Mount Morris : past and present, an illustrated history of the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois, Part 21

Author: Kable, Harry G., 1880-; Kable, Harvey J., 1880-1931
Publication date: 1938
Publisher: Mount Morris, Ill. : Kable Brothers Co.
Number of Pages: 474


USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris : past and present, an illustrated history of the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois > Part 21


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44


MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT


pany moved to the new building in 1909. Quite a few of these workmen are still with the company.


THIS picture of the working force of approximately 100 people was taken soon after the com-


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228


THE PRINTING INDUSTRY


3


KABLE BROTHERS COMPANY


THIS ARTIST'S DRAWING of the Kable plant shows the building as it now appears. Since the original building was erected in 1909, at least a dozen additions have been built, the latest being the large stock room built in 1929 and the rotogravure department built in 1936.


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154


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147 148


149


1. Walter Marshall 2. Ralph Crowell 3. Pridmore Prugh 4. Ralph Lizer 5. Glenn E. Jones 6. Harold Ross 7. C. B. Trump


8. Dan Eversole 9. Paul Langdon 10. William C. Alter 11. J. S. Rodeffer 12. Harry Sprecher 13. Adolph C. Jindra 14. J. H. Seneff


15. Ben McHenry 16. Virgil Dierdorff 17. Roy Saunders 18. Edwin Shugars 19. Luther Lizer 20. Frances Michael 21. Roy Middlekauff 22. John Marshall 23. Fred Brinker 24. Royal Brinker 25. E. L. Boydston 26. Maurice Stewart 27. J. H. Rock 28. Fred A. Mix


KABLE WORKING FORCE about the year 1920


29. Clinton Frawert


30. E. R. Duket 31. David Bock


32. Dale Emmert


33. Bert Tilden 34. Wilbur Miller 35. Lloyd P. Smith 36. Fred Michael 37. Clyde Walkup 38. Jesse Smith 39. Leon Light 40. David B. Ross


41. Oliver Miller


42. Walter Mitchell


43. Robert Tilden 44. Paul Suter 45. Ray Seibert 46. Clayton Gloss 47. Roy Garkey 48. Fred Long 49. George Silvius


57. Dudley Allen


58. O. T. McCoy 59. C. E. Merriman 60. E. J. Hyland 61. Glenn Unger 62. Harry Rock 63. Chas. Webster 64. A. V. Johnston 65. Harvey Miller 66. Ross Silvius 67. Ralph Mahoy 68. Elmer Shoemaker


69. Leonard Jenison 70. Carl Withers


71. Hiram Stouffer 72. Dale Miller 73. J. Q. Allen 74. Fred Crosby 75. U. B. Pittenger 76. Earl Williams 77. J. A. Finnen 78. R. C. Remington 79. Douglas Ross 80. Mark Meader 81. Ada Brandt


52. A. J. McLeod 53. John Jacobs


54. Lloyd Unger


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82. Maud Rodeffer 83. A. H. Rittenhouse 84. Benj. S. Price


55. Harry Carruthers 56. Howard Sprecher


50. Benj. Royer 51. Paul Barnhizer


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85. Otto Herzfeldt 86. Perley Rees 87. Donald Jenison 88. Mary Brinker 89. Lulu McDonald 90. Hazel Suter 91. Bessie Domer 92. Bessie Mahoy 93. C. C. Armbruster 94. N. C. Kindlund 95. Laura Vetter 96. Mabel Boydston 97. Leslie Rees 98. Paul Rees


99. Carrie Slifer 100. Martha Slifer 101. Vivian Grady 102. Edith Weaver


103. Anna McKinglen 104. Ethel May Wing 105. Nellie Murphy 106. Lizzie Rohns 107. Margaret Mix 108. Rachel Ross 109. Lucille Paul 110. Lulu Pyper 111. Hazel Healey


112. Faith Longman


113. Mary Frawert 114. Carrie Dohlen 115. Anna Spielman 116. Louis Reimer 117. Alvis Lawson 118. Blanche Algire 119. Jeannette Noble 120. Bessie Hilger 121. Lulu Barber 122. Jane Pine 123. Grace Weaver 124. Mabel Trail 125. Mabel Weaver


126. Nora Coyne


127. Emma Wolfe 128. Ella Brunskill 129. Susan Miller


130. Vera Rees 131. Grace Price 132. Olive Royer 133. Ada Sprecher 134. Ethel Shaw 135. Bertha Vetter 136. Addie Johnston 137. Katherine Miller


138. Lizzie Shirk


139. Minnie Mclaughlin 140. Edna Dahl


141. Elva Hiestand


142. Ethel Carr 143. Ruth Prugh


144. Lloyd Merryman


145. Gladys Suter 146. Agnes Spielman 147. Viola Nutt 148. Julia Slaughter 149. Ray Blecker 150. Louis Barkman 151. Grover C. Hammett 152. Alvin D. Hurdle 153. Chas. Freedlund 154. W. R. Miller


155. Harry G. Kable 156. Harvey J. Kable 157. W. I. Prugh 158. Arthur S. Barre 159. Herlock Longman 160. A. E. Hecker 161. Harry Longman 162. Frank Hilger 163. Robert Toole 164. Ella Williams 165. Lottie Remington 166. Hazel Roller


167. Luella Webster 168. Martha Swift


169. Frank Stonebraker


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232


MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT


MILO D. ZIMMERMAN, secretary and director of Kable Brothers Company, is the son of Rev. Horace E. and Annie E. (Doub) Zimmerman and was born Oct. 7, 1894, at Tannersville, Pa. He graduated from the Hagerstown (Md.) High School, in June, 1912. Came to Mount Morris the same month and took a clerical position with Kable Brothers Company. Spent one semester at Carthage College, Carthage, Ill., in 1914. Entered Mount Morris Col- lege in September, 1914, and graduated June, 1920, meanwhile working part time at the printing plant and spending eight months in training camp during the war. He taught in Mount Morris College Acad- emy during 1920-21 and was principal of the public school at Fairhope, Ala., 1921- 22. Accepted position in sales department of Kable Brothers Company in 1922, elected to board of directors in 1927, and secretary of the company in 1931. He is a member of the Lutheran Church; charter member local post of the American Le- gion; Loyal Order of Moose; Sunset Golf Club; president of the Kiwanis Club, 1936; Grade School board 1924-26; presi- dent of the Community Chest 1937 and 1938; elected to Library Board 1937. He was married in December, 1915, to Hazel Kable and they have three children, Ward, Doris and Bryant.


not large enough for long. In 1909, the first section of the present building was erected. With characteristic foresight the structure was designed in such a way that additions could be made at a minimum cost and maximum of con- venience. Subsequent events proved the wisdom of this plan, because ten years later fifty per cent more space was added, and on an average of about every five years thereafter the building


was enlarged, the latest addition having been erected in the fall of 1936. The floor space area in this fortieth anni- versary year is 147,537 square feet- about two and three-quarter acres.


Contrary to the experience of most printers, the business operated profit-


HARVEY LONG has been connected with Kable Brothers Company since 1923, first as accountant and later as director and assistant treasurer. He was the son of John and Nancy (Bigler) Long and was born at Bradford, Ohio, July 31, 1882. He was of a family of eight children. He at- tended the country school near his home in Ohio and then came to Mount Morris College where he received his A.B. degree in 1904. He was active in athletics and he and Lloyd Holsinger organized and played on the first basketball team. After finish- ing college, he taught two years at Brook- ville. He married Anna Trostle in 1908 and they settled on a farm in Wisconsin for four years, then returned to Mount Morris where he taught in the high school for six years. He then taught two years in the Shattuck (Minn.) Military School and was principal of the Franklin Grove High School for three years. He then returned to Mount Morris again and has since been connected with Kable Brothers Company. He has been justice of the peace, president of the high school board, treasurer of Mount Morris Building and Loan Assn., and held various other responsible posi- tions. Mr. and Mrs. Long have two daughters: Margaret, who married H. C. Mitchell, and Roberta, who married Earl Gabrielson.


233


THE PRINTING INDUSTRY


HAROLD D. ROSS, superintendent and director of Kable Brothers Company, is the son of a United Brethren minister, Rev. H. O. Ross, and was born at Adeline, Ill., July 4, 1896. His mother's maiden name was Mary Elizabeth Demuth. Harold is the second son of a family of seven children, the others being Frederick, Vir- ginia, Julia, Douglas, Rachel and Charles. He attended schools where his father was pastor, including Castalia, Gladbrook and Moravia, Iowa, and Wall, S. Dak. He graduated from the Mount Morris High School in 1916 and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1917 and 1918. He started work for Kable Brothers Company in 1913 on part time while attending school and started regular work in 1918, served an appren- ticeship in the composing room, and worked his way up until he was appointed superintendent of the plant in 1931. He has been a member of the grade school board since 1927 and is a member of the library board. He is past master of the local Masonic lodge and past worthy patron of the Eastern Star. He is also a member of the American Legion, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Methodist Church, and a director of the Mount Mor- ris Building & Loan Assn. Mr. Ross was married in 1921 to Dorothy Sharp Davis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben G. Davis. They have three sons: Harold D. Jr., Wil- liam D., and Andrew S.


ably right from the start. Except for the year 1911, there is an unbroken dividend record from the time of in- corporation to 1931, beginning at eight percent, dropping to two percent in 1910, and then raising to ten percent in 1920. This rate, including one stock dividend and several extras in cash, was maintained for eleven years. Fol-


lowing the trend of industry in general, profits dropped off sharply during the depression years following 1931, and dividend payments have been on a re- duced basis since then.


The business grew too rapidly to be financed entirely out of undistributed profits. Whenever an expansion pro- gram was launched, the capitalization of the corporation was increased, and the stock readily taken up either by old or new stockholders. Because the Com- pany was making money and paying good dividends, securing additional cap- ital was not a difficult problem. The $800.00 which was borrowed in 1898 to buy out the Coggins plant was all the


MAURICE SAMSEL, production mana- ger with Kable Brothers Company, is the son of Daniel R. and Helen M. (Stouffer) Samsel and was born in Mount Morris, Jan. 10, 1904. He graduated from the Mount Morris High School in 1921 and in 1923 started an apprenticeship in the com- posing room of Kable Brothers Company. After completing his apprenticeship he served as assistant foreman and foreman of the editorial department, assistant to the superintendent for one year and is now serving as production manager. He served two years in the National Guard as a member of the 129th Infantry Band. He is a member of the Church of the Brethren. Mr. Samsel was married in 1925 to Ethel Shaw and they have two boys: James Eugene and Gary Lee.


234


MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT


HARVEY J. KABLE


HARVEY J. AND HARRY G. KABLE, twin sons of John and Elizabeth (Speicher) Kable, were born July 15, 1880, at Lanark, Ill. The father and mother were both of German descent, the former being a native of Pennsylvania and the mother came from Ohio. The family moved to Mount Morris from Lanark in 1882 and Mr. Kable engaged in the carpet weaving business. The twins started in the public school under Miss Lillie Farwell (Mrs. Harry Cushing) as teacher. They graduated in 1896 under Prin- cipal E. E. Winders. Harvey spent the next two years attending Mount Morris College (graduating from the academy in 1898) while Harry was learning the printing trade in the Mount Morris News and Brethren Publishing House plants. With this preparation of two years, the brothers bought the Mount Morris Index and embarked in the print- ing business. For many years they had a unique plan of exchanging jobs on the first day of each year. This continued until the death of Harvey in 1931. Outside of busi- ness, their hobby was music. They organized, maintained and played in the local band


235


THE PRINTING INDUSTRY


HARRY G. KABLE


for over thirty-five years and also sang in the Lutheran Church choir for about the same period.


Harvey Kable was married in 1903 to Miss Pearl Hershey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Hershey, and they have three children: Forrest, Justin and Virginia. He was taken ill in 1928 and passed away April 13, 1931, aged nearly 51 years.


Harry Kable was married in 1906 to Miss Edith Walkup, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Walkup, and they have one son, Robert R. Mr. Kable is now president and treasurer of Kable Brothers Company, director and chairman of the board of Kable News Company, organizer and president of the Mount Morris Building and Loan Asso- ciation. He is a member of the Masons, Consistory, Shrine, Moose, Kiwanis Club and the Lutheran Church.


The three sons of the brothers have completed their college education and are now actively connected with the Kable plant in responsible positions.


236


MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT


FORREST T. KABLE, eldest son of Har- vey J. Kable, is connected with the sales department of Kable Brothers Company, and spends much of his time on the road. He was born in Mount Morris, May 13, 1907, and graduated from the local high school in 1925. He later attended the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan. He is married to Bernice Bruner and they have two daughters, Diane Lee and Joan. He was a member for six years of the 129th Infantry Band, Illinois National Guard.


new money invested in the business until incorporation in 1904. The capital structure beginning at that point grew as follows:


1904


$ 15,000


1906


35,000


1908


100,000


1917


150,000


1919


250,000


1920


500,000


1923


750,000


1926


1,000,000


1931


1,250,000


Of the present total capitalization, $250,000 is in preferred stock, all the rest being common. There are more than 400 stockholders, and although much stock is still held locally, there is a great deal that has found its way, through transfers and inheritances, to distant points. No one person or group owns a majority of the stock. A ten- year bond issue for $35,000 was author- ized in 1911, but only two-thirds of it


was sold and this was retired by 1915.


In its forty years of life, the Company has had four different presidents, one man, Joseph L. Rice, serving at two different times. The Board of Directors, except from 1927 to 1935, has always been composed of seven men. During that eight-year period there were nine. The lists of presidents and directors fol- low:


Presidents


Joseph L. Rice . 1904-1907


Arthur W. Brayton 1907-1922


Joseph L. Rice


.1922-1924


Harvey J. Kable.


1924-1931


Harry G. Kable.


1931-


Directors


Elected Retired


Harry G. Kable 1904


Harvey J. Kable


1904 1931*


Abram H. Rittenhouse 1904


1906


Joseph L. Rice. 1904 1931*


Arthur W. Brayton 1904


1922*


John H. Rice. .1904


1907


Henry E. Newcomer 1904


1905


Samuel P. Mumma. 1905


1912*


Ulysses C. Nye 1906


1908


Nathaniel E. Buser 1907


1923


John E. Tice. .1908


1917*


Holly C. Clark. 1912


1923


JUSTIN M. KABLE, second son of Harvey J. Kable, is in charge of Kable Brothers Company's Chicago sales and service office at 160 N. LaSalle St. He was born in Mount Morris, Dec. 17, 1910. He attended the local schools and spent two years at the Staunton Military Academy at Staun- ton, Va. He graduated from Carthage College in 1933. He married Velma Galor and they have two children, Philip Harvey and Valerie Ann. He was a member for three years of the 129th Infantry Band, Illinois National Guard.


237


THE PRINTING INDUSTRY


Solomon E. Avey 1917 1935


Fred J. Dean. 1922


1935


James W. Watt. 1923


William J. Emerson 1923


1935


Milo D. Zimmerman 1927


Samuel J. Campbell 1927


Harvey Long. 1931


Charles E. Stuart 1931


1935


Harold D. Ross. 1935


Glenn O. Sensiba. 1935


*By death.


From the time of its incorporation the Company has had only three secretaries -Harvey Kable, 1904 to 1910; Harry Kable, from that year until 1931; and Milo Zimmerman since then. The treas- urer was either one of the two brothers for the entire period, with the excep- tion of three years, 1930-1933, when that office was held by Samuel J. Camp- bell. For a number of years, Hazel Kable (now Mrs. Milo Zimmerman) served efficiently as assistant treasurer. Harvey Long has held the office of as-


HERLOCK E. LONGMAN has been building superintendent and foreman of stock department in the Kable plant since July 1916. Previous to that he was em- ployed by the Buser Company for 21 years as carpenter. He is the son of John Long- man and was born in Washington County, Md., Oct. 28, 1875. He married Elsie Looka- baugh and they own a fine home at 110 E. Center St. For many years he was a valued member of the local band and served three years with the band at Camp Grant with the 129th Infantry.


HARRY F. LONGMAN is one of the very first employes of Kable Brothers Com- pany, having started work in November, 1906. For a number of years he has been foreman of the bindery. He was born at Keedysville, Md., Dec. 29, 1872, and is the son of John Longman. He married Lulu E. Kable and they have three children, Faith (Mrs. Ray Siebert), Joyce (wife of Rev. Richard Roth), and Harold.


sistant treasurer since 1927. Officers at the present time are: President and Treasurer, Harry G. Kable; Vice-presi- dent, Samuel J. Campbell; Secretary, Milo D. Zimmerman; Assistant Treas- urer, Harvey Long.


On April 13, 1931, after three years of failing health, Harvey J. Kable died. Until this time the brothers had been inseparable, not alone in the business enterprise which they had brought to such a magnificent success, but outside of business.


Before 1902, all type was set by hand, and the lone press was operated by man power. In that year the first linotype was purchased. This necessitated the installation of power equipment, and a small gasoline engine served the pur- pose in 1904. In that epochal year, when it was found necessary to have more power to run the new press to print The Mystic Worker, a bigger en- gine was bought and hooked up to a line shaft. This furnished power both for press and linotype. From that time on new equipment was added as the plant was successively enlarged to han- dle the steadily increasing volume of


238


BOARD OF DIRECTORS of Kable Brothers Company. Front row, left to right: Milo D. Zim- merman, secretary; Harry G. Kable, president and treasurer; Harvey Long, assistant treasurer; S. J. Campbell, vice-president. Upper row: J. W. Watt, director; Harold D. Ross, director and superintendent; Glenn O. Sensiba, director.


MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT


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EXECUTIVES AND FOREMEN OF KABLE BROTHERS COMPANY, 1938


(1) Leon Light, assistant foreman bindery


(2) Ray D. Blecker, foreman folder department


(3) Warren Burchby, asst. foreman composing room


(4) Adrian J. Cattoen, asst. foreman rotary presses (5) Donovan Mills, foreman editorial department (6) Paul Kent, head janitor


(7) Frank Hilger, supt. bindery and mailing depts.


(8) Theodore Swan, night foreman composing room


(9) Robert R. Kable, assistant to superintendent


(10) James Rouse, night foreman rotary presses, third shift


(11) James Fisher, foreman rotary press department


(12) Harold G. Miller, night foreman rotary presses, second shift


(13) S. E. Avey, foreman mailing department


(14) Walter Klepfer, manager job department


(15) Edwin S. Ports, assistant foreman mailing dept.


(16) Charles Freedlund, night foreman cylinder presses


(17) Ernest Yerkey, asst. foreman flat bed presses


(18) Dudley Allen, asst. night foreman flat bed presses


(19) Harold C. Pearce, asst. night foreman composing room


(20) Douglas Ross, night foreman editorial dept.


(21) Leland Rittenhouse, assistant to production manager


(22) Louis Incontro, night foreman rotogravure press (23) Harry F. Longman, foreman bindery


(24) Walter E. Berg, manager engraving department


(25) Earl Wible, night foreman folder department


(26) John Glotfelty, asst. foreman mailing list dept.


(27) Axel A. Johnston, foreman maintenance dept.


(28) Myron C. Wheldon, foreman rotogravure press department


(29) Myron W. Yorke, foreman rotogravure process- ing department


(30) Otto Herzfeldt, assistant foreman flat bed presses


(31) Adam E. Hecker, foreman mailing list dept.


(32) George Priller, foreman electrotype foundry


(33) Wm. Jiracek, asst. foreman electrotype foundry


(34) Wm. Breitzke, foreman flat bed presses


(35) Edward Luther, night foreman electrotype foundry


(36) Herlock E. Longman, foreman stock department and building superintendent


(37) Howard Bronson, purchasing agent and personnel director


(38) Harvey Long, assistant treasurer


(39) Maurice Samsel, production manager


(40) Milo D. Zimmerman, secretary and sales manager


(41) H. G. Kable, president and treasurer


(42) Harold D. Ross, superintendent


(43) Charles Edson, accountant


(44) Arthur S. Barre, foreman composing room


(45) Fred Colvin, night foreman bindery.


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240


MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT


A. E. HECKER, foreman of the mailing list department of Kable Brothers Com- pany, was born April 16, 1887, at Sterling, Ill. He is the son of Thomas and Alice (Journay) Hecker. Mr. Hecker came to Mount Morris as a student of Mount Mor- ris College and after several years spent in Montana, returned to Mount Morris to take charge of the important mailing list department of the Kable plant and has under his direction over a hundred work- ers, mostly girls. In May, 1918, he married Irene C. Ewert of Chicago who was a previous employe of the company.


business. In 1923, the field of general magazine printing began to open up, re- quiring the installation of high-speed presses printing from rolls instead of sheets. The first press of this character was put into operation in February, and additional machines of the same type added over a period of the next nine years. In 1936, it was decided to branch into the field of rotogravure printing. An addition was built to house this de- partment, and the first press, costing approximately $100,000, was put into operation in April, 1937. Space has been provided for two more presses of the same type when the volume of bus- iness warrants their installation.


The rapid growth of the business de- veloped a number of problems not di- rectly connected with the operation of a printing plant. In 1910, a petition was presented by the printers requesting the privilege of forming a union. This


was promptly granted, and the plant has been operated under union labor conditions ever since. The housing problem began to be a very pressing matter about 1920. In numerous ways the Company assisted employees to build or buy homes. In 1930, a large tract of land west of the plant was ac- quired and laid out in lots for home building. This is now known as the Kable Addition. The Company was a prime mover in the organization of the Mount Morris Building and Loan As- sociation in 1925, and assisted material- ly in the village paving project two years later. In order to provide mod- ern hotel accommodations for the many visitors and customers coming to town, Hotel Olson was purchased in 1922, completely renovated, and renamed Kable Inn. Following the Mount Mor-


CHAS. C. EDSON, accountant with Kable Brothers Company, was born at Middle- town, Ohio, March 30, 1896. He is the son of Chas. E. and Estella (Runyan) Edson. He attended the grade and high schools at Middletown and the Ohio State University at Columbus. He served as sergeant first- class in the medical department of the U. S. Army during the World War. He is past commander of the local American Legion Post. He served one term on the library board and has been a mem- ber of the Village Board of Trustees since May, 1935. Mr. Edson was married in 1920 to Gladys Avey and they have a daughter, Mary Bea.


241


THE PRINTING INDUSTRY


ris College fire in 1931, $25,000 was pledged by the Company to cover half the cost of erecting a new gymnasium, and when this institution closed its doors à year later, the entire college premises were acquired. All but Old Sandstone have been subsequently sold, this building now being occupied by the engraving department, the publish- ers of Poultry Tribune and Woman's World, and the public library. From 1919 to 1921 a total of $21,500 was paid out on an employee profit-sharing plan, and Christmas gifts in the form of ad- ditional paychecks were distributed on several occasions. Group insurance was carried for awhile, the Company pay- ing the entire premium. This has since been discontinued. There is now a welfare association, through which em- ployees may secure insurance virtually at group rates and financial help in time of emergency.


In 1932, a subsidiary, Kable News Company, was organized for the pur-


WALTER O. KLEPFER, manager of the job department of Kable plant, was born at Kokomo, Ind., Jan. 19, 1892, and came to Mount Morris from Aurora in May, 1930, after serving 16 years as foreman and superintendent of the printing plant at Mooseheart, Ill. He married Mable M. Jeffery of Marion, Ind., Sept. 20, 1911, and they have three children: Elsie Mae, Robert and Rosemarie.


DONOVAN MILLS is foreman of the editorial department. He was born at Linden, Iowa, Dec. 7, 1900, and first came to Mount Morris in July, 1923. He married Ethel Lee Helm and they have two daugh- ters, Sabra Nell and Delina Lee. Mr. Mills is a competent musician and has been a valued member of the local band. He is well known for his poetic ability and his work has appeared for many years in the Anthology of Newspaper Verse.




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