Enjoy these snapshots of articles written in past issues of the Nisqually Valley News from 45, 35, 25 and 15 years ago, respectively.
A Look Back at This Week, 45 Years Ago
• Yelm High School announced its homecoming court, which consisted of David Sherve, Jody Swain, Pat McCloud, Chris Hansen, Steve Creel, Janice Miller, Tammy Bryant, Kay Whitman, Linda Dyce and Kelley Gill. Homecoming queen and king had not yet been announced.
• Yelm’s Glenn A. Courtney, auto mechanic supervisor with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, was honored when more than 75 fellow park employees, friends and relatives attended a retirement dinner for him at the Sherwood Inn in Tacoma. He had been working with state parks since 1952.
• Edgar Prescott, a former teacher at Yelm High School, announced the publication of his third book of poems titled “The Last Crumbs.” In the volume, Prescott attempted to portray the essence of life in a retirement community.
• On Oct. 22, 1978, a man reported a goat was loose and chasing children around in the Yelm Middle School parking lot. The goat was returned home by the owner after an officer responded.
A Look Back at This Week, 35 Years Ago
• In a “man on the street” asking Yelm residents who they’d like to see as the next president, Kym Grassi responded, “That’s nobody’s business, but mine.” Ted Pratt answered, “Neither one should be president. [Michael] Dukakis is against the right to bear arms and [George H.W.] Bush is a f—— up.”
• The Yelm school board announced the prospective purchase of 23.8 acres of property for a new elementary school. Located between Middle Road, Grove Road and the Old McKenna Highway, the property, which later became Fort Stevens Elementary School, was purchased for $125,000.
• Paul Quails received his diploma from Yelm High School after a 41-year absence from high school. The U.S. Army veteran, who served for 21 years and was awarded the Silver Star for fighting in the Korean War, learned he could return to high school for free while volunteering for the school’s greenhouse.
• The Yelm Tornados football team defeated the Franklin Pierce Cardinals, 29-8, behind 185 rushing yards from Ted Riddall and 94 rushing yards from Mike Henslee. Mike Triem was a standout on defense with three interceptions.
A Look Back at This Week, 25 Years Ago
• The Yelm Police Department wrapped up a three-month, grant-funded undercover narcotics operation resulting in the arrest of six people. Yelm Police Chief Glenn Dunnam said the suspects all had several previous counts of felony narcotic charges.
• Girl Scouts from Yelm’s Troop No. 164 pitched in for their annual “Make a Difference Day” community service project. They washed fire trucks at Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 2, sorted canned foods at the UCBO and picked up garbage around the city.
• The Old Pacific Highway reopened after more than a year of construction on a new bridge. Final touches included the addition of guard rails and striping.
• Mill Pond sixth grader Cody Wire offered a visual component to Prairie Elementary teacher Becky Holmquist’s lesson about motion design. Wire showed students a robot he constructed during a three-week program he attended at Pacific Lutheran University.
A Look Back at This Week, 15 Years Ago
• Volunteers working on the Yelm Historical Museum neared the finish line as the months-long project was a week out from its move-in date. With the community support and donations, the project was expected to come out about $20,000 under budget.
• Following a Nisqually Valley News article about the City of Rainier requiring a resident to clean up his property, Rainier residents spoke up at City Council meetings about their own messy neighbors. One complained about seeing rats at a neighboring residence, while another listed about a dozen messy residences.
• Southworth Elementary was named a 2008 School of Distinction. While many schools in the region saw a drop in their WASL scores, Southworth was in the top 5 % of elementary, middle, high and alternative schools that exceeded the state average performance in reading and math.
• In its first year of existence, the Roy Lions Club honored Nick Loveless as the city’s Citizen of the Year. Loveless volunteered at the Roy Food Bank for almost 17 years and ran the Grange thrift store.
