(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago— March 9, 1998
The Wayland Area Ambulance Service had a training exercise involving Wayland High School students and local police and firefighters handling a mock disaster.
Fifth grade students at Moline Christian School are researching, producing and delivering a news broadcast once every week.
Allegan County dignitaries are organizing and planning the annual “Walk for Warmth” fund-raiser to help heat homes for the needy.
Globe staffer Scott Sullivan penned a “Soapbox” on the value and problem of dissent, focusing on the issue of the electronic sign at the entrance of Wayland High School.
Deborah Straub penned a letter to the editor insisting that disabled children need appropriate accommodations at school facilities and asked that her daughter not be segregated.
Jeffrey Keesee and his wife and son were injured when a suspected drunken driver struck then in a hit-and-run accident. A 19-year-old Miccleville man was apprehended afterward.
The Watson Township Board is considering placing two road millage requests on the August primary election ballot, one for general maintenance and the other for dust control.
Wayland city police officer Mark Rookus was given a 60-day suspension without pay in connection with a Nov. 1 incident in which he was accused of using excessive force while making an arrest.
Lindsey Balder, a 15-year-old sophomore at Wayland High School, qualified to show her dog in the Westminster Kennel Club Junior Showmanship division event.
The Wayland High School basketball team, led by Chad Burgess, Jason Grevenstuk and Jason Hilaski, upset powerhouse South Christian, but then fell short to Todd Bloemers and Caledonia to conclude the regular season with a 5-14 overall record.
“Downtown” Jessie Brown scored 20 points, but Martin lost to Saugatuck in the final game of the regular season.
The Wayland swim team defeated Wyoming Rogers to claim the runner-up slot in the O-K Rainbow Conference.
Hopkins finished a 9-10 season overall in basketball by beating Wyoming Lee 68-66.
A record six wrestlers, Aaron Patrick, Brandon Patrick, Paul Christensen, Jessy Simmons, Jake Gless and Chad Sikkema, qualified for the state Class B wrestling meet and Rick Tokarchick was chosen regional wrestling coach of the year.
Wayland volleyball team members Andrea Schloop, Sarah Baker and Kelli Schumaker were academic all-state selections.
Irene Rachael Miller of Hopkins, who taught for many years in area rural schools, died at the Allegan County Medical Care Facility. She was 88.
50 Years Ago — March 6, 1973
Property owners in the city of Wayland are being notified they are all required to hook up to the sanitary sewer system. A total of 75 residences and addresses are not hooked up yet.
The Varsity Vagabonds choral group from Western Michigan University will visit Wayland to perform a variety of music, from Dixieland jazz to old favorite selectsion.
Six candidates, George Schwartz, John Hitt Jr., William Weick, James Kerber, Jerry Hazen and Esther VanDerKolk are seeking three open seats on the Hopkins Village Council in the election March 12.
Martin voters will decide on proposals to revise the village charter and whether or not to elect a commissioner and assessor.
Wayland’s varsity basketball team lost 83-60 to Hastings in the Class B district opening round. Junior Pat Wilde scored 13 points, Paul Heckert had 12, Randy Mauchmar 11 and Bob Lehocky 10.
George Hampel was appointed to the Planning Commission, succeeding Mrs. Irene LaValley.
Voters approved, by a 561 to 364 margin, a 4.11-mill tax rate renewal.
Mimi Moulenbelt of Hopkins wrote a letter to the editor praising a recent PTA meeting highlighting contributions of local school-related groups, particularly the FFA.
Arlyn Coffey and Phil and Jeff Lenhart earned the regional championship trophy as the best FFA demonstration team in a competition at Dowagiac.
Glenn R. Avery Jr., of Hopkins, was the winner of a cooking contest sponsored by the Future Homemakers of America. His entry was a meat cobbler.
The Wayland junior high school band was given a II rating at the annual MSBOA festival and a I in sight reading. The group is directed by John Dunsmore.
Hopkins completed a 15-5 season in basketball by upending state-ranked Covenant Christian 79-62. Mike Pavlak scored 17 points, John Roon, Steve Pawloski and Rick Smith 12 each and Kelly McEwen 10.
Sports writer David T. Young predicted Hudsonville Unity Christian would win the Class B state title in basketball and Dowagiac Daily News writer Jon Gambee forecasted Dowagiac. Neither would win, as Unitywould lose in the finals to Dearborn Divine Child.
Wayne B. McClintock, a 1907 Wayland High School graduate, was selected to the Michigan Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame, after a successful coaching caeer.
75 Years Ago — March 8, 1948
Wayland schools is initiating a drivers education program with a vehicle provided by J.A. Anderson Motor Sales and approved by Triple A, which furnishes additional clutch and brake pedals. AAA reported there were 138 schools in Michigan offering the course. Jack Prescott is a trained instructor and Edwin St. John will take training courses in Jackson.
Fr. Charles Nugent, who is featured weekly on WLAV-radio, will be guest speaker for a Lenten sermon, “The Lily of Purity” at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church, Gun Lake.
Wayland Auto Parts, owned and operated by Edward Burchardt, will have an open house March 13 for his modern wrecker service garage on South Main Street.
Fenn Lohrberg, a member of the Masonic Lodge and village fire department, died at his farm at Gobles.
Roswell L. Printup, a construction superintendent in this area for many years, died after an illness of 14 months. He was 85.
Allegan County farmers interested in artificial insemination of cows may attend a meeting of the Michigan Artificial Breeders cooperative. Clifford Pike and Frank Buskirk of Shelbyville and Tom Kelsey of Martin are handling applications.
For the first time in 12 years of competition, Wayland won the District Basketball Tournament at Allegan and will play in the regionals at Western Michigan College. Wayland defeated Bloomingdale, Fennville and Paw Paw to improve its season record to 17-4. Hopkins earned the right to compete in the Class D regional tourney in Grand Rapids by getting pact Gobles and Saugatuck.
“Kitchens” and “Curtain and Draperies” were the topics of the discussion for the last meeting this season of the adult homemakers’ group at Wayland High School.
Lester Doerr, a member of the Grand Rapids Board of Education, was guest speaker at a dinner honoring students of the adult homemaking and agriculture
Classes at Wayland High School.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
• Gene Autry, Jean Heather and Ralph Morgan in “The Last Roundup.”
• Franchot Tone and Janet Blair in “I Love Trouble.”
• Mickey Rooney, Brian Donlevy and Ann Blyth in “Killer McCoy.”
100 Years Ago — March 11, 1923
William Henry Ide, a mason by trade and an Allegan County resident since 1856, died March 2 of the terrible affliction of cancer.
Mrs. Dorothea Thede of Leighton, mother of nine and “very hospitable and a zealous worker for the Evangelical Church, died at age 77.
Edward Pason Hersey, who came to Wayland in 1865, died at age 83. He had a disease of the hip that made him lame for all of his wife, though he proudly owned and operated a farm.
Guert Fales of Wayland appears to be the landslide winner of the election for school commissioner.
The Irish evangelist Rev. Callahan is heading up revival meetings at the Methodist Church in Bradley that are being well attended.
John B. Stockdale, an attorney who graduated from Wayland High School and went on to make a career in the legal profession, died at age 57.
Now showing at the Regent Theatre downtown: Will Rogers in Washington Irving’s classic “Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Headless Horseman.”