75 years ago
June 15, 1942
Aberdeen’s first direct word from the Midway Island battle was received this weekend by Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Cady from their marine son, Private Harold Cady but censorship narrowed his description of the battle to three words — ‘you know what.”
The letter was posted from Midway, June 9 — “There have been no mail movements the last few days due to (you know what). It was perhaps one of the greatest thrills I have every experienced. Nearest thing to it was the old Fourth of July splash at Electric park.”
June 16, 1942
Working on a big government barge contract, the Ultican shipyard in Cosmopolis is setting production records that might make even Henry J. Kaiser, shipbuilding genius of the West Coast, sit up and take notice.
With about 70 men at work, the finishing touches are being put to the first barge this week, two months ahead of the official delivery date. A second one is more than half completed and another is better than one-third done. Cribs for three more barges are in place, and the Ulticans expect soon to have more than 150 men at work on six barges at once.
50 years ago
June 15, 1967
Miss Frances Barbara Habersetzer, 18, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Habersetzer, Frances, was chosen the 1967 Lewis-Pacific County Dairy Princess in a ceremony last Saturday afternoon at Centralia. The dark blond young lady is the first from Pacific County to win the honor in 10 years. She will go to the Washington State Dairy Princess contest in Seattle June 27.
June 16, 1967
Retiring teachers from the Hoquiam school system this month include Jack Rooney, mechanical drawing teacher at HHS: Mrs. Effie Rooney, first grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary and Mrs. Francis Jukes, second grade teacher at Central Elementary. Also retiring is Arthur Bargewell, principal of Washington Elementary.
25 years ago
June 15, 1992
• The majority of the toxic chemicals released into Washington waters in 1990 came from the Weyerhaeuser pulp mill in Cosmopolis. That helped make the state the number-two water polluter in the nation, according to the EPA.
The Cosi mill dumped 8.158 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Grays Harbor. The statewide total for all companies was 12.5 million pounds.
• After building a teaching career for 22 1/2 years, A.J. West Elementary School teacher Jan Lawr is eager to retire and finish building a new home — a three-story house on the Columbia River at Entiat that she and her husband Len have been working on for two years. Len, who retired a couple of years ago, is the former Aberdeen swim coach and teacher.
Mrs. Lawr taught at Washington School in Aberdeen, at Stevens and Robert Gray. a year at Miller Junior High and has been teaching at A.J. West for seven years.
• The City of Westport is almost ready to begin construction on a concrete walkway that will stretch more than a mile, connecting the Westport Light Park with Westhaven State Park and include three scenic platforms overlooking the ocean. City officials hope the project will provide tourists and residents alike a pictorial walk at the same time it channels foot traffic that has increased across the dunes since the beaches at both parks were banned to vehicles in 1989.
June 16, 1992
• Jim Mitby, 57, is retiring after 32 years of teaching — 25 years of it at Aberdeen High School. While he’s taught economics and Washington State history for years, he also enjoyed teaching reading and developed a speed reading course. “I used to teach whatever extra there was from typing to weight training,” he said.
• Hoquiam Police want to make examples of model motorists.
Beginning today, officers will be issuing tickets to drivers who are wearing seatbelts and otherwise following all the rules of the road.
Actually, the tickets are McDonald’s coupons for a free Big Mac, large fries and a pop or milkshake, according to Sgt. Roy Kinney. The department is able to issue the McTickets through a grant provided by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom
