Alva, son of Lew and Bessie Jester, was born May 25, 1912, near Liberal and
  accompanied his parents, brother, and sisters to Barber County when he was five
  months old. He attended grade and high school in Medicine Lodge, graduating with
  the class of 1932. Vocational Agriculture was a comparatively new course in high
  school, and Alva gained much practical knowledge in livestock production and
  farming with emphasis on conservation fo the soil and resources.
     Alva began farming for himself before completing high school - 25 cent corn
  and $2.00 a hundredweight hogs brought a halt to a young man's dreams in the
  1930's. Work on Dad's farm was supplemented by odd jobs for others - fence
  building, shingling houses, road building, et cetera, brought a few $$$ for
  spending money. Mother's home cooking, church activities, an occasional date
  added a bit of spice to life.
     The fall of 1937 brought a new interest, when during the Peace Treaty celebration:
        A boy and a girl at carnival met
        And blusing he asked her to "ride".
        They climbed on the "tilt", and
        around they went
        Til something turned over inside.
        So, he woo'd her and won her and
        he'll never regret
        The mix-up that ends with their lives.
          by Mary Gaunt, 1939.
      I (Alma) moved from Harper County with my parents, John and Mabel Shellenberger,
   in 1925 to a farm near Isabel. I graduated from high school in May, 1931; in
   September, 1931, I stood before eleven pupils in Greeley County rural school with
   a teacher's county certificate and a week in teacher's institute as preparation
   for molding the young mids before me. Fortunately, enough college credits were
   later earned to teach four years in Barbar county. Salaries ranged from $45 to
   $75 a month.
      Alva and I were married February 11, 1939, and have lived on farms in Barber
   County where Alva has been a dedicated farmer and stockman. John Lewis joined
   the family in 1942, a year later Karen Sue arrived to become a playmate for her
   brother. They attended Ruetlinger School until we moved from Gerlane community,
   where both completed eighth grade and graduated from Medicine Lodge High School.
   John in 1960, Karen in 1961. The Jester family have worked and worshiped at the
   First Baptist Church in Medicine Lodge.
      John attended Fort Hays State University one year, and Karen studied at Kansas
   State University two years, John and Carole Larkin were married in 1968 and lived
   in Dodge City with their children, John and Stephanie (twins), Darin, and Fred.
   Karen married Larry DeCou from Manhattan in 1963; they reside near Hutchinson
   with their children, Mark and Lori.
      Experiences have been numerous during our forty years together. Drouth, recessions.
   low prices, hail, illness, accidents, and the 1976 tornado that destroyed our home
   have tested our faith and endurance.
      Vacations have given us an opportunity to enjoy some of the beauty of this
   "Great Land of Ours".
      Joys have been wonderful friends, relatives, and neighbors who have stood by in
   times of illness and disaster, and our dear children, their mates, and six 
   precious grandchildren.       
   
               
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 251 
     Submitted by: Alma Jester