Looking Backward 5.10.2012
25 Years Ago
May 7, 1987
Honor graduates at Ava High School are Naomi Watkins, valedictorian, and LuCinda Bishop, salutatorian.
Casey Allen Blau, 18 year old senior at Ava High, son of Lt. Col. and Mrs. Lionel Blau was presented his Eagle Scout Award at a Scout Court of Honor held Tuesday evening in the local L.D.s. Chapel.
Mrs. Lula Spurlock was presented a lifetime membership in Ava Chapter 47 Order of the Eastern Star this week by Faye Robertson, worthy matron, and other members. Mrs. Spurlock was initiated into Ozark Chapter 98 on November 28, 1933, and affiliated with Ava Chapter 47 on Sept. 3, 1942. Mrs. Spurlock celebrated her 100th birthday last October.
Lonnie Call, of Ava, became the first person to ever score a 700 series at Ava Bowl when he rolled a 702 in three games on March 17. In scoring the 702 series, Call bowled games of 188, 287 and 227.
Sunday, April 26, at 2 p.m. Betty Evans, Billie Joe and Eunice and Pam and Bruce Pettit hosted a surprise party in honor of their mother and grandmother, Irma Evans, who was celebrating her 70th birthday on April 28.
Morrie McKee, 14, of Ava, took second place in his age division in a karate tournament in West Plains on March 29.
Mike Morgan, a member of the Ava High School band, received a top 1 honor rating at the State music Contest last weekend on his clarinet solo. Mike was accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Debbie Wray.
Winners in the Mercy Hospital run in the 21-30 age group are, 1st, Chris Marcak; 2nd, Gary Emrick; and 3rd, Ricky Mann.
Miss Jamie Lynn Miller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Miller of Ava, Mo. became the bride of Paul Gene Boyd, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Boyd of Rte. 2, Norwood, Mo. on March 14, 1986 at 1 p.m. at Chapel Grove Church with Rev. Tom Johnson performing the double ring ceremony.
50 Years Ago
May 2, 1962
A day-and-night hunt in Ava for a dog reported to be rabid ended at about 5 o’clock Tuesday evening when it was shot and killed by City Policeman Clifford Cunningham. The blue tick hound, first reported Monday night in the vicinity of Davis Corner, was said to be sick and slobbering and possibly rabid. There are no reports that any person had been bitten by the dog, but unconfirmed statements were made to officers that it may have bitten other dogs.
Ava residents sought their basements and shelters, or ran for other cover between 3:30 and 4 o’clock Monday evening when dark, stormy-looking clouds were observed swirling toward the city from the southwest. However, heavy rain and a few gusts of strong wind were the only results, and the tornado scare was quickly over.
A four-family move is underway in Ava due to the fact that three area homes here have been given new owners in recent real estate transactions. The three homes involved in the transactions: The Irwin Olson suburban residence located on new Highway 5 and State Route Y west of Ava; the Lyle Ray home on Benton Avenue in east Ava, and the Homer Hailey farm, four miles west of Ava. Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Denney, who were living at the Hailey farm when the real estate transaction was made will be moving in mid-May into the north unit of the new Bennett duplex on Jefferson Street.
Ava students winning top ratings in the state music competition were Miss Linda Pettit, I, vocal solo; Jim Shollenberger, I, vocal solo; girls vocal trio, I, Linda Pettit, Carole Pettit and Sue Herd; tenor sax solo, I, Jim Shollenberger; bassoon solo, I, Jim Shollenberger. The “two” rating was awarded to a clarinet quartet, Tony Smith, Peggy Shollenberger, Janice Robertson and Marjorie Moore.
The “yard of the month” plaque has been awarded by the Ava Garden Club to Mr. and Mrs. Boone Norman, Sr., for the month of May.
Mr. and Mrs. John Burkdoll and Johnny of Rochelle, Ill., visited from Friday until Monday with his mother, Mrs. Ollie Turner and son, Deward; also with Mr. and Mrs. Russell Hamby (DeEtta Burkdoll), Bruce and Debra and Doris Burkdoll of Ava.
Hershel Letsinger of Route 2, Mansfield, who is serving a 6 months active duty assignment in the Army Reserve program, is now stationed in Fort Belvoir, Va.
Free Chicks, Thurs., May 10, at Douglas County Milling Co., 25 chicks free with purchase of 25 lbs. of Dari-Maid Chick Starter. 50 chicks free with purchase of 50 lbs. Dari-Maid Chick Starter.
D.V.M. and Mrs. Hollis D. Smith (Dorothy Duffer) of West Plains, announce the birth of a son at 5:48 Wednesday afternoon, April 25, in Burge-Protestant Hospital, Springfield.
D.V.M. and Mrs. Taylor Woods of Ava announce the birth of a daughter in Burge-Protestant Hospital in Springfield at 6:22 o’clock Thursday evening, April 26.
75 Years Ago
May 6, 1937
A tornado, which injured five persons, destroyed several farm homes, damaged many others, destroyed many barns and killed much livestock swept the north end of Howell County about 9 o’clock Thursday night last week. Greatest damage was done in the vicinity of Burnham, 16 miles northwest of West Plains.
Harold T. Lincoln, prominent Springfield attorney, will deliver the commencement address, and Dr. Courts Redford, president of Southwest Baptist College at Bolivar, will deliver the baccalaureate address.
Sore muscles and stiff joints were nursed by a number of Ava men and boys this week following games of donkey baseball played at the city park Monday and Tuesday nights. Two teams under the leadership of Claude Hibbard and Noel Sutherland took the field in clownish costumes Monday night. They proved that ballplayers who would like to ride donkeys might sometimes fail to stay mounted. Hibbard’s team was first at bat and Pitcher Frank Givans was lead-off man. His donkey was a big, light colored bucker that threw his rider twice before he reached first base, where he was called out. In the second inning Henry Shipman went over his donkey’s head, losing his reins, and made the first out. Fans declared that Lloyd Reynolds went the highest off his donkey’s back, that Ray Royce hit the hardest when he was thrown off between home plate and first base, and the C.E. Browning made the most noise when he hit the ground in center field.
Steady increase in the amount of milk received by the Carnation Co. plant here during the past month has brought the daily volume up to approximately 100,000 pounds, with a daily payroll of $1,600, John Fawcett, manager of the plant said yesterday.
Miss Opal Anderson Tuesday took possession of a grocery business on the north side of the square she purchased last week from Roy Silvey. She will be assisted in the store by her brother-in-law, Hunter O’Quinn. Miss Anderson, her mother, Mrs. Anna Anderson, and Mr. and Mrs. O’Quinn moved to Ava over the weekend locating in the Lz Banta home in the south side of town.
And don’t forget this –– 90¢ a week will buy a Plus-Powered Kelvinator, W & H Sales Co. Only Kelvinator gives you all these advantages! Built-in thermometer, rubber grids in all ice trays, certificate of low operating cost, and 5-year protection plan.
RIPPEE –– Well, at least, we haven’t heard anyone say “I wish it would rain,” for several weeks.
Sixty-five children of the second and fourth grades of Ava schools took a trip to Springfield Saturday. They visited the Coca-Cola Bottling Co., and the company treated each person. They next visited radio station KWTO and sang a song on the 11 o’clock radio. The group ate lunch at Teachers college, and at 12 o’clock all the children got on a streetcar and rode to the railroad station. At 1:30 o’clock they left on a train for Rogersville.
100 Years Ago
May 9, 1912
The following about the White River Dam was recently published in the St. Louis Republic: “The approaching completion of a great hydro electric power plant in the Ozarks naturally suggests the manufacturing possibilities in that region. It has a most healthful climate, town sites of great natural beauty surrounded by hills and enough cultivated land to yield a plentiful supply of fruits and vegetables.” The Republic is right. The Ozarks should and will be developed into one of the greatest manufacturing centers in the United States.
They Favor New Bridges –– County Court Makes Appropriation $100 for Each Bridge –– Citizens Asked to Contribute To Building Approaches and Grading –– Among transaction of business by the county court this week, they have again shown themselves to be progressive citizens and county officers in working for the interests of the people of Douglas County by ordering bids for building a substantial steel bridge across Bryant Creek near Vera Cruz, and also appropriating $100 to apply on the building of the needed approaches. These approaches will require an expenditure of about $3000. The citizens have agreed to deposit within thirty days the sum of $200. The court also made the same proposition to the people on Beaver Creek, where the bridge is built, but approaches are not complete.
All work on the new Union Station at Kansas City has stopped. All Union men except the bricklayers quit the job last Saturday morning, and when the hodcarriers walked out, the bricklayers had to quit.
American people need or think they need many things for the comforts of life, but there are also many things we have that we don’t need. We need fewer politicians, fewer laws and lawmakers, and better enforcement of the laws we do need.
The fierce storms of Kansas and Oklahoma are driving some people to their graves, others are being driven into the Ozark mountains, for shelter.
Douglas County has a candidate for Representative in U.S. Congress from this congressional district in the person of Geo. R. Curry. We believe there could not be found a better man to represent the people than Mr. Curry.
Jenkins & Simmons have bought the Lawson lots near the schoolhouse.
Mr. Monta Roberts and Miss Elsie Hailey were married at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.O. Hailey last Sunday.
125 Years Ago
April 14, 1887
Meadville, Pa., Apr 8 – Leopold Mambourg’s experiment of running a locomotive with gas manufactured upon the tender was tried here yesterday and pronounced a decided success. While the engine stood in the railroad shops steam was generated to seventy-five pounds by means of natural gas, and then the manufactured gas was turned on. In a short time the steam rose to 120 pounds, having done so at the rate of about five pounds per minute. Several loaded cars were coupled to the locomotive and a run at full speed was made for distance of six miles, during which the steam did not fall back one pound. Lima oil was used, and the amount consumed was bout four gallons per hour.
Geronimo is a very crafty savage.
According to the latest reports in Michigan, the majority against prohibition is about 3,800. The prohibitionists of Staunton, Va., propose to contest Tuesday’s local option election on the ground that the tickets of the “wets” were printed on light cream colored paper.
The Senate of Pennsylvania has passed a bill providing that murderers of the first degree may be put to death by electricity.
The thermometer registered 88 yesterday.
Dr. R.N. Lee will soon open a drug store just across the street from the Herald office. The Dr. purposes keeping in stock a little of everything.
The following marriage licenses were issued by Clerk Martin the past week: Lewis Huffman and Laura O’Day; W.P. Smith and Mattie Huffman; John L. Cameron and Elmira Stout.
The photograph gallery that has occupied a portion of the public square for the past four weeks has moved to Mansfield where its proprietor will attempt to gull the citizens of that place by taking poor pictures and charging exorbitant prices as he did at this place.
EAST END –– James Davis, son of Preacher Davis, was carelessly fooling with a revolver when it fired and the ball took effect in his little sister’s leg hurting her very bad, but not fatal.
GIRDNER –– Mrs. Bond and little Sadie are now recovering from the measles. There are ten more in the same house to take them.
After having run the Ava Flour Mills about two years we feel it our duty to thank the good people of Douglas and adjoining counties for their favors in patronizing us, and if we please them, we hope they will continue. Our motto is to give every man justice. We sell flour at $2.00 per hundred, and in lots of five hundred pounds and over at $1.90. We sell meal 50 lbs at 40 cents. Brand 50 cents per hundred. Respectfully, Mency & Pennington
The Singleton Hotel is a large and commodious house situated in the North West corner of the public square. Martin Singleton, Proprietor, Ava, Mo.
