75 years ago
September 14, 1942
William Busch, personnel manager of the Willapa Lumber Mills, today announced with some embarrassment, that four women are stripping in dry kilns of mill L in South Bend.
He hastened to add that the announcement was — er — bare of implications because stripping is a form of stacking lumber in the kilns.
The four women are the first to be employed by the company but Busch said more will be hired for light jobs as male labor becomes scarcer. Military service is making serious inroads on the labor supply here.
September 15, 1942
Some 40 Harbor men, including eight members of the Aberdeen police department, have been enlisted for the new coast guard foot and horse patrols to be started soon on Harbor beaches.
Enlistment of the police officers cuts the department’s strength almost in half, and Chief A.M. “Pat” Gallagher said today he is “almost desperate for replacements.”
50 years ago
September 14, 1967
Ask the Oestreich brothers — owners of Pearson’s Ladies Apparel in Aberdeen — the secret of business success and they’d probably say, “Keep it in the family.”
After 32 years in business, that’s what they intend to do.
Today, Pearson’s — and the Oestreichs — celebrate that many years in business at 122 E. Heron in Aberdeen.
And on this day, Milt and Harold Oestreich welcomed another member of the family, 29-year-old Gary, into the firm as Assistant General Manager.
Gary previously spent five years with Sears-Roebuck getting outside-the-family training in the garment business.
September 15, 1967
The original Aberdeen city hall facing G Street between Heron and State, burned down in 1903 as did the rest of Aberdeen’s business district.
The second city hall building, dedicated March 17, 1905, and located at the corner of Market and I, included a bell tower used by firemen to dry fire hoses. The tower was removed after it was partially destroyed in the 1949 earthquake. The lower floor of the two-story building housed the clerk’s office and jail. The second story contained the council room, engineer’s office, a court room, commiittee room and quarters for the street superintendent and firemen.
Construction cost of the second city hall was $23,540 as compared to $430,000 for the latest one.
25 years ago
September 14, 1992
Six Grays Harbor residents who rescued a family from a burning pickup truck have received the Washington State Patrol’s second-highest award.
Patrol Chief George Tellevik praised the bravery and quick thinking of Joe P. Durham, Donald D. Nilsson and Lance Graham, all of Aberdeen, and Westport residents Darlene Bessonette, Carol Leighton and Elbert McWilliams.
A pickup truck carrying members of the Louis Summers family of Westport was heading about 10 miles south of Aberdeen when it crossed the center line and collided with an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the other car was fatally injured.
When the six rescuers arrived on the scene they tried to extinguish the fire, removed the Summers family from the truck and then pulled the burning vehicle away from the family by using a logging truck. Chief Tellevik said without their help the Summers family probably wouldn’t have survived.
September 15, 1992
Scheduled for a grand opening on Wednesday, the Westport Senior Center will offer seniors space for Thursday card games, weekly landscape painting classes and birthday parties. A donated organ awaits talented fingers and stacks of puzzles need assembly.
“This is their house. They can do whatever they want with it,” volunteer Leola Hartery said.
Hartery and volunteer Catherine Fitterer began working on the senior center project four or five months ago when Westport Mayor Doug Merino offered them the former court room at 114 Pacific Ave.
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom
