(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — May 21, 1996
Fighter jets streamed over the skies above Wayland during the Memoria Day parade and ceremonies.
Members of the Wayland Township Board are discussing the possibility of levying a four-mill tax levy for five years in order to fix and shore up local roads, which have been getting beaten up.
The Allegan County Board of Commissioners gave the green light to the County Road Commission to extend the resurfacing program millage until 2001.
Wayland Union Schools’ AGREE program for gifted and talented students will be terminated at the end of the academic year because of withdrawal of state funding. Beth Kellogg, instructor for the program, was given a farewell roast at Moline Elementary.
Wayland Police Chief Dan Miller wrote a letter to the editor expressing support for vigilance in wearing seat belts in the wake of the State Legislature favoring higher speed limits on expressways.
The local school board elections for Martin, Hopkins and Wayland all are expected to be lively early next month, as all three feature multiple candidates.
Hopkins Elementary Principal and Sycamore Principal Steve Bird did some roof sitting as part of a promotion for local reading programs.
Todd Frazee, Scott Langlois, Bob Kerber and Bill Werkema captured second place in the 400-meter relay for Hopkins in the Champion of Champions meet with a school record 44.9 seconds clocking. Wayland’s 1600 relay team of Robbie Brower, Mark Stauffer, Steve Smith and Jeff McCarty outran everybody with a time of 3:28.4.
Pitcher Toni Newell, shortstop Cheri Belka and outfielder Jody Knoll were named to the O-K Silver Conference softball squad. The Vikings finished second in the final league standing.
Senior catcher-pitcher Jerry Funk had a big week at the plate, going 8-for-8 with two homers for the Hopkins baseball team, which now owns an overall record of 14-8.
Darren Green won the Japinga Award and Heather Postma the Multer Award at Wayland High School.
Rich Guerrant was Southwest Athletic Conference champ in the 100 and Robert Mitchell won the high jump at 6-4 for Martin tracksters.
Kenowa Hills came up with 10 home runs in a windswept doubleheader and clobbered Wayland to sink the ‘Cats overall record to 9-14.
Josie Bysterveld of Dorr Township died at St. Mary’s Hospital. She was 83.
50 Years Ago — May 26, 1971
Carol Marie Orris was named valedictorian and Joyce Conley salutatorian for the Martin High School Class of 1971.
Marvin McBride was installed as commander of the Wayland VFW and Mrs. Charles Wright was installed as president of the Ladies’ Auxiliary.
Charlene Mullen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willis Mullin of Wayland, has been accepted into the Michigan State University Honors College.
James P. Sivak of Flint is the newest trooper at the Wayland post of the Michigan State Police.
The Wayland Board of Education suspended current policy to enable pregnant and married students to march at commencement. High School teacher Gerald Nelson sent a letter to the editor supporting the move.
Wayland won the sportsmanship award for the first year of athletic competition in the O-K Blue Conference.
The Rev. Herman Bel of Dorr, 85, died at Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital.
George H. Hampel Sr., father of Archer-Hampel Funeral Home proprietor George Hampel Jr., died at home of a heart attack. A World War I veteran, he was 75.
Herbert Klinesteker, whJo owned and operated a funeral home in Hopkins until 1951, died at his home.
The 65th annual Wayland High School Class Reunion will be held at the cafeteria with a potluck. Speaker will be teacher-coach Walter Gillett.
The Wayland High School baseball team’s fortunes are picking up at the right time of the season. The Wildcats now are 15-4, featuring a one-hitter by southpaw ace Joe Koperski against Lakewood in the pre-district tournament. Coach Jon Carroll’s group will take on Mason in the next round of the Class B tourney.
Dennis Miller stepped down as president of the Hopkins chapter of the FFA, succeeded by Jim Gratz.
Wayland High School graduate Tom Latondress, a two-time winner of the Japinga Award, earned a baseball letter as a freshman at Oakland University.
The Rolling Stones ended Three Dog Night’s six-week No. 1 streak by capturing the top spot with “Brown Sugar.”
75 Years Ago — May 31, 1946
Roger F. Morris of Wayland was one of more than 100 safety patrol officers treated to a cruise on Lake Erie.
Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher was incensed by the railroad strikes and opined that citizens “demand action and not just a lot of words, promises and politics. We would get reults and there would be an end to some ill-advised labor leaders grabbing the country by the throat.”
Mrs. A. H. Snook and Mrs. George Singer were guest attendees at a banquet in Ionia of the Business and Professional Women’s Club. Mrs. Snook, of course, presented a book review.
The Wayland United Methodist Church’s “Class in the Corner” met at the home of Elton Calkins. Bob Crofoot was elected president.
Halden Hudson, a World War II veteran, was elected commander of the America Legion post in Wayland. The group is planning its annual fish supper at Gun Lake July 1.
Hopkins native Charles Gaylor died of a stroke at Allegan General Hospital. He had lived in the Hopkins and Wayland areas for all of his 69 years.
Kenneth DeWeerd plans to return to school soon after convalescing from an appendectomy.
Mrs. Thelma Schaibly was elected president of the Hopkins Ladies Library Club, succeeding Vera VerSteg.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard and Robert Preston in “Northwest Mounted Police.”
- Marsha Hunt, Hume Cronyn and Spring Byington in “A Letter for Evie.”
- Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour in “Road to Utopia.”
100 Years Ago — March 27, 1921
Wayland High School graduate Dick Heydenberk, who was gassed in the trenches of France during the Great War, has been diagnosed with tuberculosis.
The Wayland Light and Power Co. has agreed to give Miller & Wolfe of Otsego 30 days to purchase the company for $6,000, with rights of way from Wayland to Monteith.
Member of the local American Legion will march from Wayland State Bank to Elmwood Cemetery on the morning of Memorial Day. John E. Sturgis, who has been tuning pianos in the area recently, will lead the community singing.
The Wayland High School girls have made the finals in basketball at the annual Field Day in Allegan. “They have defeated all comers, including the heretofore ‘unbeatable’ Martin champs.” The competition in baseball is led by a three-way tie between Hopkins, Allegan and Otsego.
Flags for Decoration Day are on sale at the Chapple Drug Store downtown.
The Regent on Sunday will show “The Virgin of Stamboul.”
The local Farm Bureau agent reports that according to the 1920 census Allegan County has the largest number of individual farms of any county in the nation. Yet people here use more oleomargarine per capita than in Detroit.
The Wa-O-Co gasoline station has opened at the corner of North Main and Maple streets, selling Texaco for 23 cents per gallon.
A representative from the firm hired to do the concrete highway from Wayland to Moline said grading will begin very soon and pouring of concrete is expected June 15 to July 1. He said the goal is to have everything completed in time for the village’s Free Chautauqua series in August.
The Adelphine Class of the Christian Church qill present the comedy “School Days,” with admission 15 cents for children and 25 cents per adult.
Wayland was visited by a “Jack the Peeper” last Saturday night, but he was caught by homeowner Henry Rogers, who turned him over to authorities. The peeper appeared before Judge David Stockdale, who ordered him to leave town immediately.
A community meeting will be held to discuss a proposal to build a temporary school building to house third- and fourth-graders at the current school site.
No less a figure than Henry Ford stopped in one day last week at the Yeakey Auto Co. Garage on his way to his large farm in Northern Michigan. There was no public fuss, because no one knew he was coming.
