World gone by
Published 1:30 am Friday, April 10, 2026
85 YEARS AGO
April 7, 1941
The army’s new anti-aircraft artillery range near Westport will receive its “baptism of fire” Thursday and Friday when the 205th coast artillery unlimbers machine guns there.
Fishermen and other small craft owners and operators were particularly asked to heed the danger zone, which extends 7,500 yards to sea when the machine guns are fired, and 15,000 yards when the three-inch guns are fired.
The range is on the beach near the Westport “Y.”
April 8, 1941
Aberdeen’s third annual swimming and life saving revue opened with a big splash last night as more than 125 natators churned the waters of Miller natatorium in a varied program of aquatic artistry.
The carnival will be staged again at 8 o’clock tonight and tomorrow.
Last night’s show combined formation drills, life-saving exhibitions, comic diving and swimming acts, relay races, demonstrations of swim strokes, fancy diving, obstacle relays, an aquatic square dance and bathing suit style show.
April 10, 1941
Rayonier Inc. has donated 75 felt blankets to the Hoquiam chapter of Bundles for Britain, the relief group announced today.
The blankets have been washed and cleaned of pulp and sulphur and will be shipped to England as soon as women in the local chapter can complete the hemming. They are full bed size blankets.
Montesano baseball team lost to Tenino 6 to 5 Tuesday at Tenino but they achieved a place in high school hall of fame with a fast triple play.
Pitcher Valentine snatched a sizzling batted ball out of the air and tossed it to Chisholm at first who caught his man off the bag and then threw it to the second baseman who also nipped his runner before the Tenino boy could get back from his lead off.
April 11, 1941
A 15-piece bedroom ensemble is Goldberg Furniture’s special this Saturday for $69.
Set includes double bed, Simmons coil spring foundation, comfortable mattress, 2 pillows, upholstered bench, massive chest, chenille bedspread, modern vanity and 6-piece boudoir set. $5 delivers/$1 a week.
April 12, 1941
Aberdeen churches will join tomorrow with the entire Christian world in celebrating Easter, most joyous day of the Christian year, with services dedicated to remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.
Special rites of prayer and song recalling the glorious occasion will begin with a sunrise service at Fern Hill cemetery. The Aberdeen Ministerial association will sponsor the sunrise service at 6:30 o’clock. A white cross has been erected on the greensward near the mausoleum as a center for the rites. The Aberdeen high school a cappella choir will sing and a trumpet trio will play.
60 YEARS AGO
April 7, 1966
The 17th annual American Legion sponsored Easter egg hunt for Willapa Harbor children will be held Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the Raymond city park grounds, it was announced today by Lloyd Rutherford, commander of the Raymond Legion post.
Busy coloring the 120 dozen eggs which will be used in the hunt are members of the Riverview Cub Scout Pack 36 and a group of Riverview youngsters under the direction of Mrs. Jack Gailey.
April 8, 1966
The State Highways Department last night officially unveiled plans for a proposed Aberdeen-Hoquiam roadway couplet.
The system, which is scheduled to link up with the one-way traffic system on Heron and Wishkah Streets, is planned as an interim method of relieving the rapidly increasing traffic congestion in both cities and will call for the replacement of the grandfatherly Eighth Street bridge in Hoquiam.
April 9, 1966
Twin Harbor area churches all have scheduled special Easter morning services, beginning with a sunrise service which will be conducted by the young people of the Grayland Presbyterian church at Twin Harbors State Park at 6:30 a.m. The group will serve doughnuts to worshippers following the service.
Golden Dragon restaurant in Hoquiam is advertising its Easter dinners: Baked Virginia ham for $1.60; Roast sirloin of beef for $1.40; French fried king crab legs for $1.75; Roast Tom turkey for $1.35. All dinners include soup, salad, potato, vegetable, dessert and beverage.
April 11, 1966
Optimism and a willingness to meet the competition characterizes the outlook of downtown Aberdeen merchants over the possible effects on their business if a proposed South Side shopping center is completed.
In an informal survey of businesses, the overriding feeling is that such a center will do nothing but improve the whole atmosphere of the center of town.
James Brennan of Brennan’s Inc., said he had not given the situation much thought but said he felt it would result in a general improvement in the whole center district, “I think it will be a stimulating thing,” he said. “I wouldn’t say there was any reason for concern in the downtown area.”
Sears Roebuck Co. manager Robert Bertuzzi said “I think they (downtown businessmen) may be more worried than they need to be.” Some like J.C. Penny’s Co. manager Charles Feuerstein believe that the project was still too far off to judge its effects. “It’s a little too early to say,” he said. “Maybe a little later.”
35 YEARS AGO
April 7, 1991
Former Aberdeen resident Michelle Louise Rosevear and former South Bend resident James Michael Weiberg, were married Saturday, Feb. 23, in Aberdeen’s First Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Don Keller officiated.
The bride, daughter of Larry and Margaretta Rosevear, is a 1984 graduate of Aberdeen High School. She also graduated from Grays Harbor College and Western Washington University and is a substitute teacher in the Bellevue area.
The groom is the son of Joe and Bev Weiberg of South Bend. He is a graduate of South Bend High School and Grays Harbor College. He also graduated from WWU and is employed as a material planner by Sundstrand Data Control Inc. in Bellevue.
Quinault tribal chairman Joe DeLaCruz was re-elected to a new three-year term Saturday, but by one of his slimmest margins ever.
Challenger Mike Mail drew 224 votes against 251 for DeLaCruz in the tribal election in Taholah. “I feel really good. The last time I ran against him, it was 217 to 143,” Mail said.
April 8, 1991
How tough does a cop need to be?
Well, Aberdeen police officer Mike Bagley rowed hard for 12 minutes the other day; he covered a distance of 2.9 miles, burned up 184 calories and he never left the station.
He was using one of the computerized rowing machines in the station’s training room. The machines not only count the calories you burn, they also make comments on your rowing style. “Keep your back straight!” the machine urges.
That’s how Aberdeen cops stay in shape these days, by listening to music tapes while they work out in the equivalent of a health club.
Police Chief Bill Ellis says no one has to be a weightlifter to be a cop, but the fact is that a lot of on-duty cops lift most of their weight only by standing up now and then.
“A lot of police work is sedentary,” Ellis notes. “We administrators sit in our offices, the investigators sit in their offices and the police officers sit in their cars.”
“I don’t think we have any fanatics in the department who want to be body builders,” Ellis added. “Most of our guys are just trying to maintain their conditioning.”
April 9, 1991
Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer are golf traditionalists.
They say they’d never use the curious and controversial over-long putter that has caused such a stir on the PGA Tour this season.
“It isn’t golf,” said Palmer.
“It isn’t a golf stroke,” said Watson.
Ray Floyd is a realist — “I’m old enough I’ve learned never to say never.”
Rocco Mediate is a pragmatist. He uses the peculiar 49-inch long putter for one reason and one reason only — it works. Mediate is subject to back spasms. Crouching over a conventional putter for an extended practice period brings on the spasms. Standing upright with the long putter does not produce spasms, so he can practice longer.
April 10, 1991
• Having a good memory was helpful in earning Aberdeen fifth grader Emily Wagnitz a spot at the state geography bee.
But the daughter of Jeff and Shelley Wagnitz is the first to admit her memory can be a bit selective.
“I have a pretty good memory for things I care about like capitals and things, but when it comes to my mom asking me to do the dishes, I usually forget it,” the Alexander Young Elementary student admitted with a smile.
Emily recalled that her curiosity during the Gulf War led her to try to locate Qatar. “I wanted to know what was going on where,” she said. “You practically need a magnifying glass to find it.”
Also competing from the Harbor was Russell Horton, 13, of McCleary.
• Log exports from Grays Harbor in the first quarter of the year fell 25 percent compared to a year ago, according to figures released by the Port of Grays Harbor. Lumber shipments were up 5 percent, thanks mostly to shipments from the public port which handled no lumber at all in 1990.
The Port also handled small cargoes of aluminum, machinery, pulp, plywood, steel coil and newsprint in the first quarter of the year.
April 11, 1991
The City of Aberdeen will seek a $500,000 grant to modernize the Community Center in the 1920s-era Armory. The goal is to keep a key tenant that has provided services to 15,000 Twin Harbor households.
The Coastal Community Action Program at 117 E. Third is out of compliance with federal laws that require it to provide equal access to all residents, particularly the physically disabled.
If the application for a federal Community Development Block Grant is successful, about a fifth of the funding would be used to install an elevator.
Many disabled clients are now served by staffers who must interview them in the open lobby by the front door because the clients cannot climb the stairs to CCAP’s second-floor offices.
April 12, 1991
Bob Seger he’s not. But Doug “Animal” Ambrose of Aberdeen has discovered that belting out some “Old Time Rock-n-Roll” is more fun than singing along with the radio.
With a hip gyration here, and a spirited wail there, the beefy Ambrose and other music lovers can now reminisce about the days of old at Sidneys restaurant in Aberdeen through a modern concept called Laser Karaoke.
It may sound complicated but it’s really just a Japanese name for a concept that goes a step beyond lip-syncing.
Instead of mouthing the words to a song, participants sing the hit themselves to the background music and voices provided on a laser disc.
Interest has been high ever since Sidneys introduced it in the lounge six weeks ago. It happens every Wednesday night at 9:30.
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom, Editorial Assistant at The Daily World. You can contact her at karen.barkstrom@thedailyworld.com or call her at 360-537-3925.
