Looking Backward 11.20.2014
25 Years Ago
November 16, 1989
Ava’s new wastewater treatment plant is in operation and Mayor Bud Norman told councilmen Monday night that the plant is operating well.
An 80-year-old deer hunter from the St. Louis area was found alive and in good condition Tuesday morning after spending Monday night lost in the woods in the northeast corner of Douglas County. Douglas County Deputy Sheriff Dean Kane said Hal Franklin was reported missing at around 8:30 p.m. Monday and was the subject of a search that continued through most of the night.
Pvt. James D. Johnson has completed basic training at Fort Dix, N.J. He is the son of Johnnie D. and Wanda Johnson of Ava. The private is a 1969 graduate of Ava High School.
Mrs. Ethel Cantwell at Red Bud Village celebrated her 91st birthday Nov. 9 with a dinner at her home.
Mr. and Mrs. George E. Long, Ava, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Nov. 19 with a reception at the Ava Community Center.
The names of about 2,900 University of Kansas students who have received scholarships during the fall semester have been announced. Among those students is Timothy J. Noll, a freshman architecture and urban design student. Noll, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Noll, is the recipient of the chancellor’s club scholarship, Janicke freshman honor scholar-ship, and the Stella Aten NMSC recognition scholarship.
The Ava High School Bears will open the 1989-90 basketball season in the Forsyth Tournament during the final week of November. The Bears will take the court this year under the leadership of 20-year coaching veteran Jesse Blevins, in his first year at Ava.
50 Years Ago
November 12, 1964
Two members of the Ava FFA chapter have been elected to offices in the 17th sub-district organization of Future Farmers. Jose Duran, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jose Duran, St., of Star Route, Ava, was named president of the organization, and Terry C. Dye, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clifford C. Dye of Ava, was elected reporter at the meeting Monday in Mtn. Grove.
A 16-year-old Ava boy led state patrol officers on a 56-mile chase last Friday night traveling speeds up to 100 miles an hour. State Patrolman Joe Hart said the chase started about 11 p.m. on the city streets in Ava after the boy refused to stop for his red light and siren. Hart said the youth left the city traveling south on Highway 76. He said the youngster ran through three roadblocks, forced several cars off the highway and ran off the road and struck a highway sign ½-mile west of Bradleyville. The chase was ended south of Branson when Hart and Officer Wayne Ferguson boxed in the youth forcing him to stop.
Marcus E. Holman, Douglas County Extension Agent, was elected vice president of the Missouri Association of County Extension Agents during the annual convention of the Missouri University Extension Service held in Columbia last week.
Two Ava High School students were hospitalized in Springfield this week as a result of injuries received in accidents while at school. Hospitalized at Burge-Protestant was Sherry Swain, a senior, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Swain of Route 3. School officials said Miss Swain was hurt during physical education volleyball game. The ball struck her in the head, causing her to collapse in a semi-conscious condition. Also injured was Jerry Spurlock, a sophomore, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spurlock of Squires. Spurlock was admitted to Baptist Hospital with a broken arm. Officials said Spurlock jumped from the bleachers and broke his left arm near the wrist during a physical education class.
Miss Jalana Fish, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fish, celebrated her 10th birthday, Friday night, Nov. 6, with a slumber party held in the family home at 615 NE 6th Street. The four guests, Misses Brenda Clinkingbeard, Lynn Shollenberger, Vona Jane Moore and Vanessa Davis, who were to spend the night with the honoree, and another guest, Miss Myra Cudworth met at the Fish home in the early evening and enjoyed a buffet dinner around the fireplace where they roasted wieners and marshmallows and had a dessert course of birthday cake and ice cream.
Mrs. Zeta Reed, a resident of the Mountain Grove nursing home and a former resident of Douglas County, will observe her 90th birthday on Nov. 18.
75 Years Ago
November 16, 1939
John C. Harlin, Gainesville banker, was elected president of the newly organized citizens road association of the ninth highway division at a meeting in Willow springs Tuesday evening.
Santa Claus is coming to town! That glad news to the boys and girls of Douglas County and surrounding territories was announced by W. I. Barker, president of the Ava Chamber of Commerce. Yes, sir, somewhere way up in the cold north pole country, old Santa’s reindeer of are drawing him along over the deep snow, on his way to Ava.
Assurance of ample funds for the completion of a dam on the North Fork of White River near Mountain Home, Ark., during the coming year, has been given by Congressman Clyde Ellis of Arkansas.
Marion Potter, 81-years young, came to Ava Monday to subscribe for the Herald to “check up on you boys here in town,” and incidentally to tell that he and Mrs. Potter celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary Nov. 9, and, as Mr. Potter put it, “are not tired of each other yet.”
Mrs. Boyd Robertson, Mrs. Lev Crumley and Mrs. Norval Wallen were in Kaiser Saturday and accompanied Mr. Robertson to Ava. Mr. Robertson, who had just finished a six-weeks’ training course at the State Highway Patrol camp near Kaiser, received his commission Saturday and returned to Ava with his wife and her friends.
According to the Ozark County Times, the new courthouse at Gainesville is nearing completion. Friday of last week was inspection day, on which all interested officials were present and inspected the new building from top to bottom. Defects and shortages were noted, and the contractors were given final instructions for bringing the building up to requirements.
- R. Wallen will start work within a short time on a new tile and brick business building in Mansfield. Mr. Wallen operates the Western Auto Supply store in Ava and plans to establish a similar business in Mansfield. He has purchased two frame buildings from Bud and John Carnell and Mrs. Harvey Davis, located on Commercial Street in Mansfield and will haze them to make room for the new structure.
Vanity Beauty Shop will open today- Thursday under new management- Mrs. Virginia Hartley an experienced operator of several years, and a former instructor in Harper’s School in Springfield. Prices as cheap as any in town. B.E. Chinn, Owner.
During the last six years, bucket shops have been eliminated from Missouri. The retired farmer no longer receives expensive long-distance phone calls from the “boiler room” of a Missouri bucketeer.
100 Years Ago
November 26, 1914
Missouri farmers lose thousands of dollars every year because their poultry is not property housed. Unless proper quarters are provided hens will not lay during the winter and is a waste of feed and time to hold them over.
In a two game series between Hartville and Ava High School the home athletic again carried off the Laurels. The visitors were defeated by a good round score, which plainly showed they were entirely outclassed. The work of Ava’s boys was perfect, but their speed was not up to the Normal because of weak opposition. Hartville produces a clean bunch of basket men and of a first quality, but they’ll have to hunt an easier bunch than our unbeatable “Wolves.” The first game was Ava 32, Hartville, 16; second, Ava 49, Hartville 20.
Women riders of Great Britain have organized the Women’s First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Corps to help the fighters in the field.
LONDON –– Although the Empress Eugenie is almost 60-years-old, she is taking the greatest interest in the war and has set aside an entire wing of her house at Farnsborough Hill for the use of wounded officers. Several injured officers are now recuperating there and their aged hostess personally supervises their care.
Surprising results were obtained Tuesday in Chicago, when, in a distance test on the boulevards a 1915 big six went 28.7 miles on a gallon of Red Crown gasoline. The test was made to demonstrate the fuel economy of high test gasoline.
Henry Burke, one of the leading teachers of the east end was in Ava the latter part of last week attending teachers meeting and looking after some business.
- J. Moorehouse of Denlow, was in Ava the latter part of last week also attending teachers meeting.
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Daves are expecting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Daves and daughter, Miss Edna to arrive this week from Arkansas to spend the holidays with them.
Tom J. Bristol is erecting a frame house on the lot adjoining his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Bristol that he and his family will occupy when completed.
Sunday was a beautiful day to be in the woods and as always, Lake Crystal claimed her share of visitors. Those from Ava were Mrs. J.M. Adams, Misses Eleanor and Florence Adams and houseguest, Mrs. M. Varble; Messrs. and Mesdames Fred Dyer, Henry Wilson, John Spurlock and family and Cleon Dyer, Christy Snyder and Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Reynolds.
125 Years Ago
November 14, 1889
Jas. F. Denney, the boss paper hanger, is papering the rooms above Miller Bros. store. He is a dandy workman and all parties desiring paper hanging done would do well to call on him.
Don’t forget the Literary on Friday night.
There is an opening in Ava for a good shoemaker.
A drove of cattle passed through town on Monday.
Calvin Wilson is having his house plastered this week.
The Herald will shortly be enlarged to an 8-column paper.
Col Watts is having a new house built in the southeast part of town.
Austin Reynolds is having a large barn erected on his lots in the eastern part of town.
The Gray Eagle, Attorney A. B. Head, has moved his office to over Miller Bros. store.
The Ava Normal School under the government of Prof. J.S. Mercer and Miss Maggie Wyatt, is progressing finely and is the best school Ava has ever had. Our citizens should do all that is in their power to assist in building up a good school here, as there is nothing that speaks better for a community than a good school and church houses. Put your shoulder to the wheel and help build up our town and county.
The Dakota sufferers should come to southwest Missouri a country where a failure in crops was never known, where the chinch bug and grasshopper do very little damage, where corn grows so tall that it has to be gathered with a step-ladder and all around us is living over 300,000 acres of unimproved land waiting for settlers.
The most curious law in the United States dealing with punishment of murderers exists in Kansas. The legislature in 1872 passed a bill, which provided that any person convicted of murder in the first degree should be sent to the penitentiary there to remain until the governor of the state signed a warrant for and fixed the date of the execution. Forty-one convicted murderers, four of whom are women, could be hung any day by order of the governor. Some of their crimes are unparalleled in the annals of cold-blooded assassin-nation. One of these days unless that strange law is repealed, there will be a grand-hanging tournament in Kansas. The state will elect a governor pledged to rid the community of a band of cut-throats.
