School, weddings and early careers in contemporary notices.
Seven sisters, seven glimpses
Joe Roling’s 1971 obituary names seven daughters: Ida Mae, Mildred, Evelyn, Jeanne, Helen, Rita and Carol. Earlier newspapers let us meet them at school, on stage and on their wedding days. Each notice catches just one moment, but together they bring a busy Salisbury family into view.
Ida Mae at commencement
In May 1935, Ida Mae Roling was one of nine St. Joseph High School graduates. The commencement took place at the church, with diplomas, hymns and benediction. Gertrude Roling also appears among the graduates; the article does not explain their relationship.
Evelyn on the parish stage
A packed house watched Wild Oats Boy at the W.C.W. Hall in February 1939. Evelyn Roling was in the cast of the St. Joseph parish production, alongside another Roling, Marian. The report preserves the occasion, although it does not name Evelyn’s character.
Helen puts her thoughts on paper
Helen Roling took part in St. Joseph High School’s first Apologetic essay finals in April 1942. The subject was “Why Should We Confess Our Sins?” The newspaper named Helen among the participants, not among the winners. It is a small glimpse of the religious education that formed part of her school years.
Mildred’s winter wedding
For her February 1947 wedding to Walter J. Brand at St. Joseph, Mildred wore white satin and carried calla lilies and white carnations. Jeanne Roling and Jerome Holtwick attended the couple. Dinner at the Roling home and a reception carried the celebration beyond the church.
Jean’s spring wedding
The April 1948 account of Jean Roling’s marriage to Alvin Monnig lingered over her satin gown, its three-tier bustle and train, and her fingertip veil. Helen and Rita were among the attendants. After the ceremony at St. Joseph, the family gathered for dinner at the Roling home on LaFevre Street. The bride appears as Jean in this report and Jeanne in her father’s later obituary.
Rita’s autumn wedding
Rita Roling married Maurice Tebbe in October 1949. Carol Sue, Patricia Monnig, James Monnig and Robert Roling were among the attendants, bringing familiar family names into another wedding account. The newspaper calls the church St. John’s in Salisbury; that wording is retained here rather than quietly changed to St. Joseph.
Carol and a Navy leave
Carol Sue, described as Joe’s youngest daughter, married Victor Jarvis at St. Joseph in August 1953. She had been working at the Roling firm on West Second Street. Their first plans reflected Victor’s Navy service: he would return to duty near Washington after his leave, while Carol would remain in Salisbury. Dinner and a reception were held at the family home.
Related childhood photograph: The reverse of a sledding photograph naming Jim, Bob and Carol names Jim Widmer, Bob Roling and Carol Roling. Its partly obscured date begins “Feb. 194”; the last year digit is unreadable. Individual positions and location are unconfirmed.
Sources for this story
Moberly Monitor-Index and Moberly Evening Democrat: May 28, 1935, p. 3 (Ida Mae); February 21, 1939, p. 3 (Evelyn); April 16, 1942, p. 6 (Helen); February 13, 1947, p. 5 (Mildred); April 2, 1948, p. 2 (Jean); October 21, 1949, p. 4 (Rita); August 27, 1953, p. 4 (Carol); December 20, 1971, p. 2 (Joseph Henry Roling obituary and daughter identifications). Family-held newspaper screenshots; dates and pages follow the viewer headers. Original-page links have not yet been established.
Bud Jarvis on the basketball court
Victor “Bud” Jarvis carried his basketball experience from Salisbury into the Navy. A saved newspaper clipping reports that he was one of fifteen men chosen from four hundred who tried out for the Great Lakes station team. He played both guard and forward and had belonged to Salisbury High School’s 1949–50 champion Panther team.
The clipping names his parents as Mr. and Mrs. Gail Jarvis. That parentage, together with his Navy service, strongly connects him to Carol Roling’s husband in their 1953 wedding report.
Sources: “Makes Basketball Team at Great Lakes,” family-held newspaper clipping, page 1; its publication date and full newspaper heading are cropped. The visible heading is consistent with the Salisbury Press-Spectator. “Miss Carol Roling, Victor Jarvis Are Wed in Salisbury,” Moberly Monitor-Index and Moberly Evening Democrat, August 27, 1953, page 4.
Dick’s path from school to engineering
Richard “Dick” Roling appears in the St. Joseph eighth-grade graduation list in May 1949. A few days later, another report records his First Class Scout rank and badges in pathfinding and first aid. Ten years on, the news was from the University of Missouri: in May 1959, Dick, identified as Joe Roling’s son and a junior studying electrical engineering, received a $500 Westinghouse scholarship for his senior year.
Related childhood photograph: A photograph of three boys outdoors has a reverse naming Dick Roling, Bob Roling and Jim Widmer. Their individual positions are not specified; date and place are unconfirmed.
Sources for this story
Moberly Monitor-Index and Moberly Evening Democrat, May 31, 1949, p. 3; June 3, 1949, p. 9; May 8, 1959, p. 1. The 1949 graduation photograph shows the high-school group, not Richard Roling’s eighth-grade class. The Scout report records First Class, not Eagle Scout.
Dick is chosen for Boys State
In May 1952, Dick Roling was one of two local high-school juniors chosen for Missouri Boys State. The newspaper called him “Dickie,” identified him as a son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Roling, and placed him at St. Joseph High School. He and Bob Wright were selected on scholarship, character and other achievements, with the American Legion’s Claude Duff Post 391 covering their expenses for the program scheduled at Kemper Military Academy in Boonville that June.
Source: “Wright And Roling Picked To Attend Legion’s Boy’s State,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, May 23, 1952, page 1.