Looking Back: 1987 - Burchill named Worthington Community College president

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One year ago

Alan Oberloh, Worthington’s mayor, and his wife, Janice, were guests at a White House reception welcoming German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Oberlohs were suggested for the event by Minneapolis R. T. Rybak. Oberloh was one of five Minnesota mayors invited for the special event.

Certified yoga instructors Melissa Remme and Margaret Hurlbut Vosburgh prepared to lead a celebration of the summer solstice with an open yoga event. Originally scheduled for Sailboard Beach, inclement weather forced the event to be indoors at Worthington’s Memorial Auditorium.

The Fulda Wood Duck Celebration marked its 25th year.

The Missoula Children’s Theatre cast 18 Worthington area kids in a production of “The Tortoise and the Hare” at Worthington’s Memorial Auditorium.

Mark Riley and Joe Joswiac were two new patrol officers with the Worthington Police Department.

A lightning strike hit the Rock County law enforcement center mid-day Tuesday, knocking out phones, radios, the security system and the fire alarm panel. The strike came in the midst of a regional thunderstorm that dumped 3.1 inches of rain in Luverne, 4.05 inches in Tracy, 2.6 inches in Slayton and 1.32 inches in Worthington.

A new five-year contract between the city of Worthington and Schaap Sanitation was to result in an every other week schedule of recycling collection.

Five years ago

Worthington’s Prairie Elementary received a three-year, $240,000 Carol

White Physical Education Program award. The grant was to bring a new physical education curriculum through Project Fit of America, including an emphasis on childhood obesity reduction.

The Fulda Wood Duck Festival took place in the midst of the Murray County 150th anniversary celebration.

The third floor of the Nobles County Government Center was undergoing modifications to create much-needed space for Nobles-Rock Community Health Service’s WIC clinic.

Sheldon [Iowa] High School kicked off its summer theatre season, which included five shows on consecutive weekends from June 14 through July 14.

An Iona couple was killed in a one-vehicle rollover accident on the outskirts of Wilmont Thursday afternoon.

10 years ago

Playing this week at Worthington’s Northland Cinema 5 were “Scooby Doo,” “The Bourne Identity,” “Windtalkers,” “Bad Company,” and “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.”

Worthington’s Assemblies of God church hosted a “Sun ‘n Fun” event at Memorial Auditorium as part of its outreach ministry.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house took place at the new $19.6 million Prairie Justice Center in Worthington. The new facility was to be occupied and operational by July 1.

A Youth Leadership for Vital Communications initiative group was working to support youths in actions with positive impacts on the community. A billboard proclaiming “End Racism” was part of the efforts.

25 years ago

Attorney Bill Wetering joined the staff of Hedeen and Hughes, with law offices located at 421 10th St., Worthington. Wetering was a 1986 graduate of the University of South Dakota, Brookings, School of Law and had completed a judicial clerkship in Yankton, S.D.

More than 400 depositors and borrowers of the old First National Bank of Wilmont voiced their questions and concerns regarding the bank’s May 29 closing to officials Tuesday night at the Wilmont VFW hall. The 87-year-old bank was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and later purchased by the Farmers State Bank of Mountain Lake.

Conrad W. “Connie” Burchill was named president of Worthington Community College effective Aug. 1. Burchill was to replace Dr. Jo Pertz, who had been at WCC since July 1984. Burchill was currently president of Edison State Community College in Piqua, Ohio.

Advertised specials at the Worthington Hy-Vee store this week included kiwi fruit, three for $1; Hy-Vee three-ounce gelatin boxes, four for 88 cents; two two-pound bags of crinkle cut French fries for $1; a one-pound package of Blue Bonnet margarine, 33 cents; and beef round top round family steak, $3.39 a pound.

50 years ago

A 20-year-old Luverne man, the father of a three-month-old baby, died at Worthington Municipal Hospital from critical injuries received in a car-truck crash at the “Rushmore corner” on Highway 16 west of Worthington on Saturday afternoon. Five other persons were injured in the mishap, three of whom remained hospitalized at Arnold Memorial Hospital in Adrian two days later, mostly with injuries such as lacerations, contusions and multiple bruises. The crash involved a milk truck and a car.

Only one bid was received on a new fire truck to be housed in Worthington and used for rural fire protection. Action on the matter was tabled until a later meeting at which time it would be decided whether to accept the single bid or to reject it and call for new ones in hopes of attracting additional bidders.

Cathi Hoffman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. V. Hoffman, Sibley, was crowned Osceola County Dairy Princess.

Three Worthington residents received special honors at the regular Wednesday night Municipal Band concert in Chautauqua Park. All three were named honorary life members of the band in proclamations signed by director Richard Larson and Mayor John Fenstermacher. Honored were E.A. Durbahn, the retiring superintendent of Worthington public schools; Stanley Nelson, Nobles County clerk of court; and A. J. (Hap) Ehlers, former Worthington park superintendent.

75 years ago

Harper’s Beauty Shop, Worthington, advertised: “You need extra care for summer loveliness,” and offered “cool permanents, complexion aids, individual waves, eyebrow arches and eye treatments.”

Murray Hughes was chosen chairman and George Foster Moore secretary of the committee appointed last week by President Henry W. Shore of the Worthington Cemetery Association to proceed with the plans for the improvement of the city burial plot. The committee agreed to take the first steps toward acquiring two and a half to five acres of additional land.

Playing this week at Worthington’s State Theatre was “A Star is Born,” featuring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March.

Three persons received injuries of varying degrees of severity Sunday night in a head-on collision a half-mile north of Fulda on U.S. 59, in which a light pick-up truck belonging to Carl Wolf of Worthington and a Ford V-8 belonging to Henry McKieney of Marshall were involved. Neither machine was being driven by its owner. So severe was the impact that the truck was virtually doubled up, its front end buried in the road. The V-8 was also wrecked practically beyond repair.

In another accident this week, Harley Boicourt, 66, of Iona was instantly killed and his nephew, Claude Scott, 44, was severely injured when the car driven by Boicourt (Scott was a passenger) hurtled off the highway at about 11 p.m. and rolled several times on the road three miles east and three miles north of Adrian. The two were enroute to the Scott farm home near Iona after spending the day at Ashcreek.

Tags: looking back, lifestyle, reminiscing, coluns