Spouse:
Leota RIPPERGERFriends of Conservation
The old adage "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy" certainly describes Bernie RIPPERGER. One of eight children, Bernie was born on a farm three miles north of Lacona and later moved to Ackworth where he attended school. Although Bernie and his wife, Leota, have lived in Indianola for the past thirty years, his heart is still in the country.
An interest in lapidary (the craft of cutting and polishing ricks) helped influence Bernie in his present hobby - collecting Indian artifacts. While searching for rocks to cut, Bernie found his first arrowhead and he was hooked. Since that time, Bernie has accumulated an impressive collection of artifacts.
Bernie and his brother Bob, would often walk a freshly plowed field looking for artifacts. Each had a furrow and anything found in that row belonged to him, but if the artifact was missed or walked by, it belonged to whoever found it first. Bernie jokes of how he would see an artifact in Bob's row and try to distract Bob long enough to get him to walk past it and then go back and pick it up himself.
He would often take one of his six childen with him in search for artifacts. Their sharp eyes found many things that he had overlooked. This gave them time together and a chance to share the beauty of nature. Bernie's children carry on his love of the outdoors.
The destruction of our natural resources saddens Bernie. "The Indians lived here for thousands of years and always had enough. In the last hundred years, the white man has polluted the air and water, cut down trees and caused soil erosion. If they can be that destructive in such a short time, what will the next hundred years be like?"
But Bernie feels people are becoming more aware of the need for conservation. He has helped by sharing his thoughts on conservation. For 15 years, Bernie was a scout leader. His scouts were involved in many outdoor and conservation activities. He is very proud of the number of Eagle Scouts that came from his troop and he is also proud that he helpd plant the seeds of conservation awareness in these future citizens.
Bernie is truly a Friend of Conservation.