A Look Back in Time: Elderly Chehalis Man Brings Children Joy by Playing Santa Claus in 1952

Dec. 23—Charles Sitton believed himself to be the oldest Santa Claus "helper" in the United States, The Chronicle reported on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1952. Sitton, 81 years old at the time, had been employed by the Chehalis Chamber of Commerce for the previous two years as Santa, a role he said enjoyed, particularly when hearing the Christmas requests of the youngsters.

"One little girl told me very seriously that she would put out a hot cup of coffee on the kitchen table in her home Christmas Eve," Sitton chuckled. "She said she thought it would still be warm when I arrived, and told me to be sure and not forget to look for it."

According to Sitton, most of the girls would request dolls, doll buggies and doll clothes while the boys wanted logging trucks and BB guns.

The Chronicle reported Sitton's role in the Santa Claus Parade the previous Saturday was the climax of his role as Santa Claus. Sitton apparently felt "his age and his obligation at the same time" while participating in the parade.

"My arms were so tired from waving that I thought they would drop off," Sitton told The Chronicle. "But to see the excitement and anxious looks on the faces of those youngsters lined up along the street — well, I just couldn't let them down. I waved and waved and caught as many eyes with mine as I possibly could."

Sitton apparently had always loved children, having adopted five in addition to his biological child. He was also a pioneer resident of the area who had lived in Lewis County since 1910 and in the Pacific Northwest since 1902.

"Sitton is truly one man who is old in years, but young at heart," The Chronicle reported.

Saturday, Dec. 24, 1932

—Drug addicts run out of Chehalis were blamed for a series of three robberies and attempted robberies of Centralia residences on the night of Thursday, Dec. 22. In one of the robberies, a black fur coat was stolen while in another a woman "almost bumped into the intruder in the dark, and the latter fled downstairs and out of the house," The Chronicle reported. In the third incident, two thieves attempted to break in through a back door but were frightened away. Centralia police believed all the robberies were the result of two drug addicts who were "run out" of Chehalis earlier in the week.

—A man named Robert Waddle reported 10 chickens had been stolen from his property, according to The Chronicle. Thieves had apparently stolen a total of 43 chickens from Waddle, who lived on the Waunch Prairie, since July.

—In spite of snow, a crew of 80 men were working to grade 5 miles of highway in Mount Rainier National Park around the Ohanapecosh hot springs. The men were employed by the Colonial Building Company, which had one of the "largest and most modern camps ever constructed in Lewis County," The Chronicle reported.

—Teams of Centralia Chamber of Commerce members had reportedly been enlisted to help gather signatures for an agreement between First Farmers-Merchants Bank and Trust Company and its depositor and were ready to "attack their task with renewed energy during the coming week," The Chronicle reported. The renewed push to gather more signatures from depositors was to begin on Tuesday, Dec. 27. The bank had been closed since Dec. 3 and was attempting to gain approval for an agreement allowing it to remain solvent. As of Dec. 24, 472 signatures had been gathered from depositors.

—Nearly the entire top of the historic grandstand at Chehalis' Millett Field collapsed late on the night of Thursday, Dec. 22, The Chronicle reported. High winds earlier in the day caused a portion of the roof to topple into the adjoining property and later in the night the remainder of the roof to give out. According to L.A. Vimont of the Chehalis Parks Board, no effort would be made to repair the grandstand and the structure was to be torn down, likely soon after the holiday season.

—Local churches were expected to hold special services for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, The Chronicle reported. St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Chehalis would not be holding its customary midnight mass. Instead, a high mass would be held at 6 a.m. Low masses would be held at 7, 8, 9 and 10 a.m. Chehalis' Westminster Presbyterian Church was scheduled to hold a special candle light vesper service at 5 p.m. on Christmas Day in addition to its regular 11 a.m. service.

—The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story reporting the 1932 presidential election saw the largest number of people in history turn out to vote, with 39,734,351 people voting. New York Governor Franklin Roosevelt reportedly received the largest popular vote and electoral college vote in history while incumbent president Herbert Hoover received the largest number of votes for a losing candidate in history. In total, Roosevelt received 22,813,786 votes to Hoover's 15,759,266 votes. Roosevelt's total was greater than the total number of votes cast for all candidates in any presidential election prior to 1920.

Thursday, Dec. 24, 1942

—Members of the Centralia Elks Lodge and their wives went to the state school for girls in Grand Mound and staged their annual Christmas party for the inmates. The program was presided over by Rickey Bras and an Elks orchestra performed.

—The body of an elderly man was found a mile north of Winlock along the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks, The Chronicle reported on Dec. 24. As of noon on Dec. 24, the police had not identified the body but it was speculated it was a man named "Hardy," an "inmate at a local nursing home" who had been missing since Sunday, Dec. 20. The state patrol reported the cause of death was natural and primarily from exposure.

—The Lewis County Red Cross Canteen Corps had reportedly purchased a mobile canteen completely equipped to feed hundreds of people. According to The Chronicle, the canteen corps had been trained to feed large numbers of people in the case of a natural disaster or war.

—Chehalis' Senior High School held its annual alumni day program on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at the Cascade gym. As part of the program there was "entertainment" in the high school auditorium at 1:15 p.m. and a tea for alumni and faculty at 4 p.m.

—"Mrs. Donald Peters" was reported to have left Centralia for Chico, California, to join her husband Staff Sergeant Donal Peters who was stationed there as part of the Army Air Corps, the predecessor of the modern Air Force. "Mrs. Donald Peters" was the daughter of "Mr. and Mrs. Harry Scott" of Centralia.

—The Chronicle featured the times for sunrise and sunset in its Dec. 24 edition. The times served as a guide to help readers obey laws related to dim-out regulations during World War II. On Friday, Dec. 25, sunrise was expected at 8:58 a.m. and sunset was expected at 5:21 p.m. Sunrise was expected to be 8:59 a.m. and sunset was expected at 5:21 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26. For Sunday, Dec. 27, sunrise was scheduled for 8:59 a.m. and sunset for 5:22 p.m.

—A four-room modern house was listed for $1,250 in the Dec. 24 edition of The Chronicle. The house was described as being well furnished and in a good location.

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1952

—Pe Ell's newly constructed school was scheduled to be dedicated on Jan. 22, 1953, The Chronicle reported. Pearl Wanamaker, the Washington superintendent of public instruction, was set to be the guest speaker. The school, which cost a total $400,000, "was occupied the past week, three days being consumed in the moving of chairs, desks, tables, books and other equipment. Students — both high school and elementary — aided in the task," The Chronicle reported.

—The Chronicle reported the Twin Cities were going through a period of cold weather on Tuesday, Dec. 23, and Wednesday, Dec. 24. The low temperatures gave the area a "heavy covering of frost" as the temperature reached down to a low of 24 degrees.

—Two men were scheduled to appear in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, Dec. 29, for allegedly breaking into the War Surplus Store in Chehalis. Jim Flood, 24 years old, and Fred Reed, 31 years old, were arrested by Chehalis police after the store owners apprehended them in their store the night of Dec. 15. The two had previously been expected to enter pleas to their charges before requesting legal counsel prior to going to court.

—The Chehalis Bearcats beat the Centralia Tigers 48-42 in a basketball game in Chehalis on the night of Tuesday, Dec. 23. The victory for the Bearcats followed a 46-43 victory over Centralia the week before. "The contest in Chehalis followed a different pattern with the Bearcats in command almost all the way, whereas the game (the week before) had been a back-and-forth event right down to the final buzzer," The Chronicle reported.

—George Trowbridge, a 66-year-old Centralia resident, was reported to have died in a local hospital on the morning of Dec. 24. Trowbridge was born on Sept. 27, 1886, in Texas and moved to Centralia in 1898 and spent his life as a farmer. He was survived by his wife, two stepsons, four sisters, two brothers and six grandchildren.

—Puppies were listed for sale in The Chronicle in its Dec. 24 edition. Males were listed for $10 each while females were listed for $15 each. According to the entry, the puppies were expected to "make good hunters next year."

—A "modern" two-bedroom house on 1 acre was listed in The Chronicle for $6,200. The house included a garage and utility room. The property also included a small chicken house and was a quarter of a mile from a city bus line.

Monday, Dec. 24, 1962

—Three Portland residents driving together in one car were arrested by Lewis County sheriff's deputies early on Sunday, Dec. 23. Nikolaus Popp, 23, was arrested for drunk driving while Dwain Samel, 31, was arrested for aiding and abetting drunk driving. Walter Schiedermeier, 22, was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. The three were scheduled to appear in Napavine Justice Court on Jan. 8.

—Hilma Osborne, a resident of Chehalis for 12 years, died at the age of 72 in a local hospital on Friday, Dec. 21, after a lingering illness. Osborne was born on Sept. 25, 1890, in Helsinki, Finland, and lived in California before moving to Chehalis. A member of the Methodist Church, she was survived by her husband, two daughters, three sons, two sisters, four brothers, 24 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.

—The Chronicle reported a funeral service was scheduled for May Rayton on Wednesday, Dec. 26. Rayton had died in a Centralia nursing home at the age of 89. She was born on April 1, 1873, in Utah and had lived in Lewis County for 50 years. Rayton was survived by four daughters, a son, a stepdaughter, a stepson, nine grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

—Southwest Washington's weather forecast for Christmas Day was mostly fair with morning fog. The high was expected to be between 33 and 38 degrees. Northeast winds of 5 to 15 miles per hour were expected.

—A section of The Chronicle reported the Christmas plans of several families in the Twin Cities. According to The Chronicle, "Mr. and Mrs. Chris Althauser" were expecting guests at their Centralia home. "Mr. and Mrs. Emil Spahr Sr." were expecting guests at their Chehalis home. Lena Balmelli was reportedly expecting family members and other guests at her Chehalis home for Christmas dinner.

—Three car crashes occurred in Lewis County over the weekend of Friday, Dec. 21, Saturday, Dec. 22, and Sunday, Dec. 23. Barbara McChesney, 23, and her passenger Opal McChesney were injured in a car crash in Chehalis on the night of Saturday, Dec. 22. The McChesneys were from Seattle and neither was badly hurt. Their car was stopped at an intersection when it was struck from behind by another car. A second car accident occurred on Dec. 22 south of Chehalis when a driver from Galvin drove into a utility pole. The driver was transported to St. Helens Hospital for an injured shoulder. The third car accident resulted from heavy fog when a car driving slowly was hit from behind by another driver. The Chronicle's story didn't say if anyone was injured by the third accident.

—State patrol officers arrested 58 people in Lewis County as part of a "Christmas weekend holiday crackdown," The Chronicle reported. Of those arrested, 33 were arrested for speeding, seven for negligent driving, four for drunk driving, four for defective equipment and three for driving without a license. Others were arrested for offenses such as failure to stop, littering and failure to signal.