Our Past Is Present July 2, 2018

July 2, 2018

            You are reading “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical.

            During two different sessions of “Memories at the Museum” in which community members shared memories about the many local businesses that have come and gone over the years, Katie Goerl, our Executive Director of the Geary County Historical Society observed that almost everyone had stories about the PEOPLE, who ran those businesses, the people they met there and the people who left a mark on their lives.

            For example:  In one of the sessions, John York shared two stories of interest.  One was a remembrance of a shoe repair shop where Roy Henderson worked as a repairman. John stated that Roy was a little short, cantankerous guy that would give you the shirt off his back, but we still called him Mr. Grumpy. Every now and then ladies would come in and would want little lifts put on their heels of their shoes.  Of course, they would have to have them right now.  Roy would stand and stare at them and they’d look back at him.  Pretty soon Roy would say, “Well get’em off, I can’t do it while they’re on your feet.” 

            John York had a special story about Wuethrich’s bookstore.  Nettie Wuethrich did him a big favor when he was just a little boy.  It was 1951 and 11 year old John had a paper route that netted him $3.00 per week, courtesy of the Daily Union.

            John stated that “It was close to Christmas and I went in the store and Nettie waited on me asking: “What do you want, John?”  John told Nettie he wanted to buy his mother something for Christmas, and Nettie asked what he had in mind.”  John went on to say “Well those dishes are nice.”  They were Fiestaware.  John told Nettie: “I have $3.00 to spend and Nettie said, Well that’ll make your mom a nice present.  She boxed that up and I walked out of there with it.  I thought it was a fair deal and I gave it to my mom.  Years later I realized Nettie had done me a phenomenal favor.

            It wasn’t until about 30 years later that John, who then had a printing shop and was able to repay Nettie with a print job that would have cost about three or four hundred dollars.  When he took the work to Nettie, she asked him what she owed him and John replied: “Three dollars and he reminded Nettie about the Fiestaware she helped him purchase for his mother’s Christmas gift. 

            We have great people in Geary County and we need to celebrate them more.  Share your stories with our staff at the Museum Tuesdays through Sundays between 1 and 4 so kindness is remembered and not forgotten.    And thank you for reading “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.