$25,000 For New Mercy Hospital Ambulance

Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from The Timken Foundation of Canton, Ohio, to help purchase a new transport ambulance for emergency medical services.

The new ambulance will be purchased by combining grant funds from The Timken Foundation of Canton, Ohio, plus nearly $13,000 raised from the third Mercy Golf Classic held on June 9 as well as proceeds from the Hit the Bricks Wine Stroll, Art Walk and Blane Howard Concert held on July 27.

Additional contributions made to the Mercy Health Foundation for the purchase of the ambulance by August 1, 2018, will be matched by the foundation at a 1:1 ratio. To make a donation, visit mercy.net/donate or call the foundation office at 620-223-8094.

We are grateful for the donation from the Timken Foundation,” said Christi Keating, Mercy Fort Scott’s chief nursing officer. “This contribution will allow Mercy EMS to provide life-saving services to some of our most critical patients before they enter our doors.”

The Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation which supports programming and equipment at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott.

Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. 

Barnwood Make and Takes

Participants who created a barn wood craft at Presbyterian Village Tuesday evening: clockwise from left, Sara Black, , Tabitha Stults, Josie Stults, Skye Metcalf, Cindy Lashley, Minnie Lou Allen, Glenda Stevicks, instructor Jennifer Cox. Not pictured is Rachel Kellum and Tamra Elsisle .

Presbyterian Village  hosted a barn wood sign art class at Fort Scott Presbyterian Village on Tuesday, July 24.

Instructor, Jennifer Cox,  demonstrated how to create charming barn wood style signs, using reclaimed weathered wood.

Barn wood craft instructor Jennifer Cox, standing, assists Tamra Belisle with her craft.

Participants were able to take home their creations at the end of the class.

Following the lead of instructor Jennifer Cox, art students used stencils to paint on reclaimed barnwood.

Jennifer Cox is owner of Funky Junktiques and can be reached at  620-215-4646.

Obituary Of Retha Lynn Ross

Retha Lynn Ross, age 46, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Thursday, July 19, 2018, at the Mercy Hospital Emergency Room. She was born April 4, 1972, in Girard, KS, the daughter of Jerry Sowder and Vivian Allen Moore.

She was adopted and raised by her paternal grandparents, C.A. and Doris Wimberley. She graduated from Fort Scott High School with the class of 1990. She then went on to receive her RN degree from Fort Scott Community College Nursing Department. She worked as a nurse for over 10 years. She married David Ross on December 28, 1991, in Fort Scott.

Retha enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren, gardening, going to the casino, being a military mom, and being helpful to anyone who needed it.

Survivors include her husband David of the home; biological mother, Vivian Moore, Ft. Scott; maternal grandmother, Enid Large, Ft. Scott; three sons, Timothy, Matthew, and Dylan Ross, all of Ft. Scott; one daughter, Elizabeth Ross, Fort Scott; two brothers, Paul Hood, Booneville, MO, and David Large, Branson, MO; and several grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her father and paternal grandparents.

Rev. Chuck Russell will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Friday, July 27th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 Thursday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Retha Ross Memorial Fund and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Obituary Of Albert Leon Combs

Albert Leon Combs Jr.
Obituary for Albert Leon Combs Jr.

Albert Leon Combs, Jr., 71, of Girard, passed away at 0655 hours on
Friday, July 20, 2018, at his residence, surrounded by his family.

Al was born on May 21, 1947, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the son of Albert
Leon and Ruth Marie (Ballinger) Combs. He attended Fort Scott High
School and Fort Scott Community College.

Al married Lucille (Winterbower) Spurling and the two later divorced.
On May 5, 1983, Albert and Kathy Deer were united in marriage in
Miami, Oklahoma. She survives of the home.

In 1969, Al enlisted in the United State Army and served from 1969
through 1971 with tours in the Republic of Vietnam. Al served his
country again with the Kansas Army National Guard from 1985 through 1990. Al served with the 18th Military Police Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, 212th Military Police Company as a dog handler, the 42nd Military Police Group, and the 891st Combat Engineer Battalion as a training NCO.

Beginning in 1977, Al again served his community in many ways
including as a Detective Sergeant with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy for the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, and patrolman for the Fort Scott Police Department. Al worked as a railroad detective for the Katy Railroad and as an investigator for the Missouri Department of Child Services. Beginning in 2000, Al worked as a patrolman and detective for the Girard Police Department and then as Chief of Police for the Arma Police Department until his retirement in2013.

Al enjoyed spending time with his family, telling tall tales, and fishing.

Al was a member of many organizations including the National and
Kansas Auctioneer Associations; National Association of Bunco
Investigators; Kansas Chiefs of Police Association; Kansas Sheriff’s
Association; VFW Membership in Paris, France; American Legion of Arma, Kansas; Masonic Lodge of Hiattville, Kansas; 545th Military Police Company Association; and the 720th Military Police Company Association.

In addition to his wife, Kathy, Al is survived by three sons; Troy
Combs, his wife Lisia and three children of St. Paul; daughter Alecia
Chaffee, her husband Sean, and three children of Webb City, Missouri; Matthew Combs, his wife Bridget, and two children of Toronto Kansas; and Garrett Combs, his wife Kenna and two children of Girard. His sister Sherry Hendricks of Round Rock, Texas also survives him.

Al was preceded in death by his mother, father, and three sisters,
Beverly McReynolds, Linda Carpenter, and Alberta Fisher.

Services will be held on Wednesday, July 25, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. at
Smith-Carson-Wall Funeral Home in Girard with Chaplain Mike Graham officiating. Burial services will follow at the Girard Cemetery with military honors provided by the Fort Riley, Kansas Honor Guard and VFW Post 704, Parsons, Kansas.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, July 24, 2018, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Smith-Carson-Wall.

Memorials are suggested to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Pittsburg, Kansas and may be left at the funeral home or mailed to Smith-Carson-Wall Funeral Home at 518 W. St. John, P.O. Box 258, Girard, Ks 66743.

Condolences may be sent to www.wallfuneralservices.com.

Rotary Fundraiser: Hurt’s Donuts

Come buy the most DELICIOUS donuts around!
That’s right the Fort Scott Rotary is having a fundraiser for HURTS DONUTS!
 Click here to email your donut order
for only $24 a dozen!
On the email, please note your name, phone #,
and how many dozen.  You may then drop off or mail a check to the Chamber @ 231 E. Wall St. payable to Fort Scott Rotary.  If payment is not received by August 17th, the order will not be placed.  Orders and payments may also be mailed to Fort Scott Rotary, PO Box 1035, Fort Scott, KS  66701.
Please note ORDER PICKUP is Saturday, Aguust 25th between 8-11am at Memorial Hall, 1 E. 3rd St.  If you will not be able to pick them up, please make other arrangements for someone to pick them up on your behalf.
For questions or more information, call:
Melissa Wise (620) 215-0678
more information on Hurts Donuts.
Thank you!
 
See below to view the order form to buy the DELICIOUS donuts!

Family Day At The Fort: Planned By Local Youth

Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Conservation Corp Member Reaghan Dowell tells about the garden at the fort. Sara Stepanic, right, a student trainee park ranger, listens.

Two groups of local youth donned the 1840s  summer military uniform of soldiers and told stories of life at The Fort Scott National Historic Site on Saturday.

July 21 was Family Day at FSNHS, a new event planned by area youth to gain experience with the National Park Service this summer.

“We picked cooking, gardening and dummy guns for topics,” for Family Day, Reaghn Dowell, YCC member said.

To lead the activities, the youth wore the summer uniforms that soldiers wore in the 1840s.

“The uniforms are canvass,” Sara Stepanic, said. “They are pretty heavy and not cool.” Stepanic is a student trainee ranger this summer at FSNHS.

In the morning, three different stations were available for public engagement:  a cooking demonstration, where visitors were instructed in food preparation and cooking methods;  a historic garden display, where one could work in the garden and help with the harvest; and firearms drills in the use of 1840s firearms using wooden “dummy guns”.

Afternoon activities included arts and crafts for the family at one station and historic, interactive games and activities for adults and kids at a second station.

Family Day activities were presented by two groups of youth who are working at FSNHS, the Youth Conservation Corps and the Youth Engagement Team. Both groups consist of high school age students who are gaining experience with the National Park Service this summer.

The Youth Conservation Corps is comprised of Kaden Primm, Anthea Montojo, Reaghn Dowell, and Jessden Kiwan, all from Fort Scott. Sara Stepanic, Wisconsin, a college-age student trainee park ranger was the leader of the YCC group at FSNHS.

The Youth Engagement team members are Jacey Bowen, Uniontown and Emily Davenport, Fort Scott.

Jacey Bowen, Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Engagement member, left, and YCC Member Jessden Kiwan, right, teach how firearms were used int he 1840s.
Jase Garrison, Claremore, OK, gets a firearms lesson from Park Ranger Ryan O’Connell, while his extended family looks on.
FSNHS Youth Engagement Member Emily Davenport, left, YCC Member Kaden Primm, center; and YCC Member Anthea Motojo helped prep food for the beef stew that was being demonstrated as part of Family Day.
Park Guide Paul Goodman makes beef stew as part of Family Day at FSNHS.
Park Ranger Robert Thomas leads the Muller Family from Denver, CO in the Junior Ranger Program Pledge.

The Muller Family from Denver, Colorado worked on the National Park Service Junior Park Ranger Program while at the Fort on Saturday. Following the program outline, they were led in a National Park Service Junior Ranger oath by Ranger Robert Thomas in the visitors center.

The children get a book, badge, sticker and five trading cards when they sign up for the program.

Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott National Cemetery Navy Memorial Donations Sought

The following is submitted by Daryl Roller

Veterans living in Southeast Kansas are thankful for Fort Scott National Cemetery. We appreciate the generous investments made in the (Fort Scott National) cemetery the past twenty-plus years. It is comforting for us, as well as our families, to know when our time comes; we will be buried in a dignified, peaceful place, with grounds attended to with exceptional care.

We are raising funds for a commemorative works granite monument, complete with U.S. Navy stockless anchor and chain to be placed in the Monument Circle at Fort Scott National Cemetery, to honor the service and sacrifice of the many sailors and Navy airmen buried there, as well as those to be interred in future years.

To accomplish this project, we need your help. Fundraising will be conducted by Olson-Frary-Burkhart Post 1165 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fort Scott, KS. We plan to have a dedication once the monument is installed. Please send your donation to VFW Post 1165, PO Box 85, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Your name will be listed in a log of contributors to be kept at the post.

We thank you for your donation to honor the past, present, and future Navy Veterans from Southeast Kansas.

00050196_Ft Scott Donation_letter to donor (1)

Roller’s contact phone: 913/322-6492 or cell phone: 620/215-4743

 

 

Chamber Golf Classic This Saturday

Join us for 2018

Chamber Golf Classic
as either a team, sponsor, or both!

Click here for printable flyer.
Click here for printable team/sponsor registration form.
Fort Scott Area Chamber Golf Classic
Tournament Chairman:  Mark Lewis, Liberty Savings Association
Lead Sponsors:  Briggs Auto and Mercy Hospital
Lunch Sponsors:  5 Corners Mini-Mart & McDonald’s
Hole in One Contest sponsored by Briggs!
New this year!  Games by Dixon Golf
DATE: Friday, July 27, 2018
TIME: Registration, Lunch & Putting Contest starts at 11 am, Tee-off 12 pm
LOCATION: Woodland Hills Golf Course, a top-10 Kansas course!
MORE: Teams & hole sponsors may contact the Chamber
at 620-223-3566 or email [email protected]
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce
231 E. Wall Street
Fort Scott, Kansas 66701
620-223-3566

Meet and Greet For Katrina Lewison, Candidate For Lt. Governor, on July 27

Katrina Lewison, Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor and running mate of Joshua Svaty, will be available for a “Meet & Greet” on Friday, July 27, from 10:00 am until 11:15 am, at Common Ground, 116 S Main Street.
A West Point graduate and decorated veteran, Lewison led a Blackhawk helicopter platoon in the 101st Airborne during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Following her successful military career, Lewison moved back to her home state of Kansas. Originally from Hutchison, she now lives in Manhattan with her husband Tyler and their three daughters.
Lewison is the Director of Consulting & Training at CivicPlus, a company that helps cities utilize software to better engage citizen populations and streamlines processes.
She has graduate degrees in Public Policy and Organizational Psychology & Leadership. She’s a member of the USD-383 Board of Education. Lewison is active in her church community and volunteers on various committees.
For more information about the event, contact Shirley Palmer, Bourbon County Coordinator for the Svaty-Lewison campaign, at 620-223-4105.

Bourbon County Local News