It's sad!
Page 3 of the Manning Monitor January 18, 2007

I was visiting with Helene Heithoff some time ago and she told me how her son, Robert (MHS 1964), had walked up and down Main Street one day and noted the changes, reminisced, and visited with people and later he wrote down some of those memories. I told her I'd like to get a copy of Bob's memories. A couple of weeks ago I called Helene to ask her to help with the school history book project. At that time she mentioned Bob was visiting her so I could talk to him about what he wrote down; which I did.

Clever and funny
Below is what Bob sent to me by e-mail and it reminded me how "sad" it is that we export way too many of our high school graduates because there are very few job options in small-town rural Manning to keep them here. Iowa and rural communities such as Manning provide some of the best education through the schools, family life, churches, and the community as a whole. Nearly everyone who leaves and never comes back takes this education and benefits some other community. Bob, in a clever & funny way appreciates things that many of us who live here take for granted and we even sometimes criticize. See if you agree.

Memories by Robert Heithoff -You know you're in a great small Iowa town when: You haven't lived in town in 42 years, but when you're back you see someone at the only grocery store in town who says, "Hi Bob. I heard you were in town to help your mom. How's she doing? OK?"
Beer, wine, and liquor sales and video rentals are in the same place on Main Street. And there's also a full line of tanning products on the side.
The neighbor across the street took in Mom's petunias when frost was predicted while she was out-of-town; then put them back in her flower boxes when Indian summer returned.
The Tupperware bowl Mom left at church after a funeral dinner was returned to her front door after being passed between two or three of your friends.
You can pay a bill at the local Chevy dealership/auto repair shop by just putting your check on the bookkeeper's desk.
You don't expect, need, or receive a receipt from the bank teller for a deposit into your account.
Your hometown gets excited about being part of an eighty mile-long Highway 141 "yard sale." You start talking to a stranger selling T-shirts in the park and discover she's the wife of a high school classmate you probably haven't seen since 1964. In talking with another lady you discover that she picked you up when hitchhiking home from Iowa State in 1965-the only time she ever picked up a hitchhiker.
You can stop by the local cable company to upgrade to high speed Internet and the serviceman gets to your house before you do.
Your hometown is ecstatic to be a pass through town for RAGRAI 2006 and decorates Main Street with dozens of bicycles as trellises in flower planters. Most local groups and organizations sells food. Later you get a message from a Pittsburgh friend who rode on RAGBRAI that "Karla from Manning says hi!"
You stop at the town library and the librarian is talking to someone with a small barking dog. A day later you see the librarian at a church dinner-she apologizes for the barking dog and you discover that she is the wife of another high school class mate you haven't seen in dozens of years.
A local kid becomes successful as a movie writer and comes back to town to film a short movie with an all local cast.
The local Presbyterian Church has a smorgasbord and it's one of the best meals you've had for a long time. While there you talk to your second grade teacher from 1953. You also talk to old neighbors and they say the country road seems lonely now that Mom moved from the farm to town.
The term "I'm going to town" means something.
You go jogging around the "section" past the soybean plant and every tractor, car, truck, pickup, combine, and hearse driver waves even though they have no idea who you are, often just a two finger wave while holding onto the steering wheel.
You ask for pesto and gemelli pasta at the grocery store and nobody knows what you mean.

Back to the history book
This week you'll find an insert with your Monitor. It is a general information questionnaire for former employees of Manning town and country schools. If you are not a former school employee please take this questionnaire to someone you know who was an employee and encourage them to help out with the Manning school history project by writing down some information and returning it.

MSHBC
We now officially have a Manning School History Book Committee (MSHBC) formed. Please feel free ask these members questions and drop off information & pictures to them. Their names are listed below along with some of the areas of the project they are in charge. Brian Lage - sports, Jeff Wanninger - sports, Sally Hodne - employee interviews, Lana Ringgenberg - employee interviews & proofing, Maureen Halbur - general & fundraising, Marilyn Hansen - proofing & school records, Russell Stribe - country school, Pam Jensen - design & banking, Dave Kusel - coordinator.

There are many other volunteers who have been helping with this project and they will be acknowledged in future articles.

School pictures
What is the first thing you see in this picture?

Back: Harry Musfeldt, William Ramsey, Leman Ehlers, Harold Schroeder, Leo Bruck, Father Edwin Vollmer, Gilbert Peters, Ralph Struve, Wilmer Ranniger, Donald Brady, Albert Musfeldt; Front: Verena Eckerman, Dorothy Kienapfel, Bernice Vogt, Delores Ohm, Nellie Wailes, Fern Frank, Louise Lamp, Ruth Weston.
Many times people tell me they really don't have any interesting pictures for me to look through. Usually they are wrong from a historical standpoint. The first thing I noticed in this class reunion picture was the huge picture of a navy carrier with a plane taking off. Then I noticed there was another large picture on the other side of the doorway. Next I noticed the shuffleboard lines on the floor followed by the deer trophy over the doors. My first thought was - where are those pictures that were hung on the wall? This class picture was taken in 1957 and was the 25th class reunion of the MHS class of 1932. It was taken along the north wall of the American Legion Hall in Manning. The picture was provided by Dennis Ramsey, son of Delores (Ohm) Ramsey.

What do you see in this picture? It may be a little hard to see but look at the house in the background with a "steeple." Don Atkins and Maxine Atkins posed for this picture on the south side of Third Street. On the north side is the present home of Jack & Mary Dentlinger at 335 Third Street which at one time had the steeple.

This home was once owned by E.K. Johnson who was the grandfather of Minnie (Johnson) Dales and Eddie Johnson. Don & Maxine had a brother Jim Atkins and their father Oscar was the Milwaukee depot agent in Manning at one time. Jim is the father of Sallee Reilly, Vicki Waterbury, Judy Lee, and Steve Atkins. This picture was provided by Judy Lee and Vicki Waterbury.

So even though you might think your old school pictures may not be interesting I'm sure I can find lots of historical information in them so please dig out those school photos and help with the school history book.