5 July 2014

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Arthur William Starkebaum

1889 — 1947

The College Years

1913

Humorous caption from the college yearbook: Arthur Starkebaum. You are right, Farmer Starke can make a goal.

college yearbook photo of Arthur Starkebaum

The Pulse, 1913 (Central Wesleyan College: Warrenton, Missouri)

Source: The Pulse, 1913 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1913), page [unnumbered; 35?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

This image of Arthur William Starkebaum appeared in The Pulse, 1913, the yearbook of Central Wesleyan College, located at Warrenton, Missouri. At the time, Arthur was vice president of the Junior class, was a member of the Y.M.C.A organization on campus and of the First Gospel Team, played on the basketball team and was manager of the college bookstore.

The Pulse, 1913 (Central Wesleyan College: Warrenton, Missouri)

First Gospel Team

"Sitting — Starkebaum, Schoeppel, Wolfe"

"Standing — Stadtman, Paustian"

Source: The Pulse, 1913 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1913), page [unnumbered; 74?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

The Pulse, 1913 (Central Wesleyan College: Warrenton, Missouri)

"First Basket Ball Team"

"Standing — Coach Hemke, Meine, Starkebaum, Henry, Kattner, Meyer"

"Sitting — Friedli, Kurmsiek, Holt, Hemke"

Starkebaum

Three years on the team makes him the best defender of the goal that ever played on our team. Many victories were won by his great work. He will be with the team again next year.

Source: The Pulse, 1913 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1913), page [unnumbered; 106?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

1914

The Pulse, 1914 (Central Wesleyan College: Warrenton, Missouri)

The following offscreen content is not visible in a web browser. It is provided for screen readers.

The following is a transcription of the text which accompanied the photographic portrait of Arthur William Starkebaum in the 1914 yearbook at Central Wesleyan College. Arthur was a senior at the college in 1914.

"Starkebaum, Arthur William, A.B."

"Stirling, Nebraska."

"Starky, Art."

"When I must, I had better. - El Roy."

"Y.M.C.A. vice president; Goethenia; Basket Ball Squad; Base Ball Squad; Commencement Orator; (English)."

This is the end of the transcription and of the offscreen content.

photograph of Arthur W. Starkebaum dressed in his basketball uniform taking a shot

Starky hails from the farther side of the Missouri river, Nebraska, you know, where he existed in peace and quiet until he decided to come across the river to college. He was born at Sterling on February 27, 1889, where he learned to play ball in a back lot. Starky is the inventor of a peculiar brand of argumentation without logic. In the class room he talks much but says little. We don't mean to be harsh with him for doubtless when he becomes a man he will put away childish things. He has nevertheless been the "Star" in athletics since he has been in C. W. C. Besides this he has business capabilities. The past year he has conducted the College Book Store very successfully. Starky is a great talker for "Out of the fullness of his "Hardt" his mouth speaketh."

Source: The Pulse, 1914 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1914), page [unnumbered; 45?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

These images and appreciation of Arthur William Starkebaum were published in The Pulse, the yearbook of Central Wesleyan College, in 1914, Arthur's senior year. You can see that he was an active member of the college community. He remained vice president of his class, had added baseball to his athletic activities, and had joined the Goethenia Oratorical Association.

This issue of the yearbook has a number of mentions of Arthur's "Hardt". This is no doubt a reference to Elsie Jenney Hardt, a fellow classmate and a romantic interest. Their relationship must have been as strong as the yearbook staff teased here on this page and elsewhere in the yearbook. In the following year, Arthur and Elsie were married at Warrenton, Missouri.

Why I am at Central Wesleyan

To study? — Beck.

To differ. — Gruber.

To dream. — Jacoby.

. . . . . .

To play basket ball. — Starky.

. . . . . .

To look after Starky. — Miss Hardt.

Source: The Pulse, 1914 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1914), page [unnumbered; 161?]. Emphasis added.

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

Jokes

. . . . . .

Miss Hardt. I lost my Geology.

Mr. Beck. Starkebaum swiped it.

Prof. F. Why Starkebaum thinks one book in the family is enough.

. . . . . .

Source: The Pulse, 1914 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1914), page [unnumbered; 168?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

The Pulse, 1914 (Central Wesleyan College: Warrenton, Missouri)

Goethenia Oratorical Association

Source: The Pulse, 1914 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1914), page [unnumbered; 113?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

a selection from the the larger group portrait showing Arthur William Starkebaum standing beside two female members of the Goethenia Oratorical Association

Elsie Hardt?

Laura Martin?

In the yearbook, the individuals in this photo were not identified, but the list of the members of the Association included the names of Arthur William Starkebaum and Elsie Hardt. It will therefore take a little quesswork to match the names to the faces.

On the basis of other photos in the college yearbooks, I believe it is safe to declare that Arthur is in the very center of this crowd, literally. He stands in the middle of the middle row, flanked by two of the three female members.

Again from other photos in this yearbook (see below), I know that the woman in the front row is Edgiththa Grant, vice president of the Goethenia Oratorical Association. By process of elimination, the two women standing to either side of Arthur must be Elsie Hardt and Laura Martin. It is here that my certainty wavers. For the time being, I lean towards identifying the woman on the left as Elsie, the one who had captured "Starky's" heart.

group photographic portrait of the first squad basketball team at Central Wesleyan College in 1914

The Pulse, 1914 (Central Wesleyan College: Warrenton, Missouri)

Basketball Team - 1^st Squad

"Top Row: Grotewiel, Forward; Buehler, Center; Hemke, Coach; Beck, Guard; Hartel, Guard."

"Bottom Row: Meinershagen, Forward; Holt, Forward; Starkebaum, Guard."

"Not shown: Joiner, Forward; Schowengerdt, Guard."

Source: The Pulse, 1914 (Warrenton, Missouri: Central Wesleyan College, 1914), page [unnumbered; 139?].

Access to The Pulse courtesy of Central Wesleyan College Archives Digital Collection, Special Collections Department, Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri).

Brief Genealogy