A Biography:
Glenn Clayton Stover
or: How the West (half of the NW quarter of Section 25 of Beaver Township, Buffalo County, Nebraska) Was Won.
or: How many times do we have to fight the Battle of the Bulge?Compiled by Kim & (Wife) Susan Stover and
Rod Stover for Glenn’s retirement gathering in 1978....Written to entertain, but based (mostly) on facts.
[inserts by Rod Stover]
Glenn Clayton Stover was born October 25, 1913, the third child in six of Bertrand J. Stover and Mary May Clayton. Glenn was born at home (as were all the Stover kids) in Poole, Nebraska, at the time a young & bustling little town in Beaver Township, Buffalo County, Nebraska.
Glenn’s father, Bert, was the Village Blacksmith, and plied his trade in a shop on Main Street under a spreading cottonwood tree. Bert was the ex-Marshall of Poole, and a year after Glenn’s birth, was elected to the Village Board and served as Treasurer. Glenn’s Grand-dad Joseph Clayton was the Chairman of the Board for years during Glenn’s childhood.
(Thus, at an early age, Glenn was instilled with great respect for law and order and fiscal responsibility.)
Work was a part of Glenn’s life from an early age. There was a large garden to cultivate, bee hives to tend to, a cow to milk, eggs to gather, and chickens to feed. There was time for fun, too, as Bert was handy and inventive in making playground-type equipment for the kids, and half the town’s kids could be found in the Stover yard playing. The South Loup River was also a popular recreational spot, and it was there that Bert taught the kids to swim, and where neighboring families would meet for summer evening picnics.
(The last time anyone recalls that Glenn was playing rather than working was on October 27, 1921, two days after his 8th birthday.)
Music was also a part of Glenn’s life; Bert gave guitar lessons and knew hundreds of songs and guitar accompaniment. Many Winter evenings were spent with this form of entertainment. One of the songs that Glenn still remembers is “Babes in the Woods.”
(Many of the songs that Glenn knows, however, were learned elsewhere.)
Glenn and his next youngest brother, Allen, were inseparable in their youth, and both were singers. According to their Mother, once upon a time they were both singing at the top of their little lungs one day on the Main Street of Poole near the Blacksmith Shop. Several merchants and shoppers could make out the song they were singing even above the din of pounding of plowshares from the smithy’s shop. The song they were singing was a popular tune of the day; “Everybody works but Father.” (Bert Stover biography)
The Stover kids were well prepared for “schooling.” Their home was equipped with a blackboard, maps, and reference books. Their Mother read books to them regularly, and their Dad reminded them that it wasn’t possible to know too much. The Stover kids attended ten grades in the Poole School, then completed High School in Ravenna.
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Glenn took part in an “operetta” or “cantata” at the Poole School; a program which had a profound influence on his life. He played the role of a Gardner named “Patrick Murphy O’Flannigan.” He must have acted it well, as the nickname “Pat” stuck. Forever.
(Some people wonder how he got the nickname of “Glenn.”)
After graduating from High School in 1930, Glenn lived at home and found work. Glenn and his older brother, Keith, farmed several parcels of land, and kept cows on one of them. Glenn remembers the tremendous dust storms of 1934, the kind that would ruin the engine of a “Model-T,” the great swarms and clouds of grass-hoppers, and farmers cutting trees near the creek for cattle feed. Glenn also found work with local farmers, laboring for $1.00 to $1.50 per day, depending upon the difficulty of the work. During a couple of those years, he found work during the Winter shoveling snow from the roads for 30 cents per hour.
In 1935, Glenn (“Pat”) landed a relatively soft job, that of working in a
grocery store for Andy Anderson. While working for Anderson, another event occurred which had a profound
influence on Pat’s life; Anderson’s wife became pregnant, and had twin girls. Andy’s wife needed help
during her pregnancy, and after delivery, so they hired a young lady to help out. This young lady was Dorothea
Gruber, who first saw Glenn when he was in the middle of the masculine chore of sewing a button on his shirt.
Same Dorothea became the wife of Glenn Stover. (And the Mother of four boys; Rodney, Todd, Kim & Kerwin)
Glenn worked at Anderson’s for 75 cents a day plus cigarettes.... One of Glenn’s duties while working for Anderson was to take Andy’s car to town (Ravenna) every Saturday night and to fetch a bottle of spirits from the local bootlegger. Andy claimed that his wife needed it for “medicinal purposes.” Bootlegging was a secretive operation in the days of prohibition, but Glenn gained the dealer’s confidence by dropping names; and the only reference he needed was to mention that he was the brother of “Steamy” (Keith) Stover. Oddly, brother Allen J. Stover was working at the Duncan store while Glenn was working in Anderson's.
[Keith, Glenn, and Allen were known as "Steamy," "Smokey," and "Snowball"]
 In 1936, Glenn grasped an opportunity for a raise and went to work in Duncan’s grocery store for $1 a day. Some of his wages were paid in store accounts; however, sometimes they were collectable and sometimes not. |
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The late 1930’s were courting days for Glenn Stover. Many times his dates were after the store closed,
and according to reliable sources, after he had bathed. Bernice Gruber Morton (twin sister of Dorothea) recalls
the gang of kids who would roll up the rug and dance at the Gruber place; entertainment also included sing-a-longs
at the piano and “Pat knew all the ditties.” The dating also included lots of time on the street, sitting
in their car watching other people, an occasional movie, and an occasional Saturday night dance at Fender’s Hall
(Ravenna) with the Rasmussen Orchestra.
[Winona Snell said he played the ukelele and knew
gobs of songs;
... we didn't even know he played !]
In 1939, another opportunity came... the Post Office in Poole needed a Postmaster. The temporary Postmaster failed the exam.. “Pat” Stover passed it (he was also the Democratic Party Committeeman) and “Pat” became the Poole Postmaster on June 23, 1939. The Post Office was moved to the Duncan store and Pat Stover doubled his wages- to $2 a day.
Later in 1939, Pat purchased from the widowed Mrs. Duncan, the beginning of a long career in the grocery business in Poole.
On June 15, 1941, after a lengthy courtship, Glenn married his Anderson
Grocery sweetheart, Dorothea Gruber (Photo page), and took up residence in the Clayton
house next door to his childhood home.
Shortly after, World War II impacted all Americans. Shortly
after the birth of his first son in June of 1942, Glenn answered the call to duty. (WWII days, taped letters from Glenn)
The Duncan Store was sold to Walt Eggleston who ran it with the assistance
of his right hand man, Dudley. The Post Office was taken over by Glenn’s Mother, May, widowed in 1941.
At the time, Glenn thought that the war would be all wrapped up in about six months, and he cheerfully reported for basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His little family joined him in Kentucky, where Glenn was a member of the 12th Armored Division. Later, he was stationed near Abiline, Texas.
It took just a bit more than six months.
Late in 1943, Glenn and his Division bid farewell to their families and were shipped to New Jersey to await transport to Europe. About 1500 troops finally boarded the USS BLISS, which then floated in convoy, bound for France. The original destination was changed en route, and eleven days later the convoy arrived in England. There, they camped for several weeks, and Glenn was among those who put up with make-shift quarters in crowded and muddy conditions. Eventually, they crossed the channel, but spent days in flat-bottomed boats awaiting calmer waters that would enable them to go ashore in France. From there, Glenn’s Division, now part of the Seventh Army, traversed France to the battle zone in South Eastern France. At one time, Glenn’s “outfit” was associated with General Patton’s Third Army to help with the Battle of the Bulge.
( which Pat is still fighting, unsuccessfully)
Also, Glenn’s “outfit,” at one time, was further East in Germany
than any other unit.
When the War in Europe ended, Glenn transferred to the “Army of Occupation,”
the First Armored Division. He had hoped to volunteer for duty in the Pacific, thinking that the Pacific
War would be over before he got there, but, on the advice of the C.O., he stayed in Europe for the potentially
shorter tour. The European tour with the Occupation Forces took about six months longer than Pacific duty,
and then Glenn transferred out “on points” and headed home.
The return trip wasn’t as swift as the trip over. The “Helen
Hunt Jackson” held only about 500 troops, and it took 18 days to cross the Atlantic. On some days, their
forward progress was such that they found themselves further from the U.S. than on the previous day!
In January of 1946, Glenn was reunited with his family, and he resumed duties as Post Master of the Post Office at Poole. The Store was up for sale again at that time, but “Pat” was satisfied with his Postal work, and was hoping to use his Veteran’s experience and preference to his advantage in government work.
The Duncan Store had been sold to Tom Morton, the husband of Dorothea’s
twin sister, Bernice. So the Gruber twins were re-united in Poole. Dorothea taught at the Poole School,
during the 1946-47 school year, filling in for a teacher who quit before the school year began.
In the Spring of 1947, Tom Morton had second thoughts about continuing
as a store-keeper, and again, the Duncan Grocery was up for sale.
“Pat” Stover and his family took a hurried vacation to St. Louis, Missouri, and the Ozarks, then returned to Poole, where “Pat” took over the store from Tom Morton.
[insert by Rod Stover; just can’t resist...... I remember
that trip. With late-teen Aunt Ellen Gruber (later married Ingerson), Mom’s little sister, in a 1937
Ford that Dad had painted (red, I think) with a brush. We visited Uncle Allen Stover in Shenandoah, Iowa (?)
Then visited Uncle Robert Garmatz and Aunt Florence (Gruber, Mom’s sister) in St. Louis. I got a double-barreled
cork gun for my 5th birthday there, locked myself in the bathroom during a raging fit. The house was brick
with a narrow sidewalk on the side, and we went to the zoo there, and I can remember a big-beaked bird. And
the road side pottery stands in the Ozarks. Egad.... end RRS insert]
It was then that the Duncan Store became known
as “Pat’s Store” (photos) and became almost synonymous with Poole, as it was one of the very few surviving businesses
there. Several years earlier, Pat had changed the store over to self-serve. Previously, customers came
to the counter and presented their list of needed provisions for the clerk to gather. The self-serve concept
allowed customers to shop and compare, and to gather their own necessities. Pat soon initiated another shopping
innovation; the Store was closed on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. (As opposed to being open
until 10:00 p.m. like every other night.) (Sketches of Pat's Store by Rod
Stover)
Pat’s Store saw the remnants of Poole’s Main Street meet their demise; the railway to Pleasanton was severely damaged by the flood in the Spring of 1947, the depot building was wheeled off to be recycled elsewhere, the last remaining elevator was torn down for salvage, and the little brick building next to Pat’s Store was razed with the bricks used for another building elsewhere. All that remained were foundations and side-walks that knew better years, a sturdy brick building that once housed the State Bank of Poole, now used as an election hall, ... and Pat’s Store. (A map of Poole)
[RRS insert. Brick building next to Pat’s Store... It was George Jochem, the mail carrier, who chinked those bricks, one at a time, and took them home. .... end RRS insert]
However, Pat’s Store didn’t know that the town was dead. It
expanded and became a full-service store. (photos) It provided gasoline, tires, batteries, cattle feed, salt, and chicken mash in
addition to the standard line of grocery items. “Pat” Stover also fixed flats and changed oil. He bought
cream and eggs and many customers literally ‘traded’ their farm produce for groceries and services. Many
customers would still leave their list of needed provisions, and their farm produce early on a Saturday Evening,
spend the evening in (a bar?) Ravenna, then return home going through Poole to pick up their grocery order, and
to “settle up” the difference, if any. Many a grocery order was left behind only a screened entry late Saturday
night to be sorted out and taken home in the wee hours of the morning. [..
And there were no problems.] (sketches of Pat's
Store)
Many customers were
carried “on credit” until the crops came in. And sometimes longer.
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Pat’s family grew with the addition of three more sons between 1948
and 1952. (photo)
[Mom always wanted a daughter, and just kept trying
... RRS]
The Poole School seemed to grow with the family and grew back to its
old population with consolidation from other County Schools.
Several vacant lots near the store were leveled and became a ball
diamond for the softball enthusiasts of the area and for a young budding baseball team. Many were the bottles
of Pepsi (Pepsi-Cola) laced with Planter’s Peanuts from Pat’s Store that were consumed by thirsty ball players
and spectators.
Pat’s Store was a family store... many times one could find the whole
family there stocking shelves, hauling trash, loading cream, candling eggs, filling orders, emptying the bread
box, or spreading blue-green sweeping compound.
[I can still smell the bread box and the sweeping
compound ... RRS]
Grandma May still substituted in the Post Office when Glenn took his
“vacation.” But, there were few vacations. The whole family helped out on Saturday nights, and Saturday
evening meals often consisted of soup and sandwiches in the back of the store. The grocery line even reflected
the family effort; Pat carried “Our Family” foods.
In 1959, Pat gave up the position of Post Master that he had for twenty years, but continued in Postal Service as a Rural Route Carrier, a position vacated by George Jochem. The carrier job required only about four hours a day, during which time Dorothea thoroughly enjoyed taking over the store. And, when Pat took “vacation” time from the route, Dorothea thoroughly enjoyed filling in as substitute carrier.
1963 became a year of impact on the Stover family. This was the year that Dorothea learned that she had cancer. Some dreams and plans that had been shelved were dusted off, and to free up time for them, Pat’s Store was sold in 1965. The Clayton house was remodeled, and some of the vacation time was spent traveling. Mail service continued, however, even though the Post Office had to be relocated when the store was destroyed by fire in 1966. The family gradually became prepared for the absence of Dorothea (Gruber) Stover, who’s health declined until her death in May of 1967. (1966 photo)
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In 1966, Softball fever was epidemic in Poole. The Men’s team and the Boy’s baseball teams were
going strong, but the Girls needed a coach. Pat Stover had played a little ball in his day, and had kept
score a lot, so it was only natural for him to embark on a new career in public service, that of Girl’s (and women’s)
Softball Coach. They struggled only for a few seasons before skilled pitching and strategic coaching led
them to championships and fame. Pat Stover will be remembered as one of the winningest coaches in Poole.
Postal efficiency struck Poole in 1969, and although the Post Office remained, the routes were consolidated. Pat transferred from the Poole route to Pleasanton July 12, 1969. Soon Pat was working as hard as he ever had with additional boxes, and many more miles of route. Overcoming snow, hail, sleet, floods, and muddy roads became the full-time job of Pat and his dusty, beaten vehicles. Holidays were nothing to look forward to, knowing of the double-dose of mail awaiting delivery next day.
Pat had time for a little recreation, and joined a bowling league in Ravenna which he enjoyed for several years. He also served for many years as treasurer of the Lutheran Church in Ravenna, plying the old fiscal skills he picked up in his youth and in his many years of operating (in the red) at Pat’s Store. His association with the Pleansanton community led to membership in the Lion’s club there, and eventually to the leadership of the Lions in Pleasanton, serving as chief Lion. Proud he was to carry the Lions’s banner in the 1976 Centennial Parade in Kearney, and he upstaged himself with that event - it was much better than wearing a green beard on St. Patrick’s day (and as long as it took for the dye to grow out) during Nebraska’s Centennial in 1967.
It was with the Lion’s Club that Pat reached into his past and recalled the strains of an old song “Let the Rest of the World Go By.” The tune was the same, it was a strain, but the lyrics were X-rated and were recalled from GI days in Europe, not from the family sing-a-longs he knew in his childhood. It’s been said that Pat has more lyrics of more forgotten songs lying around in his memory than anyone would care to hear.
The mail route began to take its toll. The hours were long, the old jeep became less trusty, the ruts in the Spring thaw roads became deeper. Pat considered retirement, but, gee, the money was good, and besides, what would he do with his time? Pat struggled with this for a couple of years, but kept on working.
One day in late 1977, the young son of a Rural Route Patron met Pat at the mailbox and inquired, “Is that all you ever do, Pat, is deliver mail?” “Well, I guess so,” Pat said, “That’s my job.” “Well, don’t you ever just mess around?” asked the boy. That set Pat to thinking (for the first time in 32 years) and he decided that it was high time that he spent some time just messing around.
And that brings us up to date and to the reason for this gathering; and we all wish you many years of happiness messing around!
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