Looking Backward 9.20.2012
25 Years Ago
September 17, 1987
Each year the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association presents a Humanitarian Award to one of its members at the annual Show & Celebration. This year’s winner is Ovle House, Ava, one of two surviving charter members of the Association.
Gainesville banker and humorist John Harlin was the keynote speaker and entertainer at Tuesday night’s Chamber of Commerce program in Ava.
Missouri Conservation officials reported a tremendous turnout for the certified hunter safety course that was held last week in Ava. More than 100 persons attended the first session.
Ava barber Vernon Ray did something this week that many golfers never achieve. He hit his third hole-in-one…this year! Ray scored his most recent hole-in-one on Monday, Sept. 14 at the Ava Country Club golf course. The ace came on the No. 3 green, and was witnessed by Bob Crain, Clinton Maloney and Clyde O’Hara.
Ribbon girls and escorts who presented all the trophies and awards to winners at the Show & Celebration on Saturday night are Rhockie Cunningham and Scott Farris, both of Ava, Lorelei Young, Marshfield and Travis Graham, Ava.
Ava General Baptist Church recognized Mrs. Arlee Pettit on Sunday morning, Sept. 6, for 25 years of faithful service as church clerk.
COUNTY LINE –– Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Reed who are the proud parents of a baby boy named Justin Scott.
WAGNER –– Mildred Greene and Fay Watkins attended the wedding of David Griffin and Jane Fedora at Branson Saturday evening.
SKYLINE –– Congratulations to Dalene Mallernee and her horse, Rocker, for the big trophy. They won in the parade at Norwood Saturday.
50 Years Ago
September 13, 1962
The 1962 football season will be kicked off on the Ava High School gridiron tomorrow night when the Bears meet a South Central Conference opponent, the Salem Tigers. Ava’s Bears, though predominately made up of underclassmen, cannot be counted out of the race yet. Quarterback Lonnie Reid, a junior, has a year of seasoning under his pads, and at 138 pounds is a bit heavier than last year. His passes this year are “bullets”.
Combination of a large exhaust fan and a small body resulted in the theft of approximately $53 from the Ava Recreation Club sometime Saturday or Sunday night. A thief squeezed between the blades of the large fan, which is inserted in a window in the east end of the building, to gain entrance. Ralph Mackey, owner of the club, which is located one-half block south of the southwest corner of the square, said that the thief took some silver from the cash register and the balance from a Coke machine.
Lonnie Krider, president of the Ava Junior Chamber of Commerce and an employee of the Rawlings Manufacturing Company, was injured Monday while horseback riding. The saddle came loose and caused Krider to be thrown from the horse. He suffered painful scratches and bruises and an eye injury.
Kenneth Keen is home on furlough after spending two years in the Far East with the Air Force. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Keen of Smallett.
The Rev. Carl Willis, pastor of the Assembly of God Church in Ava, and Mrs. Willis had two new grandsons added to their family during the month of August. Mr. and Mrs. Dale Willis announced the birth of their fifth son on Friday, Aug. 17, and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Hampton (Norma Willis) of Ava have selected the name Michael Ray for their son who was born Wednesday evening, Aug. 29.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hutchison (Kay Pool) announce the birth of a 7-pound, 11-ounce daughter on Aug. 22 at the Elms Clinic in Mtn. Grove. She has been named Kimberly Lynn. They have a son, Harlin, who will be 3 in November.
LACKLAND AFB, Texas –– Airman Basic Jackie W. Hutchison, who is married to the former Patsy Pickens of Ava, Mo., is being reassigned to Keesler AFB, Miss., for technical training as a United States Air Force radio and radar maintenance specialist.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Hart and son, Johnny, entertained the couple’s youngest daughter and her family, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Giffin and children, Bruce and Delana, of Independence, and the Giffins’ neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Webbink, also of Independence as house guests during the Labor Day weekend.
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Peebles and children, Mitchell, Joanna and Glen, of Route 3, Ava, were honor guests at the Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, Aug. 20, on “Farm Family Day.” The Peebles were selected through the balanced farming program to represent Douglas County.
75 Years Ago
September 16, 1937
Insects have been destroying the foliage of a number of species of forest and shade trees this summer, walnut trees being probably the most noticeably affected. Within the past two weeks walnut caterpillars have attacked and literally stripped walnut trees of their leaves. When the caterpillars attack a walnut tree it takes only a few days for them to devour all the leaves, leaving only the walnuts clinging to the branches.
Five new students in high school increased high school enrollment to a total of 430 Wednesday afternoon. Enrollment in the grades also increased to a total of 353 Wednesday.
A wedding last weekend that was of interest to our community was that of Miss Lucile Sell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Sell, and R. Clinton Gaston, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ranse Gaston.
The grade school band was organized Wednesday with twelve pieces under the supervision of J.F. Curnutt. It is expected to have twenty pieces in the band by Christmas and possibly thirty pieces by the end of the school year.
We frequently hear men say they do not like “smart” or brainy women, and one remarks that he would not marry a “brainy” woman, they are too hard to get along with. Well, there are a great many of us who find ways to be hard to get along with without that particular handicap, but what the gentleman really meant was that he wanted a wife who had no come-back to his pompous assertions and his self-importance.
MERRITT –– Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Thomas spent Sunday with relatives near Pansy.
With the arrest of Joe and Roy Boeckman and Fitch Denton, officers of Oregon and Carter counties believe they have broken up a large ring of cattle rustlers who have recently been stealing many head of cattle from farmers of Oregon, Carter and Ripley counties. The alleged cattle thieves live northeast of Alton and just across the line in Carter County.
Mountain Grove had its first taste of labor trouble last week when eight men went on a strike at the Craig-Hart canning factory. The strike was settled in short order by employing an entirely new set of men to take the place of the strikers.
Fifty years ago September 5, Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Brixey were married, the ceremony taking place under a brush arbor here at Ava.
A baby girl was born Sunday, Sept. 12 to Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Davis. The youngster weighed nine pounds.
Several Ava people were in Springfield Saturday to attend the KWTO celebration. The broadcasting station was holding a birthday celebration in connection with their fifth anniversary.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Manis have purchased the F.L. Thomas property in the northwest suburbs of Ava and Plan to move into their new home early next week. Mr. Manis is owner of the Ava Service Truck line operating between Ava and Springfield.
100 Years Ago
September 19, 1912
The Chair of Preventive Medicine at the University of Missouri has established a Bureau of Information for the use of the citizens of the state. It desires to serve the citizens by answering, in so far as is possible, any questions they may ask about prevention of diseases. Address communications to Preventive Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
Those who heard the speech of Hon. Geo. R. Curry to the Old Soldiers at their Reunion last Friday are all of the same opinion, that it was one of the very best ever delivered to an assembly in this part of the country.
No tariff and no government can alter the laws of human nature, and one of these laws is that man is never satisfied.
The efforts of a few can never build a city, but the continuous support of every citizen can accomplish wonders. Good roads through the country are very necessary, and they would be had if everybody will assist in building them.
MARRIAGE LICENSES – Joe Flemings, of Ava, to Martha Roe of Idumea; John Trip of Brushy Knob to Nellie Wood of Iduma; Wm. Burks of Fordland to Inez Burks of Tigris; Marion Hammons to Melissa Sisco, of Denlow. W.H.A. Smith of Merritt to Roxie Ratledge of Roy; Marion E. Miller of Ava to Nellie Heinlein of Granada.
Colonel Roosevelt will be in Springfield next Monday afternoon.
Ershell Campbell went to Springfield to see the circus last Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Thompson of south of town are the proud parents of a fine baby boy who made its arrival last Sunday. All parties concerned are doing nicely.
Mr. and Mrs. Claud Turner of Arno are the parents of a baby boy, which put in his appearance last Tuesday.
Sam Keith of Squires has been employed to teach the St. James School at $40.00 per month. This is Sam’s first school but considering his efficient ability we predict them a successful school.
With the fashions, which were borrowed from the modes of the second empire and directoire periods, comes the neckband of black velvet. These narrow collars, worn just below the chin, give a certain coquettish charm to the face not to be denied.
With best grades of tame hay selling at from $20 to $30 per ton on eastern markets and with many meadows knocked out by last summer’s drought or the past winter’s severe cold, the prospects would seem to be good that hay prices will hold to an unusually high level during the entire present year.
125 Years Ago
September 16, 1887
Three Douglas County Children Who Weigh 625 Pounds –– Yesterday afternoon a wagon was driven into Mr. Price’s wagon yard on Campbell Street, Springfield, containing a mother and three young girls the likes of whom probably cannot be found on the western continent. They were in charge of a man who said they were very poor and helpless people, and would thankfully receive any dimes that might be given them. The girls are the children of Mr. and Mrs. John Garrison, whose home is in Williams Hollow, Douglas County, about 40 miles from Springfield. Mrs. Garrison accompanied them and cared for them like children, which they are in every respect except in size and weight. The oldest one is Melinda who is 14 years old and weighs 205 pounds. The next one is Lydia Sophronia, twelve years of age, weighing 240 pounds. The youngest is Arb, nine years old, who weighs 180 pounds. The three girls were taken to the stock scales in the wagon yards where they went hand in hand toddling along like infants, and were weighed in the presence of a Herald reporter and several others. Their combined weight is 625 pounds and would be greater but for the effect of the intense hot weather of summer. A very remarkable peculiarity about the two younger sisters, Lydia, and Arb, is that on each of their hands are six fully developed fingers.
The St. Louis Browns, the champion baseball club of the world, have refused to play the Cuban Giants on account of their color. They cannot be the champion club of the world without honestly contesting for the championship regardless of race or color.
GIRDNER NEWS –– John Jackman has been laid up with a painful ankle from taking cold in it. He cut his ankle with a hewing ax. But he can never be idle. If this county was filled up with such enterprising men we would soon see a different looking country.
PITH AND POINT –– The gods have their seal on the brow of a just man. … The only ham which orthodox Jews seems to like is Abra – ham. … Now is the time when manager of fairs fall foul of each other. … The Indian summer seems to be off its reservation, with a slim prospect of its ever coming back again. … Many men are poor simply because they deposit their loose change in the saloon instead of the savings bank. … The game laws are very rigidly enforced at the west. If a man is caught cheating at poker he is shot across the table. … The number of photographers in the United States has increased to eleven thousand, but you can try them all and not get a picture to do you full justice.
One of the queer things of the age is that where one man can be found to work at $2 a day, four can be found to sit on the fence and look at him for nothing.
Lewis Hampton has his new blacksmith shop completed.
Twenty buildings to paint and no painter in town.
Sheriff Lyons made a capture of Samuel Devault, alias Thomas Thacker, who is wanted for a murder committed in Tennessee something over a year ago. For some time, this man has been a resident of Rome and the sheriff has been watching him carefully and is satisfied he has the right man.
