LOOKING BACK From our archives; compiled by Howard Stitt

10 Years Ago Aug. 18, 2011 A funeral mass was held for Sheila Fallis, 92, born in New York City to Irish immigrant parents. She was one of the original members of SS. Peter & Paul Church in Rocklin. A memorial service is planned for Michiko Takagishi, 94, a life-long Loomis resident. She and her husband, David, moved to a fruit orchard in the mid-1940s and built a new home in the early 1950s. A memorial service is planned for James Earl Bond, 75, a Loomis native and a current Cedarville, California resident. A celebration of life is planned for Jack T. Burrow, 75, of Penryn. He owned Jack's Sand and Gravel. Mike Bedwell, owner of Bedwell's Karate in Loomis, was promoted to 3rd Degree Black Belt. He was honored to receive his promotion from 93-year-old Grandmaster Hanshi Nakazato, a national treasure in Okinawa. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Fernandez held a softball camp in Lincoln. Among the other instructors were fellow Olympic pitcher and current softball coach at Granite Bay High School, Michele Granger, along with Roseville native Lyndsey Klein. Five Del Oro High School leadership students attended a night meeting at the school only to have their cars broken into. Car burglaries are on the rise in Loomis. The second annual Tomato Gathering was held at the High Hand Nursery. The event coincided with the 110th anniversary of the Loomis Fruit Growers Association using the High Hand fruit label. The festival included a tomato contest. Lisa Pilz of Pilz Produce entered about all the categories as she has 65 types of heirloom tomatoes. Her husband's family has owned their farm in Penryn since 1927. Reyna, a 2-year-old German Shepherd boarded at the Humane Society of the Sierra Foothills, found a good home with Roseville resident Olga Trevizo. The Loomis News received a photo of the 1966 Del Oro football team. The players were G. Matsuoka, Bob Goto, Larry Mason, Bob Makimoto, Steve Jolivette, Rocky Williams, Dave Weller, Greg Leupp, Charlie Gieck, Steve Miller, Rick Uno, D. Hayashida, Bob Butler, Bill Colwell, Vic Markey, Tim Prince, Rocky Jones, Bob Holihan, Dave Salazar, Colvin Lundgren, Walt Lopes, Gary Stringfellow, Dave Zelitti, Rich Howard, Marshall Garrett, Bob Camp, Tom Flanagan, Ken Anderson, Bill Gieck, Dave Ficker, Dan Howell, Rob Bonner and Brad Sanders, along with assistant coach Vern Scholz and head coach Rolf "Sonny" Moeller. 25 Years Ago Aug. 15, 1996 Ed Nelthorpe, lifelong Loomis resident and businessman, donated $100 to the Del Oro Parks and Recreation Foundation. Accepting the check was committee chair Helen Florance. Also donating to the organization were N.E.C., Christmas in Loomis, Gade Chiropractic, Rose and Rose Accountants, Loomis Grange, Oblates of Mount St. Joseph Seminary, and Greg and Kathy Fellers of Loomis Veterinary Clinic. Dot Shiro of the Formation Committee said, "Maybe we will have something in place in time to ensure today's kids and future generations will be able to enjoy the beautiful Loomis Basin and recreational facilities. Army Pvt. Christopher Adkinson of Loomis graduated from basic straining at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Mike Reader, the son of Steve and Vicki Reader and a Del Oro graduate, has been the equipment caretaker for the San Francisco 49ers for the past 10 years. Loomis artist Victoria Brooks is exhibiting her work at the new Borders Book Store in Roseville. She captures sun-drenched images in oil paint. Her paintings of women and children are characterized by special moments such as "Sharing the Beach," with a mother and child sitting on a sandy beach. The Loomis Planning Commission scheduled a workshop to review design and development guidelines for the proposed Turtle Island project located at the I-80 Loomis exit. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus arrived in Sacramento for performances of the "Greatest Show on Earth." It will also hold auditions for its Clown College for those who wish to pursue a career in clowning. Eve Mello-Batstone is the contact person for the Del Oro Band Reunion for those members from 1970 to 1986. A memorial garden on the Loomis Library grounds was named in honor of Frank Nute for his countless contributions to the community. On hand for the dedication were the following Nute family members: Marge Nute, Carole Rose, Beth Enright, Bill Rose, Red Enright, Patrick Rose, Kathie Enright and Billy Rose. Chairman for the dedication was Ed Horton. 50 Years Ago Aug. 19, 1971 Services were held for Stella M. O'Connor, 82, an Ontario, Canada native. She moved to Loomis in 1923 where she was a charter member of the Loomis Grange. She was also a member of the Rose City Senior Club. Services were conducted for Angela Smilanick, 85, a Yugoslavia native. She came to Kennett, California in 1907, then moved to Carmichael in 1928 and finally settled in Roseville in recent years. Pvt. Daniel McAllister, 17, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ward McAllister of Loomis, arrived at Fort Lewis, Washington to begin basic training at the U.S. Army Infantry Training Center. Cadet Ronald Everhart, whose parents Mr. and Mrs. John Everhart and his wife Panela live in Penryn, was scheduled to be commissioned an Army Second Lieutenant after completing an ROTC Advanced summer camp at Fort Lewis. Everhart earned a Bachelor's of Art degree from the University of California at Davis and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Arizona. The California Traveler, Inc. of Volcano, California is reproducing the "History of Placer County," originally published by Thompson and West in 1882. There are limited editions, 400 copies, at a cost of $15.75. A strong contingent of Placer County marching groups, Boy Scouts, majorettes and bands will entertain crowds on Placer County Day at the State Fair as announced by Rusty Uratsu, chamber president of Placer County. Among the entertainers will be the musical combo Affinity led by Steve Stizzo of Roseville; The Rosettes, an award-winning baton group of 30 girls; and the All American, a marching unit of 70 youngsters from Roseville under the direction of Mrs. Anne Reid. The newly-formed Roseville Adult Civic Band led by Roger Blay and the Roseville Youth Marching Band headed by Bob Snell are also scheduled to play. Boy Scout Troop 1248 will re-stage the gold panning exhibition it presented at the World Scouting Jamboree in Japan. U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird said that the "Vietnamization" of the war is running ahead of schedule. The goal is that the combat mission of the U.S. troops will be completed by the end of summer 1971. 75 Years Ago April 1946 The late President Roosevelt's stamp collection valued at $10,000 brought 2 1/2 times that much on the open market. Bidders obviously ignored real values but wanted stamps the President had collected over many years. One purchaser paid $650 for an album of German stamps worth only $18. Some of the best stamps were turned over to the Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park. The second annual field day for farmers who raise beef cattle was held at the Otto Jorstaad ranch near Lincoln. R.L. Tudsbury returned to Loomis from a trip to Washington, D.C. as a Fruit Growers of Placer County representative. Drivers might be dolling up their old jalopies in 1947 with two new license plates, one at either end of the car. Local ranchers have the problem of securing labor for thinning plums. Nearly all varieties require 50- to 75-percent thinning. Fruit trees all over South Placer County are in bloom. The war is over, that is, the War of 1812. The government closed its doors on that war when the last pensioner died. She was an 82-year-old daughter of a veteran of the 1812 war. Only a few of those who took the smallpox vaccine had to repeat the experience because of the failure "to take." (Standing Guard-oral histories) Ted Kitada was an interpreter for an American Colonel in postwar Japan. An American citizen born in Los Angeles, his experiences during World War II were far different from most all Japanese Americans living in Placer County. His family was in Japan when the war started and Ted was a teenager. His older brother, who was drafted into the Japanese Army even though he didn't speak the language, died somewhere in Siberia working in a mine. The Russians invaded Manchuria and Ted's brother was taken as a prisoner of war. Schoolchildren in Japan worked in war factories. Some of Ted's classmates from Kokawa Middle School were killed when bombs hit a factory. In high school, Ted's class worked at the Kawasaki Aircraft Factory in fall 1944. A bombing demolished the factory, but the students were able to run out when the bombing started. Ted was drafted into the Japanese Army in June 1945. The soldiers did not have weapons or uniforms. The war ended two months later and Ted was able to work for the U.S. Forces. (Ted later settled with his family on Webb Street in Loomis and he worked as the Sierra College head groundskeeper.)