led to the Boston Tea Party, and the American Revolution, and independence for U.S.A. About 50 years ago India managed to do the same thing, and become the world's largest democracy.
   While I was in India, a new country was born, next door, which is now the third largest democracy (Bangaladesh). In order to escape being killed by the dictator's soldiers, millions of refugees came to India. They stampeded in at the rate of 100,000 to 300,000 per day. Doesn't this make the Cuban "Freedom Flotilla" seem like a drop in the bucket? As usual, in the long run, the host nation gained the most, and was the richer for gaining people who love freedom.
   The Moslems in India are a minority (about 10 percent) but at one time they ruled the country. This introduction to Islam was an eye-opener for me. They showed me that God (in their language) is pronounced Allah, and that they believe Jesus is the greatest Prophet. Islam is their way of life and philosophy for daily living .... should my religion be, too?
   This prepared me for working in Moslem Turkey, teaching at first, then working with a soybean program. The way they accept guests, and try to learn and improve their situation is really heartening. They are very intense about their jobs, and about their families, and they really relax with tea or meals. The Turks really show their appreciation for you and the work you do. Your job seems so good when they tell you how much it means to them.
   Life in Turkey is very family centered. They ask how your parents and family are, and send small presents for them, rather than giving you a gift directly. The small children are the center of attention and loved by everyone. Strangers and neighbors alike, are happy to hold and entertain a child, on a plane, train, or anywhere. Now at the end of a long day, when our baby gets fussy, and our two year old needs attention, we sometimes wish our Turkish neighbors were closer. It helps us get closer to new neighbors in Nebraska, back home, comfortable with our families and friends.

   Ken Dolezal at the University of Nebraska, 1970.

     Left to right: Swalih Bey (farmer) mixing seed, Ken Dolezal (soybean seed), Selma Hanim, from the Turkish Dept. of Agriculture. We were trying some soybean innoculant made in Turkey. This bushel of seed would plant half a hectare.

     Shri Patil telephoning my mother in Omaha in 1974. He was my host father for three weeks in India, near Bombay. He had several hours, so we toured some farms near Omaha.

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     Kadir Bey (Mr. Kadir Osman) and I admire his field of Amsoy soybeans. They made 25 bushels per acre and he liked them.

   John Cloyd Grisinger was born June 30, 1880 at Lenox, Iowa. He moved to Bellwood with his family in 1884. He attended rural school here and went through the 10th grade of the Bellwood High School, which was as far as the grades went in 1896.
   While in high school he assisted the local Burlington railway agent and qualified as a station helper. While at this work he studied telegraphy under the local agent and became qualified as a telegrapher and worked as such at Waverly, Hastings and Lincoln.
   In 1902 he was promoted to Train Dispatcher at Lincoln and later to the same position at Sheridan, Wyoming. While at Sheridan he met and married Mae Arnott. They raised two boys and two girls. These four children were frequent summer visitors in Bellwood as their grandparents still lived here.
   In 1904 Mr. Grisinger was promoted to Chief Dispatcher at Sheridan and in 1905 transferred to the same position in Lincoln. In 1909 he was promoted to Trainmaster at Lincoln and in 1917 to Inspector of Transportation at Chicago, in 1918 to Division Superintendent at Sterling, Colorado, and in 1920 to the same position on the Casper Division.
   In 1932 he was made General Superintendent of the Central District at Burlington, Iowa and in 1946 was made General Manager of Lines East, which made him responsible for all operations of the Burlington Railroad between Chicago and Omaha.
   He retired in 1950 and passed away at Tucson, Arizona, July 13, 1953 at the age of 73. Over the years he made frequent visits to Bellwood and the local folks would know he was here when they saw his private railway coach on the siding. It is of further interest to note that his son, J. C. Grisinger Jr. moved up through the ranks of the Burlington in much the same way as his father. His other son, Arnott, was head designer at the Ford Motor Co. during the years the Thunderbird was moving to the front.

John Cloyd Grisinger

 

Walter E. Hager

   March 29, 1895 --- Born in Bellwood, Nebr. Parents, Birt E. and Lona L. Hager.
   August 27, 1918 --- Married Gertrude Squires of Hebron, Nebr. Children, Richard Ellsworth and Ruth (Mrs. M. B. Petcher).
   1911 --- Graduated High School, Bellwood, Nebr.
   1916 --- B.Sc., University of Nebraska.
   1927 --- A.M., Columbia University.
   1932 --- Ph.D., Columbia University.
   1916-17 --- Teacher, High School, Pender, Nebr.
   1917-18 --- Instructor, Physics, School of Agriculture, University of Nebraska.
   1919-24 --- Supt. of Schools, Adams, Nebr.
   1924-28 --- Supt. of Schools, Cozad, Nebr.
   1928-41 --- Administrative Staff and Faculty, Teachers College, Columbia, University.
   1941-55 --- President, Wilson Teachers College, Washington, D. C.
   1955-58 --- President, D.C. Teachers College, Washington, D.C.
   1958-59 --- Visiting Lecturer, Pedagogical Institutes, Esslingen and Heidelberg, Germany.
   1959-61 --- Visiting Lecturer, Education, University of Cincinnati.
   1961-62 --- Visiting Lecturer, Curriculum Consultant, Springfield (Mass.) College.
   1962-65 --- Exec. Secretary, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C.
   1971 --- Archivist and Historian, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C.
   1945-46 --- President, Eastern States Assn. of Professional

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Schools for Teachers.
   1948-49 --- President, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
   1953-56 --- Secretary, American Council of Education.
   1949 --- Consultant, Workshop on Teacher Education, Wuerttemberg-Baden, Germany.
   1951-58 --- Member, National Commission on Accrediting.
   1950 --- American Delegation 4th International Conference on Health Education, Duesseldorf, Germany.
   1950 --- International Universities Conference, Nice, France.
   1973 --- Member, American Delegation World Assembly, International Council on Education for Teaching, Nairobi, Kenya.
   1948-53 --- Member, Advisory Committee on Education, National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
   1954-67 --- Editorial Board, Educational Forum.
   1955-58 --- 1962-73 --- Board of Directors, Columbia Heights (D.C.) Boys Club.
   1956-58 --- Chairman, Board of Directors, Columbia Heights (D.C.) Boys Club.
   1978 --- Board of Directors, Columbia Heights (D.C.) Youth Club.
   1918-19 --- Served as 2d Lt., Inf., U.S. Army.
   1955 --- Recipient citation, D.C. Federation of Civic Associations.
   1958 --- Recipient citation, American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
   --- Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Delta Kappa.
   --- Honorary Member, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (Honor award 1975)

Walter Hager

Margaret Hoshor and
Helen Siefert

   In August, 1934, native-born Margaret Hoshor's lifestyle changed dramatically when she accepted a challenge to train and teach seven year old deaf-blind Helen Siefert of Bridgeport, Nebraska. Encouraged by Omaha World-Herald subscribers and staff, funds were raised to send the two to Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts for two years. Then Nebraska Legislative funds sent them to the Nebraska City School for the Blind for one year, and to the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind until Helen reached the age of twenty-one. Both stayed on there,

where Margaret continued supervising Helen and did full-time teaching of other deaf-blind students until her retirement in 1972, and where she was supervisor of that school's Deaf-Blind Department for sixteen years. During her years at the New York Institute, Margaret worked with at least one hundred seventy or eighty deaf-blind children.
   Margaret likens Helen's early training and development to that of Helen Keller, in that the problems and behavior of both students were so similar. In later development, Helen Keller excelled in literary development, whereas Helen Siefert has excelled in creative achievement and general interests and knowledge.
   The Omaha World-Herald and other Nebraska newspapers have continued to show interest in Helen's accomplishments and many people marvel at her love of life and her everlasting understanding and interest in everything about her, including theater, travel, geography, human problems and conditions, and her specific interest in Bellwood activities and friends.
   Margaret has received the Ak-Sar-Ben Good Neighbor Award, The Sertoma Award for Service to Mankind, and various other citations.

Helen Siefert and Margaret Hoshor

Senator Loran Schmit

   I was born August 14, 1929, second son of Nick and Loretta Schmit. I attended grade school at District 36 in Butler County. During the early years of my educational experience, I was fortunate to have two excellent teachers, Margaret Haney Cady and Eileen Loomis Nekl. Both of these young ladies had started their teaching career right out of high school. Interestingly, they were both Democrats but they sparked my early interest in politics, and I would have to credit them and my father for encouraging me to take an interest in politics, and also for encouraging me to continue my education beyond high school.
   I remember the drought of the nineteen thirties when year after year farm crops withered and dried due to high temperature and low moisture conditions. We used to look with envy at those few irrigated farms which began to appear in the late nineteen thirties.
   I was graduated from the eighth grade and entered the Bellwood High School in the fall of 1941. Another excellent educator who was Superintendent of Schools at that time and a positive influence on all of his students was Mr. William Flake. I only attended the Bellwood School for one year. The fall of 1942 1 enrolled at the Kramer High School at Columbus, Nebraska, from which I was graduated in the spring of 1945 at the age of fifteen.
   I had hoped to enroll at the University of Nebraska that fall but circumstances on the farm seemed to dictate that my

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