PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago

May 19, 2011

City Clerk Randy Hinchliffe has the approvals in place and now it’s up to the City Council to decide at their regular monthly meeting Wednesday night whether to allow Fire District No. 2 to use the old apple warehouse or “bunk house” east of the McGregor plant for a training exercise—a firefighting exercise. That would mean the 90-year-old building, which was deemed by a Portland-based engineer several years ago to have good “bones,” to be burned to the ground, its remains to be shoved into its own basement and filled.

Long-time Waitsburg resident, Eugene “Red” Mohney died at Booker Rest Home in Dayton on May 11.

Tiernan and Sarah (Henze) Pearson are the proud parents of a seven pound, 10-ounce daughter, Stella Lucille Pearson, born Monday, May 9, 2011 at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

May 23, 1996

Both parade participants and the crowd were drenched in a downpour that later turned to hail during the Days of Real Sport parade. There were over 70 entries of all shapes and sizes. Rain on Saturday caused cancelations of some races at the fairgrounds.

Amanda Crawford of Waitsburg Elementary School was recently among the top five finishers in a spelling bee held in Walla Walla.

Stacy Thomas, class of 1996 of Waitsburg High School is the valedictorian of the class and Toni Jones is salutatorian. They will speak at the graduation commencement Friday, May 31, at 8 p.m.

Byron and Florence (Lackey) Gusse of Olympia, Wash. will observe their 67th wedding anniversary on May 29. They were married in Walla Walla on May 29, 1929. In 1940 they moved to Tacoma where Byron worked the shipyards. In 1944 they moved to Waitsburg and Byron became viner foreman for the cannery then retired after 27 years.

Fifty Years Ago

June 3, 1971

Terry Hofer, Bill Trump and Neil Powers represented the Waitsburg community in the cow milking contest held between races at Dayton Days. We hate to reveal this, but we think that the milk faucets are located on the opposite end of the cow than what they are holding. This was not what you would call a cooperative bovine.

Miss Sally Mantz, grand-daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Mantz, Sr., has been hired by the City Council to act as lifeguard and pool supervisor for the coming summer. Tentative opening date has been set at June 8.

Gary Pierson and Terry Bloor were chosen to the SEW class A All-Star baseball first team, while Guy McCaw and Pat Davis made the second nine. Pierson, a senior, was named to the team for the third time. Bloor, also a senior, was named for a third base spot.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

June 14, 1946

A fascinating new sight in the Touchet Valley is the dusting of pea fields for weevils by use of airplanes. The work requires clever flying to cover the crops that are sown on hillsides and in the valleys.

Mrs. Earle Butler was elected State President of P.E.O. at the state conclave in Wenatchee last Wednesday and Mrs. F.C. Wilson was named corresponding secretary.

At the 40-acre apple orchard of Ralph Danielson, several high school and upper grade students are at work thinning apples. There are also a number of Mexican nationals at work in the orchard.

One Hundred Years Ago

June 17, 1921

A party of young ladies who have been spending the past week camping on Jasper Mountain near the John Seagraves place, were Valeria Schmidt, Mabel Groom, Aletha Harsh, Blanche Stonecipher, and Arvilla Grigsby.

A.G. Loundagin, Emory McCown, Joe Walker, and N. B. Jackson have returned home from a business trip down into southwestern Oregon.

H.P. Bruch and H. V. Grubbe drove to Pendleton, Ore. Tuesday to attend the annual encampment of the Oregon State G. A. R. veterans. They were gone a couple of days.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

June 19, 1896

Another newspaper is to be launched on the turbulent sea of Journalism. It will start from Starbuck wharf on or about June 26, with E. C. Mills as captain and S. A. Esry first mate.

The crackling of whips and the rattling of outfits moving mountain-ward at early dawn, proclaim that the wood-hauling season has arrived.

A party of young people surprised James and Peter Loundagin at their Bachelor’s Hall on Thursday evening. They report a fine time and lots of strawberries.