Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, September 2, 1948
• The faculty of 13 teachers is now completed, nine high school and four elementary teachers. There is one more than last year in the elementary grades. The most recent addition to the staff is Mrs. Kathryn Metcalf from Fargo and she will be the new home economics teacher. Mr. Warren Johnson of Wadena will head the industrial arts and farm shop departments and will also teach biology. Mr. Donovan Adamek of Cushing will teach mathematics to the seventh, eighth and ninth grade; and geometry and chemistry. He will also supervise the school patrol. Others new on the Verndale faculty this year are Miss Irene Wibbels and Mrs. Loretta.
• The Verndale baseball club won the Northern Lakes league championship from a stubborn Ottertail nine last Sunday afternoon at Deer Creek before an exceptionally large crowd. Going into the ninth, Verndale was trailing 3-2 when E. Seaton, first man up, singled, Mike Beaver next up went down swinging, and McRoberts next up for three bases to score E. Seaton with the tying run. Pete Beaver next up hit a hot grounder to J. Bush at second who bobbled it for the only error of the game and let McRoberts in with a winning run. Verndale won the championship of the league 4-3.
• Julius Gadaire, while fishing with Louie Suddendorf and Dave Spicer on First Crow Wing Lake last Thursday, had the good fortune of getting a 9 1/2 pound walleye pike. And is he ever happy about it.
• The Verndale Fire Department was called to the Mrs. Florence Anderson residence on Monday afternoon about five to put out a fire in back of their home. A pile of old roofing paper, that had been removed when they re-roofed their house recently, had become ignited and was threatening other buildings.
40 Years Ago, August 31, 1983
• The last of the 100-year-old trees in McNair Park fell to the ground last week, courtesy of Jerry Hokanson of Minnesota Power. Five elm trees, which have graced McNair Park for many years, fell victim to Dutch Elm Disease and had to be removed.
• Approximately 425-430 students will pass through as the doors of the Verndale Public School swing open for the 1983-84 year. This is estimated be about the same as last year, with some leaving and new students arriving to take their places. There have been a few changes in the faculty this year. Ms. Linda Johnson of Staples has been hired as the new secondary SLD instructor and Richard Muckala of New York Mills will replace Warren Kahler in the ag department to be shared part-time with Wadena. Still in the works is sharing a counselor part-time with Bertha-Hewitt School.
• New Tops Queen for the last three months (April-May-June) was crowned at last week’s meeting. She was Lillian, Mrs. Don Sommar, who had reached her goal of losing 25 pounds through lots of hard work and counting calories. The best part of it was her husband’s delight and encouragement. Donna Van Evera relinquished the crown earned the previous three months. The local Tops Club, which meets at the community center every Tuesday evening, entertained the Hewitt Tops Club here this week.
• Les Bain of rural Verndale who still uses horses to till the soil on his Bartlett Township farm because he loves working with horses, used a four-horse hitch to break ground with a double plow through extremely dry turf at the England Prairie Club site during their threshing days this past weekend. Three young colts accompanied their mothers back and forth as the ground was broken, sometimes hindering progress by getting in the way. Because there has been little appreciable rain this month, there was no moisture in the overturned soil, making it an extremely dirty task.
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