Past Tense: December 16, 2021

65 years ago – 1956
Former California Attorney General Robert Kenny was in town paying a visit to his former business associate, Hazel Cress.

60 years ago – 1961
Emax saw the painting of yellow lines on the highways as “a trend toward the police state.”

55 years ago – 1966
A series of storms soaked the mountain, bringing 17.85 inches of rain. Parts of the Banning-Idyllwild Highway suffered washouts, and Alpine Market and Alpine Pantry were flooded.

50 years ago – 1971
After nearly 40 years of service with the Forest Service, veteran fire boss Howard Evans prepared for a January retirement.

45 years ago – 1976
County supervisors finally passed a tree-felling ordinance that would control the cutting of native trees in locations above the 5,000-foot elevation. Previously, the ordinance was proposed to cover tree cutting down to 4,000 feet, which would have included Anza, Garner Valley and Mountain Center.

40 years ago – 1981
Local property owners were banding together to oppose Mile High Recovery, a halfway house for teenage alcoholics and drug addicts.

35 years ago – 1986
Construction began on the new Forest Service Keenwild Guard Station in Mountain Center.

30 years ago – 1991
Sean Benton of Pine Cove was arrested for the stabbing murder of Terence Alberni of Fern Valley.

25 years ago – 1996
President Clinton met with Supervisor Kay Ceniceros in the Oval Office of the White House. He congratulated her and other county officials for the GAIN program’s success in putting welfare recipients back to work.

20 years ago – 2001
The South Coast Air Quality Management District was investigating the removal of a large amount of asbestos roofing tiles found buried behind Idyllwild School.

15 years ago – 2006
Long-time Idyllwild resident and the community’s doctor from 1976 to 1996 Dr. David Reid passed away. He was 90 years old.

10 years ago – 2011
Idyllwild native Brendan Steele teamed with Keegan Bradley to win the PGA Tour’s 2011 Franklin Templeton “Shark” Shootout at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Fla.

5 years ago – 2016
Vic Scavarda, who represents Idyllwild and the other Hill neighborhoods, was elected to be the new president of the Hemet Unified School District Board of Trustees.

1 year ago – 2020
Idyllwild Postmaster Mark Smith had resigned after holding the position for about four months.