PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago

August 11, 2011

The Green Giant has a hole, a giant hole. It’s squarely in the center of his tunic, which the jolly big guy dons with wreath and leafy boots on the steep hill overlooking the edge of Dayton like the town’s own “Hollywood” sign. Gary Lowe wants to fill the hole and if you’re a strapping high schooler, he’ll want your help late next month to complete the green tunic on the football field-sized figure, marking the last phase of a project that started almost two decades ago. “We’ll finally be done,” said Lowe, an optician and former Green Giant cannery worker who initiated the construction of the current sign in 1992, after the first Jolly GG began to fade and disappear under the weeds. He had help form his friend Wilson Irvine of Sarasota, Florida.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

August 15, 1996

In a Waitsburg City Council meeting recently, councilman Mark Lambert brought up the subject of skunks, which members of his family, on invigorating evening walks around town, were noticing in higher-than-usual numbers. Lambert stated that he feared the possibility that someone in town might be exposed to rabies, of which skunks, bats, foxes, and racoons are known carriers.

Waitsburg Joint Fire District No. 2 firefighters responded Saturday afternoon and again Sunday afternoon to the Ken Jantz place on the Middle Waitsburg Road to tackle a wind-aided fire in standing barley and stubble. Lost were a total of approximately 250-300 acres of standing barley and about 100 acres of stubble, said Ken Jantz. The Sunday fire, which included higher winds than the previous day, also consumed an adjoining field of about 90 acres of standing grain and another 75-100 acres of stubble which was on DeWitt Ag Corporation ground to the east of Jantz’s ground.

Fifty Years Ago

August 12, 1971

Green Giant had a pea pack of sweets this summer that hit 170% of budget according to Waitsburg Superintendent Bob Jamison. “It was probably one of the longest packs in this area,” Jamison said, “and Waitsburg found that they could handle both peas and beans at the same time.” Bean pack started on July 29th and pea pack was not done until August 2nd.

Doyle Kellar has retired after 28 years of carrying mail on Route 2, Walla Walla, which includes serving everyone east of Lowden. Kellar has a 27-year expert driver award from the National Safety Council and has won the award every year since it was given. He has carried mail over 500,000 miles having stared with 4 years of service in Arkansas. Kellar recently remarried after losing his first wife to cancer some months ago. She was a member of the Lowden Homemakers Club. He plans to return to Arkansas with his new wife, a retired Arkansas teacher, and work part time in his brother’s supermarket.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

August 16, 1946

Elmer Chichester delivered a truck load of hogs to a dealer in Spokane Monday morning and left Tuesday afternoon with a second load. He was accompanied by Mrs. Chichester.

On Sunday, August 11, Miss Mary Loundagin became the bride of Andrew Eaton Weir at a double ring ceremony at the presbyterian Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Herring and daughter, Mary Susan, of Seattle visited in Waitsburg Monday. He attended high school in Waitsburg and was later affiliated with KUJ in Walla Walla. He is now news announcer of the ABC station in Seattle.

One Hundred Years Ago

August 12, 1921

The combine harvester of Henry Vollmer was completely destroyed by fire Wednesday evening about 5 o’clock.

Born at the farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Leid, Friday, July 29th, a daughter. The little Miss has been named Margaret Roberta.

Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Teeters had as their guests last week Mr. Teeters’ uncle, Mr. Wm. Braly, and two cousins Jasper and Morris Hunsaker of California.

Joe Moors, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Moors arrived Wednesday, from Leahy in Douglas County. He says the grain is an entire failure in that section, this making the fourth year of the drouth.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

August 14, 1896

Mrs. J. W. Morgan entertained a number of ladies at tea Monday evening.

M. Weller arrived home on Friday evening from Craig Mountain where he has a sawmill in operation. He will return in a few days and take his family with him for a mountain outing.

Studies will be resumed in Waitsburg Academy on Monday, Sept. 21. It has a splendid building now in course of construction, of brick, to cost $15,000.

William Philips and a number of other men left on Thursday for north of the Snake to harvest. Harvest is later there by a month than it is here, hence those so inclined can do lots of harvest work.