75 years ago

March 19, 1943

Aberdeen has been assured of a new $3,000,000 per year industry with a potential market of $6,000,000 a year — if it can obtain the necessary plywood.

A company has been formed by a group of Aberdeen men, the necessary capital has been raised, a plant site selected and production could be started on a limited scale within two weeks if materials were available, officials said.

The company would produce garbage cans — now the subject of national attention because of a country-wide shortage.

Government officials were so enthused over the new garbage receptacle that they immediately gave it an overall AAZX priority, a rating just below that of the army and navy. This priority is sufficient to obtain all the necessary metal, paint and waterproof glues — all critical materials but just misses on the really critical material — plywood.

Company officials believe the plywood product will be far superior to metal cans for a variety of reasons:

• It is stronger than the metal can.

• It is rust proof and acid-proof.

• It it dent-proof and doesn’t rattle.

• It weights only half as much.

50 years ago

March 19, 1968

Douglas Osheroff, son of Dr. and Mrs. William Osheroff of Aberdeen, has been awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship, one of approximately 120 students in the United States to receive the award this year.

A graduate student and teaching assistant of Cornell University, Osheroff graduated in 1963 from Weatherwax High School. He graduated with honors from Cal Tech last June. In his graduate work at Cornell he is majoring in low temperature physics and is teaching engineering physics to sophomores at the same time.

The fellowship pays up to $2,500 in tuition and fees and $2,000 for living expenses.

25 years ago

March 19, 1993

Washington Crab Producers Inc, a seafood processing company that is probably Westport’s largest employer, has been sold to an Oregon-based company in a transaction that will likely mean more seafood is processed locally.

The sale to Pacific Coast Seafoods of Warrenton, Ore., was effective Wednesday said Leif Andersen, a longtime manager and one of the principals in Washington Crab Processors.

For years, the company has been a major purchaser of crab, shrimp and bottomfish landed at Westport, but trucked the product to be processed elsewhere, Andersen said.

Now, that seafood will be processed at Westport, meaning additional jobs, and more hours for current employees.

Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom