PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago May 15, 2003 Masonic Junior Achievement award winners from Waitsburg High School were Cole Lindsey, son of John and Dinah Lindsey , and Corinne McKinley, daughter of Dan and Krista McKinley. Other Waitsburg students involved in the program were Bertha Poirier, Amy Huwe, Ben Bloor, Maggie Pietila and Haly Ingle. The program, which involves schools across eastern Washington, was held in Pomeroy, recently.

Twenty-Five Years Ago May 19, 1988 Herman Gohlman retired in 1983 after 40 years as secretary of the Days of Real Sport, Inc. Secretary is charged with organizing, organizing and organizing the race meet. Herman, 73, served under many presidents of the association, Ernest Mikkelsen, Bill Zuger, King Witt, Bill Payne and present president Lee Pennell. His earliest memories of the races were about the mid-1920s, when Homer Holcomb and his trained animals entertained at the races. That was when the grandstand was on the east side of the track. It was torn down in 1929, he said, and a new one, was built in 1930, and it still stands today.

Fifty Years Ago May 17, 1963 Waitsburg Commercial Club received the Boy Scout Troop 36 charter as sponsor of the group for the 36th consecutive year Tuesday night at the regular meeting when Larry Broom presented it to President Harvey Estes. It was announced by the program chairman Gerald Maib that the next meeting would be turned over to the Days of Real Sport, Inc.; and that the last meeting until fall will be on May 28 in the form of a picnic at the Lewis & Clark Trail State Park. Regular dinner meetings will be resumed in September with the annual Salmon Feed kick-off. Other announcements Tuesday night concerned the special school levy election on May 28; the Ellsworth Conover farm tour Thursday morning, May 23 honoring him as Columbia County Cattleman of the Year; and the Lions Club pancake feed Saturday morning, May 25 from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Seventy-Five Years Ago May 20, 1938 The judges announce the following as the official results in the contest for Queen of the Days of Real Sport: Queen Virginia Rinehart; attendants, Phyllis Danielson, Doris Kotteman, Marguerite Martin and Barbara Freeman. The birthday anniversary of Mrs. Charles Sayers occurred this week, so last Sunday relatives and friends got together at Lewis Clark Trail Park and invited Mrs. Sayres to a potluck dinner. John Neace arrived home Friday from Berkely, Calif. to spend the summer vacation after having attended the University of California during the past school year. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Vennum and Roy Wills of Seattle have returned home after a visit here at the Walt Weller home and Roy visited his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Wills. Fritzie, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Zuger, who has been confined to his bed seven weeks with inflammatory rheumatism, is improving, but will be in bet yet for some time.

One Hundred Years Ago May 23, 1913 Charles Donovan James is the name given the husky young man who arrived Monday morning at 8 o'clock sharp to make things lively around the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. R. James. The Pacific Power & Light Co. now has a force of men setting poles in the alleys on either side of Main street and wiring the business houses from the rear, preparatory to removing all the light poles from Main street between Third and the bridge. Deputy Auditor Frank Frary, Dayton, issued a marriage license to Grover S. East of Colfax and Laura C. Edwards of Waitsburg. The couple were married at the M. E. parsonage by the Rev. J. M. Huggins in the presence of Mrs. Huggins and Mrs. Blanche Bloor of Waitsburg. Mr. and Mrs. East will reside in Colfax. Saturday afternoon, Mrs. J. W. Morgan entertained about forty ladies including the teaching force of ladies. Mrs. F. C. Robinson of Walla Walla Assisted her mother in receiving.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago May 18, 1888 In response to a call, a large number of representative citizens assembled in City Hall on Wednesday evening to decide whether or not Waitsburg would celebrate the coming Fourth of July. Remarks were made by many, all in one strain, viz: that we celebrate and that in a more imposing manner than ever before observed in Eastern Washington. John Smiley, a recent arrival to our beautiful city, contemplates engaging in restaurant and bakery business if the can find a suitable building. The Rescue Club will meet at the Christian Church Tuesday, May 22; the exercises will consist of congregational and select singing, interspersed with choice reading, declamations and a short address by Dr. Johnson. Free for all.