The Rock Wall

It’s been a crazy winter. Country roads, including a spot in our driveway, are giving way where they have never done it before.

I called the Cedar County Road Department and told them about a soft spot (to put it mildly) on Road 601. They graveled it that day.

I called St. Clair County Monday to tell them about two spots on the St. Clair/Cedar County line. One of the commissioners called me to say they have several such spots and probably won’t get to it Tuesday… but they will.

Now that’s service.

– I’m going to wait on my driveway. It was better today. If it gets any worse, I’ll call one of the gravel haulers and ask him to back down my driveway and dump as he gets to the soft area. Otherwise, I could have a new ornament in my yard until summer.

– We were sorry to hear about the death of long time Conservation Agent Quentin Walsh. His daughter, Cindy, worked here when she was in high school. We knew him well and his wife, Darlene.

– A little news that might make you think.  Of Missouri’s 39 flood death over the last four years, 87% of the victims were in automobiles.

– High winds collapsed a building in the first block of North St. James Street. Kimball’s report will tell you more.

– A little bit of heroism from WWII – On the eve of ceremonies honoring St. Louis World War II pilot John G. Kriegshauser and his B-17 crew for sacrificing their own lives to save English school children, Governor Mike Parson presented the British Ambassador to the United States with a proclamation honoring Tony Foulds. 82, for his tireless efforts to preserve the legacy of the heroic American crew.

On Feb. 22, 1944, their aircraft severely damaged by Nazi fire near Denmark, Lt. Kriegshauser and nine crew members were struggling to return to an English air base and losing altitude over Sheffield, England. Their plane circled a field in Sheffield’s Endcliffe Park, but Lt. Kriegshauser, spotting children below, selflessly chose not to attempt a landing out of concern for children playing there. Instead, the bomber, known as “Mi Amigo” crashed into a wooded area of the park. There were no survivors.

Tony Foulds, age seven at the time, was one of the children playing in the park.

Governor Parson, who was in Washington attending the National Governor’s Association’s winter conference, met with British Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch to present the proclamation Thursday night.

Ambassador Darroch said, “The courage of those 10 men on that day will be remembered – and not just by the children in the park whose lives were spared, but by the whole of the United Kingdom who will always be grateful for their sacrifice.”

Governor Parson’s proclamation honoring Tony Foulds for his work to continue the legacy of Lt. Kriegshauser and the Mi Amigo crew will also be presented to Tony Foulds in England.

The proclamation can be viewed at https://governor.mo.gov/proclamations/governor-parson-commends-tony-foulds-honoring-us-airmen