30 years ago

CHATHAM — Two college students who live thousands of miles away from each other met face-to-face recently after becoming acquainted months earlier on the Internet. Stuart Rutter, 19, of New Castle, England met Chatham’s Jana Eklund, 20, while surfing the net last November. The two have been cyberspace pen pals ever since. Using funds from a student loan and money his parents gave him as a birthday present, Rutter decided to visit North America to meet several friends he’d first contacted on the net. Since June 12 Rutter has visited Manitoba, Canada, Long Island, N.Y., Atlanta, Ga., and parts of Oklahoma before coming to stay at Eklund’s house in Chatham. “On the net you can adopt any identity you like but when you meet (net-pals) in person, that’s when you really get to find out what they’re like,” Rutter said. Rutter’s handle on the net is “Beagrie” after his favorite soccer player. Eklund goes by the name of “tree frog” which also happens to be her father’s CB raid name. Rutter is expected to leave Alger County late this week and will travel to Lansing and Memphis, Tenn. Before returning home.

60 years ago

K.I. SAWYER AIR FORCE BASE — Personnel yesterday flew a mercy mission for a young Negaunee girl, Patricia Ann Lynch aged 41/2. The child, who had developed gastrointestinal bleeding during the night, was brought to the base by a Marquette ambulance at 3:40 p.m. and transferred to a stretcher for the flight, Sawyer spokesmen said. Since the littlee girl was making her first flight, Capt. Leroy Baine presented her with a pair of senior pilot’s wings. According to Capt. Roger Mattson, Patricia Ann was “tickled pink” to receive them. The flight took the family to Rochester, Minn. They were met by ambulance and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital, where the child was placed under the care of Mayo Clinic physicians.

Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference staff at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.