2001: Neither rain nor heat nor a thief can stop mail

25 years ago June 7, 2001 Memorial services were held for William Parker "Bill" Hughey, 65, a resident of the area for 30 years. A plumber/pipe fitter for 40 years, he was a volunteer with the Penryn Fire Department. Placer County Deputy Craig Thomas stopped a vehicle on Laird Road in Loomis and a search of the car yielded hundreds of pieces of stolen mail. There had been telephone calls from citizens of Granite Bay reporting a suspicious person possibly stealing mail. The recovered mail included bank statements from a Rasmussen Road home, among others. The 150th anniversary of Placer County will be celebrated during the 64th Placer County Fair in Roseville. A Recognition Night was scheduled for retiring Penryn Postmaster Jay Moore. He was Postmaster of Penryn for 36 years. A Vietnam veteran, Jay served in the U.S. Army. Annette Reilly would take over as Officer In Charge until a permanent Postmaster is assigned. 5-year-old Emma Stokes and her brother Seth checked out the new playground in Sunrise Loomis Park. Del Oro High School held its 41st commencement exercises with Student Body President Ross Harold leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Valedictorians for the Class of 2001 were Chris Wheatley, Stephanie Tonn, Chris Reno, Joel Nitta, Kari Koller, Scott Kirkish, Amy Keller, Jonathan Harvey, Jeanne Halvorson, Rocky Fasani and Teisha Angel. A group of 33 mostly veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and their wives toured Europe. Al and Ellen Nitta of Loomis were part of the group. Al was the only WWII veteran on the trip, and he represented the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Al made it a point to visit the U.S. Military Cemetery in Florance, Italy, which was cared for by those liberated by American soldiers. The City of Nice entertained those who were left of the 442nd due to casualties in the rescue of the Texans in the Lost Battalion of the 36th Infantry Regiment. It was the winter of 1944, "We waited for replacements from the States and then continued for the final push and the war's end," Al said. 50 years ago June 3, 1976 Eastern Star services were held for La Visa Viola Pilliard, 90, a native of Pleasant Grove and a resident of Loomis for 67 years. She was a member of the Penrhyn Chapter 159 OES and widow of the late Alfred A. Pilliard. Del Oro High School exchange student Raouf Megdiche was the guest of the Women's Club of Loomis. He told about his country of Tunisia being the size of Florida and getting independence from France in 1956. With the help of his American AFS mother, Betty Jabusch, color slides were shown to the club. A young boy, Billy Hutcherson of Hidden Valley in Loomis, had the presence of mind to handle an emergency situation. On his 11th birthday, Billy witnessed his neighbor, Bob Thomson, being thrown from his horse and unconscious. Billy ran to his house to call the operator and ask for assistance. The Placer Rescue Squad and Ladies in White gave first aid and Bob survived the ordeal. The proposed split of Placer High School District into three unified districts left concerns from residents of Foresthill, Placer Hills and Newcastle. In question was which unified district would best serve those areas. Loomis School eighth-grade teacher Jennifer Hirsch brought students Audrey Brown and Chris Johnson for a presentation to the Loomis Garden Club. The two told of the historic events leading up to the drawing up of the Constitution. The program was very interesting and enjoyed by the club members. The minor-league first half of the Five Cities Softball League playoffs was won by the Superstars, coached by Tom and Arlene Millward. The team defeated the Maroon Devils 11-10, coached by Bob and Vicki Coursey. Yesteryear by Vivian Rasmussen: In December 1957, Harold Struble planted 100 Satsuma mandarin trees on his ranch at Hansen and Dick Cook Roads in Loomis. He grafted the trees with Cleopatra root stock, which produced a fast-growing, large tree. 75 years ago December 1949 One more member of the Highway Patrol will be added to the Placer County Squad. The Highway Patrol Academy will graduate 35 men in the present class and they will go to 14 squad areas. Guide dogs for the Blind, Inc. was a philanthropic, nonprofit organization that was born a war baby. It trained and supplied 34 dogs in its first four years. It will be up to 4-H members to raise the puppies as a citizenship activity, including in Placer County. Fresh-cut Christmas trees for sale at Omohundro Ranch four miles south of Loomis on Folsom Road. The Congregational Church at the corner of Oak and Magnolia streets in Loomis was busy. On Tuesday, some 30 boys and girls attended the Hobby Club and the Ladies Aid had a fine meeting. On Wednesday the Boy Scouts were meeting in the basement while the choir was upstairs practicing for the Christmas Cantata. Emigrant Gap, located 5,225 feet above sea level in Placer County, was said to have received its name from the pass just one mile east, which was used by pioneers on their way into Bear Valley. On Mill Street in Grass Valley, the well-known Lola Montez put the student she taught before an audience. Little Lotta Crabtree sat on top of an anvil at a smithy's shop in a nearby camp and danced for the miners. After that humble debut, Lotta was taken by her mother on a tour of the mining camps throughout the Mother Lode where her light feet, bubbling laughter and lilting melodies captivated the crowds. But Lotta's mother had more ambitious plans for her gifted daughter. (continued) More Standing Guard - oral histories: Aki Morimoto Matsuda's family farm was near DeWitt Hospital in Auburn. Aki's father bought the farm in 1927 and worked hard to pay up the mortgage. In 1942, they were put on a train headed to Tule Lake Internment Camp. After a year, Aki's father answered "yes-yes" on loyalty questions and the family was able to go to another camp, Amache in Colorado. While attending high school at Amache, Aki was lucky enough to have Kathryn Stegner as a teacher. (continued)