Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

November 12, 2009

Headlines: Five Cardinals Make All-League; Bartlow named Coach of the Year.

The Miracle Worker by William Gibson is slated for staging at the Little Theater of Walla Walla beginning November 20. Local actors include: Topher Murphy, Sauna Lilly Bogley, Gil Alden, Cassidy Meliah, Joyful Opara, Taiko Cantil, Broday and Pepper Bonds, Phyllis Bonds, Cody Hoffman, Dana Crist, Jessica Barkl, Sierra Tinhof, Bailee Butler, Taya Lovejoy, Nattie Castillo, Kaysie Clayton, Lauren Llewellyn, Daisy Schoen, Erin Swift, and Kylee Fraire.

Enjoy an evening of friends, food and wine, and watch In Deep on the big screen at the Bluewood Alpine Race Teams (BART) 2009. Alpine Extravaganza Silent and Live Auction will be Saturday, November 21 at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

November 3, 1994

Amid grunts, sweat and heavy breathing, sumo-wrestling debuted in Waitsburg. On Friday, Oct 28, more than 60 people crowded into the Gateway Tavern on Preston Avenue to watch about 30 of their number don over-weight sumo suits and engage in belly-to-belly battle. Based on their whoops and hollers the crowd was thoroughly entertained.

Photo caption: Brian Smith of Dayton won first place in costume class at Wranglers’ 4-H Club Halloween party Oct 30 at fairgrounds in Dayton. Smith and horse were dressed as “bride and groom." Leader Marchand Hendrickson presents Smith with prize.

Photo caption: Kindergarten students in Waitsburg work on paper quilt with pumpkins Oct. 31 for Halloween. Attending class in the Christian Church, the students are from left: K. C. Winger, Jessica Mason, Jeremy Nichols, Danielle Coila, Amanda Tieman, Billy White, and Rebekkah Neal.

Fifty Years Ago

November 6, 1969

Nine area girls are scheduled to compete for the title of Touchet Valley Junior Miss in the contest which is sponsored by the Dayton Jaycees. Carol Lee Auchterlonie, Kathleen Donnelly and Bette Harris have entered from Waitsburg: Cindy Culbertson and Connie Welch will represent Prescott High School. Dayton seniors who have entered are Pene Agenbroad, Peggy Criss, Janie Ramirez, and Helen McLaren.

Photo caption:Waitsburg’s answer to Digby O’Dell, the friendly undertaker, is Willard “Wimpy” Witt, who is the sexton for the Odd Fellows Cemetery in town. A great man with the quip, “Wimp” is able to converse at great lengths about such exquisite topics as the “Layaway Plan”, and his “Pay now, go later” scheme, if you enjoy a tad of macabre humor, spend a few minutes with this charming gent. As they say in the trade, “He’d be the last one to let you down.”

Waitsburg Temple No. 86, Pythian Sisters, held their annual Friendship Night at their meeting Oct 27th. At his time, Betty Webber, new Deputy Grand Chief of District No. 4, was honored.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

Nov 10, 1944

Armistice Day has a full program for the people of Waitsburg with an Armistice Day ceremony on the local football field prior to the game at 11 o’clock Saturday morning, hunting in the afternoon, and the P.T.A. Carnival in the evening at 8 o’clock.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was returned to the White House for the fourth time at the general election Tuesday.

Wait-Hi’s inspired gridiron warriors “counted coup over Walla Walla’s valiant eleven 39-0 in their latest rendition of the Charge of the Light Brigade on an enemy football field that resembled an abandoned WPA project, rather than a field of honor.

One Hundred Years Ago

Nov 14, 1919

Winton Arnold, who attended the stock judging contest of high school pupils at Spokane last week, representing the Prescott school, won second place in Walla Walla County’s delegation and eighth place in the district as stock judge.

Most of the Coppei folks gathered at the home of J. C. Walker at the forks of the Coppei for a pleasant time Saturday evening. They danced until 11:30.

“Taffy” Danielson has been on Jasper Mountain for the last week as he found a great attraction at the basket supper.

There was a small attendance at the administrator’s sale of the T. D. Jones estate Farm machinery brought a good price, horses a small price and mules a high price.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

Nov 9, 1894

W. W. Long on the 7th day of November 1894, plucked from his garden and brought to this office some beautiful ripe strawberries. Of course, this bit of news is not given for the benefit or information of home people, but in order that our eastern readers may know what kind of a country the sweet state of Washington is and what kind of climate we enjoy.

J. L. and Aunt Roxie Kelser left on Wednesday evening for a protracted visit to old friends in the Willamette Valley.

L. W. Wilson was in the city from Walla Walla on Wednesday. He is one of the attorneys in our celebrated water case, which is to be tried in this city, beginning next Monday.