'A CENTURY OF MEMORIES'
OF VAN WERT, DECATUR COUNTY, IOWA

1880 - 1980

SPORTS, IMPORTANT DATES
 
BOXING AND WRESTLING
Merlin "Barefoot" Oiler, a resident of Van Wert for many years, started his boxing and wrestling training under Farmer Burns. His very first attempt in boxing occurred at the Ft. Des Moines Army Training Center. He took first place boxing and 2nd place wrestling about 1925.

Merlin purchased the restaurant from Bud Owens in 1932 and continued his fighting career. At one time he was known as "Lamoni's Iron Man". He followed carnivals and fairs with the slogan "meet all comers, winner take all". At one time he boxed and won by decision over Jack Dempsey's sparring partner. He was Welter Weight Champion of Southern Iowa and Northern Missouri, at one time and we are proud of the fact that he once lived in Van Wert.

In 1934, Merlin got married and promised his bride he wouldn't fight any more. He did have a few matches after that only because he had some debts to pay.

Billy and Davy Jones were also good wrestlers. When a carnival came to town, the wrestler usually took on anyone that would volunteer. Billy would place bets all over the crowd and when he had all he could get, he would give Davy the "high sign" -- Davy would pin his man and the Jones Brothers collected their bets!
 
STOCK CAR RACING
Over the years, stock car racing has been the hobby of many of our gentlemen. In the early 1950s, those racing included:
Layton Schuldt, Buddy Price, Johnny McMorris, Walter Jones,
Russell Cox, Russell Reed and Shelby Hagen. 
    
Later some of the following participated in the sport:   
Dorman Reed, Roger Cox, Garry Fry, Jim Hagen,
Jerry Hagen and Wendell Jones. 
 
IMPORTANT DATES
1876 - Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

1877 - Thomas Edison invented the phonograph.

1903 - The Wright Brothers made the first successful airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

1913 - The 16th Amendment gave federal government power to levy an income tax.

1914 - World War I began in Europe.

1930 - Depression: United states suffered through the Great Depression that followed the stock market crash in 1929 for more than 10 years. During the depression, millions of workers lost their jobs and large numbers of farmers were forced to abandon their farms. Poverty swept through the nation on a scale never before experienced. Thousands of banks failed during the depression and paralyzed. The Dust Bowl, the result of a terrible drought on western plains wiped out many families. Many people stood in "bread lines" and went to "Soup Kitchens" to get food.

1933 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt began the New Deal Program to try to end the depression.

1941 - 1945 - United States fought in World War II.

1945 - American airplane dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare on Hiroshima, Japan.

1945 - United States became Charter Member of the United Nations.

1950 - Television became a part of most American homes.

1961 - Astronaut Alan E. Shepherd, Jr. became the first astronaut in space.

1969 - July 20, as Neil A. Armstrong took the historic step, he said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." The first men on the moon were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. Their "Apollo" lunar module landed July 20, 1969. Armstrong, Aldrin, and command module pilot Michael Collins left earth on July l6 and returned July 24.

ERA Equal Rights Amendment is the proposed 27th amendment of the United States Constitution. The amendment reads "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex." ERA was first introduced into Congress in 1923 through efforts of national women's party. After years of controversy, Congress passed the ERA in 1972. To become law, a constitutional amendment must also be ratified and approved by legislatures of the states. Supporters of the ERA had until March 22, 1979 to obtain ratification by 38 states. By early 1978, 35 of the necessary 38 states ratified the amendment. The ERA would make several state and local laws unconstitutional. For example, it would outlaw restrictions of the types of jobs women may hold and the number of hours a week they may work. The amendment also would ban all laws that gives one sex different rights than the other.


Pages 139 - 142
 
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