25 Years Ago — July 17, 1991
Tom Rumsey, enforcem
ent officer for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, has blamed dredging for recent sightings of dead fish in the Rabbit River above 135th Avenue to 6th Street. The unpleasant discoveries were made just two years after the chemical Thiodan was dumped into the river by an area agribusiness, killing massive numbers of brown trout.
The State Construction Code Commission has reprimanded Yankee Springs Township and Supervisor David VanElst for poor techniques in building applications and enforcement.
Wayland City Council hired an engineer from McNamee, Porter and Seeley of Ann Arbor to conduct a long-range water study.
The Martin Board of Education has agreed to a one-year contract with the district’s 54 teachers. Though the pay increases collectively amount to about $131,000, Board President Dave Evans said Martin teachers are the lowest paid in Allegan County.
Leighton Township Planning Commission membership has been bumped from five to seven because of increasing township population and business growth, thereby a growing work load.
Chris Gruver, 17, a Wayland High School basketball star, collapsed at a Gus Macker basketball tournament in Greenville. Though her heart stopped briefly, she was revived, taken to the hospital and Greenvill and later to Butterworth in Grand Rapids. Doctore are still trying to figure out what went wrong for her.
The Mike Martin family and Contrail finally have reached a settlement almost four years after the fatal crash of the family’s car and a train in Moline. The crash killed 7-year-old Melanie and left Mike is a quasi-vegetative state at a neurological facility. Mary Martin did not disclose details of the agreement.
The Wayland Recreation and Education Department’s summer swimming instruction program has gotten under way at the high school, under the direction of Robin Kennell.
50 Years Ago — July 13, 1966
Wayland High School graduate Phil Regan has been selected to the National League All-Star as a relief pitcher from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Globe crowed a bit about the development, correctly predicting it a week before.
Frank Langley was re-elected president of the Wayland Board of Education and Dorothy Chrisman remained as secretary. Joe LaValley was elected treasurer.
The Allegan County Young Republicans’ Club was putting together a candidate forum for State Rep. James Farnsworth and challengers John Klingenberg and Ronald Layton.
Russ Rugaber, in a letter to the editor, urged local citizens to get involved and think seriously about running for City Council seats if the proposed city charter is approved in the upcoming local election. Rugaber is chairman of the charter revision committee.
The 21st annual Wayland Community Fair will be held Aug. 26-28 at the high school. The event, sponsored by the Future Homemakers of America, the Wayland Garden Club, the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary, this year will include the annual Miss Wayland pageant Aug. 27.
Because of the new Medicare law, at least four ambulance services in Allegan County are shutting down. Two of the four remaining services are Archer-Hampel Funeral Home in Wayland and Switek Funeral Home of Hopkins. It has been customary for ambulance services to be handled by local funeral homes.
Sally Beaver, a 1966 graduate of Hopkins High School, was crowned Miss Hopkins at the Fourth of July festivities.
Former Wayland resident James Delvin, 45, was killed in an accident in North Bend, Ore., where he had moved six years ago to work for Suburban Sa, Inc.
“Around the World, Under the Sea” was showing at the Wayland Theatre this week.
The No. 1 song in the land was “Hanky Panky” by Tommy James and the Shondells.
75 Years Ago — July 18, 1941
Parking on village streets Wednesday evening was at a premium because of the weekly entertainment program and because a new water main was being installed on Pine Street.
The Wayland Ladies’ Library Club and Chairwoman Martha Japinga are heavily involved in a USO drive to provide social, religious and clean recreational facilities to selective service training camps all over the USA.
The Kellogg Foundation was offering a one-week campaign experience for teens ages 14 to 18 at Pine Lake.
About 30 Wayland area businessmen met for a luncheon Wednesday at the Dixie south of the village. Members voted to continue the lucheons monthly as long as interest warrants it.
Guert Fales and Vincent Snell were re-elected to seats on the Wayland Board of Education in an election in which only 23 cast ballots. It was reported that the district handled more than $218,000 for operations during the past fiscal year and it has “a nice fund balance of over $10,000 in the general fund.” The State of Michigan contributes about $26,000 a year to the schools for their operations.
Leo Hartwell, 18, of Watson Township, was drowned while swimming at Big Lake near Shelbyville.
The Iliff farm was victim of a thunderstorm when lightning struck and destroyed a barn containing about 65 tons of freshly harvested hay. Firefighters were able to preserve surrounding buildings.
Movies this week at the Wayland Theatre:
- Jane Withers, Nancy Kelly and John Sutton in “A Very Young Lady.”
- Don Ameche, Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda in “That Night in Rio.”
- Guy Kibbe, Carol Highes and John Archer in Scattergood Baines.”
- Richard Carlson, Richard Denning and Anne Shirley in “West Point Widow.”
100 Years Ago — July 14, 1916
The Globe staff will leave next week Wednesday for a four-day train trip through Northern Michigan, stopping in Howard City and Big Rapids for meals and reaching the destination of Traverse City. The trip is put together by the Michigan Press Association.
Evangelist O.P. Ellis of Hudsonville will fill the pulpit at the Church of Christ while the Rev. Fay Wing is on vacation until September. He comes highly recommended by other Disciples of Christ churches as a “clean man of God.”
Scoutmaster Leon B. Mason, H.H. Stroud of Hopkins and about 30 scouts have just returned from a military-regimen camping and 12-mile hiking experience at Gun Lake.
Miss Bernice Cutler is running a jitney auto now and is transporting passengers from Gun Lake to Montieth.
Many local citizens recently motored to Grand Rapids to take in the Ringling Brothers Circus and parade.
The annual school meeting was held Monday evening at the high school, where Charles D. Carpenter was elected a board trustee, succeeding C.A. Ryno. There was discussion about a proposal to erect an addition or annex to the current school structure, but it was tabled.
“A large and much pleased audience witnessed the feature play “Vengeance is Mine” at Frank’s Opera House. It will be the last feature film to be shown here until September.
PHOTO: This Little League picture includes coach and former Mayor Marshall Towne (back row, at right).