McCOOK, Neb. -- Birdella Nelson’s dedication to her only child not only served him well in his professional and political life, but will help put McCook in position to raise up leaders for generations to come.
The late cafeteria worker and doctor’s office clerk will accomplish that through an endowment in her honor to the McCook Public Library by her son, former U.S. Senator and Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson, who spoke to a small Heritage Days crowd Saturday afternoon at the library.
The $500,000 Birdella Nelson Endowment will yield about 4 1/2% annually, or about $22,000 the first year, and is projected to grow to about $900,000 in 20 years, yielding about $40,000 a year for improvements to the city library.
The permanent endowment is being channeled through the McCook Community Foundation Fund, helping to boost the MCFF endowment to more than $4 million.
Nelson said he was never lonely as an only child, “mainly because I was raised as an adult. You can’t get into trouble in the backseat of a car when you’re there by yourself.”
He worked his way through the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Explorers systems, and was one merit badge short of the rank of Eagle Scout, when he was overcome by fumes -- “gas fumes and perfumes,” he said.
But his mother was adept at reverse psychology.
“Look,” Birdella told her 15-year-old son, “I’ll finish that merit badge, but I get to wear the badge.”
“But what was most important about that experience was learning how when you start something, to finish it. It was important that you take the responsibility of getting it done yourself, but your parents have to push you along the way … may I say shoved.”
The process started long before his teenage years, he said, when was about four when he found out what the library was all about.
“I watched Miss Slaby, who was right out of central casting for a librarian, take a steel-tip pen, dip it in ink, and then, very, very elegantly, write two, six, six. I was mesmerized by how she made her two, it was nothing like I’d been taught … but I treasured that library card. And my mother, because she didn’t have anything else to do but raising an only child, was able to take me to the library … as often as she could, and sometimes even more often than maybe I wanted to.”
“I’m just here to say thank you to my mother and thank you to the community, and all who have had any part in making my life what it’s become … my parents, my friends in the community, of teachers, pastors and everybody who’s ever cared about how I work and how things worked for me,” Nelson said.
“Well, Birdella Nelson was my cheerleader, and my champion, and so, this is a very small thing to do for the great, great things that she did for me.”
Nelson said one of his priorities for the endowment was that local decisions would determine how it would be used, one of many with local input was Mary Dueland, who recently discovered her own library card, “5358” issued in 1962 or 1963.
A retired teacher, and part of the Library Advisory Board and Library Foundation Board, Dueland explained how the funding would be used to help transition the library from strictly a place to check out books to include the Birdella Nelson Technology Center, an interactive space for innovation and creativity through the use of technology.
Andy Long, executive director of the McCook Economic Development Corp., explained that once he learned of the scope of Nelson’s planned gift, he recruited Mrs. Dueland as well as Dennis Berry, Denise Garey, Laura Ford, Linda Taylor, Steve Batty, Dawson Brunswick, Jody Crocker, Nate Schneider and Ronda Graff for input and feedback on how best to use the gift.
Long said Nelson’s gift was the catalyst that helped inspire him to believe that the “2020s are going to be McCook’s decade,”
“And I think in 10 years, we’ll probably come back here during Heritage Days and say ‘look at how the library has changed. Look at how the community changed, and thank Sen. Nelson and your mom Birdella once more.”
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
