Gene Pennell

I was born and raised around Haigler. Lived 4 miles east from Haigler. I walked to Haigler to high school and graduated in 1946. Does anyone remember that class? There were just 8 of us that graduated then.

I knew the Frank Crabtree family, who lived about 1/2 mile north from our place. I knew Lloyd Crabtree, who was the son of the Crabtrees. Later years he had his own mechanic shop in Haigler. He was a real nice quiet guy.

Our house, which is torn down now, was close to the railroad tracks. Our place was known as the "..." Green corner. I went to a country school which was 2 miles from our place. It was district 42. I went there 8 years then I went to high school in Haigler.

My sister Helen (Pennell) Hoff was 18 months older than me and was married to Harold Hoff out of McCook. They did a lot of moving around because he worked on a crew that put in the dams around Trenton and other places. She had an inoperable tumor and passed away November 16, 1982. Harold passed away 2 years later. My dad, Ernest Pennell passed away January 13, 1983 and my mom on December 15, 1997. My half brother, Herb, and I have lived in Sioux City since 1947. We are the only ones left in our family. He is 84 and I am 78 years (young).

I remember Helen and Floy Crabtree were friends and they used to like to go to the river to wade. I sure do miss Helen; she and I were very close. I remember that Helen got to ride on the bus to school, but dad couldn't afford to have me go on it too, so I had to walk. When the bus went by, I used to try to hide because the kids on the bus would make fun of me. Do you remember the lady who owned the liquer store? When I got to school a little early, I would clean out the store for her and she paid me by giving me wine and cigarettes.

Lloyd Crabtree was my friend and when I used to come down to my class reunion, I would hunt him up. The Crabtrees bought my grandpa's place north of Haigler in the sandhills and where the Pennell family grew up. It seems like I took my saddle horse, Tony, over there to live the rest of his life in the pasture. He lived 3-4 years after that. When I left Haigler, I was 16 years old and on my own, as I had graduated from high school by then.

Do you remember Mary Bullock? (Mrs. Don Smith) She and I were the only ones who came to our class reunions every year. She passed away several years ago, so now I'm the only one in my class that ever goes to the reunion, so I don't care to go any more, for it isn't the same without her there. I still keep in touch with her husband, Don Smith from McCook. He is the one who told me and my brother, Herb, about the Haigler Blog.

My wife, Vie, and I try to make it back to Benkelman to decorate my mom and dad's graves and attend the class reunion at the same time. It is getting harder for us to drive, so don't know how much longer we can keep doing it.

Well, that's all for now, but, with my life, I think I could write a book. I'm always telling Vie that I'd really like to do that.

-- Gene & Vie Pennell

Alice (Crabtree) Gregory writes:

I remember Helen Pennell as a friend of my sister Floy. Yes, my dad was Frank Crabtree. And Lloyd was my brother. They moved to that place in the spring of 1939. and lived there until the place was sold to Ash Roundtree. Floy was finishing 8th grade in Kansas that spring and stayed with us until the graduation in St. Francis. Only a few weeks. Later Lloyd went into the army service and was a part of the "Invasion of North Africa". And then in Italy. After the army time he worked for our cousin Ben Wiley. Then after Ben's death he started his own shop.

Floy (Crabtree) Ruggles writes:

I have been wondering what ever happened to my friend Helen Pennell. We both started to Haigler Highschool the same year as freshman and rode with Tom and Viola Pierson (or Pearson) as they commuted morning and afternoon between Parks and Haigler - as I remember. On many summer afternoons we would walk to the river to cool off and play in the water. The river had a wide sandy bottom then and the stream was much stronger than now. Also it was clear and clean. We moved to Parks six weeks before school was out and I can't remember ever seeing her again. Wasn't there an older brother, Herb, too? Or was that the dad? Seems like the dad was Ernest or something like that. This blog has been so exciting. So many people that have moved away long ago are showing up there - from everywhere.