(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Sept. 21, 1998
The Globe published a front page photo of Hopkins High School football players celebrating yet another victory, as the fourth ranked team in Class CC. One of the celebrants was No. 86, Cody Francis, today’s varsity football coach.
The HEMP police team made a big score in Barry County, and creative pot growers were busted in Watson Township. In the latter case, marijuana was found hidden in false walls inside the house. The Help Eradicate Marijuana Planting program in Barry County thus far has resulted in 12 felony arrests.
The Wayland and Hopkins girls’ varsity basketball teams are defending their O-K Gold and O-K Silver Conference championships very well, thank you. The Lady Wildcats have won five in a row and Hopkins got a boost from backup center Shannon Bird and is 3-0 in league play.
The Middleville Thornapple girls’ cross-country team avenged their only loss in the Gun Lake Invitational by outrunning Wayland. Today that meet is referred to as the Coach B Invitational, honoring longtime TK coach Tammy Benjamin.
Hollie Roblyer wrote a letter to the editor parsing good neighbor Janet Johnson for helping to get her son home safely after being dropped off by a school bus at a house with no one home.
Fran Leonard, publicity chair of the Gun Lake Women’s Club, thanked the Globe and staff writer Jean Gallup for coverage of club activities. The club plans to have its annual homes tour Sept. 27.
Members of the youth group of the Hopkins Reformed Church brought their missionary work home to restore and renovate the Civil War-era home of Sharon McBride.
John Caron of the Campbell Caron group is proposing establishment of a manufactured home community northeast of the U.S.-131 expressway and M-222.
About 25 residents have petitioned the Leighton Township Board to have 141st Avenue widening, straightening and resurfacing, but stopped short of seeking repaving.
The Wayland Board of Education approved use of debit cards for purchase of lunches in the schools.
Sarah Grygiel broke the school record for Wayland by running the Gun Lake Invitational five-kilometer race in 19:57.
The Wayland girls’ tennis team suffered its first loss in the O-K Gold, to Caledonia.
50 Years Ago — Sept 18, 1973
Allegan County Commissioner Ralph Sytsma spearheaded a county-wide junk car ordinance in an effort to reduce blight.
Former Hopkins Schools Supt. Gordon Anderson has been nominated to be included in a listing of “Outstanding Educators in America.” Anderson, who was Hopkins school chief from 1967 to 1971, is now at Bellevue Schools.
Brian Pellham of Hopkins had the reserve grand champion sheep at this year’s Allegan County Fair.
Bob Brevitz, a 1965 graduate of Wayland High School, has begun duties as a patrolman for the Wayland City Police Department. He joins Eldon Millheim and Dan Miller on the force under the supervision of Chief Harold Ernst.
Clifford Holbrook, 45, of Wayland, was in Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital after suffering injuries while operating a crane at the Grand Trunk Western Railroad yard in Lowell.
Hopkins QB John Roon threw for 211 yards, three times to Louie Stein, leading the Vikings to a season-opening 27-6 victory over Byron Center.
The Amvets and Miller’s Sand & Gravel emerged as finalists in the city softball tournament.
More than 140 area golfers participated in Joe Panyrek’s second annual golf classic at the Yankee Springs Golf Course. Don Bowers won with an 18-hole score of 72 and Roy Taylor was second with a 74.
Wayland won its football season opener 20-0 at Muskegon Oakridge. Oakridge committed 11 turnovers. John Johnson scored two TDs and John Luebberts added another. Dave Wolowicz and Dave Koperski spent much of the evening in the opponents’ backfield.
Ste Adamczyk cared a 39 and Hopkins defeated Martin and Fennville on the golf course.
The first gathering of the Hopkins PTA-Mothers’ Study Group will be at the high school cafeteria Sept. 25, during which time the winner of the “name the group” contest will be announced.
Wayland High School graduate Joan Lautenschleger is spending a year abroad at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon.
Mrs. Jerry Brenner of Hopkins was second runner-up in the Allegan County Young Homemaker contest. The winner was Mrs. Lawrence Fales of Allegan.
Helen Reddy took over the No. 1 slot among the nation’s tunes with “Delta Dawn.”
75 Years Ago — Sept. 24, 1948
Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher announced that this edition of the Globe marked the beginning of the 65th year of the weekly newspaper’s continuous publication. His mother, Sarah Mosher, this week celebrated her 90th birthday.
Mrs. Anna Hicks, a veteran of 40 years of teaching at Mt. Clemens, died at age 72. She had retired at Shelbyville.
Florence Oatman was elected president of the senior class at Wayland High School. Other class presidents elected were Bill Mauchmar, juniors; Jack Warner, sophomores, and Phillip Hines, freshmen.
The Wayland football team lost 12-0 to Comstock in the season opener despite a terrific defensive performance in the second half and gaining six first downs to the Colts’ four.
Mrs. Bessie Streeter Walter, a prominent teacher in the Hopkins School system, died in a hospital after a long illness and unsuccessful operation.
Services for Albert DeVries, who was killed in the war on the Island of Samai. He was born in the Netherlands and came to the U.S. at the age of 4.
Eunice Ann Jackson, daughter the Rev. Edward and Phoebe McIntyre, died Sept. 19. She was born in 1858.
Hatti Hilaski suffered a bad scare when her car was stuck by a Penn RR train at Mill Street while on her way to work at Pet Milk. She jumped out of her car to avoid physical injury.
The annual Wayland Community Fair will take place Oct. 1 and 2 at the high school cafeteria.
Master Mix Feed Mills was the victim of burglars who took $825 by safecracking. State Police said the combination was knocked off with a chisel and the safe was battered off. The burglars, however, left no fingerprints.
Congressman Clare Hoffman of Allegan wrote in his weekly column, “We are in danger from a third world war. In peacetime, for the first time in our history, young men are being conscripted from their homes into military service.” He said the U.S. is trending toward socialism.
Mrs. Alice Kidder, the last of the original eight members of Hopkins First Congregational Church, died at the age of 95 on Sept. 17. She had taught at Allegan Schools until 1877 when she married D.B. Kidder and they moved to Hopkins.
A Hopkins Schools rally will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, with Rex Orton of Allegan as main speaker.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
• Lynne Roberts and Lloyd Bridges in “Secret Service Investigator.”
• Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O’Sullivan in “Tarzan’s New York Aventure.”
• Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban and Jimmy Durante “On an Island with You.”
• Betty Grable and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in “That Lady in Ermine.”
100 Years Ago — Sept. 21, 1923
The Ford Day and Dollar Day celebration drew a big crowd. The day included the Ford parade, sports contests, Wayland band and balloon ascension that “kept the crowd in good humor until it was time to go home and do the chores.”
Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher reported that the 119 enrolled Wayland High School seniors promised in the future one lawyer, one artist, one missionary, one nurse, three civil engineers, one auto engineer, three farmers, 10 bookkeepers, two radio engineers, 15 stenographers, 20 school teachers, two commercial teachers, eight business administrators, and 27 who didn’t know what they wanted to do after graduating.
The Regent Theatre will have a matinee Saturday afternoon, “When Romance Rides,” which is taken from the Zane Grey noel “Wildfire.” Also showing will be Jane Novak in “Colleen of the Pines.”
Cleo Fox has just returned from a tour with Swarthmore Chatauqua through the eastern states.
Hope Rebekah Lodge will have an experience social Oct. 5, in which members are to earn all the money they can and then tell how it was earned.
Elected president for Wayland High School classes were Ollie Tooker, seniors; Louis Baker, juniors; Frank Peet, sophomores, and Dale Buck, freshmen. Julia Smith was treasurer for the freshman class.
The high school students are establishing an athletic association with “W” arm bands that will be sewn by members of the home economics class.
