The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Ten Years Ago

February 1, 2007

Known widely for her love of her patients and the people of southeastern Washington, Aleta Shockley has retired after 40 years with Dayton General Hospital, now the Columbia County Public Hospital District. Shockley was honored at a retirement celebration January 25, 2007.

Photo caption: Rather than pile into the family car to head to a local basketball tournament, last weekend the Waitsburg Prime Time 4-5th YMCA basketball team went in style-in a limousine. No word on how the team played but we bet they felt ten feet tall after the experience. From left Coach Joanna Lanning, Owen Lanning, Talen Larsen, Luke Alexenko, Josh Villa, Nick Pearson, and Chad Pearson.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

January 30, 1992

Four city officials joined a surveyor last weekend and walked – sometimes slipping and falling – acres of steep terrain in the city’s watershed near Coppei Creek. The point of the trek was to get a close look at a boundary line near an area where Louisiana-Pacific Corp. mistakenly cut about 220 old trees on city property.

Andy Winnett was installed as Worshipful Master of the Waitsburg Masonic Lodge Monday evening, Jan. 13. Guy McCaw was installing master; Brad Ely, marshal; Patrick McConnell, chaplain; and Bill Zuger secretary.

Shannon Wyatt, Waits-Hi’s 5-foot-8 guard, scored 28 points last week against Dayton. Despite the stellar performance by the sophomore, the Cardinal girls varsity lost, 62-43 on Saturday, Jan. 25.

Fifty Years Ago

January 26, 1967

Gene Duckworth of Waitsburg was in the spotlight in Walla Walla County this past week over the interruption of the ambulance service started by Craig Smiley of Walla Walla. Smiley had contracted to take over the ambulance calls that have been handled in the past by the city mortuaries. He began service to the area on January 4 and discontinued it less than two weeks later. Gene Duckworth now has obtained two more ambulance units in addition to the one he had, and will operate from an office in Walla Walla as well as his office in Waitsburg.

Miss Mary Leid, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Leid, was installed as worthy advisor of Rainbow Assembly No. 68, Sunday afternoon in a public ceremony. Claudia Cole was installed as worthy associate advisor; Julie Stonecipher, Charity; Paula Benson, Hope; Gwyn Ferguson, Faith; Ann Payne, recorder; and Susan Webber, treasurer.

Sixty Years Ago

February1, 1957

Mrs. Mary McClure has purchased the J. H. Gill residence on East Seventh Street.

A brief snowstorm accompanied by high winds Wednesday evening made it impossible for school buses to make their routes Thursday morning and some buses had difficulty getting the children home Wednesday evening.

A minus 20 degrees was recorded on January 26, with a high of 2° above.

Operations at the Dayton Lumber Co. at Huntsville were closed down on Jan. 15, due to extremely cold weather when the mill pons froze over and temperatures were too cold to operate the mill.

The PTA will sponsor an appearance of the “Silver Spurs” and have an Italian dinner on Feb. 2.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

Manuary 30, 1942

E.N. Aldrich, newly elected president of the Commercial Club took over his duties Tuesday evening at the regular meeting.

Waitsburg grocers have voluntarily started rationing sugar to customers, due to government rationing which will begin early next month with each person limited to about a pound a week.

Invitations were in the mail this week for the wedding of Miss Roberta Stonecipher to Mr. Lawrence Arthur Broom, on February 14.

One Hundred Years Ago

February 2, 1917

Walla Walla farmers who are still holding their wheat have been disappointed with the market the past few days, but still have confidence that prices will come up again.

William Fudge, one of the earliest and best known pioneer farmers, of the Walla Walla Valley, died about 11:30 Tuesday morning at his home at Walla Walla. He was 78 years 9 months and 3 days of age.

A marriage license was issued Wednesday to Fred Bachmann and Lena Keve, both well-known young people of this locality.

Oscar Waggoner lost six head of horses during January with the walking disease.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

February 5, 1892

The reading room is now open regularly, in the L. L. A. Hall on the west side of Main Street. In addition to a large collection of splendid books, all the leading daily and weekly papers of the state are kept on file there, and the room is free to all. It is open every evening from 7 to 10, and on Sunday afternoons.

Another old land mark has disappeared from Touchet Valley. The old log house on W. H. Billups place, one of the first buildings ever to put up in the territory of Washington has been torn down.

The Day of Prayer for Colleges was appropriately observed by Waitsburg Academy on Jan. 27. Fitting addresses were made by Revs. Gist, Cook and Hays.