Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

November 21, 2012

Tonia Sanders' affinity for food service since she was a teenager and her familiarity with Pomeroy culminated with her purchase Oct. 1 of the former Donna's Café at Main and 14th St. The Tri-Cities native has been around Garfield County "since I was a toddler" because her grandparents opened Hi-Way Trailer Court west of town. Her parents, Andrew Sanders and the late Mary Sanders, also brought the family here every fall for elk camp.

Garfield County Public Hospital District, the parent organization of Pomeroy Medical Clinic, is expected to sign an agreement with nation Electronic Health Record vendor Nextgen that will move the clinic into the future of health record technology. "The benefit to the district and the community promises to be a completely integrated and portable health record system," said CEO Andrew Craigie. In 2001, the clinic was one of the first clinics in the region to adopt HER, Craigie said. This system is still doing its job but is quickly becoming outpaced by newer, more integrated technology.

Twenty Five Years Ago

November 26, 1997

Five Garfield County Fire Department volunteers are winding down a 54-hour First Responder course that will include training on use of extrication equipment on vehicles involved in traffic accidents. The class is taught by Pomeroy resident and EMT Sue Nelson. She said the First Responder "touches on every subject that an EMT knows but to a lesser degree." Nelson is assisted in her instruction by Clay Barr, also an EMT and a volunteer firefighter, who she said offered his help and "is good with tools."

They are called metalsmiths, not gunsmiths. While a metalsmith could make repairs and alterations that a gunsmith might make, the emphasis in metalsmithing is designing the components involved and executing these designs to exacting standards. From his shop behind his home on Main Street, Herman Waldron and his work developed a reputation for quality that was recognized by gun enthusiasts around the world. And who does this straightforward man thank for his success? "Everything I have today I attribute to the farmers here," Herman said. "They needed me but I needed them more, because there was always more than one welder in town. I'll not forget that, and if they need me even today, I'll give them a hand."

Fifty Years Ago

November 23, 1972

Mickey Byers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Byers, Pomeroy, won the district wheat queen contest Monday noon at Dayton, and now is eligible to compete in the state contest at the Tri-Cities. The contest involved Asotin, Garfield, Columbia and Walla Walla counties. Mickey received a crown, a charm, and other gifts in the contest.

The five judges who had the task of choosing between 14 Pomeroy young women chose Julie Machacek, the five-foot, two-inch blonde daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Machacek, as Pomeroy's new Junior Miss before a packed Pomeroy High School auditorium audience. Miss Machacek sang "Come Saturday Morning" as the final act in her performance at the pageant which was sponsored by the Pomeroy Jaycees and Jay-C-Ettes.

Seventy Five Years Ago

November 27, 1947

A roaring fire fed by 37 gallons of gasoline escaping from the tank of a dump truck owned by V.J. Flanigan, of Longview, might have destroyed the building and equipment of the General Tractor Repair, Monday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. but for the faultless judgement on the part of the owner of the repair shop, Bill Koller, who averted a serious business district fire when he had the truck shoved out of the back end of the garage and over the sharp entrance incline into the alley. The flaming truck came to an abrupt stop when it hit a telephone pole. At this point the city fire department took charge, having arrived on the scene with its two trucks and emergency vehicle. They fought the blaze until the remaining 37 gallons of gasoline had escaped and went up in flames. The dump truck was being used to haul crushed rock on the Dodge-Pomeroy highway construction job.

To date, 3,200 pounds of clothing have been turned in by the people of Garfield County for the overseas relief drive. This amount was packaged last week by committees and delivered to Lewiston on Monday by Clark Long. There it will be added to the Lewiston contribution and taken to Seattle for shipment. People still having clothes to donate may leave them at the churches any time and the bundles will be sent at a later date.

One Hundred Years Ago

November 25, 1922

With the coming of the new class B radio station and cooler weather, radio reception has become practical in this locality. During the summer months while electrical storms and disturbances were occurring, the radio listener was in doubt as to what an expected concert would develop into. The listener often heard the first few numbers of a program and before completion could hear several stations on the same tuning. The class B stations which have been granted another wave length and must have reached a fine degree of perfection in transmission, have done away with the greater part of this station interference. The B grade stations are prohibited from using phonograph music.

Another hunt for predatory animals and birds has been arranged to be held between the game associations of Garfield and Columbia counties. Much interest has centered in the former hunts and it is believed the one about to begin will be quite as keenly contested as any in the past.

Last year the hunt included Asotin county, but because of a local contest among the sportsmen of that place, which will not close until January, Asotin has declined to enter the competition this year, according to Captain A.J. Buchet, of the local team.