Norene `59, daughter of Rex Hughes, won a superior rating in the College Districts Forsenic Tournament in 1960. She was one of eight from a field of 143 from thirty three colleges who was chosen to be in The National Forensic Fraternity.
She earned a Master's Degree from Washington University in Seattle and went on to work for the Gov in Panama. While there she continued her "acting career" and won the Panamanian equivalent of the American "Oscar". She came back to Texas and worked as an Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Texas State Hospitals, the highest funded agency in the Texas Government. She retired in ca. 2000.
When she graduated from Milford in 1959, she was with an outstanding group of High School graduates, including, but not limited to, Bill Jacobson-PhD, Jerry Book-Masters, David Bhend ?MD? etc. As a sophomore she was selected Honorable Mention on the All County Basketball Team and was very active in the music program throughout High School and also earned the Sr Betty Crocker Award as a Senior. See pages 202, 203.
Edit: Hazel (Horness) Jessen `56, sent this history of her Dad and Grandfather and living in northwest Milford Twp in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This was in a Book about the Horness-Sorenson family put together for our family. By Hazel Jessen
“This is about my grandparents, Nels and Martha Horness, and written by Edna Lee, wife of one of my cousins. Nels Martin------Was born on April 30, 1860 around Bergen, Norway, to Jens Martin------ and Sigrid Lillyard. He was in the Selected Service for 2 years, as it was required. After corresponding with his sister Malinda in Illinois (Mrs. Sam Stueland) he came to the United States, and to Elliot, Illinois, where he stayed with his sister's family. In Norway he would have gone by name of Jens-son. Malinda sent word there were so many Jensons in their area, he would have trouble getting his mail, so he should take another name. So he changed his surname to Horness. He was 29 years old when he came from Norway, as far as we know he came alone.
“A Book belonging to Nels dated January 15, 1892, Norsk-Amerkanska Haandborg has his name stamped HoRas. We hoped to find the papers when he first filed in Illinois. He worked as a farm laborer around the Elliott, Paxton and Loda Illinois area. He worked for Erick Sorenson before Mr. Sorenson passed away and later for his widow, Martha. He married Martha Erickson Sorenson, April 11, 1894, and they farmed the place at Loda, Illinois where Sigvelda was born on October 24, 1895. Martha had 3 children from her first marriage to Erick Sorenson, two boys and a girl, Soren, Elmer, and Ellen. Sigveda's baptism was held at Malinda and Sam Stueland's home, just before they left Illinois in February of 1896 to make their home in the Roland, Iowa area. Nels rode with the livestock and machinery in a boxcar. Martha brought the four children on a later train.
“They rented a farm 6 miles south of Story City, (Jacobs Place) where they lived 2 years. Magnus was born there September 27, 1897. In 1898 they had to move to a small parcel of land, it was offered to them rent free by the Evans brothers, it was down on the east side of Skunk River, where Nels built a one room house.
They bought 7 1/2 acres on the east side of the road, and rented another 30 acres. Haaken was born in the one room house on July 26, 1900. That brought the total of people to 8 in the one room house.
Hazel Horness 1956“The next year Nels built a cave for storing food, and later added a lean-to on the north for a summer kitchen and where the pans also hung. With some of the smaller children three and four to a bed, they managed to get by in the room. As soon as they were old enough the boys worked out at farm work, sometimes staying at the farm where they worked. The girls hired out to help with housework and also stayed away from home. Sigvelda went to work in the Pennant Factory where Nora, Elmer's wife worked.
“Martha was a housewife, living with the bare necessities. She washed clothes on the washboard, and scrubbed the wide boards on the kitchen floor, until they were bleached white, and clean enough to eat from. They had an organ that stood between the two south windows in the living room, after the large living room and the two upstairs bedrooms were added on. We now notice a big roof change taking place at that time. The lumber being furnished by Sigvelda and Nels, with Nels doing the work.