(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Feb. 15, 1995
Scott Sullivan wrote a feature story about KeLinda Scott of the Wayland Foster Home for Animals, who cares for stray dogs, cats, puppies and kittens and tries to find them matching owners.
Wildcat Drive will be the name of the road going south from West Superior past the new middle school east of Wayland High School.
Hopkins Township Supervisor Kevin Cronin was granted a $2,000 raise in his annual salary because he provides free legal services as an attorney. Cronin two years prior accepted a pay cut because he gave up on assessing duties.
Wayland High School head football coach Ed Lark resigned after reports surfaced about a party in Kalamazoo that included assistant coaches, students and alcohol. Lark had put together one of the most successful string of winning grid seasons at Wayland since the early 1960s.
Authorities fear the worst about Joan Hulst, 55, is believed to have drowned while snowmobiling and ice fishing on Gun Lake.
Lee Murray of Hopkins has been named chairman of the Second Congressional District for the Republican Party. Pete Hoekstra is the U.S. representative from the district.
Jenny Wobma of Martin High School has been selected to the Lions Club All-Star Band that will perform this summer in Seoul, South Korea, Honolulu and Beijing.
Two new Michigan State Police Troopers, Michael Jafrai and Kurtis Dick, have joined the Wayland post.
Wyoming Newhall Junior High School wrestling coaches Mike and Mark Omness came back to their alma mater to take on the young Wildcats.
Hopkins was getting ready for a basketball showdown for first place in the O-K Silver Conference. The Vikings are 11-4 overall and 6-1 in the league. Their adversary, Allendale, is 7-0 in Silver play and 13-1 overall and state ranked.
Martin’s Richie Guerrant notched his 1,000th career point during two losses by the team, which now is 5-11 overall.
Junior Josh Conley earned his 101st career victory at 124 pounds for Martin.
Darren Green and Daryl Prins spearheaded a valiant rally for Wayland against Forest Hills Northern, but the Wildcats fell short, 61-59.
Clarice Sage served up five aces in Hopkins’ third game with Allendale, as the Viking kept their O-K Silver title hopes alive. They are 14-6-5 for the season overall.
Jeff Nylaas (100 lbs.) and Glenn Winters (185) won O-K Silver Conference championships for Hopkins in their weight divisions.
50 Years Ago — Feb. 11, 1970
Voters will go to the polls next Monday in the Wayland school district to decide the fate of a request for a 4.11-mill increase, though most of the amount sought is a renewal.
The Wayland Board of Education approved a request Mrs. Viola Carroll to take a group of her French students to visit France over the spring break.
Former Wayland man Cleon Martin has been promoted to retail merchandiser for Kelly Springfield Tires in Cumberland, Md.
Five Hopkins High School students, Cindy McEwen, Janice Yoak, Patricia Pawloski, Kathleen Wamhoff and Ted Howard, earned perfect 4.0 grade point averages for the first semester.
Charles David Scheibner, 9, died at Butterworth Hospital of cystic fibrosis. The son the Rev. and Mrs. Paul Scheibner of the Martin United Methodist Church, he had been a fourth-grader at Martin Elementary.
Co-chairs Mrs. Kenneth DeWeerd and Mrs. Dick Adamczyk announced the recent Valentines Dance for Precious Acres did not meet fund-raising goals and they ask for more donations.
The Allegan County Board of Supervisors has approved the City of Wayland’s application for assistance from the Department of Public Works in securing favorable bonding for establishing a local sanitary sewer system.
Dennis DeHaan, a 1967 graduate of Wayland High School, has been accepted into the Tau Beta Pi scholastic honorary society for engineers at the University of Michigan.
Wayland High School seniors Nita Heckert, Greg Dandrow and Mark Kuper have been selected to join the United Nations Washington seminar Feb. 13-21.
Mr. and Mrs. Delos Schad have sold the Cowbell Motel to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur VanderWeide of Cascade after being in the business for 20 years.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre: “In Harm’s Way.”
Lois Bremer of Middleville penned a letter asking if Wayland High School is unfairly hiking its prices for basketball games to $1 for students just because its basketball team is so successful.
John Cook, son of longtime square dance caller and jeweler Jack Cook, took over calling chores last Saturday night for the Grand Haven Whirlers.
The Wayland varsity wrestling team won the Delton Invitational. Winning individual championships were Ron Straub (115) and Jerry Merren (123) and 11 Wildcat grapplers earned a medal. The ‘Cats, who will be hosts for the last Expressway Conference meet, now are 11-2-1 overall.
The Wayland varsity basketball team suffered a 71-69 defeat, only its second for the season, to Hartford. Four ‘Cats hit double figures, Don Klein 20, Mark Schipper 17, Tom Latondress 13 and Boyd Heckert 12.
Duane Klunder of Moline and Sam Butler of Wayland won the doubles competition for the KOW-UAW bowling tournament.
“Venus,” by the Shocking Blue, took over the No. 1 slot on the nation’s music charts.
75 Years Ago — Feb. 16, 1945
Two local boys home from military service, Jerry Ham and Dick Jager, were special guests of the Wayland Rotary Club luncheon. Jager, known for his rich baritone voice, led the group in singing the Army Air Corps song. Both lads are serving in the European Theatre.
Dick Hines, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Hines of Bradley, has been promoted to second lieutenant at Chernburg, France.
Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher said he came across a 1915 edition of the Wayland Globe and noted, “We did not have much contact with the world outside our trade area in those days… Folks here did their work, plowed their land, went to school, attended church, carried on business and went hunting and fishing.” He noted the population of Wayland at that time of 725.
Natalie Ann Ordway, 45, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Tarnutzer, died at Blodgett Hospital after being stricken during a visit here. After graduating from Wayland High School, she attended nursing school in Kalamazoo and then took up working in a beauty shop.
Rilla Calkins was elected president of the Wayland Garden Club.
Henry Lutostanski is still recovering from frozen feet and frostbite in a hospital at Luxembourg. He has been serving with (Gen. George S.) Patton’s Third Army.
Mrs. Jennie Atwater, 74, died at a convalescent home in Plainwell. She had been active with the United Methodist Church and Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
Thomas Lutostanski and Rudolph Banas have purchased the local meat market from Mack Short and Levant Newton, who had the business for not quite a year.
The first meeting the Men’s Service Wives was held at the home of J.L. Gurney. Plans are being made for a sleigh ride party.
Several Golden Gloves contestants have been training at the Dorr Community Hall. Two of the fighters have qualified for the finals at the Armory in Grand Rapids.
Walter Gillett is stationed in the Pacific Theatre and he has told his wife he has yet to see any Americans planes or ships struck by the Japanese.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Gabby Hayes in “Lights of Old Santa Fe.”
- Robert Lowery and Ellen Drew in “Dark Mountain.”
- Ray Milland and Barbara Britton in “’Til We Meet Again.”
- William Bendix and Susan Hayward in “The Hairy Ape.”
100 Years Ago — Feb. 13, 1920
Instead of a protracted series of weeknight meetings, the Christian Church is planning to take part in a nation-wide Evangelistic Campaign from Feb. 22 to Easter Sunday, April 4. The theme is “Each One Win One.”
The Wayland Village Caucus for the Republican Party will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16 at the Village Hall.
The Farm Bureau’s organizational meeting at Frank’s Opera House was well attended and a local association is being formed, as well as groups in Moline and Hopkins.
The Aletha Class at the Christian will have its eighth anniversary celebration next Sunday with guest speaker Rev. J.C. Meese of Grand Rapids. There are 43 members of the group.
Wayland High School graduate Mac Somers, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Somers, died of pneumonia in a Kansas City hospital in Missouri. He had been living there to attend the Sweeny Auto School. He was only 17.
“The Splendid Sin,” is the next film offering at Frank’s Opera House.
Homer Brown spoke to sociology class at Wayland High School about the organization of the Travis Company.
The entire school is taking part in an effort for a “mite fund” to benefit refugees from Armenia.
Mrs. Brown sang a solo, Just Before the Lights Are Lit,” to 12 members of the Ladies Library Club.
Many people are reporting problems with influenza, featuring low attendance at club meetings and growing fears about the disease developing into pleural pneumonia.
The remains of Charles Hoar have been brought back from Fisher to the Bradley Congregational Church, where his funeral will take place.