The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 19

2B DES MOINES SUNDAY REGISTER May 4, 1986 A first-hand warning of smoking's dangers DATELINE IOWA Wisconsin bid for dog track stirs concern i -4- K7 REGISTER PHOTOS BY MARRY BAUMERT if "I i '4, 1 I 2 XI i 1 1 a. j-': '-Hi 4 rhx a 4 I While Don Ritchie describes to elementary school students how his voice box was removed after he contract smoking a pack a day for 20 years, an Cameron, 9, gingerly feels her throat. Right away, officials of the cancer society knew they had the perfect guy to warn Iowa children about the perils of smoking. For 17 years now, he has watched his doctrine of nonsmoking take root in impressionable young minds, grade school through high school. "That's my project," he says.

"Planting seeds." He tells the stifdents: "Life is beautiful. But it's only as beautiful as you make it." Each year, he has tallied 30,000 miles, spoken as many as six times a day, five days a week, to 30,000 or 40,000 students. Each year, he has visited 200 schools, stayed in about a hundred motel rooms, and made almost that many calls home to his wife, Eleanor, in Spencer. Here he is before third-, fourth-and fifth-graders at East Elementary School in Independence: "My wife calls me a weekend guest. So you see, girls, I'm married so don't get any ideas" Guttural Speech His speech can be described as guttural.

A microphone provides the amplification he no longer can produce naturally. But to the delight of the youngsters, Ritchie is capable of accenting his remarks with sound effects that would tie knots in a larynx. He talks about cancer "that's a dumb disease that kills people, By GARY HEINLE1N Imtv staff Wriiw INDEPENDENCE, IA. Don Ritchie has been as sneaky as the diseases he is battling. For 17 years he has worked his youthful audiences with variations of the same routine.

You grab them with the Ingratiating humor some boyfriend-girlfriend stuff, maybe kid the little girl with the pretty red hair. Then conspire and entice, promising to show them some things that are unknown even to their parents. When you've got them eating out of your hand, you ever-so-gently start bringing in the serious information about smoking. And cancer. And emphysema.

Now the clincher the missing voice box. "On October 27, 1966, they pushed me into their great, big operating room and they put me to sleep. One, two, three, four, five doctors worked nine hours." When Ritchie awoke in his room at University of Iowa Hospitals that day, his larynx and Adam's apple were gone, along with lymph nodes, the muscles in the right side of his neck and half his thyroid glands. His windpipe no longer connected with his mouth and nose. It had been routed into a breathing hole at the base of his neck, called a stoma.

When the doctor asked how he felt, he had to write the answer on a piece of paper. Wanted to Die It was a real kick in the teeth. He was 42 years old, and he wanted to die. Instead, he found his calling. The loss of his voice box launched a public speaking career that will end with his retirement at the current school year.

"I used to have cancer," he says to 40 attentive listeners. "But I got rid of it. I'm not dead. At least I don't think so." He grins and pauses for effect. "I don't look dead, do That usually is good for a few giggles.

It is impossible to dislike a man with permanent smile lines creasing his forehead and crinkling next to his eyes. At the University of Iowa, Ritchie learned esophageal speech a very difficult technique to master. It involves gulping air into the esophagus, forcing it back up and forming words with the tongue and remaining throat muscles. Of the thousands who lose their voice boxes to cancer each year, only a small percentage are able to do this. It took Ritchie three years of very determined effort.

He had promised himself that he would return to the microphone of his ham radio setup. That was the motivation for developing skills that led to his big break. At an American Cancor Society convention in Des Moines, he was asked to fill in for a speaker who had taken ill. With no prior experience, the former Spencer hardware store manager stepped onto the podium and rambled on for more than 45 minutes. 6.6 million in claims against Burr estate By ANNE WILLETTE RMistor Staff Wrttw More than $6.6 million in claims have been filed against the estate of Dale Burr, the Lone Tree farmer who killed his wife, banker, neighbor and himself last December.

Family members, two banks, farm equipment and supply businesses and the wife of slain neighbor Richard Goody filed their claims in Johnson County District Court. Burr's son, John, and Goody's wife, Marilyn, each have asked for $3 million. John Burr, 39, is seeking the money to compensate for the loss of his mother, Emily, and on behalf of her estate. Marilyn Goody wants compensation for the loss of her husband. Karen Hughes, the widow of Hills Bank Trust Co.

president John Hughes, did not file a wrongful death claim against Burr's estate. As of Friday's filing deadline, family members, farm businesses and two area banks said Burr owed them $676,552 for loans or unpaid bills. J. Patrick White, Johnson County attorney, said he estimates Burr's assets at the time of his death would have covered what he owed banks and farm businesses with about $500,000 left over. Burr's shooting rampage was said to have been linked to financial pressure caused by the troubled farm economy.

His motive for killing Goody apparently stemmed from a 1982 land dispute. Claims against the estate include: $424,600 by the Hills Bank Trust Co. for a mortgage on 400 acres of land. $164,000 by the Columbus Junction State Bank for a mortgage on 80 acres of land. The bank foreclosed on the loan in March.

At least $33,120 by Ruth Forbes, Burr's sister, for loans made by their mother, Hilda. Forbes' claim says she thinks Burr borrowed more than $33,120, but did not document it. The claim says Hilda Burr's interest income has dropped substantially in the last year. $20,774 by Burr's daughter, Julia, 30, of Eau Claire, Wis. $9,396 by Burr's daughter, Sheila Ross, 38, of Rogers, Ark.

By JOHN CARLSON ftttftMr Sfa Wrtttf DUBUQUE, IA. Managers at the Dubuque Greyhound Park are looking with delight at this year's racing season. Bettors seem better educated now and per capita betting is almost double from when the track opened last year. But in an act that could some day mean serious trouble for the dog track here, the Wisconsin Legislature last month took the first step toward passing a pari-mutuel racing bill. Wisconsin Representative Richard Shoemaker and his friends in the Legislature have been singing a tale of woe similar to one heard in the corridors of the Iowa State Capitol a few short yean ago.

They say they're tired of watching the home folks spend all that money out of state on sinful lotteries and race tracks. So the legislators from Iowa's neighbor to the northeast are working to legalize some forms of gambling and keep that sin at home where it belongs. Managers at the Dubuque track may have to start buying antacid by the carload if a horse or dog track sprouts up in western Wisconsin. Wisconsin Buses That's because Wisconsin residents make up an important part of the track's income as buses from Milwaukee and Madison stream into the parking lot here almost daily. Dubuque's greyhound track is into its second month of the season and patrons are wagering their money with a confidence not evident here when the track first opened its doors last June.

"Last year it was something entirely new to almost everybody who came here but it's different now," said track spokesman Don Hess. Track income figures support that claim. Through the first 28 performances last year, the average racing fan wagered about $55. During the same period of time this year, the average fan was wagering $96 each time out at the track. An important part of that money comes from just across the Mississippi River bridge in Wisconsin.

Track managers can't be absolutely sure but surveys conducted in Dubuque last year showed more than 5 percent pf the Dubuque track patrons come out of Wisconsin. That would translate to more than $2.2 million wagered last year, not including the money Wisconsin residents spent on food, liquor and other purchases while they werert Towa for a day of gambling. Predicting Effect "Tht; Wisconsin Legislature has passed a bill and there's not much we can do bout it but keep our eye on things," said Hess. "Illinois is thinking about dog racing too. "But there's no doubt that if a track went into Springfield, 111., well, no problem.

If a track is built in Rock-ford, or Madison, then that's a big problem." Clearly, the most imminent danger is in Wisconsin. Shoemaker, a Democrat from the western Wisconsin city of Menomonie, is chairman of the Assembly State Affairs Committee, the author of the pari-mutuel bill and the man who is pushing the measure through his state's Legislature. But in order for pari-mutuel to become a reality, the Wisconsin Constitution banning gambling must be changed. The Legislature began that task last month passing a bill authorizing the change. Another legislative session also must pass the measure, then it would be placed on a ballot before Wisconsin voters.

Following approval by voters, the Legislature then would pass specif ic enabling legislation on a pari-mutuel bill. Pari-Mutuel Visibility Shoemaker insists Wisconsin residents want pari-mutuel and he says it can go before the voters as early as next spring. "A lot of people in Wisconsin have wanted pari-mutuel for a long time," said Shoemaker. "But it didn't really get hot until racing started last year in Minnesota and Dubuque. That gave pari-mutuel the visibility it needed in the western part of the state.

"A dog track in the western part of the state of Wisconsin makes pretty good sense to me." With a new track running in Council Bluffs and another opening this fall in Waterloo, such a prospect is not good news in Dubuque. Dubuque track manager Roy Ber-ger, pleased with the betting activity this year, said even though the Bluffs Run track is 300 miles away in Council Bluffs it is providing a measure of competition. "Negative Impact" "We've got no reason to cry or complain about it but the fact is Council Bluffs is having some negative Impact on us," Berger said. "Six percent of the people who came here last year were from Des Moines. Council Bluffs is much more convenient to them now." Berger also said a small group of "high rollers" who visited the Dubuque track regularly from western Iowa last year are nowhere to be found.

1 "I'm talking about three or four guys and they bet big. We saw them every weekend from August through the close of last season (in November. We haven't seen them this year and I have no doubt that they're in Council Bluffs." Twain leads charter group into Rivers Hall of Fame Th RMft kwi Nwt lrvtc DUBUQUE, IA. The first five inductees Into the new National Rivers Hall of Fame here Saturday night fill the pages of many history books. Inducted were Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), who used the pen name Mark Twain to write such work3 as "Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" and worked as a steamboat pilot, newspaper reporter, humorist and lecturer, James Eads (1820-1887), civil engineer and inventor who designed ironclad gunboats during the Civil War, built Eads Bridge in St.

Louis and invented the diving bell; Henry Shreve (1785-1851), steamboat captain and namesake of Shreveport, who established the practicability of steam navigation on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; and Louis Joliet (1645-1700) and Jacques Marquette (1637-1675), who explored the Mississippi River in 1673. In addition, honors for achievement were presented to Jesse Brent of Greenville, Scott Chotlin of New Orleans and F.A. Mechling of Pittsburgh, all river transportation industrialists; William J. Peterson of Iowa City, river historian; and Marjory Stoneman Douglas of Coconut Grove, conservation author. Deputy in pursuit as cars collide, killing motorist Th Htr'i hja Nw Srvk BELMOND, IA.

Two Iowans were killed in separate two-car accidents that left two others injured Friday. One Belmond man was killed and another injured when their vehicles collided on U.S. Highway 69 here late Friday. Jeffrey Alan Loats, 24, was killed when his southbound vehicle collided head-on at 10 p.m. with a vehicle driven by Jacob Michael Gaunt, 17.

An Iowa State Patrol official said Gaunt's vehicle, which had been observed traveling at a high rate of speed, was being pursued by Wright County Deputy Sheriff Rick McClain when the collision occurred as Gaunt crossed over into Loats' lane. Gaunt was listed in seriuus condition Saturday at Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital in Mason City. Elsewhere: A Lisbon woman was killed in a head-on crash on Iowa Highway 92 near Knoxville Friday afternoon. Vel-ma Leola Cox, 72, was killed when the vehicle she was driving collided at 1:30 p.m. with a vehicle driven by Stephen C.

Conte, 34, of Council Bluffs. Conte was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. Peaung LoVan, 19, of Spencer was killed in a car-motorcycle accident in Spencer late Saturday. Police said Edna Kruse of Spencer was making a left turn when Lo Van's motorcycle struck her car from behind. A passenger on the motorcycle, Roock Baccam, 26, of Mason City was reported in critical condition with head and leg injuries and was taken to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Progress marked toward human chain around lake CLEAR LAKE, IA. (AP) More than 7,000 fund-raising buttons have been sold for the Hands Around the Lake event in Clear Lake, which is designed to raise money for the food bank that serves northern Iowa. Organizers of the event hope to have 24,000 participants link hands to form a human chain around Clear Lake on Memorial Day. Participants are asked to purchase a button, being sold by many churches and civic organizations, and donate a canned food item. The canned food collected in Clear Lake will be donated to the Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank in Mason City to help needy people throughout northern Iowa.

Excursion boat sets sail toward Okoboji by truck Th Rtgistor't Iowa Ntwi Srvlc SPIRIT LAKE, IA. The hull of the Queen II, an excursion boat that should begin sailing the waters of the Iowa Great Lakes around June 1, should arrive in Iowa on Wednesday. Stephen Kennedy, who is directing the effort to finance and build the 75-foot-long, 18-foot-wide boat, which will carry 200 passengers, said the hull is ready to be shipped here by truck from Sturgeon Bay, where it was built. The superstructure of the boat was completed in Spirit Lake about a week ago, and will be placed atop the hull when it arrives, Kennedy said. The Queen II was christened in honor of the historic Queen steamboat, which cruised West Okoboji Lake for 89 years before being sold in the 1970s to Adventureland Park in Altoona.

Ames sewage plant OK'd; lawsuits stall construction Th Rtghtar'l low Nw Srvle AMES, IA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave the go-ahead Friday for Ames' proposed $36 million sewage treatment plant near Cambridge. But five lawsuits filed by opponents of the plant still are holding up construction. 4 4 9- 1 r.

right?" He lists its causes, especially "The Biggie." On the movie screen behind him, a sketch of a smoking cigarette appears. But Ritchie has a new name for cigarettes. Know what that is, third-and fourth-graders? A sketch of a baby's pacifier flashes on the screen. No further answer Is necessary. Here's what to do when someone asks you to smoke: "You look them straight in the eye and say, 'No thank you, I don't use pacifiers.

They kill He shows them a sketch of a throat, lungs and voice box like theirs and pronounces it "beautiful." With that apparatus, they can shout, sing and pray. "But boys and girls, what would you do If somebody walked in the room right now and took it away?" He takes a moment to scan their upturned faces. "Well, I've got news for you. It's happening every day." "Beautiful" Throat He presents a sketch of how things have been rearranged in his throat. "I think it's beautiful, but you probably wouldn't think so," he says.

And he describes how smoking a pack a day for 20 years caused him to lose his voice box. Eyes are wide open. You could hear a squirm clear across the room. "It isn't how long you smoke, it isn't how much you smoke," he says. "It's what smoking does to you.

In jailed. Among those hauled away was the man who dived through the window, J.W. Hilson, 30, of Minneapolis, who was charged with resisting arrest. John Bernard Coxe, 32, of rural Norwalk was also jailed on charges of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. Authorities stripped the house of its furnishings, which were confiscated as evidence.

Taken were numerous cases of beer, a 30-gallon plastic garbage can filled with wine and liquor bottles, five refrigerators, an arcade-style video game, a television set, a video recorder and video camera. Also seized were several thousand dollars, two handguns, tables, chairs, sofas and lamps. Lt. Marvin Brewer of the police Vice and Narcotics Unit said the 48 people arrested was a respectable number but "the place could hold a lot more. Our information is that it has held a lot more" on other nights.

The raid culminated a months-long investigation prompted by complaints from neighbors, Brewer said. "Bullwlnkle and ma Chi fraternity sorority and Sig- during Iowa State ed cancer from entranced Carrie D.M. raid nets 48 arrests me, it stuck in my throat and turned to cancer." Before he is done, chewing tobacco, cigars and pipes also are indicted. For a laugh, he conjures up an image of mom in the kitchen with a big chaw in her cheek. He describes folks with emphysema so bad that they couldn't walk to the door over there at the front of the room.

If tobacco is so bad, he wonders aloud, why would anyone make it? "That's easy," he says, "I can answer it in three words: To. Make. Money. They don't care what happens to you, as long as they put money in their pockets." He lets that sink in, shaking his head sadly. "It's sad, but true.

To make money." He finishes by inviting them to play a trick on mom and dad: At the dinner table tonight, tell them you learned something in school. Look them straight in the eye and tell them you will never smoke because it kills people. "I can't tell you that you can't smoke because that is your right," he adds. "I can just to "you straight." With older students, the message gets more blunt, and the sketches are more graphic. It is all a challenge, but gaining the rapt attention of teen-agers is especially gratifying for him.

County care worker denies abuse charge WAVERLY, IA. (AP) A suspended Bremer County Care Facility employee last week denied allegations by officials that he sexually abused residents of the government-run home. Loren A. Mikkelsen of Denver, an aide at the facility for the past year, had been denied unemployment benefits by Job Service of Iowa on the basis of alleged job misconduct. Mikkelsen contested the initial Job Service ruling and an appeal hearing was conducted last week in Waterloo.

During testimony, Mikkelsen denied any misconduct, saying he was not aware any of his actions toward home residents might be construed as sexual. Mikkelsen was suspended in February when Donald Eades, then the administrator of the home, reported the alleged actions to the Iowa Department of Health. An investigation by state officials substantiated Eades' accusations of sexual abuse and also found that Mikkelsen had been physically and verbally abusive to residents. No criminal charges have been filed against him. REGISTER PHOTO BY LARRY E.

NEIBERGALL meanders through the streets of Ames University's Veisbea parade Saturday. By TOM SUK ftniittr Stall Writtr An early morning raid Saturday on a suspected bootleg operation in Des Moines resulted in the arrests of 48 people on charges of frequenting a disorderly house. At about 2:45 a.m. a police convoy, including a large rental truck, pulled into the darkened alley behind 1701 Seventh St. and 25 police officers surrounded the two-story house.

As police stormed into the residence a man jumped head-first through a closed back window. Police arrested the man, who suffered minor cuts and bruises. Those inside the house were brought into the back of the rental truck that police had converted into a mobile booking room. Most were freed after being issued misdemeanor citations. Those without proper identification or with outstanding warrants were taken to jail.

Also jailed was Alf Freddie Clark, 31, of 1031 11th St. who had a substantial amount of what police suspect was cocaine. Seven men and four women were 1 Skvikta lata C'sA "SSSSS I 1 meow iwaVtfVWJsV Parading through the streets While crowds line the curbs to watch, the Friends" float built by Alpha Chi Omega 1 at taftbtV.