Bill Spangler

John Behling

   Five members of the Weld, Riley, Prenn, and Ricci law firm were recently identified as “Rising Stars,” a category for lawyers 40 years of age and under who have made significant contributions to the practice of law. Among the honorees are Altoona resident John Behling, who was recognized in administrative law, and Altoona resident Bill Spangler, who was recognized in business and corporate law. This is the third consecutive year Behling has been recognized as a Rising Star and the second year for Spangler.

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   One winter in the mid-1930s stands out in my memory. It was bitterly cold with an abundance of snow. The city workers were out in the road working with a steam jenny, trying to thaw out the city water mains. It was being done close to our house, on the corner of Lynn Avenue and 1st Street East. My dad was on the crew trying to get enough steam to do the job. 
   All I remember about the steam jenny contraption was that it had a boiler, fired somehow, that produced steam. The steam pushed through a long steel pipe affair that probed the ground to thaw the water main. How effective it was, I don’t know, but it most likely was the only solution on hand.
   Atop a snow bank that came half way up a telephone pole were the neighbor kids, fascinated by this big deal. Many warnings were shouted at us to stay back. All went well until we became bored and started playing “King of the Mountain.” This was push, climb, and shove to the very top of the pile of snow. The king then had to push everyone down so he could stay on top and remain king. We were kicked out of the area shortly thereafter and went elsewhere to play as long as we could.
   For my November birthday, I had received a new, all-wool, brown snowsuit and a brown and orange stocking hat. In the 1930s, this was especially wonderful. My grandmother Schilling had knitted me a pair of brown and orange mittens. She double-knitted very tightly so they were very stiff when new. I think that was the warmest outfit a little girl could have, so I would play outside until my feet were numb from the cold. After I went in to thaw my feet and take off my snowsuit, it was the end of outdoor play until my snowsuit dried. Being made of wool, it was totally saturated when it warmed up. It was hung on a little clothes rack close to the kitchen range with a tub underneath to catch the drips. If the covering for tender feet could have been nearly as efficient as my snowsuit, I probably would have stayed outdoors most of the time.

   After a thorough review of his application, Altoona resident Scott Verville has been awarded a $3,000 early planning grant from the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network.
    The grant, to be used in facilitating a business model, will aid Verville in the startup of his future Altoona-based company, Secure Data Technologies.

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   Altoona was a good place for kids to grow up in the late 1930s and early 1940s. We were still in the recovery from the depression years, so the need to stretch every dollar was still the way of life. However, that didn’t mean there was no buying and selling.

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   Arlan J. Anderson, 73, of Denver, Colo., and 1953 graduate of Altoona High School, passed away on Saturday, October 19. He is survived by his wife, Susan Hetherington-Anderson; children, Deborah (James) Aretakis, Robert Anderson, Diane (Steven) Carr, and William Anderson; grandchildren, Nicholas Aretakis, Jamie and Ryan Carr; brothers, Kenneth (Linda) Anderson and Eugene Anderson; brother-in-law, John (Missy) Hetherington; sister-in-law, Christina; and nephew, Justin Corwin.
   His parents, Alfred and Margaret Anderson, and his two brothers, LaMoyne and Merton Anderson, preceded him in death.
   Interment was held (with full military honors) at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. Memorial donations may be made to Platte River Industries for the Disabled, Denver. Questions can be directed to (303) 825-0041.

By John Thurston, Local Contributor  

 While I was very much alive long before the “Election of 1940,” I choose to reminisce about that event. 
   Our nation had been crushed by the Wall Street “Crash of 1929.” President Hoover couldn’t handle this economic disaster. As he began to deal with our decade-long Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt, the 1932 Democratic Presidential candidate, exuded the confidence and hope that we so desperately needed.

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   Bill Boyer of Western Springs, Ill., and I, Jim Davis, of Altoona, first met in 1945 after completing boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. Both of us were then sent to Yeoman Service School at Great Lakes, and that is where we became friends – along with Jim Gaffney of Cedar Falls, Iowa. We called ourselves “The Three Musketeers.”

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   An event took place on a late Sunday in the summer of 1942.
   My partner was Harold Semisch, a brother of Laura (Semisch) Christy. Before this happening, I had known him primarily as a 1930s star athlete at Altoona High School. Later on, when I got around to playing basketball, he had accompanied our team as a scorekeeper. He never missed a game.
   During World War II, I began to correspond with him after he had joined the army. When he returned on a leave, we decided to travel out of Lake Altoona and up the Eau Claire River to Big Falls on a fishing expedition.

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   Editor’s Note: This is a reprint from Vol. 1, No. 2 of a 1941 Altoona Tribune. The copy was provided by Steve Thompson.

   Miss Lulu Thompson, daughter of the l.ate C.B. Thompson and Guy W. Green, one of the older conductors, have come to the front to offer more information on Altoona’s first newspaper, the Headlight. Although they could not give exact dates and details that a printer might furnish, they have, however, supplied the Tribune with ample facts that give this story more of the historical touch than last week’s write-up.

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   The cost of fuel for vehicles has led to much more stay-at-home time as people try to economize and “go green” by using less fossil fuels. 
   This reminds me of a span of time in February 1948 when no gas or fuel oil was available.

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