Looking Back - 1962: Dress code for girls changed in Edgerton

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One year ago

JBS employees raised $60,556 for the United Way of Nobles County. Company officials said they planned to raise the goal for next year’s donation to $65,000.

Worthington Police Officer Chris Hillesheim visited the Sanford Medical Center cafeteria to present a letter of appreciation and a Blue Chip Award to John Csobor for the help he provided authorities earlier in the month. Csobor, a Sanford maintenance employee, was instrumental in helping officers with a search of the premises after a lockdown of the facility.

Two Sunday barn fires left several dogs dead in rural Edgerton and killed more than 1,800 pigs on a farm outside Melvin, Iowa.

Worthington dairy producers Rita and Joe Vander Kooi, along with their two children, were the newest faces to be featured in the Farmers Feed Us campaign that educates consumers about the people who grow their food.

Whitney Coriolan, a Worthington High School sophomore, was named the 2011 Winterfest Snow Queen during Winterfest weekend activities in Worthington. In another Winterfest activity, more than 60 jumpers participating in the Deep Freeze Dip raised over $40,000 for Honor Flight Southwest Minnesota.

Five years ago

Gary Hoffman received the Community Service Award at the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce’s 76th annual meeting. Sterling Drug was honored with the “Worthington is a Winner” award for its total quality customer service.

The first measurable snowfall of 2007 fell Jan. 14 and 15, but the area’s snowfall total was still 11.8 inches below the average for this time of year. At the same point in 2006, snowfall had totaled 24 inches. The average winter snowfall total for this part of Minnesota is 35 inches.

A gift of $40,577.20 from Swift & Co. employees boosted the 2006-07 United Way campaign total to $120,462.06, still shy of its $135,000.

A new phone scam was reported in the area, and the Worthington Police Department was warning consumers to be alert. The scam involved a caller claiming to represent a telephone provider and needing a credit card number in order to keep phone service intact.

10 years ago

Classes were due to resume Jan. 28 at Southwest State University, Marshall, after damage from a Jan. 2 fire affecting a food service building was cleaned up. An October fire had also caused more than $500,000 damage to the individual learning center on campus.

A recent survey of youth alcohol use in Nobles/Rock counties was being used to plan strategies to curb the number of teenage drinkers.

The ISD 518 board of directors was facing the difficult task of cutting $650,000 from its budget for the next academic year, due to the failure of a Nov. 6 excess levy referendum.

Citing what they saw as a lack of support for their decisions, half of the 10 board members of the Lake Shetek Area Sewer and Water Commission had decided to discontinue their service.

A K-Kids Club was established at Worthington’s Prairie Elementary school with the help of the local Early Risers Kiwanis Club.

25 years ago

Tracy Rohloff of Jackson High School was the Daily Globe Athlete of the Week for her success in gymnastics competition.

A teen center, called 4th Avenue, opened for “fun and frolic” for Windom teens earlier this month. The center was funded by a newly formed nonprofit corporation called Windom Teens, Inc.

Dr. Jo Pertz resigned as president of Worthington Community College, effective in June. Pertz began her official duties in July 1984, replacing President Fred Voda.

Jim Vortherms, manager of Moll Implement Inc. of Worthington, helped the dealership win the “Circle of Excellence” award for sales of consumer products in 1986. The award recognized the dealership as one of the top among 3,000 John Deere consumer products dealers nationwide.

50 years ago

A truck, bearing more than $1,000,000 worth of IBM machines en route from Chicago to San Francisco, was struck from the rear by a passenger car on Highway 16 near Adrian. The car’s driver, Florian Bullerman of Adrian, received minor injuries in the accident.

Break-ins continued to plague Rock County authorities. Thieves pried open the door to Ripley’s Service Station just north of Luverne on Hwy. 75 Sunday night, making off with between $15 and $20 in cash from the till and five cartons of cigarettes. In the last three weeks, more than a dozen break-ins had been reported in the southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa area.

Officials in the Edgerton school system modified their ban on the wearing of slacks to school by girls. Prompting the change of hearts was an incident last week when Faye Ruda, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ruda, rural Edgerton, suffered frostbitten legs when her school bus became stuck in a snowdrift and did not pick her up in a timely manner. Faye began walking to meet the bus and suffered severe frostbite while wading through the snow.

75 years ago

Worthington’s second fire alarm in 1937 came about 10:30 a.m. Saturday from the office of the Atlas Lumber company, at the corner of 10th Street and Second Avenue, where an overheated chimney set fire to the celotex ceiling. When the first truck arrived a sheet of flame was licking at quite an expanse of the ceiling and wall, but the blaze was soon brought under control by use of the booster tank.

Fire Monday afternoon gutted the W. J. O’Hearn property one block west of Main Street, Ellsworth, commonly known as the former John Crowley home. For the past few months the house had been occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Egan, an elderly couple, who were at first unaware of the fire. It was first noticed by Gus Fixmer, a blacksmith who operated a shop near the Egan home. The entire top story and roof were burned and the rest of the building was gutted. Loss was estimated at over $4,000.

The Hotel Thompson, Worthington, was due to have remodeling begin on Feb. 1. The plan included a new grill and café and a new entrance. It was the aim to “set up an entirely new community standard in adornment and furnishing of the new café-grill…. Not the least attractive feature of the new dining room will be complete air-conditioning, so helpful towards comfort in midsummer dining.”

Tags: looking back, lifestyle, reminiscing, columns