From the Dayton Chronicle archives

Ten Years Ago

December 16, 2009

Columbia County Health Systems has recently signed a three-year contract with a new Physician’s Assistant who will be on staff at the Columbia Family Clinic.

Army Pfc. Joshua J. Berdar has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is the son of Shelley Berdar of S. Old Schafer Road, Spokane, Wash., and grandson of Ileen Patrick of Dayton.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

December 14, 1994

Betty Ann Fletcher, Columbia County Auditor, was thrown a retirement party on Thursday, as she will be leaving the courthouse at the end of the year.

The Green Giant Cannery is now a Seneca Foods facility. The local plant will continue to can Green Giant-labeled products for Pillsbury Company, a subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan PLC of England, it was announced last Thursday.

Eric Thorn presented the Conservation Farmer of the Year award to Chuck, Dottie, Julia and Skip Mead. The history of this operation has spanned the time from true horsepower, through stream, gas, and finally diesel power.

Fifty Years Ago

December 18, 1969

Tom Hutchens, graduate of Dayton High School Class of 1969 and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Hutchens, is now in basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

Marine Private First Class Bill L. Segraves, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Segraves, is serving with Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 10 at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Ariz.

Mrs. Ned (Maryjo) Porter and Mrs. Harvey (Antoinette) Frye, owners and operators of Melinda’s Women’s Shop in Dayton, who has been in business for the past ten years, announced this week they are retiring from business and will be closing the Main Street firm.

Dr. W. W. Day was presented his 50-year membership pin, Thursday evening December 11, from Master Richard Jones, of Dayton Lodge No. 26, F&AM.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

December 14, 1944

Hundreds of German soldiers, captured in the Allied drive across France and into the Reich, jammed the decks of Coast Guard-manned troop transports headed for America. The prisoners of war will be held in internment camps in the United States until peace clears the way for their return to their home land.

Sacks of wheat have been shipped to Italy by the Allied government. Refugees from St. Nazaire, France, are received d their share of food.

Ernie Pyle, war correspondent, Slant on the War: Fighter Pilots Are Forgotten Men Despite Their Brilliant Work. This dispatch was written and first published when Ernie Pyle was with the GIs during the air battles in French North Africa.

One Hundred Years Ago

December 13, 1919

J. P. O’Brien has issued the following instructions to all agents of railroads and the general public. “In order to conserve coal to the greatest possible extent, effective at once, coal dealers are directed to confine delivery of coal as follows: 1. Army, Navy, or branches of federal government. 2. State, county, municipal institutions and private hospitals. 3. Public utilities. 4. Public buildings. 5 Cold storage, 6 Creameries. 7. Refineries of Petroleum.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

December, 1894

Warden Coblentz Sought Oblivion Rather Than Face His Record. Walla Walla, Dec. 8–The whole community was thrown into a fever of excitement at about 6 o’clock to-night, when it became known that J. Coblentz, ex-warden of the penitentiary, had ended his life rather than face the humiliation of answering to the charge of theft of the state’s property.