Murdo Girl…The Murdo History Quiz

Mary Francis McNinch
  • A special note to the Murdo Girl readers who only know about Murdo by the stories I tell in the blog. Please bear with me today. For the most part, this quiz will not be of interest to you. I will be posting lots of photos of the events taking place over the next few days. The reunion is all school and it won’t happen again for another five years, which makes it pretty special.

The 2016 Jones County all school reunion is in just a few days. Bill rarely misses the reunions, but he’s not able to be here this time. He had a great idea that we think you’ll have some fun with. We prepared a Murdo History Quiz.

The questions are numbered 1-52.

The answers are  the name of the person the question refers to. The names are listed below A -ZZ

All you do is put the correct letter  in the answer column. This is just for fun. I’ll put the answers on the Murdo Girl blog on July 20th. I’m also bringing some hard copies of the quiz to pass out to anyone interested in seeing how much they know about the history of Murdo, SD. Please share the quiz with others. If you would like me to email the answer sheet to you, send your request to kmtexas2@gmail.com

Happy reunion to all. Bill Francis and Mary Francis McNinch.

PS. Several good friends helped us compile the questions and we really appreciate it.

Murdo History Questions
Number Descriptions Answer
1 1937 Graduate; Court Reporter; Farmer
2 1941 Graduate; UCLA Publicist; IBM Executive
3 1960 Graduate; IRS Fraud Investigator
4 1961 Graduate; Smithsonian Curator
5 1964 Graduate; Rally Day 50 Yard Dash Champion; Nurse
6 1964 Graduate; Writer, Poet, and Blogger; Lives in Mexico
7 1971 Graduate; Aid to Governor Janklo
8 1984 Graduate who has a Country band called Westbound
9 1988 Graduate who is now a wardrobe designer for Green Day, Lincoln Park and Image Dragons
10 1988 Graduate who worked for Senator Thune and now works for Senator Rounds.
11 1996 Graduate who has been on “digs” in foreign lands and became a college instructor.
12 1998 Graduate who attended a military academy and is now a pilot.
13 20’s Graduate; Heavy Equipment Operator; Rookie Pitcher for Murdo Town Team at 47
14 30’s Graduate; Owner of Jewelry Store
15 30’s Graduate; Store Owner; Coached Youth Baseball Teams in 60’s and 70’s
16 50’s Graduate who donated the “Welcome to Murdo” stone that sits below the water tower.
17 50’s Graduate; Bulk Oil Dealer; Trucking Company Owner
18 50’s Graduate; Draper School Teacher and Grade School Basketball Coach
19 50’s Graduate; School Superintendent; Member of South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame
20 Auctioneer; Owner of Murdo Stock Yards; Founder of Murdo Youth Baseball
21 Broke SDSMT seasing rushing and most points scored records in 1977
22 Carried a pale and shovel in Homecoming Parade with a sign the read “Business is Picking Up”
23 County Clerk in 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s
24 Crop Duster in 50’s and 60’s
25 Former resident who has a dental practice in Mediapolis Iowa
26 Helped Rama Burns clean up popcorn after the movies
27 Jones County Sheriff in 50’s and 60’s
28 Late 50’s Graduate; Member of Green Berets
29 Local seamstress that was one of the food swap ladies in Murdo Girl’s Blog
30 Member of 36/37 State Tournament BB Team; Captain of Missota Gophers BB Team; Teacher
31 Member of 61/62 State B Tournament BB Team; Arizona Counselor
32 Member of the 34/35 State B Tournament BB Team; Farmer/Rancher
33 Member of the 36/37 State B Tournament BB Team; 3M Executive
34 Murdo Postmaster in 50’s and 60’s
35 Murdo resident born in the 50’s who wrote a book on poetry
36 Murdo Resident employed at Draper State Bank since the 80’s
37 Operated Murdo Theater in 50’s and 60’s
38 Owner of Murdo Coyote in 50’s and 60’s
39 Owner of Murdo Grain Elevator in 40’s and 50’s
40 Owner of Shoe Repair Shop in 50’s and 60’s; Owner of Department Store in 70’s
41 Popular Owner of Multiple Motels in 60’s; Rode a Motor Scooter
42 Rancher who owned a large herd of Buffalo’s
43 Resident who flew over Murdo and dropped Christmas candy to the kids.
44 Rode a horse in 50th Anniversary Parade and stood on his head on Main Street when he was 80+
45 Taught dozens of Murdo kids how to swim.
46 Truck Stop Restaurant Owner in 50’s and 60’s
47 United States Senator
48 What co-owner of a Murdo truck stop café liked to chew Black Jack gum?
49 What former resident owns a restaurant on the Missouri River called “Murdo’s”?
50 What former residents was in a recent New York City production of “Annie Get Your Gun?”
51 Won State Track Meet in three individual events from 1968 through 1970.
52) Worked at Mack’s Café in 50’s and 60’s

Name Answer
Greg Brunskill Sr. A
Karen Fertig AA
Bummy Gutherie B
Ray Eveleth BB
Charles Francis C
Don Height CC
John Thune D
Kati Seymore DD
Laura Hayden E
Beverly Brooks EE
Allen Rada F
Judy Dykstra FF
Dan Parish G
Berferd Francis GG
Patty Peck H
Jim Judd HH
Stephanie Miller Davis I
Jim Anschutz II
Willard Bordeaux J
Deke Church JJ
Harold  Bordeaux K
Jeff Sanderson KK
Melvern Kessler L
Wayne Sanderson LL
George Allen Iverson M
Slim Hulce MM
Ben Arnett N
Kitty Reynolds NN
Fern Penticoff O
Pete Penticoff OO
Maurice Haugland P
Earl Wedean PP
Mons Anker Q
Ed Jackson QQ
Ellis Beckwith R
Sam Seymore RR
Harold Thune S
Don Edwards SS
Scotchy Ingalls T
Nancy Parish TT
Michael McMillan U
Jim Guthrie UU
Jessi Halligan V
Brad Bork VV
Harold Peck W
Pink Sandy WW
Rama Burns X
Dee Anderson XX
Bill Greiner Y
Del Brost YY
Lee Beckwith Z
Ryan Halligan ZZ

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13 thoughts on “Murdo Girl…The Murdo History Quiz”

  1. Guy Edwards July 21, 2016 / 4:09 pm

    Love your story Mary.
    Guy Edwards

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mary Francis McNinch July 21, 2016 / 7:17 pm

      Thanks Guy..I’m really grateful for all the good in my life. The reunion was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I also got to see photos of your kids and their beautiful families.

      Like

  2. lifelessons July 14, 2016 / 7:50 am

    If I was at home I’d print this up and get the autographs of those who are there in attendance! Great idea. See you tonight!!! Excited. I have someone to add, though: “Murdo enthusiast, early 70’s graduate, Connie wannabe and receiver of a special award at the 2016 Murdo reunion. Now who could she be and what award???”

    Like

    • Mary Francis McNinch July 14, 2016 / 10:43 am

      You’re kidding right? In Minneapolis.

      Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S7.

      Like

      • lifelessons July 14, 2016 / 6:32 pm

        Not kidding. You’ll see tonight. Better dress for the press!!!

        Like

  4. Sherri Miller July 13, 2016 / 8:54 pm

    Very impressed with the Murdoites! I even recognize a few of these. Hope Billy is doing okay. Have a great reunion!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mary Francis McNinch July 13, 2016 / 9:25 pm

      Thanks for asking Sherri. He is still healing from his surgery, but he’ll be okay if he continues to take care of himself. The reunion will be fun and I’ll post lots of pictures.

      Like

  5. Teresa Palmer July 13, 2016 / 7:16 pm

    Well I just might know a couple of these- will be fun to try & guess at the others!

    Like

  6. scoper07 July 13, 2016 / 7:04 pm

    What a wonderful tribute to all those who have traveled through the streets of Murdo. Each class was small but when grouped together over time, Murdo has turned out some pretty varied and talented people. I am extremely proud to have my roots deeply buried in Murdo. Thank you Billy and Murdo Girl. You are both awesome.

    Like

    • Mary Francis McNinch July 13, 2016 / 9:21 pm

      You are the best 07 and you helped us out in a big way. You put it better than I could, but I share your pride.

      Like

      • scoper07 July 13, 2016 / 9:27 pm

        My pleasure Murdo Girl. We get to walk those streets again this weekend. It has been a long time for me.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Mary Francis McNinch July 13, 2016 / 9:36 pm

        Yes. It’s one of those times that you can’t wait for, but you don’t want it to be over either.

        Liked by 1 person

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