In the Sentinel 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
April 4, 1941: Mrs. Frank S. Barnes was elected President of the Civic Club for the forthcoming year at the regular meeting held last week at the Civic Center. Mrs. Harry Coulter will be the new Vice President, Mrs. N.H. Champlin, Secretary, Mrs. Mary Steear, Corresponding Secretary, and Mrs. H.B. Thornquist was unanimously re-elected Treasurer. Trustees are: one year term, Mrs. I.C. Bjorge, two-year term, Mrs. Harry Coulter; three-year term, Mrs. O.M. Johnson. The dessert luncheon last Saturday had been planned to especially honor Mrs. O.M. Johnson, who recently was presented with a gold medal for outstanding club work in Alaska, and is leaving the last of April for Atlantic City to be honored as Alaska’s outstanding clubwoman. Unseen events, however, prevented Mrs. Johnson’s return from Juneau where she has been the past month. The table was decorated with yellow streamers and with a large bouquet of yellow daffodils as a centerpiece. Those who served on the kitchen committee were Mrs. M.G. Shain, Mrs. Harry Williams, Mrs. E. Isler and Mrs. Harry Coulter.
April 15, 1966: Derby Committee met last week and set up all rules and areas for the 15th annual Wrangell King Salmon Derby. This promises to be the year of the big lunkers, says the committee. The largest king ever entered in a Wrangell Derby is Doris Iverson’s 74 lb 4 oz giant caught at the Elephant’s Nose on June 19, 1955. There have been many in the 50 and 60 pound class however, and no doubt many in the 80 and 90 pound class are still running around loose with an assortment of gear hanging out of their mouths. The world’s record caught on sport gear was landed during the summer of 1963 in the Skeena River at Terrace, B.C. This fish weighed 92 pounds. Bob Neimeyer’s 58 lb 7 oz king caught last year at Steamer Point was the largest caught in the Wrangell-Petersburg area and won Bob a nice prize. This fish topped Petersburg’s by some 2 pounds. With a two-pound margin of victory last year, the Derby Committee said it thought the Wrangell Derby could again top the Petersburg Derby and it was willing to back its thinking with a suitable reward. “Or are they fishing over there this year?,” asked Art Nelson, committee chairman.
April 11, 1991: Wrangell General Hospital plans to seek a $50,000 grant along with Petersburg General Hospital to conduct a joint study in the healthcare needs of the two towns. A group of Wrangell residents gathered April 3 with a representative of the Rural Alaska Health Education Center at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks to brainstorm about the goals of the study. Denny DeGross said the funds for the study would come from an appropriation approved by the 1990 Legislature to study the changing health care needs in communities across the state. Only three or four grants will be awarded to study such issues as saving rural hospitals, how to get better integration between agencies and the need for central health care planning in Alaska, he said. Residents attending the brainstorming session included police, mental health and substance abuse counselors, physicians, nurses and other community representatives. Many voiced concerns about the problems created by federal policies, such as those prohibiting local treatment for recipients of Native or Veterans aid.
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