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Looking Back
Last Updated: June 23, 2022

50 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Guy E. Sawhill of Valley Center celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They had four daughters: Marilyn Pierce, Becky Jane, Rhonda and Judy Sawhill.

Daniel J. Arnold of Valley Center joined Hesston Corporation as branch accountant. Arnold was responsible for all accounting duties for the corporation's Dallas and Hesston branches. He was also responsible for payroll functions for all 11 Hesston branches in North America. Arnold attended St. Joseph's Military Academy in Hays and earned a bachelor's of business administration degree from Wichita State University. He previously worked as an accountant with Town House Motel in Wichita.


45 years ago

The Ark Valley News talked to Charley George about the Ark Valley Short Line Railroad. George rebuilt a 1,000-pound, coal-fired Ottoway steam locomotive that he drove around 390 feet of rectangular track. George's track was located at the Valley Center City Park — where he gave tours to riders for 40 cents each. The engine was one of 102 that were built in Wichita during the late 1940s and early 1950s. The coal-fired boiler developed 160 pounds of steam pressure to power the train. George previously restored another Ottoway locomotive that was located at Kenwood Park in Salina.

Southwestern Bell installed a $7.5 million "zero-plus long distance" phone system in Valley Center, Andover, Wichita, Rose Hill, Sedgwick, Peck, Colwich, Bentley, Derby, Goddard, Haysville, Kechi, Maize and Mulvane. The system allowed telephone users to dial more long distance calls without operator assistance. The caller dialed zero, the area code and the distant phone number. A computer automatically recorded the customer's phone number and the called number. As the call was going through, an operator came on the line to obtain billing information and provide assistance.


40 years ago

Shelby Swindle led the Friends University softball team in total bases (119), hits (31), runs (42), stolen bases (11) and assists (105) as a sophomore. Swindle was named to the All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference team at third base. The Falcons had a record of 23-14. The daughter of Pete and Dixie Swindle is a 1980 Valley Center High School graduate.

Tammy James of Valley Center received a degree. James graduated from Hutchinson Community College.


35 years ago

Nathan Tweet was promoted in the Army to the rank of private first class. He was a utilities equipment repairman with the 147th Maintenance Co. in West Germany. The son of Larry A. and S. Kay Tweet is a 1986 Valley Center High School graduate.

Nancy A. Curtis graduated cum laude from Wichita State University with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. She is the daughter of Lloyd and Della Curtis.


30 years ago

Valley Center Junior High student John Bara found a rare African tortoise in his front yard on West 61st Street North. The 13-year-old heard something rustling in the bushes and found a 17-pound African Leopard tortoise from the grasslands of South Africa. The tortoise was a foot in diameter and about 8 ½ inches tall. Bara helped the tortoise get untangled from a fence and named him Fred. Bara later took Fred to the Chisholm Trail Animal Hospital for a physical before he was taken to the Sedgwick County Zoo. Another tortoise of the same species was found in east Wichita and brought to the zoo the previous week. The tortoises would not survive the Midwest climate and were sent to Phoenix, Arizona.

Air Force Reserve Master Sgt. Darryl L. Templeton was decorated with the Air Force Commendation Medal. He was an electrical technician. He is the son of Zearvis and Ophelia Templeton.


25 years ago

Valley Center students who earned degrees included: Kristy Parker, cum laude doctor of law, Harvard Law School; Jason Williams, doctor of osteopathy, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine; Barbara Stewart, bachelor's in English, Siena; Jamie Jacob, bachelor's in mathematics, Southwest Baptist; and Marcus Williams, bachelor of arts, Wartburg College. Thomas Murphy of Valley Center completed a microprocessors course and was awarded a diploma by the National Radio Institute of Washington D.C.

Several Valley Center couples celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaries. Dan and Ruth (Ellsworth) Hess were married in Wichita and had two children: Joyce Rogers and Dale Hess. Dan was a farmer and rancher and Ruth retired from the Sedgwick County Courthouse. Guy E. and Opal E. (Black) Sawhill were married in Wichita and had five children: Marilyn Carpenter, Rebecca Green, Jane Shults, Judy Rowhuff, and Rhonda Brandt. Guy retired from Excel Packing Company in 1988 and was employed 11 years as a tour bus driver for Kincaid; he was also the assistant fire chief in Valley Center. Opal was a homemaker. Arlo and Kathryn (Wilson) Schroeder were married in Burrton and had two children: Alan Schroeder and Ron Schroeder. Arlo was a flight line supervisor for 33 years at Boeing, retiring in 1985. Kathryn was a homemaker. Delvin M. and Hazel (Darrow) Lewis were married in Newton and had two children: Lynne L. Cox and D. Morris Lewis. Delvin farmed and worked at Cessna Aircraft for 30 years, retiring in 1980. Hazel was a homemaker. Bud and Jimmie Brucker were married in Canton and had two children: Randy Brucker and Rick Brucker. Bud and Jimmie had retired and moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas.


20 years ago

A pair of students from Valley Center had extra special college graduations. Matt Spruill, a 1993 Valley Center High School graduate, welcomed his first child into the world a day before graduating from the University of Tulsa School of Law with a juris doctorate. However, he was scheduled to complete a final — a joint project with another student — at the same time his wife, Julie, was in labor. A friend brought Spruill's laptop to the hospital and he stayed up all night completing the final, coaching Julie and counting contractions. He finished his project at 10 a.m. and their son, Nathan Xavier, was born a couple hours later. Dave Cundiff of Valley Center, and his daughter, Claire, both received bachelor's degrees from Friends University. Dave started college at Friends in 1968. He played football and planned to major in education to become a coach. However, he left before completing his degree to accept a job at Vulcan Chemicals. After 30 years, he decided to return to school to get a degree in computer information systems. Claire graduated from VCHS in 1998 and began pursuing a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance. Both planned to return to school for masters degrees.

Army Pvt. Eli Rueda-Vega graduated from the information systems operator-analyst advanced individual training course at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. He is the son of Eli Rueda-Jarez and Martha Rueda of Valley Center.


15 years ago

Tim Strunk won the Governor's Cup at the Fishing Classic at Milford Lake in Junction City. The avid angler volunteered as a guide for the annual tournament, which allowed him to compete. He was teamed with Doug Sebelius, brother-in-law of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks commissioner, and Greg Buster, a special education administrator in El Dorado. Strunk won the Governor's Cup for his team by catching the largest smallmouth bass of the day at 3.07 pounds. He is a 2001 Valley Center High School graduate.

Legendary Valley Center High School wrestling coach Brian Shelton turned down an offer to become the head coach for Bishop Carroll High School. Shelton announced two weeks after accepting the position that he felt like he had made a big mistake. He said he couldn't eat or sleep when he realized his first tournament of the next season with Bishop Carroll would be at the Valley Center December Duals event that he helped build. Shelton said he momentarily "forgot who he was," called Valley Center "home" and apologized to his assistant coaches and wrestlers for "taking them for granted."


10 years ago

Valley Center Middle School students Ty Banning and Tyler McLure qualified for the Technology Student Association's national competition in Nashville, Tennessee. They would present a construction project that Banning and fellow student Shawn Alexander built. It was a large cabinet and workbench built from wood scraps leftover from the old technology room at the intermediate school. The cabinet included a power strip with a small light over the work bench. Banning and McLure modified the project and built a scaled-down version of it to present at the national competition. The previous year, they competed at the national competition and presented a wooden bench that won the construction challenge at the state level. Banning and McLure would also compete in a Dragsters competition, the written test portion of a technology bowl and a structural engineer challenge. At state, McLure won the written test technology bowl competition and took second in the the Dragster design, structural engineering and construction challenges; his partners for those events were Remington Greider-Little and Ethan Hogan.

The Ark Valley News talked to Dan Warner, AKA Troubles the Clown. Troubles makes appearances at a variety of local events and always brightens the spirits of those in attendance with his balloon animal shapes. Warner had been a professional clown for 22 years. He often volunteers at hospitals, nursing homes and community centers and helps to promote local businesses. He first started clowning professionally when he saw a sign outside of Godfather's Pizza in west Wichita that said "Amateur Clown Wanted." He wasn't wearing the curly orange wig, large bow tie and oversized whose and threads that Troubles is now known for — but he was hired on the spot. Warner mastered the art of clowning by taking classes with fellow volunteers at St. Francis Hospital. The lifelong Park City resident was selected as the grand marshal of the city's July 4 parade in 2012.


5 years ago

The Ark Valley News talked to Valley Center Middle School student and gymnast Emerson Adams after she took third place at the Junior Olympics Western National Championships in Boise, Idaho. Adams would attend an elite camp that summer in Huntsville, Texas, where she would train with the staff that trains the USA Gymnastics National Team. Her success did not come without sacrifices. Adams spent an average of 29 hours per week in the gym and only took two weeks off from training each year. She attended half days of school in order to spend more time at the gym, which meant completing her other classes at home. She admitted that she missed out on social events because of her busy schedule — but said she didn't mind because she got to travel and compete. Adams failed to qualify for the Kansas state tournament three years in-a-row before winning four consecutive state titles. She trained at JAG Gymnasium in Andover. She is the daughter of Doug and Traci Adams.

Col. Robert J. Crow, a Valley Center native, retired from the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Military Department after 35 years of service. He was honored at a ceremony at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. Crow earned his commission as a second lieutenant in the regular Army in Field Artillery from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, in 1985. He served in various locations across Texas, Germany, Kansas and Iraq.

As a battalion commander, he led his unit to operate and secure Forward Operating Base Danger in Tikrit, Iraq and earned the Army Meritorious Unit Citation in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Throughout his career, Crow served in a variety of positions including: Battery Commander, Division Counter Fire Officer, Brigade Fire Support Officer, Division Field Artillery Intelligence Officer, Battalion Commander, Brigade Commander and 71st Troop Command Chief of Staff. He is the son of Billy and Mildren Crow.





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