Bruce still busy after retirement
Staff writer
When folks describe Marcella Bruce, they use terms such as "graceful, elegant, and quite a lady."
Born in Pino Grande, Calif., which according to Marcella, no longer exists, she was the daughter of Dr. Wallace and Camille Martin. Following her father's internship in Sacramento, Calif., he became a physician and surgeon at a lumber camp where Marcella was born. Her father had to search out someone to help him deliver her because the hired nurse was scheduled to come at a later date.
"Talk about humble beginnings," said Marcella. "I can identify with Abe Lincoln only as to rough cabins, since I never became president."
The family moved to Fresno, Calif., and then to Burkburnett, Texas which was an oil-boom town where her father established a hospital.
The family then moved to Clovis, N.M. in the early 30s.
When Marcella was 11, a cousin, Ruth, also 11, became a member of the family. "We were reared together. She's a sister to me, and we're very close," said Bruce.
Marcella attended Cottey College, a school for girls in Nevada, Mo. She finished her last two years of college at Bethany College in Lindsborg.
She majored in voice and received bachelor of music and bachelor of music education degrees.
After graduation, Marcella went to Chicago, where she studied voice privately and did some broadcasting and professional music work.
She came back to Kansas and taught vocal music at Sedgwick. She stayed there for two years.
It was at Bethany that she met her husband to be, Bud Bruce. In 1941, they were married.
The couple moved to Lawrence where her husband taught and coached at Lawrence High School.
He later joined the Navy and went overseas during World War II.
Marcella joined Bud in the different places where he was stationed. Some of those places included Mobile, Ala., Hanover, N.H., Boston, Mass., and Norfolk, Va.
In 1945, he left the service.
In 1946, they took over the newspaper his parents owned in Marquette. While in Marquette, Marcella taught voice at the grade school and high school there.
In 1953, they moved to Lindsborg, where Bud became editor of the Lindsborg News Record.
In July of 1954, the couple came to Hillsboro at the invitation of Chet Ashcraft.
In August of 1954, they became the co-owners and co-publishers of the Hillsboro Star-Journal.
They owned and operated the newspaper from 1954 to 1976. In 1976 to 1989, the couple was semi-retired but still owned the business.
"We had a great group of young men and women come work in our office from high school students to those who served as managing editors," Marcella said.
In 1989, they sold the newspaper to Scott and Stacy Brady, which was later sold to the Wedel family and then to Hoch Publishing, which currently owns the Hillsboro Star-Journal.
The couple spent their winters in California during 1976 to 1996.
She and Bud were married almost 58 years before his death on May 22, 1999.
Marcella continues to do some writing. She writes a monthly column, "For What It's Worth," for the Star-Journal.
In July of 1999, Marcella moved to Park Village and said she is enjoying her retirement there.
"Hillsboro continues to be home," she said. "I've enjoyed our years here."
She continues to stay active in the community. She is a long-time member and secretary of the Mentor Study Club. She is an active member of the Republican Party and remains a member of the Chamber of Commerce. She is a member and serves on the memorial and endowment fund committee of the Hillsboro United Methodist Church.
She also serves as secretary of the Park Village group and is a member of the Hillsboro Ladies Golf Association. She is currently a member of the Kansas and Nation Press Women and served as a state officer of Kansas Press Women.
Marcella said her hobbies are golf, of course, playing bridge, and working on crossword puzzles.
"I used to collect pressed glass goblets as a hobby, but then you run out of space to store all of those kinds of things," she said.
Marcella's family includes son Skip and his wife Lois of Pratt, Marcia and her husband Glenn Wiederstein of Beverly Hills, Fla., four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
