Author Archives: roger

KenRex Promotion (London)

Here’s a promotion for KenRex at the Sheffield Theatre in London with writer/actor Jack Holden This shows scenes from the show in which he plays 30 characters from the Skidmore Ken Rex McElroy case.

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Jack Holden (writer/actor) & John Patrick Elliott (music) Discuss KenRex

I spoke with both at last night’s production of KenRex. One of the advantages of seeing a show at a small off-Broadway venue is that there is easy access to the principals

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Ken Rex McElroy Attorney Richard Eugene McFadden – Clay County Prosecutor 1960

I spot checked some of the depictions in the KenRex play. I ran across this photo of Richard Eugene McFadden in 1960, when he was Clay County Prosecutor and was prosecuting the Perry L. Thresher murder of Mrs. Constance Rebecca … Continue reading

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John Holden won the 2026 Olivier Award for Best Actor for the London production of KenRex

 I saw KenRex and spoke with actor/writer John Holden last night, and I will have a lot coming down the pike on this. John’s one-man show portrays 30 characters from Skidmore/Nodaway County, including David Baird, Trena McElroy, the Bowencamps, attorney … Continue reading

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21-Year-Old Alton 8 Foot Giant Loses Suit Against Barnard Doctor Charles Humberd 1939

In 1939, Robert Wadlow, the 21-year-old eight-foot-tall “Alton Giant,” lost a $100,000 defamation suit against Barnard, Missouri,  “giant expert” and former Nodaway Coroner Charles Humberd over Humberd’s writings about him in the American Medical Journal. The case was heard in … Continue reading

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Review of KenRex in London Play: “Making a Murderer meets The Simpsons.”

Here’s Mickey Joe Theatre Review: KenRex, a one-person musical, based on Ken Rex McElroy, who was killed in Skidmore in 1981.  This review is for the London production.  It opened in New York in April 2026. Including the YouTube-generated transcript … Continue reading

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Grand Army of the Republic Posts in Nodaway County

Here’s a list of 15 Grand Army of the Republic posts in Nodaway County.  The GAR was a veterans organization of Union soldiers and sailors in the Civil War.  This list is  compiled by the Sons of the Union Veterans … Continue reading

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Britt Small and the Festival Music Commune at Skidmore 1976

Caption: From Left, Jonnie Small, Mindy Thompson, Britt Small, Penelope the dog Image colorized/enhanced from  https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maryville-daily-forum-festival-famil/159592466/

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Daisy & Queen College Farm Mules Who Built Martindale Gymnasium 1926

The original 200-acre college farm (on the northwest side of the campus, mostly south of the Wabash tracks in the high-rise dormitory area). This farm was part of the original massive Faustiana Farm, which stretched around the college on the … Continue reading

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1943 Washington High School Mural in Nodaway County Museum

In 1942-43, Washington High School students painted a mural on the lower level that depicted the school’s history.  When the school was torn down in 1999, the mural, as well as plaster pseudo-classical Greek sculptures that adorned the school auditorium, … Continue reading

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