Marjorie "Marge" Christensen, 82, Sioux Falls, S.D., formerly of Luverne, died on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005, at Sioux Valley Hospital. Burial services were at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne. Her Celebration of Life service followed at 2 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Revs. Maurice E. Hagen and Dell Peterson officiated. Marjorie Slater was born to Glenn and Gertrude Slater on July 9, 1922, in St. Paul. She grew up in St. Paul and graduated from Humbolt High School in 1939 and Macalester College in 1943, both in St. Paul. She moved to Luverne in early 1943 to teach senior civics when the regular teacher was drafted into the military.She married Albert Christensen, a local dairy farmer, in 1945. After their marrying she gave up teaching to help her husband on Evergreen Farm and to raise a family. In 1966 she returned to teaching at Luverne High School, retiring in 1978. In 2001 she moved to the Inn on Westport in Sioux Falls where she continued to be active in ministry.Service work was Marge’s passion. She loved working for the Lutheran church at all levels — local, conference, district and national — as a teacher, conference officer, district teacher trainer and curriculum developer for the national church. She taught church school classes at Grace Lutheran Church for 40 years. She served on nursing home boards and on the county welfare board. Besides her passion for service, she loved traveling, visiting much of the world with her husband Albert.Survivors include one son, Joel (Linda) Christensen, Sioux Falls, and Karen (James) Kullnat, Pendleton, Ore.; and three grandchildren, Justin Christensen, Sioux Falls, and Jon and Kristen Kullnat, both of Portland, Ore.Marge was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Albert. Memorials may be sent to Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne.Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Smoking is Minnesota’s No. 1 health issue, but there’s hope. A solution that includes education, smoke-free environments and higher cigarette prices can effectively combat tobacco’s costly toll. Studies show that the number of people that die from tobacco every year is equal to the number of deaths there would be if two jumbo jets crash into each other every day. Why isn’t Minnesota pursuing this proven approach?This legislative session, let’s encourage our elected officials to increase the cigarette tax and adopt a solution that will only reduce tobacco use. Members of the Rock County Partners In Prevention Team:Ashley Bosch, Kelly Mulder, Jessie Leenderts, Lois Leenderts (PIP adviser), Brad Herman, Lindsey Severtson, Katie Kraetsch, Whitney Oye

10 years ago (1995)"The door to Rauk’s Hilltop Stop has been opening and closing just as it has for the past 92 years. Only this time, the door to this long-time family–owned business is opening and closing at its new location. Under the ownership of Ron and Marlys Rauk, the grocery/convenience store opened for business in January of this year. The new store is located on the frontage road north of Interstate 90 at Beaver Creek."25 years ago (1980)"Eight H-BC High School students have been named to the 1979-80 edition of Who’s Who in Music, a listing of the country’s most outstanding high school music students.Barb Willers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Willers, Brian Taubert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Floren Taubert, Robin Faber, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bud Karpen, Cindy Sells, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Sells, all of Beaver Creek; Cindy Ausen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Ausen, Valley Springs, S.D.; Dennette Bowman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Bowman, Garretson, S.D.; and Peggy Elbers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer Elbers, Hills, are the eight students who have been accorded the honor." 50 years ago (1955)"On Friday of last week $36,000 of cancelled bonds were received by Mr. Berg from the First National Bank of Minneapolis. These were the final of School District No. 66 bonds. The bond issue was scheduled to be paid continuously until January 1, 1961. A debt retirement fund was established by the school board and from January 1st of 1950 to January 1st of 1955, a total of $61,000 was paid on the debt with no school debt levy by District No. 6 being made for the last two years."75 years ago (1930)"Mrs. Randi Bjerk, 64, mother of 23 children, died at her home near Beaver Creek this morning, Feb. 6th. Surviving are nineteen children: Mrs. Henry Madden, De Graff, Mrs. Andrew Aker, Garretson, S.D., Mrs. Andrew Skrondahl, Sioux Falls, S.D., Mrs. Cornelius Samuelson, James Bjerk, Ole Bjerk, Mrs. Fred Wallenberg, Mrs. Jasper Duncan, Miss Edna Bjerk, Melvin and Olaf Bjerk, all of Beaver Creek, Mrs. Gerhardt Ryslad, Mrs. Forest Hickman, both of Rembrandt, Iowa, Mrs. Ingebreth Larson, Edvin Bjerk, both of De Smet, S.D., Andrew Bjerk, Lindsay, Calif., Molla Kundert, Hovana, N.D., Mrs. Ben Larson, Clark, S.D., and Mrs. George Wallenberg, Hills. She was married 39 years ago to Ole Bjerk at the Palisades church from where the deceased will be buried. Mr. Bjerk died 10 years ago. He filed a timber claim on the homestead where Mrs. Bjerk died." 100 years ago (1905)"The McKinley Debating society met on Friday. The question debated was, "Resolved, That the pen is mightier than the sword." The speakers on the affirmative were Anton Halls, George Ruud, Henry Colby, Stella Severson and Alfred Paulson. On the negative were Walter Thompson and Clara Johnson."

Ray and Lois Nelson took their daughter, Vicki, back to Mankato Monday after she had spent the weekend with her parents.Sunday Ron and Lexia DeWit and Ashley, Sioux Falls, Lindsey DeWit, Rochester, and Cliff and Vi VanWyhe met for a brunch in Sioux Falls. Joanne Goehle motored to Edgerton Friday to attend her granddaughter Katie Hadler’s basketball game. Dinner guests Sunday in the home of Chuck and Rheta DeBoer were their daughter, Rachel, and her husband, Jeremy VanBeek, Doon, Iowa. Saturday evening Travis and Amber Arends were dinner guests in the home of her grandparents, Cliff and Vi VanWyhe. Clarence and Gert Feikema observed their 64th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Cliff and Vi VanWyhe visited Wednesday evening in the home of her brother and sister-in-law, Mervin and Donna Warner, in Larchwood, Iowa. Congratulations to Frank and Berdella DeBoer, who will be married 65 years on Sunday, Feb. 20.Don Schouwenburg has returned to his home in Luverne Saturday and later may have to go in for a heart by-pass. Ella Juffer, who broke her femur in a fall, is now convalescing at a nursing home in Mitchell, S.D., to be near her son, Gene, and family. Cards may be sent to her at this address: Fire Steel Health Care Center, 1120 E. 7th Ave., Mitchell, S.D. 57301.

Isn’t it amazing what just thinking spring did for us this past week? Temperatures remained above zero reaching 30 and even 40 degrees above zero. We did get some snow, I think about three inches of the fluffy white stuff. We also received a small amount of freezing drizzle that made the roads and sidewalks slippery. However, it also makes it quite easy to scoop the snow off the decks and sidewalks. So there is nothing so bad but what there is something good in it! The snow has all disappeared and we had a nice gentle rain a few days ago. Maybe it does help to think spring! It won’t be long until spring will be here anyway as our six more weeks until spring have diminished to four weeks and our temperatures have been very livable most of the time. Donna May Randall and her husband. Wayne, from Long Prairie were here this past week to visit Donna May’s mother, Laura Paulsen, who is a resident of Tuff Home in Hills at the present time following a light stroke. They also came to help Laura celebrate her birthday which was Thursday, Feb. 10. Belated birthday wishes to her. Henrietta Huenink attended funeral services for her sister-in-law, Theeda Den Herder, at the Reformed Church in Valley Springs, S.D, on Friday. She passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Our deepest sympathy goes out to her. Art and Henrietta Boeve and Melba Boeve attended the travelogue "Oregon Trail" Friday night at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.Pastor Dan Ramaker from Steen Reformed Church was in charge of the services at the Reformed Church in Edgerton this past Sunday. Don Schouwenburg is a patient at Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls. We wish him a speedy recovery. There will be no school at the H-BC schools on Friday, Feb. 18, and Monday, Feb. 21, in observance of Presidents’ Day.Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Spykerboer family on the death of David Spykerboer’s father, Bert Spykerboer, who passed away on Friday morning. A Saturday dinner guest in the Henrietta Huenink home was Bob Bodewitz from Alaska, who is a brother-in-law from her first marriage.Dries Bosch entered Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls last Monday for observation. We wish him a speedy recovery.This week we will observe Presidents’ Day, at which time we think of all that our presidents have done to keep this country the envy of the world. As I think back to our beginning and the leadership that was needed at that time, I often think about our first president, George Washington, and how sincere and devoted he was, making our country what it is today. When I read this paragraph about the "The Greatness of Washington," I thought we should all realize what the cost to him was for our freedom. What was it that made George Washington great? "Military genius, able statesmanship, unselfish devotion to this country, the ability to see tomorrow in today. In the 13 states of his time he saw the half hundred that were to be. On the oxcart trails of the young nation, he saw roads and highways and airlines guiding the greater ones to come. The hopes and fears of the youth of the Revolution were to him your hopes and fears — and those of all people who were to love the new nation in the days to come."Since it was Washington who was our first president, I would like to share with all of you the prayer that was given at his inauguration titled "Prayer for a Nation."George Washington’s Prayer for a NationAlmighty God: We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection, that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And, finally, that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

If you live in constant fear of nuclear annihilation and you have enough money, a doomsday vehicle could soon be parked in your driveway. According to Reuters, two private U.S. companies, Parliament Coach Corporation and Homeland Defense Vehicles, have joined forces to build the first luxury recreation vehicle that will withstand nuclear radiation. The large motor homes will feature sleeping accommodations for four people, a satellite navigation system and plasma televisions. Now for the bad news. Only 12 vehicles will be built this year, each costing from 1.2 million to 1.9 million. An air filtration system option, which sounds quite critical, will cost $100,000. Hey, it’s only money. However, before selling everything we own and acquiring a debt equal to the gross national product of a third world country, we should be reminded of inherent problems that might be associated with owning a radiation-proof recreation vehicle. Specifically, those problems would include the prohibitive costs and what can best be described as the awkwardness factor. We should question whether it would be worth $2 million to be one of a dozen or so families in the country to survive a nuclear war. Wouldn’t we miss our friends and family, all unable to afford radiation-proof vehicles?What would be the monthly payments on a $2 million, custom built recreation vehicle? The answer undoubtedly is something like, "if you have to ask, you can’t afford it."The cost of fuel for the gas-guzzling motor home might be a problem. It might be difficult in the wake of a nuclear disaster to find an open gas station every 17 to 20 miles. The awkwardness factor should not be overlooked. First of all, there’s the danger of being perceived as a nuclear snob. By driving, simply driving, the motor home around town before a crisis happens, we will be sending out an unspoken taunt — "Ha. Ha. We can afford this motor home and you can’t. We’ll live and you … well … sorry about that."Consider this awkward scenario. Your family and another family you haven’t met have radiation-proof motor homes at some remote campground and everyone else there has standard camping equipment. The other camps without radiation protection might prove to be real nuisances as they try to get a foothold into your vacation home on wheels after the first mushroom cloud appears on the horizon. They will try almost anything to get in — from pummeling the outside of your vehicle with fishing equipment and metal, hot dog roasting forks to knocking on your door and using some ploy to gain entrance. They might pretend to need to borrow a cup of sugar or to welcome you to the neighborhood. This could put a real damper on your vacation plans — at least for a while. Also, what if you haven nothing in common with the other safe vehicle’s occupants? When the radiation levels subside and you can finally meet them, what if they want to show you hours of slides from their other vacations or they just want to talk about the weather? Owning the same kind of vehicle is hardly the basis for a long-lasting friendship. By the time you have met the other family, you will have missed the first massive dose of radiation. There can’t be any going back. As far as anyone knows, there aren’t nuclear do-overs or golf-like mulligans for cases of post-nuclear boredom.Perhaps it would be better to simply drive an ordinary car into the face of disaster. Like our friends and relatives we’d glow like greenish-colored night-lights, but it wouldn’t be awkward.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek girls will enter the postseason with a full head of steam after recording an upset victory over Fulda in Hills Monday.Fulda, the state’s fifth-ranked team and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming South Section 3A Girls Basketball Tournament, could have earned a share of the Red Rock Conference title with a win over H-BC.The Patriots, however, didn’t cooperate.H-BC took a lead early in the second quarter and never lost the advantage during what ended as a 55-45 victory.The Patriots end the season with a 16-8 overall record and a 10-6 mark in RRC play. Fulda finishes conference play with a 14-2 mark. Southwest Star Concept, which beat Comfrey Monday night, wins the league with a 15-1 mark.H-BC will bring a five-game winning streak into the South Section 3A event, which begins Saturday in Luverne. The fifth-seeded Patriots take on No. 4 Ellsworth at 2:30 p.m.The Patriots won the 2004 South Section 3A title Monday night and proved they can play with the area’s best teams. H-BC faced a pair of four-point deficits in the first quarter before coming from behind to beat the Raiders by 10 points.Fulda scored the game’s first four points before H-BC moved in front 10-8 when Melinda Feucht drained a field goal at the 4:06 mark of the opening period. The Raiders moved in front 14-10 moments later, but H-BC knotted the score at 15 with 39 seconds remaining when Feucht drained a pair of free throws.H-BC opened a 13-point lead (30-17) by going on a 15-2 run capped by Cassi Tilstra’s field goal at the 1:54 mark of the second quarter.Fulda, which trimmed the difference to nine points (30-21) at the intermission, pulled to within two points (32-30) of the Patriots with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter. H-BC met the challenge by scoring nine of the next 11 points to gain a 41-32 cushion that was trimmed by two points (41-34) at period’s end.A field goal by Tilstra with 5:41 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Patriots their biggest lead (49-36) of the final period. Fulda trailed by nine points as the quarter progressed, but the Raiders never offered a serious threat to H-BC.Tilstra led the Patriots with 18 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Feucht and Kerri Fransman netted 16 and 12 points respectively. Brittney Rozeboom snared six rebounds.Box scoreRozeboom 0 0 0-3 0, Fransman 1 3 1-2 12, Bush 0 0 2-4 2, Feucht 6 0 4-5 16, Fink 1 1 0-0 5, Tilstra 5 0 8-10 18, Roozenboom 0 0 0-0 0, Mulder 1 0 0-2 2.Team statisticsH-BC: 18 of 61 field goals (30 percent), 15 of 26 free throws (58 percent), 31 rebounds, five turnovers.Fulda: 20 of 54 field goals (37 percent), five of 10 free throws, 40 rebounds, 14 turnovers.

So what can the state do for me?The 2005-07 edition of the Minnesota Guidebook to State Agency Services is available from the Minnesota bookstore online at www.minnesotasbookstore.com.The 10th edition of the guide lists nearly all state government agencies and provides contact information that includes locations, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail and Web site addresses.You may also purchase a printed 403-page version of the guide for $14.95.The new guidebook contains a 75-page index of most state license and permit requirements, brochures, directories, newsletters, publications, reports, speakers, stores and fax and Web services available from state agencies.Students will also find information about scholarships, laboratories, seminars, workshops, videos, training, museums, grants, research, databases, conferences, libraries, hotlines and help lines.The Internet address for the online guidebook is: www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/files/GB2004%20121440.pdf.Planters for Luverne businessesAccording to the Luverne Chamber of Commerce, Prairie Smoke Floral and M-M Distributing are partnering to put large planters in front of Luverne businesses this spring.The planters will promote the Luverne theme of "Minnesota’s Prairie Playground."Hanging plants similar to those used last year are also going to be available.Omaha couple collecting history of area dance bands from 30s through 50sAn Omaha couple, Carl Dalstrom and Kay Calamé Dalstrom, are working on a history of dance bands and dancing in rural and small town Minnesota from the 1930s through the 1950s.Since Kay’s father, Bob Calamé, had his own band, Bob Calamé and His Music, her memories of her childhood traveling with her dad in the summertime made her put the history of that time down on paper.Bob Calamé was a co-author of Laurence Welk’s theme song, "Bubbles in the Wine."Carl Dalstrom’s background as a history professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha made him a perfect fit to work on the project with his wife.The couple have previously published articles on this subject in the historical society journals in Nebraska, South and North Dakota.With encouragement from the Minnesota Historical Society, they are now extending that work to Minnesota.To accomplish their mission, they need your help. Some of the places they would like your memories of include the Armory in Luverne, the Gem in Hardwick, the Hollyhock in Hatfield and the Playmor in Pipestone.Other area hot spots that cross over state lines include the Dell Rapids Pavilion and the Flandreau Park Ballroom, the Arkota Ballroom in Sioux Falls and the Roof Garden in Arnold’s Park — and was there a dance place in Lester, Iowa?What kind of information do the Dalstroms want? In a letter to the Star Herald, they said, "We would like to know about such matters as crowd size, age groups at dances, whether parents brought children, distances traveled to dances, memorable features of ballrooms or pavilions, food and refreshments, and decorum. What happened to the dance places in later years?"Individuals they would like to hear stories about include Luverne’s own Jimmy Thomas, Jimmy Barnett, Clem Brau, Al Menke, Al Hudson, Lee Williams and Bob Calamé.Popular old-time bands such as Whoopee John, the Six Fat Dutchmen, the WNAX Bohemian band, the Jolly Lumberjack and the Vikings are also of interest.Ads for the dances from publications such as the Star Herald are common, but they need personal recollections and photographs for their submission to the Minnesota Historical Society.If you have information you think would be helpful, you can contact the Dalstroms at 3022 Rainwood Road, Omaha, 68112 or by e-mail at kdalstrom@msn.com.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Pessimism is a product of disappointment, and there were a lot of disappointed people hanging around the basketball court at Southwest State University in Marshall last March when Russell-Tyler-Ruthton defeated Ellsworth in the Section 3A basketball championship game.Instead of celebrating the end of a spectacular three-year run that featured the Ellsworth boys compiling a 72-16 record, winning two South Section 3A Tournament titles, one section championship and one second-place finish at the state tournament, some EHS faithful were already bracing for what they thought would be a trying 2004-05 campaign.Considering that all the personnel ties were cut from Ellsworth’s most successful basketball stretch in school history when the game with R-T-R ended, it was understandable why many EHS fans were forecasting a letdown for this winter. The problem is, someone forgot to tell the young players who grace Ellsworth’s current roster that they were supposed to be pushovers this winter.While some went on record to say they would be able to count Ellsworth’s win total on one hand this winter, the new-look Cats have emerged as a surprise team on the area basketball scene. With a 12-12 record through Saturday and two winnable games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Panthers have a chance to give their fans a fourth-straight winning season."If you would have told me that we would be 12-12 at this point last November, I would have said that would be a nice goal to shoot for," said EHS coach Ken Kvaale."I can say I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the way things have worked out. We are 12-12, and we easily could be at 14-10 or 15-9 right now."Kvaale is a coach who likes to build a team around a nucleus of three players, and senior Darrin Weikamp, sophomore Aaron Van Der Stoep and freshman Cody Schilling have formed the nucleus of the 2004-05 team. All three players are averaging double figures in scoring, and they can hit the three-point shot as well as score from the inside.Junior Ben Herman has played well as a starting post, and classmate Bryan Kramer has surpassed expectations as a starting guard.Unlike recent EHS teams, the talent pool doesn’t dry up after the starting five. Kvaale said he’s comfortable playing eight to nine players each game, and the likes of senior Kenny Bittner, junior Nick Deutsch, sophomores Jon Klaassen, Wade Jansma and Ryan Kix, and freshman Weston DeBerg have thrived in reserve roles this season.Two factors have helped the Panthers play good basketball this season.With the exception of Weikamp, who transferred to EHS from Castlewood, S.D., this year, the current players were exposed to three years of winning basketball by prior Ellsworth teams. Success breeds success, and watching great players like Dylan Kvaale and Curt Schilling perform in maroon and gold colors in recent years can only help younger athletes in the lower ranks of the program.The work ethic Dylan Kvaale and Curt Schilling displayed during their high school years is paying dividends, too. Coach Kvaale said the members of this year’s team worked hard on their games last spring, summer and fall. That type of dedication usually is rewarded."One coach told me that it looks like we have a bunch of gym rats on our hands, and we do. At the beginning of the year I told the kids if they work hard, good things will come their way. I think they believed that before I even said it. We’re a little young, and we have some loose ends to tie up, but I won’t question the dedication of these kids," Kvaale said.The Panthers have found it hard to compete with the area’s elite teams (H-BC, Canby and R-T-R) this year, and it would be unfair to expect an extended tournament run from such a young team next month.Ellsworth, however, already has surpassed the expectations of many this winter. Because of that, the near future looks bright for more EHS teams to come."I really feel like we can play with just about anybody in our sub-section right now," Kvaale said. "We’re on the right track. We should be able to do a lot of damage next year and the year after that."