Ark Valley News - Looking Back

Looking Back
Last Updated: April 26, 2018

55 years ago

Approximately 10,000 people attended the first drag races at M-N Raceway southwest of Valley Center. Raceway manager Glenn Terry of Valley Center called the opening event a success with about 400 cars entered in the competition classes.

Pfc. Daryl D. Engel, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Engel of Valley Center, was assigned to Headquarters Company as an assistant to the entertainment director of special services. Engel graduated from Valley Center High School in 1962 and entered the Army in July 1962.

45 years ago

Susan Bozeman, a graduate of Fort Hays State Teacher's college, was a math teacher and assistant coach for girls tennis, basketball and track at Valley Center High School.

The West Elementary sixth-grade class presented the music program “Cherrie of Cherokee Road." Special thanks went to third-grade teacher Judy Dellinger who painted the scenery used in the program. Thanks also to Mr. Dumler, Doris Riggs, Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Moore, Mr. Parker and Stephanie Warren, all of whom assisted in the preparation of this program.

40 years ago

Drumco closed its doors after OSHA inspectors found violations that would have cost owner Robert Siebert $20,000 to $25,000 to correct. In November, a two-man inspection team cited his business for too much smoke in the building. His employees would need to wear OSHA-approved masks to work in the conditions that were found.

Les Anderson purchased The Ark Valley News and Maize This Week newspapers from Terry Kalp. During the time leading up to when he would take over publication, Anderson brought in WSU students from his community journalism class so they could get direct publication experience in all aspects of newspaper production — from selling ads and writing stories to paste up and addressing.

35 years ago

Rod Tormey and Cheryl Arnold were winners of the Carl Searcy and Jeanne Daniels awards as the best senior athletes at Valley Center High School. Steve Taylor and Janna McKay were winners of the first Jay Elliott award for most inspirational boy and girl athletes.

Five of Valley Center's entries in the state music festival at Kansas Newman College earned “I" ratings. They were Michelle Faulk, Julie Adrian and Jeff Eastman for vocal solos; and Steve Hatfield for a marimba solo and a trumpet trio. Earning “II" ratings were Jolene Dellinger with a vocal solo and the school's brass choir, woodwind choir and band.

30 years ago

Jeff Eastman, son of Harold and Carolyn Eastman, and Scott Lytton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney James Lytton, all of Valley Center, appeared in the Wichita State University production of the musical “The Threepenny Opera" in Wilner Auditorium.

Valley Center's Jamie Knight, a senior at Friends University, was awarded a $25,000 Elizabeth B. Koch Fellowship to attend the Juilliard School of Music in New York. A graduate of Valley Center High School, Knight had won numerous piano and music awards. He would present his senior piano recital in the Whittier Fine Arts Center at Friends.

25 years ago

Valley Center High School graduate Alan Schroeder's film on the “Class of ‘72" would air on KPTS-TV. Schroeder brought several students with him for his 20th high school class reunion last summer. The students filmed the reunion and spent a week in the Valley Center area interviewing VCHS grads. The final version included interviews with Bev Armstrong, Nancy Scriven, and Les Anderson, plus classmates Linda Lackey Yoakum and Randy Jackson of Valley Center, Randy Brucker of Hot Springs Village, Ark., and Cheryl Forbes of San Diego.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class William G. Huster, son of William L. and Zelda Y. Huster of rural Valley Center, returned aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger from a six-month deployment to the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean to enforce the United Nations' no-fly zone over southern Iraq.

20 years ago

Amanda Stevens, daughter of Greg and Jeannie Stevens of rural Valley Center, was featured at a special senior recital performance at Valley Center Assembly of God Church. Stevens was accompanied by pianist Barbara Puckett. She would graduate from WSU with a bachelor's degree in music education in the fall and planned to teach high school choir.

Howard Woods sold his business, Valley Trash Service, to Waste Management. He sold his business, which he owned for 25 years, because he believed he could no longer compete with the larger waste-disposal businesses, and he wanted to take a much-needed break from work to spend more time with his family.

15 years ago

Lance Cpl. Patrick Rader, son of K.C. and Debbie Rader of Valley Center, completed the M1A1 tank systems mechanic course with the Marine Corps detachment at the U.S. Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, Ky. A 2002 graduate of Valley Center High School, Rader was based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., with the 2nd tank battalion, 2nd Marine division.

The Valley Center High School golf team took first out of nine teams at a tournament in El Dorado. Coach Mike McCormick was pleased with the improvement the guys made and encouraged them to stay focused on a regular basis during play.

10 years ago

Kristen McCune, a senior at Valley Center High School, won first place in the annual Congressional Art Competition: An Artistic Discovery with a pencil drawing titled “Seaside Reflections." The competition invites art students in various congressional districts across the country to compete for a chance to have their art displayed at the U.S. Capitol for a year. Southwest Airlines would provide three complimentary round-trip tickets to Washington, D.C. for McCune and her family to view her artwork. She would meet with Congressman Todd Tiahrt after graduation to receive her award.

Valley Center firefighters were able to contain and extinguish a pile of brush and trash that caught fire near the railroad tracks west of the grain elevator and along the spur tracks running toward Birch before it had affected any structure. Fire Chief Lonnie Tormey said the pile of debris had been along the tracks for several years and he wasn't sure how it caught fire.

5 years ago

Students from Frances Sloan's Mobile Music Studio presented a program for Sandpiper Nursing Home residents. Valley Center students performing were Sarah Montelongo, voice and piano; MacKenna Tennyson and Bayli Tennyson, and Audrey Viele, piano; and Emily Newton, Garrett Rogers and Rebecca Newton, flute.

Rachael DeGarmo was serving as an intern for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in Washington, D.C. A 2010 graduate of Valley Center High School, DeGarmo was a senior at Wichita State University working toward a bachelor's degree in political science. After graduation she planned to work in the public sector.