Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten years ago

September 26, 2012

Toni Cloud and Katelin Turner each won $50 as winners in the teen summer reading program at the Denny Ashby Library. The tow participated in the “Own the Night” program. Participants submitted short book reviews for each book read and these two lucky readers had their reviews drawn by library board members. Toni said her favorite book read this summer was Divergent by Veronica Roth. Katelin said her favorite was The Beetle and Me by Karen Romano Young.

It might have been the smoky atmosphere, or people just resting up after the busy Fair weekend, but business wasn’t as brisk as in the past during the Garfield County tire and appliance amnesty and yard waste collection Saturday at the county’s gravel pit off Gould City-Mayview Rd. A couple of hours into the collection, Steve Grim of the county road department said that only 10 loads of yard waste had been dumped off at the site. The tire amnesty seemed the most popular, with hundreds of tires brought in at no charge to residents.

Twenty-five years ago

October 1, 1997

Pomeroy Elementary School teacher Sue Van Ausdle has been named one of the nine state finalists for the 1998 Teacher of the Year Program for Washington. The veteran of 20 years in teaching spent Thursday last week in Olympia for a round of three interviews and to meet the other eight candidates for Teacher of the Year honors. Debbie Mensik, elementary school principal, said, “Sue has a talent for seeking out the very best for her kids. If it means serving on committees or keeping abreast of new innovations, she’ll do it. And she doesn’t wait until next year to try something new, she’ll do it immediately.”

The new Pomeroy High School reader board at Main and 11th streets was erected just before the start of the 1997-98 school year thanks to the effort of the 1996-97 PHS Associated Student Body student council. High School principal Jim Kwalkowski said last year’s ASB executive officers, president Bryan McKeirnan, vice president Dan Howell, treasurer Stephanie Zorb, secretary Angie Gates, senior representative to the school board Kelly Morrow, and junior representative to the school board Jessica Warren decided to make the reader board project their community contribution.

Fifty years ago

September 28, 1972

Tracing briefly the formation and growth of the Garfield County Historical Association, President Otto Fitzgerald addressed a group of about 16 persons gathered Saturday morning to witness ground breaking at the Columbia Street site of a new museum. The association had its start in 1970, when a group of interested long-time residents of the county banded together in soliciting community support of a museum. Thanks to donations from the community, the members bought the property on Columbia, opposite McKeirnan Hardware, from Henry Schuelke for $8,000. The museum fund now stands at $16,000.

Gary Cox, a native of Pomeroy and former National Bank of Commerce employee here, has been named manager of the Waitsburg NBofC branch. Cox was born and raised in Pomeroy, where graduated from high school. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Cox. Gary is married and he and his wife, Esther, have one son, Ronnie who is three and a half years old.

Seventy-five years ago

October 2, 1947

“Jennifer Ann, don’t you believe your mamma, Bob Hope is my little boy,” said Crooner Bing Crosby to Jennifer Ann McCabe in the Sacred Heart hospital, Spokane, Saturday afternoon, after hearing her mother tell that “Bing, Bob Hope’s little boy, was in the hospital.” Bing came to the hospital with an old Spokane friend with whom he used to sing for “ham and eggs” before he gained international fame, to visit a hospital confined relative. After talking with Jennifer and her mother and realizing that Mrs. McCabe was to “fussed” to ask for his autograph he suggested, “Jennifer how would you like to have my autograph?” Naturally Mrs. McCabe, on behalf of her daughter, provided the necessary paper and now she has a most prized signature.

The Future Farmers of America livestock judging team of the Pomeroy high school, won the livestock judging contest at the state fair at Yakima last Thursday by posting 1432 points out of a possible perfect score of 1500. Seventeen teams were entered in the contest.

One hundred years ago

September 30, 1922

How many persons in Garfield County are driving cars without drivers’ licenses? That is what the state license department is going to find out, according to Will Dougherty, traffic cop, who is about to investigate this territory. The state is short the fees for 40,000 drivers’ licenses, it is said, and doesn’t want to lose so much. Every person operating a car, man, woman, or minor, is required to have a license. The fee is one dollar and the license is good for two years. Officers say almost every driver in this county holds a license, but the few who do not are advised to put in their applications at once.

The winner of the ‘most popular girl in Pomeroy’ contest will receive a beautiful diamond ring Monday evening at the American Legion show and frolic at the Seeley Theatre, Director Davis states. “The ring is a solid block of onyx and one of the latest styles,” said Mr. Davis. “Every girl is eligible to enter the contest and the votes are issued on tickets for the show ‘Tess of the Storm Country.’ Each fifty-cent ticket entitles the holder to fifty votes and each seventy-five cent ticket entitles the holder to seventy-five votes.

The ring is donated to the Legion for this contest by the Carithers jewelry store, and Mr. Carithers will present it to the winner.