With much joy I want to share some history of my family with all of you. In my 39
  years of life my parents, Charlie Raymond Gordon and Helen Ruth Wheat gave me a very
  good life. My father and mother were classmates in high school and graduated from
  Medicine Lodge High School in 1927. The high school sweethearts were married September
  20, 1935. My mother attended Stephanes College in Columbia, Missouri, and Washburn 
  University in Topeka, Kansas. She taught eight terms of school in Barber County.
  Daddy worked for Forsyth's during his junior and senior year of high school, and he
  worked there until 1939.
     Daddy and Mother lived in Kansas City while Daddy received his training and
  certificate in Morturary Science. In 1939 my parents decided to go into ranching with
  my grandfather, Mr. William Anderson Wheat. In 1940 I was born, and my sweet sister
  Mary Shannon, was born March 3, 1943.
     It was in the year of 1943 that we moved to the Hopkins ranch. I have fond memories
  of waking up early and going with Daddy and Wayne Webb to feed cattle in rain, sleet,
  or snow, burying myself in ensilage to get warm. My love for animals comes from being
  raised on a ranch; dressing the cats in doll clothers, riding greyhounds like ponies,
  riding a horse of my own, being pulled on a sled behind Wayne's horse, peering into
  the eyes of baby Hereford and Angus calves, and dreading branding time. As a result
  of my farm and ranch heritage, I learned to love and respect nature in all of its
  forms, from season to season, harvest to harvest.
     In 1948 my parents decided to move to town because of the lack of schooling for my
  sister and me. Looking back now, I'm sure this was a big adjustment and sacrifice for
  my parents. In 1953 Daddy and Glenn Vanderwork purchased the Medicine Lodge Livestock
  Sales Company. For twelve years they drove every county road in Barber County and
  many miles into the state of Oklahoma.
     I look back now and can see my mother, Daddy, and Vandy drinking a cup of coffee
  before the driving began. My mother could enter in and discuss the cattle market,
  wheat crops, and bank notes along with the best cattleman in the county. Her father
  homesteaded the Wheat ranch and her background, along with my father's, enabled them
  to share in a very close and unique relationship.
     In 1965 Daddy sold his interest in the Sale to Mr. Tom Bedwell, a high school
  classmate of mine.
     My mother and father continued to operate the Wheat ranch until Daddy's death in
  March of 1968. There will never be a day as sad for me as the day I lost my Daddy.
  Throughout my life he taught me to love and respect people, to do the best at what-
  ever I did,a nd I always felt that he understood my sorrows as well as my dreams. He
  was indeed a true friend and father. I only regret that his life ended so soon.
     With much admiration I respect my mother for carrying on with her life in ranching.
  She continued to run the ranch from 1968 until 1976 with the help of Wayne Webb,
  someone who had been a part of my family since I was a little girl. Mother couldn't
  have continued to run the ranch without his superb interest and help. My sister and
  I will always be grateful.
     I was fortunate to have a very close relationship with my grandmother Gordon (Myrtle
  Riggins Gordon), and my grandfather, William Anderson Wheat. As a child, I loved going 
  to Grandmother Gordon's house to spend the night and visit. I loved her dearly because,
  with her, time didn't matter, and we were never rushed. She was a meticulous house-
  keeper, and I can still envision the piles of comforters atop us when we snuggled
  down in her feather bed in the winter time. I stayed with her until my parents made
  the big move to town when I started first grade. When we were on the farm, I counted
  the days until I could see the lights of Medicine Lodge. On Saturdays she would walk
  me to town and on the way home we would stop and visit Mrs. Thom. She worked hard all
  her life, caring for people's children and ironing for people. She would shudder to 
  think that I no longer iron pillowcases.
     Grandfather Wheat was also unique in that he loved the land, was well read, and
  shared every holiday with us. Mother and her family meant everything to him since he
  spent most of his married life raising a small daughter on a ranch 25 miles from the
  nearest town and seeing to it that she was raised properly through adulthood. He was
  a true pioneer.
     Now, to bring you up to date on my immediate family. I married Jerry Max Nossaman
  of 99 Springs, December 23, 1962. Jerry was born and raised near Isabel, Kansas. He
  received his schooling in the Isabel school system and graduated from high school in
  1956. I lived in Medicine Lodge all of my life and graduated from Medicine Lodge High
  School in 1958. For two years I went to Phillips University, Enid, Oklahoma, 1958-1960.
  Then I transferred and received my BFA Degree in Speech Pathology from Texas Christian
  University, Fort Worth, Texas in 1962.
     Jerry graduated from Kansas University in 1960 and taught school and coached high
  school basketball in Palco, Kansas, for two years. Then in 1963 Jerry was admitted into
  the University of Missouri's Dental School, and we lived in Kansas City for four years;
  1963-1967. While he was in dental school he served with the United States Navy in
  Vietnam from July 1, 1967-July 1, 1968. After his return, we lived for a year, 1968-1969,
  in Alexandria, Virginia where Jerry finished his Naval obligation. Then, in 1969, we
  moved to Wichita, Kansas where Jerry worked in a dental clinic for a short while. But,
  after much thought, we decided to move to Lawrence, Kansas, and Jerry set up his own
  dental practive June 1, 1969. On February 4, 1970, our first child was born: Cale
  Whelgo Nossaman, a son. Three years later, twin daughters joined our family: Cali
  Bech Nossaman and Cara Shannon Nossaman. Yes, they came as a complete surprise; but
  they along with their older brother, have brought us much joy. Cale is now a 3rd
  grader at Hillcrest Elementary School. He loves sports, has joined Cub Scouts for the
  first time this year, and started taking piano in the fall. Cali and Cara will join
  their brother in school next year as they begin kindergarten. They have attended KU
  Preeschool for the past three years and have joined a throng of ballerinas in Ballet
  this year. Jerry has served as president of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce this year,
  1978-1979, and he will always be active in KU affairs. We both love Lawrence and find
  it a perfect place to live and raise a family.
               
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 347 
     Submitted by: Sandra Carol (Gordon) Nossaman