LEVINE, ERIK AND BETTY (JAMES)

by Erik Levine

Entry F251 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Erik and Betty (James) Levine. 1930 at North Platte, Nebraska.

Erik Levine, son of Harry and Gerda
Levine, was born 1920. He
came to live with the "Toby" and Anna
Anderson's and Nels and May (Anderson)
Pearson families in 1922. His first home was
in a sod house approximately one and a half
miles southeast of Hecla, Nebraska. Later, in
1927, they moved with the family to a home
on the East Anderson ranch.

Erik received his elementary education at
the Lake school in District #4 in rural Hooker
County. He graduated from the Hooker
County High School with the class of 1938.

Betty Rose (James) Levine was born
1926 in Mullen, Nebraska. She
was the youngest daughter of Fay B. and
Sallie James. In 1928, the James family
moved to a ranch in southern Cherry County,
just northeast of Mullen. Betty received her
elementary education in a rural Cherry
County school, District #66. She graduated
from Hooker County High School with the
class of 1943.

On October 28, 1942, before Betty had
graduated from school, Erik and Betty were
united in marriage at Oberlin, Kansas. After
Betty graduated, they lived at the Anderson
Ranch. They remained on the Anderson
Ranch until 1945. In 1946, Erik took employ-
ment with the Nebraska Brand Committee as
a State Brand Inspector and Investigator.
This position involved travel and relocating
in the state, mainly North Platte and Kear-
ney, Nebraska.

To this union, two children were born. A
daughter, Aurilla Kay, born
1949 at Alliance, Nebraska and a son, Terry
Lane, born 1951 at North Platte,
Nebraska. The blizzard of January, 1949, was
indeed an experience not to be forgotten.
Aurilla was due to be born in early March. We
were out at the Anderson Ranch to help out
during late 1948 and early 1949. From
January 1st until January 26th, 1949, we had
no telephone, the snow was so deep, no one
was able to go anywhere. We saw no-one and
had no mail. Just a radio to hear about the
storm. A weasel was sent to various places, to
check on those not heard from and a box
loaded with the basic groceries we might be
out of. What a welcome sight! They came over
the packed snow, over the covered fances and
all. We were down to one more baking of
bread for four and had been making our own
yeast for two weeks prior to their visit.
February 4, 1949, the bull-dozer came to help
us get out with the car. What a sad sight to
see many cattle had been smothered to death
or over-come some way by the storm. So
many of our family and friends knew Betty
was due soon and so were greatly concerned
if all was all right at our ranch. Betty stayed
with her sister, Iola and family, in Mullen and
later with her brother, Neal and family, at
Alliance, Nebraska until Aurilla was born.
Aurilla married Dale Walker of Harrison,
Nebraska in October, 1969; they have two
boys, Dee Ray and Doug Erik. All reside in
Sidney, Nebraska. She is employed in a
dental office. Terry served in the United
States Army for four years. While in Ger-
many, he met Ingrid Brunner. She came to
America and they were married in February,
1976. Terry and Ingrid reside in North Platte,
Nebraska, where he is employed by the Union
Pacific Railroad as a machinist.

In 1960, Erik and Betty purchased a
property in North Platte, Nebraska and have
made their home there since. Erik managed
the Circle A Ranchwear Western Store until
1977, at which time the business was discon-
tinued due to losing the location to Urban
Renewal Program. Betty was employed by
Memorial Hospital and Great Plains Medical
Center from 1967 through 1984, as a charge
clerk and accounts payable position in the
hospital business offices.

Erik and Betty maintain possession of the
"Toby" Anderson ranches in Hooker County
and a portion of the late Fay B. James ranch
in Cherry County. They are both retired and
reside in their home in North Platte, Nebras-
ka.