This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: farwellwalter Surnames: Ross, Lanyon, Scott Classification: biography Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.iowa.counties.fremont/7439/mb.ashx Message Board Post: THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD. April 22, 1926. "Has Claimant Bested".--Friends of Thomas J. Lanyon, 78, of Little Sioux, Iowa, are claiming for him the state and probably the national record for length of service as secretary of a school board, ..... but the state and possibly the national championship will have to be awarded to a Fremont county man. J.D. Ross of Walnut township has a record going even farther than Mr. Lanyon's in spite of the fact the Mr. Ross is the younger man by four years. John has been serving on the school board of Walnut township more than fifty years. His present term will expire on July 1, 1926, and when it is finished he will have completed a continuous service of 52 years and six months. In addition to this his secretarial service includes presiding as secretary at the general township meetings for the same length of time. His secretarial service then, totals more than a hundred years. During all this time he has never missed a meeting of his board or township meeting. Only once a number of years ago, was his office threatened by opposition, but John managed to pull through although some of the others on his township ticket were defeated. Today which marks his 74th birthday, he is celebrating the event with Mrs. I. G. Scott, whose birthday falls on the same day, at the home of her son and his daughter, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Scott, in Walnut township. John says that the first fifty years are the hardest and that he believes he can handle the next fifty a lot easier. Those who know John won't doubt it a bit. He looks much younger today than he did fifteen or twenty years ago when the Smith Brothers type of whiskers were all the rage as male hirsute adornment. John has also served the people as a member of the Fremont county board of supervisors and in a number of other capacities. He's a democrat of the first water and proud of it, too. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.