Looking Backward 3.29.2012
25 Years Ago
March 26, 1987
The New Ava High School Library is now officially “Decker Library,” named in recognition of Dr. H. Max Decker, Ava High School principal and longtime educator in the Ava Public Schools.
The fifth grade classes of Mrs. Darlene Davis and Mrs. Velma Shortt enjoyed a pizza party last Thursday afternoon on the lawn outside the Ava fifth grade classrooms. The 57 students of Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Shortt read and reported on 806 books to earn their pizza party.
Prosecuting Attorney Souder Tate filed a motion in Douglas County Circuit Court last week requiring Sheriff Leonard Sanders to present to the court a list of all personal property seized or being held, and that the sheriff show when the property was seized and or returned to its owner.
Douglas County voters are being forewarned this spring to have their voter registration cards available for presentation when they go to the polls on Tuesday, April 7.
An 818-acre segment of the 12,315-acre Hercules Glades Wilderness on the Mark Twain National Forest in southwest Missouri will be treated with prescribed fire. Burning will be done during spring greenup in late March or early April.
CROSS ROADS –– Friday Lee, Sue and Becky Bettis went to the lake and got a mess of fish. Sue has her potatoes, onions, lettuce and radishes planted.
The children and grandchildren hosted a surprise celebration for the 50th wedding anniversary honoring their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Jenkins, Sr., on Sunday afternoon, March 22 at the Goodhope General Baptist Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Robertson announce the birth of their daughter, Nicole Wynne, at 9:52 p.m. o March 20 at Tri-County Hospital in Mansfield.
50 Years Ago
March 22, 1962
The Ava Industrial Development Corporation’s long pending application for a federal loan under terms of the Area Redevelopment Act of Congress was consummated here Tuesday afternoon. The loan, the first to be made in Missouri, with the First National Bank of St. Louis and the Citizens Bank of Ava participating, was the third of its kind to be authorized in the nation. Ava Industrial borrowed $125,000 repayable in installments over a 25-year period, for the purpose of expanding the existing local plant of the Rawlings Manufacturing Co., manufacturers of sporting goods.
Adding malicious damage to theft, burglars kicked out a 44×40 plate glass window at the northwest corner of the Lethco Sales, Inc., building last Friday night, and entered the building to steal about $80 from a cash register. This was the second time within six months that the Lethco firm had been burglarized.
The Highway House restaurant in Ava was sold last week by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Baker to Mr. and Mrs. Denzil Barnes, following closely the sale of another Ava eating house, the Wallace Café by Mr. and Mrs. Dick Wallace to Mr. and Mrs. Cleo Heard. The Highway House will be managed by Mrs. Edna Miller, an Ava woman who formerly was in the restaurant business for many years.
Mrs. Caledonia Plumb celebrated her 92nd birthday Sunday, March 18, at a dinner served in the country home of her son and his family, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Plumb and children, Katherine and Jimmie, with whom she makes her home.
Mr. and Mrs. Voyne Clinkingbeard and daughter, Joyce, drove to Potter, Kan., Sunday and after visiting for a few hours with her uncle and his family, Mr. and Mrs. Will Warren and family, they were accompanied home by Mrs. Clinkingbeard’s mother, Mrs. Grace Schuenemann, who is now a house guest in their home.
Earl Plumb, who has been employed in the men’s department of Hesterlee’s Store in Ava for the past five years, began a six-month assignment of active duty with the Army Wednesday, March 14, at Fort Leonard Wood.
Mr. and Mrs. P.P. Baird will observe their golden wedding anniversary with an open house at their home 1457 East 24th Str., Springfield, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 25. The couple was married March 28, 1912, near Goodhope in Douglas County, with Uncle Ezra Johnson officiating at his home.
Miss Mary Jo Lakey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Lakey of Springfield, former residents of Ava, is one of the 22 queen candidates for the Southwest Missouri State College yearbook – the Ozarko.
Avalon Theatre –– Sun., Mon., Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn, Mickey Rooney. An academy award nominee, wonderful comedy. Color.
75 Years Ago
March 25, 1937
An Ozark County rancher and baseball enthusiasts visited Ava Tuesday and hurled a baseball challenge to local players and fans. He is John Hardin, who has a 2320-acre ranch near Gainesville that he purchased two months ago. Hardin is a former Texas league player, but in Wyoming where he lived before coming to Missouri, he worked on a ranch. It is his desire – and he’s pushing it with all his enthusiasm – to join Ava Gainesville and other nearly towns into an organized baseball circuit.
Norman Garrison, owner of the Arden store, was in Ava Tuesday morning consulting with Sheriff Barnes about a robbery in his store Monday night. The thieves had entered through a back window and a considerable amount of merchandise had been taken, the value of which had not been estimated Wednesday. Mr. and Mrs. Garrison have owned the country store for about a month, having purchased it from Mr. Garrison’s mother, Mrs. W.R. Hale.
Mrs. Reba Norman Crain, 27 died suddenly at 11 o’clock this morning at the home of her parents, Dr. and Mrs. R.M. Norman, the victim of heart trouble. She is survived by a small son, Robert Willis Crain, her parents, and a sister, Mrs. Elda M. Calloway of Chanute, Kansas.
Several Ava sports fans were in Springfield Friday evening and attended the Joe Louis exhibition bouts held at the Shrine Mosque. Those who attended were Clarence Spurlock, Master Jimmie Patterson, Bob and Harrison Shipman, Howard and Joe Pettit, Ray Hailey and son, Ray, Jr., E.R. Norman, Hurse Smith, Mr. and Mrs. D.W. Tillman and two children, Paul and Betty Jane, Mr. and Mrs. Burl Krider and Roscoe Spurlock and son Basil.
During the weekend, Dr. Fred Schudy moved his dental office from the Ferguson building to the Herald building. His office is now located directly above the post office.
The Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corporation will shortly begin construction work on a new cheese factory at Ava. The cheese factory will be a modern plant in every respect and will have capacity for a large volume of milk. The factory will be built on a three-acre tract of land at the southern city limits. The land was purchased last August from Frank Spurlock. The tract is just north of the junction of Highways 5 and 78.
Cover your floors with these low priced linoleums…while in St. Louis recently we were able to purchase a number of good quality linoleum rugs to sell at unusually low prices. Take advantage of this opportunity to cover your floors this spring. 9 x 12 felt base rugs, specially priced $3.49, others $4.45 and $4.95. Clinkingbeard Furniture Company
SMALLETT –– Mr. and Mrs. Fred Pratt and children spent Sunday visiting Mr. and Mrs. Ira Day.
100 Years Ago
March 28, 1912
Missouri is a great livestock state, marketing most of her crops “on foot” instead of “mining and marketing” the fertility of her farms. In numbers of horses, Missouri ranks fifth among all the states of the Union. With her 1,095,000 head of horses she is outnumbered by Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Texas only. But the average Missouri horse is valued at $8.00 more than the Kansas horse, and $28.00 more than the Texas horse. Cattle, other than milk cows, number 1,504,000 head in Missouri, the state ranking sixth.
Real estate is becoming active in this section of the country. The Jenkins & Simmons agency reports the following sales this week: Mr. Barnes of Iowa has purchased an 80-acre tract near Arno. Mr. Summers of Nebraska has bought 80 acres near Arden and Mr. Allison of the Allison Hotel has bought a place just south of town.
While this part of the country has experienced the coldest weather during the past few months recorded in its history, spring has brought with it the usual heart gladdening sunshine and gentle breezes.
Now is the time when weary men think of babbling brooks and baited hooks, and the ladies scan the newspaper columns for announcements concerning millinery openings and new styles in dress goods and hosiery.
S.J. Mercer is having the floor put in his new building this week. Mr. Mercer will have a very nice building when he gets it complete.
Harry Carson of the Harry Cooper Plumber Supply Co., of Springfield, Mo. was in Ava the first of the week, making a deal with Timberlake & Burnet for a new supply of pumps and supplies.
The “whitewash season” is approaching and a recipe to make whitewash that will not crumble off may be of use to someone who read this. It is the formula used by Uncle Sam at various government works. Ten parts fresh slacked lime and one part hydraulic cement. Mix well with salt water and apply thin.
LARISSA –– Mr. Hoffmeiser of near Sweden has moved on his farm on Whites Creek. He has ordered a stump puller and will pull stumps this spring.
CEDAR GAP ITEMS –– Word reached here this morning that Kansas City now has 2 ft. of snow seems as though spring will never come.
TOPAZ –– Mrs. Orpha Gott visited with her parents Mr. and Mrs. D.F. Wood a few days last week.
RICHVILLE –– Hay is very scarce in this vicinity and corn is selling at 90 cents per bushel.
A fire broke out in Seymour Tuesday March 19th, destroying most all the business buildings on the South side. The cause is unknown.
DENLOW GATHERING – Mr. and Mrs. Lock Cox are the proud possessors of a new baby girl, which the stork left at their home the 20th. This being their ninth child and the only girl, we doubt if Lock does any farming this summer as he can be softly humming – she’s the only girl.
