Looking Back, Loomis: 1999 - It's official: 'Where's Loomis' is town song

25 years ago June 10, 1999 The Loomis Town Council voted 5-0 to accept "Where's Loomis?" as the official town song. It was written by Larry Green, who said the song was a gift to the town and its citizens to show his appreciation for discovering Loomis. A suspected mail thief was arrested after being stopped for a traffic violation. A search of her car revealed several stolen pieces of mail from all over the area. Barbara Nichols will give a special presentation at the Penryn Library titled "All you ever wanted to know about Penryn." Folk harpist Christine Bonner's album "Sand Castles" became No. 1 on the Americana Charts on KVMA radio. She discovered the folk harp in her late 20s and soon thereafter began performing at weddings and concerts. Bonner was co-owner of the Rainbow Music Company with her husband Rob Bonner in Colfax. Among the students enjoying the activities on the last day of school were Victor Knight, Mitch Bezaire and Ian Dana. The Loomis School yearbook was dedicated to retiring secretary Linda Potter. Gail "Jack" Kelley died at the age of 79. A World War II Army Air Corps veteran, he survived the Bataan Death March and 3 1/2 years in Japanese captivity. After the fall of Bataan in December 1941, Kelley suffered a bayonet wound to his chest. Stuffing his shirt into the wound and not wanting to surrender, he escaped into the jungle. He struggled to reach Corregidor but was captured. As the war worsened, he and about 1,500 prisoners left Manila on a cargo ship, Nagato Naru, heading for Osaka, Japan. Seven men died on the trip and 150 men were taken below decks and never seen again. From November 1942 to September 1945, Kelley did hard labor at Mitsubishi Copper Mine and nearby rice paddies. The main problem of being a POW was "beriberi," where white (polished) rice was the staple food. Kelley was a life member of the VFW and Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. 50 years ago May 30, 1974 Nancy Burton, a Junior Girl Scout of Troop 809, presented a check to Placer County Supervisor Mike Lee to go toward improvements to the county's bike trails. The troop decided to make the contribution after they had to truck their bicycles from Loomis to the American River bike trail. Honor speakers for the Loomis Union School District graduation ceremony will be Debbie Nelson, Ruth Schroeder, Leslie Durfee, Rodney Page, Malcolm Bertoni and Cyndi Gould. Del Oro High School band members preparing for the "Pop concert" included Janice Kageta, Jackie Farinha and Antoinette Gaubert. Placer County Supervisor Mike Lee's efforts to save the old Loomis School building was over after the school board turned down an offer of $80,000 for the building. Lee expressed no hope that the county would pay an additional estimated $750,000 for the entire school site and building. Baccalaureate ceremonies began for local high school graduates. The ceremony dated to the time of Henry VIII and represented a young boy's glimpse of manhood. Now, it is more an inspirational ceremony involving local religious groups. Ministers speaking to their graduating seniors and their families included Dr. Paul Carlson of the Lutheran Church of Roseville and Rev. Richard Ernst of the First United Methodist Church of Loomis. Continuing the history of the Strong home in Loomis provided by Mrs. Strong's grandniece, Fern Martin, along with historians Vivian and Markey Rasmussen. The property was sold to the Branstater family in 1918 or 1919 when they moved from their ranch near Sugarloaf. The family continued growing peaches and plums but put more emphasis on pears. In the late 1930s, the Strong home was sold to Jerry Cavett, a cattleman who put most of the acreage into pasture. Mr. Cavett held the belongings of a Japanese-American family while they were kept in an internment camp during WWII. A Bay Area family currently owns the property with Ed Nelthorpe's ponies munching contently on the 80 acres. 75 years ago November 1948 Funeral services were held for Robert M. Morris, 78, who passed away in Chowchilla while visiting his daughter, Mrs. Elva June Johnston. Morris made his home near Loomis for the past several years. A Requiem Mass was said for Mrs. Amelia Soto, 79, a lifelong resident of Newcastle. She was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. J.K. Correa Sr., pioneer settlers of Newcastle. Her surviving children were Mrs. Albert Fieser of Loomis, Mrs. Agnes Ammon of Auburn, Ernest Soto of Lincoln and John Soto of Sacramento. Manuel Jeminiz and Ignacio Hernandez of Rocklin were injured when the car they were in collided with a lumber truck. Mr. and Mrs. John Tito of Rocklin returned from a three-month visit to Finland. A homecoming party was held at the home of Les Wiesenfelt. A rummage sale was held by the Rocklin Mother's Club with the finds to be used for a tennis court at the city park. Mrs. Evelyn Ruhkala chaired the event, assisted by Florance Johnson, Zola Lane, Elsie Ruhkala and Wilma Taylor. Playing at the theaters was "Sorry, Wrong Number" starring Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster. Medical authorities said, "Country girls made the best nurses because they know how to get up early." Remodeling plans on the Grange building, the former M.E. Church, were advancing. At first, the church was good enough as is to become the Grange Hall, just lowering the floor and removing the belfry, etc. However, it was decided to tear the whole thing down and start from the bottom. An adult evening class in orchestra will be held on the Roseville High School campus and conducted by Carleton Hall. Joe and Sara Moore of Saramore's Fountain and Lunch in Loomis were serenaded by the "Sportsmens' Quartet" from Hollywood. The group stopped for breakfast and sang several songs before being on their way to Reno to sing on the Jack Benny program.