest of the day following events on television.
How Did You Survive the Ice Storm of 2007?
February 24-25, 2007
Kim Geadelmann, dairy farmer : Eight days without electricity, with snow and winter temperatures, even with a generator (that runs off the tractor), is a serious situation for a dairy farmer! You don’t get much rest because not everything can be run at the same time. We have had the generator for over thirty years, but used it more in that one week than in all other time combined!
Rod and Julie Kress : Our family will never forget the ice storm of 2007. We lost power for one week. The electrical poles on the Clarence blacktop snapped like toothpicks. Our lawn was covered with electrical wires and tree branches. We couldn’t buy a generator anywhere! We had to drive to Cedar Rapids to borrow two generators from a friend who owned a construction business. We used them to keep our house warm and to pump water to our cattle. We now have a new appreciation for electricity, and, of course, a generator of our own!
Mavis Johnson , Clarence Nursing Home Administrator: The dedication of the staff and their ability to wear several hats, along with the Nursing Home Disaster Plan, enabled us to reach our common goal which was to keep the residents safe, well and happy during the ice storm of 2007!
Bob Ibsen , Rural Mail Carrier: I drove over many power lines that were frozen into the ice and saw many utility workers as I drove my route. We borrowed a portable gasoline generator to keep our appliances going. We checked on them daily while we stayed with our son, John and Liz, in Lowden. We bought a generator because we do not want another six days without electricity!
Wilbert Wendt , farmer: When we finally could get off the place to purchase a generator, we got back home, and we had power back. We went 2 ½ days without. Oh, well, we now have a generator, but we hope we don’t have to use it!
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Judy Wulff , dairy farmer: The 2007 ice storm was horrible, and I don’t know how everyone got through it! We watched as the light poles dropped like dominoes in a row. We didn’t have lights for seven days and seven nights. Thank goodness for blankets and a borrowed generator.
Randy Burken , Clarence Fire Chief: It was fortunate that there was no a fire during the ice storm of 2007. The firemen are always ready for a challenge—to tackle the problem—and getting it solved! They knew they could not take care of this alone. They watched the “sparking” downed lines south of town until, for safety’s sake, they returned to their own homes. Hopefully there will not be another ice storm like the 2007 storm!
Brittani Bixler , North Cedar Sophomore: “It seemed like the electricity was off a long time. A pizza which we made with kerosene heating was delicious. We played board games and read all day. We also read by a lantern like the olden days!”
Karen and Lavern Schwien , farmers: “Although the trees had been trimmed the year before, there were tons of branches down after the ice storm. It took a chain saw and many days to get things cleaned up. A generator was run off of a tractor until the tractor stopped working and another tractor had to take over. The first tractor that was used is still not working!!”
