SCHELL CITY PARADE GRAND MARSHALLS NAMED – Everett and Pat Prough met at a barn dance west of Peculiar in 1952. Everett was still in the U.S. Army and home on leave from Korea. Pat and her sister Norma were high school students in the nearby town of Adrian where their mother operated a cafe.

Upon graduation from high school in 1953, Pat went to work for KCP&L in Kansas City. Everett and Pat were married in 1955 and farmed in partnership with Everett’s brother Cecil and their father Harvey. In 1958, they purchased their own farm from Ralph Bloesser and raised three children in addition to row crop corn, wheat, beans and Hampshire hogs. If raising crops and kids wasn’t enough, they started and maintained a successful milking operation.

Like most farm families, they were active in their church, 4-H, Grange and the Walker school where Everett served on the Board of Education. Serving on the Selective Service Board of Vernon County kept Everett busy for 20 years.

Hard work on the farm paid off and in 1970, they received the Farm Management award for outstanding achievement in farming. 

Pat and Everett retired in 1978 and built a new home as close to Schell City as they could get. Known by locals as the “Town House,” it still stands on the curve about three miles west of town.

In 1984, Pat and Everett organized the first Prough Family reunion held in Branson. This soon became an annual event that was held for over 35 years with locations all over the United States and even into Canada. While attending those reunions, Pat and Everett visited Canada and all 50 states with the exception of Alaska.

Pat and Everett lost one daughter, Carol Ann in 1959 but are proud of their three remaining children.  Kenny Prough lives in Springfield with wife, Diana; Kathy lives in Knoxville, TN, with husband of 40 years, Sam Richardson; and Karin lives in Mascot, TN. They have three grandchildren,  Adam Richardson and his wife, Serena, Curtis Richardson and wife, Kass, and Teri Jo Malwell and husband, Anthony (Boomer). No great-grandchildren yet but they have not given up hope.

They moved to town in 1991 and plan to remain as long as their health will allow.

Norma Jean Thomas was born in Lawrence, KS, in 1934 and lived there a short time before moving to Missouri when she was in grade school. After graduating from Adrian High School in 1954, she went to work at Baltimore Bank in Kansas City. She married Ted Thomas in 1956 and lived in the Walker area for seven years before moving to Schell City in 1963.

She went to work at Farmers State Bank in Schell City in 1966 and enjoyed 33 years of working with people in the surrounding area. One of the highlights of her employment was a trip to Hawaii for a business meeting.

She and Ted proudly raised four children in Schell City, Teri Ann, Raejean, Jerry Wayne and Jackie. She now has 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

Norma is a member of the Schell City Baptist Church and has been involved in community activities for many years such as coordinating the Fall Festival Baby Contest and counting candidate raffle ticket proceeds. She enjoys reading, cheering for her beloved Jayhawks and traveling throughout the United States and has visited more than 10 foreign countries.

It is noted that she has supported the local coffee shops every morning for decades.

They are pictured with their families.