Mills Lawn fifth- and sixth-grade Student Council members collected mittens, scarves, hats and coats for the 2009 Giving Tree. The gifts will go to keep children at the Greene County Homeless Shelter warm this winter. Pictured are, clockwise from top left, Danny Horton, Aaron Sherwood, Ursula Kremer, Lake Miller, Allie Bothwell, MacKenna Banaszak-Moore, Erica Renard and Danielle Worsham. Not pictured are Shekinah Williams, Angel Johnson and Alice Miller.

Copies of this and other photographs may be purchased from the News; please contact us via e-mail at ysnews@ysnews.com, or by phone, between 9:30 a.m. and 5: 30 p.m., Mon.–Fri.

Mary Pauline Davis, age 87, of Springfield, died Wednesday, Dec. 9. Mary was born April 13, 1922 in Clark County, the daughter of the late Albert Scott and Bessie Marie (McHenry) Smith. She was a member of the First Christian Church of Springfield, and their Philathea Sunday school class

Gretchen Walker died with her family by her side at Friends Care Center on Sunday, Dec. 13. She was 78.

Geraldine E. Gaines of Xenia, died Friday, Dec. 4, at Greene Memorial Hospital. She was 64 years old. Born June 13, 1945 in Xenia, Gerrie was the daughter of William E. and Esther M. (Johnson) Bruce, both of whom preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by a daughter, LaVonne Gaines, a son, Edward K. Saunders V; three great-grandchildren; three brothers, William “Butchie,” Murl “Danny,” Robert “Bobby” Bruce and a sister, Edith Burns.

The YSHS boys basketball team shocked Dayton Stivers in non-conference play with an 81–72 win on Saturday, Dec 12. The Bulldogs handily beat Metro Buckeye conference foe Middletown Christian 94–59 on Friday, Dec. 11, and moved their season record to 3–0.

Gertrude “Trudy” E. Durgans, age 83, died Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Friends Care Community in Yellow Springs. She was born Dec. 7, 1925, in Chicago, Ill., the daughter of the late William Henry Sr., and Cleola Rodgers Durgans.

Playing mostly for the fun of the game in their season opener on Friday, Dec. 4, the Bulldog boys basketball team mowed down the Mechanicsburg Indians 61–48. The home crowd cheered on this year’s team, which includes eight seniors, six of them returning, whose bulk and spirit promise a competitive and entertaining winter on the court.

Yellow Springs High School students Will Turner and Sady Sparks, left, cut down the last tree of the School Forest camp-out weekend for Sady’s mom, Sarah Strong, on Sunday, Dec. 6. This year’s foresters sold nearly 140 5–9-foot scotch pines and grossed over $4,000, more than the group has ever made on the weekend. The School Forest program started raising evergreen saplings in the spring of 1947 and began selling Christmas trees to the community in the winter of 1948.

Copies of this and other photographs may be purchased from the News; please contact us via e-mail at ysnews@ysnews.com, or by phone, between 9:30 a.m. and 5: 30 p.m., Mon.–Fri.