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Looking Back

Looking Back: Christian Church Women’s Group

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

This week I have chosen a photograph, but I cannot tell you when or from whom we received it. I chose it because of the beautiful stained-glass window at the Christian Church on the corner of Main and Walnut Streets. Built in 1910 and dedicated in June, 1911, it was destroyed by fire on January 17. 1972. Because the seats were at an angle, it is difficult to read the names at the bottom of the window. The name in the middle is “Cannon” and a former church member remembers that the window was a gift from Bill and Adie (Cannon) Minter. The smaller window to the left bears the name “Mr. & Mrs. John Gregg.” I believe the photo was taken in 1946 or early 1947, as the child in the second row, Danny Elliott was born in 1945. At the time this group was assembled they were probably known as the Ladies’ Aid. Later they were known as the Women’s Council and finally as the Christian Women’s Fellowship. Over the years, these ladies provided funds to the church and were known for their benevolent work both within the church and within the community of Grain Valley. If you are a long-time resident of Grain Valley, you may remember some of these ladies. If you are new to our town or a regular reader of this column, you may recognize a name or two. Jewell and Edgar Graham owned an apple orchard north of town. Bill and Adie Minter ran a grocery store. Mae Raines lived on Yennie and gave piano lessons. Jean Rowe, well into her nineties, lives at St. Mary’s Manor in Blue Springs. Danny Elliott (grandson of Lucy Rowe) graduated from GVHS in 1963 and is the retired Dean of Students at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. Ruth Fine was the postmaster in Grain Valley through much of the 1950s and 60s. Lula Preston was on the school board in the 1950s, but I remember her best as the “fairy Godmother” to first graders at Grain Valley for many years! She would often come and read to us or bring us cookies. Madge Warren lived in the big house near the west end of Walnut Street and her husband was president of the Bank of Grain Valley. I knew nearly all of these ladies and I’m even related to a couple of them. Come visit at the Historical Society any Wednesday. I’ll tell you “the rest of the story!” Visit the Grain Valley Historical Society at 506 S. Main on Wednesdays from 10am—3pm and Saturdays from 11am—3pm, or online at www.grainvalleyhistory.com. Front Row: Mrs. Edgar Graham (Jewell), Madeline Turner, Mrs. Bill Minter (Adie), Mrs. Front Row: Mrs. Edgar Graham (Jewell), Madeline Turner, Mrs. Bill Minter (Adie), Mrs. Front Row: Mrs. Edgar Graham (Jewell), Madeline Turner, Mrs. Bill Minter (Adie), Mrs. Front Row: Mrs. Edgar Graham (Jewell), Madeline Turner, Mrs. Bill Minter (Adie), Mrs. Harvey Peal (Magdalene Herrington), Mae Raines, Melvin Brown, Jr. Harvey Peal (Magdalene Herrington), Mae Raines, Melvin Brown, Jr. Harvey Peal (Magdalene Herrington), Mae Raines, Melvin Brown, Jr. Harvey Peal (Magdalene Herrington), Mae Raines, Melvin Brown, Jr. Second Row: Nora Robinson, Florence Brown, Jean Rowe, Mrs. Alonzo Rowe (Lucy Second Row: Nora Robinson, Florence Brown, Jean Rowe, Mrs. Alonzo Rowe (Lucy Second Row: Nora Robinson, Florence Brown, Jean Rowe, Mrs. Alonzo Rowe (Lucy Second Row: Nora Robinson, Florence Brown, Jean Rowe, Mrs. Alonzo Rowe (Lucy White), Danny Elliott, Buelah Forrester, Eva Gregg, Mrs. Shelton Fristoe (Mabel Gregg) White), Danny Elliott, Buelah Forrester, Eva Gregg, Mrs. Shelton Fristoe (Mabel Gregg) White), Danny Elliott, Buelah Forrester, Eva Gregg, Mrs. Shelton Fristoe (Mabel Gregg) White), Danny Elliott, Buelah Forrester, Eva Gregg, Mrs. Shelton Fristoe (Mabel Gregg) Bessie Snapp Bessie Snapp Bessie Snapp Bessie Snapp Third Row: Mrs. Authur O. Tate, Mrs. Jim Fine (Ruth Cox, Tate) Mrs. Otis Williams Third Row: Mrs. Authur O. Tate, Mrs. Jim Fine (Ruth Cox, Tate) Mrs. Otis Williams Third Row: Mrs. Authur O. Tate, Mrs. Jim Fine (Ruth Cox, Tate) Mrs. Otis Williams Third Row: Mrs. Authur O. Tate, Mrs. Jim Fine (Ruth Cox, Tate) Mrs. Otis Williams (Laura McQuerry), Mabel Russell, Mrs. Wm. Shippy (Clara Harris), Mrs. Roberts (Laura McQuerry), Mabel Russell, Mrs. Wm. Shippy (Clara Harris), Mrs. Roberts (Laura McQuerry), Mabel Russell, Mrs. Wm. Shippy (Clara Harris), Mrs. Roberts (Laura McQuerry), Mabel Russell, Mrs. Wm. Shippy (Clara Harris), Mrs. Roberts (Bernice Snodgrass), Lula Preston, Mrs. Wm D. Warren (Madge), Mamie Herrington, (Bernice Snodgrass), Lula Preston, Mrs. Wm D. Warren (Madge), Mamie Herrington, (Bernice Snodgrass), Lula Preston, Mrs. Wm D. Warren (Madge), Mamie Herrington, (Bernice Snodgrass), Lula Preston, Mrs. Wm D. Warren (Madge), Mamie Herrington, Maude Mote Maude Mote Maude Mote Maude Mote Photo courtesy Grain Valley Historical Society. Photo courtesy Grain Valley Historical Society. Photo courtesy Grain Valley Historical Society. Photo courtesy Grain Valley Historical Society.

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Spring Cleaning Your Computers, Smartphones, and Tablets

by Burton Kelso, The Technology Expert

It's been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to rely on our computers and associated devices for work and school. Most modern tech devices don't need a 'tune up', but as we head into spring, it's a good time for cleaning. So when you start to do a deep cleaning on your living space, take a few minutes to follow these steps to spring clean all items associated with your digital lifestyle. Avoid computer and app cleaning Avoid computer and app cleaning Avoid computer and app cleaning Avoid computer and app cleaning products. products. products. products. It's tempting to purchase do it all products that promise to clean your computers and smartphones. Avoid these products like the plague. Most of these products do more harm than good. Your devices are designed to take care of themselves, so avoid all of the extra junk. Remove your 3rd Party Anti Remove your 3rd Party Anti Remove your 3rd Party Anti Remove your 3rd Party Anti --Virus Virus Virus Virus (AV) software. (AV) software. (AV) software. (AV) software. Fifteen years ago, computer manufacturers didn't include AV software; now they do. Macintosh users have xProtect and Windows Users have Windows Defender. Smartphone and tablet users just need to avoid downloading unknown apps from the Google Play Store and the App Store. Most 3rd party AV software causes more problems than good. Change Your Passwords For All of Change Your Passwords For All of Change Your Passwords For All of Change Your Passwords For All of Your Online Accounts. Your Online Accounts. Your Online Accounts. Your Online Accounts. It’s always a good idea to change your passwords every so often, so why not do it this spring? There are too many data breaches occurring where your personal information is leaked into the hands of cyber-criminals. You wouldn't believe the number of calls we get at the office from people who have had their personal information stolen because they hadn't changed their passwords for years. If you make it a habit to change your passwords on a regular basis, you can avoid your personal information falling into the wrong hands. Using a passphrase instead of a password helps you create passwords you can easily remember. Need help with creating a passphrase? Visit www.useapassphrase.com. Passphrases are more secure than your standard password and are so much easier to remember. Creating passphrases along with using password management software such as LastPass (www.lastpass.com) or the password management system built into web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox will keep your personal information safe. Back Back Back Back --Up Your Files. Up Your Files. Up Your Files. Up Your Files. I hate paper and keep everything stored digitally. Instruction manuals, pictures, documents, the list goes on and on. In this digital age, I know many of you are storing items digitally as well. Cloud backup is your best option with services like Carbonite (www.carbonite.com), Google Backup and Sync (www.google.com), and iCloud drive (www.icloud.com) vying to save your important information. Remember there is a difference between cloud storage and cloud backup. Cloud storage is meant just to store one copy of your files, where cloud backup keeps multiple copies of your files. Make sure your backup your files in multiple places, not just on the cloud, but also on an external hard drive as well. Donate, Trade, or Sell Your Old Tech Donate, Trade, or Sell Your Old Tech Donate, Trade, or Sell Your Old Tech Donate, Trade, or Sell Your Old Tech Devices. Devices. Devices. Devices. We have several laptops, desktops, tablets, and phones sitting around the house. I know you do too. Why are we keeping these devices? There's no good reason to keep them. Make it a point to stop hoarding your tech devices and get rid of them. If you have information on them that you want to ease, just reset your items to factory defaults and the information will disappear. There are many recycling places near you, just do a Google search to find one and get rid of that digital clutter. If you have a device that still works, donate it to a needy non-profit. Have something newer that you want to sell? Sell it on Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist, or trade it in on Amazon. Declutter Those Devices. Declutter Those Devices. Declutter Those Devices. Declutter Those Devices. Don't believe the myth that too much stuff on your devices will slow them down. It is a good idea to remove old files, smart device apps, and computer programs for the sake of having a more streamlined device. Take a moment to organize those files, pictures, and videos. Don't forget about those emails. Don't forget about those emails. Don't forget about those emails. Don't forget about those emails. Most of us tend to use our email as a filing cabinet which is why our email gets so cluttered. Unless you're using Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or Windows Mail, too much mail won't slow your device down. If you are, you need to clean out that email quarterly. Don't forget to empty your recycle bin and your trash can as well. Take care of all of those cords. Take care of all of those cords. Take care of all of those cords. Take care of all of those cords. You probably use wireless devices when you can, but with technology, there are going to be some cords that need to be connected to our devices. If you can, hide those wires to your computers, printers, and even TVs with cord covers or check out some other solutions that will allow you to hide cords in your walls. For your smartphone and tablet, switch to wireless chargers to eliminate cords. You can also consider purchasing power centers in a central location of your home where the family has a convenient place to charge all of their devices. Clean Out those Crumbs. Clean Out those Crumbs. Clean Out those Crumbs. Clean Out those Crumbs. During all of the hours you spend in front of a screen, there's a good chance you're going to snack on something. After a while, your device is going to get pretty gross. For desktop and laptop keyboards, turn them upside down to shake out the dirt and crumbs. I recommend getting a can of compressed air to effectively get all of the debris out. Clean Your Screen. Clean Your Screen. Clean Your Screen. Clean Your Screen. The average smartphone and Tablet have more germs than a public restroom. Take the time to disinfect your handheld devices. To properly clean and disinfect them, use a solution of 50% Water and 50% of isopropyl alcohol. Only use a microfiber cloth to wipe down your devices. Your home and office are not the only things that should be getting cleaned this spring. Don’t neglect your technology or it will not last as long as it should. Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@burtonkelso.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. Reach out to us at www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.