(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago— March 23, 1998
Wayland Township Supervisor Jose Blanco has pleaded for more money for local officials’ salaries, but his Township Board colleagues don’t agree, resulting in a local meeting ruckus.
Some people believe Gun Lake area roads are overloaded with traffic and Yankee Springs Township Planning officials are grappling with ideas about how to handle it.
Hopkins High School students now will be charged fees for driver’s education classes and road training for the first time.
Dorr library officials are asking the Township Board for some added financial support to keep the facility open.
Martin High School musicians soon will be outfitted with new uniforms.
The Hopkins High School volleyball winningest season ever came to an end in the Class C regional tournament when the Lady Vikings came very close to scoring an upset over fourth-ranked Galesburg-Augusta.
Reporter Pat Staley wrote in the Soapbox an editorial praising the behavior of Wayland High School students who noticed the “hidden hostility” between members of the Wayland Township Board and suggesting they instead work together for the good of the community.
Susan Barker penned a letter to the editor decrying the rat race of suburban sprawl spreading into Wayland.
Lorraine Buchanan wrote a letter insisting public schools should teach evolution as part of courses in mythology.
New Martin Supt. Tom Cutler was introduced at the school board meeting. He succeeds Iris Williams.
Sue Sebright of Hopkins and John Koval of Wayland were featured in this week’s Globe special sections about home improvement.
Rick Mena, at 125 pounds, became the first Martin wrestler to win a state championship since 1991. Ed Marcoux became the first Hopkins wrestler to place in the state meet, finishing seventh at 160 pounds.
Wayland High School senior Tracy Winterhalter will be a member of the cheerleading squad this summer for the Grand Rapids Rampage arena football team.
50 Years Ago — March 20, 1973
Congressman Guy VanderJagt of Luther will be guest speaker at the annual Allegan County Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner at Allegan High School.
Roger Blain of Wayland was one of five 4-H leaders honored for at least 20 years.
The Allegan County Board of Commissioners, after lengthy discussion, acknowledged a stalemate about what to do with federal revenue sharing money.
Snow and bad roads have postponed progress on the local religious survey, so the deadline has been moved back to March 25.
The Allegan County Community Mental Health Board has approved implementation of a “crisis line” telephone service.
Kendra S. Johncock of Shelbyville is a saxophonist with the Alma College Kittle Band.
The anonymous columnist for “Some of This, a Little of That,” had high praise for the recent appearance of Wayland High School graduate Cindy Weber and the Western Michigan University Varsity Vagabonds, who sang selections from “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Wayland High School junior Pamela McKee was notified she was one of 25 semifinalists in the Miss Michigan Teenage Pageant.
Wayland High School graduate Patricia Krup performed Schubert’s “Impromptu in a piano recital at Nazareth College in Kalamazoo.
The first-ever Wayland All-Star basketball team included Bob Lehocky and Paul Heckert of Wayland, Tom Hildebrand, Wayne Mills and Dan McGuire of Martin, and Rick and Mike Smith and Kelly McEwen of Hopkins. Lehocky, the three Hopkins cagers and Mills were selected to the first team.
Hopkins High School graduate (1969) Larry Thomas is a member of the Grand Valley State College crew team.
“Love Train” by the Ojays broke Roberta Flack’s steak of five straight weeks at No. 1 with “Killing Me Softly.”
75 Years Ago — March 26, 1948
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Towne celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of their flower shop on the west side of North Main Street with door prizes and Easter blossoms.
Calvin Chilson, a longtime Gun Lake area carpenter, died of a short illness at the Maplelawn Convalescent Home in Bradley.
World traveler John Haffert will make a special presentation at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 3 at the Wayland High School auditorium on the topic “Russia Will Be Converted.”
Emma Calkins, who taught at Wayland schools for one year before spending nearly a lifetime on a farm northeast of Wayland, died at age 86.
Sib Rumery, Clarence Calkins, Jack Gurney and Ivan Smith visited Michigan Gov. Kim Siegler in Lansing and extracted a promise he will speak at Wayland’s Memorial Day ceremonies this year. Siegler is a resident of Hastings.
The current St. Therese Church and School building at 430 S. Main St., will be sold at public auction at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3, to make way for a new facility very nearby.
Mrs. Robert Campbell was elected president of the Wayland chapter of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA).
Noted conservationist Harry Ruhl will be guest speker at the Rod and Gun Club supper April 1.
Mrs. Harry Sutton of Coopersville will perform a recital on Martin United Methodist Church’s new Hammon organ Easter Sunday, with selections by Bach, Handel, Schubert, Chopin and Greig.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
• Steve Brodie and Audrey Long in “Desperate.”
• Allan Lane as Red Ryder in “Homesteaders of Paradise Valley.”
• Randolph Scott, Gabby Hayes, Lon Chaney Jr. and Barbara Britton in “Albuquerque.”
• Tyrone Power, Jean Peters and Cesar Romero in “Captain from Castile.”
100 Years Ago — March 23, 1923
A school bond proposal of $15,000 for five years will be voted on again for a new school building on Pine Street to replace the old one. It was promised that local residents would pay only $4 more per year for each $1,000 of property valuation.
Mrs. Anne Jones, who came to Moline with her husband in 1869, died at her home at age 81.
Francis Ann Weaver, who came to live at a farm near Bradley in 1870, died at age 79. She had nine children and 28 grandchildren.
The March 23, 1923, edition of the Wayland Globe, for some reason shows only two pages.
COVER PHOTO: Appropriate for this time of year, the Sugar Shanty in Hopkins.