(Taken from the archives at the Then and Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Jan. 31, 1990
Commercial helicopter pilot Larry J. Newland, 48, of Livonia, crashed his twin-engine aircraft into the WMXI-Channel 17 tower in Yankee Springs Township, but was not injured and and his copter sustained only minor damage.
An outbreak of measles at Wayland High School and Wayland Middle School prompted school officiald to quarantine at least 50 students until they could demonstrate they had been vaccinated before returning to school. Nine cases were reported.
Christine Blanco of Wayland penned a letter to the editor urging the Allegan County Road Commission to widen Division Avenue (10th Street) between Wayland and Bradley this summer in the interests of safety and because of the growing number of bicyclists using the road.
Editor Nila Aamoth, in her “Soapbox,” wrote: “Any small town that has one or two empty commercial buildings should see a red flag on the horizon. Moaning about the situation and fabricating excuses won’t solve the problem. Action is what is needed.”
The Brandon Elementary School in Martin is open Saturday mornings for young children who want to do some roller skating.
The ninth annual Gun Lake Winterfest celebration was held despite unseasonably warm weather that canceled such events as the dog sled races and cross-country ski races.
Martin High School band students who qualified to join the Michigan Lions All-State Ensemble were Julie Martin, Kevin Zachman, Tom Salingue and Kathleen Boyce.
Rehearsals were to start Feb. 4 for the reorganized community choir under the direction of Lorna Clyma. St. Therese, United Methodist and United Church of Wayland already had expressed interest in being a part of the group, which will perform on Good Friday, April 13.
The Hopkins volleyball team, led by Dawn Roys and Michelle Bellgraph, captured the runner-up trophy in the Kelloggsville Invitational.
The Martin boys’ basketball team captured two lopsided wins, 86-48 over Fennville and 73-31 over Lawrence after suffering a difficult loss to Decatur the week before. Coach Herb Johnson’s Clippers remain in second place in the Southwest Athletic Conference.
Wayland hoopsters fell to 2-6 in the O-K Gold Conference after a 74-62 defeat at the hands of Cedar Springs. Rick Merren scored 19 points for the ‘Cats and Bill Brefke added 16 with nine rebounds.
50 Years Ago — Jan. 27, 1965
Wayland and practically all of southwest Michigan became a skating rink after an ice storm that closed local schools for two days. The Globe called “the worst in nearly a quarter of a century.”
One of Allegan County’s oldest pioneers, Milo Gray of Moline, died just shy of his 99th birthday at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids. He had been recognized as a progressive business and civic leader, serving on a school board for more than 20 years, owning the Moline mill, serving as justice of the peace and was highway commissioner for Dorr Township. Among his survivors was Dora Weaver, former co-owner of Weaver Hardware.
James Drake of Pet Milk was appointed a director of the Wayland Area Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Sam Merrill, who had just retired from Pet.
Several sets of wrenches, chisels and a tool box were stolen in a burglary at Sevigny Automotive north of Wayland on Division Avenue.
Dorr Township voters overwhelmingly (173 to 7) approved a proposal to allow the Consumers Power Company to install gas mains, service meters and other equipment.
The Rev. and Mrs. J.L. Ward celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. He has been pastor for the past five years at the Shelbyville and Martin United Methodist churches.
Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley was the special guest at the Allegan County Democratic Party dinner at St. Therese Hall. He told the party faithful they need to find ways to win elections from Republicans who “hold back progress” such as Wayland still being a village and not have a sewer system.
Eugene Dill, 29, left a seven pin on his last ball after throwing 11 consecutive strikes and had to settle for a near-perfect 299 game at Airport Lanes.
Hopkins, Fennville, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg and Hamilton were announced as the teams that will descend on Hopkins for the Class C district basketball tournament. The Globe told readers it would be an excellent opportunity to come out and watch Fennville senior Richie Jordan, the state’s leading scorer, averaging more than 40 points per game.
Wayland, Plainwell, Allegan and Kalamazoo University were scheduled to meet for the Class B district basketball tournament at Otsego.
Gordon Hudson scored 19 points, but the Wildcats lost 82-64 to Expressway Conference opponent Caledonia and saw their season record fall to 1-9.
Sandra Dee, Robert Goulet and Andy Williams were starring in “I’d Rather Be Rich” at the Wayland Theatre.
Petula Clark made it two weeks in a row in the No. 1 slot on the nation’s music charts with “Downtown.”
75 Years Ago — Jan. 26, 1940
We have had zero weather and plenty of it. And they say there is more on the way.
The boys who were feeding birds last Saturday report seeing many dogs running loose and killing much game in the snow. It is unlawful to let dogs out of control. And some of the boys are pretty much incensed about it. So watch your pup if he runs away from home. It may save trouble — or the dog.
Among the nominations sent to the senate for confirmation was the appointment of Morris R. Ehle for another four year term as the postmaster of Wayland. At the same time nomination of Merland Pepper of Moline and Kenneth Potter of Shelbyville, were also sent to the senate, both as postmasters of their communities.
The residents of the village have collected dividends several times this winter on an investment they made a few years ago in their power snow plow, and it has been doing a good job keeping the sidewalks plowed cut when the snow is deep and the walking bad.
EDITOR’S NOTE: There was no record in the archives of a Globe issue for this week 100 years ago in 1915.
