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Looking Backward 5.19.2016

25 Years Ago

May 16, 1991

Ava High School will be graduating one of its smallest clas­ses in recent history this year, with only 79 names listed on the com­mencement program.  Heading up the class are Valedictorian David Davidson and Salutatorian Leigh Lakey.

Ava High School production of “Little Shop of Horrors” was a big hit last Thursday and Friday night, with splendid performances by a large group of high school students, both on the stage and behind the scenes.

Mr. and Mrs. Vernie Halford of Ava will celebrate their 50th wed­ding anniversary May 26 at the Ava community Building.  Vernie Halford and Anna Dye were mar­ried June 4, 1941 in the home of Zim Sims of the Drury community.

Pablo’s Mexican / American Restaurant is opening soon on the Ava square.

Reggie and Kathy (Leonard) Victor, St. Louis, wish to announce the birth of their second child, Hannah Beth, on May 12. She joins her pretty sister, Rachel Lea, of the home.

Mrs. Reba Dry, a cook at the Ava Elementary School cafeteria for 29 years, will be retiring at the close of this school year. Mrs. Dry was honored by her co-workers and other staff members last week with a reception in the cafeteria.

Ida Bice celebrated her 79th birthday Sunday, May 5 with a sur­prise party given by her family.

Derrick and Tenisha Hoogen­doorn found a large mushroom about two weeks while with their mother, Helen. The big mushroom weighed approximately 2½ to 3 pounds.

OAK FORREST –– Congratu­lations to Mr. and Mrs. Danny Thompson, the proud parents of a baby boy.

50 Years Ago

 May 12, 1966

A stiff warning to area motorists was issued this week by Chief of Police Ezra Henson concerning the obstruction of traffic movement on the square.  Chief Henson said that as many as three and four vehicles traveling side by side at a slow pace with occupants talking from the moving automobiles is obstructing the normal flow of traffic.  He said citations will be issued beginning this week for violations of this type.

The new $70,300 addition to the Ava Elementary building is show­ing progress, and is scheduled to be completed and ready for occupancy at the beginning of the fall term of school. The 6-room unit will house four classrooms, a combination art and music room, and a counselor’s office.  This is the second addition to the elementary school within two years.

Robert McFarlin, a resident of Route 5, Ava, has purchased Neil’s Apco Station and Grocery, north of the square at the junction of city route 5 and 14.  Mr. McFarlin was formerly employed by Barnes Super Market, and has been in the grocery business for many years.  He is married to the former Joyce Keeton, and they have a daughter, Arlene, and 10 sons, Robert, Clinton, Roger, Richard, Otis, Randy, Ronald, Frances, Phillip, and Larry.

A comic operetta, “H.M.S. Pinafore” is scheduled to be pre­sented Friday evening by the Junior High Music Department at the junior high gymnasium.  Cast in leading roles are John Klineline, son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Klineline, and Regina Irby, daugh­ter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Irby.

Douglas Davis, a freshman student at Ava High School, received one of the top honors in the Student Craftsman’s Industrial Arts Fair held at Southwest Mis­souri State College, Friday.  Win­ning No. 1 ratings were Douglas Davis, billfold; Eddie Sparkman, billfold; Jimmy Crisp, plastic pen set; Joe Daniels, coffee table; Dale Duckworth, wallet; and Eddie Sparkman, toasting fork.

Mr. and Mrs. Burrel Loftin and children, Mike and Lynda, returned to their home on Route 5, Ava, May 3, after spending the weekend in Virginia visiting with their son, Pvt. Russell Loftin, stationed at Ft. Lee, near Petersburg.

ARNO –– Larry Chance has employment in Ava at the green­house.

HONOLULU, Hawaii –– Galen Hall, son of Mr. and Mrs. B.N. Hall of Route 3, Ava has been promoted to chief master sergeant, highest enlisted grade in U.S. Air Force.

Miss Stephanie Hobbs, an Ava High School freshman recently was selected as a district winner in the Missouri Bar Law Day USA High School Essay Contest.  She re­ceived a $25 United State Savings Bond and a certificate from the Missouri Bar Association, and her teacher, Mrs. Wilma Klineline, was presented a certificate for Excel­lence in Teaching.

75 Years Ago

May 15, 1941

105 Ava High School graduates will receive their diplomas at com­mencement exercises in the audito­rium tonight (Thursday). Twelve honor students of the high school graduating class are announced by school officials this week.  They are: Helen Ruth Hodges, Zelma Fern Upchurch, Betty Jean Buck­ley, James George Heinlein, Paul Barker, Doris Walker, Betty Norman, J.W. Everett, Jr., Rhufus Ethan Allen, Dorothy Edna Walker, Lila Everett and Hope Finger.

Spectators at the Norfork Dam celebration to be held at the dam site in Baxter County, Arkansas, next Thursday, May 22, will have opportunity to witness one of the first major excavation blasts.  A bluff will be blown up for an exca­vation for an abutment. The com­mittee for the celebration is expecting 1,500 persons.

Jerry Pettit and his orchestra will play in Ava this Saturday night.

  1. TABOR –– Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Cox have christened their new daughter Mary Frances.

Glenn Harnden, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Harnden, arrived at the Harnden home Satur­day night where he visited until Sunday evening.  Glenn was for­merly stationed at Fort Crook, Nebraska, but was moved last week to Fort Wood.

Miss Norma Durham, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Durham of Girdner, and Gene Prock, son of Mr. and Mrs. Evan Prock of Wasola, were married Sunday, May 4, in Protem. The Rev. B. Henson read the marriage vows. The couple was attended by Miss Joy Hicks and Merl Prock, both of Wasola.

AVALON THEATRE… “Gay Caballero” Saturday only, May 17, a Cisco Kid western with Cesar Romero, fighting his way to his lady love, and to your heart, too.  Added: Cartoon, and “King of the Royal Mounted.”

Old Jackson Mill property to be sold this month.  Jackson’s Mill, formerly known as Lyon’s Mill, about 45 acres, just off Highway No. 76 near Roy, seven miles southwest of Ava, will be sold at sheriff’s sale at the courthouse in Ava on May 22, at about 1:30 p.m.  Mill now operating, fed by splendid large spring, on Big Beaver Creek. Small house and other improve­ments.  Anyone interested might be able to buy at a bargain.

We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them.                       –– Seneca

President Roosevelt, directing “whatever action is needed” to speed production of heavy bombers said in a letter to War Secretary Stimson that command of the air by the democracies must be achieved even if it means “great strain on our production effort.”

DENLOW –– A rather small crowd attended Sunday school. The men were the losers from the Sun­day before and were also losers again.

100 Years Ago

May 18, 1916

Jim Cropper, a farmer living near Sycamore, Ozark County, shot and seriously injured Robert Mainard, his neighbor, on Wednes­day of last week.  The shooting is said to be the outcome of jealousy over Cropper’s wife.  Mainard had started to work, and was lying at a spring drinking, when Cropper shot from ambush with a thirty thirty rifle. The bullet took effect in the shoulder and lodged in his back.  Four more shots were fired as Mainard ran, only one taking effect, and slightly wounding his cheek. It is the belief of physicians that Mainard will recover. Cropper ad­mitted the shooting, and was placed under arrest and committed to jail in Gainesville to await his trial.

For some time, we have been quietly watching the gradually developing and growing evil tendencies in the little city of Ava without saying a word –– not for the sake of those engaged in wrong doing, but because of a bad impres­sion publicity makes upon those outside of the city.  There are gam­bling dens in this city and it is high time that the proper steps be taken to wipe them out. Scarcely a night has passed during the last three months without a game and never yet has one been broken up by an officer clothed with the authority of law. Furthermore, there is a strong suspicion that some-where within our city limits whiskey is being distributed in exchange for cash, Bootlegging –– if that expresses it any clearer.

Recording the largest single mercantile transaction ever made between firms of Springfield, the Heer Dry Goods company late Sat­urday closed negotiations for the purchase of the entire stock of the Mehl & Anderson Dry Goods Company.  The Greater Heer Store has enjoyed reputation for doing big things for almost half a century and this transaction is one of the greatest deals ever consummated by them.

President A. Ross Hill of the University of Missouri delivered the annual address Wednesday evening of last week to the gradu­ates of the Ava High School, after which diplomas were given to Misses Maud Carrick, Ruth Davis, Vestil Burdett, Lilla Mankin, Gladys Berger, Sybil Stewart, Lena Wilson, and Effie Curry, and Messrs Walter Mitchell, Richard Stewart, Melvin Daniels, Roy Wagner, Denzil Campbell and Cecil Reynolds.

DENLOW –– Denlow is getting to be quite a town, two cars were seen here Sunday.

COLD SPRING ITEMS –– Our school will be represented this year by four graduates: Albert Gheer, Ed Kellar, Clara Mallernee and Avice Penny.

125 Years Ago

May 21, 1891

LONDON, May 16 –– From dispatches received here it is learned that two more Jews have been murdered at Corfu and that bodies of several Jews who died at that place from starvation lie un­buried.  It is also learned that the troops continue to keep a cordon about the Ghetto, or Hebrew quar­ter.

Prosecuting Atty. Reed offers to give an acre of land on East side of town for a new school house site. The site offered by Mr. Reed would be nearer the center than the old site and a much better location for school purposes.

Pat Brown of Jackson Township passed through Ava on Saturday with Mr. Rippee of Mansfield, in charge of a fine drove of hogs which have been purchased for J.C. Spence of Mansfield, Mo., in the southern part of the county.

It is curious about people who cannot sleep night.  However, they can always sleep through chore time in the morning.

If you have $5,000 in cold cash you can manage to have your wife,  mother, father, uncle or aunt sent to a private insane asylum, whether sane or insane. The conveniences invented for the present generation are almost without number and this is one of them.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so do presents.

Racing season was inaugurated in the East yesterday, when the Brooklyn Jockey club threw open its gates for a 14-day meeting, and Tenny won the handicap from a magnificent field. Many thousands were won and lost on this race all over the country, for gambling on the result was very heavy in all the cities.

NEW ORLEANS – As far back as last October the city council called upon the Mayor of New Orleans to appoint a committee of 50 to thoroughly look into the ex­istence of secret societies or bands of assassins which, as openly charged, had existence in the city. The committee has made its report and charges the Italian Mafia assas­sinations to the extent of nearly a hundred.

WASHINGTON, May 17 – The grand tour of President Harrison and his party, which began April 14, ended yesterday, when the presidential train came to a stand­still here exactly on time. The great journey of 10,000 miles had been accomplished without an accident and without deviation from the pre­arranged schedule, except on one occasion. The president delivered 140 speeches during the tour.  His best record for a single day was yesterday, when he talked to twelve different assemblages. The day be­fore he made eleven speeches.

CHICAGO May 14 –– Thomas A. Edison, the electrical inventor, thus describes his latest piece of work: “A man can sit in his own parlor and see depicted upon a curtain the forms of the players in opera upon a distant stage and to hear the voice of the singers.  When this system is perfected, which will be in time for the fair, each little muscle of the singer’s face will be seen to work, every color of his or her attire will be exactly repro­duced and the stride and positions will be natural.”