World gone by
Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 9, 2026
82 YEARS AGO
May 2, 1944
A seafaring man of the old school is Chief Radioman Jack Doughty of Central Park, who has a sleeve-full of gold hashmarks and a navy record that dates back to and beyond the Nicaraguan campaign with the late Major General Smedley Butler in 1912.
“The navy has changed some since I joined up in 1910,” he remarked today, home on a rehabilitation leave from shore duty in Alaska.
Doughty was a navy radioman with Butler’s Marines at Nicaragua, a submarine sailor in World War I, retired at 30 and returned to active duty in the present war.
At one time or another during his career he has called at every port and coastal city in Alaska.
May 3, 1944
George C. Patrick, signalman third class of Moclips, was named honor man of the recently graduated signalmen’s school class, U.S. naval training center, San Diego, when he scored 97.8 percent to top the efforts of 113 mates.
Prior to joining the navy last August at Seattle, Patrick, now 18, had one year attending Washington State College pursuing a pre-dental course. He is a graduate of Moclips high school, class of 1942. During the summer vacation periods he was employed at logging by the Aloha Lumber company.
May 4, 1944
Nylon isn’t always nylon, even at $7 a pair.
Memphis, Tenn. business men recently were given a chance to buy $7 nylons which proved to be chemically treated rayon, Thomas J. Emerson, OPA deputy administrator for enforcement, disclosed today. The salesman with 400 pairs of the fake nylons was apprehended and is out on bond.
Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas also had a chance at fabulous fake nylons prettily packaged in cellophane for $4 to $7.
The black market method of making nylon is “with a chemical solution which gives it a nylon-like sheen,” Emerson explained but the hose loses sheen and often goes to pieces with one washing.
May 5, 1944
Can you pitch hay? A farmer needs you. In fact Grays Harbor farmers will need a minimum of 2,400 man days of labor if their crops are to be harvested this summer according to a recent survey by the county agent’s office.
“With no unemployed backlog of labor available, Grays Harbor farmers will need all the part-time help they can get. Anyone who can spare even a half day is asked to register,” said Glenn Sheeley, farm labor field assistant. “You will be paid a base rate of 75 cents per hour, with variations to compensate for certain skills.”
May 6, 1944
Emphasizing the need for a more rigid body-building program among both men and boys so as to curtail the number of physical rejects in the armed services, Ralph “Pest” Welch gave a very interesting talk before a large turnout at the Aberdeen high school Golden “A” club banquet last night at the Hotel Morck.
Welch, University of Washington football coach, told the attending Aberdeen sportsmen and the members of the lettermen’s club of the large naval training program at the University. He said the training was being given under a splendid program and he urged all boys expecting to enter the services soon to enlist in the navy V-5 or V-12.
May 9, 1944
Since no tickets are to be sold at the door Friday night when the men of the (Aberdeen) First Methodist church entertain at a smorgasbord dinner at the church, the 500 tickets issued are going rapidly. The hours of the affair are from 6 to 8 o’clock and the fact that the tickets say “second helpings” means that most of the ticketholders will be present.
The announcement that there will be singing waiters has increased the interest. These will be W.O. McCaw, Gerald Austin, John McCaw, Gerald Austin, John McCaw, Wilbur Graves, Mark Moe, Frank Davidson, Walter Scott and Charles Stanton.
57 YEARS AGO
May 2, 1969
Plans to open a $650,000 PayLess House of Values “super” drug and department story at 310 Myrtle St. in September were announced today.
The new store, to be built next to the new Prairie Mart, will rank as one of the largest retail store developments in the Harbor’s history and will employ 35 to 40 people.
• The 60-voice Lutheran Bible Institute Choir of Seattle will sing at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Brad Gill of Aberdeen is a member of the choir which will perform Bach’s “Be Not Afraid.”
May 4, 1969
A fire in a Westport-based fishing vessel, the Gulf Maiden, brought a Coast Guard helicopter, an amphibious plane and two rescue boats to the scene off the Raft River about 10 miles north of Pt. Grenville this weekend, but the fire had been extinguished and the boat was found moving under her own power.
The craft, owned by Richard Willis of Westport, was victim of a fire in her engine room, the Coast Guard said. “Considerable damage” was caused but there were no injuries.
The Coast Guard was summoned to the scene by a radio from the boat. The helicopter was dispatched from Astoria and boats were sent from Westport and from a station on the Quillayute River.
May 5, 1969
Miss Cathy Habersetzer, a tall, brown-eyed blonde, was announced as the 1969 Pacific County Dairy Princess at a coronation dinner at the Raymond Elks temple with more than 250 enthusiastic dairy industry boosters attending.
Standing 5-8 and weighing 125 pounds, the new princess is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Habersetzer of Frances who operate a large farm raising replacement steers.
May 6, 1969
In a well-timed move to allay fears that the Hoquiam shopping center project is in trouble, the mayor last night offered a candid report on the status of the Urban Renewal scheme and promised that developer David Morgan will provide more details next Monday night.
Last Monday was the deadline for the Auburn realtor to submit plans for the Harbor Mall shopping center. He missed the deadline because the negotiations are getting down to the “nitty-gritty,” the mayor said “and Morgan wants to build the kind of shopping center we’ve all wanted for a long time.”
“There seems to be quite a bit of uncertainty among our citizens,” Mayor Rolland Youmans said. “I know many people think our shopping enter project is falling apart. Well, that’s not true. (The developers) indicated to me that they intend to meet the May 15 project payment ($230,000) deadline.”
May 9, 1969
Primrose Rupp Foelkner, society editor of The Aberdeen Daily World for more than 40 years and more recently part owner of The World, died this morning after a long illness.
She was head of the English department of Weatherwax High School for several years when George B. Miller was superintendent of schools.
She quit teaching in the 1920s to work with her brother, Werner Rupp, owner-publisher-editor of the Aberdeen World. Her first work was general reporting, then she became women’s editor, a job she held until her retirement.
32 YEARS AGO
May 2, 1994
Like most parents, Louis and Donna Summers of Westport think their baby girl, Jacqueline Rachelle, is something special.
The judges in the Washington State Starbound USA baby pageant in Seattle agree.
Eleven-month-old Jackie won more trophies and awards at the coronation ceremony April 24 than any other contestant, according to her proud mom.
Mrs. Summers entered Jackie in the competition by mailing in a picture after hearing of the pageant on television.
Each set of parents was asked to seek contributions from sponsors with a portion of the proceeds going to a Seattle-based agency for victims of shaken-baby syndrome. Besides friends and family, Jackie attracted 17 businesses who sponsored her participation in the competition.
May 3, 1994
An 18-year-old transient man who vandalized the Aberdeen Community Center, causing nearly $20,000 damage, was sentenced to eight months in jail Monday.
“It’s obviously a situation where you’re going to pay dearly for a very senseless act,” Grays Harbor Superior Court Judge Mark McCauley told Jeremy Ian Perkuhn as he handed down the maximum term within the three-to-eight-month standard range.
“I don’t understand your mindset in doing that sort of damage for no gain,” the judge added.
Perkuhn, who broke into the Third Street building that houses the Coastal Community Action Program, the Aberdeen Museum of History and the Senior Citizens Center Feb. 27, said he only wanted to receive treatment for alcoholism.
He said he was too drunk at the time to remember what he had done.
May 4, 1994
The principal of Ocosta Elementary School died Tuesday, possibly of a heart attack, while surfing off Westport.
Mike O’Donnell, 49, who took the position with Ocosta this year, fell off his surfboard and crashed into the rocks at the finger jetties near the Islander Motel, witnesses told the South Beach Ambulance Service.
Other surfers in the area, including two of O’Donnell’s sons and two off-duty Seattle firefighters, brought O’Donnell to the shore.
“Surfing was his first love and one of his attractions to our area,” Ocosta Superintendent Rick Jones said this morning. “Mike was regularly seen out there. We all take comfort in knowing he died doing something he truly loved doing.”
May 5, 1994
This morning when the Nordic Prince cruise ship glided to the dock at the Port of Grays Harbor’s Terminal 4, the Aberdeen High School Band serenaded the passengers with “Louie, Louie,” the state’s semi-official rock song.
About 200 locals turned out in sparkling Chamber of Commerce weather to meet the ship.
As passengers and crew members came down the gangplank and walked onto a red carpet, children from St. Mary’s School handed them paper May baskets and others shook their hands and gave them packets of information stuffed into a shopping bag.
May 6, 1994
Want to see Westport, Ocean Shores and maybe even a whale or two — all for less than $10?
Try the Westport/Ocean Shores ferry.
It begins operation Saturday, just in time for Mother’s Day, says Capt. Bob Thornton, 58, of Westport.
The trip, approximately 20 minutes, costs $4.50 one way or $8 round trip. The boat, El Matador, holds 74 passengers.
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.
