(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Dec. 20, 1995
The Dorr Christian Reformed Church was presenting a live Christmas nativity display, featuring Criss Dykstra and Karen Clawson taking turns portraying Mary and Phillip Seif and Andy Van Houten as Joseph.Tom and Carlene Cook furnished the animals.
Editor Nila Aamoth’s Soapbox was a critique of the process in which school fund-raising turns children into hucksters. She said about Halloween, “I could never reconcile with sending my children out on begging missions, especially because they came home with loot consisting of sure-fire recipes for tooth decay.”
The Martin Board of Education reversed an earlier decision not to hire industrial arts teacher Ken Hawthorn as freshman basketball coach.
Wayland High School Jan Laman wrote a letter to the editor insisting choral students “sang for their supper” by doing the hard work of fund-raising for a second piano.
Three armed robbers held a Gun Lake family hostage and demanded guns, drugs and money. It was learned the trio also had robbed a Prairieville home earlier that day.
Trayton Lull resigned as a Hopkins Township Board Trustee to begin working for the Dorgan Hardware business in Plainwell that he had recently purchased.
Officials with the U.S.-131 Martin Motorsports Park expressed concerns about Martin Township’s new amusement ordinance restrictions, but John Schipper of the Planning Commission assured them the rules applied to other venues.
Hopkins Board of Education Trustee Christine Schwartz objected to Hopkins Schools adopting the slogan “It Takes a Village.” She said, “I don’t want drug addicts and murderers raising my children.”
The surprising Wayland boys’ varsity basketball team is off to a 3-0 start. The latest win over Kenowa Hills featured 10 points from sophomore Jason Grevenstuk and nine from Jason Burgess.
Martin is 2-0 in the Southwest Athletic Conference, but it lost 76-72 to Hopkins, which got 36 points from junior Tim Kisner and the Clippers were led by Richie Guerrant’s 28. Hopkins lost to Kelloggsville in double overtime, as Brad Francis dropped in a career-high 26 points.
Chad Idema and Sam Simmons lead the Wildcat wrestling team thus far, both with 8-1 records.
50 Years Ago — Dec. 16, 1970
The Allegan County Board of Commissioners bid a fond farewell to longtime Democratic member Clem Rewa of Dorr and seated his successor Ellis Wykstra of Martin.
The Wayland Board of Education is considering another special bond election March 29 to build a new high school and ease overcrowding problems. It will be the fourth time the issue has been brought to the voters, who rejected the proposal the last two times by fewer than 50 votes.
Patty Krup, the 1970 Miss Wayland, was selected the winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award for Wayland High School.
Hopkins Public Schools will seek voters’ approval of a $1.48 million bond proposal to build a new elementary school.
A group of local citizens opposing the cost and location of the Wayland City sanitary sewer project appeared before the Allegan County Board of Commissioners and secured temporary delay of deliberations.
Earning perfect 4.0 grade point averages for the second semester were Wayland High School students Mary Lautenschleger, Bob Grafford and Paul Heckert and junior high students Kathleen Branch, Eileen Halloran, Karen Kleinbrink, and Jane Calkins.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre: Glen Campbell, Kim Darby and Joe Namath in “Norwood.”
Wayland High School and junior high instrumental music students, under the direction of Steve Working and John Dunsmore, will present a Christmas concert at the boys’ gym Dec. 23. The high school will perform “The Night Before Christmas” and junior high will do “Old St. Nick Takes a Rockin’ Trip.”
Staff Sgt. Jeff Kessenich earned the Army Commendation Medal while serving in Vietnam.
“An Interested Parent” penned a letter to the editor, opining, “Each time we vote on new school prices, they go higher. So let’s quit wasting our time and money. Good schooling is a credit to our community.”
The Globe ran a photo of Pfc. Bruce Brandon, son of Martin Supt. And Mrs. Robert Brandon serving in Vietnam.
Wayland lost 76-72 to Hamilton in overtime. Mark Schipper and Boyd Heckert both scored 18 points, but fouled out. Junior guard Jim Hendrixson netted 16 points. The Wildcats now are 2-3 overall.
75 Years Ago — Dec. 21, 1945
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has conferred an “A” award on Pet Milk of Wayland for outstanding performance in the U.S. food industry.
A Christmas Cantata will be performed at the United Methodist Church Dec. 23, including vocals, duets, trumpet and trombone trios and orchestral numbers.
Josephine Delp, daughter of Grayce Delp, is getting ready to graduate at Michigan State College with a degree in journalism.
The Congregational Church will present a Christmas Cantata, “The Choir of Bethlehem,” under the direction of Goldie Stockdale.
Joseph McElwee suffered injuries in a car accident near Lowell. The motorists were unable to recall the details of the accident because the visibility was poor with a winter storm.
Rudolph Banas and son Daniel are opening a new meat market on South Main Street, on the north side of the Delp Building.
A fire destroyed the Henry Modreski farm and its contents 3½ miles northwest of Wayland. “The fire at this time with a severe cold snap… has caused much hardship for this family of eight.”
Sib and Weldon Rumery have formed an insurance partnership, with the former locating in Wayland and the latter in Allegan.
Wayland High School graduates Don Sutton, a 6-4 center, and Wilbert Clack, a six-foot forward, both are trying out with coach Buck Read’s Western Michigan College basketball team.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Don Ameche and Claudette Colbert in “Guest Wife.”
- Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes in “Bells of Rosarita.”
- Al Pearce, Dale Evans and Brad Taylor in “Hitch-hike to Happiness.”
- Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee and Dinah Shore in “Belle of the Yukon.”
- 100 Years Ago — Dec. 17, 1920
The Wayland Grange plans a special Christmas program at the hall Saturday night, featuring songs, recitations, dialogues and music.
The Northeast Hopkins Community Club, dubbed as a progressive farmers’ group, held a successful chicken pie dinner and meeting. Members agreed to continue their advertising campaign against buying oleomargarine and in support of butter instead.
Mrs. Rose Nelson presented a program on authoress Temple Bailey, who wrote “The Trumpeter Swan,” at the most recent meeting of the Ladies Library Club. Members agreed to buy a toy “to make Christmas brighter for the more unfortunate kiddies.”
Dr. I.L. Slater has announced he will be in Wayland less often because of the press of business in Martin, Otsego and Plainwell.
Clara Carpenter, born in Wayland Township in 1868, died at University Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Several teachers at Wayland school will present a Christmas Eve program at the Congregational Church.
Alida Henson, who married in Leighton Township in 1864 and was a longtime member of the Wayland Grange, died at her daughter’s home in Wayland after falling ill during a visit.
Voters in Hopkins voted to incorporate as a village, but some citizens expressed a desire to name the village something different than what the township is called.
Miss Via Congdon is resigned her post in the county drain commissioner’s office and taking on duties as deputy county treasurer.
The State Highway Dept. is asking Wayland Village to absorb some of the costs for 3,000 feet of drainage along the right of way on the concrete Dixie Highway next summer. Local officials insist the price tag is too steep.
