Looking Backward 4.19.2012
25 Years Ago
April 16, 1987
The Ava Area Chamber of Commerce has named J.G. Heinlein to serve as its executive director.
Strong winds and a brief period of heavy rain accompanied the spring storm that passed through the Ava area just after 3 p.m. Monday. Much damage resulted from the strong, straight wind as trees were uprooted, roofs blown off and plate glass windows literally blown out of buildings. A portion of awning at the Sonic drive-in was ripped off and draped over an electrical service line and a large billboard on NW 12th Avenue was destroyed.
Lannie Hinote, basketball and softball coach at Dora High School has received the “Outstanding Official Award” for the state of Missouri for 1987. This award is given by the National Federation of High Schools.
Anniversary – Tilford Clayton of Longrun and Lilliam Fry of Wasola were married April 17, 1937, in the home of the Rev. Sam H. Daniel of Wasola. Witnesses were Ivan and Roxie (Clayton) Roberts.
Jolee Jenkins, 8-year-old daughter of Robert and Joyce Jenkins, won first place in her division recently in a karate tournament in West Plains.
Corporal Scott W. Huffman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dorsey B. Huffman of Ava, has recently been reassigned from Weapons CO 2ndBN, 9th Marines, where he has been serving as a Dragon Platoon Section Leader, to Battalion S-2 (Intelligence Section) H&S Co. 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines 1st Marine Division REIN FMNF, located at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
HERCULES –– Thieves took nine calves from the pasture of Bob Dalton near here last week, just loaded them through the loading chute. Too bad we still have that kind of people around.
50 Years Ago
April 12, 1962
Mrs. Fred Spurlock of Ava was honored as “Woman of the Year” by the Ava Business and Professional Woman’s Club during its monthly meeting last Thursday evening.
Six top ratings in Class B were awarded to Ava High musicians during the 43rd annual Southwest District Music Festival held at SMS in Springfield last weekend. Jim Shollenberger, son of AHS Music Director King Shollenberger, won three “one” ratings, in medium voice, alto saxophone and bassoon solo, and Linda Pettit, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Pettit, received a one in girls’ medium voice. Other ones went to the girls’ trio and the clarinet quartet.
Two Webster County men, charged with stealing rainbow trout at the Bryant Trout Farm, six miles north of Ava, on Highway 5, didn’t realize the owner, Kenneth Norell, was a deputy sheriff. Both men were alleged to have had a gunnysack full of the rainbow trout, each sack weighing about 65 pounds and valued at $1.00 per pound.
Pvt. Earl Plumb, who is based with the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, spent a short leave with members of his family during the week.
Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Turner recently became residents of Ava and are now settled in their new home on Route 1 in the north part of the city. The three-bedroom modern home, built for the couple by local contractors, is located on property purchased from the Rev. and Mrs. Allen Ledbetter, and is directly east of the Highway House Café. Mr. and Mrs. Turner were residents of the Noble community, in Ozark County before moving to Ava.
Lloyd Sivils, who has built and sold three houses in a new residential area west of Ava, Sunrise Addition, is in the process of starting another home. When Sivils started the housing project on his acreage just north of his suburban home, a few years ago, he sold one building lot to Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Williams, who built and established residence at the location. Then he built his first home and sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Cleo McGill. Doing all the work himself, he built a second residence and sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Russell Heath and children, and the third when completed, was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jarrett and children.
Ava Hardware’s 43rd Anniversary Sale. Automatic percolator, 12-cup, $8.18; GE automatic Iron, $8.88; automatic toaster, 2-slice $9.88; Hotpoint garbage disposal, solves the garbage problem, $39.75; post hole digger, $3.88; grade A, 32”x21”, white double sink, compete with swing out faucets, sink rim, 2 strainer baskets, continuous waste and S-trap, for only $29.88. Eagle Stamps given on all cash purchases or payments on accounts.
ROMANCE –– Mr. and Mrs. Ben Harley of Nottinghill celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary on April 5.
The café at Rainbow Trout and Game Ranch at Rockbridge, south of Ava in Ozark County, is under the new management of Wayne and Necie Clark, who have leased the business from Mr. and Mrs. Lile Amyx and Dr. and Mrs. M. C. Amyx.
75 Years Ago
April 15, 1937
Complete remodeling of the Wilson Theater is under way and will be completed in about two weeks, according to L.H. Pettit, owner and manager. New RCA sound equipment, new projectors and new screen will be installed, Mr. Pettit has announced. Other improvements planned include furnace heat from hot air furnace to be installed under the stage and a new cooling system.
Nineteen boys of the Ava high school track squad will go to Mansfield Tuesday to participate in the annual Altitude League track meet to be held there that day. The squad will be accompanied by J.F. Coday, track coach.
Harold Hough, an employee of the Stanley Brooks store here has been transferred to Mtn. Grove, where he will fill a similar place in the Mtn. Grove Stanley Brooks Store. He will be replaced here by Lewis Holman who comes to Ava from the Mtn. Grove store.
Announcement of the opening of a new moving picture theater in Ava in the Near future is made this week by C.W. Thrasher. The new theater will be located in a building Mr. Thrasher recently purchased from H.S. Wilson, what was formerly the location of the Brown Tavern, just north of the Norman-Gentry drug store. Mr. Thrasher expects the new theater to be ready for business about May 1.
Mr. and Mrs. L. Phelps announce the birth of a daughter, Isabelle, Saturday afternoon April 10th. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps live in the west part of the city near the city park.
From the Seymour Citizen – The City Council voted last Monday night to reconnect the streetlights that have been discontinued for some time because of lack of funds to pay the light bill. They now think they have sufficient money to afford it and at present there has been 35 lights turned on and more connections will be made as soon as possible.
Forty years ago people complained about taxes, but what a snap it would be to have no more taxes to pay than were levied forty years ago.
Mayor LaGuardia, in his speech in New York that so irritated Germany, said one thing that the German press did not comment on, and that was that Germany is bankrupt.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kellogg and small son, Tommy Nason, and Mr. and Mrs. Russel Robertson were Sunday dinner guests in the suburban home of Mr. and Mrs. Murley Grabeel and daughter, Louanna Mae.
PLEASANT GREEN – Mildred Brazeal won first place in arithmetic, and Warren second place in broad jump and third place in high jump at the contest in Ava Saturday. The Brazeal children entered through the Granada school.
CROSS ROADS – J.D. Harnden entertained Saturday evening with a party dance.
100 Years Ago
April 18, 1912
The addition of two senators from New Mexico and two from Arizona, sworn in last week, increases the membership for the United States Senate to 96, of whom 51 are Republicans and 43 Democrats. It is not likely that the Senate will be increased in membership again for many years as there are no more territories to be converted into states and island possessions are not apt to be given representation in the upper branch of Congress.
What will be known as the Ava Brick Cement and Concrete Works is a new enterprise for Ava, and one, which will probably result in much good to the city and surrounding communities. At a meeting last Monday night the organization was perfected with C.H. Burdett, president; R.F.. Jenkins, vice-president; T.S. Newson, manager; Lawrence S. Davis, secretary; Frank J. Davis, treasurer.
The voters of the City of Mansfield have voted to grant a franchise in that city for electric lights. We are glad to see our sister city getting a move on and making some progress. The citizens of Mansfield are wide-awake to their needs and best interests. No doubt such steps will be taken in Ava soon. Lights, water and more street improvements are among the need for our city.
COLD SPRINGS ITEMS – Will Spurrier will teach Stony Point again next year at $40.
Report of the County Textbook Commission: No changes made at the meeting of the text book commission, April 12, the following adoptions were made for a period of five years: The Morris’ Histories were re-adopted. The Schwinn and Stevenson’s Civil Government was re-adopted.
Marriage Licenses were issued to James C. Corden to Minnie L. Grimes, both of Ann; Alford Ice of Roy to Ida Cornet of McClurg.
WHITES CREEK –– Mr. Grass is putting up his new house. They are working hard on it trying to get it done before farming time.
ZENDA ITEMS –– Mr. and Mrs. Maley Denny are the proud parents of a fine baby boy, which made its arrival April 5. Mother and child are doing nicely.
CEDAR GAP –– The Cedar Gap railroad pump house burned on the morning of April 1, the supposition is that someone set fire to it.
MAINARD ITEMS –– Most all the children have the whooping cough in this vicinity at present.
A freight train loaded with chat broke through the Piney River Bridge near Cabool April 9, and 11 cars went into the river. All trains were delayed for about 36 hours.
Stone Point Scratchings –– A new “dishwasher” at Luther Burke’s. The fourth child, but first girl.
BUCKHART –– It is very much hoped by the people around in this community that the county will soon bridge Bryant somewhere near Vera Cruz for convenience in traveling to and from the county seat and to the Normal.
Down and Out. Down goes the price and out goes the goods. Arm & Hammer Soda, 2 10¢ pkgs. for 10¢; red kidney beans, 7¢ per lb.; 7 bars of Lenox soap, 25¢; Keg soda, 3¢ per lb. Ava Grocer Company
