25 years Ago — Jan. 7, 1991
The Kristie-Craft Corp. of Chicago has expressed interest in purchasing the business assets of the Kessler infant s
leepwear manufacturing firm, which has filed for bankruptcy.
Wayne Vernon Haight, 52, an inmate in the Brooks Corrections facility in Muskegon, was arrested in connection with the murder of teen-ager Russell Schoonmaker in November 1974. The lad’s body was found in the Gun Lake area. Haight at that time had been a resident of the trailer park near Hilliards.
Because of changes in state rules on mobile home parks, Wayland Township will see an increase of 61 percent in property tax bills for 1991.
Mary Reno, a member of the Planning Commission for eight years, has been appointed to the City Council seat vacated by Joan Medendorp, who moved out of the city.
The Buck Company, a wholesale distributor of baking ingredients, has filed for bankruptcy, but Buck Equipment, which services the same industry, will remain open with its seven employees. It is doing business today as Discount Baking Equipment at 631 W. Cherry St.
A preliminary plan for Galaxy Estates, which will include 150 single-family homes on the north side of East Superior Street not far from the high school, was approved by City Council. David Maas is the developer.
Howard DeYoung, former proprietor of the Krazy Acres Radio Shack in Dorr, has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge in connection with his videotaping teen-age employees engaged in sexual activities in the back of his business. He could face up to five years in prison.
Sports writer Paul Jackson wrote a feature story about the Cellar Dorr food cooperative, featuring distribution supervisor Myrna Misak and charter member Jonathan Wright.
Kelly Reynolds scored 32 points as coach Scott Hall’s Hopkins boys’ varsity basketball team rolled to a 78-59 victory over Saugatuck.
The Wayland boys’ varsity basketball team lost 64-53 to Kenowa Hills, despite Eric Vandenberg’s 24 points, and coach Jim Orlowski’s group’s record overall fell to 2-5.
Senior standout Julie Ainsworth was out of the lineup with an injury and the Wayland volleyball team went 1-1-2 at the Battle Creek Pennfield tournament. Annette Tietsma had 20 kills for the Wildcats.
50 years Ago — Jan. 5, 1966
Former Globe Editor-Publisher Rollo Mosher, in his weekly “Observations Here and There” column, wrote, “Right now, I am among the thousands of MSU fans who are trying to recover from the shock of the upset at the Rose Bowl football game.” The undefeated and No. 1-ranked Spartans lost 14-12 to UCLA and Wayland’s own Don Japinga fumbled a punt inside his 10-yard line that led to one of the Bruins’ touchdowns.
Mosher also extensively outlined his reasons for supporting the ballot issue Jan. 17 for Wayland to transform from a village to a home-rule city. He acknowledged that taxes probably would increase, but so would services, and taxes were the costs of living in a comfortable and desirable community.
A special informational meeting on the home rule city charter question was scheduled for Wednesday evening, Jan. 12, at the Wayland High School cafeteria. A front page Globe story noted that if the question failed in the special election, all elections for local offices would have to be on a partisan basis.
Eight Wayland High School students were reported to have earned perfect 4.0 grade point averages for the previous marking period, including senior Bill Conwell, juniors Gary Finkbeiner, Jerilou Shade and Dennis DeHaan, sophomores Catherine Graham and Kathy Jo Smith, and freshmen Tim Tobolic and Lois Sykes.
R.B. Riedlinger, retired general manager of the Pet Milk plant in Wayland, died at Pipp Hospital in Plainwell after a brief illness. He was 77.
Kathy Overmire, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Overmire, was chosen as the Wayland High School winner of the Good Citizen Award, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Wayland Village Council was letting bids for the costs of insulating the newly constructed municipal garage on South Main Street.
Grand Rapids East Christian, led by Bernie Kuiper’s 31 points and 25 from Bill VanderWoude, trounced the Wayland varsity boys’ basketball team 92-58. Gordon Hudson netted 22 points and Dave Snyder 16 for the Wildcats. East Christian, later to become Grand Rapids Christian, was the 1966 Class B state champion in hoops.
St. Therese School started the new year by welcoming a new library facility that included more than 2,000 items.
Hopkins Public Schools recently implemented an intramural basketball program for junior high age and “pee wee” boys.
The movie showing at Wayland Theatre was “Winter A-Go-Go,” with James Stacy.
Simon & Garfunkel climbed into the top spot of the top tunes in the nation with “The Sounds of Silence.”
75 Years Ago — Jan. 10, 1941
If any of our readers know of any trees of any kind that are unusual for their size, and will advise this newspaper, we will be glad to pass the information on to officers of the American Wildlife Society who are trying to locate and save all large specimens of trees all over the state.
As the U.S. administration moved ever more vigorously toward aiding Britain, isolationist groups in senate and house started individual “peace offenses” which the president had scored in no uncertain terms in his radio address Sunday before New Year’s.
Back of them all was the familiar theme of asking the U.S. to demand that Britain and Germany state their war aims and that this country make one last effort to bring the two chief warring nations together before the world as it now exists falls apart.
Diplomatic circles did a bit of shadow-boxing around a supposed plan of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to widen the neutrality area to include Ireland, thus permitting British aid-carrying American vessels to run to west Irish ports.
German papers threatened America with everything, practically including a declaration of war if the move was made. The ships would be sunk without warning, they said. They called it Britain’s “dirtiest trick” that the English have tried to foist on America.
The late Maharajah of Mysore was the first to cross American milk cattle with the hump-backed Sindis breed of India, according to cattle experts. He obtained a prize Holstein bull in Seattle and crossed him with a long-homed Sindis, which had established a record of 740 pounds of milk a year. The offspring produced more milk in two months than her champion mother had in a year.
100 years Ago — Jan. 7, 1916
Enrollment in Wayland schools, according to the monthly report, was 99 at the high school, 38 in grammar school, 61 in intermediate and 88 in primary.
A front page story reported there was a rumor circulating that Mexican insurgent leader Pancho Villa, who had perpetrated many border raids, had been executed by mutinous rebels in his charge.
Prof. G.V. Fales was offering violin lessons at his residence in Wayland.
A Mr. Baily, referred to as an old resident of Dorr, died at the Country Home and his remains were to be brought to Dorr for burial at Tanner Cemetery.
The Bradley Grange will install officers under the watchful eyes of state officers Mr. and Mrs. Frank Palmer of Otsego. Third and fourth degrees will be conferred on three candidates.
The Congregational Church has changed its weekly hour of preaching from noon to 10 a.m. Sundays.
A Happy New Year’s crowd braved a rainstorm to celebrate flipping the calendar.
Metta Ross gave a presentation about her recent trip to California to 16 members of the Bradley Improvement League. Music was provided by the duet of violinist Eva Fergus and pianist Genevieve Allen.
Edwin C. Nevins was chosen deacon, Frank Woodward trustee, Walter F. Rose clerk and T. B Rose treasurer for the Moline Congregational Church.
Mrs. Harold Chapple gave a presentation about child culture to the Wayland Ladies’ Library Club.
Twelve local downtown businesses have announced they have agreed to close their stores at 6 p.m. weeknights, except for Wednesday and Saturday, between Jan. 17 and April 1.
John P. Allen returned from the Soldiers Home after a two-week stay and noted he is very concerned about the many recent deaths attributed to the grippe, today known as influenza.
Attorney John B. and Mrs. Stockdale were in Allegan this week to attend the opening ceremonies for Circuit Court.
Rollo G. Mosher has completed work on a new residence on Sycamore Street, a seven-room bungalow decorated in southern pine.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Tiefenthal of Hopkins are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Charles was born in 1840 in Rhine, Prussia, and he served as chief butler for the Third Michigan Cavalry in the Civil War.
Where was the picture taken? Do you have information on the pictures you use? I’d love to know more about them!
Actually. I’ve been collecting old pictures from a variety of sources for a long time. I gather them and keep them in a folder whenever I see something that might be appropriate. Some are courtesy of Jay L. Smith formerly of Smith Lumber & Coal, and some from the Then & Now Historical Library in Dorr.