Nora Worford Huston, Part 1 of 2 -
Details of Nora Worford Huston’s life recorded as a biography by Helen Bradford in Sept., 2002.
“Nora Huston, the subject of this biography, remembers that she was the 13th entrant to the new Gran Villas, an assisted living facility, which had opened on East River Street in Eureka. On Friday, September 1, 1995, she took up residence there. At first, she occupied a room in the southeast wing and later moved to a room facing River Street in order to enjoy better lighting and a more interesting view.
“Nora had been living in Eureka’s subsidized living complex, Magic Circle. Although she had enjoyed the social life there, increasing back problems and the resulting inability to drive her car, had prompted her move to Gran Villas. She was then 95 years of age.
“For one now past the century mark, Nora has a remarkable memory, and enjoys talking about her eventful life when asked to do so. She began with an account of her birth. Her parents, Albertus “Bert” and Pearl King, married in 1899, were living on a rather isolated farm in the area of Quincy, Greenwood County Kansas, in 1901. In those days, farmers had no phones, and the Kings had no quick means of contact with a doctor in Quincy.
“So, as the time drew near for the birth of their first child, they moved temporarily to the home of her parents, the A.J. Burnett farm, about seven miles north of Neal, Kansas. There, on January 11, 1901, Nora Viola was born. The attending doctor was David Walker Basham, who later was to become Wichita’s world-famous surgeon. Nora’s uncle, Ed Burnett, rode horseback the seven miles to Neal to summon Dr. Basham, and the doctor came in his twohorse buggy as soon as possible.
“In 2002, the time of this writing, Nora consulted Dr. Mark Basham, the grandson of the early doctor, in his Eureka office. Dr. Mark Basham reminded Nora of the often-told story about his grandfather’s arrival in Neal. He was on the Missouri Pacific train, headed west for his health, when he became ill and had to stop at Neal. There the people cared for him, nursed him back to health, and helped him on his way. A few years later, in 1885, after he had earned his license to practice, Dr. David Basham came back to locate in Neal, where the people had been so kind to him.
“Leonard Albertus King, Nora’s father, had come with his parents to Quincy, Kansas, when he was 16. He had married Pearl Viola Burnett, daughter of Andrew Jackson “Andy” and Cinderella J. “Cindy” Burnett.
“In all, four children were born to the Bert Kings, Nora, Ceola, Boyd and Leon “Duke.” Boyd King (19071989) was widely known in Kansas because he was for years Associate Professor and Director of Placement at Emporia State University. Before that he had been a teacher, principal and coach in Kansas schools.
“Leon (1915-1999) farmed near Quincy, then moved to Maize, Kansas, where he was affiliated with the King Oil Company, the Maize Oil Company, and the Maize Mills. When he returned, he moved to Eureka, where he lived until his death.
“Nora grew up on a farm on West Creek, northwest of Quincy. She also spent part of her childhood with her grandparents, the Burnetts. She recalls that at age six she started to school from the Burnett’s home. Arrangements were made for her to ride in a buggy with the neighboring Brown children attending District 9—the three Brown children sitting in the seat of the one-horse buggy, and Nora sitting on a stool in front of the other children.
“The older Brown boy had the reins and teased Nora by flapping them along the side of her head, as they drove. For a while she didn’t tell her grandparents about the teasing. When they did discover her problem, they took her out of school for the remainder of that year. Perhaps they were also influenced by thoughts of the cold winter months ahead.
“By the time school started the following year, the Burnetts had moved to Quincy, and then Nora attended the Quincy School, District 30. She was to graduate from that school when she was 14. Then she started to high school in Quincy, but was married at the age of 16 before she could become a high school sophomore.
“After her grandparents moved to Quincy, Nora’s family occupied the Burnett farm on West Creek. Her childhood was a happy one, she says. She liked to help with the garden work. She liked the dresses her mother made for her, although she wished they could all be red. She never had a “boughten” dress until after her marriage. When quite small, she once told her grandmother that when she was married, she would have beefsteak and bananas every day, and remembers that her grandmother replied, “I hope you do.” As a child Nora went with her parents to the United Brethren Church in Quincy.
“She recalls playing a form of baseball and hideand- seek with her sister and brothers. Although they often played in West Creek, and enjoyed the water fights that took place there, Nora never learned to swim.
“When she was in the 8th grade, Nora played on the girls’ basketball team. As a high school freshman, she again “made the team,” but there were only five girls to play. There were no substitutes, and sometimes they had only four on the team.
“Nora remembers a strategy of Mr. Redman, teacher and coach at the Quincy High School. Once he brought the girls to Eureka to play the Eureka High School team, and they played in the upper story of a downtown business building (the Opera House on the east side of Main Street in the 200 block). They had to play around a big pole standing in the center of the room. If the Quincy team fell behind, the coach told Nora, she was to pretend to be injured in a collision with the pole. That left only four girls to play, and the Eureka coach had to take out one of his players to even things up. Then the Quincy team beat the Eureka team, which was unused to playing with only four girls.
