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The lyrics include:
There was a boy in Arkansas
Who wouldn't listen to his ma
When she told him he should go to school.
He'd sneak away in the afternoon,
Take a little walk, then pretty soon,
You'd find him at the local auction barn.
He'd stand and listen carefully.
Then pretty soon he began to see
How the auctioneer could talk so rapidly.
He said, "Oh my, it's do or die.
I've got to learn that auction cry.
Gotta make my mark and be an auctioneer.
Change the Arkansas to Illinois and you have in a nutshell what
motivated young Cole Baker of Emden to go to auctioneer school.
"There is a song called ‘The Auctioneer' by LeRoy Van Dyke. Ever
since I was little I have wanted to become an auctioneer. Also I
really enjoy public speaking and working with people. So what could
be better than pursue a career as an auctioneer," Baker said
recently.
In January he attended the Missouri Auction School, the world's
largest auction training center, for a six-day course learning the
tricks of the trade, as well as some of the business aspects. The
course, which is entitled "Auctioneering and Auction Sales
Management," involves attending lectures and workshops featuring
prominent auctioneers from throughout America and participating in
selling at numerous public auctions in nearby communities.
Courses of study also include antiques, livestock, furniture,
business liquidations, real estate, auto, machinery, general
merchandise and all types of estate auctions.
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 At the end of the training, Baker earned the honorary title of
"Colonel," a title that dates back to the days of the Civil War,
when troop colonels were responsible for auctioning off the spoils
of battle.
Baker says that now that he has his title, he hopes to soon be
putting it to good use, gaining experience working for some of the
local auctioneers.
In the meantime, as a Hartem senior, Baker still needs to
graduate, and he also has plans to go on to Lincoln Land Community
College. When finished there, he plans to transfer to Illinois State
University in Normal, where he will complete his degree in
agricultural education.
Baker is the son of Randy Baker of Emden and Jerry and Dara
Entwistle of New Holland.
He is a four-year member of the Hartem FFA and participated on
the agriculture issues team two years. He is currently the Section
14 FFA president and serves as the president of the Hartsburg-Emden
FFA.
Baker is also a member of the Hollanders 4-H group and the Logan
County 4-H Federation. He is a member of St. Peter's Youth, the
Illinois Junior Hereford Association, the Illinois Beef Association and shows Hereford
cattle around the state.
[By NILA SMITH]
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