Time Machine Trip to July 1973

 

Kaukauna Times – July 1973

By Lyle Hansen

July 3, 1973

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 o'clock this morning for Joseph P. Gertz, 93, whose tavern on 2nd St. was a baseball fans headquarters. Gertz was born in Darboy on January 31st, 1880. His family moved to Kaukauna when he was 8 years old, the third of nine children, he played baseball on Kaukauna ball teams in his youth.

 

July 6, 1973

Marvin Schumacher, Vice-president of Warehouse Specialists was elected president of the Heart of Valley Chamber of Commerce at a meeting held at Jacks or Better, Little Chute.

  

July 11, 1973

George Simon, 9th St., was named Mr. Mutual Insurance Agent of the year, at a convention for Milwaukee independent Mutual agents on June 28th. George, who is a partner in the Haen Insurance of Kaukauna, was selected as Mutual’s man of the year out of a group of more than 158 agents.

 

Kaukauna’s Lawe Street bridge will be entirely closed for a period of time, but no determination will be made until a meeting is held between state highway officials and representatives of the construction company replacing the concrete surface of the span.

Any possibility that the present Kaukauna municipal building might be the site of a new city library appears doubtful according to the consultant from the Wisconsin Department of Public instructions it has been reported.

 

A woman's softball team from the Kaukauna area composed of four standout teams from the Kaukauna recreation department league and sponsored by the Kaukauna Athletic Club succeeded in one try but dropped two games and was eliminated from the Wisconsin woman's softball tournament last week in Clintonville. The cream of the crop from the KRD circuit was blasted in the first game by a powerhouse from Seitz’s Lanes 24-1, Kaukauna came back to take a second match up defeating Oslo 25 to 19, then was eliminated from further competition by Green Bay Excavating 21 to 7.

 

July 13, 1973

No pedestrian deaths in nine years will result in a presentation of an award by the American Automobile Association to the city of Kaukauna this coming Wednesday. Mayor Robert LaPlante and chief of police William Nagel will accept the award for the city.

 

July 18, 1973

A burglary which apparently took place Sunday netted thieves about $100 from the Nu-Way Cleaners Wisconsin Ave. Peter Kramer, estimated that about $100 was missing when he found the cash register pried open on the basement floor.

Joe Shear of South Beloit, Ill. won the White race at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna. The 75 lapper is the second in the three Red, White, and Blue state championships.

 

July 20, 1973

Industrial development and municipal improvement will go hand in hand in the next months as the result of the decisions by both the Badger-Northland Corporation and the city of Kaukauna. The city would move city hall into the 232,000 square foot old Badger building and the corporation would move to a new location in the Kaukauna industrial park. 

 

Time Machine Trip to July 1963

 

Kaukauna Times - July 1963

By Lyle Hansen

July 2, 1963

The Green Bay Packers today announced they have signed Chuck Morris, Mississippi quarterback, who was drafted number 5 last year. They have also signed Bob Jeter, Iowa halfback, drafted number 2 in 1961 and Josef Thorne, Fullback, number 12 last year.

The ZIP code system to speed mail delivery went into effect throughout the country on Monday.  This means that a five-digit ZIP code will be written after the state name on the address. Kaukauna’s being 54130.  

July 4, 1963

 

Joseph and Gene Ditter announced that they are retiring. A long-established Kaukauna business passed from the city scene this week. The Ditter Plumbing and heating firm on Third Street was founded by their father Walter Ditter in 1906.

The Third Annual Bishop’s Charity game is slated for Labor Day. This game stands an excellent chance of beating the 1962 record of 38,669 for attendance. An additional 3,600 seats will be available at City Stadium this year with the new seating in the north entrance.

July 10, 1963

 

Phil Zwick, Kaukauna son who gained world fame in the boxing ring as a professional boxer, died Monday in Vallejo, California, where he has been living the past ten years. He was 58. A paralysis which first afflicted him about six years ago made him an invalid and caused his death. The funeral mass will be said at 10 a.m. today at Vallejo. Phil is best remembered for his featherweight fight against Peter Scaizo in Milwaukee where Zwick knocked Scaizo all over the ring and out of the ring on one occasion, only to end with a 75-75 draw. After the fight, referee, Barney Ross, changed the total on his card to read 76- 74 in favor of Scaizo. Protest to the boxing commissioner did no good and two days later Phil came home to a hero's welcome at the train station. He and his wife were placed on the city's fire truck with a wreath of flowers around his neck for a festive parade through the city. During his career, which started as a youngster and didn't end until he was in his forties, at least, he traveled around the world fighting bouts with champions of other countries.  Usually winning, Zwick compiled an amazing record during his career, and was billed the "Wisconsin Flash" and the "Kaukauna Klubbers," the names speaking for themselves. Zwick is survived by his wife, Peggy, and a married daughter, in addition to two sisters and three brothers living in Wisconsin.

 

July 17, 1963

Miss Karen Krumm, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Krumm, will be serving as choreographer in "Oklahoma," the first summer musical to be presented at KHS. Miss Krumm is a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and will be returning there in the fall of this year.

Attorney Irving G. Curry, III has been named a partner in the Kaukauna-Kimberly law firm of McCarty, Burns and Swetz. Curry, who is primarily a trial lawyer, joined the firm after completing three years in the Air Force. He had received his commission through the Air Force program at Lawrence College.  

July 26, 1963

Construction of a new supermarket on Highway 96 between Kaukauna and Little Chute has been started, with an opening planned for late fall according to Lawrence Verhagen, proprietor. The store will operate under the Piggly Wiggly name.    

July 31, 1963

The assessed valuation of the City of Kaukauna for 1963 has reached a total of $28,031,370 representing an increase of over 2 million dollars from last year. The biggest increase came from personal property valuation.

Safe driving awards for the Kaukauna Post office drivers were distributed recently by Kaukauna Postmaster Robert Grogan. Left to right are Ed Kaphingst, Don Wenzel, Jack Tullock, Grogan and Bob Whitman. Not present at the time the picture was taken was George Vanden Hogen. The five drivers average 75,000 per year without an accident. The citations came from the National Safety Council.  

Arthur Kromer Sr., wearing his World War I doughboy’s uniform complete with helmet and gas mask was among the featured marchers in the annual VFW parade held Sunday. Marching alone Kromer followed directly behind the color guard.    

The old pumper of the Kaukauna fire department was retired from service several years ago and is now on its way to Quincy California. The unit was purchased by an antique car organization. The truck is pictured as it was secured on a trailer which will carry to its new home.  

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Stefl 50^th Anniversary