A KMAQ 50TH ANNIVERSARY PHOTO! THIS WAS TAKE IN THE 70'S ON THE FRONT PORCH OF THE DECKER HOTEL IN DOWNTOWN MAQUOKETA. VAUGHN MONROE, FAMOUS DEEP-VOICED SINGER AND BAND LEADER, WAS WORKING AS THE SPOKESPERSON FOR RCA. MERLYN YEAGER, THE LOCAL RCA DEALER AT THE TIME, ARRANGED TO HAVE MONROE IN TOWN FOR A WEEKEND TO PROMOTE RCA AT HIS STORE AND ALSO TO BE THE EMCEE OF THE SATURDAY NIGHT "MISS MAQUOKETA PAGEANT". HERE HE WAS WELCOMED TO MAQUOKETA BY MAYOR BEN JACOBSON (YOU CAN JUST SEE HIS HEAD) AND BY MAQUOKETA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT LOWEL HAAS. THE EVENT WAS BEING BROADCAST ON KMAQ ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE DECKER AND I AM HOLDING THE MIKE AND PICKING UP THE COMMENTS MADE TO MONROE. LATER ON THAT DAY, I MADE A LONG INTERVIEW WITH HIM FROM THE PAGEANT REHERSAL AREA. NICE GUY....AND EASY TO INTERVIEW. SOMEWHERE HERE AT THE STATION I HAVE THE TAPE OF THAT INTERVIEW. I DON'T BELIEVE LOWELL HAAS IS STILL LIVING. HE WAS AN ENGINEER WITH CLINTON ENGINES HERE IN MAQUOKETA. BEN JACOBSON
WAS MAYOR ON TWO OR THREE OCCASSIONS. IN 1969 I DEFEATED HIM FOR
MAYOR BUT WE REMAINED FRIENDS UNTIL HE DIED IN 1976 OR 1977. DURING MY TIME IN MAQUOKETA, HE OWNED AND RAN HIS OWN HARDWARE STORE, RINGLEP HARDWARE, ON THE CORNER DOWNTOWN, ONE OF THE BUILDINGS IN THE JANUARY FIRE. IT IS STILL STANDING BUT WILL PROBABLY BE TORN DOWN THIS YEAR.
MERLYN YEAGER NOW FARMS NEAR THE MAQUOKETA AIRPORT.
DENNIS VOY