Bison Alumni Newsletter Going "Old School"

Everyone is an alumni from somewhere or with something. It could be a link to an organization or a group. Perhaps it is an association with a college or a university. Or the connection could be with the public school from high school all the way down to elementary school.

The bonds of our past associations can be reinforced by that common connection, maybe one you didn’t even know existed. I became friends with someone in North Platte several years ago and a few years into the friendship, we discovered that we were in the same second grade class in Omaha nearly 40 years ago. Turns out, we were alumni of the same elementary school.

That is just evidence that it is hard to continue those connections with time and distance taking its toll. Fortunately, McCook is blessed to have a vehicle in place to help maintain those relationships: the Bison Alumni Newsletter, otherwise known as BAN.

Started in 1991 by Steve Batty and Cheri Becknhauer, the newsletter is published twice a year, providing information about McCook High School, as well as the community. They realized the need to maintain connections once someone graduates, whether they stay in their hometown or they move away.

Many people likely remember the “folding parties” held in the McCook Junior High Cafeteria, where the paper copies were folded, labeled and stamped before being mailed to, at first, hundreds of alumni and then thousands of former McCook High School students.

But as postage costs increased and volunteers became more scarce, the newsletter became available only via a digital format except for the few oldest McCook classes. No longer was a paper copy of the Bison Alumni Newsletter showing up in your mailbox to flip through from the first to last page. The printed edition was not laying around your parent’s house, waiting to be picked up and casually read when you had time. Instead, like most reading materials these days you had to find the link in your emails or visit the Bison Alumni Newsletter website to read it.

That being said, the Spring 2025 edition was just completed so please find it and catch up.

Which leads to the next matter:

While the digital newsletter still contains all the same great information like the Heritage Days royalty and recaps of school events, there is now a different issue: the clutter of our email in-boxes and just information overload in general.

We have so many services and businesses and events vying for our attention that an email twice a year can easily get lost in the shuffle. I know I spend the first few minutes every morning trying to shuffle through all the promotional emails and inspirational posts that fill my email in-box.

So the McCook Community Foundation Fund and the Bison Alumni Newsletter have teamed up to go old school by offering a “subscription” service for the newsletter. For a suggested yearly $20 donation, recipients will receive the fall and spring editions beginning with the Fall 2025 edition.

Is this a bargain? Perhaps not, but it is a worthwhile project to help the Bison Alumni Newsletter continue. Is this a good investment? Yes, because this will ensure that we will help future alumni stay connected to their hometown.

Why is that important? Because we want our current graduates to return to their hometown. We want our alumni to remember their former community when making estate plans. And perhaps most importantly, we want former, current and future graduates to stay connected and to be proud of being an alumni. And a simple piece of paper can help with that goal.

I must admit that I have a personal bias toward the printed copy. While I do own a Kindle to read digital books, I still love the feel of a book in my hands, flipping through a real magazine or slowly pursuing a printed newsletter.

And many people agree with this sentiment. So that is why we are hoping many people support a new subscription program with the Bison Alumni Newsletter, which needs at least 200 subscriptions to make it financially viable.

Several people have already “subscribed” for themselves and have taken it a step further by providing funds to send the printed newsletter to their children. I assume they hope their children will take up the baton to pay for it themselves the next year but it gets the newsletter in front of the younger generation.

If you want more information about the Bison Alumni Newsletter printed edition, please visit the McCook Community Foundation Fund website at mccookfoundation.org, where you can make the $20 donation and get signed up for the launch of the subscription service in Fall 2025. You can also send an email to mcffund@gmail for more info or mail a check to MCFF/BAN, Box 525, McCook NE 69001, including the name and address(es) of the recipients.

While we are doing this project with the Bison Alumni Newsletter, it can apply to any group, school or organization. Reach out and make those connections on behalf of your group. Or alternatively, reach out to a group you were once associated with and see how you can re-establish or strengthen those connections

This is our opportunity to make or continue those connections that will help our communities grow and thrive for generations to come, whether it is using high-tech or going old school.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Mail

Dec. 2025 Volunteer of the McCook Beautifying Downtown McCook

By Ronda Graff • December 17, 2025

Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025

Seasons of Lists Includes Priority Lists

By Ronda Graff • December 15, 2025

By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.

Holiday Home Tours Return

By Ronda Graff • December 11, 2025

After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.

Nov. 2025 Volunteer Willing to Help Wherever Needed

By Ronda Graff • November 25, 2025

While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s website, mccookfoundation.org to complete a nomination form. The only requirement is that the nominee must be a resident of McCook or Red Willow County but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.

Much to be Thankful For in McCook

By Linda Taylor • November 25, 2025

With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.

Honoring the Strunk Legacy in McCook

By Ronda Graff • November 22, 2025

The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.