75 years ago

July 29, 1944

Copies of the Aberdeen World are mighty welcome to Joseph Baretich, technician fifth grade, who is with the invasion forces in Normandy.

“I’ve received three bundles so far,” Baretich wrote in a letter to his mother who lives on Wishkah Road. “They are really grand,” he said, “Almost like a long lost friend.

In the army for two years, Baretich was sent to England in December, 1943, after previous training at Fort Ord, Calif., and Camp Shelby, Miss.

He attended Wishkah schools and worked for Pacific Highway Transport before he entered the service.

50 years ago

July 29, 1969

Shopping center developer David Morgan last night submitted plans for a handsome, two-story office building earmarked for the old Loomis Drug site at Eighth and K streets in Hoquiam.

Obviously stalling for more time to secure major tenants for the proposed shopping center, the Auburn realtor nevertheless fulfilled his initial contractual requirement for developing the Urban Renewal property.

He was required to submit plans for at least 18,000 square feet of buildings, and that’s exactly what he did.

25 years ago

July 29, 1994

The last few years have been a roller coaster for The Lamb-Grays Harbor Co. and its employees.

What with falling pulp and paper prices and the resulting lack of interest by domestic mills in buying new machinery, the Hoquiam-based company has 214 employees today vs. 500 four years ago.

But on Thursday, the internationally known producer of pulp and paper mill machinery had reason to celebrate.

Lamb-Grays Harbor has nearly finished shipping out a multi-component $6.3 million system for a pulp mill in Brazil. It was the largest system completed this year and also includes pulp bale-tying equipment manufactured locally by its associate, Ovalstrapping Inc.

Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom