25 Years Ago — May 23, 1990
Daniel Craig Wooten, 19,
of Plainwell, was apprehended by State Police troopers after a wild chase from the U.S.-131 exit at 142nd Avenue south through Wayland. Wooten was said to be traveling as high as 110 miles per hour and 60 through the city on 10th Street. Police set up two traps and he finally was caught on foot. He was charged with felonious driving, resisting and obstructing arrest, failure to obey a police signal, no proof of insurance and driving on a restricted license.
The Yankee Springs Township Zoning Board of Appeals tabled a request from Thompson McCully Excavating for a permit to mine gravel within 50 feet of Playne Lake Road.
Burrell Stein and Mary Jane Merren of the Wayland Summerfest Committee were leading the charge for applying for a Michigan Council of the Arts grant to help fund the festival activities.
Coopersville Mayor Randy Laug and Wayland Mayor Linden Anderson were photographed wearing special caps during their visit to Dean Foods during Mayor Exchange Day.
An Officers Compensation Commission made up of Irvin P. Helmey, Arnie Wilde, Lois Mlynarchek, William Pike and John Crofoot decided each member of the City Planning Commission should be paid $20 per metting with Secreatry Pete Howard getting $25 and Chairwoman Mary Reno $30.
A riverboat sternwheeler named the Penasee Peddler has started to make trips on Gun Lake from the Baypointe Restaurant.
Vicki Schwartz of Schwartz’s Sporting Goods and Pool Supply, is offering free testing for residents’ pool water. She also is an adult education instructor and her husband, Bruce, is an associate engineer for Steelcase.
Mark Troy won the Louis Japinga Award, but Jenny Ritz was the most decorated athlete at the annual awards ceremony. She won the Multer Award, the Senior Athlete Award and was named the top female athlete of the year in the O-K Gold Conference. Rick Merren won the Male Senior Athlete of the year honor.
Paul Omness fired a two-hitter against Gull Lake, as the Wildcats won their Class B district baseball opener. They will face Comstock in the next round.
In a bizarre twist, the Hopkins baseball team lost a 1-0 squeaker to Gobles, but the MHSAA ruled later that the Tigers’ pitcher had thrown too many innings that week, making him ineligible and causing Gobles to forfeit. Coach Mark Austin said he has been concerned about his team’s hitting slump of late as they head into districts with an excellent overall record.
Missy Bratsburg broke a school record for the fourth time this season in girls’ track, this time by breaking the tape at 17.1 seconds in the 100-meter high hurdles. She and Jenny Merren, Shanda Kedde and Shannon VanPutten qualified for the state Division 2 meet in the 1600-meter relay in 4:10.3 and Laura Barghan qualified in the discus and Julie Haas in the open 1600.
Karen Volkers, a 1987 Wayland High School graduate, was named Great Lakes Athletic Association Athlete of the Year in volleyball, which she plays for Ferris State University.
Hopkins High School graduate Becky Rifenberg was named to the All-MIAA softball team as sophomore shortstop for Kalamazoo College.
50 Years Ago — May 19, 1965
Voters approved the ballot proposal to change Wayland from an incorporated village to a home rule city by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, 336 to 176. Elected to the nine-member Charter Commission were Walt Gurney, Hugh DeWeerd, Jerome LaValley, Phillip Reno, Harold Weaver, Dr. Carl Bergstrom, William Mauchmar, Richard Wilson and Russ Rugaber.
A crowd of about 500 was on hand for a special dedication of the expansion at Kessler’s Undies and Woolies on South Main Street, which employs about 300 people. Company President William Kessler Sr. said, “The plant expansion will result in more jobs and greater security for all.” The ceremony included remarks by State Rep. James Farnsworth, Village President Phillip Reno and music by the Wayland High School band.
Four candidates, Dr. Allen Dangremond, Dr. Gerald VandeVoord, Mrs. Joseph McCarthy and Huse Johnson are seeking to succeed the retiring Osborn Brown in the Wayland Board of Education. In Hopkins, Burl Simpson and Carl Johnson will run for the seat being vacatd by Art Harnish. Moline School Board candidates for two posts will be Leonard Troost, Charles Idema and Gerald Koster.
Arthur Lindsey, 19, of Battle Creek was killed in a single-car crash just south of 137th Avenue on 10th Street.
Joanne Gilbert won the top prize in the upper class competition for Michigan Week essay. James Hazen won for lower classes. Pam Pratt won for Hopkins.
Robert Hayden of Wayland was elected vice chairman of the Wakazoo District of the Great Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America.
Wayland Junior High Principal Robert Martutz, also a driving instructor, announced he was assigning students to take the national driver’s test being televised by CBS-TV.
Senior Alan Hayes qualified for the Class B state meet in the mile run by turning in a school-record performance of 4:38, eclipsing the mark set in 1962 by Elmer Peters, who at the time was only a freshman.
Expressway Conference champions in track, besides Alan Hayes in the mile, were Francis Lindgren in the high jump at 5-61/4 and Lee Pepper, 21.5 seconds in the low hurdles.
The Wayland tennis team absorbed its first loss of the season at the hands of Hamilton. Meanwhile, Tom Tanutzer and Robert Ayers remained unbeaten at the singles slots, but No. 1 singles Mike Crum’s winning streak was ended.
The Wayland baseball team won two of three contests during the week. Don Klok hurled a three-hit shutout at Northview and collected four hits offensively in a 13-12 loss to Kenowa Hills. Jim Koperski and Roger Merren both homered in the slugfest loss.
Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor and Gig Young were starring in “For Love or Money” at the Wayland Theatre.
Herman’s Hermits made it three weeks in a row atop the nation’s tune list with “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.”
75 Years Ago —May 17 1940
At last, our troubles are over. That is so far as positioning your umbrella so it won’t topple to the floor. The aggravating problem is solved. Now showing in leading stores is man’s latest invention — the umbrella that stands alone. It seems there is a little cuplike contrivance that looks like an ornament at the umbrella tip that sets on the floor upholding the umbrella so it does not have to be propped up against some object — the wall, a chair or counter. Bravo! Why didn’t someone think of this long ago?
The poor man’s greatest friends are economy and a milked cow.
Like a beacon light on the height — the advertisements in newspapers direct you to newer, better and easier ways of providing the things needed or desired. It shines, this beacon of newspaper advertising — and it will be to your advantage to follow it whenever you make a purchase.
Drive a nail home and clinch it so faithfully that you can wake up in the night and think of your work with satisfaction. So will help you God and so only.
Is your child a nose picker? It may be just a nasty habit, but sometimes nose picking is a sign of something nastier. It may mean that your child has round worms. People don’t like to talk about bowel worms, so you may not realize how many children have this dreadful infection. If you even suspect that you child has round worms, get Jaynes Vermifuge right away! Jaynes is the best known worm expellant in America… If there are no worms, it acts merely as a mild laxative.
100 Years Ago — May 21, 1915
Nellie Chrisman, Joseph E. Barrett and G.V. Fales issued the April school report showing 68 students at the high school and 90 percent attendance. Grammar school had 45 students and 88% attendance. Intermediate had 49 pupils and 89% attendance and primary 48 and 90 percent. Teachers reporting for them were Mary Payton, Florence Yeakey and Diane Haines.
Thomas Tobin, whose farmhouse burned the previous week, was visited by the insurance adjustor from Kent, Allegan and Ottaway Insurance Co. He vows to rebuild immediately.
Decoration Day will be observed Monday, May 31, and members of the Sterling Post No. 74, Grand Army of the Republic, are seeking help from President Jay L. Smith and the Board of Trade. The Wayland Military Band will perform in a procession at 3 p.m. from the village south to Elmwood Cemetery. Foster Fuller, editor of the Plainwell Enterprise, will deliver the address.
Wilson H. Mosher now is the proud new owner of a Ford he picked up while on a trip to Cedar Springs.
The 26th anniversary of the founding the Epworth League will be observed at the Wayland United Methodist Church.
A barber shop on Main Street in Wayland is listed for sale for $350. The shop, which includes four modern chairs and two connecting bathrooms, boasts of more than $35 in profits per week.
The primary and intermediate grades will present a May Festival Concert on the school grounds. Featured will “Hiawatha’s Childhood,” “Norman Dance,” “Sunflower March,” “Butterfly Dance,” “Pocahontas” and the “Maypole Dance.”
Detlor and Brown Real Estate is confident that Wyland is on the verge of major residential development with the Maybe’s Addition at Owasco Park.