Heartland View Vol. 1 No. 1

8/13/2019 Heartland View Vol. 1 No. 1

1/16

HEARTLAND

View

Fall/Winter 2013 | Volume 1 | No. 1

Midwest small townsgetting ever smaller

page 10


2/16

forHappyHour:

1/2PricedDrinksandSlushesEveryDay

from2-4p.m.

STOPIN

721SouthMain

660.562.3545

DUVALLS ACADEMYOF MARTIAL ARTS

404 S. Main St. Maryville, [email protected]

Serving Northwest Missouri Since 1979

Tuesday/Thursday - Noon, 5, 6 and 7pm

Heartland View makes its returnIts not the glossy, four-color, 32-plus pag-

es of its past, but Heartland View magazine

has returned as a product of the magazine

practicum class by multimedia journalism

and interactive digital media students at

Northwest Missouri State University.The magazines mission is essentially the

same as it was when it ceased publishing

due to budget constraints several years ago:

Provide a slice-of-life look at the Midwest.

The magazine will explore people, places

and events in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska

and Iowa that residents in Americas Heart-

land might not know about, or who might

just become a feature in a future issue.

This time, however, we will be much

more than just a print publication. Ourcompanion website, which can be reached

through our Northwest Student Media news

portal at www.nwmissourinews.com, will

bring you the sights and sounds in expanded

versions of the print stories you see here. Be

sure to check it out!

In this return issue, you read about the

decline of small towns in Americas Heart-land; towns like Parnell, Mo., that are refus-

ing to fade away quietly into the good night.

You also read about a Northwest Missouri

State coach who is torn between two bitter

rivalries -- you see, hes an alumnus of Pitt

State. You also learn about the rise in gluten

allergies, which appear to be particularly

concentrated in Midwestern states.

We hope you will take the time to read

this inaugural issue of the new Heartland

View, and also consider letting us knowabout stories weve overlooked. Drop us a

line through our website or give us a call at

660-562-1365 and tell us what would make

a great story in our next issue.

The Midwest is a vibrant, story-rich

and mysteries that need to be explained,

explored and revealed to the rest of us, sothat we can all appreciate the diversity that

encompasses and enriches those of us

who call the Heartland home, whether by

birth or by relocation.

We look forward to bringing you great

stories at the end of every fall and spring

semester for years to come. We hope you

will enjoy reading and learning about the

great stories around you as much as we

enjoyed researching, reporting and writing

about them. The staff of Heartland View,

fall 2013


3/16

CONTENTS HeartlandView Issue 1 Volume 1

08RivalryA closer look into the Northwestvs. Pitt State Rivalry

04Preserving Memories Through FacebookA group works to remember St. Josephs history

12 Plagued by PainChelsea Thomas pitches perfect despite debilitating pain

14Rise of

GlutenAllergies

A look into life with majordietary restrictions

10 Death of Small Town AmericaMidwest communities struggle as populations dwindle

06 Preserving The WarsOne mans mission to rescue war machines

07Soccer: Kicking Its Way To The TopThe growth of soccers popularity seems to have no end

AboutUsHeartland View is a product of students enrolled in the magazine

practicum course offered by the Department of Communication andMass Media at Northwest Missouri State University. The magazineis available as an insert in the final issue of the Northwest Missourianin the fall and spring semesters, as well as a stand-alone piecedistributed on campus and in area businesses. The first copy is free;each additional copy is $1. Write us at Heartland View, No. 2 WellsHall, 800 University Drive, Maryville, MO 64468. If you havecomplaints, concerns or compliments, contact us through our website,www.nwmissourinews.com or write us at the above address.

OurStaffMatt MeierManaging Editor

Jenna AnthonyPhotography Director

Heidi HartzlerZach DixonPage Designers

Natasha CookGraphics/DesignDirector

Erin HartwigJessica WeirCopy Editors

Steven ChappellAdviser


4/16

We live in a world where information

is accessible for one-third of the human

race. Thanks to the power of the World

Wide Web, we can view nearly anything

we choose.

One of the great tools of the Digital

Age has been Facebook. Facebook makes

nearly one-seventh of humanity instantly

connectable. And through these innite

number of connections, vast amounts of

information are shared every second.Facebook has served as a time cap-

sule, enveloping the collective memories

of bil lions worldwide.

In one corner of Facebook, you can

nd a popular Facebook group that is

dedicated to the sharing of memories.

This group, St. Joseph, Missouri Plac-

es and Things We Remember, has had

an ever-expanding number of members

and photos. Every day, dozens of new

photos are added, new members join,and an incalculable wealth of comments

are added to each posted item.

The St. Joseph memories Facebook

group began in 2010 under the care of

a few people interested in sharing their

memories of their hometown. However,

the group rapidly expanded in a short

period, soon encompassing a member-

ship that numbered in the thousands.

Today, the number of members stands at

more than 11,700, with many membersinvolved in daily discussions, ranging

from grade schools, department stores,

and parks.

The St. Joseph Facebook group

truly encompasses a large age range of

persons. A majority of the group consists

of Baby Boomers, largely people who

graduated high school through the 1960s

and 1970s. To much surprise, there are

even some members whose birthdates go

back into the 1930s.

Jill Meier found herself getting

involved with the St. Joseph Facebook

group early on. In 2010, she received an

invite from a friend, asking her to join the

group. At the time, there were around 30

members in the group.

Jill quickly found the group to be

hugely engrossing for

her. As the ranks of the

group swelled, more

and more information

was being shared with

her and numerous

others. Very quickly she

found herself recon-

necting with old grade

school friends.

Jill grew up in St.Joseph, Mo., born and

raised on the south

side of town. In 1980,

at the age of 20, she

moved out and headed

south to Kansas City.

Since then, she has

been a resident of

Kansas City, but has

never forgotten where

she came from.Since Ive joined

the group, it has al-

lowed me to appreciate

St. Joseph more, even

as it was in my parents

time, Jill said.

Both of Jills parents

were lifelong St. Joseph

residents. Bill and Myrtle Johnston both

grew up in Depression-era St. Joseph,

persevered through World War II, metand married in the 1950s and raised a

family thereafter. Through the St. Joseph

Facebook group, Jill has learned more

about her parents time than she could

have possibly imagined before.

Jill has also found the opportunity

to reconnect with many grade school

friends whom she had not spoken with in

a number of years. These reconnections

eventually led to a reunion of her Picket

Elementary classmates in the summer of2012 in St. Joseph, Mo. Thanks to the

power of Facebook, she has been able to

reach out to these classmates that would

have otherwise been unthinkable to

reach.

A quick glance at the Facebook

group, and you are sure to run into a

post from Terry McGinnis. Terry is

perhaps the most frequent poster on the

St. Joseph Facebook group. And though

Terrys posts are nearly beyond count,they show no signs of ending.

Terry rst became a resident of St.

Joseph, Mo., in 1955, when his father

decided to move the family to the city to

be closer to his works union hall. Terry

graduated from Central High School in

1963, then joined the Navy in March of

1964.

Terry never had his roots in St.

Joseph. Beginning in his 30s, he collected

anything and everything he could ndrelated to St. Joseph history. His collec-

tion quickly sprang up, featuring count-

less photographs and postcards ranging

across a wide swath of St. Joseph history.

This collection of postcards serves as the

source for many of Terrys posts on the

St. Joseph Facebook group.

Terry frequently peruses antique

stores in and around St. Joseph and

Platte City, Mo., looking for anything he

could add to his growing collection of

memorabilia of St. Joseph. Terry oftenturns to online sources, especially eBay,

for anything that he can nd.

Terry does not feel that there is an

obligation for him to share all of the pho-

tos and memories that he has amassed

over the years. However, Terry does take

pleasure in knowing that many people

enjoy what he shares.

People seem to enjoy them as long as

they like the pictures, says Terry.

As the group has grown, Terry feelsthat the group has brought a lot of peo-

ple together. Many of these new mem-

bers get to see a new view of St. Joseph

that they otherwise would have never

known. Thanks to Terrys photographs

and postcards, many new people, young

and old alike, have come to see St. Joseph

in a new light.

Preserving MemoriesThrough Facebook

Matt Meier

4 Heartland View | Fall/Winter 2013

The Aug. 22, 1944, issue of the St. Joseph Rosecrans Flyer, autographed by the G.I.s on the front, is part of the groups collection.


5/16

For Kitty Christie, St. Joseph, Mo.,has been her home since a young age.

Kitty graduated from Central High

School in 1978 and moved across the

United States. After residing in Chicago

and Los Angeles through the 1980s and

1990s, Kitty and her husband settled

down in Austin, Texas.

For Kitty, the thing that has stuck out

for her about the St. Joseph group is how

much it exploded in membership. As the

posts lled with pictures and memoriesbegan rolling out, the membership grew

exponentially.

Kitty found that many members in

the group have had similar memories

about a location in St. Joseph, but then

along came an interesting fact that no

one knew.

Much of the growth of the Facebook

group lies with the historic value and

size of St. Joseph, Kitty nds. Many of

the people in the group look back on theposts from other members with a sense

of nostalgia.

Theres so much history there, said

Kitty.

While the amount of material in the

group is impressive enough, Kitty nds

that the excessiveness of so much infor-

mation is too much for her sometimes.Often times posts will devolve into argu-

ments of politics and beliefs, which turn

Kitty off from engaging with the group.

I try not to judge people online,

but when people get into arguments

That whole page is about nostalgia, not

arguments, said Kitty. I try not to get

caught up in the politics of it.

But despite these criticisms, Kitty

denitely believes the group will continue

to prosper.Anyone that grew up in St. Joseph

would probably be intrigued by it, says

Kitty.

John King has been the lone ad-

ministrator for the St. Joseph Facebook

group for a couple of years now. Thanks

to Johns methods of keeping the group

from devolving into arguments, the group

has been prospering and fostering an

excellent environment for people to share

their memories and photographs.John is a born-and-raised St. Jo-

seph resident. Through his years in St.

Joseph, John was employed at different

establishments across the city, including

the iconic Millers Grill. After working

at several television and radio repair

shops, as well as the St. Joseph School

District Maintenance Department, Johnjoined the military at the age of 22. After

traveling around Europe for many years,

John eventually came under the employ

of the Pentagon in 2000. Today, John has

settled in northern Virginia, working for

a defense contractor, designing enterprise

web applications.

John became involved in the group

earlier on, but noticed that it was practi-

cally a free-for-all.

There were lots of great nuggetsof Saint Joseph information, says

John, but there were also lots of ads

for knock-off Nike shoes, political rants,

religious zealotry, etc.

Thanks to his web-centric back-

ground, John decided to step in to con-

trol the group.

I had experience administrating

groups before, and stepped in to try and

preserve some of the great information

that was owing before the noise droveeveryone off, says John.

Johns efforts did pay off. Today, the

group is largely free of the negativity that

degraded the group earlier on.

With the countless posts and com-

ments coming every day, John would l ike

to see all of that information get orga-

nized into a meaningful way.With a large group of people com-

menting on a broad subject, such as the

history of Saint Joseph, information is

quickly lost, says John.

John envisions a group effort to or-

ganize the treasure-trove of information

from the group, and then using software

to display all of the data in a meaningful

manner to new users in the group. That

way, a person can easily nd information

that they are interested in or share theirown personal information in the relevant

area.

Twenty years ago, the thought of

sharing quickly and easily with the mass-

es was in the realm of science ction.

But with the advent of the World Wide

Web and Facebook, swapping stories and

sharing photos is now easier than ever.

These four individuals, and thousands of

others, are each separated by hundredsof miles, and yet they can collectively

share their memories of St. Joseph with

each other.

And through this sharing, the preser-

vation of St. Josephs past can forever be

remembered.

Above are some of the hundreds of images depicting the history of St. Joseph that have been posted to the group Facebook page. For many of the images, the history behind the photo has been lost.

5Fall/Winter 2013 | Heartland View


6/16

Youve never lived until

youve almost died, for those

who fought for it; life has a

avor the protected will never

know. These words were once

spoken by a soldier who fought

in Vietnam in 1968.

Many of these brave young

men and women spend years

living in and working on their

vehicles, but relatively few get to

see them after the war.

John Pojunos is a retired

salesman at a box company in

Kansas City, Mo. He is of av-

erage height and a little on the

rotund side. His hair has grayed

out from his 65 years of l iving;

he sports a dapper mustache

and coke-bottle glasses. His

bluish eyes are brimming with

intelligence. He has devoted the

last 15 to 18 years of his life to

collecting memorabilia from

the wars; he cannot precisely

remember how long it has been.

Johns grandfather served

in WWI, and his father was a

veteran of WWII, so it does not

come as a surprise that war fas-

cinated him from the time that

he was in grade school. John

started collecting military items

when he was a child.

He would go to the military

surplus store in his hometown

of Sioux Falls, S.D., and spend

his allowance. When he hit high

school, he lost interest in collect-

ing and a lot of his collection

got away from him.

Then he got married, had

children and a job, so collecting

was no longer in the forefront of

his mind. In 1966, John at-

tempted to serve in the Marine

Corps; however, his bad knees

prevented him from being taken

to Vietnam.

I feel this is a hobby with

responsibility. I do this so the

veterans arent forgotten and

have the opportunity to see

vehicles and gear they had when

they were in the military, John

said proudly.

Over the years, John has

amassed more than 100 WWI

and WWII uniforms as well as

some trailers, a WWII truck and

a Korean War jeep. He also has

the gear that went with these

uniforms and vehicles. This col-lection led him to the Military

Vehicle Preservation Associa-

tion, a worldwide organization

dedicated to the preserving of

both vehicles and peoples mem-

ories about the war.

The MVPA has about

9,000 members worldwide and

there are 75 chapters in Amer-

ica. The collecting of uniforms

and other military gear is an

offshoot of collectors in this

group. The MVPA does some

political work regarding laws

that allow people to own and

operate military vehicles. States

treat these vehicles differently

than they treat regular historic

vehicles like Model Ts.

In Johns home state of

Kansas, you can now put a reg-

ular historic vehicle license plate

on any old vehicle with wheels.

The MVPA also puts up

displays for a kind of rolling

museum.

On Memorial Day,

many of the Kansas City mem-

bers, including John, set up dis-

plays of vehicles and gear at the

Liberty Memorial. John owns 16mannequins for this purpose.

Johns most prized possessions

in this unique collection are his

1941 Dodge half-ton weapons

carrier and a rare uniform.

He and his wife, Marilyn,

drove from Olathe, Kan., all

the way to Albuquerque, N.M.,

for the weapons carrier. This

vehicle has been fully restored

and is driven regularly. He also

greatly values a WWII uniform

from a small unit of United

States and Canadian troops that

were specially trained to ght in

the mountains.

These men fought in Italy

and their uniforms are hard to

come by. John bought his at a

gun show from someone who

didnt know the value of what

he owned.

Despite the crazy places

John has gone to get some of his

items, Marilyn is quite OK with

Johns obsession. She has her

own collection of WWII items.

John says she collects items

that you would have found in a

home during the war.

She collects a lot of posterstelling Americans to buy war

bonds and posters about victory.

He also says they have a joke

around the house that as long

Johns things do not end up in

the kitchen, shes OK with it.

John says collecting military

items is a lot of work, but the

benets outweigh the costs, and

it is a lot of fun. He sees collect-

ing as an important thing to do

for the sake of the country.

Schools arent teaching

about what these soldiers did

and what they sacriced. I am

keeping the history alive. Im

showing it and trying to keep

the public aware.

The number of surviving

veterans from WWII is ever

shrinking, but the memories

shared by the world will not be

vanishing any time soon. People

like John Pojunos wont be let-

ting that happen.

Now WWI and WWII ar-

ent relevant to a lot of younger

people. As the generations pass,

it becomes less and less rele-

vant, John said.

Preservingthe WarsErin Hartwig JohnPojunos

Rear View of Johns 1941 Dodge


John Pojunos 1941 Dodge Submitted Photos


7/16

Heidi HartzlerDavid Beckham once said, Soccer is a magical

game. These words could not be more true when look-

ing at the growth of soccer and its fans in the U.S. Take

Kansas City, for instance. In November of 2010 the

Kansas City Wizards changed their name to Sporting

KC, and there has been a dramatic climb in ticket sales

ever since.

This 2013 season all the tickets to games have been

sold out, with an average of 19,700 fans in attendance,with the standing room only section packed. The

name change to Sporting KC and a new stadium have

increased the number of fans at Kansas City soccer

games. In 2007, when the Wizards played at Arrowhead

Stadium, they had an attendance average of about

8,091. In 2010 when the Wizards played at the Com-

munity America Ballpark, they had an average of 9,840

fans. With the name change, a new look, and as well as

how well the team is playing, more people are becoming

increasingly interested in soccer in Kansas City.

Soccer popularity is not just in Major LeagueSoccer, though; soccer popularity is growing throughout

all ages. Little league, high school, and college soccer

teams are all seeing an increase in fans and people who

want to play the sport. Anna Holden is a sophomore

at Northwest Missouri State University and plays as a

forward for the Northwest soccer team.

I think soccer has become such a popular sport

because people are actually starting to give it a chance.

It seemed that it used to be that people would think low

of soccer, but they never watched it on TV, paid atten-

tion to it, or went to a game, said Holden.Soccer is growing all around us, more people are

starting to connect with soccer, and with that there will

only continue to be a greater increase of people going to

games and becoming bigger fans of soccer.

With the sold-out Sporting KC games, and an

increase in most all soccer programs, people in the U.S.

will probably continue to see the popularity of soccer

grow more each year.

Famous soccer players are also a driving force,

getting more people hooked on soccer games. The

2010 and 2011 World Cups brought attention to soccerplayers now you are seeing more of them on TV, and

commercials and people are starting to actually know

who these players are.

When people actually know the players, theyll be

more willing to watch them rather than watching a team

full of players they dont know, said Holden.

Knowing a famous player on a team helps get

more people to watch a game, because they want to see

that certain player that they like. Hope Solo, a two-time

winning gold medalist from the United States wom-

ens soccer team, has become a popular player among

people for her athleticism in the goal and also for her

beauty.She currently has 687,199 followers on Twitter, be-

cause of the popularity that she has gained from playing

soccer.

Brain Bliss graduated from Northwest in 1998 and

is now a teacher at Harrisonville High School. He is

also the high schools boys soccer coach, and has been

coaching soccer for 12 years.

The more successful teams are in America and in

other countries, the more popular the sport is becoming.

It is a life-long sport, and the more people learn about

the game, the more excited they are to watch. It has auniversal appeal and can bring people together like no

other sport can, said Bliss.

Bliss has also seen quite a bit of growth in the Har-

risonville soccer program since the start of his coaching

career 12 years ago. He has seen a growth in not only its

popularity, but also in how many players there are and

the amount of fans that come out to support the team

and watch the games.

My frst year coaching, I believe we had around

20-24 total guys on the team. This year we started the

year with 48 players. Because we have more players

coming out, we have more fans, but I believe we also

have more fans because of the success of our soccerprogram, said Bliss.

Bliss is also a fan of the Sporting KC soccer team in

Kansas City. He has seen the growth in soccer popu-

larity for their team as well as how they were able to

become more popular.

They have a solid program with quality players

and coaching. I remember when they were the Kansas

City Wizards and they didnt have many people coming

to the games. Once they got a new park and a new own-

er who invested in their program, they began winning

several games, and in Kansas City, we are loyal to ourteams; especially when they are winning, said Bliss.

Soccer popularity is growing all around us and

more people are headed out to soccer felds to lace up

their shoes and put on their shin guards to play the

game they love.

Soccer will only continue to grow as time goes on,

because people all over the world love and enjoy the

sport.

Holden, No. 4 of the Northwest soccer team, prepares to make a shot towards the goal.

Kicking Its Way To The Top7Fall/Winter 2013 | Heartland View

Soccers rapid growth takes over local communities


8/16

Story and Photos by Zach Dixon

When it comes to sports, fans love

their teams, and would do almost any-

thing to support them. They wear their

teams colors and logos every game day

and most days in between. Most fans

would even say the bleed the schools

colors.

Every school has its rival, the one oth-

er team that no one likes. Sports rivalries

play an important role in any sport. Play-

ers, coaches and fans feel the emotions

and intensity run high when it is gameday between them and their rival.

However, the fans may feel it more so

than anyone else, as they are the concrete

building blocks of a rivalry.

Here in the Midwest exists one of the

greatest sports rivalries known in college

sports, which can be traced back even

further than the Civil War.

It is the rivalry between The Univer-

sity of Missouri and the University of

Kansas, also known as the Border War.This all began in the 1850s, prior to

the Civil War, when guerilla warfare took

place between the two states in the years

leading up to the start of the war. Since

those days, this rivalry has turned into one

of the most bitter and hateful rivalries in

all of college sports.

However, this is not the only sports

related rivalry between the two states. Asimilar one exists right her in Maryville,

Mo., and that is the rivalry between

Northwest Missouri State University and

Pitt State University.

Jason Sack is the Head Cheerleading

Coach of Northwest Missouri State and

has been for the last eight years. He has

Bearcat Head Cheerleading Coach Jason Sack with his former Pitt State Coach,Linda Graham, before the 2013 Arrowhead Classic.

Jason Sack has seen bothsides of the bitter rivalry

A PITT STATE BEARCAT


Bearcat Head Cheerleader Coach JasonSack has won three national champion-ships in four years as a Bearcat, but hisheart, and his diploma, are all Pitt State.


9/16

brought the Bearcats home three national

titles, two of which came in back to back years,

and all three being in just four years. Jasons

passion for cheerleading landed him on several

Top 10 squads at the UCA College Nationals

from 1996 to 1999, one of which included a

second place nish for the Gorillas in 1998.

Northwest did not cheer competitively during

those years, Jason said.

During his years on the Gorilla Cheer

Squad, Jason was named as a team captain

and also earned the Hustle Award in 1997

and 1998.

After nishing his career as a Gorilla, Jason

led Avila University to three straight Top 10

nishes at the UCA Nationals, and was namedthe Coach of the Year in 2003 for the Heart

of America Athletic Conference.

Last year, the Bearcats brought home a

national title while Sacks alma mater nished

close behind, bringing home a fourth place n-

ish. Sack embraces the rivalry between North-

west and Pitt State as motivation for his squad

to get better.

The Gorillas won a National Title in 2001,

and have since gone downhill. However, Jason

believes that they are getting things turned

around and is expecting them to become very

competitive again. I think it will be Pitt and

Northwest ghting for the National Champi-

onship he said. If we are able to win, then

Pitt is going to be in second place.

With several members from last years

national title-winning squad gone, the new-

comers to the team have to step up and intotheir spots. A challenge for anyone new to a

program, but a sign for what is to come in the

future. The newcomers are made well aware

of their competition. I want them to be good,

I want them to push us, Jason said of the

Gorillas.

Seeing the rivalry evolve over the years

from both sides, Jason says the rivalry is more

civil than it has proved to be over the years.

In years past it seemed like the opposing fans

wanted to kill each other, he explained.

Now things have seemed to have calmed

down. While both teams battle for a con-

ference title and playoff spots each year, the

games are sure to be a little hostile. He can

remember his fair share of lopsided victories

Photo by Matt MeierNorthwest cheerleaders pump up the crowd.

The two teams shake hands at mid-field after a 24-15 Bearcat victory Oct. 19, 2013, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, in what could bethe last Fall Classic at the stadium.


and games that came down to the wire in each

teams favor, one of which included a 40-0 winfor the Gorillas in a heavy rainstorm.

In 2002, the Bearcats and Gorillas started

playing their regular season football games at

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., in

the event coined as the Fall Classic.

The Fall Classic is the largest NCAA Divi-

sion II sporting event in the nation. This game

between the two squads consistently gathers a

crowd of close to 20,000 fans.

With new teams joining the MIAA, this

years Fall Classic was rumored to be the last

meeting between the two teams at Arrowhead,

bringing an end to the Fall Classic.

The game ended as a victory for the Bear-

cats, bringing the Fall Classic series to 9-3 in

favor of Northwest.

However, with Lincoln University and

Southwest Baptist dropping from the MIAA in

football, there is still a possibility for anotherFall Classic in the future. With the 2014 season

schedules now available, a location for this

future rivalry game has not yet been set. The

two programs will meet and discuss the details

of the future contest at a later date, after the

completion of the season.


10/16

No western story is

complete without a worn-

down, dusty strip of build-

ings, such as the local bar,

grocery store, and sheriff s

ofce, which the surround-

ing residents consider a big

town.

But what happens

when the only residents liv-

ing in town are those whoown the small businesses

along the short roadway?

Rural areas have been

in decline since the 1930s

and now are only 16 per-

cent of Americas popula-

tion, according to national

census data.

There is something

about the business and

industrial way of life that

has enticed people to leave

their small town lives for

the cities.

Fast forward to the 21st

century and you will nd

some of these one-street

towns still exist; although,

over the past few decadesmany of these towns have

slowly become classic ghost

towns.

The doors are boarded

shut, broken windows scale

the walls of worn down

buildings, and the popula-

tion of chickens and goats

outnumber that of thehuman residents.

Walnut, Iowa, is a

one-school town, where

the largest employer is the

surrounding farm land; the

social event of the week is

attending church on Sun-

Small Towns Fight to Stay on the Map

photo by Jenna AnthonyMany original business buildings in Parnell, Mo., are still standing, but most stand empty as businesses have folded or left town over the years.

Jenna Anthony


day morning and tractors

are the vehicle of choice.

It might not be the

town in the old westernmovies, but it is without

a doubt a small farming

community.

Erika Lees is a 20-year-

old student at Northwest

Missouri State University.

She was born and raised in

Walnut.

Her family is thepicture-perfect image

of a Midwest farm

family, spending their

time each fall operating

farm equipment while

still managing to get the

children to their activities

on time and making it to

Bible study.

During the 1920s the

number of people residingin Walnut was at a high of

1,072 individuals; in 2010

the small town was home

to just 785 people, accord-

ing to the U.S. Census.

Each year since the

1920s the towns popu-

lation has been in steady

decline, save for some min-imal growth in the 1970s.

The citys placement

near the highway and the

popularity of its numerous

antique stores has helped

the town survive through

the hard economic times.

We have a big antique

walk every Fathers Day

weekend, and it brings

in a lot of money for thetown and a lot of people in

general, Lees said.

The appeal of

the small-town life is

diminishing. Teenagers

are often thought to be the

only ones leaving small

communities for a bigger

and better adventure, butmany families are moving

into the bigger cities as

well.

Most recently, some

people thought it was nice

to live out that far from

their jobs to where their

kids could have a better

education and things are

quieter, Lees says. When

gas prices really startedto go up it became too

much money to go back

and forth; a lot of people

moved closer to the cities

or into the cities to cut

down on gas costs and

commuting time.

The Walnut school

board recently votedto combine the Walnut

Community School high

school students with the

nearby A-H-S-Ts high

school.

Walnut was the last

school in the surrounding


11/16

Photos by Jenna AnthonyAbove: A swing set stands abandoned at the old Parnell Elementary School.Below: The K & T Bar in Parnell continues to stay packed on weekends.

area not to have combined

with another institution.

In the past year, the

small town put up a ght

in order to keep its small

post ofce in working

order.

With hard work and

small town attitude, the

community managed to

keep the post ofce open;

although, its working hours

had to be cut back.

To some areas, not

having a post ofce would

be an inconvenience, butwith Walnuts booming

antique business, a shut-

down would have been

detrimental.

Small towns such as

Walnut may be surviving

thanks to the stubborn

will of the American

farmer, but many others

are in decline or have

already fallen into mounds

of rubble marking the

existence of a once

thriving town.

A prime example of

this is Parnell, Mo. The

little town is nestled about

20 miles from Maryville,

Mo., and much resemblesa ghost town.

Parnell is small town

of 192 residents, which

contains multiple homes,

a gas station, a bar, two

churches, a re station,

and a city hall.

These few business and

homes are what keep the

tiny town functioning.

While Parnell has

always been a small town,

during the 1950s through

the 1980s, it boasted a

much greater variety of

business, according to local

farmer Robert Schmitz.

We even had an old

movie theater there at

one point, said Schmitz.

And my uncle had a

Allis-Chalmers (tractor)

dealership right across

from the bar.

A hardware store,

lumberyard, grocery store,

drug store, and multiple

other businesses used to

occupy the now empty

buildings along the main

road in Parnell.

I remember there wasa gas station at the edge

of town, and I remember

it was the rst gas station

that had all the candies,

said Robert Schmitzs son

Brian Schmitz. Wed stop

there on our way to school

and it had the glass and

everything and underneath

you could see all the can-

dies, and that was a treat

for us.

Robert Schmitz was

born and raised around

the Parnell area and has

continued to live there like

many previous generations

of his family.

He attended the Par-nell school, graduating in

1952 in a class of about

15 students. The elemen-

tary school in Parnell was

recently combined with

Ravenwood Elementary

School as a way to save

funds, similar to what the

school in Walnut had to

do.

What is currently

the K&T Bar, a favorite

among locals and

Northwest Missouri State

University college students,

used to be the local motel.

During some weeknights

and especially weekends,

the parking spots in front

of the bar are packed

with people. It is small

businesses like the K&T

Bar and local Emery gas

station that help the town

survive in tough economic

times.

Also similar to the

small Iowa town, Parnell

saw much of its business

going into the city of

Maryville, which many

people found convenientsince they held jobs in the

city, according to Robert

Schmitz, this is why many

stores went out of business.

Both Walnut and

Parnell once had a train

that ran through the

towns, carrying mainly

agricultural products

and animals. It is likely

that whenever the trains

stopped running through

the towns, it impacted

the towns economies,

slowly causing some of

the local businesses to

close their doors and the

citizens looking toward the

booming cities for work,according to Lees.

Whether it is for

economic reasons or the

convenience cities seem to

offer, many small towns are

diminishing as the resi-

dents leave looking for the

next adventure in life.

While the idea of small

town life seems to be di-

minishing, those who have

lived in Americas farm

towns they will always have

memories of what it was

like to live a simpler life

away from the cities.



12/16

PLAGUEDBY

Chelsea Thomas sits inher hospital bed staring ather new pair of red TOMS.Shopping cures my pains,she says with a huge grin onher face and I have a pinkpair coming tomorrow.

Thomas, formerAll-American pitcher for theUniversity of Missouri andcurrent member of profes-

sional softball team USSSAPride, has been plagued byinjuries ranging from ten-donitis to a stress fracturein her forearm to her mostrecent Thoracic OutletSyndrome, which led to herrecent hospitalization and

surgery.A native of Pleasantville,

Iowa, Thomas started play-ing softball in fth grade, andat a young age her parentsknew she wasnt just an aver-age pitcher.

Thomas played onmultiple travel teams untilher freshman year at Pleas-antville High School, whenshe earned a varsity spot.Coached by her father,

Thomas was quickly noticedas one of the best pitchers inthe state of Iowa, throwing70 mph pitches consistently.

Throwing with that kindof speed is a lot for a bodyto handle, so arm injuriessuch as tendonitis and pulled

muscles came as no surprise.They were something, she

said, that comes with thejob.Her battle with injuries

did not keep her from gettingrecruited by many DivisionI programs. She selected theUniversity of Missouri andcalled Columbia her homefor the next ve years.

Freshman year Chelseahelped her team to its rst

Womens College WorldSeries (WCWS) in 15 years,where their season came to aclose with two straight losses.The record-breaking seasonhad Thomas excited aboutwhat the next season had instore.

Photos provided by Dana ThomasAbove: Chelsea facetimes former teammate Nicole Hudson after surgery.Left: Thomas poses with the 2011 World Cup Champion trophy.

Tassi Cook


Thomas opened hersophomore season with a suc-cessful weekend against No.2-ranked Alabama with 22strikeouts in two games, andthe next week was namedNFCA Leadoff Classic MostValuable Player after put-ting up 11 strikeouts against

Michigan. The season wasoff to a great start andThomas was 12-1 with 123strikeouts in 77.1 innings,blowing away the numbersshe put up in her freshmanseason of 116 strikeouts in148.2 innings. The Tigersreached the No. 2 rankingwhen Thomas suffered aseason-ending stress fractureto her throwing forearm. Shereceived a medical redshirtfor the season, but the injurytook a toll on her emotion-ally.

With my stress fracture,I felt like I was quitting onmy team. I had gone from

cruising through No. 2 seedsto my arm in a cast and hav-ing to sit out the rest of theseason, Thomas said.

With the feelings of letdown came the uncertaintyof her future.

There was never a guar-antee that my bone would

heal enough to withstandpitching, but I did all theright things to give myselfthe best chance to get back,Thomas said.

And that she did, comingback to post one of the mostimpressive seasons in Mizzousoftball history, being namedone of three nalists for USASoftballs National Playerof the Year, receiving FirstTeam All-American Honorsand Big 12 Pitcher of theWeek six times.

She led the entire coun-try with a .95 earned runaverage (ERA) and shatteredMissouris season strikeout


13/16

Chelsea displays her newly removed first rib.

record. On March 2 againstDrake University, she record-ed Mizzous rst seven inningperfect game since 2002, andonce again led the Tigers tothe Womens College World

Series, where they beat theOklahoma Sooners, givingMissouri its rst WCWS

victory since 1991.The Tigers nished the

season with a 1-0 loss toBaylor in 13 innings. In theheartbreaking loss, Thomasallowed just one earned runand had 19 strikeouts, thesecond-most in a single game

in the history of the WCWS.She nished the year with a32-8 record.

Coming back so strongthe season after my stressfracture was a tribute to thetime and effort I put into myrecovery, Thomas said.

Feeling healthier thanever, Thomas made the 2011

USA Team, a feat that meanta great deal to her.That summer she helped

Team USA to two goldmedals in the Pan AmericanGames and the World Cupof Softball.

Thomass success contin-ued into her redshirt junior

year as the rst Tiger inMizzous history to be named

First Team All-Americantwice and the second playerin the Big 12 to be namedBig 12 Pitcher of the Yearmore than once.

The Tigers came up onegame short of the WCWS,but that summer she madeTeam USA for the second

year in a row, and helpedthem win a silver medal inthe ISF World Championshipand a gold for the second

year in the World Cup.Chelseas redshirt senior

year would prove to be notonly one of the most suc-cessful, but also one of themost mentally and physically


trying seasons in her career.Switching to the Southeast-ern Conference (SEC) was achallenge that Thomas wasexcited to face, but whenMissouris second string

pitcher quit mid-season,Thomas was left to bear theload.

Thomas threw almostall of the remaining games,which meant sometimesthrowing three games in oneweekend.

This started to take a tollon Thomass body. She de-

veloped blisters on her ngers

so bad that the skin wouldsometimes be supergluedback on.

She was in the worsepain shed ever been in,and as a mother it is terri-ble to watch your child gothrough, Dana Thomassaid.

Team trainers tried to

combat the blisters reducingpractice time throughout theweek. Some weeks she wouldnot practice all week andthen throw all three games ina weekend series.

The blisters were just thestart. Thomas started devel-oping swelling in her forearmand hand, causing her tolose grip and have complete

numbness in her hand.When I would pitch, my

hands and arm would swelland would have numbnessand tingling, my grip strengthended up less than half ofmy normal strength and Iwould get to the point whereI couldnt even feel the ball inmy hand, Thomas said.

When physical therapyfailed to relieve the symp-toms, Thomas went tomultiple doctors and did testafter test.

We went to at least vedifferent doctors trying to g-ure out what they could do tostop the swelling and numb-

ness and all the tests keptcoming back normal, DanaThomas said. It was veryfrustrating for us, and withRegionals and Super Region-als coming up, Chelsea just

wanted to be at her best.Despite the pain, Thom-

as helped her team throughregional play and one weekbefore Super Regionals wasdiagnosed with ThoracicOutlet Syndrome (TOS).

Thoracic Outlet Syn-drome occurs when the blood

vessels or nerves betweenyour collarbone and rst rib

become compressed.A cause of TOS is repeti-

tive injuries from sports-relat-ed activities, and symptomsinclude numbness or tinglingin arm or ngers and weak-ening grip.

Thomas was relieved tonally know what had beencausing all these symptoms,

but with Super Regionals in aweek she didnt have time toremedy her condition.

Thomas played throughthe pain, but Missourisseason ended with a loss toWashington in Super Re-gionals. Thomas nishedher career as the winningestpitcher in Mizzou history,with a record of 111-31, and

the career strikeouts recordwith 1,174.

One week after Mizzousseason-ending loss, Thom-as signed with NationalPro Fastpitch team USSSAPride. With some down time,Thomas started physicaltherapy and doctors pre-scribed medications to reduceinammation and pain.Thomas was doing every-thing the doctors suggested,but her symptoms increased.

I started getting moresymptoms without pitchingat all. I could barely do mydaily activities like raisingmy arms over my head,

getting dressed or squeezingmy shampoo bottle withoutbeing in excruciating pain,Thomas said.

This led her to the nextoption surgery.

I started doing researchand found that Cat Oster-man got the surgery to x itthe previous year. I started re-searching doctors and foundone in St. Louis that hadworked on professional ath-letes across the board. At myappointment he said I was atextbook case and scheduledmy surgery, Thomas said.

With this surgery, twoscalene muscles in Thom-ass neck would be removedas well as her rst rib. Thiswould release her pectoralismuscles and would hopefullyrelieve the swelling and pain.

Surgery is not guar-anteed to be 100 percentsuccessful. Thomas maynever regain full range ofmotion or her nerves maynot reconnect.

Before the surgery, mydoctor told me there wereno guarantees this surgerywas going to allow me to besuccessful pitching again, butit was a gamble I had to take

because of the pain that hadprogressively carried over tomy everyday life, Thomassaid.

Thomas is remainingpositive and doing everything

she can get back to where shewas when she was healthy.After all of the recovery

and rehab, there is a chancethat I might not throw again,but the doctors and physicaltherapists have been verypositive with my progressthus far, so all I can do iskeep working hard on myrehab exercises and hopeful-

ly be in pitching shape formy summer season with theUSSSA Pride, Thomas said.

Looking back, Thomasbelieves that the injuries shesuffered made her a betterathlete and has contributedto her future career.

It is such a clich to say,but it has really taught me alot about mental toughnessand has contributed to myinterest in sports psychol-ogy. So, you could say thateverything happens for areason and that my injurieshappened so that I could godown the great path I am onright now in my life.


14/16

GlutenAllergies

on the

It all started withserious stomach painsand difculties of keepinganything in her system.She began to feel as if herbody was slowly breakingitself down. Emilee Walk-er, a 20-year-old student at

Northwest Missouri StateUniversity, rushed to theemergency room to ndout the cause to these ag-onizing symptoms. To herdismay, the doctors wereunable to determine thereason for her pain.

They had no ideawhat was wrong with me,Walker says. My husbandtold me to cut out glutenand see if that helpeditdid.

Gluten allergies havebecome more known inrecent years. Some mayhave heard the term glu-ten-free, but may have

no clue what it actuallymeans. Gluten is a termfor a protein found inwheat and other grainssuch as barley and rye. Awide range of basic foodscontain gluten--pasta,bread, and other favor-

Jessica Weir

Emilee Walker and her husband, Tyler, enjoy a gluten-free dinner consisting of chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Living both gluten-free and as a college student is reected in Walkersrefrigerator.

photos by Jessica Weir


RISE

ites such as cake, cookies,french fries and beer.

According to WebMD,a person may be diagnosedwith a gluten allergy, alsoknown as celiac disease,when their body rejectsfood containing gluten.When this happens, the

immune system respondsto the gluten in the bodyabnormally and damagesthe small intestine.

In other words, ifsomeone with the con-dition ingests gluten, theintestines become inamedand they are also unableto absorb proper nutrients.

The National Foundationof Celiac Awareness, alsoknown as the NFCA, saysthat one out of every 133Americans, or about 3million people, have fallen

victim to the disease.WebMD says that the

symptoms of celiac diseasemay come and go, rangefrom mild to severe sosevere that it impacts dailylife, or may even go unno-ticed.

According to WebMD,these symptoms includegas and bloating, which

may be accompanied bystomach pain, abnormalstools, unexplained weightloss, weakness and fatigue,and sometimes vomiting.Symptoms vary from per-son to person and may bedifferent in regards to age.

People with celiac dis-ease face many challenges.

So far, no cure exists, andthe only way for thosewho are celiac to beat thedisease is to be 100 percentgluten-free and carry agood attitude.

For people who lovefoods containing gluten,

it is challenging to give uptheir favorite foods liter-ally forever.

The number of peoplewith celiac disease is on therise due to public aware-ness. The NFCA says thatabout 83 percent of peoplewho have the disease are

either undiagnosed ormisdiagnosed with otherconditions, and the aver-age time a person waits tobe properly diagnosed issix to 10 years.

Many people are un-aware of what the diseaseis, and the rise in public


15/16

Gluten IntoleranceSigns & SymptomsnGas and bloating

nStomach pain

nAbnormal stools

nUnexplained weight loss

nSkin Rash

nWeakness and fatigue

nVomiting*Signs and symptoms can range from mild to severe. Symptoms also vary

from person to person and may be different in regards to age.

Jessica Weir

Gluten-free foods ll the cabinets of Walkers apartment, consisting ofgluten-free cookies, pasta, vegetables, popcorn and other heatlhy

snacks.


awareness has helpedmany come to terms withwhat may living with amysterious sickness.

The popularity of glu-ten-free diets have madeheadway into our society;so much that Time Mag-azine listed Gluten-FreeEverything as its No. 2spot in a list of Top 10Food Trends of 2012.

Josh Ozersky, writer ofthe article in Time Maga-zine, says, Since bread is

fattening, and dispensable,and because so many of usare hypochondriacs, glu-ten-free foods keep surgingto ever higher levels ofpopularity.

The increase of celiacdisease is also reected bythe sales increase of glu-ten-free foods.

The NFCA says that in2010, sales of gluten-freefoods reached above$2.6 billion. By 2015,those sales are expectedto exceed more than $5billion. If this is accurate,gluten-free product saleswill almost double in onlyve years.

Walker says that shewasnt even aware thatgluten-free foods existeduntil she began to incor-porate them into her diet.Learning to live with thisnew, restrictive diet was ahuge adjustment for her.The gluten-free lifestylebecame such a high prior-

ity in Walkers life that herhusband, Tyler, made thedecision to begin a glu-ten-free diet with her.

Gluten-free breadtakes a while to get used to;however, my husband and

I believe that gluten-freecakes, cookies, crackers,and noodles actually tastebetter, Walker says.

Another hardshipabout living with celiac dis-ease is eating out. Going todine-in or fast food restau-rants is usually quite a task,and very few restaurantshave specialized menuitems to suit the needs ofpeople who are unable toingest gluten.

It is very difcult

unless restaurants havea guaranteed gluten-freemenu, Walker says. Fastfood is almost an impossi-bility, except for Chick-Fil-Aa lifesaver.

Unlike many fast-foodrestaurants, Chick-Fil-Aoffers gluten-free items forconsumers. Grilled chicken

nuggets and wafe friesfried in separate oil to pre-vent gluten contaminationare some of Walkers go-toitems.

It actually feels likea normal fast food expe-rience, rather than askingfor the grilled chickensandwich without the bun,

and please make sure thechicken never touches anybread, she says. Its justnormal, and much lessawkward.

Another struggle thatis less obvious for peoplewith celiac disease is ac-cepting food as gifts fromother people. Walker says

this is one of the biggestchallenges for her.

I struggle to tell peo-ple, Im sorry, I cant eatgluten anymore, after theyhave spent time, effort, andthought into what they

have made for me.Celiac disease also

comes along with a heftyprice tag and expensivetaste. The Gluten Intoler-ance School says that onaverage, gluten free foodsare 242 percent moreexpensive than foods thatcontain gluten.

Living with a glu-ten-free diet is certainlychallenging, but it alsohas upsides. Walker saysthat she feels much more

energized since she has cutgluten from her diet.I feel it has made me

healthier, she says. Ourmeals contain more fruits,vegetables and meats, andI have also made a lotmore meals from scratch.

Walker also believesthat she could potentially

raise future family mem-bers to be gluten-free aswell. There are a lot ofother health benets thatcome along with beinggluten-free, she says.

If one person in afamily has gluten allergies,it is common for the wholefamily to cut gluten from

their diets. According tothe Gluten IntoleranceSchool, celiac disease ishereditary; 4 to 12 percentof rst-degree relativeswill also suffer from glutenallergies.

Celiac disease has bothups and downs, and it isgood for people to become

informed about it. Anincrease of awareness isimportant due to the factthat gluten allergies arebecoming more common,not-to-mention, popular, inour society every day.


16/16

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