Coulee Recollections

Ten Years Ago

The possibility of bringing a swimming pool back into the Grand Coulee Dam area seems to be closer to reality after several county governments are encouraged by it. Sean Hess, chair of the Coulee Area Recreation Effort (CARE), and others in the grass-roots group met with the Okanogan County commissioners Monday about becoming the lead country for a proposed Parks and Recreation District.

Lake Roosevelt alumna Kristen Shields won the 100 meters and anchored the Whitworth College 4x100 relay win at the Ken Foreman Invitational in Seattle last weekend.

The Lake Roosevelt track team rolled to a convincing victory over Caribou Trail League opponents and outdistanced their closest competitor by more than 100 points Friday at Tonasket in the league championship meet.

Until the 1950s, polio crippled thousands of children every year in industrialized countries. Soon after the introduction of effective vaccines in the late 1950s and early 1960s, polio was brought under control, and practically eliminated as a public health problem in industrialized countries.

Twenty Years Ago

William Evans Jr. earned top honors for the 1993 graduation class of Lake Roosevelt High School and was named valedictorian by the school this week. He will graduate with a 3.977 grade point average. Ryan Spackman who carried a 3.906 for his high school career was named salutatorian.

Elmer City gained a new town marshal, last night. Mayor Dick Spence appointed David Marrs, 44, Electric City, to fill the part- time post being vacated by Mick Dennis after 16 years.

Judy Kuiper, advisor to the highly successful Lake Roosevelt SAFTYE Club and Refusal Skills Teaching, was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for her enthusiastic involvement with the group during the Fifth Annual Drug Prevention Recognition Dinner at the Omak Performing Art Center.

Thirty Years Ago

George Karamanos of Electric City recently caught a 9-3/4 pound channel catfish last week in Banks Lake. The fish was 29 inches long.

Jack Haydock of Electric City has entered his 1934 Cadillac in “The Great American Race” which starts in Anaheim, Calif., on May 21 and ends 2,800 miles later in Indianapolis, In., on May 27. Accompanying Jack will be Dave Comrie as navigator.

Kinders Dept. Store has decided to close its doors after three years of serving the Grand Coulee Dam area.

Forty Years Ago

Lake Roosevelt High School has selected its valedictorian and salutatorian for the class of 1973. They are Tracy Ann Turner, with a GPA of 4.0 and Gail Hulet with a GPA of 3.86.

Diplomas were given to four graduating mothers at a preschool luncheon held at the Wildlife Restaurant on Monday. They were Connie Boggs, Dorothy Boyd, Lynette Breymeyer and Dixie Tillman. New officers for the preschool Parent-Teacher Association were installed at the luncheon and they include Bonnie Wendt, Gayle Schermerhorn, Susan Mielcarek and Marcia Snyder.

At the last meeting of the Electric City Council, tentative approval to hook into the city’s water and sewer systems was given for a proposed 75-unit trailer court.

Fifty Years Ago

Dennis Roberson of Troop 31, Grand Coulee - Electric City Boy Scouts, received his Eagle Award,the highest rank in Boy Scouts, at Moses Lake last week.

Beginning about Thursday Grand Coulee Dam will be releasing between 150,000 to 170,000 cubic feet of water per second to supply the needed 300,000 acre feet of water to fill Wanspum reservoir.

The juniors at Coulee Dam High School are sponsoring a prom tomorrow night in the gym. The theme of the dance will be “Roman Holiday.” Running for queen are Linda Chapman, Carol Listello and Sharon Comedown. Princesses will be Deborah Desautel, Susan Vallette and Darlene Moses.

Sixty Years Ago

The Grand Coulee Tiger baseball team ended its season on Thursday night in fitting fashion by edging the previously unbeaten Coulee City Rams 3-2 at Ludolph Field. Don Whitney’s line drive to right field with the bases loaded in the last half to the seventh inning with two down provided the winning runs.

Otis Tillman, mayor of Elmer City and Colonel Emerson C. Itschner, of the Army Corps of Engineers met last Thursday afternoon to discuss future plans for Elmer City.

Volunteer workers are needed to help on the park on the equalizing reservoir near the North Dam. The park is an inter-community project being undertaken jointly by Electric City and Grand Coulee.

The junior class of Coulee Dam High School will present their prom on May 15. Princesses from various classes are Lila Mendenhall, Wilma Funston and Gaylene Pryor.