75 years ago

February 11, 1944

Little Francine Rufo, 10-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Rufo, former Hoquiam residents, acts the part of Deirdre, daughter of Miriam Hopkins, in the picture “old Acquaintances” which starts tomorrow at Warner Brothers theater.

Francine was born in Hoquiam and moved with her parents to Hollywood six years ago. She has been under contract for the past five years and has appeared in films with Bing Crosby, Irene Dunn, Roddy McDowell and other starts. This is the first time her name has been listed in the cast of characters.

Her father was a dancing teacher in Hoquiam and her mother is the former Pauline Kelly of Hoquiam.

50 years ago

February 11, 1969

Harbor Mall developer David Morgan last night told councilmen that he has not yet secured a lease for “the major department store we all want,” but J.C. Penney Company representatives “will be looking at the property late this month. … The problem there, however, is that it takes them (Penney’s) any where from 18 months to two years to make a decision.”

“I haven’t got that big lease yet, but we do have enough smaller stores to fill the small shopping areas in the center. But then I can’t sign up the smaller shops until I have the major store.”

“I’m in contact with three or four big stores, any of which would help us carry the financial load. I’m interested in bringing some new blood into the community.”

25 years ago

February 11, 1994

From grandmotherly types who’ve been sewing since childhood to newcomers to needlework, the South Beach Quilter’s Guild stitches everyone together.

They’re “happy to have newcomers because they have no bad habits to unlearn,” one member says.

Want proof of the club’s openmindedness?

Well, the group’s sole male member is the president.

Retiree Richard Branch says he got the job because he had prior experience with quilting clubs. When he lived in Seattle he belonged to Quilters Anonymous, the largest quilting group in the West, the North Cove resident says.

Already this year the South Beach group has given away 11 quilts to the Aberdeen office of the Department of Social and Health Services. In recent months other quilts have gone to the Westport Police Department and to battered women’s shelters.

Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom