A transcription of pages 195-469,
Family Histories from the Verdigre Centennial Book
Thanks to the Verdigre Library and its volunteers for making this available.
 
The index below only includes the husband and wife for each family.
The maiden name for the wife is used if listed.
For other names, use the search on the Home Page.

Index's A-I, J-P, & Q-Z

ROSEMARY G. VONDRACEK

Rosemary G. Vondracek, daughter of George J. and Mamie Holan Vondracek, was born at Verdigre, Nebraska, on living. She attended the Verdigre Public School and graduated with the class of 1939. She was the recipient of a Regents’ Scholarship and continued her education by attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for one year, then transferring to Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with a major in Music Education. At both UNL and WSC, she participated in Chorus, Band, Symphonette Orchestra, and several vocal and instrumental small ensembles.

Upon graduation, she began her teaching career at the Pierce, Nebraska, Public Schools - teaching both instrumental and vocal music in the entire school system. After three years in Pierce, she taught in Verdigre, Dannebrog, Homer, O’Neill, Omaha, and South Sioux City, all in Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa. It was in the fall of 1952 that she moved to South Sioux City where she presently resides.

In 1970 Rosemary decided to try something other than teaching, so she opened a dress shop in South Sioux City. After three years of that, she came to the conclusion that as a business woman she made a better teacher, so she returned to teaching vocal music at Bancroft, Nebraska, and then at Bloomfield, Nebraska.

She earned her Master of Music degree at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion in 1976 with supportive classes in Speech and Drama. In 1978 she received an endorsement from WSC in teaching Learning Disabilities on the secondary level, and since then has had the position of high school learning disabilities teacher and speech coach in the Akron-Westfield Community Schools at Akron, Iowa, commuting from her home in South Sioux City.

Rosemary has been music director for several Broadway musicals presented by the community theatres in South Sioux City, Sioux City, Iowa, and also in Verdigre. She worked as Vice-Commander in charge of talent shows for the River Cade celebrations in Sioux City, produced many talent shows for the Greater Siouxland Fair, wrote and produced Dakota County’s Nebraska Centennial Pageant, directed several Sioux City Faculty Variety Shows, and served on the Board of Directors for the Siouxland Youth Symphony Orchestra.

She wrote and directed two pageants for Verdigre (one during the country’s Bicentennial year), and is currently writing one for Verdigre’s Centennial celebration in June, 1987.

[pg 461 photo Rosemary G. Vondracek]

Rosemary has directed the Sioux City Children’s Choir, the Treble Clef Singers of Sioux City, and the South Sioux City Community Chorus, currently named the “Choralation.” She has also sung in the Sioux City “Choraliers” and the Siouxland Symphony Chorus.

Nebraska’s governor named her an “Honorary Admiral” in the state’s mythical Navy; she took flying lessons and soloed in two different types of planes, is presently on the Board of Directors of the Sioux City Concert Course and the South Sioux City Centennial Committee, as well as the Executive Committee of the Verdigre Centennial.

Rosemary recalls: “Memories of my childhood include learning to play the piano at the age of two-and-a-half years (by ear) listening to my mother play. By the time I was in the elementary grades when programs were given, I remember the first time I told my kindergarten teacher I could play the music to one of the musical games we were playing. She got two children to “pump” the reed organ (I couldn’t reach the pedals while sitting on the organ stool) while I played. Apparently, it surprised my teacher (Mabel Stanek Diez), because she went to get Ruth O’Neill and Mable Bruce to watch me perform -- I felt like Exhibit A.”

“Christmas Eve at home was also a memorable experience for us when we were children. When we got up on the morning of December 24, the door between the kitchen and the dining and living rooms was locked. This was “off limits” and stayed locked all day; then about six o’clock we heard the unmistakable jingle of Santa’s bells. Our Dad unlocked the door, and as it was flung open, we got our first look at the beautifully decorated and lighted Christmas tree that always reached to the ceiling, and our special Santa Claus, surrounded with toys and carrying a bag, greeting all of us with his cheery Merry Christmas!”

“I remember also a lot of things that were truly important things in our young lives. The annual summer vacations at the Minnesota cabin; the hot, dry summers of the ‘30s; the first dust storm; and the economy of the community during the depression. Even though our Dad had a government job, no one really had very much, and it affected many of our relatives and friends.”

Rosemary enjoys spending as much time as possible with her three brothers and sister and their spouses, and her eighteen nephews and nieces; and - she likes to travel. She has traveled rather extensively through the United States but would like to do more - much more - if she ever gets to retiring!

Pages 461, 462