Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago March 20, 2008

Photo caption: These Mustang basketball players received special awards from their Coach, Karen Huwe. From left , Kyle Huxoll, Jessica Guay, Jessie Hopkins, Taylor Sams and Samantha Moss. Not pictured, Katy Hofer.

Recipients of the 2007 Commercial Club Service Award are John and Marilyn Stellwagen, owners of the Waitsburg Hardware and Mercantile, and Robbie and Marilyn Johnson, owners of the Plaza Theater Building and home of Etctera’s. In addition to recognizing the foursome’s stewardship and renovation of the historic landmarks, Marilyn Stellwagen was singles out of the foursome for her passion for the humane treatment of pets, mainly dogs and cats.

Waitsburg will be one of the stops for 11 Japanese students and their chaperones from Walla Walla’s Sister City of Sasayama, part of a Sister City cultural exchange on March 24. The group will be visiting Waitsburg High School at about 9 a.m, of Thursday March 27. In the afternoon, they will venture to the Neil and Kathy Carpenter farm to give th stufents an opportunity to explore a real “Washington Wheat Ranch”

Twenty Five Years Ago March 11, 1993

Waitsburg-Dayton to host AAU tourney. The Touchet Valley Classic, the first=ever AAU basketball tournament in Waitsburg is being formed by AAU participants. Jean Hulce, an AAU supporter, said the tourney is being planned for March 19-21 at both the Waitsburg and Dayton high school gyms.

Joanna Lanning: Clowning has become a popular project for members of the Seekers 4-H Club. Fifteen club members of all ages from Waitsburg and Dayton have chosen to become perky performers who enjoy their anonymity. Photo captions: K. C. the Clown of Milton Freewater, performs skit with help of student clown, Matthew Jackson, Bev Startin in costume, Shane Smith, juggles, Kelley Voth, forground and Jedd Oakley, work on their skit.

Waitsburg High School seniors Yolanda Chavez and Joey Brown have been selected as the Exchange Club of Walla Walla’s “Youth of the Month” and are scheduled to give speeches to the club on Monday, March 22. Their topic is timely. “Jobs in the timber industry vs. the spotted owl” The students have been asked to address the following question. How would they propose to meet both of these needs and what would they do to de-emphasize one, if needed in favor of the other.

Fifty Years Ago March 14, 1968

Fourteen area Green Giant employees from the Dayton and Waitsburg plants were honored Saturday night at the Company’s annual Service Award Party. Honore as they completed careers with Green Giant were Walter Loveland, James Miller, Richard Prater and Joe Lles. Awards for 25 years of service were presented to Roy Woodworth, Henry Breiner, Clarence Kregger, John Hunt, and Emma Hanger. Awards for 15 years of service were presented to Jerry Renfrow, Darrell Webb, Rosemary Crothers, Carl Ashley, and Gilbert Sharpe. Green Giant’s vice president U. S. A. Productions, Austin J. Hayden, was in Dayton for the Awards party as was John Oyen, Manager of Labor Relations.

Seventy Five Years Ago March 19, 1943

Beginning Monday morning, March 29, housewives will begin to use the red stamps from ration book No. 2 to obtain their family supplies of meats, edible fats, and oils (including butter), cheeses, and canned fish under the prevailing point system.

The honor roll this period includes Robery loundagin, Mary Hirsch, Donna Jeremiah, Robert Wolfe, Harriet Nilsson, Ruth Perry, Phylis Anderson, Colleen Collins Marie Switzer, Elmer Hays, Naomi Stanley, and Elizabeth Sutton

After twenty years of service in public schools, Superintendent A T. Sutton notified the Board of Directors last Tuesday noon, that he does not wish to be considered as a candidate for reelection when the p0resent term expires July .

One Hundred Years Ago, March 22, 1918

The Walla Walla Argicultural Stock Fair was formally organized at the Commercial Club room Saturday afternoon. The new officials who will pilot the affairs of the new fair association are Oscar Drumheller, Pres:, F. S. Dement, vice prs:, Trustees Drumheller, Dement, Matt Ennis, J. A. McLean, Walla Walla: Wes Lloyd and F. J. Aldrich, Waitsburg, H. H. Hansen, Touchet.

Miss Florence Rees who is a student at the State College of Washington, carried a part in the humorous playlet, “Joint Ownership in Spain” which was recently staged by the girls’ athletic association of this college.

One Hundred Twenty Five Years Ago -

March 24, 1893

Emerson Wheeler celebrated his fifteenth birthday on Wednesday, the 22nd.

Miss Minnie Dixon is teaching a school in this county and Miss Mary will begin next Monday.

Albert Dickinson and William Singer left for Pomeroy this morning to look into the electric light plant there.

Abel White has a good milk cow to sell. Big cow, gentle and give a bushel of milk, all cream.

A very pleasant surprise party was given Mrs. T. H. Essup on the evening of her last day in Waitsburg. The surprise was planned and executed by the Rebekahs, of which Mrs. Jessup is a worth member and was a decided success.