(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr:
25 Years Ago — March 26, 2001
Editor Nila Aamoth penned a Soapbox suggesting that now that Wayland Township has gotten past the clash of public officials’ personalities, the board should begin making in earnest some efforts to build recreational parks and repair the roads.
John and Josie Bysterveld presented the Dorr Township Planning Commission with plans for Bysterveld Park, which will include a children’s playground, off 14th Street on a 40-acre parcel.
Rusty Dutkiewicz of Dorr wrote a letter to the editor praising the presence of a spruce tree in the mini-park at the four corners in downtown Wayland, insisting it should remain.
Wayland Parks Committee Chair Jackie Straub explained that the Colorado Spruce at Wayland’s mini-park downtown is the victim of incurable disease and must be removed.
Newcomer William Fleser will join incumbents Robert Golm, Bruce Sexton and Anita Modreske on the ballot in the annual Wayland City Council election next month. The race will be four candidates for three posts.
Phyllis Nyenhuis penned a letter suggesting casino backers who want a big city feel move from Dorr to Grand Rapids.
Kimberly Clark Parrish, a 1995 Martin High School graduate, is a doctoral candidate in biochemical toxology and pharmacology at Michigan State University.
Dorr Township’s South Park is being sold by the local parks commission to enable that body to apply for grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The 3-month-old daughter of Vrate and Carol Gill of Hopkins awakened the couple in the middle of the night with her crying and helped to save them from a fire that had started in the home.
Wayland Chamber of Commerce Director Ann Kilmartin has announced a first-ever arts festival will the held in the community in June.
The Allegan County Road Commission has granted Leighton Township requests to install flashing red lights at Kalamazoo and 135th avenues and at Division and 142nd.
The Martin Board of Education has pared down the size of its bond request from $6.8 million to $6 million. The most recent request was defeated.
Tony Sebright, Luke Lenhart, Jennifer Green and Tony Zapolnik, all of Hopkins, captured first place at the state FFA contests and now will move on to the national competition in Kansas City, Mo.
Matt Miner of Wayland was honored by the Michigan State Police for his work in the local Explorer program in scouting.
Wayland’s new Kiwanis Club has earned its charter status and has begun work on combatting drug abuse by young people.
The Cinderella Hopkins boys’ varsity basketball team finally saw their season end in the Class C semifinals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Arena. The Vikings were only 12-8 for the regular season, but caught fire for March Madness before losing to Kalamazoo Christian 77-56. Key players were Jack Klunder, Josh Ewing, Matt Hills and the coach was Mike Rynearson.
Coach Steve Harcourt proudly announced girls’ track numbers have increased greatly, with 38 girls showing up on the first day.
Hopkins senior Brooke Brenner is the defending O-K Silver Conference champion in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs.
Arby Ralph Button of Martin died at age 90. He was an employee of the Plainwell Paper Mill and a lifelong farmer.
Justin “Judd” Redder, who operated the gas station in Burnips and was a dairy farmer and horseshoeing specialist, died at age 88.
50 Years Ago — March 23, 1976
Wayland’s oldest native resident, Fred Hilbert Sr., owner of Cowbell Seeds and architect and founder of Plank Road Farm, died at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids. He was 98.
The Wayland Board of Education announced the layoffs of 13 teachers in the 1976-77 academic year as a result of state aid cutbacks. School Board President Don Lapham said music, reading improvement, physical education and special education were affected the most.
Roy Phillip Hines has been appointed Wayland Township Supervisor, succeeding Donald Culver, who resigned because of the press of his farm business.
The Wayland unit of Local 20 voted against approving a new contract with Pet Incorporated 70 to 29. Ken Knuth heads up the bargaining unit for the union and Ted Green represents the company at the table.
The Wayland Board of Education, citing recent budget cutbacks, turned down softball coach Sharon Nelson’s request to start a junior varsity program because 45 girls showed up at tryouts.
The Allegan County Board of Commissioners voted down a request to merge the offices of clerk and register of deeds. Russell Sill is clerk and Howard Strandt is register of deeds. The reason supposedly is an effort to save money.
Vandals stole snack foods and about $400 in cash from the gas station in Bradley in a break-in during the overnight hours.
Mrs. William Mooney wrote a letter to the editor asking why the Globe doesn’t,’t provide more coverage to the Wayland bands who are getting superior ratings in festivals and competitions.
Marcia Walthers was elected president of the Marin Women’s Social Club at the group’s last meeting of the academic year.
Wayland High School students Joe Kramer, Linda Tyler, Tim Stringham and Bill Monroe captured first place in the United Nations seminar at Hope College.
The Wayland Community Choir, sponsored by Wayland Community Education and Recreation, will present “The Atonement,” an Easter cantata, April 11 at the Wayland High School auditorium.
The Wayland United Methodist Women will present the style show “Wish I Could Sew” at the church April 5.
Michigan State Police trooper Bob Thomas will be one of the guest speakers at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Hilliards for a program on drug abuse.
Mrs. Carl Fockler, wife of the city manager, will be a guest on the Accent show for WKZO-TV to talk about Wayland’s celebration plans for the Bicentennial.
Martin senior Robert Vandenberg was named to the Southwestern Athletic Conference all-star team. He was the Clippers’ leading scorer and rebounder.
The Hopkins volleyball team ended its first season with a record of 13-2. The Viking girls are coached by Peg Arnsman.
The Community Education program has launched extracurricular programs for macrame, bowling, model building and board games for the Wayland Middle School.
Bill Baweja, a 1966 graduate of Wayland High School, has been hired as the first manager of the new Wayland Area Ambulance Service. He had served as a hospital corpsman during the Vietnam Conflict.
Walter Hilaski of Dorr, a former state highway inspector and past secretary of the Knights of Columbus, died of a heart attack at his home. He was 56.
Marvin Areaux has announced his candidacy for sheriff of Allegan County.
Lifetime Hopkins resident Elmer Spahn died Pipp Community Hospital. He was 75.
Archie Young, a longtime member of the Martin Boosters Club, died at the Alamo Nursing Center in Plainwell. He was 91.
75 Years Ago — March 30, 1951
Editor-Pubisher Rollo G. Mosher, in his weekly “Observations” column, exhorted readers to vote in the biennial springs elections.
Retired Hopkins farmer Louis Steffens died at his home. He was 81.
Andringa Appliances was advertising that it has available for immediate delivery RCA and Motorola television sets. The Jacob Eding Co. was touting Admiral TV sets.
Longtime auto dealer F.D. Cutler has returned to his Barry County farm and is telling stories about horse and wagon days of travel. He also told of Wayland seeing the coming and going of an electric railway.
Henry Modreske and Charles Fenton of Wayland High School have been awarded State Farmers Degrees at the state convention. The Demonstration Team of David David Whittredge, Donald Peet and Herbert Moore won a gold award for their swine management project.
Mrs. Ronald Kingsbury and her mother, Mrs. Herbert Davies of Grand Rapids, will give piano and violin music lessons, succeeding Lenora Sykes, who is continuing her music education.
The Hopkins senior class will present the play, “Comin’ Round the Mountain” at the high school gym March 29 and 30.
Steve Kaczanowski’s Orchestra will perform at the Easter Hop Saturday, March 31, at the St. Therese Parish Hall.
Eight members of the Dorr Belles 4-H Club attended the Achievement Day in Allegan, including Carole Jurrians, Margaret Schaendorf, Sandra Keeney, Carol Hoeksema, June Ellen Wagner, Marie Schaendorf, Shannon McConnell and Lois Jeanne Wagner.
Members of the local Girl Scout troops toured Kellogg’s of Battle Creek to see how corn flakes are manufactured.
Ilene Bailay has been announced as valedictorian for the Martin High School Class of 1951. Marilyn DeBruin was salutatorian.
Harold Knowlton of Shelbyville had the misfortune of having his left hand amputated after running it into a corn shredder that malfunctioned.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
Wayland Boy Scouts are sponsoring a travelogue “Rainbow Valley,” featuring Canadian national parks, April 5 at Wayland High School auditorium.
• Hoppalong Cassidy in “Strange Gamble.”
- “Call of the Klondike.”
- Van Johnson and Kathryn Grayson in “Grounds for Marriage.”
- John Wayne in “Operation Pacific.”
100 Years Ago — March 26, 1926
The local post of the American Legion has started a campaign to place American flags at downtown businesses. They have succeeded in enlisting about 50 downtown area shops.
George Bennett Chambers, one of the very first white children born in Wayland, in 1847, died March 24 at the age of 78. He was the son of local pioneer Nelson Chambers, who built the Wayland hotel for the arrival of the Plank Road. George had been a farmer, hotel landlord, cattle dealer, and he was in the mercantile business.
The Conservation Department has decreed there shall be no fish spearing and lakes will be closed from April 1 to June 15. Only fishing permitted is via hook and line.
The Ladies Library Club has announced a bid house contest. “It is an accepted scientific fact that man could not long exist upon this earth if all bird life were eliminated.”
Now showing at the Regent Theatre downtown: “The Ten Commandments.” Fred Thompson and Silver King in “The Bandit’s Baby.”
The frost is going out of the ground and leaving local gravel roads in “almost impassible condition in some places.” There are only two or three places where only cars or trucks with the greatest clearance can get through. Nearly a half mile past the Todd and Duryea farms there have been upwards of a score of cars and trucks stuck in the deep ruts and teams of horses have been needed to pull them out.
Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher reported on his tour of the Ford plant in River Rouge as a guest of the Yeakey Auto Co. outing. He commented, “If a person needs the conceit taken out of him, a trip through the Ford plant should do the trick.”
The Church of Christ has been having a series of meetings with guest lecturer Mr. Watkins. Topics include “the Businessman and Religion,” “War, the Crisis of All Ages,” The Gospel of Sins and Depravity” and “The Dial on the Clock of Heaven.”
There will be an Easter supper and apron sale at the Bradley Congregational Church Friday evening, April 2.
A “Civic Night” will be held at the Wayland Congregational church Wednesday. Men of the church are especially urged to attend.
In the spring election April 5, Wayland Township voters will be asked for permission to buy the Stockdale law offices to use as a voting site. Cost is $1600.
The young people of the Christian Endeavor Society will present a religious play, “The First Easter Morn” Sunday evening, April 4, at Wayland United Methodist Church.
Library Director Fannie Hoyt will present a talk about “Michigan Industries” to members of the Willing Workers.
Mrs. Howard Merrill, the former Miss Averill Yerrick, was taken to a Kalamazoo hospital to be treated for an inside goiter.
