Ten Years Ago

December 23, 1998

There was an exotic traffic obstruction on Griffin Avenue last Wednesday evening. Police received reports of everything from elk to ponies prancing down the road. “It was like Noah’s ark,” said police Lt. Eric Sortland. The animal turned out to be an oryx, an antelope native to the Sahara Desert of Africa. It’s owners are the Thomas family which has a farm across Roosevelt Avenue from McDonald’s.

Ad: We’re having a birthday! Enumclaw Community Memorial Hospital will be celebrating 50 years of service to our communities.

Basketball games are often won in the fourth quarter, but the Enumclaw Hornets won their game in the first quarter Thursday night. Enumclaw blew out to an 18-0 lead after the first eight minutes of play against Auburn Riverside in a South Puget Sound League North Division game inside Chuck Smith Gymnasium. The Hornets cruised in the final three quarters to come away with a 63-44 win over the Ravens.

Twenty-five Years Ago

December 22, 1983

Mark and Heidi Muelbauer found Monday afternoon that all it takes to have fun is a little snow and a plastic dish. And the fun, at least for the kids, should continue as the National Weather Service is calling for more snow this week and even the possibility of a white Christmas. Anyone going outside had better bundle up, however, because the temperatures are expected to drop into the teens and possibly lower.

Mary Mihelick celebrated her 91st birthday on Dec. 16 at the Enumclaw Community Cen-ter. She is a lifetime resident of Enummclaw and, according to her friends, she still bakes a very yummy apple strudel.

Rod Zumwalt, an eighth-grade student at White River Middle School, finished in the top three among students competing in a current events contest hosted by KING 5 Television recently. Zumwalt also got a tour of the TV studio and met many TV personalities there. Rod has also competed in spelling bees in the past. He is presently active in wrestling and football. His parents are Clyde and Barbara Zumwalt.

Fifty Years Ago

December 25, 1958

As an aftermath of the recent parochial school fire in Chicago which claimed the lives of nearly 100 children, school authorities all over the nation have been taking a hard and appraising look at the hundreds of thousands of school buildings, to make sure that nothing has been left undone that would add to the safety of the children. Enumclaw has been no exception to this reappraisal of safety in the case of fire.

The School of Medicine at the University of Washington this week announced that Arlene Ness, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Devere Liane of Enumclaw, has been accepted for entrance. Miss Ness, an honor graduate of Enumclaw High School, will begin her studies next September. She is presently a senior pre-medical student at the university and will receive the degree of bachelor of science in zoology in June. Only 75 students are accepted by the School of Medicine out of some 450 applications for admission received annually.

Seventy-five Years Ago

December 22, 1933

For the ninth year, the members of the Scandinavian Fraternity have chosen Dr. C.V. Englund to lead that organization. Other officers elected were George Nelson, Mrs. Laura Knudson, Mrs. Lena Hanson, Astrid Anderson, Harry Johnson, Dagney Slott, Edel Kamp, Mrs. A. Hermanson, Oscar Sandness, and Mrs. Carl Storhow. The meeting committee was composed of Harold Hanson, Mrs. Pete Koidal, Martin Strom, Pete Koidal and Dr. Englund.

From Buckley: Miss Alice Jones was elected worthy matron of the Mt. Rainier Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, with other officers elected including Melvin Olene, Mrs. Sue Whitney, Cecil Stewart, Mrs. Jessie Riggs, Mrs. Wyvette Peterson and Mrs. Doris Olene.

Ernie Kochevar, student at the University of Washington, is spending the holidays with his parents here.

The basketball squad numbers 23 for the initial jaunt of the season to Bothell with McLeod, Dzurick, Solway, Janikula the likely starters for El Tiger, but little Johnny Hanson, up from the second club, and Stanford Johnson are threatening to crowd their way into the starting lineup.