From The Clarkston News archives

25 years ago – 1999
Enjoying a laugh over a good story: Clarkston Optimist president and business owner Don Brose got a rise out of first-graders reading “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse” during Celebrity Readers Day at Springfield Plains Elementary, March 23.
Real estate office denied parking variance in city: The problem of vacant buildings on Main Street in downtown Clarkston continued. The city of Clarkston’s Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously denied a request for a parking variance for the building located at 4 S. Main Street on Thursday night. David Lombardo, of Lombardo Building Development, was seeking the variance on behalf a real estate company. The variance asked for 16 parking spaces for the building, which also would have housed an office for a construction company. All six ZBA members, and some city business owners who were at the meeting, were against the variance.
Pinewood Derby winners: Cub Scout Pack 126 was pleased to announce the winners of their annual Pinewood Derby at Clarkston United Methodist Church. The winners were Clarkston Elementary students Robert Frost in first place; Stephen Goode, second place; and Ben Hunter, third place.

50 years ago – 1974
Salaries for Independence officials boosted 6-11 percent: Salaries were boosted during Independence Township’s annual meeting with the township clerk’s salary going up by 11.7 percent, the treasurer’s salary up by 7.5, and the supervisor’s salary up by 6.6. The action raised the supervisor’s salary from $16,880 to $18,000, taking it above those of the department heads employed by the unit of government – if the car assigned to the highest paid of those employees was not taken in to consideration.
Ancient art of egg dyeing: Traditional Easter egg coloring reached the plane of folk art, accompanied by spurts of frustration, for members of the Clarkston Garden Club as they became acquainted with Pysansky.
The millstream: Two area students, Frederick Allyn Foster of Clarkston and David Gene Parker of Davisburg, appeared in three performances of Verdi’s grand opera “Aida” at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. A freshman Bible major at BJU, Foster is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Foster of Maybee Road. Parker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert G. Parker of Big Lake Road, was also a freshman and was majoring in music education.

75 years ago – 1949
Township meets Red Cross quota: Once again Independence Township met its Red Cross quota. The amount to be reached was $675 for 1949. As of publication, C. W. Robinson, chairman, was happy to announce $790 had been donated, and he hoped anyone who had not been contacted would help do their part to bring the total over $800. Robinson said thank you to all who have worked so faithfully and contributed so generously.
Clarkston Station School: The students had been decorating the room with Easter drawings. The sixth grade Geography class began a unit on Russia. The first grade had a new student, Larry Booth, who came to Clarkston from Lakeland, Mich.
Clarkston locals: William H. Stamp was appointed to the Publicity Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association. The Charles Robinsons returned home from Boynton Beach, Fla. Mrs. Robinson came back by plane and brought Georgie and King with her. Charles drove back with Kay and his mother-in-law, Mrs. G. D. King.

  A Look Back. Peek in the Past