Pictured at the Cottonwood Bean Dinner on Saturday, October 17, are two of the women who helped behind the scenes. On the right is 90 year old Rose Penrod with Evalyn Gross in the background. Photo by LouAnn Baker

44th Cottonwood School reunion

Lincoln Trail News Service - Wire
October 22, 2009





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Sunday, October 4, 2009, Cottonwood School #92 Reunion at the Cottonwood Community Center near Moonshine, IL, with Bill Burris in charge started by saying everyone be seated before we partake of the food.

So I, Rose Penrod, almost went outside as I had a bad cold. Bill proceeded to inform everyone that a lady here is going to have her 90th birthday soon, Oh, its me! I thought, ''That's me.'' Here comes Judy Blankbaker Miebach with a beautiful banquet of red roses. Bill kep talking, then she came with a basket of cards from everyone. (How did everyone know this ahead of time? As I'm the one who sends out all the notices.) I had to stand and read her clever card. This is not all- here she comes with a beautifully decorated 90th cake. It certainly was a surprise and I want to ''Thank'' everyone for the nice cards and everything else.

The blessing was given to partake of the food by Carol Burris, which we always have such delicious food every year. We then went into the auction which is always fun. Had lots of nice things we should bid more, but I think we all have too much ''stuff'' in our homes and now we are trying to clear out some.

Bill gave out door prizes and the grand prize was a Walmart card and Evelyn Gross won it. He also did surprise Thelma Floyd Perisho with a beautiful pumpkin arrangement who is 97 years old and going strong. Nice her son, Ronald, came with her this time.

We have made this reunion several years for all people who have ever attended country schools and most of them were one room school and one teacher taught all eight grades if needed to. We sure had some good teachers those days. One teacher, Eugene Deverick, taught ten years and that made some pupils only have one teacher all through their eight years of grade school.

We had nine schools recognized, Cottonwood, Butternut, Moriah, Bellair, Dogwood, Oilfield, Porterville/Barlow, Water Oak and Mulberry. We want more next year. Our newcomers this year were Doyle and Barbara Purcell, Annapolis, IL. So glad to have them.

We were sorry to have lost three people this year. Our school teacher, Rosalie Shawoer Brown taught Cottonwood. Betty Lou Bennett Lidstrom went to Kickpoo. Carol and Paul Giffe has kept the Cottonwood community meetings going for years. Carol wanted to start making a quilt each year and raffle it off at our Cornbread and Bean day October 17. Paul has also helped along with other ladies make the quilt each year and this year must be given in memory of Carol as she passed away September 1, 2009. Carol had a nack to know what colors went together beautifully.

Others attending were Ronald Cooley, Waynesville, MO, his brother Larry and Gloria Cooley, Wheatfield, IN, their sister, Lois Niebarger, Martinsville, others Bernice Maxwell, Charles Cooley, Eugene Neibarger, Evalyn and Edwin Gross, Lena and Jim Alsip from Urbana, Dustin, Diana and Donna Clemans, Farmer City, Barbara and Leon Deverick, son of Eugene Deverick, so happy they come each year from Marshall and so is Judy Meibach, also her sister Treva Beals, Oblong. Clarence Van Over, St. Peters, MO, brother to Bernice Maxwell. Rachel Bonham Miller, Willow Hill, granddaughter Sheila Tracy, Palestine. Thelma and sone Ronald Perisho, DeAnn and Wayne Ramsey, Ruth and Gene Southard, Bill and Carol Burris, Rose Crandall Penrod all of Casey. Submitted by Rose Penrod, (217) 932-4286

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