75 years ago
October 21, 1942
McCleary moved a stop nearer incorporation as a full-fledged self-governing municipality last night when citizens conducted a caucus to name Lee Wills as candidate for the town’s first mayor and to select candidates for council and treasurer.
Wills is construction and maintenance superintendent at the big plant here. Vernon Powell, assistant postmaster, was nominated for treasurer.
October 22, 1942
Here’s the new air raid signal schedule for Aberdeen
• Air raid warning — Fluctuating five-second siren blasts at three-second intervals for 15 minutes.
• All clear — Continuous five-minute blast of siren.
The new signals were adopted to avoid confusion with general fire alarms. with are five long blasts of the siren.
50 years ago
October 21, 1967
• An Aberdeen fireman was hospitalized when an early-morning fire swept the eight-unit Geneva Apartments at 701 W. Heron today and left the building about 75 percent gutted.
Dan McKinstry injured his leg while climbing on the aerial truck ladder and was taken to Grays Harbor Community Hospital, where attendants reported that he was resting while awaiting X-rays to be taken later today.
All the occupants of the apartment building were moved out and two, at their request, were given emergency lodging in the city jail.
• Aberdeen’s Bob Fisher settled an old personal score by pitching three touchdown strikes through the rain at Stewart Field last night as coach Al Eklund’s Bobcats moved within a half game of league-leading R.A.Long with a matter-of-fact 20-0 victory over Kelso.
The ‘Cats hit the scoreboard in each of the first three periods on Fisher aerials covering 16 yards to Steve Frazer and 7- and 55-yarders to Paul Hann.
October 22, 1967
Sunday, no newspaper published
25 years ago
October 21, 1992
Bonnell Logging Co. will pay Grays Harbor County $160,000 in the first tree-thinning contract the county has ever awarded.
“It’s supposed to be kind of the new age kind of forestry,” County Commissioner Dick Dixon said. “It’s an opportunity to do some harvesting and allow some area to be protected.
The estimated $160,000 contract which included the price of $37 per ton of wood “was more than we expected,” Dixon said.
October 22, 1992
An advertisement published Wednesday exhorting Harborites to oppose Wal-Mart’s move to Aberdeen by calling public officials set off a reverse dialing trend.
An informal tally of city council members revealed a total of 26 calls received yesterday alone — 26 in favor of Wal-Mart, two against and one on the fence.
“Free enterprise such as Wal-Mart cannot be made to meet special requirements enacted to prevent them from operating a business in our jurisdiction,” Aberdeen Mayor Chuck Gurrad said.
“People think at some point we will vote and decide whether Wal-Mart can come or not,” said Councilwoman Tobi Buckman. “And that’s simply not true. That’s not our role. It’s too bad they spent money in that way.”
The three-quarter page advertisement in The Daily World cost about $1,000 and created quite a stir.
It declares “Yes, Aberdeen needs growth and new business but do we need a Wal-Mart? No!”
The ad is in the form of a letter to Harborites and is signed by “Merchants Against Wal-Mart and Friends of Labor.”
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom
