30 Years Ago

Thursday, October 27, 1988

Mellor’s sell local IGA

After 27 years in business, John and Olive Mellor have sold their local IGA store.

Broadus natives Larry and Blondie (Wetherelt) Woolston returned and took over ownership of the grocery store on Monday of this week.

It is perhaps ironic that the Woolstons have returned, after fifteen years, to the very place in which they got their start in the grocery business. Both are graduates of the local high school system… following their marriage Larry went to work for the Mellors and learned the business over six years of employment here. The couple then moved to Bridger and purchased an IGA store. After seven years in business at Bridger they purchased a new grocery store, in a newly constructed mall, at Cut Bank. They spent the next eight years in that northeastern Montana community, and, when opportunity knocked, they returned to their hometown.

“When this store came up for sale it looked like a good opportunity for us,” Woolston told the Examiner. “Broadus always was a good place to live before and it looks like it still is.”

Accompanying the Woolstons to Broadus is their son Shane, who will work in the Grocery Department at the IGA. Their other son, Jeremy, is currently serving in the United States Army and is at present stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri.

Also accompanying the couple is Joe Schell, who will manage the Meat Department. Schell has numerous years of experience in grocery store meat departments and was employed at the Woolston’s Cut Bank business for the past year.

Other employees, familiar to many Mellor’s shoppers, will remain. Brenda Lemaster will continue to manage the Bakery Department; Janet Rice will be in charge of the Produce Department as in past years and Helen Norris will continue as head checker. The large support staff will also remain unchanged, according to Woolston.

And, after 27 years of long weeks and long daily hours, John and Olive Mellor are looking forward to “doing some of the things they’ve always wanted to do.”

“It kind of makes me sad. We worked so hard and put a lot into our store. But, it will be nice to not have to meet any more deadlines,” said Olive. “Now, we’re just going to play it by ear… do some of the things we’ve always wanted to do and maybe travel a bit.”

The Mellors took over the local IGA store in August of 1961. At that time the store was located where KMJ’s Clothiers is now, and the Mellors leased the business from Ann Burton Smith. Several years later, meeting a growing demand, they moved the business to a newly erected building, owned by the Marshall Sullivan family (presently NAPA and United Parcel Service). Eight years ago, they built their new store.

The Mellor’s oldest son Jay, who had managed the local business since returning from the Army in the early 1970’s moved with his family last winter to Bowman, ND, where they purchased a Super Value grocery store. David, their youngest son, who has managed the local Meat Department for the last decade, is also moving with his family to Bowman to help his brother in the new venture.

Boys win final game

The Broadus Hawk football team finished up the 1988 season on an up-beat note, pounding Fairview for a 36 to 13-point win in away game action Wednesday evening.

“It was the first game all year we played well for four consistent quarters,” said coach Lynn Safranski. “Our offensive line played very well… they trap blocked well and remembered their assignments. It’s the best game they played all year. Our defense has played well all year and they too played well all four quarters against Fairview.”

The win left Broadus with a two and six record, deceptive in that three of the losses came against state ranked Class B teams. And, Broadus played well against all three. They had a chance to beat Huntley in their first game of the year in an evenly-matched contest.

“I can’t see that anybody else had any tougher of a schedule than we had this year,” said Safranksi.

In action Wednesday, Broadus drew first blood as quarterback Frank Perry scrambled into the end zone from 19 yards out. The Hawks missed their conversion attempt and Fairview answered back with their own touchdown a few minutes later. Fairview’s conversion attempt was good and they took a 7 to 6 lead.

But, the Hawks blew the game open in the second quarter with three touchdowns. Pete Neiman scored on an eight-yard run and Ron Richards ran for a two-point conversion. Then, Richards made it into the end zone twice more, once on a two-yard run and again on a fine 19 yard running play. Perry passed to Jim McGill for one conversion and the second failed.

By the half Broadus was well in control, with a 28 to 7-point scoring advantage.

Fairview rallied in the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown but Broadus went on to ice the game in the fourth period of action with Richards scoring yet again, on a four-yard run. Neiman ran the ball in for the conversion.

“We had the game under control after the first half,” said Safranski. “I was afraid though that we would come back and have a letdown in the second half. We did to a point but were able to re-group and come back.”

The Hawk offensive unit had a fine afternoon indeed, with a total of 282 yards. Only nineteen yards came by the pass… the other 263 were gained through a hard-nosed ground attack, led by Richards. The senior athlete, in the final game of his high school career had perhaps his best outing in four solid seasons with 134 yards total, picked up on 18 carries. Young Tary Hanson followed with 51 yards on four carries for a glimpse at what will no doubt be a promising career. Neiman, also in his final game with the Hawks, had a fine afternoon with 46 yards, gained on nine carries. Leon Olson picked up 14 yards in three carries, Perry finished with 21 yards in four carries and Scott Coulter rushed for six yards in two carries.

Junior athlete Bill Isaacs again paced the always tough Hawk defensive unit with 6 solo tackles, 11 assists, a fumble recovery and an interception for a fine game indeed. Isaacs, a junior, has a promising season awaiting him next year. Olson, another fine junior athlete, followed in the defensive stats with 5 solo tackles, 11 assists and a fumble recovery. Andy Cathey finished with three tackles, 6 assists and a fumble recovery and Samuelson had a fine game on defense, with four tackles and three assists. Hanson followed with three tackles, one assist and a blocked pass. And, Perry had a fine afternoon on defense with six assists and an interception to gain revenge. McGill came out of the game with two tackles, two assists and a fumble recovery. Other defensive stats were as follows: Rob Morgan, two tackles and six assists; Richards, two tackles and on assist and a blocked pass; Tori Franklin, one tackle, one assist and a blocked pass; Curran Schaffer, one tackle and an interception; Nick Vernon, one tackle and one assist; Mark Wenzel, two assists; Dale Andrews, Bryan Bogner and Kevin Johnson, two tackles each and Coulter, Ty Robinson and Lincoln Lanning, one assist each.