Stories from Tuesday, December 18, 2012

MULVANE -- Mulvane High School head wrestling coach Rick Langerot recently became just the second Kansas wrestling coach to win 300 dual meets. Langerot began his coaching career at Fort Scott High in 1977. Current Tiger head coach David Brown and assistant coach Alvin Metcalf were among the first Langerot coached. Fourteen other former wrestlers are coaches at either the high-school or middle-school level and many others coach kids wrestling programs...

OTTAWA --Fort Scott High School's wrestling team finished fourth in a 10-team dual tournament here Saturday, its final competition before the holidays. The Tigers (7-3 in duals) defeated Burlington, 48-27, in their first dual and Topeka West, 60-18, in the second. Prairie View won the third dual, 50-24. Fort Scott defeated host Ottawa in the final round of pool bouts, 53-24. Baldwin won the third-place dual, 44-33...

Several Fort Scottians and other area residents graduated from Pittsburg State University during Dec. 14 commencement ceremonies in the Garfield Weede Physical Education Building on the PSU campus. Graduates include: Fort Scott Amber V. Woodward, BS; Charles R. Harper, BS, Emma Lee Bukowski, BS, Jamie Lynn Collins, BBA, John J. Paul, AAS, Johnathan M. Leek, BBA; Kimberly S. Byler, BSN, Ryan Lance Beerbower, BS, Starlene G. Bowden McClellan, BS, Susan Dianne Davis, BS...

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee will be held at 8 a.m. Thursday at Mercy Hospital Catherine's Cafe, 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. Members can make an announcement about their business, organization or community event by donating $1 toward "Dollars for Dolly."...

Siblings Violette, Wesley and Wyatt Davis joined Children's Librarian Julie Townsend Saturday morning for Storytime at the Fort Scott Public Library. The youngsters were treated to "Where Did They Hide My Presents?" "Pete the Cat" and "Polar Express."...

This fall, two local groups came together to add to the growth of Ellis Park. The Fort Scott Modern Woodmen of America chapter and the Youth Activities Team planted several trees last month at the 15-acre park located at 12th and Shepherd streets in the east-central part of town near Fort Scott Middle School. The effort was part of the fraternal benefit society's Plant a Tree project, a nationwide program introduced by Modern Woodmen for its members in 2004...

Dozens of volunteers and family members gathered Saturday at the Fort Scott National Cemetery to lay more than 220 wreaths to honor those who have served their country during a Wreaths Across America ceremony. The annual ceremony, which takes place at about 600 sites across the nation, including 15 in Kansas, serves to remember veterans during the holiday season. ...

For many college students, graduation ceremonies represent a celebration of goals met and challenges overcome. Few can appreciate that more than Fort Scottian Chuck Harper. "It's huge," Harper said. "It's something that at one point I thought would not be possible. I had kind of given up hope, just because of things that happen in life. Then I got an opportunity to go and that was almost taken away, so it's huge."...