(From the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Dec. 30, 1991
The Penasee Globe in the week between Christmas and New Year’s published a lot of feature stories.
Henika Public Library Board members, including President Burrell Stein, Dr. John White, Phyllis Koster, Jan Predum, Mary Jo Warner and Linda Koch, have announced the library is in serious financial difficulty. They plan to ask Leighton and Wayland Township Boards, which contribute $300 and $500 annually, respectively, to increase their support. The city has one mill, or about $28,000, set aside for the library.
Pat Staley wrote a feature story about the library, which was started by seed money from the will of Julia Robinson Henika in the late 19th century and the Ladies Library Club was organized in 1893. During the library’s first 98 years it had only four directors, Fannie Hoyt, Dorothy Peterson, Barbara Keeney and Lynn Mandaville. The stately library building still stands on South Main Street.
Paul Jackson penned a story about the perceived worsening problems with the gypsy moth in Allegan County. A task force was formed earlier in 1991.
Pat Staley also wrote a feature story about the strange and wonderful girls’ basketball coaching career of Zack Moushegian. She devoted much of the story to the friendship he had with Detroit Free Press sports writer Mick McCabe, who wrote a personal and touching column when Zack died in 2012.
Staley was busy with features that week, penning a piece about the employee-owned Rieth-Riley construction business, which was started in 1916 by Albert Rieth and joined by George Riley two years later. The employees took over in 1986.
Christy Gray and Dawn Slawinski were the only Wayland High School students to earn perfect 4.0 grade point averages for the first marking period. Achieving the same feat for Hopkins were Leslie Engel, Tammi Gibson, Ben Kwiatkowski, Samantha Newell, Megan Pavlak, Tanya Schwartz, Mike Steffes and Nicole Zomberg and Martin’s all-A scholars were Brian Bowman, Jason Good, Melissa Hunderman, Juli Martin, Jeremy Tuinstra and Heather Washburn.
Paul Jackson wrote a feature story about the temperance movement in the Wayland area. The “dry” campaign won the 1916 election, a couple of years before the enactment of the Volstead Act and the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, Jackson revealed, the WCTU and its allies just didn’t understand how many people were breaking the law afterward.
50 Years Ago — Dec. 28, 1966
The Board of Directors for the Moline State bank voted $2.50 each for 5,000 shares to be paid to stockholders as dividends as of Jan. 5, 1967.
The Henika Public Library Board is closing out its fund-raising campaign, nearly reaching its $16,000 goal. If the goal is met, it will be matched by a federal grant of $8,000.
Wayland area senior citizens are invited to a potluck luncheon Jan. 5 at the American Legion Hall. John Nowak is in charge of the program.
The Wayland City Council and Wayland Township Board held a joint meeting to discuss steps to separate the two municipalities financially according to state law because Wayland became a home-rule city as of Oct. 1, 1966.
Lance Cpl. Jim Lyons was on furlough in Wayland after serving in Vietnam for 14 months. He was to be reassigned later this month. Unfortunately, he was later killed in action.
Spec. Gordon Jurrians of Dorr, a 1965 graduate of Wayland High School, was promoted as a helicopter mechanic in Vietnam.
Robert Herp, a Hopkins High School graduate, is serving at the Da Nang Air Force Base in Vietnam.
Wayland City Assessor Ernie Martin, when asked about his New Year’s resolution for 1967, replied, “To hold down taxes and spend more time with my grandchildren.”
Wayland High School foreign exchange students Monique Souche of France, Paul Bouten of the Netherlands and Christer Persson of Sweden will be guest speakers for the next program of the Ladies Library Club. Mrs. Lee Miller, Mrs. Jack Cook and Mrs. George Hampel will accompany the students.
The Wayland Board of Education will open bids on the sake of the once-acre property of the former Corning School two miles east and three miles north of Wayland.
Disney’s “The Fighting Prince” was showing at the Wayland Theatre.
The Monkees held on to the top spot among the nation’s top 40 tumes with “I’m a Believer.”
75 Years Ago — Jan. 2, 1942
Mrs. Frank Bush, 65, was killed in a two-car crash three miles northeasty of Wayland. She was a passenger in one of the vehichles that collided, driven by Charles Smith and Mrs. Frances Garritsen.
The Leo Browns of Petoskey, former Wayland residents, were relieved to receive a cablegram that corrected an erroneous earlier report of the death of their son, Richard, at Pearl Harbor.
Dr. A.L. Larsen. local dentist, was in Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids under treatment for an infected thumb.
The Silvers and Danches Christmas party was held at the Dixie Pavilion just south of Wayland on old U.S.-131, with the Hill Billy Orchestra from Grand Rapids providing music for more than 200 guests.
Merle Hurley, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Hurley of Hopkins, was reported to have survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.
“Dairying and Its Relation to the National Defense Program” was to be the topic of the first in a series of dairy meeting at the ag room of Wayland High School.
A Red Cross sewing center was established in two rooms above the Wayland State Bank downtown and knitters are being sought to help clothe soldiers in the war.
An important meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, for the ladies of Sts, Cyril & Methodius. A music program and refreshments are planned.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Leo Carillo, Andy Devine and Dick Foran in “The Kid from Kansas.”
- Leon Errol, the Merry Macs and Jane Frazee in “Moonlight in Hawaii.”
- Betty Grable, Victor Mature and Carole Landis in “Wake up Screaming.”
- Marjorie Weaver and George Reaves in “Man at Large.”
- William Lundigan and Shirley Ross in “Sailors on Leave.”
“A” students reported for Wayland High School, averaging 98% or better in their studies, were Charles Gamwell, Margaret Beall, Lewellen Anway and Frances Presley.
Allegan County Farm Agent Alfred Bentall, in remarks made to Wayland High School students, said country life in the future will offer the most chances for success. “We should educate our sons back to the farm rather than away from it,” he said.
Farm experts are reporting, “No substitute is known at present to be capable of completely filling the place of farm manure… (yet) there is probably no
material on the farm in which so much needless waste occurs.”
H.P. Hudson shipped two cars of livestock to Chicago.
Charles Barker, an old and respected citizen living halfway between Wayland and Bradley, has been reported to be very ill.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Weick of Leightin Township entertained guests for Christmas Eve and Mrs. Edward german provided a fine goose for dinner.
John B. Lindsley of Grand Rapids, formerly of Wayland, has been elected executive secretary of the Big Brother organization in that city. He has resigned, as a result, from his post at Goodrich Transit and Muskegon Interurban.
Miss Charlotte Wenzel of Kalamazoo College, will play on her violin solo at the Congregational churches in Bradley and Wayland. An accomplished musician, she has been traveling with the Gaynor Group for two years.
John R. Staffer, a native of Toronto, died at his Wayland home at age 80. He had come to the United States and Byron Center in 1874 and he had lived in Wayland for the past 11 years.
Will Haywood of near Shelbyville has been sidelined with a broken rib and to make matters worse he lost one of his best horses which was kicked by another horse in a freak accident.
Jacob Dykehouse has shipped from Grand Rapids two carloads of pianos and organs for auction Dec. 30 at the Nash Store building.
PHOTO: Downtown Wayland before the 1883 fire, looking north on West Superior Street.