April 23, 2024

Throwback Thursday

Creston senior Kelli McKee (30) looks for an open teammate with Candace Weeda (24) on the perimeter during a December 2006 girls' basketball game against Denison Schleswig. The Panthers fell, 38-29, and were in a third-place tie in the Hawkeye 10 at 4-3, and 5-3 overall. (CNA file)

Today is Dec. 29, the 364th day of the year. It’s a leap year. So, there are two days left in 2016. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Dec. 26-Jan. 1) in history:

10 years ago

On Dec. 29, 2006, Mary Moore, the long-time city clerk left her post and retired after serving 22 years through three mayors, three city managers and countless Creston City Council members. Moore started in 1984 with a part-time, four-hour-per-week position that evolved into eight-hours per week by the end of that year. By August 1985, she became a full-time employee for the city. Through the years, she had developed her own filing system that she was teaching the new city clerk, Lisa Williamson, for the past month.

Former President Gerald R. Ford died at 93. He was the nation’s 38th president, and the only one not elected to the office or the vice presidency. Ford, known as the accidental president, had been a Michigan Republican elected to Congress 13 times before becoming the first appointed vice president in 1973 after Spiro Agnew left amid scandal. Ford was Richard Nixon’s hand-picked successor. He declared “Our long national nightmare is over” as he replaced Nixon, but doomed his own chances of reelection by pardoning the disgraced Nixon.

Union County Sheriff Rick Piel knew his daughter Casee would carry on a family tradition after she graduated from the Iowa Police Academy. Casee was hired by Marshalltown Police Department, making her a third-generation law enforcement officer following her father and grandfather, Ron Piel, a retired Iowa State Patrol officer.

20 years ago

Kay Swan, 40, one of three field representatives with Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission, had spent more than three years of planning for Statehood Day, the last day of a yearlong party celebrating Iowa’s 150th birthday. Swan, born in Creston and living in Waukee, was excited for the day, but after so much planning was sad it was over. Thousands of people were expected to attend the free events at the State Historical Building and State Capital with 3,000 on hand for a birthday party at the Des Moines Convention Center.

Easter’s Family Center, 108 W. Townline Road, was planning a new look in the upcoming 1997 year. According to manager Richard Ginther, the 32,000-square-foot building would undergo a total interior and exterior remodeling project beginning mid-January with completion expected in the spring. It would include a new full-service floral department, sit-down deli with room for 35 diners, paint shop with computerized color matching and a full-service video shop.

Phil Franklin of Afton celebrated with co-workers at his retirement party at the Union County Engineers office. Franklin had served Union County for 31 years as a motor grader operator.

50 years ago

Colored motion pictures taken during the junior-senior banquet, prom and Crestubilee from May were shown for the first time in the Creston High School auditorium. The movies were taken throughout the spring evening and showed all the activities of the gala night. The holiday showing was arranged so the previous year’s seniors who were attending college would see the movies while they were home for Christmas vacation.

Steve McCann was featured as Panther senior forward. McCann had seen considerable service for the Panthers doing a good job of rebounding and scoring. Doug Rall was featured as assist specialist. Rall had been a top performer all season for the Panthers leading the Hawkeye Seven in assists the past season in 1965 and keeping the pace during the current season.