Days Gone By

Ten Years Ago, 2012

Another beautiful autumn day brought a record number of diners to enjoy the First Presbyterian Church’s ninth Community Thanksgiving Dinner in St. Paul. “There were times when I was worried that new diners would not be able to find a place to sit down and eat in the fellowship hall,” said Phil LaRoe, dinner chairman. Guests came so fast that an accurate count was difficult, but the best estimate is that about 500 meals were served on Thursday, including 150 meals that were delivered to those who had to work on Thanksgiving Day and sent to individuals who were not able to come to the church for dinner.

With the second installment payment of $20,000 by the St. Paul Rotary Club, the capital campaign of the St. Paul Area Civic Center begins the next funding phase, focused on individual and family donors. The initial phase, which primarily centered on the support of the surrounding business community, helped raise over $530,000 towards the St. Paul Area Civic Center, approaching half of the project goal of $1,200,000.

Twenty Years Ago, 2002

It took eight-and-a-half years of work, persistence, and patience, but finally, on Friday afternoon, the title transfer between the federal government and the Loup Reclamation District was completed. In signing ceremonies on Friday afternoon in Ashton, the local reclamation district became the owner of the Sherman Dam and Reservoir and all of the irrigation canals and laterals. A large crowd was present in St. Francis Parish Hall to witness the historic event. A number of documents were signed by officials of the Sargent and Farwell irrigation districts and the Loup Basin Reclamation District with the Bureau of Reclamation District, Nebraska State Game and Parks, and the University Nebraska...Tom Knutson, general manager of the three districts, Jack Rawlings, president of the Loup Basin Reclamation District, and Fred Orr, area manager with the Bureau of Reclamation, signed several documents. Once all the papers were signed and the transfer became official, Knutson accepted the keys to the project from Orr.

Collin Gay, thirteenyear- old son of Kay and Gary Gay of St. Paul, will be participating in the Sectional Punt, Pass, and Kick Contest on December 8th at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which will be held in conjunction with the Kansas City Chiefs versus St. Louis Rams football game. Gay won the Nebraska twelve-thirteen- year-old division at Ralston in October. His scores were in the top four of a ten-state region, which advances him to Kansas City. If he wins the sectional, he could advance to the finals, which will be held at the AFC title game.

Thirty Years Ago, 1992

Dan and Giget Johnson and their three small children were able to escape their burning home early Saturday morning in Elba. They were unhurt, but lost their home and all of its contents in the fire, which occurred just after 6:00 a.m., November 21st. Randy Faaborg, Elba Fire Chief, said the fire is believed to have started in a wood-burning stove. He said that Dan Johnson had re-stoked the fire at about 4:00 a.m. Giget Johnson said her husband was awakened by a noise, and they discovered the house filled with smoke. Luckily, everyone was sleeping in the same room, and they were able to gather the children and escape through a window in the door.

Shane Aspegren, a senior at St. Paul High School, received the NMEA Memorial Music Scholarship at Pershing Auditorium on Saturday evening, November 21st. He was a member of the percussion section in the All-State Orchestra. Recipients of the $200 scholarship had to be senior members of the all-state performing groups. They were judged on grade point average, class rank, musical accomplishments, activities, band director’s recommendation, and a 500-word essay on “Why Music Is Important In My Life.” Aspegren was one of three All-State performers to receive the scholarship. He is the son of Kendra Aspegren of St. Paul and Tom Aspegren of Harvard.

Forty Years Ago, 1982

St. Paul’s Mitch Stoltenberg headed the list of area athletes receiving recognition during the past week. Stoltenberg, a 210pound senior, was named to the first team of the Lincoln Journal-Star Class B team as a defensive end, although he played much of the season at linebacker. Stoltenberg, who is currently recovering from knee surgery, received honorable mention recognition from the Omaha World-Herald and was the Grand Island Independent

All- Area Class B co-captain and on their first team as a defensive lineman... Named to the first team All-Area in Class D-2 were Steve Radke of Elba, a 190 lb. defensive lineman, and Paul Wibbels of Wolbach, a 195 lb. linebacker. Tom Kasson, Lonnie Kowalski, and Craig Everett, all of St. Paul, were honorable mention selections on defense on the Class B All-Area team...Class D-2 Jeff Krzycki, Alan Dush, and Kenny Krzycki of Elba were on the honorable mention offense all-area team. Liana Rose, a 5’5” senior from St. Paul, and Jamie Helzer, a junior from St. Paul, both earned honorable mention in the Omaha World-Herald Class B selections... Liana Rose was named the Grand Island Independent

Class B honorary captain and to their Class B first team squad. Class B honorable mention honors went to Jane Hammack, Suzy Brouillette, and Jamie Helzer of St. Paul.

Fifty Years Ago, 1972

Miracles still happen, as can be attested by Jens Miller of St. Paul. Mr. Miller was victim of a freak accident at about four o’clock Wednesday afternoon, was given a physical check at the local hospital, treated for superficial head injuries, and released to go home. Mr. Miller was traveling north on Highway 281, and, at a point four miles north of St. Paul, met a truck, an end gate of which left the truck and sailed through the windshield of Miller’s car. Not only that, but part of the end gate sailed right on through the rear window, cleaning out the glass. Other parts of the missile remained in the car. Although Mr. Miller received a “nasty crack” on the head and shed some blood, he managed to keep his car on the highway and in the correct lane until he could stop it some distance up the road. The driver of the truck, name not available at press time, did not know anything had happened until he was stopped some distance down the highway by officers.

Sixty Years Ago, 1962

The Central Loup Conference held its regular meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 1962. At the meeting, the All-Conference and Honorable Selections were chosen by the coaches. The results are as follows: All-Conference First Team: Don Jehorek—Ashton, Walt Stoegger—Boelus...Gary Madsen—Dannebrog, Lee Jacobsen—Elba, Randy Rasmussen—Elba, and Eugene Sok—Elba. Honorable Mention: Carl Jankowski—Ashton...L. Lemburg—Dannebrog, R. Hat-Evans—Dannebrog, Kroeger—Dannebrog, Seldon—Dannebrog, L. Christensen—Elba, J. Palacz—Elba, Porter— Elba, R. Tyma—Boelus, E. Tyma-Peterson—Boelus, and W. Nelson—Boelus.

Births—November 23rd: to Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Moravec, Cotesfield, a girl, wt. 6 lbs., 14 oz.; to Mr. and Mrs. Bert Placke, St. Libory, a girl, wt. 8 lbs., 9 ½ oz.

Seventy Years Ago, 1952

Joseph Sturek, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Sturek of St. Paul, had the small bone in his left leg below the knee broken and his leg badly cut up and bruised on Saturday. Joseph, who is employed by the State Highway Department, was starting a Caterpillar tractor and the machine was in gear and began to move forward after the motor started, pinning him between the tractor and a truck. Fortunately, someone was near when the accident occurred and shut the machine off before it could do more damage.

Pvt. Richard E. Nielsen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert D. Nielsen, and Pvt. Richard J. Nielsen, son of Mr. and Mrs. P.M. Nielsen of Dannebrog, arrived home Saturday morning from Camp Roberts, California, where they have been attending an Army school. After a short furlough, they will leave for Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, California to be shipped out to Japan.

Eighty Years Ago, 1942

Milton Ambrose, Lyle Ward of St. Paul, Daniel Hurt of Farwell, and Lowell Hancock of Polk, all attending St. Paul Business College, have enlisted in the Army Air Corps. They plan to leave for Omaha next week.

Life magazine of last week had a feature story of Nebraska University teenagers who are joining with the armed forces in the near future. In a group of young men of a chemistry class was a picture of our own Bernard Cecil. Bernard is one of the many who wish to land in the Army Air Force. Dallas Davis was also in the class when the picture was taken, but that side of the class didn’t appear in the picture shown in the Life magazine article.

Ninety Years Ago, 1932

Last Thursday morning, Pete Christensen, Alvin Matousek, and J.F. Webster left the Hotel Howard at about two o’clock. They had spent the evening there playing contract bridge, and it seemed to be a hard job to break away. This editor took Pete home and had started to take Alvin to his home when we noticed a bonfire down near the J.S. Zocholl home, and we drove down there to investigate what was happening at that hour of the morning....We found a bed of leaves on the W.B. Steen place on fire, and the same had just reached the garage on the Zocholl place. It had not taken fire, but it was getting ready for a real hot time, had we not reached there in time to check the blaze. We aroused Mr. Zocholl and got him out to help us fight the fire, and, in due time, we had it put out with no damage done, other than to burn one or two small trees on the Steen place. If that fire had not been discovered, the garage would have been burned down in a short time. Thus, three card sharks saved the fire boys from being routed out of bed in the early hours of the morning.

100 Years Ago, 1922

Mrs. B.E. Jolls is reportedly resting much easier after the painful injury and severe nervous shock received in a very unusual occurrence that took place last Sunday evening. Mr. and Mrs. Jolls were returning from St. Paul in a sedan with their two grandchildren, Lawrence and Elizabeth, children of Mr. and Mrs. Homer Jolls, and were approaching the Union Pacific crossing Sycamore Street from the north. Mr. Jolls stated that as he arrived at the crossing, he could see the light of a locomotive coming from the west on one of the center tracks. The car was brought to a standstill and, at that moment, the engine died. Looking to the east, a train was seen approaching from that direction on the very track upon which the car was standing. Mr. and Mrs. Jolls and the children immediately got out of the car and attempted to push the car back. Failing to do this, Mr. Jolls cranked the engine. A faulty clutch had failed to release, and the car started forward, despite the efforts to hold it back. Mrs. Jolls, who was standing on the running board at the time, was thrown to the ground, striking her shoulder on a rail. Elizabeth, the granddaughter, had stepped into the car and was in the back seat when the car started forward. Turning to the right, the car started down the track, with nobody at the wheel and the little girl alone in the rear. After jolting and rocking over three or four tracks, the clutch became jarred loose, and the car came to a stop, over half a block from the point where it left the street. With the assistance of members of the train crew, Mrs. Jolls, who was almost prostrate, was taken home. An X-ray taken Monday morning revealed her right shoulder socket to have been badly fractured.

110 Years Ago, 1912

Peter Reilly and Ross Smith shipped a carload of mules to Grand Island on Saturday for the horse sale to be held there Tuesday. The former is meeting with success in his business, that of buying mules and horses.

120 Years Ago, 1902

The St. Paul Milling Company put on a night force of men Thursday night and are now running full time in order to catch up with the orders.

The new odor “La Sylva” has sprung into great popularity with persons of a discriminating taste. It is having a sale that proves highly satisfactory to buyers. Only at Wilson’s Drug Store.

130 Years Ago, 1892

There are so many people sick and ailing this winter that it is impossible to enumerate them. And it is safe to remark that the doctors have been on the jump. On account of the presence of diphtheria in town, the fair and dinner to have been given by the ladies of the M. E. Church on Thanksgiving was postponed indefinitely.

140 Years Ago, 1882

We are pleased to learn of the location of a new bank at the place to be known as the Farmer’s Bank, of St. Paul, under the management of G.E. Leanord, cashier...It is to be located for the present in the Dworak building which is being fitted up for the purpose.