PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago

March 5, 2015

[Photo caption] Dejay Lalka and P.E. Teacher Jeff Bartlow try out ski bikes at Bluewood.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

March 2, 2000

Special levies in Walla Walla and Columbia counties passed save Walla Walla School District's two-year, $5.43 million levy, which was lagging at 58.27% approval in unofficial returns. Some 11,464 voters in Walla Walla County and 1,609 in Columbia County cast ballots. Three important issues in the Touchet Valley were overwhelmingly approved by voters. Waitsburg School District's two-year M & O levy received 344 yes votes for 68.93% versus 155 no votes and 31.06% in Walla Walla County and 27 yes (64.28%) and 15 (35.71%) no in Columbia County. The district was seeking a two-year levy of $297,000 for collection in 2001, and $312,000 in 2002. Estimates put the levy at approximately $3.54 per $1,000 assessed valuation.

"Once again I'm very grateful for the support of this community," said Burton Dickerson, superintendent of Waitsburg Schools.

Fifty Years Ago

March 6, 1975

Jim Beddow, director of the Walla Walla Port District, spoke to Waitsburg Commercial Club last Tuesday night about the functions of a port district and how the Walla Walla organization could be of assistance to Waitsburg. Beddow said that the concept of port districts began in this state in 1911, and that 70 of them have been formed, with about 30 now active. A Port District has the authority to acquire land, develop lands and industrial sites and facilities, including food processing. A port district can be county-wide as in Walla Walla, or in the case of Kitsap County which has 16 separate districts. All Port District decisions are made by a 3-man board of elected directors. Walla Walla directors are Morris Ganguet, Larry Pepin and Chuck Nunn. Each director serves a six-year term.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

March 10, 1950

Mrs. E. L. Wheeler received an honorary life membership to the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association at a recent dinner meeting in Dayton.

Sunbeam 4-H girls met this week when Edith Perry gave a demonstration on how to fit a dress pattern.

A large crowd of alumni of Washington State College attended a banquet at the Marcus Whitman Hotel Tuesday in honor of the new football coach, Forest Evashevski.

One Hundred Years Ago

March 13, 1925

Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Duncan who were married at Kirkwood, Illinois, March 11, 1875 celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their home on Orchard Street on Wednesday of this week.

Cecil Arnold of Prescott has been named Cadet Colonel at the State College of Washington for the spring semester, and Leon O. Sayers received the appointment as a cadet captain.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

March 16, 1900

Hon. Platt A. Preston, one of our most prominent and respected citizens, died on Sunday night, March 11, 1900 at Galveston, Texas. Mr. Preston left several weeks ago for southern states seeking to benefit the health of his youngest daughter, Laura.

Arthur Roberts, proprietor of the electric light plant this week put up two of the latest type transformers of 11-light capacity each, which took the place of a transformer of a small number of lights capacity.