Eighty Years Ago
June 3, 1937
• Council disapproved of men who left to seek work elsewhere, leaving their families behind to become wards of the municipality.
• CCF candidate Len Shepherd won the MLA’s seat for Delta, the riding of which Langley was part. Shepherd polled 3,174 to Liberal Art Laing’s 3,020, and Conservative R. Grauer’s 2,949. Incumbent R.B. Swailes, who left the CCF to join the splinter Reconstructionists, managed only 564 votes.
Seventy Years Ago
June 5, 1947
• Discovery that additions to schools were cheaper than renovations left the school board in a bind, after a successful plebiscite authorizing only renovations. A bid to have the bylaw amended by order-in-council was rejected. The board considered holding a new referendum in December.
Sixty Years Ago
May 30, 1957
• Fourteen charter members attended the 30th anniversary of the Langley Legion. On hand were Frank Bowling, Rollie Copeland, Bob Wilson, George Goddard, Peter McKay, Paddy Dale, Urie Ward, Tom Ushaw, E.E. Sendall, Eric Flowerdew, Grant Urquhart, Art Merchant, Jack Hassell, and Tom Winget. Archie Payne, the Legion’s oldest surviving past president, was unable to attend.
Fifty Years Ago
June 1, 1967
• Mrs. J. Sawyer was elected president of the Langley Kinettes.
• Aldergrove High School principal presided over the school’s 10th graduation ceremonies. Valedictorian was Walter Cowland, and Judy Larson was graduate of the year.
• Langley High School president Tom Steele was re-elected to a second term.
Forty Years Ago
June 1, 1977
• Marguerite Tielens was valedictorian for Langley Secondary School’s graduating class of 470 students. At Aldergrove High’s ceremony for 123 graduates, Kim Hennan and Susan Jensen shared the valedictory honours.
• A giant shopping mall was proposed for 25 acres bounded by Douglas Crescent, 204th and 206th Streets, and 53rd Avenue. “Just a concept at this point,” according to Langley City mayor Bob Duckworth. Essex Developments and the City were to be the major landholders.
Thirty Years Ago
June 3, 1987
• Union picketers staged a one-day strike at schools, Langley Memorial Hospital, liquor stores, and other government services.
Twenty Years Ago
May 30, 1997
• Langley City and parts of the Township were in the midst of a severe water crisis. Fast water in the Fraser River had damaged the four-foot pipe supplying GVRD water, resulting in a shortage estimated at 30 million gallons per day.
• Thiessen Equipment of Langley was named Canada’s best exporting company.
• Delegates from 37 countries were in Fort Langley to witnews the unveiling of Bombardier Aerospace’s new firefighting airplane, the Canadair 415.
• Reformers Randy White and Val Meredith easily captured both local ridings, Langley-Abbotsford and Surrey-White Rock-Langley respectively, in a federal election that returned the Liberals to power, with Reform moved up to leadership of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.
• Profit magazine listed two Langley company’s, Chai-Na-Ta and Just Kid’n Children’s Wear among Canada’s fastest growing companies.