PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago

August 29, 2013

Waitsburg Senior Beka Adams' childhood dream of serving as Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days Royalty – a reality she's spent the last year fulfilling – culminates this week at the Walla Walla County Fair. With only a few post-fair events on the itinerary, Adams is amazed at how quickly the year has flown by and how much she has learned. Adams earned her spot on the court last October. Returning home from a National FFA convention in Indianapolis the night before, Adams rose the next morning to attend court tryouts. Contestants must submit applications and resumes prior to being judged on performing a riding pattern, a three-minute interview while astride their horse, and a 20-minute speech. "I would practice my speech at the hotel during breaks at the FFA Convention," said Beka. Since winning her spot – with her beloved appendix Quarter Horse, Moose – Beka has spent the last year serving as Princess alongside fellow Princess Kendra Torrey of Milton-Freewater and Queen Kindall Cooper of Pomeroy.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

September 3, 1998

Waitsburg native Katie (Mantz) Leid was featured in a story in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News as the first teacher chosen as the Boeing Teacher in Residence, a cooperative venture between Washington State University's College of Education and department of teaching and learning, The Boeing Corp., and the Pullman School District. Katie and her husband Wes are both former Waitsburg residents. Katie is the daughter of the late Lee and Evelyn Mantz, and sister of Lynn Mantz-Powers, and Wes is the son of Roy and Pat Leid, Waitsburg. Leid will instruct college students instead of fifth graders in a program which has a goal of improving science instruction by having working science teachers teach education majors. "In some ways it really is the same," she was quoted in the feature story. "You're still excited about meeting your students and I'll still spend the first day getting to know them and discussing what we'll do in the class.

Fifty Years Ago

August 30, 1973

[Photo Caption] Two Cardinal gridders, in their practice jerseys, meet during some blocking drills. Line coach Wayne Henderson was running his charges through some rigorous one-on-one contact sessions in preparations for the season opener with DeSales here on Friday evening, September 7.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

September 3, 1948

R. R. Rinehart and Levi Testerman left Thursday morning for Kelly Forks on the Clearwater River for a few days fishing.

Ralph Ramsey, Marion Spear and Earl Dowell are working at the Grandview plant of Pictsweet Foods, Inc. where the freezing of peaches has just been completed and the lima bean crop is now being processed.

George Putman of Prescott has leased the Union Service Center in Waitsburg effective this week. The place was formerly operated by Bob Segraves.

One Hundred Years Ago

September 7, 1923

Mr. and Mrs. Will Harris and children moved into town Saturday as the children will attend school here this fall.

Miss Elizabeth McCoy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. M. McCoy, is to teach in the consolidated school at Alto this year.

A farewell party was given Wednesday afternoon in Preston Park in honor of Mildred and Lee Peregrine of Portland who have spent the summer with their aunt, Mrs. Roy Pollard.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

September 9, 1898

Born in this city Friday morning to J. S. Arnold and wife, a son, weight 11 pounds. Mother and child doing well. We trust the young Republican may be as good and useful a man as his father.

Don't fail to see the wonderful death-defying jump from the clouds by the champion of ariel navigators, Prof. Miller in his wonderful balloon ascension and parachute jump, with Leondor Brass show.