75 years ago
May 23, 1942
The DeMolay’s Blue Honor Key was presented this week to 18-year-old George B. Barber, the first time the high award has gone to a Hoquiam member since the chapter was organized years ago.
Young Barber’s award was for “outstanding and meritorious activity on behalf of the chapter.”
May 24, 1942
Sunday, no newspaper published
50 years ago
May 23, 1967
“Will you accept a collect call from Nick Yakovich?”
Although he was a little started, Stan Merritt, took the call that came Monday afternoon. Yakovich, his son-in-law, is a soldier stationed at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.
“Is Linda there?” the soldier asked, referring to his wife, Merritt’s daughter.
Learning that she was at work, Nick asked if Merritt could get her home in 20 minutes.
Linda borrowed a co-worker’s car and made it home from her job at Grays Harbor Medical Service Bureau in 10 minutes.
The call came by radio to Seattle and was relayed by telephone to Aberdeen. “We didn’t say much,” Linda recalled. There was so much crackle that I had to yell and repeat myself frequently.”
Nick entered the Army July 29, 1966 and he has 351 days to go over there,” Linda stated.
May 24, 1967
• Sometime before Christmas no matter what the weather, 21 new homes in the village of Queets will have their brightest day. The lights will shine.
Jack Stein, manager of the Grays Harbor Public Utility District, told the Associated Press today a power line should be competed to Queets by December.
Then for the first time, the 21 all-electric homes built by the Interior Department will become truly all electric. The nearest power now is 13 miles away.
• “We want a swimming pool,” 12 enterprising enthusiastic seventh graders told the Elma town fathers Tuesday evening during a special council session.
After an hour of pool pondering, the council got in the swim of things and Mayor Orville Boling appointed a three-man committee (Fred Culbertson, Bob Lattin and John McCracken) to study ways and means for the community to finance construction of a pool.
By Friday evening the youngsters in Miss Anita Pearmain’s seventh grade class had raised about $80 through a car wash and donations toward the construction of the pool
25 years ago
May 23, 1992
• Everyone is invited to the kick off of Lynn Kessler’s campaign for State Representative, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27 at the Hoquiam YMCA. $10 per person. Featuring Dennis Morrisette’s world famous chili, Bob Paylor’s cheese breadsticks and House Majority Leader Brian Ebersole’s green and red chili peppers.
• Three Gray Harbor players were named to the all-Black Hills League soccer team, chosen from coaches’ all-opponent teams.
Hoquiam defender Shawn McGuire, Grizzly forward Andres Montoya and Aberdeen defender Kevin Caskey were included on the 21-player first team.
Hoquiam’s Mike Isaman, Tad Earley and Jason Fridlund and Aberdeen’s Paul Stutzenburg, Mike Deegan and Bandith Xayavong earned second team recognition.
May 24, 1992
Shouts of “reel it up! reel it up!” echoed across Mill Creek Pond Saturday as 408 youngsters took part in the “Tackle Bustin’ Kids Fishing Derby.”
The cry came from dads, moms, grandpas, grandmas, uncles and aunts who could kibbitz and cajole, but couldn’t catch. The adults could also untangle lines, bait hooks and generally encourage the youngsters who lined the banks, taking part in the Trout Unlimited event.
“I’m just as happy as I can be,” said Trout Unlimited chapter president Joe Brenneman of the nine-hour derby. “There was not one complaint and probably about 1,200 fish caught.”
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom
