The 2013 Alliance Heritage Days Grand Marshal — The Helen Iossi Family. Pictured in front, left to right: Dave & Tory McVicker, Robyn Iossi, Helen Iossi, and Ron & Janine Iossi. Back row, left to right: Kristina & Bryce McVicker, Haylee McVicker, and Ali Iossi.
Let us commence with Fiddler on the Roof’s opening number: Tradition! Tradition!
“Because of our traditions, we have kept our balance for many, many, years!” – Tevye.
This year’s Alliance Heritage Days Grand Marshal offers a balance of deep roots in the Alliance area, as well as hard work and generosity.
The Chamber of Commerce board of directors has selected the Helen Iossi Family.
And, granddaughter Ali Iossi reminds you that the last name is pronounced YO-SEE, not, Eye-Oh-See.
Phonetics is important to the young dancing queen, whose steps are as disciplined and precise as a Rocky Balboa uppercut. (Yeah, we’re in a different cinema now).
It is with pride that we place a ring around the Helen Iossi Family, who will be honored during the Heritage Days Family Night on July 16 near the Central Park Fountain. They will also be at the forefront of the July 20 parade.
The Heritage Days Grand Marshal is sponsored by First National Bank – North Platte.
The family’s Box Butte County roots date to 1925, when Alfred and Ida Iossi purchased land about 10 miles north of Alliance. Land that remains in the Iossi Family today.
Alfred and Ida’s son, Alvin, was born on that farm on August 14, 1928.
Al lived and worked on the family farm most of his life. He also worked as a brakeman and conductor for the Burlington Northern Railroad for 19 years as well as a rural mail carrier for 30 years. The postal service honored Al with an award for driving one million miles accident free. He loved farming and gardening and often shared his fresh produce with neighbors and friends. Al, also known as “the neighborhood welder,” was a lifetime member of the Eagles Club.
Al passed away on August 21, 2012, at the Good Samaritan Health Care Center in Alliance at the age of 84.
Al’s bride of over 56 years, Helen Case Iossi, was born on the family ranch 28 miles northeast of Alliance on August 22, 1938 to Bill and Hazel Case. The Case family worked the ranch from the mid 1920s until 1952. Bill passed away in 1958.
Hazel Case operated Don’s Cafe near Third and Cheyenne in the late 1950s, and also prepared meals at the Alliance Livestock Sale Barn and the Iron Horse Restaurant until she retired at age 80. While operating Don’s Cafe, she boldly removed a sign that read: “No Blacks and No Indians.” Her only rule for her patrons – no matter the color of their skin – was that they behave themselves.
Hazel, who loved to make quilts, passed away in January, 1998, at age 91. She is resting in peace at the Alliance Cemetery. Engraved in the stone beneath her name are a needle and thread, thimble, pincushion, and scissors.
Helen attended Alliance High School. Her adult years have found her employed as a farm wife, as well as at the old American Legion near Third and Niobrara; the L.B. Murphy Company in downtown Alliance from 1973 to 1985; KCOW Radio from 1985 through the present; and the owner-operator of the Alliance Country Club/Westside Events Center from 1987 through today. The historic wooden structure that Helen purchased from Lyle and Betty Hare, burned to the ground in 1994. But, through an overwhelming amount of blood, sweat, and tears – and tremendous support from the community – it was rebuilt in 1995.
Al and Helen were blessed with three children: Robyn, born in 1956 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Alliance; Ron, born in 1958 in Denver, CO; and Tory, born in 1963 at St. Joseph’s. Ron’s wife, Janine was born in 1965 in Alliance, while Tory’s husband, Dave McVicker, was born in Greeley, CO, in 1960.
Helen, who has never lived farther than 39 miles from Alliance her entire life, has been active in the Alliance Chamber of Commerce for over 30 years, as well as the soroptomists, PEO, and the Box Butte County 4-H program, where she served as a 4-H leader for 18 years. Her Country Club philanthropy has included assisting the Hemingford World Stride Club, the local fire departments, the Carnegie Arts Center, the Alliance Public Schools Foundation, and several 4-H events. Helen was recognized as the Business Person of the Year by the Alliance Chamber of Commerce in 1994.
Robyn Iossi, who graduated from Alliance High School in 1974, worked at financial institutions in Colorado for 15 years before returning to Alliance in 1995. She then graduated from Western Nebraska Community College in 1997, and received her bachelor’s degree from Chadron State College in 1999. Robyn has been employed with WNCC since 2000, serving as the Veteran’s Upward Bound coordinator and then student services coordinator. Robyn is active in the Alliance Chamber of Commerce; Presbyterian Church; library board; and has chaired the Box Butte County Fair Queen Contest the past five years. Robyn also attends the activities in which her two nieces and nephew are involved.
Ron Iossi graduated from Alliance High School in 1978. An active FFA member, he receive the coveted American Farmer Degree in 1980. Ron raises Angus cattle on the family farm north of Alliance and is a strong supporter of the Box Butte County 4-H program. His wife, Janine, is employed with the Alliance Public Schools Kiddie Campus. Their daughter, Ali, will enter her junior year at Alliance High School in August. Ali is an accomplished dancer, having taken lessons at the Seventh Street Dance Studio since the age of two. Ali was crowned the Star of Stars at the 2013 Alliance Kiwanis Club’s Stars of Tomorrow contest. She also is active in 4-H showing beef cattle. Ali also is a member of the Alliance High Bulldog volleyball and basketball teams.
Tory (Iossi) McVicker graduated from Alliance High School in 1981. She worked in the L.B. Murphy gift wrapping department for five years before joining forces with her husband and mother to operate the Alliance Country Club/Westside Events Center for 26 years. Tory and Dave McVicker, who were married in 1986, are also strong supporters of the Box Butte County 4-H program. Tory helped spearhead the original fund drives for the Box Butte County Fair’s “Raise the Roof” campaign, which led to the construction of a new livestock pavilion this past year.
The McVickers have two children. Bryce, born in 1988 at Box Butte General Hospital, and Haylee, born in 1992 at BBGH.
Bryce was active in the Box Butte County 4-H program showing beef for several years at the county fair. A 2007 graduate from Hemingford High School, Bryce played football and golf for the Bobcats, and also was a member of the HHS drama department, where he sharpened his skills as a singer in the school’s production of Grease. Bryce is a 2011 graduate of South Dakota State University in Brookings. He currently serves as a conservation officer with the South Dakota Game and Parks. His wife, Kristina, whom he married on July 14, 2012, is an agriculture loan officer with Dakota Bank in Watertown, SD.
Haylee, who graduated from Alliance High School in 2010, is also a 4-H alum, having shown beef cattle for several years. Haylee was awarded the prestigious 4-H Diamond Clover Award for remodeling the Box Butte County Fair’s 4-H building. Haylee was also active in basketball, softball, and tennis at AHS. She will graduate from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD, in December, 2013, following a semester of student teacher in Newcastle, WY.
It is a common sight to see the family working as collective volunteers during community events.
“We love living in the Best Hometown in America because it has made us who we are,” said Tory. “We feel it is important to give back to the community that has given so much to us!”
An admirable balance.
“Yo,” as Rocky Balboa would exclaim.
As in YO-SEE.