Our Yesterdays

Billy H. Northup, Ollie postmaster, retired Jan. 3, 1998. He had been associated with the U.S. Post Office for 31 years. The town welcomes Jeri Crane of Douds, who will be Officer in Charge until an appointment is made. Billy was honored at a supper held at his home. Those present were his wife, Wilma; his mother, Hildreth Quire of Iowa City; sons Norman and friend Beth of Cedar Rapids, Phil and family of Hedrick, Billy V. of Davenport, and Bo and family of Packwood.

Howard Adrian, owner of Adrian Trucking and distributing in Richland, says his plans are to rebuild on the same site as his former building stood. Fire gutted the building in the early morning hours of Dec. 29, 1997. The fire was reported at 1 a.m. by a passing motorist, said Richland Fire Chief Mike Hadley. The Packwood Fire Department was called for mutual aid. Richland Firefighters were at the scene for three hours.

1993, 30 years ago

Clifford Gentry, a sophomore at McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas, performed in the McPherson college Concert Choir’s annual Christmas concert on December 6. Clifford is the son of David and Adrian Gentry of Ollie.

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Greiner of Keota announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Michelle Marie, to Todd Swearingen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Swearingen of Richland. The bride-elect is a 1991 graduate of Keota High School and a 1992 graduate of Indian Hills Community College. The groom-elect is a 1991 graduate of Pekin High School. The couple will be married Jan. 16, 1993, at Holy Trinity Parish, Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Clear Creek.

Two Pekin High School graduates were recently honored at the recent Central College football banquet. Travis Sterling, son of Gary and Jana Sterling of Martinsburg, was the recipient of the Bruce Wendt Award. This award is presented to the outstanding offensive lineman on the team. A six-foot-one, 250-pound senior offensive guard, he was also awarded his third varsity letter. Sterling was a first team all-Iowa Conference selection. Mike Van Voorst, son of Harlan and Eunice Van Voorst of Richland, was awarded his third varsity letter. A six-foot-four, 200-pound senior wide end, Van Voorst was a second team all-Iowa Conference selection. He led the team in total catches with 47, for 604 yards and five touchdowns.

Jeremy Schultz of Pekin High School will participate in the Central College Music Festival on Jan. 21 and 28. Schultz will play trumpet with the festival band.

1988, 35 years ago

Forrest McBeth of Richland received an award for 15 years of service at Walnut Grove Products Co. Forrest began working for Walnut Grove Dec. 18, 1972, as a truck driver and was promoted to assistant manager in 1979. In 1982, McBeth went back to driving a truck. He also received an eight year Safe Drivers award this year.

The new Richland mayor, Ken Kinsey, held his first council meeting January 4. Other new members are John King, Morris Gould, and Barb Hadley. The main topic of discussion was the shelter for school children waiting for the school bus. At last month’s council meeting a motion was carried to build a temporary shelter by partly enclosing the shelter house in the town square and moving the bus stop to the south side of the square. Pekin agreed with moving the bus stop but advised against it because of the safety reasons. After much discussion, Hadley made a motion to “fix up what we’ve got and immediately get the kids out of the weather.” Gould seconded. The council agreed to fix the building on the west side of the square, which was recently damaged by fire, and use that as a temporary shelter for school children until plans can be worked out on a permanent shelter. A problem has been caused by students waiting for the bus inside the post office.

1970, 53 years ago

Mrs. Wm Sable presented her piano students in recital Sunday afternoon at her home. The recital is an annual affair held during the holidays. Ten students taking part were Sallie Hinshaw, Mitzie Popejoy, Judy Nordyke, Ed Kerber and sons David and Steve, Julie Cox, Carol Cox, Joy Hesseltine, and Mary Snider. Tammy Nichols was ill and couldn’t be present. Miss Willa May Swinney and Miss Marie Snider served coffee, punch, and cookies at an attractive serving table. Mrs. Sable has taught music since retiring from teaching in the Richland Elementary Center.

The Board of Education for Pekin Community School District has taken action to close the Farson School at the end of the current year. Rising costs and a decreasing enrollment have made it imperative to economize the school operation where possible. The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in the district will be combined in a junior high school or middle school to be in Packwood during the next school year. Two K-fifth sections of students will be housed in the Ollie building next year with the remaining students to attend the Richland Elementary Center.

Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Sobaski wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Linda, to David Dumont, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Dumont of Ollie. Linda is a 1968 graduate of Pekin Community High School and a recent graduate of the National School of Aeronautics in Kansas City, Missouri. She is presently employed at Commercial Bank in Peoria, Illinois. David is a 1967 graduate of Pekin Community High School and attended Lincoln Tech of Des Moines. He is employed with Becker Motors in Champaign, Illinois. A Valentine’s Day wedding is planned.

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Nordyke of Batavia announce the engagement of their daughter, Carolyn Jean, to Kenneth C. Paxton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clayborn Paxton of Packwood. Miss Nordyke is a 1969 graduate of Pekin Community High School and is a student at the Parc-Vue Beauty College in Fairfield. A 1968 graduate of Pekin Community High School, Mr. Paxton will complete his military service in August 1971. He is stationed at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas.

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Dickinson of Richland announce the engagement of their daughter Beverly Jane Bott to Larry Dean Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Marlin Smith of Packwood. Miss Bott is now attending Marshalltown Community College. Her fiance is a student at Iowa State University in Ames.

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Hackert of Richland announce the engagement of their daughter, Rhonda Lou, to Michael A. Noel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Keith Noel of Iowa City. The bride-elect is a senior at Pekin Community High School. Her fiance attends Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.