1987 National Contest

Missouri 1987 The National was hosted by Missouri and the Marshall organization in 1987. The contest had special significance for the Saline County group because it also celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the 1937 National held on the Weber brothers' farm just north of Marshall. Unlike the 1937 contest that was held in a steady rain, the 1987 National was held under ideal weather conditions. As a commemoration of the 1937 National. a special class was added to the National that featured some of the veteran huskers who had competed in the 1937 contest. Twenty contestants had battled in the 1937 National and four of them would be on the field to turn back the pages of time and once again compete against each other. The class of 1937 consisted of Harold Korth from Randolph, Nebraska; Noble Goodman from Upper Sandusky, Ohio; Kenneth House from Mcdonald, Kansas; and William Rose from Kewanee, Illinois. These huskers had not let their hooks become rusty, but had been competing in the Open class, and Noble Goodman had garnered up a tenth place finish in the Senior Men 65-74. William Rose's last appearance in 1984 has resulted in a third place finish in the Senior Men 75 + class. Kenneth House, the elder statesman of the group, had not seen any post-War competition. However, he had been instrumental in helping Ross Nelson revive the Kansas contest in 1971. To cheer on these veteran huskers was the 1937 Contest queen, Virginia Dennis Seibert of Ema, Missouri. When the 10-minute class was finished and the loads tallied, Harold Korth was the winner with 207.5 net pounds.