Dusting Off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, June 21, 1945
• Pfc. Harold Broker is the brother of Robert Broker who lives south of Verndale and also a brother of Arnold Broker who resides north of Verndale. Harold was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic achievement in Belgium last December. He was previously awarded a good conduct medal and has three combat stars.
• Bernard Anderson, 56, Minnesota jail inspector and former U.S. Marshal with headquarters in St. Paul, died Friday of injuries suffered in an automobile accident. The accident occurred Thursday afternoon on Highway 71, five miles south of Wadena. Anderson and Louis H. Voight, 76, of St. Paul were enroute to St. Cloud. Their car and that of Robert Haetke of Verndale collided at an intersection. Anderson’s car overturned several times on the road. Anderson suffered a fractured skull. Voight suffered a fractured vertebrae and suffered a shoulder injury. Haetke was not hurt.
• Mr. and Mrs. Joe Webber Sr. received the sad news last week that their daughter, Mrs. Melvin (Mary) Acklund of Bricelyn, was burned so badly on her left arm from boiling water that it was necessary to amputate just below the elbow. Mrs. Acklund was working around her house when she fainted and a tea kettle of boiling water spilled on her. Mr. and Mrs. Acklund have a two-year-old and a two-month-old. Miss Martha Webber left here Thursday to be with her sister.
40 Years Ago, June 19, 1980
• Vandals apparently weren’t satisfied with merely letting the air out of the tires of the trailer used for hauling debris at the cemetery, which occurred during one lunch hour last week. This week, Monday night, they returned to slash the same tires, apparently ‘just for kicks’.Frank Sommars of the Cemetery Board remarked that motorcycle tracks were evident at the scene following both incidents which were reported to the local police. The investigation is continuing.
• Shelia Stone and Denice Dalen of Verndale are looking forward to an unusual experience, which they also hope will be rewarding, when they compete next week with 100 other women in the Minnesota Miss Teen contest. It is the official charity for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Contestants can assist in raising funds for the foundation by soliciting pledges and bowling. Denice said that both her and Shelia decided to enter at a late date and did not have time to seek backing so are forgoing the bowling event.
• Verndale’s old siren was just plain worn out and needed replacing. Shown uncrating the new one before installation last week Tuesday were John Desrocher and Eric Neuerburg of Neuerburg Electric. There was a bit of a problem this Tuesday when the siren sounded off for about a minute shortly after sounding noon-time for no apparent reason.
15 Years Ago, June 23, 2005
• At 11:15 a.m., Monday morning, Nola Schultz looked west and saw the most beautiful orange sky followed by a black wall of boiling clouds heading toward Verndale. By noon, Nola and her daughter Amanda were out cleaning up after a tree nearly missed her car by inches and another spared her house and garden by the same amount.
• On May 23, several members of the Verndale Lions picked up the trash in the ditches for a two mile stretch west of Verndale. Those members who helped with the project were Joni Callahan, Diane Breitling, Wayne Mills, Randy Beaver, Armond Swanson, Sharon Neuerburg, Steve Pickar, Patty Desrocher, John Desrocher, Mark Callahan, Bill Hess, Dennis Johnson and Gary Bramer.
• Kimberly Neisius, Verndale, will compete in the goat tying event at the 2005 College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. This is the second trip for Neisius, a sophomore at Central Wyoming College. The rodeo took place June 12-18 at the Casper Event Center.