Ark Valley News - Looking Back

Looking Back
Last Updated: May 28, 2015

50 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey F. German of Valley Center celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with an open house at the Canton Grade School. Mr. and Mrs. Wilber Greenwood of Canton, parents of Mrs. German, celebrated their 50th anniversary at the same time.

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Smith, Wichita, announced the engagement of their daughter, Rita Rozell, to Quillin Porter, son of Mr. and Mrs. James L. Porter, Valley Center. Miss Smith was to have graduated from Wichita High School South. She was employed with the Board of Education in Wichita. Mr. Porter was a 1963 graduate of Valley Center High School. He attended Wichita State University and was employed as the sports editor of The Coffeyville Journal.

45 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Middleton of Wichita announced the engagement of their daughter, Vicki Sue, to Lloyd Edward Sayler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sayler of Wichita. Miss Middleton is a 1970 graduate of Valley Center High School and planned to attend Professional Beauty College. Her fiancé is a 1969 graduate of Valley Center High School. He was employed in Wichita and planned to attend Wichita State University this fall.

Mr. and Mrs. Doyle H. Box of Everett, Wash., announced the engagement of their daughter, Linda Delia, to Michael Ray Freed, son of Mr. and Mrs. Doyle Eaton of Valley Center. Miss Box was a junior at Wichita State University. He was employed by Larry Rowley.

40 years ago

Featured Grandma of the week was Mrs. Lula Maye Bachelder of Valley Center. Her grandchildren were Dana, 9, and Brian Bachelder, 7, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Bachelder of Lawrence.

Mrs. Earnestine Bankowsky and Alison from Sheridan, N.Y. were guests of Mrs. Olive Basore. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Basore and Chris of Denver, Colo., were weekend guests of Mrs. Olive Basore and John. Mr. and Mrs. Jean Basore of Wichita, Mrs. Steve Reynolds and Teri Lee and Todd; Mr. and Mrs. David Basore, Dari and Michael Basore of Wichita; Mr. and Mrs. Dick Sutphin and Kim; Mrs. Olive Basore and John and Tony Wilbur attended a picnic at the Lee Johnson's.

35 years ago

It didn't take county law enforcement officers long to track down Robert B. Bales following an armed robbery at Twin Lakes State Bank. Bales, 20, of rural Valley Center was arraigned in district court and charged with aggravated robbery in connection with the holdup. Judge Tyler Lockett set bond at $50,000.

Dan Wilson, son of James and Joy Wilson, Wichita, was been admitted to Friends University. A 1980 graduate of Valley Center High School, he planned to major in chemistry.

30 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Lanny Shirk announced the birth of their son, Zachary Jordon, May 6. He was 21 inches long and weighed 8 pounds, 2 1/2 ounces. Grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Lester Shirk of Sedgwick and Col. and Mrs. Basil Gregories of Riverside, Calif. Great-grandparents are Mrs. Albert Purkey and Mrs. Edith Shirk both of Sedgwick, Mary Jordan of Steward, Fla., and Mr. and Mrs. Sytros Gregories of Manchester, N.H.

Jamie Lyn Shrauner and Paul J. Lee were married last month at Paradise Valley Methodist Church in Phoenix, Ariz. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Billy Hunt of Topeka, uncle of the bride. The bride is the daughter of Virgil and Judy Shrauner of Phoenix and the granddaughter of Anne Fry. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lee of Canada. Matron of honor was Janice Konderick. Attendants were Shawn Blanton, Laura Pietz and Kathy Norwocyk. Best man was Mark Lee, brother of the groom. Groomsmen were Richard Rodriguez, Mike Shrauner and Brian Shrauner, Brothers of the bride. A reception followed the ceremony at Mountain Shadows Resort. Attending from Valley Center were Mr. and Mrs. Don Korber. The groom was employed by the Phoenix Sports Clinic as a soccer consultant, and the bride was employed by Sunland Marine Inc.

25 years ago

Sedgwick County prosecutors filed charges in state court against two Texas residents in connection with the shooting of a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper and the kidnapping of a Valley Center woman. Maurice G. Kimsey, 47, and Robert "Bubba" L. Swanson, 57, remained at large. Highway Patrol Sgt. George Westfall said he believed the pair was "heading for home in Texas."

Tammy Cole, Valley Center, was among 78 Butler County Community College students honored during the Order of the Purple banquet. Honorees were recognized as students outstanding in scholarship, leadership, service and character.

20 years ago

Valley Center's new post office building, planned for four years and approved for nearly that long, won't be built for a while. Jurisdiction over the postal region in Kansas and other Midwest states recently changed from Denver, Colo., to Kansas City, Mo. With the transfer of jurisdiction comes another review process that will take time, said a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson.

"Granny" Meg Stauffer was the guest of honor at an 80th birthday celebration at the First United Methodist Church. The event was be hosted by her children: Jim Stauffer of El Dorado, Sue Swender of Newton and Mary Jane Stauffer of Topeka.

15 years ago

City Administrator Tim Johnson would have been looking for a new job after the Bel Aire City Council decided in a split vote not to reappoint him. After a total of 1 1/2 hours in closed session to confer with City Attorney Lee Parker, the council voted 3-2 not to reappoint Johnson. All other city officials were reappointed by a unanimous vote.

Ron and Janie McAllister of Valley Center announced the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Breanna, to Jeff Blanton, son of Dave and Phyllis Blanton. The bride-elect is a 1999 graduate of Valley Center High School. She was a student at Butler County Community College and was employed at Bartel's True Value. The prospective groom is a 1997 graduate of VCHS. He was attending Wichita Vocational Techinical School and worked at Executive Aircraft Corp. The couple planned an Aug. 12 wedding at St. Jude Catholic Church.

10 years ago

The Kechi City Council discussed locations for a new police station during a recent meeting. Council members heard from Brandon Wilson of Spangenberg Philips Architecture, who reviewed four options. The council has considered whether to keep the department near Presley's Conoco on Oliver, move it to the old City Hall on Kechi Road or construct a new building.

Ralph and Chariss Duncan announced the engagement of their daughter, Emily Nicole, to Aaron Same Foster of Provo, Utah. The bride-elect is a 2003 graduate of Valley Center High School. She was a junior health science major at Brigham Young University in Provo. The prospective groom is the son of Steve and Susy Westphal and Sam and Maria Foster, all of Utah. He was employed by Heritage Music.

5 years ago

Poised to put a cellphone ban on the back burner this week, the Valley Center City Council instead agreed to return it to the agenda. The council voted 7-1 to consider an ordinance that would prohibit the use of cellphones while driving. The vote came despite city staff's recommendation to take a wait-and-see approach with the state's recently approved ban on texting while driving.

Megan Thornton received a doctorate degree in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of Kansas. She planned to teach Spanish at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. Thornton, a 1994 Valley Center High School graduate, is the daughter of Rick Thornton of Valley Center and the late Jeanette Thornton.