Volume 16, Issue No. 5, Sept/Oct 2024
Clarinda native Glenn Miller, who scored more No. 1 records and Top 10 hits than either Elvis Presley or The Beatles, was America’s No. 1 bandleader from 1939 to 1942 before he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces to serve our nation during World War II and tragically died in a plane crash. On March 1, 1904, Alton Glenn Miller was born in the southwestern Iowa town of Clarinda. Although his parents would move along and raise him in Nebraska, Missouri and eventually Colorado, the man who became one of the foremost musical celebrities of the 20th century would always consider himself a proud Iowa native … as would idolizing media publicity. Miller fondly remembered Page and Montgomery counties as “cousin country,” and for good reason. Evidence of Miller’s cousins remains to this day in Clarinda and Red Oak. The first part of our in-depth, two-part series about the icon’s life and legacy, written by author and historian of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society in Clarinda Dennis M. Spragg, chronicles Miller’s illustrious career and debunks conspiracies regarding his mysterious death.
In his column, publisher Michael Swanger congratulates the winners of this year’s Excellence in Iowa History Awards presented by the State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees and reminds readers of Iowa History Journal’s annual sale of back issues this fall.
Explore the history of Forest Park Museum and Arboretum in Perry with Carson Ode. It’s home to 17 acres of re-established prairie and wildflowers.
Learn how former Iowa State head football coach Johnny Majors established the building blocks of Cyclones football for a legacy that lives on. Payne Blazevich, a senior at Iowa State University and sports reporter for Cyclone Alert/247Sports, tackles the fascinating subject.
Discover the life and career of actress and Montrose native Nedra Volz who found fame late in life on a series of popular TV shows, including “Diff’rent Strokes” and “All in the Family,” as chronicled by John Busbee, host of radio’s “The Culture Buzz.”
“Country Roads” columnist Arvid Huisman reminds readers to bloom where you are planted by recalling the many places we can call home.
Book reviews: “Broadlawns: A Century of Caring” and “Emigrant Tales of the Platte River Raids.”
TO READ MORE FASCINATING STORIES ABOUT IOWA HISTORY, subscribe to Iowa History Journal. You can also purchase back issues at the store.