Back in the Day-Feb. 14.2018
10 YEARS AGO
Feb. 19, 2008
Representative Chapin Rose asked a state agency for financial reimbursement for Tuscola and Mattoon for cost incurred while competing for the site of FutureGen. After the DOE pulled their funding, the two towns were left “holding the bag” for those expenses.
Mike Rogers, owner of Kelsey Furniture chose to retire after 27 years at the helm. His son-in-law Chad Hausmann took over the family business.
East Prairie fifth graders held a mock trial at the Douglas County Courthouse. Their “trial” was based on the book, “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry” by Mildred Taylor.
A Court of Honor banquet was held for Troop 80 Eagle Scout Joel Lee. TCHS senior and Eagle Scout Austen Schultz, also earned the highest scouting honor for his achievements with Troop 88.
TCHS DAR/SAR Good Citizens awards went Linda Romine and Matt Whittington. They were among 12 students to receive the award in Douglas County.
Warrior boys’ basketball won their game against Argenta-Oreana 70-41 on senior night. Seniors honored were basketball players Clayton Meyer, John Wienke, Blake Bassett, Zack Martin, Dane Winn, and Travis Surma; cheerleaders Alyssa Gordon and Kammy Kinyoun; pompon girls Anna Marx and Meghan Teak; band members Sean Higgins, Christina Meyer, Jessica Lee, Brooke Miller, Joel Hilgendorf, Tyler Sapp, and Colin Mosley.
Lady Warriors won their sectional tournament game against Shiloh, 63-57. Kelsi Hoey was the leading scorer and also advanced to state for the three-point shootout.
Ag teacher Callie Parr and her students had many activities planned for Ag Week. Among these was a dinner to show appreciation to the supporters of the high school ag organization.
20 YEARS AGO
Feb. 17, 1988
Tuscola Main Street Design Committee planned a facelift for downtown. They talked about a mini park on the corner of South Central and South Main, on the west side of the Kelsey Furniture warehouse. There was also talk of a streetscape, new sidewalks, and downtown building improvements.
Bob’s Super Service’s renovations were near completion. Renovations included a weather canopy, new tank liner, pumps, and improved service bay.
Kyle Wierman and Heidi Stilwell won many awards at the Decatur Area Sunburst USA Pageant. Kyle received runner up in the boys 2- to 3-year-old age group. Stilwell took first place in the ladies 14- to 17-year-old division.
Justin Snyder and Becky Wetzel were chosen for the Tuscola DAR/SAR award.
East Prairie Middle School hosted a spelling bee. Tuscola contestants were Travis Evans, Tyrel Ledbetter, Lisa Ogden, and Holly Nichols.
Lady Warriors beat Villa Grove in the regional opener, 61-48. Leading scorers were Becka Stephenson and Janeen Sutherland.
Senior Warriors were recognized prior to their game against Shiloh on Senior Night. Those honored were Adam Smith, Dusty Burk, Matt Dean, Matthew Waldrop, Josh Huber, Chris Roberts, and Luke Little. Their game ended in a victory against Shiloh, 71-65.
30 YEARS AGO
Feb. 16, 1988
U.S. Congressman Terry Bruce visited East Prairie students to talk to them about a health care bill, after they wrote letters to him in support of the bill. He also spoke to them about his job as a Congressman.
The Lady Warriors ended their season with a loss to Tolono, 56-52. They had a very good season with many talented players including seniors Heidi Hettinger, Beth Baird, Lisa Schultz, Jennifer Drake, and Susan Harris. Leading scorers for the season were Susan Harris, Janet Roper, and Tisha Little.
The Warrior boys’ JV squad won their game against Sullivan, 60-58, while the varsity boys took their victory over Arthur, 97-58. The Warriors held a 21-1 record, with only two games left in their regular season. Leading scorers for varsity were Brian Hatfield, Marke Hatfield, and Mark Kalmar.
40 YEARS AGO
Feb. 16, 1978
The farmers succeeded at getting attention from Washington, D.C. in their drive to get 100 percent parity. Many proposals were being made, and Ray Wax of Newman spent many days in Washington to help his fellow farmers. He believed over the following 30-day period the fate of the farmer for years to come would be determined.
TCHS seniors chose 20 classmates for ten categories. The following categories and seniors who had the winning votes were as follows: Best sense of humor, Donna Groves and Dick Gallagher; Friendliest, Cathy Ring and Cliff Ponder; Best dressed, Debbie Gensler and Mark VanSteenhuyse; Most unpredictable, Chris Lewis and Steve Hawkins; Most likely to succeed, Ann Bateman and Jack Liga; Most athletic, Marsha Kennedy and Gary Campbell; Best personality, Amy Smith and Randy Hastings; Most intellectual, Cathy Murray and Roger Gallion; Most flirtatious, Pam Harting and Buck Hausman; Most musical, Emma Rahn and Jeff Auten.
Hornets boys’ basketball won Sectionals and were headed for State. The seventh grade Hornets were Dan Meyer, Tom Peach, Brian Harriss, Brian Dobson, Duff Hoel, Mark Farris, David VanSteenhuyse, John Kleiss, John Murray, John Brookins, Scott VonLanken, and Eric Adams. Coaches were coach Gary Little with assistant coach Dave Penrod.
Tuscola FFA members Todd Hausman, Russ Brown, Byron Campbell, Ralph Esgar, and Mike Bosch participated in a crop contest during FFA week. Todd Hausman placed first, Russ Brown second, and Byron Campbell third.
The 1978 Biddy basketball players were Jimmy Brookins, Morey Lawrence, Scott Coykendall, Mike Clapper, Phil Dickens, Mark Toland, Steve VonLanken, Curt VonLanken, and Brad Mathias. Coaching the boys were coach Carroll Brookins and assistant coaches Scott VonLanken and John Brookins.
50 YEARS AGO
Feb. 15, 1968
Vietnam Veterans came to Tuscola to give their war report. Major L.W. Douglas and Major Ted Cline discussed their experiences in ground and air war. Major Douglas received the Bronze Star, Silver Star and high Vietnamese decorations for bravery. Major Cline received 17 medals for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
TCHS held a speech contest for seniors. Five seniors presented different selections. Dale Luster, extempore speaking; Lynitta Aldridge, original oration; John Bechtel, serious reading; Alex Tingley, comedy reading; and Jack Holden, radio speaking. This was to determine who would go on to the sectional contest. The TCHS speech class was also on TV. Jack Holden, Kathy Hoke, and Mike Welborn went on to discuss mistrust between teenagers and their parents and teachers.
Tuscola basketball was expected to go into regionals with a 12-11 record. Their first regional game was scheduled to be against Villa Grove.