Time Machine Trip to January 1969

By Lyle Hansen

January 3, 1969

Winners of the Kaukauna merchant’s 1969 baby contest are Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Green, Kaukauna. The Greens are the parents of a baby girl born at 8:30 pm, January 1 at the Kaukauna Community Hospital. The infant girl named Darlene Marie is the sixth girl along with four boys in the family. 

Dennis R. Schaefer of Kaukauna has been promoted to staff Sgt. in the U.S. Air Force. Sgt. Schaefer is a communication analyst specialist at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. He is a 1964 graduate of St. John's high school in Little Chute. 

January 8, 1969

Second Lt. John D. Weiland, Kaukauna, has been awarded the U.S. Air Force silver pilot wings upon graduation at Vance AFB, Oklahoma. The Lieut., a graduate of Sacred Heart seminary, Oneida, received a B.A. degree from St. Francis Seminary.

Patrick J. Courtney, Kaukauna, was commissioned a second lieutenant in United States Army on December 20, 1968. He received his commission in military intelligence from the Engineers Officer Candidate school at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

J. H. DeVitt, president and chief executive officer of Hammermill Paper Company of Erie, Pennsylvania and J. T. Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Thilmany Pulp and Paper Company of Kaukauna, Wisconsin jointly announced Tuesday that the directors of both companies have approved a merger agreement under which Hammermill would acquire Thilmany subject to the approval by the stockholders of both companies. The transaction would be approximately $51 million.

Ernie Banks, known to millions of baseball fans everywhere as “Mr. Cub”, has been named to receive the annual “Nice Guy”, award at the annual Red Smith sports award dinner on January 21.

Assemblyman William J. Rogers, Kaukauna, was sworn in by Chief Justice E. Harold Hallows in the opening of the 1969 Wisconsin state legislature this week. Assemblyman Rogers represents the Outagamie County second assembly district.

January 15, 1969

Leslie Fuszard, of Little Chute, has won first place in the 8th district competition the VFW voice of democracy program.

The basketball fortunes of the Kaukauna Ghosts took a sharp turn for the better Saturday evening as they registered 63-59 victory over Shawano for their second victory of the season. The Ghost cagers now stand 2-4 in conference play enabling them to climb out of the MEC cellar. Sparked by sophomore Leon Franzke with a twelve point fourth-quarter, Kaukauna put on a surge with about five minutes remaining to go ahead of the Indians after trailing by a point or two most of the game.

January 24, 1969

The Kaukauna varsity matmen won their third match in a row Wednesday and their fifth of the season in a route of the visiting Truckers from Clintonville at the KHS gymnasium.

Winning

97–Mark Hoffman.

105-Darrell Olsen.

114-Dan Rogers.

122-Don Bloy.

January 29, 1969

The two-point conversions will be part of the rules governing football for the member high schools of the W.I.A.A. The new rule will begin in 1969 season.  

January 31, 1969

S. L. Forde, industrial relations manager at Giddings & Lewis was named to the board of directors at the Kaukauna Saving & Loan at the annual meeting last week.