​Any hope that local students would be back in the classroom before the end of the spring semester came to an end in Jefferson City last week. ​

Mrs. George Long has sold Long’s Farm Supply to Mr. and Mrs. William R. Lutes of Kansas City. Mr. Lutes is a nephew of Mrs. Long.
The late George Long and Mrs. Long started the business in 1944. Mrs. Long has continued operation of the business since Mr. Long’s death. She is the last of the “Lady” Chrysler dealers.
Other products sold and serviced by Long’s are Plymouth and Dodge automobiles (new and used), Pioneer Chain Saws, and Homko Riding Mowers. They have a full service department and parts supply and are a State Vehicle Inspection Station.
Mr. and Mrs. Lutes will move to Plattsburg soon with their four children: Amy, 17, Cookie, 16, Patty, 13, and Billy, 6.
Bill invites everyone to stop in and get acquainted and the family is eager to become an active part of this fine community.
Mrs. Long will devote some of her time to helping the new owners become acclimated to the business and community.
Mrs. Long expresses her appreciation to her many friends and customers for their patronage over the past 26 years and urges continued support to the new management.

US Bank in Plattsburg is selling Beanie Babies for the March of Dimes. The tellers have many different choices and proceeds benefit the charity that hopes to improve infant health worldwide. (Above) L to R – Kellie Mooney, Beth Potter and Nikki Wade.

Cam Collins made a career and a good living figuring out board feet during his lengthy, respected calling in the lumber business. Of far more importance is the significant legacy he leaves behind in the community of Plattsburg, and his influence and guidance with his family.
                Cam passed away Thursday, March 26. He was 73 years old. 
                In today’s world, where volunteers are harder to find than hen’s teeth, consider these groups where he volunteered and left his mark: Plattsburg Booster Club, Methodist Men’s Fellowship Group, Plattsburg Volunteer Fire Department, and the PHS football chain gang. He put his hat in the ring to serve as Plattsburg City Councilman in Ward III, where he served for 30 years. The terms were for two-years, so he sought successful reelection 15 times. And surely one must consider the fact that his last four terms were after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
                Cam put his best effort forth no matter what the work might require, and the examples are endless.
                He served our country in the United States Army beginning in 1965 when he was drafted. Cam was assigned to Germany as a dispatcher. On three different occasions, he was scheduled to travel to Vietnam for duty. Each time his orders were canceled. His military service paved the way for a special meeting with the late Charlie Hoskins, a veteran of World War II. Their relationship turned into what his family claimed was a father and son relationship, with Cam’s dad passing away when Cam was only six.
                It was a kinship that guided Collins in the right path through the example lived by the World War II veteran.
                For those who aren’t familiar with Charlie Hoskins, during his distinguished career as a State Farm Insurance agent, he earned numerous company awards recognizing his outstanding sales ability. However, just as important to Hoskins was making sure business owners and the city worked together to make the town a better place to live and work. When Hoskins showed up at a business, he was there to get the financial support of the business owner. When he crossed the doorstep to the business, he never left empty handed. It was important to the town and always a worthwhile endeavor.
                Steve Sypkens, current quartermaster of the VFW Post 4428 in Plattsburg, said that Charlie Hoskins served as quartermaster for the post for decades. Cam followed in Charlie’s footsteps at that position. Collins held that esteemed position for at least 20 years.
                Hoskins served as the master of ceremonies for the Memorial Day services for decades. Collins would also take part in the ceremonies with the rifle unit or in displaying the colors. According to his family, Collins spent every Memorial Day placing flags on the graves of servicemen. If they needed a grave marker, he constructed one using PVC pipe to construct a cross to mark the grave.
                Collins was a faithful member of the Broadway United Methodist Church in Plattsburg. His faith grew stronger as a result of his relationship with Hoskins, even though Charlie was a devout member of the First Christian Church in Plattsburg. He taught Cam a prayer - one that is known at the American Legion and VFW as Charlie’s prayer. There is a copy hanging on the wall of the post. According to his family, Cam would recite the prayer before large family meals. It’s a simple but spiritual prayer that is recited at the proper occasion.
 
Charlie’s Prayer
No one has ever seen the wind, neither you or I,
But when the tall trees bend their bows, We know the wind is passing by.
 
No one has ever seen God,
neither you or I,
But when we bow our heads in prayer, We know that God is standing by.
 
                Some might call it fate when he met Connie Lowrance at a high school dance in Maitland. Connie recalled how her future husband had a date with another girl but she stood him up. Cam went to the dance and connected with Connie that night. 
                He claimed the marriage began almost as soon as his feet hit the ground after he was honorably discharged from the service in 1968, but Connie corrected him – she gave him three weeks before they were married. 
                During his high school days, Cam’s height at 6’3” and athletic ability helped him play a vital role on the basketball team. He would later attend St. Joseph Junior College where he played on their team before the service called him. His athletic ability and competitive spirit stayed with him throughout his adult life.
                He took up the game of golf and became an avid golfer. So enthralled with the game, he would buy Connie a golf cart as a Christmas gift. Given the fact Connie didn’t play golf, it’s obvious who the golf cart was for. They would build a new home on the third hole on the new nine-hole expansion of the Plattsburg Country Club. The home was built before the green was positioned, and the green was built close to their home – so close that even a slightly off-line shot would head toward their home. Most found their front yard, but some found the siding or roof of their house. The good news is that they never had to buy golf balls, and no windows have been broken – yet.
                During his golfing days, he would twice record a hole in one, a rare occurrence for even the best golfers. It was apparent he loved the game, and more so the social aspects that is an integral part of the sport. He enjoyed competing in golf tournaments as part of the lumber business. One such outing in Clinton, Mo., led to his recording one of his perfect tee shots. The hole-in-one resulted in his winning a cruise. The cruise proved to be a fateful one, with the ship breaking down. As a result, all of the ports they were scheduled to visit were bypassed.
                Another golf tournament in Clinton proved to be even more eventful than a hole-in-one. During an unapproved group photo session on top of a fire truck, Collins suffered broken bones in both of his feet. The phone call to Connie was a painful one trying to explain the circumstances of breaking his heel in one foot and the ankle in the other. 
                Nonetheless, it may have seemed even more painful for his daughter, Cami and son, Clint. The kids labeled that season “the longest summer ever.” For the six to eight weeks required for his healing, their dad directed them through the insulation projects he had scheduled. The insulation side-jobs were what Cam used to pay for educational expenses. Both Cami and Clint said that their dad, positioned from his wheelchair, provided the instructions for installing the insulation. Clint said his dad could tell you where everybody in Plattsburg lived because they installed insulation in most of them. 
                The homeowners in Plattsburg respected Cam’s abilities, which were always on display at the lumberyard and as a result, he loved his work.
                In 2003, Collins left his job at Plattsburg Lumber, a job he began in 1978. At Schutte Lumber Company in Kansas City, he took over the roll of head purchasing agent. He continued to work there until his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease. The diagnosis came after his heart doctor referred him to a neurologist where the disease was confirmed. At that time, Cam also suffered from an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
                When one door closes, another one opens, so working together as a family, Cam became a constant figure and inspiration at sporting events. In spite of his physical limitations, he was able to attend most of the sporting events. Thanks to the extra effort and assistance of Greg Stahl of MSHSAA, Cam was able to attend the Missouri State Wrestling Championships. While there, he was able to cheer on his grandson Coby Aebersold (Kearney) to two-consecutive state championships. 
                His early retirement also provided him and Connie extra time for some traveling. They often did so with Ron and Helen Whiteley of Plattsburg. Like Connie, Helen was a teacher and performed her student-teaching duties with Connie before entering the field. Their trips to Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains were joyful escapes from the grind of medical visits and daily chores. Cam served as the co-pilot, scouting for quilt shops or flea markets along the way. Connie is an accomplished quilter and Cam possessed what seemed to be a quenchless desire to buy crockpots.
                Crockpots, you say?
                Yes, Connie, Cami and Clint all said that Cam liked to cook and loved to buy crockpots and skillets. He was a fixture cooking at VFW and Masonic Lodge breakfast fundraisers. He loved crockpots so much they had to stop him from buying them. At family dinners, he prepared what was called ‘papa’s noodles,’ a homemade dish, or the best biscuits and gravy, a sure crowd-pleaser at breakfast. One time, Cami wanted fried chicken and sure enough Cam fried chicken for her. No one knew where this love of crockpots came from. But his cooking expertise might have passed down from his mother, Gladys, who was employed as a baker at Squaw Creek in Mound City, Mo.
                As trying as the insulation jobs were that ‘special’ summer, it provided Clint and Cami a valuable lesson – the value of doing a job and doing it well – learned from their dad from his wheelchair. The money was used to further their education and also helped build a bond that carries on today and into the future.
 

It used to be a frequent happening to have cattle shipped to Plattsburg by rail. But times change and it is now a seldom occurrence.

This shipment of cattle pictured was delivered in Plattsburg last Tuesday for Jack Runyan of Easton. The 312 head weighed 500 lbs. per head.

They were purchased from Erby Wilmuth of Clovis, New Mexico. Mr. Wilmuth has extensive ranching operations throughout New Mexico.

It took a day and a half to bring the cattle from New Mexico to Kansas City and eight hours from Kansas City  to Plattsburg.

 Fifty years ago three girls that worked together at the telephone office had a dream of going to Hawaii. Well, on March 13, 1990 it came true. At the time of the dream, they were Maxine Marshall, Maxola Todd, and Mary Fern Davison. They are now Maxine Sprague, Maxola Szulik, and Mary Fern Davis. It still seemed like a dream, even when they boarded the plane at MCI. We had a problem with the first plane, were put on another, and away we went to Dallas where we missed our connections to Honolulu, so they sent us to Los Angeles,  and then, to Honolulu - just five hours later, getting there - But we were still plenty excited. On the morning of the 11th, we met in the lobby of the Outrigger Village at 8 a.m., breakfast and our itinerary was given to us by our Hawaiian tour guide, “Ettra May (Kaleo) Kama”. There is not enough space and time to give all the details.

We had a tour of America’s only royal palace, then back to the hotel to rest and get ready for a dinner show, The “Society of Seven”.

March 15 - Met at 5:30 a.m. - A tour of the big island, a “Hawaii Tour”.  Lots of pretty sights and lots of pictures taken - Back to hotel at 8 p.m. a tired but happy group.

March 16 - Met at 6:45 a.m. - Went to the “Arizona Memorial and City-Punchbowl Tour” and the “National Cemetery of the Pacific”, back to hotel to rest and get ready for the “Al Harrington dinner show”. Al Harrington is to be remembered as “Ben Kokua” on the T.V. series “Hawaii Five-O”.

March 17 - Met at 8:30 a.m. - Tour of Oahu - went to “Diamond Head Crater” the famous “Blowhole”, “Sea Life Park”, “Ocean Science Theater” and “Whalers Cove”. Tour drive through Waimanalo and over the Koolau Mountains back to Waikiki. Back to hotel by 3 p.m. - ready to go at 4:15 p.m. for a “Aikane Catamaran Cruise” along the coastline of Waikiki, dinner and show. Tired bunch back to hotel and bed.

March 18 - Kauai Tour - jet to the “Garden Isle” Waimea Canyon, on the Wailua Marina - Cruised up river to “Fern Grotto” all this from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bed sure seemed good at that time.

March 19 - Polynesian Culture Center - Met in lobby at 10 a.m. - Motored past “Pearl Harbor” thru pineapple and sugar cane fields, visited the “Dole Pineapple Center” visited the seven islands there saw the Morman Temple at Laie. The shows were beautiful. Back to hotel at 10:30 p.m. But everyone knew this was the last day, as the next day was  get ready to go home.

March 20 - Free morning for packing and last minute things. I finally got to the beach and got in the water - Back to hotel and got ready for our last look around. Say goodbye to our friends there. Our buses were “Robert Hawaii” and every driver was really wonderful, explained things, knew names of trees and flower.

So don’t give up on your dreams Just hope it doesn’t take fifty years to come true. Aloha
                                                                               Mary Fern Davis

The Tigers are quickly building a winning academic tradition.

Plattsburg Academic Team members celebrated the KCI Conference title with a win over the West Platte Bluejays in a home match Monday, March 29. The Tigers amassed 1,740 points to their opponents’ 880 points this season.

Plattsburg hosts both KCI Conference Tournaments on Monday, April 5, and the MSHSAA District 15 Tournament this year on Saturday, April 17, according to Greg Stahl, Athletic Director

​The month of April will be a quiet one in Clinton County. 
                All three area school districts – Lathrop R-II, Clinton County R-III and East Buchanan C-I – have announced that they’ve pushed back possible return dates should the COVID-19 pandemic ease up in the coming weeks. 
                Lathrop R-II has identified their earliest return date as Tuesday, April 28, while East Buchanan has cancelled school until at least Monday, April 27. Clinton County R-III will remain closed through at least Friday, April 24. 
The extended cancellations come as Clinton County experienced its second and third confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. The Clinton County Health Department confirmed Saturday, March 28, that one patient was female in her teens who had traveled recently to a location with a high rate of the virus, while the other patient is a woman in her 30s. Both had entered voluntary self-isolation, according to the CCHD .... 
              

  Clinton County’s first case was confirmed on Sunday, March 22, as a male between the ages of 40 and 50 years old. 
                On Thursday, March 26, Clinton County Health Department Administrator Blair Shock issued a public health emergency order that residents shelter in place as much as possible, staying at home while avoiding public outings. The order urged residents to continue to avoid any public event with 10 people or more and to maintain social distancing practices. 
                The City of Plattsburg has extended its state of emergency proclamation, which also urges residents to shelter in place as much as possible, through at least Thursday, April 30. ​

As the spring rolls on without schools in session, the teachers at the Clinton County R-III School District in Plattsburg took time on Tuesday, March 31, to drive throughout Plattsburg and Trimble in parade formation to see their students once again. The Clinton County R-III School District, along with other area districts, has announced it will remain out of session at least until the last week of April. 
​