25 Years Ago — May 16, 1990
Don Pitcher of Hopkins and Nick Co
lley of Allegan were among the finalists who qualified for the annual state-wide auto troubleshooting contest in Landing. They scored highest in the written portion of the competition.
Gordon Lyons, Glenn Leep and Don Kern successfully appealed to the courts to delay demolition of the old Carriage Stop Restaurant building in downtown Martin. The village already had awarded the bid for the work to Pitsch Wrecking of Grand Rapids for $9,325. The three promised to have the building moved.
Complaints about local police coverage has prompted the Village of Martin to do a study on the issue. Coverage is provided by the husband and wife team of Mike and Cora Goff for $16,60 a year, plus benefits.
The Wayland Board of Education has reinstated an early retirement incentive program for teachers after it had been on a four-year hiatus. The program occasionally is implemented to save the district some money.
The telephone booth between the insurance office and beauty shop downtown has quietly been removed.
Wayland High School journalism students Janelle Tietsma, Shelly Salisbury, Randi Fleek, Jenny Wilson, Dave Estafan and Kris Coughlin won a $250 award for the school district for being a finalist in the Vos Glass 30-second commercial contest. Their instructor was Jeff Salisbury.
Wayland’s Sue Philp, Eileen Bolt and Gwen Damveld have been honored as outsanding leaders by the Glowing Embers Girl Scout Council.
Clif Sage announced his resignation as varsity basketball coach after four seasons and a 24-56 overall record. He noted the Wildcats have struggled in the sport for a long time, winning a championship only twice in the past 27 years.
Coach Jerry Haggerty’s Wayland girls’ track team only needs to beat Hudsonville in a dual meet and do reasonably well in the league meet at Caledonia in order to capture the O-K Gold Conference championship. Of note is the 800-meter relay team, Shannon VanPutten, Shanda Kedde, Jenny Merren and Missy Bratsburg, which has one of the top times in the area at 1:52.4.
After collecting 57 hits in just four games, the Wildcat softball team was limited to just five in a 5-4 victory over Kenowa Hills. Coach Andrea VandenBerg called Jennifer Ritz’s home run in the game, “The furthest hit I’ve ever seen.”
Mike Rynearson is sporting a glittering 0.87 earned run average and coach Mark Austin’s Hopkins baseball squad has a 13-1 record heading into pre-district play against Gobles.
The Vikings’ softball team, under the tutelage of Mick Francis, now has a 12-3 record heading into pre-districts after Mandy Buskard tossed a one-hitter at Saugatuck.
50 Years Ago — May 12, 1965
Mayor J.L. Gingrass will be Wayland’s special guest during Michigan Week when he and an entourage from Iron Mountain come here as part of Mayor Exchange Day.
The long-awaited special election to determine whether Wayland wants to change from a village to a home rule city will be held May 18. The Globe published photos and biographical information about the last four of 21 candidates for Charter Revision Commission, including Village President Phillip Reno, Julius Andringa, Walter Gurney and Charles Stoddard. Nine will be elected.
Globe Editor and Publisher Irvin P. Helmey penned the last of his series of front-page editorials supporting the home rule city issue. He noted all 21 Charter Revision Commission candidates support the idea and he said no one sent in a letter to the editor in opposition. He said representatives from both major parties are in support. “All agree the common goal is home rule for Wayland.”
Mrs. Pat McKee has been hired to be director of girls’ high school physical education and as a counselor. Other new teachers hired are Gerald Nelson in English, Dale Collins, sixth grade, and Vincent DeJong, English and social studies.
The Mills Brothers Three-Ring Circus will be brought to town May 22, courtesy of the Wayland Area Chamber of Commerce.
Wayland Rotary Club President Dick Wilson and Past President Joe LaValley were pictured with one of two new shelters for students to use while waiting for the school bus. The two locations will be on Patterson Road near 127th Avenue and at the four corners in Bradley.
Under the State School Reorganization law, the Allegan County recommended the Elm Hill, Osborn and Hughes school districts be included in Martin; the Moline Community, Dorr No. 18, Jones, Sproat, Hooker and Corning schools to be moved to Wayland, and the Sycamore, Plainview, Burnips, Sandhill, Monterey Center, Fairview, Pickle Street, Oakview and Dallas schools be included in Hopkins.
Three singles players on the Wayland tennis team, Tom Tarnutzer, Bob Ayers and Mike Crum started their season unbeaten this spring.
Terry DuMond three a four-hitter, Gordon Hudson drilled three hits and Don Klok and Roger Merren two apiece as Wayland defeated Northview 4-1.
Gail Hoffman was the winning pitcher in Wayland’s see-saw 15-13 victory over Byron Center in softball.
Showing at the Wayland Theatre was “The Satan Bug,” starring George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews.
Herman’s Hermits once again had the No. 1 hit song in the land with “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.”
75 Years Ago — May 10, 1940
School officials have supplied the local officers with names of eight or ten (traffic) offenders and a record of their lack of cooperation with their teachers. By the time this is printed, no doubt, the ringleaders will have been picked up by the officers and by the time some of these lads pay a fine or lose their driver’s licenses. They may realize that reckless driving is a thing taboo.
Wayland folks have been entertained for years by imported talent and have liked it. However, in our midst, there is real talent already developed and more in the process. We refer to the William Mauchmar familv. Here is a family that is really talented. The children, Laurena, Loren, Ethelyn and Billie, are all musicians and dancers. Give any of them a piano, cornet or bass viola and you have music. Any one can tap dance well, and any two can do a waltz, or what have you.
“For living mothers, flowers bright; in mothers’ memory, flowers white.”
The most eagerly awaited motion picture of all time, Margaret Mitchell’s story of the old south, “Gone with the Wind,” comes to the Wayland Theatre for three days, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, May 19, 20 and 21. Naman Frank, manager of the local theatre, stated that the advance sale indicated considerable interest in this engagement.
100 Years Ago — May 14, 1915
The Allegan County Order of Eastern Star had its annual meeting May 11 at the Yeakey Hall in Wayland. “This and the Masonic Hall were handsomely decorated for the meeting.” The attendance, 245, was the largest ever in the history of the association.
A “Peace Day” program was planned for May 18, including Village President A.E. Weaver, J.L. Smith, vice president and head of the local Board of Trade, and public school exercises under the direction of teachers, with music by the hand and the choir under the direction L.D. Miles.
The farm residence of Thomas Tobin was destroyed by fire. Everything in the upper story was burned. The furniture on the lower was salvaged, but not the family’s clothing and bedding. Firefighter Albert Brog suffered injuries and burns when the chimney fell.
Matthew Burchart was thrown from his carriage when his horses were startled by a motor vehicle on the interurban and they ran away. He was attended by Dr. E.O. Hanlon for his injuries afterward.
Clifford Averill was rendered unconscious for several hours after a scaffold he was working on in Hopkins gave way and he fell 23 feet to the ground. He received medical treatment, but there are fears his internal injuries are more substantial.
