Glance Back

(From The Washington Evening Journal, Friday, Sept. 17, 2004)

10 YEARS AGO

According to data from the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA), Washington County Hospital and Clinics fuels the local economy.

The IHA acquired the data from the 2002 American Hospital Association Annual Survey of Hospitals. The IHA, then, prepared economic impact analysis reports for hospitals in Iowa.

Residences, farms and businesses in the Brighton Fire Department district now have a new source of water, thanks to the cooperative effort of the fire department, two landowners, the Jefferson County engineer and the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District.

KALONA ? Nearly 100 volunteers, the majority from the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), helped move goods from Reif?s Family Center, Saturday, in the wake of the fire in the 98-year-old building, Sept. 9. Items were loaded into pickup trucks, horse trailers and hay wagons for transport to a storage area at Farmers Supply Sales, Highway 22, the local John Deere dealer.

20 YEARS AGO

The proposal for an all-weather track for Washington Community School District athletes has surfaced again. At Wednesday night?s school board meeting, Erik Buchholz, Mike Doughty and Stan Carlson of the Washington Athletic Boosters Club requested and gained permission to conduct a feasibility study for the project.

Dena Rarick of Ainsworth made an appearance on ?The Nashville Starseek.? Her performance of a gospel song will air nationwide, Sept. 20.

In the recent school board election, Julie Peshkin pulled off the upset of the night, besting incumbent and board president John W. Berdo, 92-65, to take the District 6 seat.

30 YEARS AGO

Amy Idle was crowned ?Miss Sweet 16? at the Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant during the Labor Day weekend. She is the daughter of Gary Idle of Muscatine and Janet Williams of Crawfordsville. Grandparents are Ruth Idle and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ried of Columbus Junction.

Margaret Choate of Washington returned Monday from a monthlong bus tour of Alaska. The tour into Alaska was via the inside passage, returning by way of western Canada.

It will be a day of ?pig-o-mania? in Washington, Oct. 6, when the community holds its first Pork Day celebration on the town square to recognize the area?s pork production.

40 YEARS AGO

The following persons attended the 26th annual Governor?s Conference on Recreation in Des Moines, Sept. 12: Eldine Wyse of Wayland; and Esther Bordwell, Jane Bruders, Marie Widmer, Cherie Wyngarden and Lela Garton of Washington. Workshops in crafts, social resources and therapeutic recreation were held.

James D. Gorham of Washington has been named one of 38 of the most successful agents of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. to attend a school at the firm?s home office in Milwaukee.

Jane Passmore, Extension home economist for Washington and Johnson counties, was one of five Iowa Extension staff members cited for outstanding Extension work in the past year at the annual conference in Ames recently.

50 YEARS AGO

The Norman Schoonover family entertained guests during the past weekend. As is the custom each year, four couples get together for a holiday. They are the Ray Mincer family of Fort Madison; the Howard Harms family of Freeport, Ill.; the Howard Kiles of Bettendorf; and the Schoonovers. The men of the group were all classmates at college.

Don Beye of Washington has purchased a shoe repair shop in Fairfield and will begin work there, Monday.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Carter were declared winners of the YMCA summer bridge marathon, Thursday at a bridge party at the Y. Participants were 20 couples who had taken YMCA beginning bridge lessons last spring.