Excerpts from past Tracy newspapers
Jan. 12, 1956 — Retirement of Oscar L. Johnston as president and naming of Wendell H. Anderson as his successor was announced following the annual meeting of the board of directors of the Farmers and Merchants State bank. Johnston, who has passed retirement age, has been connected with the bank for 37 consecutive years. He will, however, continue in, the capacity as chairman of the board. Anderson, who has been vice-president the past three years, now becomes president and active head of the local 51-year-old institution.
Obituaries: Mrs. Edward Haensel
Jan. 11, 1966 — The first class for parents and all other persons interested in an explanation of the new mathematics concepts will begin at St. Mary’s grade school on Tuesday evening of next week. Sister Martel will be instructor. The class will be devoted to a scope and sequence of material taught in all of the grades 1 through 8.
Obituaries: Robert Templeton, Frank McKenna, Freddie Scoffer, Stanley Ziegler
Jan. 8, 1976 — Jim Keul, genera] manager of the Tracy Headlight-Herald, and two other area newspapermen have purchased the twin-weekly newspaper at Pipestone and the weekly newspaper at Jasper. The sale was announced Monday by Publisher Carl Erickson of Pipestone who owned the newspapers the past 11 years. Joining Keul in purchasing the newspapers are Kenneth Anderson, publisher of the Cottonwood County Citizen at Windom, and Chuck Draper, who has worked as advertising manager of the Pipestone Star the past year. Draper will assume duties as publisher.
Obituaries: Vic Surprenant, Walter Sheets, Henry Johnson, Amy Joan Keller, John Haugen
Jan. 14, 1986 — There will be a change in Don Stassen’s daily routine if the plans for selling Stassen Photography are realized. The prospective owners are John and Teri Judkins who have moved here from Worthington, where John worked for Rickers Studio for the past three years. “We felt it was time to move on,” said John. “It has been our goal to be on our own someday, and it seemed like a good time and opportunity with a well—established business like Stassen’s.” Tenative date for the new owners to take over is Feb. 1 if all goes as planned. Stassen will continue to help with the transition for a few months after that.
Obituaries: Helen Keller, Verne Hansen, Caroline Wendland, Stanley Cohrs
Jan. 10, 1996 — For the first time since 1919, an Ohman family member doesn’t live on South Street in Downtown Tracy. The last apartment tenants of the former Ohman Furniture building — Pearl Ohman and Leona Ingalls — recently moved. The women had lived in the building for 69 years. A member of the Ohman family had lived in the building since 1919. The Ohman building is just east of the Tracy Post Office. The history of the Ohman building goes back to the turn-of-the century. Morris Ohman came to America from Finland in 1900.
Obituaries: LoVilla Kirk, Ed Galstad, Roy Loats
Jan. 11, 2006 — Shetek Bend Banquet, Bar & Grill is on track for a Saturday, Feb. 4 opening. “We’re getting closer,” said Neil Daniels, Shetek Bend president. “We’re pretty happy with how things are looking.” An extensive remodeling project began in the Hwy. 14 building in September. Initially, it had been hoped that the bar and grill area would be opened in December, with remodeling of the banquet hall to follow. But Daniels said it was decided later to complete remodeling on both the banquet room and bar area before opening.
Obituaries: Ronald Strom
Jan. 13, 2016 — New Tracy Economic Development Director Tara Onken says she has “an open door policy.” “I love it when people stop by my office,” she says. “I can’t say that enough. I like it when people come in and introduce themselves, or stop by with an idea or a question.” But over the next couple months, visitors might do themselves a favor by calling ahead, because Onken expects to be spending lots of time outside her office meeting people herself. The rural Balaton woman, who took the helm of the Tracy EDA office in late November, has begun surveying Tracy area businesses. “I want to contact every single business in Tracy, and I have a list of over 100 businesses,” she says.
Obituaries: Roger Schwartz, Raymond Nelson, Jessica Silver (Young)
