25 Years Ago — July 24, 1991
Linden and Eva Anderson were selec
ted grand marshals for the annual Wayland Summerfest parade. Lindy is mayor and assistant principal at Wayland High School. Eva is a beautician at Harlequin Hair Fashions. High school sweethearts, they were married in 1966, just a couple of years before coming to Wayland.
The Yankee Springs Township Planning Commission finally granted a permit to Thompson-McCully, one of the state’s largest makers of asphalt, to mine gravel near the intersection of Payne Lake and Bowens Mills roads.
Former Wayland woman Diane Spencer was rxuled in Allegan County Circuit Court to be competent to stand trial after she was charged with murdering her infant son. The charges were the result of extensive investigation and a “gut feeling” by Police Chief Dan Miller.
Greta Schroeder lost her engagement ring in Gun Lake while playing a volleyball game, but she and many friends and officials were able to find it about 24 hours later. She was engaged to marry Billy Gonzales.
Lt. Col. Lee Pepper, a 1965 graduate of Wayland High School and a Moline native, paid a visit. He was commanding officer of the U.S. Army National Guard 146th Military Police Battalion Headquarters.
Steve Sanxster, four-time president of the Dorr Business Association and two-time president of the Dorr Recreation Association, was selected the Lions Club’s Dorr Citizen of the Year. He is employed the Booth-Hilaski insurance firm.
Then Wayland Summerfest softball tournament has attracted its largest number of teams ever — 84, 19 more than in 1990. The contestants will use seven Wayland fields, three in Moline and the Hillards diamond.
Gary Moore, Dick Akers, Jeremy Schwartz and Rick Mauchmar combined efforts to win the annual Summerfest golf tournament with a score of 58 at the Orchard Hills Golf Course.
Walt Gurney, 84, longtime downtown businessman owner, Village Council member and firefighter, has died. Best known as owner of Gurney’s IGA at the corner of Main and Superior, he was born in Wayland and was a graduate of Wayland High School.
50 Years Ago — July 20, 1966
Voters in the Moline, Sproat, Hooker, Dorr. Moline and Corning school districts will go to the polls July 29 to decide the question of being annexed into the Wayland Union school district. The election is the result of a recent state law that mandates all public school districts to offer education to students in grades K-12.
Douglas Parrish, son of Claude and Virginia Smith of Wayland, will study this summer briefly at the University of Bonn in Germany, where he also will serve as chaperone to 19 Racine (Wisc.) high school students.
Mr. and Mrs. William Oglesbee have been chosen commander and VFW Auxiliary president for the Wayland VFW Post No. 7581.
Martin area farmer Nick Leep has been appointed new supervisor for Martin Township in the wake of the sudden and unexpected death of Supervisor Harold Monteith.
Miss Chistine Carter, a visitor from Great Britain, is serving as an extern with the medical practice of Dr. Gerald Vandervord. She is working through the Allegan Health Center.
Six candidates have filed for the six City Council seats that would be up for election soon if the home-rule charter is approved by voters. They are Marshall Towne, Leo Comrie, Arnold Wilde, Walt Gurney, Hugh DeWeerd and Richard Wilson. There are three candidates for supervisor, Russell Rugaber, John Gurney and William Mauchmar. Phil Reno is the only one filing for mayor and Ernie Martin will be alone on the ballot for assessor. Earl Lanning and Ben Ciboch are seeking the post of justice of the peace.
Clayton Blue, golfing in a foursome, recorded a hole-in-one on the No. 7 green at Orchard Hills Golf Course. He used a five-iron for the 175-yard par three hole.
Showing this week at the Wayland Theatre was “The Glass Bottom Boat,” featuring Doris Day, Rod Taylor and Arthur Godfrey.
In news about local servicemen, 1965 Wayland High School graduate Steve Clack was promoted to airman second class in the U.S. Air Force and Master Sgt. Paul Burchardt, a 1961 WHS grad, was serving “in the fight against communist aggression in Vietnam.”
Tommy James and the Shondells enjoyed the No. 1 spot in music for the second straight week with the vaguely obscene “Hanky Panky.”
75 Years Ago — July 25, 1941
Eldon Milheim, in a letter to the editor solicited by the Globe, acknowledged he was anxious to get on furlough from the U.S. Army.
The east road now serving as the northernmost boundary for the Village of Wayland has been named Dahlia Avenue by the Village Council. A street sign has been placed at the street and U.S.-131 corner, thank to financial support from Mr. and Mrs. Earl Ryno.
A lightning strike at the local transformer disrupted electric power in the village during a severe storm. Mrs. Carl Tanner suffered a shock while ironing clothes in the basement of her home.
The summer storm did not, however, cancel the Wayland Jersey Parish Show and many area farmers welcomed the rain.
A cow belonging to R.D. Standish was shot and killed in a pasture east of the village. There was speculation the animal was felled by a stray bullet from the nearby Rod and Gun Club, but authorities quickly ruled that out as impossible. A dog also was shot not far away, but it survived.
Albert T. White, 68, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand rapids. He was a former Wayland resident.
“But five lynchings took place in the United States in 1939. Three of the victims were Negroes. There were 19 kidnappings in the year, compared with 37 in 1938.”
At the movies this week:
- Ray Milland, William Holden, Wayne Morris, Brian Donleavy, Constance Moore and Veronica Lake in “I Wanted Wings.”
- Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn in “The Devil and Miss Jones.”
- Robert Sterling, Marsha Hunt, Paul Kelly and Fay Holden in “I’ll Wait for You.”
- Richard Arlen, Eva Gabor and J. Carrol Naish in “Forced Landing.”
100 Years Ago — July 21, 1916
Two local men suffered injuries in falls while harvesting hay. Dorr Martin was working for Jacob Westmaas at the Jerry Sargent farm and his fall resulted in a broken and fractured wrist. George Shroger of Leighton Township had a similar misfortune, but further details were not available.
About Martin, it was reported, “This very unfortunate, as he is a hard and industrious worker… besides having the care of his aged father, who is in critical condition.”
The 12-year-old son of Jacob Westmaas was bitten severely by a dog belonging to Warren Rankin. The dog was killed and his head was sent to Ann Arbor for testing. There was no indication of rabies.
Eunice Brake of Bradley was listed on the honor roll for those who submitted stories to the syndicated column, “The Children’s Storytelling Club.”
William Truax has sold his Hopkins farm to Vid Kupras for $5.000.
“L.A. Williams, the real estate man, has sold 174 farms in the past five years.”
Joseph McConnell says he’s redy to receive cucumbers at the Williams Brothers’ local salting station.
Hay and grain harvests have been reported as abundant because of excellent weather.
“Many Republicans have the idea that Frank B. Leland of Detroit, candidate for the Republican nomination of Michigan governor, is a motor car manufacturer… Frank B. Leland is an Oakland County farmer who became a lawyer and now is in the banking business. Henry M. Leland is not related.”
