Back in the Day 10-14-20
Ten years ago
October 20, 2010
Joining the halls of TCHS included 11 foreign exchange students and two teachers from Vladimir, Russia. Each student stayed for a week with a student host in Tuscola and the teachers stayed with guidance counselor Sue Elder.
Cub Scout Pack 80 held their annual Pumpkin Chucking contest at Ervin Park on October 17.
Mike Carroll’s 68 earned him the title champion at Ironhorse Golf Club championship, and bragging rights of course.
Tuscola’s Fred Galey and Arcola’s Charlie McGrew were running for the office of Douglas County Sheriff in the November election.
TCHS senior golfer Stephanie Swaney moved to the state finals at Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur. Swaney finished the two-day tournament with a total of 290 in 52nd place.
The Tuscola Warriors football team celebrated senior night the right way, with a 61-12 victory over the Meridian Hawks.
Twenty years ago
October 17, 2000
Work continued on construction of a new south wastewater treatment plant near Wimple Park. The $3 million facility, which was scheduled to go online in June, would have the capacity to treat 750,000 gallons of wastewater a day.
Tuscola Fire Chief Steve Hettinger was a patient at Carle Foundation Hospital following an explosion at the south fire station Monday night. The incident occurred while firefighters were doing some confined space training using air line equipment.
It took three times, but the Lady Warriors volleyball team beat Villa Grove when it really mattered. Tuscola’s 14-16, 15-6, 15-11 victory over the Lady Devils capped off a week in which the Lady Warriors swept all three scheduled matches and kept them first in LOVC standings heading into the final week of regular season play.
Two former Warrior players received accolades this week for their performances on the collegiate football field. Illini defensive end Fred Wakefield was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after he had two sacks and applied pressure to the Iowa quarterback the entire game. Dusty Burk led the ISU Redbirds to a 21-0 victory over Indiana State in his first start, and his 310 passing yards and three touchdowns earned him Gateway Conference Player of the Week.
Thirty years ago
October 16, 1990
Seniors Jenny Wiesener and Brian Moody were named the DAR and SAR award recipients at Tuscola High School. They and other DAR/SAR award winners would be honored at a luncheon in February.
Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait was having a detrimental effect on gas prices across the United States, including the Tuscola area. Pangburn Oil Co. owner Myron Pangburn noted the soaring price of fuel was hurting his wholesale service station. Dwayne Freeze of the Clark station in Tuscola said the 17-cent overnight increase was the biggest jump that station had ever seen.
Susanna Ross, a 1988 TCHS grad, was serving as assistant chair of Homecoming festivities at the University of Illinois. She was currently a junior in health and safety studies/community health planning at Illinois.
With victories against conference foes Arcola and Villa Grove last week, the Lady Warriors clinched their fifth consecutive LOVC title to go along with their fifth consecutive LOVC tournament titles.
The Tuscola Warriors traveled to Peoria Heights Saturday afternoon to take on the Patriots, and came back on the losing end of a 38-16 score. Quarterback Doug Pickett had his finest game of the season, connecting on 12 of 25 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Forty years ago
October 21, 1980
Policeman Craig Hastings was one of 38 officers graduating from the Law Enforcement Officer Training Program in Springfield this month. Hastings was employed as a patrolman with the City of Tuscola, under the direction of Chief Ronnie Earl.
Members of the Tuscola Chamber of Commerce overwhelmingly voted against the idea of a proposed city ordinance to govern how businesses advertise with signage.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Rogers Sr. of Tuscola celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary Oct. 10 and were honored with a mass Oct. 19 at Forty Martyrs Catholic Church, followed by a brunch at the Ramada Inn in Champaign.
The Lady Warriors experienced an uncharacteristic night off when they fell to Arcola by scores of 0-15 and 5-15 in LOVC play. The JV lost that night as well, by scores of 9-15 and 5-15.
Tuscola’s cross country team got another encouraging sign for the future with the strong performance in the fresh-soph version of the Okaw Valley championship at Decatur’s Kiwanis Park. The Warriors packed four runners into the top 10 finishers, but still managed only a third place overall.
Wide receiver and defensive back Rick Mooday helped lead the Warriors to a 14-0 victory over the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals. Mooday caught the winning touchdown pass, recovered a fumble and made two interceptions–one at the end of the game–to help preserve the Warriors’ first shutout of the season.
Fifty years ago
October 22, 1970
Jim and Kay Higgins were new business-people in the Tuscola community, the couple having purchased the Western Auto Store on North Main from Mr. and Mrs. Harold Shinneman. Both Mr. and Mrs. Higgins were graduates of Palestine High School.
Ron Cain was promoted to junior analyst in USI’s polymer service laboratories at Tuscola. Cain was a 1955 graduate of Arcola High School and began his career at USI in February 1956.
TCHS seniors Johne Huber and Larry Ring were crowned royalty during Homecoming festivities held over the weekend. The junior class took first-place honors in the float building competition, but the seniors ruled in the hall decorating judging.
In a must-win contest in order to remain in Okaw contention, the Warriors and Villa Grove slugged it out with Tuscola emerging on the long end of a 20-12 count.