Following the
stories of Sutton folks out in the world.
By Jerry Johnson and the Sutton Historical Society
The Sutton High Alumni Directory tells us that our
classmates and friends and those of our parents and grandparents have dispersed
all over the country and beyond. Ever wonder what they are doing, what those in
the past did? Their stories are part of the history of the Sutton community
too.
State and town promotions include the famous people who
were born, or had a connection to the state or town. Nebraskans take pride in
claiming Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, David Jansen, Sandy Dennis, Gordon MacRae
and others from the entertainment world. A favorite Omaha trivia question is,
“Who gave 18-year old Henry Fonda his acting start at the Omaha Community
Playhouse?” The answer of course is Marlon Brando’s mother. Towns create a
tourist industry based on the birthplace of a president or movie star or other
celebrity. Those connections become part of the local history and heritage.
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| The cover of a collection of political cartoons from the 1930's by Herbert Johnson of Sutton |
We’ve had recent reminders of our own similar heritage
here in Sutton. Madeleine Leininger’s Sutton funeral reminded us of her incredible
career as a pioneer in the nursing profession. This 1942 Sutton High graduate
created the discipline of transcultural nursing. The archive of her papers
(1961-1995) at Wayne State University measures 15.5 linear feet; her name at
amazon.com generates 116 results of her books, collections and related works. She
had an influence in the world and as her hometown, Sutton and those of us in
Sutton can be proud of her.
The opening production in the newly refurbished Allegro
Wolf Arts Center was a performance of the play “The Guys” which in its eleven-year
history has become the signature work of the arts to commemorate the 9/11 World
Trade Center disaster. After performances of the play, the playwright, Anne
Nelson told us of visits as a girl to her grandparents in Sutton. She convinced
us that even as a New Yorker who was raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma she feels a
special affection for Sutton, Nebraska. Those of us in Sutton can take pride in
that connection.
 |
| The poster for the movie version of Anne Nelson's play "The Guys" about a NYFD captain and a journalist one afternoon in September, 2001. Anne's parents are Sutton natives and graduates of Sutton High School. |
In the earliest days of the Sutton Historical Society we
began to collect the stories of past residents of Sutton and others who had
some connection with our community. Some
were well-known but many had been forgotten; either their stories had never been
told or had faded to obscure references on yellowing newsprint in the news
office basement.
We enjoy the story of Walter Wellman, one-time 14-year
old Sutton newspaper publisher who became obsessed with hot air balloons and
tried to become the first man to the North Pole via his balloon. (See the
historical society blog at http://suttonhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/
)
Herbert Johnson was a political cartoonist and drew cover
cartoons for the Saturday Evening Post and other publications. Again, see the
blog.
Ummo Luebbens, the son of a Sutton banker invented the
round baler.
1964 Sutton grad Diane Klein as Diane Jordan, moved to
Nashville and began a recording career that is best described by the title of
an interview a few years ago: “Almost Famous.” She appeared in a couple of
movies including “That’s Country” where she shared billing with quite a lineup
of country stars: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0191553/.
Paula Felps (Burklund), class of ’81 enriched the Open
House at the Sutton Museum a few years ago with a book signing featuring a few
of her works. An internet search today reveals her current work as a writer,
editor and among other things, car critic for ladies. Not ordinary cars either.
Check out http://www.paulafelps.com/
for a photo of her in a $480,000 Mercedes McLaren. Anyone else here ever driven
that car?
We’ve revived a few sports stories. Johnny Bender was a
star halfback at the University of Nebraska for five pre-NCAA years before
coaching and naming sports teams such as the St. Louis Billikens, K-State
Wildcats and Houston Cougars. His story is at our blog.
A few years ago I fielded a call from the NFL Historian (yes,
he said it was a real job) who was working on a web site listing the 1,000 oldest
living pro football players: http://www.oldestlivingprofootball.com/oldestlivingproplayers.htm.
He had traced the Oregon State star and late 1930’s pro Morris Kohler to
Sutton, Nebraska and asked if I knew when he had died. I stammered a bit then
said, “I could give you his phone number.” I called the Kohler home to warn
them before calling the historian back. We soon learned that Morrie was #14 on
that list of 1,000 old pros. We were able to revive Morrie Kohler’s football
story here in Sutton while he could still enjoy the recognition, again.
Incidentally, two Nebraska-connected fellows were ahead
of Morrie on that list: Tippy Dye, the genius who hired Bob Devaney in 1962 and
Bill Glasford, NU coach 1949-1955 who still holds down third position on the
list of 1,000 at age 98.
Soldiers have brought distinction to our town. We’ve
written about the two Medal of Honor winners, Jacob Volz and Orion Howe a
number of times – again, see the historical society blog. About a dozen Sutton
area men perished in World War II including Marine Merritt Walton who received
the Navy Cross entitling his family to see a Navy ship named after him. The
destroyer U. S. S. Walton thus is likely the only warship with such a Sutton
connection. Nebraska’s southwest Asian war fatalities including Sutton’s own
Sgt. 1st Class Tarango-Griess are recognized at the Fallen Heroes
Marsh southwest of town.
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| The Navy Destroyer USS Walton (DE-361) named for Marine Sgt. Merritt Walton killed August 7, 1942 on Gavutu Island in the Solomon Islands. Sutton newspapers identified Walton as the first Sutton man to be lost in World War II. |
Ted Wenzlaff from the class of 1921 had a distinguished
military career but he also made a great contribution to the understanding of
the history of the Germans from Russia. His nephew Jim Griess continues to
extend that work.
There are lesser, but still interesting connections
between our community and history in general. One hundred years ago Wisconsin
Senator Robert “Fighting Bob” LaFollette visited Sutton during his brief run at
the Republican nomination for president. Fighting Bob made his connection with
Sutton by reminding them that his brother had once lived in Sutton.
Others from Sutton have made contributions to the
business world, the arts, education – the list goes on and on. Knowing where
our “ex-pats” went and what they’ve done is interesting and worth knowing.
Taking pride in someone else’s accomplishments is a sincere way to honor that
work.
Members of the Sutton Historical Society consider it part
of our mission to collect and preserve these stories that are a part of the
community’s history and making them available to be enjoyed by all.
Do you have any nominees who belong on this list? If so,
let us know. Better yet, join us in our efforts to build the list. The
historical society meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM, generally
at the Historic House at 309 N. Way Ave. And we have a pancake breakfast at the
American Legion the first Saturday of each month from 7:30 – 10:30. Stop in for
breakfast, coffee or “just visiting.” Call
773-0222 for information.
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