25 YEARS AGO
• Red Deer was considered for a satellite university campus, University of Alberta Senate member Harlan Hulleman said.
It would mean full, four-year bachelor degree courses by the end of the decade, he said.
• Red Deer would have a new downtown department store.
Zellers would be taking over The Bay Home Store, said Zellers district manager David Kitteridge of Edmonton.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Kitteridge said the new Zellers would be slightly smaller than most Zellers stores, “so there would be a few areas we would either condense or not carry.”
50 YEARS AGO
• Some sharp questions regarding the use of the Memorial Centre gymnasium, with charges that it was not being made readily available to a wide enough group of citizens, aired at City Council meeting.
Ald. George Sinclair, gave notice that it was a question he would continue to bring up until things improved, claimed that restrictions on the use of the hall including foot gear regulations and non-serving of refreshment were not realistic and discouraged the wide use of the building.
• Red Deer Fish and Game Association executive unanimously voted in favour of supporting the request by a group of Calgary sportsmen that a 300,000 acre area west of here be set aside as a wilderness area.
The Calgary sportsmen, headed by Stan Burrell of Sundre, made the request. The tract of land came up for sale April 28. A part of it had previously been leased by an oil company which gave it back to the government.
The area is northwest of Nordegg, 100 miles west of Red Deer. It was bordered on the west by the Banff and Jasper national parks and on the east by the most easterly range of mountains.
90 YEARS AGO
• The Alberta Government Telephones took charge of the telephone system in Red Deer on April 15, though the Government became owners of the property on April 1. Mr. W.F. Kenealy, one of the brightest of the younger men in the service, came as agent and had his office in the telephone building. He was the “trouble” man as well with a lineman to assist. The present exchange staff was retained.
• To fight the high price of living more especially in the clothing line, overall clubs had been formed in many parts of the States and business men and citizens in other lines had donned overalls as working suits.
The idea struck Red Deer and the Red Deer High School boys organized and were soon seen in the new garments.
Caretaker Shannon suggested that they play the game right through and put the overalls to good use. Anxious parents viewed the movement with some favor as growing boys work through clothes pretty fast.
The boys thought that now that they had taken the lead, the citizens should follow suit.