Days Gone By

Talk about it

It was one for the books when the Wildcat girls’ basketball team earned the first regional championship in the local history of that sport. Members of the team included Molly Baumgartner, Carlye Greene, Ashley Magee, Jackie Obermueller, Molly Schock, Abigail Brendum, Erin May, Katy Rohl, Jessica Bartelt, Christina Koehler, Katie Liddle and Sara Elling. First-year head coach Rita Hurtgen said they were playing as good as any team she’d ever seen.

In other sports news Wildcat senior Tony Black won his second-straight WIAA state wrestling championship. The gymnastics team sent four to state competition: Kaci Gavic, Sarah Kolpin, Abbie Testa and Emily Schwartz.

The City Council was preparing to defend against an invasion of strip joints after one popped up in downtown Hudson this winter.

After 50 years of collecting community news for the River Falls Journal, Audrey Jones retired.

By unanimous vote the City Council approved construction of the largest commercial development since Riverside Square was built six years ago. Southside Mall on South Main Street will include a convenience store, Phillips 66 fuel station, car wash, franchise auto service center, perhaps a sandwich shop, and more…..

“Ma Bell” was asking the last 31 River Falls and 11 Roberts party-line telephone customers to switch to the single party option.

River Falls High School graduate Gerald Harris, 27, was to be ordained a priest at St. Bridget Catholic Church.

UW-River Falls cager Dan McGinty was named to the state all-conference team and Al Rudd received honorable mention.

High schoolers Don Hill, Catherine Wolfe and Scott Ritger were named Merit Scholars this year.

Paula Browne, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Browne, was named Miss River Falls last week. Serving along with her are Barbara Pollock and Diana Lubich.

Honor scholarships were awarded to Elaine Dusek, Lisa Haskins, Mary Schwalen and Gary Spear.

“Faculty Frolics,” a production put on by singers and actors from the River Falls community was set for next week. University President George Field was to sing a song about himself, “When I was a Lad,” as were vice presidents Wayne Wolfe, Richard Delorit and William Munns; Dave Benson will sing “The Green Leaf Plot,” a song about the Tuesday Club, Lions club members will sing a song about light bulbs and fruit cake, along with many more songs and acts by the community and college folks.

Dr. R. U. Cairns was honored by the State Medical Society and awarded an honorary life membership in the State Medical Society.

The college basketball team cinched the state championship for the third straight year. Team members included Jack Peterson, Bud Fosse, Jack Henneman, Tom Linehan, Dale Kannel, Charlie Most, “Itch” Lindholm, Nate Delong, Harry Gibbs and Newman Benson. Coaches were George Schlaugenhauf and Joe Hoy.

Pat Hunter can be reached at the River Falls Journal, 425-1561 or email her, phunter@rivertowns.net.

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