LOOKING BACK From our archives; compiled by Howard Stitt

10 Years Ago Nov. 18, 2010 The Dietz family of Loomis lost their horse, but their grief was softened by the fact that his death might have prevented serious injury to four teenagers. On their way to the homecoming dance at Del Oro High School, their car crashed through a fence on the Dietz property. According to Cindy Dietz, "Their horse took the full brunt of the accident. He deflected the car away from a tree. It was a total miracle none of the kids were hurt." The historic Valencia Club in Penryn opened again under the new ownership of Jamie James and Matt Madsen. The establishment was initially opened as the Hill Top Cafe in the 1930s on Highway 40. Its distinctive neon sign was added in the early 1950s. A grand Victorian mansion hidden away in rural Loomis will open its doors to the public during the Loomis Basin Holiday Home Tour. Daniel and Glenna Haley lovingly restored the 19-room, Queen Anne-style home. According to historic accounts, William Courtland Pendleton, a Loomis pharmacist, built the home in 1904. Young performers starred in the musical "Bugsy Malone, Jr." at the McLaughlin Studio Theatre. Among those performing were from Rocklin: Maddison Christopher and Carley Broadbents; Granite Bay: Maddison Soth and Zoe Grossman; Penryn: Cassie Poncin; Loomis: Courtney Osborne, Ingrid Neri Perez, Sophae Kite, Brooke Osborne, Kelan Clark and Laura Gentes; and Newcastle: Emma Anzilotti. Anita Yoder, Placer County's public information officer, is retiring after nearly 20 years of service. She is stepping down to spend more time with her husband Bill, her garden and outdoor pursuits including volunteering with the Auburn State Recreation Canyon Keepers. The majority of waste from south Placer winds up at the Materials Recovery Facility where it is sorted to recover recyclables such as cardboard, newspaper, plastics, wood, glass and metals. One lucky resident will win free garbage service for a year by simply learning more about recycling in the county. Called the One Big Bin contest, Scott Meyer of Rocklin was last year's contest winner. The Del Oro and Woodcreek high school cross-country teams, both from the Sierra Foothill League, tied 59-59 in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Division II Championship. Del Oro was given the title as a result of having a faster runner in the No. 6 spot. Del Oro's Caitlin Devitt-Payne earned a first-place finish. Her teammates were Emma Freeman, Alexa Lua, Jessie Rozario, Desiree Bacchi and the pivotal No. 6 runner, Dominique Tristant. 25 Years Ago Nov. 9, 1995 A private service was held for Cecil Dorance Davis, born in 1911 in Jordan Township, Michigan. A Penryn resident, he was a self-employed auto mechanic. Among the names inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. is that of Gary Holsclaw of Loomis. He was killed in Vietnam on July 2, 1967 while serving with the Marine Corps. On Nov. 11, Veterans Day will be a time to pay tribute to those who served their country. Bill Holden's Tennessee South Restaurant in Loomis reported a burglary with a loss of $800 worth of food supplies. Ironically, the culprits missed checking the cash register where the weekend receipts were. Hickey Murray, along with his son, Jackie, performed a traditional Maidu Indian prayer to bless the site of the new Turtle Island development. The location of the Fox Group's retail development was on the south side of I-80, off Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis. Sheriff Ed Bonner sponsored Joan Phillipe as the newest Loomis Lions Club member. Courtney Sage and Taylor Newton reigned as queen and king as Del Oro High School's Homecoming Royalty. Ron and Gail Davidson were the grand marshals for the Homecoming Parade. A stained glass window at St. Mark's Episcopal Church is dedicated in memory of Mae Geraldson and donated by her husband, Lloyd. A new consumer health resource center opened in the Roseville Library as a tool for health information seekers. Linda Palmer turned to the library to learn more about her own health. "My doctor is very supportive of my becoming more informed," Palmer said. In a 3-1 victory by the Bulls over the Rascals, goals were scored by Danny Sammon, David Ervin and Greg Rulifson with assists from Kyle Chute, Nick Grunder and Kevin Lind. The defense was led by Walter Nickle, Zack Hymans, Nicky Sayer, Josh Kuhl and goalie Dustin Dart. 50 Years Ago Nov. 12, 1970 Services were held for Randol "Rusty" D. Jones, 42, who died in an accident near Quincy, Plumas County. He had lived in the Loomis area for the past two years. Jones was employed by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as a communications maintenance technician. Services were held for Douglas J. Jones, 22, who died in an automobile accident. A Grass Valley native, Jones was a resident of the Roseville-Loomis area for the past 19 years. A Del Oro High School graduate, Jones worked for J and P Mill in Rocklin, of which his father was a part owner. Services were held for Steven Whitaker, 18, a Sacramento native and a Loomis resident. The Del Oro High School graduate died in an automobile accident. He had planned to enroll at Sierra College. Navy Seaman Apprentice Robbie Fowler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fowler of Rocklin, departed from Pearl Harbor aboard the destroyer USS Lloyd Thomas heading to the Western Pacific. Placer Elementary School in Loomis was the site for a potluck dinner for Miners Ravine 4-H Club members. A Walt Disney film was shown after dinner. A bazaar was held at Finn Hall in Rocklin by the Loomis Ward of the Latter-day Saints Church. The Aggie Club of Sierra College was the "Most Active Club On Campus" award winner for the past 3 years. The club was made up of students majoring in agriculture. Farmers and businessmen from Placer County exchanged ideas and mutual problems at the annual "Tribute to Agriculture" banquet sponsored by the Placer County Chamber of Commerce. Starr Ford of Roseville donated a new Ford V-8 motor and automatic transmission for the Del Oro High School auto shop. On hand to receive the equipment were auto shop teacher Larry Ellyson and Del Oro Vice Principal Jug Covich. Starr Ford was represented by Harlan Starr, general manager and Lee Carey, service manager. 75 Years Ago October 1945 Mr. and Mrs. Art Stokes of Loomis received a letter from their son, Sgt. Albert Stokes, stationed in India. It read in part, "The hump trip is pretty rugged. We have to fly at a pretty high altitude, sometimes 20 to 30 thousand feet. It gets very cold and we have to wear all the clothes we can put on… When we go out, we're away 18 to 22 hours without sleep. When we get back, we're given slips which entitles us to 2 ounces of whiskey… India is the worst country in the world for malaria. They started giving us atabrine to keep us from getting sick should we get malaria. We'll never know whether we have the disease until we quit taking atabrine. Outside of the mess hall, we can not eat or drink… The ATC-1CD is now flying the crack 91st Chinese Army to Shanghai for occupation. There is always a big crowd at the airfield to welcome us. When the plane stops, there is a brass band playing American music. Practically every Chinaman had a camera and what autograph hounds. I felt like Clark Gable." Two local merchants are installing Frozen Food Lockers. That means people can preserve meat, vegetables or fruit without canning. Mrs. John Griffin of Loomis received word that her boy, Ignacia Montes, is seriously ill in a Seattle hospital. A fire started in the Hobo jungles near Loomis with high winds pushing the fire along. The local Fire Department sent a crew to aid the inhabitants. The OPA (Office of Price Administration) increased the payment of red points for household salvage fats. The increase is based on a shortage of inedible fats for producing soap, oil coverings and paint. There are only two Senior Scout Units in the Tahoe Area Council-Explorer Post in Roseville and Sea Scout Ship in Auburn. The 200-acre Holly Hill Ranch, located 3 miles east of the schoolhouse in Loomis, is for sale. It includes 70 acres of Bartlett pears, 60 acres of plums and 40 acres of peaches. Eugene Garbolino, chairman of the Placer County AAA Committee, explained that the War Production Board allows more farm supplies to no longer be under control orders. That includes farm machinery, repair parts, work gloves and electric fans for fruit dehydration. Box shook and wooden shipping containers, however, will still be difficult to get.