8/8/2007 – News
Volume 124, Number
US Senator Byron Dorgan presented medals to three US Army veterans of WWII and the Korean Conflict at a ceremony in Fort Totten Saturday. Left to right are Dorgan, Floyd "Billy" Joshua, Ambrose Thompson and Andrew Shaw. On the far right is Myra Pearson, chairman of the Spirit Lake Nation Tribal Council. The veterans hold frames with their medals and other military insignias. Dedication of the new courthouse at Fort Totten was also held. More photos and story on Page 9.
Farm and Ranch Guide announced that Leeds native Connie Brown of Devils Lake was named the 2007 Country Woman of the Year July 27 at a ceremony held at the ND State Fair in Minot. She won a New Holland lawn mower and a trip to Medora.
Connie is a 1965 graduate of Leeds High School and is the daughter of Dovie Follman of Leeds.
The following article by Dale Hildebrant appeared in the July 6, 2007 issue of the Farm and Ranch Guide:
When Connie Brown was informed that she had been selected as one of the finalists for Farm & Ranch Guide’s Country Woman of the Year award, "flabbergasted" was the best way of describing her reaction, she said.
"I was really surprised, and felt very honored," Connie said. "My nephew John’s wife, Cindy Brown, sent in the nomination and I was really surprised by her doing that. It was really nice of her to think of me.
"We’re out early and we’re in late," Connie said in describing a typical day on the ranch. "A large part of the day is spent with the cattle in feeding, treating and checking them. At certain times of the year there is haying, and other field work, just basically everything a ranch has to do, which is a lot most days."
In nominating Connie, Cindy Brown wrote, "Connie Brown deserves to be the 2007 Country Woman of the Year because she is the epitome of a rancher’s wife. She works side by side with her husband, George, feeding cattle, treating cows and calves, branding, hauling cattle out to pasture, hauling manure, taking care of the sheep, cutting hay, baling hay, combining and taking care of the household chores as well.
"She is a wonderful woman and an extremely hard worker," Brown continued. "She puts in long hours out on the ranch and I really feel that she deserves this award."
Besides running a Black Angus cow herd and backgrounding and finishing out the calves, Connie is involved in the grain operation as well, where they raise corn, which is used mostly for silage, soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, peas and Sudan grass for hay.
Some of the equipment she runs includes a 40-foot rake and double mower for haying and driving a combine and a corn truck during harvest.
On the livestock side of the operation, Connie does most of the vaccinating and treating of the cattle, pulls calves, tags them, helps with the roundup, feeds the herd using a feed wagon, lambs out around 50 ewes per year and bottle feeds calves during the calving season.
In addition, making dinner for the hired help and the ranch’s bookkeeping chores are also handled by Connie.
With all of this ranch activity, it’s easy to see that there isn’t a lot of time left for community activities or special interests and hobbies, at least at the present time.
"I don’t have a lot of time to do community things," Connie said. "If I am asked to help bring food to things or help with benefits I am always very willing to do that."
While her children Kenny and Wendy were growing up she was involved in 4-H activities and she is looking forward to a time when her help won’t be needed so much at the ranch, which will free up some time for helping in the community.
"I enjoy elderly people, and I would like to do some volunteering in that area," she said, "but right now we are so busy here at the ranch I haven’t had a chance to do things like that."
But even though most of Connie’s time is spent working on the ranch, she finds time to help neighbors and friends in need. According to Brown, "Connie is always willing to help out her friends and neighbors if they ever need anything. She’s the first woman to step forward and lend a helping hand."
Before becoming a rancher’s wife, Connie worked as a medical secretary for a radiologist in Devils Lake for 15 years, so she is able to compare a desk job with life on the farm.
"I enjoy working outside and I don’t miss sitting behind a typewriter eight hours a day," she said. "Ranching is a good way of life, but in the last few years we have seen it become more stressful because of the expenses of everything, and also Mother Nature has not been too kind to us up in this area.
"Since 1993 we have lost about 1,000 acres of our land to Devils Lake. We live right along the lake and a lot of our good calving and haying area has been taken by the lake. At this time the lake is right in our back yard," she added.
It looks like 2007 will go down in the books as a year with a bountiful harvest. This is the first time BTR Farmers Co-op at Niles has had to pile grain in July. The photo of this pile of about 100,000 bushels of winter wheat was taken the afternoon of July 31. (Photo by David Nelson of BTR)
Legion team takes second in Jamestown tournament
The Maddock American Legion baseball team finished strong in its first year of a having a team since 2001. The team ended its season with a second place finish at the Section 7 tournament held at the Jack Brown Stadium in Jamestown Aug. 1-4. Fans were treated to four days of good, suspenseful baseball.
In its first game of the tournament on Wednesday, Aug. 1, Maddock scored twice in the top of the seventh inning, nipping Sheyenne-New Rockford 11-9.
Thursday fourth-seeded Maddock knocked off the section’s top seed, Carrington by a score of 11-9. Pitcher Andy Backstrom struck out five in his complete game effort and Mark Wack Jr. led the offensive charge with three hits in five appearances. The bottom half of the lineup also produced as the number six hitter, Paul Rice reached base twice, as did Levi Slater, Billy Morgan and Beau Buehler, the team’s 7-8-9 hitters.
Maddock struggled in the pitching area Friday and lost to Harvey, 15-5 in five innings. That put the boys in a loser-out game Saturday against second-seeded Steele, who was soundly defeated by third-seeded Harvey on Friday, 6-2.
Winning the loser-out game would give Maddock another crack at the championship match. And as it had throughout the tournament, Maddock’s offense gave them that chance. Entering the bottom of the seventh inning, and down by a pair of runs, three straight hits by Levi Slater, Billy Morgan and Dave Morgan tied the game before Brandon Lunde’s grounder skipped by first base to send the team into the championship match with a win of 8-7 over Steele.
An excited Maddock team was now looking at the big prize. Despite already pitching three innings in the previous game, Johnny Coleman pitched all eight innings of this extra innings game. Down 3-1 in the top of the sixth, Maddock tied it up with a delayed steal and Levi Slater’s RBI single to left. The Harvey win came with a long shot by Scott Tweed to centerfield putting them 4-3 over Maddock. Top batters for Maddock in the game were Johnny Coleman, who went 3 for 4 and Brandon Lunde, who finished with a pair of hits.
The Maddock team was coached by Sam Gutormson and assisted by Caleb Backstrom. Sponsors included American Legion Post 123, the city of Maddock, North Star Community Credit Union, Ramsey Bank, Summers Manufacturing, Harlow Co-op Elevator, Farmers Union Oil Co. of Maddock, Ag Resources and Thrifty White Drug.
The Maddock American Legion baseball team is shown with its second place trophy. Left to right, back row: Mark Wack, Levi Slater, Brandon Lunde, Judah Coleman, John Sears, assistant coach Caleb Backstrom, statistician Ben Backstrom and coach Sam Gutormson. Front row: bat boy Hunter Buehler, Jason Smith, Beau Buehler, Paul Rice, Andy Bergrud, Jordan Backstrom, Billy Morgan, Johnny Coleman, Dave Morgan, Andy Backstrom and bat boy Will Rice.
7th annual officer retreat
The Maddock FFA Chapter and Maddock FFA Alumni sponsored the 7th Annual FFA Chapter Officer Leadership Retreat at Maddock recently. Forty-seven FFA members from Maddock, Carrington, Harvey, Napoleon, Kindred, Hebron, Kenmare, Powers Lake and Lisbon attended. State FFA officers elected at the convention in Fargo in June led the retreat and offered workshops in parliamentary procedure and officer responsibilities. They also helped the officers develop mission statements, along with setting goals for the coming year. Left to right, front row, are Maddock FFA members Alex Buckmier, Kaidi Kenner, Michelle Olson and Kimberly Randle. State officers in the back row are, left to right, Emily Martwick, state secretary; Randi Moore, ambassador; Mikki Fideldy, SW Region vice president; Mitch Becker, state president; Michael Bjuertness, SE Region vice president; Chelsey Flick, NE Region vice president; and Cody Friesz, NW Region vice president.
Fair winner
Arlene Johnson of York is shown driving her miniature horse, Goldie Boy, which took first place in the AMHR open country pleasure driving and first place in AMHR open pleasure driving stakes (34" and under) at the ND State Fair in Minot.
Mrs. Johnson can’t take all the credit for Goldie Boy’s trophies. She had help from her granddaughter, Mika Guty, daughter of Steve and Kindra Guty of Knox, who is shown here helping get Goldie Boy ready to compete.
Scenes from ceremony honoring war heroes at Fort Totten
US Senator Byron Dorgan represented the US government in awarding three military veterans from the Spirit Lake Nation medals they earned half a century ago but which they never received. The ceremony was held Saturday, Aug. 4 in conjunction with the dedication of the new Spirit Lake Tribal Courthouse. The three veterans honored are all from Fort Totten. They are:
* Ambrose Thompson, World War II and Korean Conflict veteran who was presented the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military valor medal, and other medals.
* Floyd Joshua, Korean Conflict veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart and other medals.
* Andrew Shaw, Korean Conflict veteran who received the POW Medal, among others.
"Even though each man heroically earned the medals long ago, none ever received them from the federal government due to snafus, long lost records and general oversights," said Dorgan.
"Time has not dimmed the brilliance of their brave, difficult and heroic service to the United States of America," Dorgan added. "It is long past time to set the historical record straight, to recognize their incredible service to this country, and to formally honor these former soldiers for what they did, at great personal sacrifice, for all of us."
In awarding the Silver Star to Thompson, Dorgan said he led a platoon up a hill in Korea, taking the hill when two other platoons had failed. Thompson was mustered out as a master sergeant.
US Senator Byron Dorgan enjoys a light moment at the ceremony during which he presented medals to, left to right, Floyd Joshua, Ambrose Thompson and Andrew Shaw. All were also awarded a certificate, a star quilt and an eagle feather. In the background, far right, is tribal chairman Myra Pearson. The new Spirit Lake Tribal Courthouse is in the background.
Floyd "Billy" Joshua was presented the Purple Heart and other medals by Dorgan. On the right is Billy’s sister, Joyce Lunak. In the background are the flag holders, Waylon Red Tomahawk (face obscured by the US Flag) and Bob Charboneau holding the VFW and tribal flags.
Andy Shaw suffered as a prisoner of war of the North Koreans during the Korean Conflict. He was awarded the POW medal, among others. On the left in the wheelchair is his mother, Lillian Shaw, the oldest living enrolled member of the tribe. Vincent Shaw is standing on the right.
Dorgan congratulates Ambrose Thompson after awarding the silver star, which Thompson wears. On the right is Donnie Belgarde preparing to drape a star quilt over Thompson’s shoulder. Tribal Chairman Myra Pearson reaches to shake his hand. The 84-year-old former master sergeant earned the Silver Star for valor in Korea.
The Fort Totten VFW provided a color guard for the ceremony. A tent was set up, under which spectators sat. A meal was served prior to the ceremony.
The drum group provided Sioux music at the ceremony.