Ark Valley News - Looking Back

Looking Back
Last Updated: April 09, 2015

50 years ago

Roy E. Meyer won an award at the convention of the Kansas Professional Photographers Association Inc. with his photograph of two small girls.

Nina Bishop, a VCHS senior, was awarded a $450 full scholarship to the Professional Beauty College in the Parklane Shopping Center, Wichita. Nina is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Bishop, of Wichita.

45 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Williams J. Clark of Wichita announced the engagement of their daughter, Phyllis Kay, to Lance Cpl. Patrick Jay Kelly, son of Mr. and Mrs. K.J. Kelly of Valley Center. The bride-elect attended Wichita State University and was employed by J.C. Penny's.  Patrick also attended Wichita State and was serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam.

Mr. and Mrs. R.G. Fanter of Perkins, Ill., announced the birth of a 9-pound, 1-ounce son, Charles Andrew, April 1, 1970, at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Ill. Mrs. Fanter is the former Janice Charles Frazee.

40 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Harold V. Myrtle, Wichita, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with an open house at the home of their son, James D. Myrtle, in Wichita. Harold and Annabell were married April 18, 1925, in Topeka. They had lived in the Wichita area for 35 years. Harold was employed by Beech Aircraft Corp. prior to his retirement. Annabell was employed by McCormick-Armstrong Co. Hosts included the couple's children and their families: Mr. Walter (Dorothy) Zackula, Independence, Mo.; Mr. Mickie (Mary) Spencer, Valley Center; and  James D. Myrtle and Harold L. Myrtle, both of Wichita. The couple had 20 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Sgt. and Mrs. Lawrence Yoakum Jr. announced the birth of a son, Lawrence Bradley III, born April 3 and weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces. Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Harmon of Valley Center are the maternal grandparents, and Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence B. Yoakum Sr. of Valley Center are the paternal grandparents. Sgt. Yoakum is presently serving in the U.S. Air Force and is stationed in Taiwan, while Mrs. Yoakum is living with her parents.

35 years ago

It's going to cost more to swim at the Valley Center Swimming Pool this summer as the city's  Recreation Commission voted unanimously to raise the rates for both daily and season passes. City Clerk Phil Nelson suggested the increases.

E-1 Todd A. Rasmussen, a 1979 graduate of Valley Center High School, recently completed his training at a Naval base in San Diego, Calif., where he was a squad leader and member of the marching staff. He was going to attend a Navy training school in Meridian, Miss., where he was studying to be a personnelman. Rasmussen is the son of Clem and Judy Rasmussen and Bob and Carolyn Stanek, all of Valley Center.

30 years ago

The U.S. D. 262 Board of Education accepted the resignation of Valley Center High School football coach and athletic director Bill Ham and voted not to renew the contracts of assistant football coaches Jeff Camp and Jerry Stuckert.

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Siemens of Valley Center and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Stahl of Cedar Point announced the engagement of their children, Russell Wade and Carla Marie. The bride-elect was to have graduated from Friends University and planned to teach. Siemens also attended Friends.

25 years ago

President Bush paused from a hectic schedule of pop stars, Russian dignitaries and safe boaters to greet Valley Center model airplane hobbiest Arlo Schroeder and accept a replica of the Grumman bomber Bush was shot down in during World War II. Sandwiched between Michael Jackson and Secretary of State James Baker, Schroeder met briefly with Bush in the Oval Office to give him the scratch-built model and reminisce about their Navy duty in the Pacific in 1944. Both men served in Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers — Bush as a pilot and Schroeder as a gunner.

Steve and Janice Peters of Augusta announced the birth of a son, Steven Charles, on March 29. He weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce. The Peterses also have a son, Matthew, and a daughter Jenny. Grandparents are Lee and Virginia Delaugder of Augusta and Charles and Charlotte Peters of Valley Center. Great-grandmother is Treva Peters of Valley Center.

20 years ago

Park City entered into an agreement with several other towns and rural water districts in a search for an alternative to water from wells and the City of Wichita. The newly elected Park City Council voted 6-2 to join Public Wholesale Water Supply District No. 14. The district formed late last year to study the possibility of building a pipeline system from El Dorado Lake west to towns and rural areas along highways 254 and 296.

Aron Dunn of Valley Center, son of Richard and Cindy Dunn, was recognized as an honor student in the school of business at Emporia State University during the annual honors banquet.

15 years ago

The man charged with the murder of Janice Vredenburg had a violent past. Tanner L. Green's criminal record began when he was 16 and includes an attack on an inmate in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. Green was charged with first-degree murder and was being held on a $500,000 bond.

Gary and Judy Long of Valley Center announced the engagement of their daughter, Diane, to Jereme House, the son of Betty House of Wichita and Rodger House of Isabel. The bride-to-be graduated from Valley Center High School in 1996. She was a senior at Kansas State University and planned to graduate with a degree in elementary education. She was to have been employed at People's Bank in Pratt. Her fiancé graduated from Pratt High School in 1995. He was a December 1999 graduate of K-State with a degree in agriculture economics. He farmed with his dad in the Pratt area.

10 years ago

Developer Dan Claassen approached the Park City Council about building a housing addition on land intended for a private airport. Claassen had wanted to build an airport on property he had options to buy located between Broadway and the interstate and between 85th North and 101st North.

Lacy McKown and Pfc. Michael Shields announced their engagement and approaching marriage. The bride-elect is the daughter of Carol and Doug Trent of Sedgwick and Marvyn McKown of Hutchinson. She is the granddaughter of Ernestine Fuller of Valley Center, Don and Norma Trent of Mullinville, and the late Dennis O'Fuller and Delbert and Gladys McKown. She was a graduate of Valley Center High School and was a junior majoring in business administration at Friends University. The prospective groom is the son of Randy Shields of Valley Center and Michele Shields of Wichita. He is the grandson of Ervin and Betty Shields of Wichita, Peggy of Wichita and the late Verle Patchett. He was a graduate of Valley Center High School and was a U.S. Marine stationed at Camp LeJeune, N.C., awaiting deployment to Iraq.

5 years ago

The Valley Center school district's staff was shrinking as officials looked for ways to trim expenses for the 2010-11 school year. The school board unanimously agreed not to renew contracts with five non-tenured teachers. It also cut the School Resources Officer program and laid off a family and consumer science teacher. "This is something the board doesn't want to do," said board president Dave Spears.

Sean A. Snavely graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week programs. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associates in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. The son of Mark Snavely of Valley Center, he is a 2008 graduate of Valley Center High School.