In our “Around the Corner” feature, each week the Daily News’ Josh Koehn will track down a random Newton resident on the street and ask him or her a series of questions in a free-flowing conversation. This week we will be talking with 86-year-old Irene Ferguson.
Josh Koehn: If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?
Irene Ferguson: I’m 86.
Eighty-six, really? I would have put you around 60.
(Laughs). Yeah. … If you don’t mind, do you have some ID?
Oh, certainly. You don’t trust me?
Well, this day and age.
Would it help if I take off my sunglasses?
Well (shakes head, no), what did you say your name is?
Josh Koehn. Let's see. This is my library card. I moved out here from
California a few months ago. This is my license. Let me see if I can
find a business card for you. Here's my car insurance.
What else do you got?
I got a camera. Let me keep looking here. I’ve had no one ask me if I actually work for the Daily News before.
Gosh, you got enough other cards in your wallet?
Hmm. Here’s my mom’s card.
What’s her name?
Libby Koehn.
Does she live here?
No, she lives in London.
Well you got plenty of cards. No credit cards. That’s good.
OK, here’s my library card, again. My signature is on the back.
How long you been at the Daily News?
Since mid-January.
You want me to call the office on my cell phone and you can ask if I really work there?
No. I used to work there.
What did you do there?
I worked at the (Jasper County) Advertiser and put together pages.
So you worked in production, down where the machines are?
Just part-time.
So, you sure you trust me enough to continue?
OK.
I apologize for not having a business card. Where were you born?
Green Mountain, Iowa.
What made you come to Jasper County?
Well, my folks kind of moved around and I went to school in Montour and then Montezuma, and then I got a job here in Newton, and then my husband …
How long have you been married?
Sixty-something years.
And what’s the key to making a marriage last?
Just trust and honesty and listening to each other. And not always being the boss.
So you’ve been around here for a while then, what would you say is your favorite thing about Newton?
The people and the community, until we had all this ruckus. Well, not ruckus, but everything shut down.
You mean Maytag?
Maytag, and then Walmart moved in and almost got rid of everything in town. We had a lot of nice shops.
A lot of people don’t like Walmart for that reason, because it puts small businesses out of business.
There’s that reason. There’s a lot of people penny-pinching so it makes sense, but it takes away from all the small places.
What would you say is one thing you like to do for fun around here?
Well, at my age …
Probably dirt bikes, ATVs?
No, no, no. I like the speedway. I like the race cars. And all the ballgames, football games.
Newton football? I heard they had some pretty good teams in the past.
Yeah, they did. My grandson is a player here. And they’re all grown now, most of the grandsons are. We have one left coming up on football here.
My grandma kind of spoils me. I don’t know if you spoil your grandchildren, you seem like the kind of lady who would. What’s the difference in the way you treat your kids and your grandkids?
(Laughs.) You treat your grandkids special, which you didn’t really have time to do when your own kids were growing up. You spend more time with your grandkids.
So you’re a little bit more lenient with them?
Yeah, but they have to mind.
Finish this sentence for me, ‘If I had a million dollars I would …’
If I had a million dollars I would spend it on people that need help — for helping others do what they need to do but can’t do.
So you would do charitable work?
Right, but basically I wouldn’t do it for charity but people I knew.
What’s your favorite movie?
Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been to a movie?
No, I don’t.
It’s been at least five years.
What was it about?
It was about guys on bicycles.
Bicycles?
Motorcycles.
Motorcycles.
A bunch of guys are on vacation and they go around on motorcycles.
Is it a comedy?
Yes, it is.
Is it called “Wild Hogs”?
Yep. I was in Arizona to visit my son and he took me to it on my birthday and said dad would like it. So, when I got back to Newton I took him to see it.
And did he like it?
He laughed his head off.
And what kind of music do you like?
I like Western music.
Western music? Is that like Gene Autry?
Oh, not that far back. I like George Strait.
Willie Nelson?
I love his songs, too. But I don’ like to watch him. It has nothing to do with his looks. It’s like Elvis. I like Elvis’ songs but I don’t like to watch him.
That’s different from a lot of women, who seem to really like looking at Elvis. Well, not fat Elvis but young Elvis.
That’s right.
What’s the thing your proudest about in your life?
Oh, raising a family and going to their activities and standing behind them when they needed me.
You’re probably about three times as old as I am, so I’m going to ask you for some advice. What would you say is one thing to remember in life?
I’ll give you the one my mother gave me, ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.’