75 years ago, March 4/5, 1938
• Grays Harbor auto dealers will cooperate in a nation-wide effort of automobile manufacturers and distributors to revive American business with the start of Used Car Exchange tomorrow.
Harbor dealers will parade hundreds of used car bargains through Aberdeen and Hoquiam as an initial step in stimulating used car sales to pave the way for resumption of new car selling and manufacturing on a normal scale.
• Approximately $1,700,000 has been spent on federal projects in Grays Harbor County since 1933, according to estimates compiled by officials of Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Elma and Montesano.
A total of $210,000 was spent for construction of dikes and storm sewers in Hoquiam. The city paid only $5,000. Under the auspices of the PWA a $95,000 high school gymnasium was built.
• Moclips High School defeated Quinault High School 41 to 26, last night to win the 1938 Tri-County basketball league pennant and win the right to represent the league in the B League tournament at Chehalis next week.
Quinault’s Van Rooy and Berry each scored 12 points to share honors.
50 years ago, March 4/5, 1963
• Problems facing the American fishing industry were outlined at the South Bend Chamber of Commerce Banquet Saturday night by Dr. Richard Van Cleve, Dean of the College of Fisheries at the University of Washington.
Dr. Van Cleve related that the U.S. has fallen from former leadership in fisheries to fifth, behind Japan, the Soviet Union, Peru and Red China. He added that in oceanography, the USSR has 75 research ships while the United States has just 15.
• No area of the state has more difficult highway planning problems to solve than those involved in laying out the freeway from Montesano to Hoquiam, according to District Engineer Ralph Kerslake, speaking to the Montesano Lions Club last night.
He explained that planning the freeway west from Montesano to Hoquiam is considered as a unit because the 15-mile strip is mostly in developed areas.
Further complicating the problem is the traffic situation in which Aberdeen and Hoquiam are the terminal points for most of the traffic nine months of the year but with heavy traffic to the beach areas beyond the other three months, especially on weekends.
Still another complicating factor is the lay of the land which constricts the developed area to a narrow strip between the river and harbor on one side and the steep hills on the north side.
25 years ago, March 4/5, 1988
• A trading company operated by the Chinese government has secured a lease for the old Roderick Timber Co. dock at Junction City — property the Port of Grays Harbor has said it will try to acquire through condemnation.
The Port offered to lease the property for $7,000 per month while condemnation goes forward. The Chinese were given a six-month lease with a 12-month option at a rate of $10,000 a month.
• Screams of excitement and joy came from the Vikings’ locker room Thursday after Valley advanced to the semifinal round of the state Class B girls’ basketball tournament with a 65-60 win over Ritzville’s Broncos.
Kelli Wildhaber’s 30 points and Jill Heggem’s 15, with six assists, led the Vikings to their victory.
• A 4-year-old Aberdeen girl’s fight with leukemia has led to a groundswell of community support that organizers of a volunteer assistance network say has raised about $2,000 so far.
The Aberdeen office of the International Woodworkers of America has received contributions from as far away as Portland and Seattle, in support of Stephanie, whose last name is not being reported.
The union’s primary fundraiser has been targeting soda and beer drinkers across the Harbor. It has been collecting tabs from the tops of aluminum cans since November.
Jim Coates, IWA business agent, said the union decided to collect only the tabs so it wouldn’t interfere with people who already collect aluminum cans. They recently turned in 323,648 tabs (about 389 pounds) for $194.50.
• Shirley DuBois’ new heart isn’t made of gold. But she says it’s worth all the money in the world.
The 53-year-old Hoquiamite underwent heart transplant surgery last May 8 in a six-hour operation at the University of Washington Hospital.
The cost of the transplant, which was paid by insurance, was about $150,000. That doesn’t count the costs for medicine she must take each day to help stave off possible rejection.
Shirley lives in a mobile home in East Hoquiam with her husband, Darold, and her dog. She walks at least a mile a day, has given up smoking, keeps house and feels good, she says.
Compiled by Karen Barkstrom from the archives of The Daily World.
