Contunued From Previous Photo: Re Henry Gurr’s First Impressions of Mrs Lorna Baldner Grow, Prior To His Iowa Arrival, May 18 2016.
…. BUT, In Contrast To Henry’s First Impressions (Previous Photo), Lorna in REAL LIFE is exactly the opposite!! She is tall, good posture, and full of vitality! You may observe this in the above photo of Lorna (left) with three another 4-H Leaders. You may also confirm this in my several photos of her later in this album. At age 87 she remains vital, tall, powerful, and a ready-to–go--worker! For example back in August 2019 heat, she was helping her daughter with carpentry work, rebuild an old barn into a Huge Very Grand Wedding Chapel! … Several days later, she said she was Carrying 2 x 8 timbers that were 10 foot long, to make a bridge there !!

The Whole Story: How Henry Gurr Was Introduced To Lorna Baldner Grow!
…. Back in April 21 2016, I phoned the Des Moines (Iowa) Historical Society, to ask how I might get help with researching Sarah Jennings, of Dallas Center IA. The very helpful person, urged me to contact Pete Malmberg, at the Forest Park Museum of Perry IA, some 18 miles North from Dallas Center IA. Google soon found his phone number, and even though before 8 am, Pete himself answered the phone. He repeatedly insisted that absolutely the ONLY person who could help me was Ms Lorna Baldner Grow , who had lived all her life, on a farm near Dallas Center, and was VERY active in local Genealogical Society. Pete gave me her phone number and said, despite her 84 years she was very alert, active, and eventually she would answer. I called several times, daily for two weeks, before Googling in desperation, and by accident found her email on a 4-H Website (with above photo), which Celebrated Lorna’s 40 years service to the 4-H in Iowa!!

….My April 28, email explained our Sarah Winifred Jennings Vinke 1894~1978 Biography Project. Lorna finally replied May 6 saying, “Been on disaster in Houston [Texas] so not home.” In later emails. Lorna gave many suggestions, and Henry learned Lorna had taken a team of 4-H Girls to Huston TX, to help with the Huston Flooding Disaster, which from April 17 to 18, an average of 12 to 16 inches of rain fell on the region in the span of 12 hours …
….So, when I arrived at Dallas Center IA (midmorning May 18), Lorna not only was looking for me, but already had gone thru all the Dallas Center Historical Society records for all “connectives” to Jennings. Proving all over again, that Genealogists know ALL the different ways to dig out historical information!

Continued next photo.

File = PhotaLorna}RuralTradCelebSugarGroveSunshine4HClub100Annv2016.09.25.jpg … Posted 26 July 2020.