The Stanley-Boyd Alumni Association is alive and well.

They held a meeting at the local museum on Monday, July 12 and the planning for the 9th Annual All School Reunion is well along and will take place on Saturday, October 2. The Board of Directors is hopeful that attendance will return to the level it was prior to the pandemic in 2019. The Board is looking forward to greeting attendees. The Stanley Area Historical Society Museum will also have a special opening on October 2, before and after the reunion, for anyone wishing to visit. Local celebrity, Jim “Mr. Paints” Ericksen, will be greeting visitors at the museum on October 2.

*** Did you know? People over 50 are reported as emerging from the pandemic with their mental health mostly in fine shape. Ac cording AARP, 65 percent of people ages 50 to 80 indicate their mental health is “Excellent.” Another 27 percent rate their mental health as “Good.” (That makes 92 % of folks over 50 rate their mental health as good or excellent.) +++ Still 18 percent of people 50 to 80 did feel their mental health has worsened and women were more likely than men to report increased stress levels.

*** If you’re an early riser, like I am, you were probably frustrated to find your Internet service didn't work in the early morning of Wednesday, July 14. The problem included a wider area than just Stanley, as I was told Spectrum’s Boyd customers, also experienced the same outage.

*** When the old city hall was sold and the building was being

cleared of all the old records held there, the Stanley Area Historical Society had access to the records being disposed of. After inquiring if the State Historical Society had any interest in these records and finding out they didn't, some of the old record books

were brought to the historical society. Several police and school district record books were salvaged. In the next weeks, I hope to share some of what I found in those record books that I reviewed.

*** While the Stanley School District was formally organized in

1884, the oldest record book found began with the 1892 Annual Meeting held on July 5, 1892. Business at that meeting included establishing a nine-month school term. Perhaps the biggest decision was deciding if the principle(sic) of the school should be a male or female. The vote was 11 in favor of a woman and 25 in favor of a man. The attendees approved opening and furnishing a 4th classroom for the coming year. The budget approved included $1,600 for teachers salaries, $429 for indebtedness, $200 for seating and furnishings for the 4th classroom, $371 to pay for operating the school – buying books, paying the janitor, etc. There was also a vote if a furnace should be installed in the school in the coming year. On a ballot vote, it was 24 in favor of the furnace and three against. Next, the attendees voted approval of $1,000 to cover the cost of the furnace. That concluded the 1892 Annual Meeting. While costs were much less in 1892, it is still difficult

to comprehend that the total school budget in 1892 was less than some large taxpayers now pay for taxes in one year.

*** In a 1951 hand written recording, the indication was that the City Council outlined several duties they wanted the police department to perform daily: 1.) The front doors of all business places on Broadway and First Avenue were to be checked after closure. 2.) Taverns were to be checked at various times and for closing hours. The first recording that followed the council de cree occurred on September 1, 1951 and indicated that the Police

Officer was K. A. Painter. One note said, "… drove 18 miles on

my expense.” A note indicated he was working relief for (Fred) Valley and covered a shift from 8 pm to 4 am. Another note indicated all doors were checked at 10:30 pm and all taverns were closed on or before 1 am. Under remarks, Painter noted there was a H. Miller camping in Chapman Park until he could locate hous- ing. He wanted Officer Painter to tell Fred Valley (regular night officer) that he and his wife were being harassed by a gang of kids and his wife was being called obscene names. Officer Valley had caught the kids previously but they were back. He had the license number and description of the vehicle which was a 1937 or 1938 Chev. pickup truck. Officer Painter left this for Valley as

Painter was on foot as Valley had the police car and knew the situation. He also noted hat at 3 am he was called to assist a driver 1 ½ miles east of Stanley as their 1941 Chev. had a broken heater hose. He got a large kettle from Bill Podvin (station operator) and took the driver and water out to the car and helped repair the hose. It was cold and damp and the owner’s wife was in the car waiting with a six-day-old baby. At 3:30 am they were on their way again to Wausau. It was lastly noted that the traffic in the city

was very heavy until 2 am. Lots of out of town cars and visitors in Stanley on account of Labor Day. So that was just one shift of

a Stanley police officer in 1951.

*** Smile time. A guy wants a divorce. He tells the judge, “I just can’t take it anymore. Every night she’s out until way after mid- night, just going from bar to bar." The judge asks, "What's she

doing?” The guy answers, “Looking for me.” +++ After 10 years a wife starts to think their child looks kind of strange, so she did a DNA test and found out the child was not theirs. She told her husband what she found out, and the husband replied, you don't remember do you??? When we were leaving the hospital

the baby pooped and you told me to go change him, so I went inside and got a clean one and left the dirty one there. The wife fainted. +++ I don’t mean to interrupt people I just randomly remember things and get excited. +++ I had my patience tested.

I’m negative. +++ If you answer the phone with “Hello, you’re on the air most telemarketers will hang up… +++ The older I get

the earlier it gets late. +++ My luck is like the bald guy who just won a comb. +++ Don’t bother walking a mile in my shoes, that would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head, that’ll freak you right out. +++ Cop, “Please get out of the car.” Person stopped, “I’m too drunk, you get in.” +++ Sometimes someone unexpected comes into your life outta nowhere, makes your heart race and changes you forever… We call these people cops.