Coulee Recollections

10 years ago

Grady “Skip” Lael joined the Marine Corps exactly 61 years ago, in 1943 on Veterans Day, serving 29 and a half months with the Amphibian Tractor Battalion in one lone, famous campaign in the Pacific, the taking of Iwo Jima. He landed at Iwo on Feb. 19, 1945 and left on March 26. He said that his Battalion’s job was to get men and materials on shore under fire fights everywhere. Lael looked through binoculars to see the Marines raise the first flag on Mt. Suribachi and that flag was a small one that a Marine had on his back. “It was a beautiful sight, seeing our flag raised up there on the mountain,” he said. Later, the flag that is featured in the historical photo was brought up the mountain from a ship on the beach. Lael lives in Northport these days but he said he spent 10 years in the Coulee while his dad raised sheep near Steamboat Rock.

The local chapter of the American Legion is holding a reorganization meeting Saturday at the Vets Center in Electric City with the district manager attending to discuss how to become more active in the community and also, attract younger veterans. “Most of our membership is elderly, and they’ve done their share, said Jerry Beierman, an active legion member. He hopes to get more Vietnam veterans to turn out and get involved. “It’s time for us young guns to pick it up,” he said.

20 years ago

Coulee Dam Police Officer Cameron “Skip” Allstot has filed an additional suit against the town of Coulee Dam in Grant County Superior Court asking for the same $500,000 in damages that he is asking for in U.S. District Court in Spokane. The town has yet to file its responses and no trial dates have been set.

The Coulee Dam pool is about $12,300 in deficit for the 1994 year. Donations included $383 for the benches from the Aqua Sizers, $90 from the town of Elmer City, $49 from Coulee Dam and $26 from Grand Coulee. No donations came from Electric City.

Juliann Saulque of Nespelem and the Director of Nursing Services at the Colivlle Tribal Convalescent Center has been named the Center’s employee of the month for October. She graduated from Coulee Dam High School in 1967, marrying husband Vernon in 1969. The couple have five children and six grandchildren. After completing nursing assistant classes in 1982, she began working at the CTCC as a certified nursing assistant in 1983, and with more classes, she became a licensed practical nurse in 1987. She continued her education while working at CTCC, becoming a registered nurse in1993. She credits Helen Purdy, the former DNS at CTCC and now at Coulee Community Hospital, for helping her with encouragement.

30 years ago

Boy Scout Troop 24 will hold its First Annual Big Gobbler Turkey Shoot this Saturday, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the old Crescent Bay sawmill site.The entry fee is $2.00 and all participants will bring their own shot gun, with a 12 gauge the maximum. The Shoot is open to youth and adults.

The Shoot’s organizers will provide the shells and award prizes of trophies and turkeys donated by Good Deal Foods, Coulee Dam, Safeway, Grand Coulee and the local Rotary Club.

In it’s final act, the Coulee Country CB (Columbia Basin Merchants) Club donated a 25” color television set and a scale with a platform to weight patients in wheelchairs to the Coulee Community Nursing Home. At the ceremony were Bea Gray, Lessie Eby, Pat Anson, Beryle Gordon, Dorothy Jameson, Maxine Anson, Clara Simonson, Jim Gordon, Elsie Strickert, Olga Nichols, and Dave Portch of Loepp’s Furniture, donating a tv stand.

40 years ago

Airman Sandra L. McClure, daughter of the Ken McClures of Coulee Dam, has graduated at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas from the U.S. Air Force Security Police course She is a 1972 graduate from Lake Roosevelt High School and attended Spokane Community College prior to joining the Air Force.

Lance Corporal Kevin Cammack, Marines, is now stationed at Okinawa, Japan, having joined up in June, 1973 for four years. He’s the son of the Ken Cammacks of Lone Pine and is being trained as a electronic’s tech. Also stationed at Okinawa is Lance Corporal Paul Otis Tillman, D Company, Third Marine Division. He is the son of the Jim Tillmans of Elmer City. And just finishing up boot camp at Fort Ord, Calif. is James Cammack, the younger son of Kevin, who will be stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. He is receiving training in intercontinental missile operations.2

John Pryor won the High School State A Cross-Country race in Seattle on Saturday, covering the 2.5 mile course in 12 minutes, 41 seconds. He was 11 seconds ahead of the second place winner, Gary Gonser of Castle Rock. The Raiders finished in fifth place out of 20 teams at State and also won their league and district championships this season. Pryor’s teammates are: Rick George, Darry Moulton, John Womer, Gary Clark, Brian Barnaby and Duane Johnson.