Dusting Off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, August 30, 1945
•Thirty-one neighbors and friends of the George Plautz family in the community came to the Plautz farm on Monday of this week with 20 bundle teams, five tractors and two grain separators and finished threshing their grain. George Plautz was injured when he got run over by his own grain binder when cutting grain recently and he is still laid up.
• The United States Navy’s mighty battleship, the USS Missouri, will end her WWII tour in a blaze of glory on September 2 in Tokyo Bay when she will be the scene of the historic surrender of Japan. Proudly bearing the name of the home state of President Harry S. Truman, the fighting USS Missouri has been named by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supermen Allied Commander, as the place of the formal ending of the war in the Pacific.
• First Sgt. Robert E. Anderson, son of Mrs. Florence Anderson, is serving with the famed 82nd Airborne Division which has taken over the task of guarding the American occupation zone of Berlin. Under Major General James A. Gavin, 38, the division will have the peacetime job of policing the American zone and sharing the honor guard with the British, French and Russians at Allied control headquarters.
40 Years Ago, August 28, 1980
•Seven new teachers met on Friday morning with James Madsen, new high school principal, and Superintendent James Shereck for a briefing before beginning preparations for the opening of school on Monday. They are Tony Tuseth, science; Vicki Nyland, third-fourth grade; Holly Stebbins, elementary; Barbara Willett, elementary phy ed and art; Deanna Mattson, high school; Vicki Dunnington, kindergarten; and Ardith Carr, Title I reading.
•Ruth Jenson, a perennial winner in the artistic division at flower shows, posed behind one of her prize-winning arrangements entitled “Street Dance” at the Country Garden Club Flower Show held during the recent Strawhat and Sunbonnet Days celebration. She was one of 34 adult exhibitors and her arrangement was one of 65 artistic arrangements. There were also 160 specimen exhibits and 34 potted plants on display for a total of 259 entries.
•New volleyball coach Barbara Willett had 32 girls report for practice and they were pictured doing warm-ups. Eight senior girls, including two who have lettered, are on the roster: Kate Wutzke and Shelia DeWald, lettered: Donna Lovelace, Vicky Notch, Janice Horsager, Kathi Schluttner, Deb Sommars and Pam Peterson.
15 Years Ago, September 1, 2005
•The Verndale Fire Department competed in the firefighter games held in Wadena on August 26. Firemen who competed were Chuck Goddard, Louis Wegscheid, Don Ismal, and John Rousslang. The search and rescue operation simulated a burning building. The team had to go through a maze of false walls to rescue a victim. As an added hardship, their goggles were covered in a waxy substance so the men were sight-impaired. All nine departments were able to complete the first round before the stadium was evacuated due to severe weather.
• Chuck Buxton and Barbara Wagner, a brother and sister team, recently opened B & J Thrift Shop located next to Maine Hair Design. Chuck and Barbara will each lend their strengths to the business. Barbara will handle all of the day-to-day operations. Chuck will be the buyer for the business. He is also a licensed auctioneer, so he will be available to do consignment auctions.
• The Rubies dance line attended the Hall of Fame National Dance Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 26-July 1. The team scored very well, receiving gold on their Jazz, a high gold on Tap, and the “Fancy Feet Award.” They missed a platinum award, which is the highest honor, on Tap, by a mere two points.
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