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Looking Backward 4.13.2017

25 Years Ago

April 9, 1992

 

One established Ava business is announcing a change in operations this week and a new store will be opening soon.  Flowers by Doris has taken on a change and is now Fashions and Flowers, owned and operated by Edith Hansen, with Doris Jenkins and Edith’s daughter, Pam Hansen, assisting the opera-tion.

Grand opening of New To You, featuring new and like new clothing will be held Saturday in the Bland Professional Building.  Owners Brenda Reed and Janet Casady invite you to stop by for grand opening specials during the month of April.

Robert Lee Fleetwood, son of Ronald Jr. and Eva Fleetwood, of Ava, will receive the Eagle Scout Award this Sunday in a candlelight ceremony at the Ava General Baptist Church.

Those who know Howard Hale will not be surprised by the versa-tility demonstrated on the tape he recently released through Blue Mountain Recording studio, Timbo, Ark.  Hale, a native of Ava and 25-year veteran of the Baldknobbers country music show at Branson, did the complete recording by himself.  All vocals and all instrumentation is done by Hale.

Mildred Barnes Atchison was born April 7, 1912, the seventh of 11 children born to George Washington Barnes and Emmaline Coats Barnes, of the Brushyknob community. On April 11, Mildred will be celebra-ting her 80th birthday.

BUCKHART–– Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. James Kelley on their 50th wedding anniversary.

The Bears hosted Thayer Mon-day afternoon in the first SCA contest of the year and scored a 6-0 shutout with Joe Humbyrd picking up the win.

 

50 Years Ago

 April 6, 1967

 

CORRECTION: The announce-ment last week of Ava High School student body king and queen incorrectly stated Charles Davis, the student body king, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Davis.  This was incorrect.  The recognition should have read: “Crowned as King was Charles Davis, son of Dean and Edna Davis.”

The Gambles Store here has been sold by Mr. and Mrs. Dick Wallace to Calvin Huffman, former resident of Douglas County, and Leland Tracy, both of Kansas City.  The new owners will continue the retail business as operated by Mr. and Mrs. Wallace and they plan to add a service department for television and radio repair.

CMSgt. Galen N. Hall, son of Rev. and Mrs. B.N. Hall, Route 3, Ava, and a graduate of Ava High School (1947), has been awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for meritorious service in supporting the war effort in Southeast Asia for the period of 14 April 1963 to 8 April 1966.

Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Price of Wasola have chosen the name Faron Lee for their fourth son, born March 9 at the Gainesville Clinic.  He weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz.  Grandparents are Mrs. L.B. Wheeler of Ava, and Mrs. Mattie Lou Price of Wasola.

Mary Litwiller, senior student at Ava High School, has been awarded the Home Economics Trophy for outstanding work in this field.  Miss Joyce E. Ehrhardt, was a first place winner in the homemaking know-ledge and attitude examination for senior girls and became Ava High School’s 1967 Betty Crocker Home-maker of Tomorrow.

TAKE YOUR MEDICINE –– We know a man so boring, he has a number of nodding acquaintances.  …  It’s what the guests say as they pull out of the driveway that counts.   …   Heard in a department store:  “Now I warn you son, if you get lost, don’t come crying to me!”   …   No matter how small a town is, you can always find someone to misdirect you.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., (FHTNC) Marine Private First Class Richard D. Flattem, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. Flattem of Ava, has completed the month-long Mechan-ical Fundamentals School at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Memphis, Tenn.

FIELDSTONE –– Otto Loomis was severely kicked by a cow while adjusting the milker recently.  The blow struck him on the head and impaired his vision.  The doctor decided it wise for him to consult a doctor in Springfield.  Mr. Loomis returned home the same day and is doing quite well.

John W. Olson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Olson of Route 3, Ava, was notified this week by the Department of the Army that he has been selected to receive a four-year scholarship under the Army’s ROTC Financial Assistance Pro-gram commencing with the 1967-68 school years.  Olson, a high ranking senior at Ava High School, has enrolled in the University of Missouri at Rolla.

 

75 Years Ago

April 9, 1942

 

One hundred and seventy-five acres of tomatoes have been contracted for the canning factory here, it is reported this week by County Agent Willard Rumburg. Rutgers, Greater Baltimore and Red Rock are three resistant varieties recommended for Douglas County.

A membership committee of four members was named at the first regular meeting of the Ava Parent Teachers Association held Tuesday night at the school.  Mrs. Ben Callaway is chairman of the committee.  Members are Mrs. Chester Cameron, Mrs. Rea Brooks and Mrs. Russell Meeker.

Plans for a May Day festival to be held on the square in Ava May 1-2 are being made by the Ava Lions Club.  Clarence Clinkingbeard is in charge of general arrangements.

Another small Allied vessel was sent to the bottom of the Atlantic by an enemy submarine recently.  The crew debarked in two small boats and was rescued eleven days later by the crew of a general cargo boat.

Last Thursday evening a group of teachers training students of Ava High School enjoyed a picnic supper at the Bryant Mill, north of Ava.  The young people returned to Ava and formed a line party at the Avalon theatre and afterwards skated at the Spurlock rink.

Mrs. H.H. Platt and her two youngest sons, Gerald and Larry, will leave Sunday for Poplar Bluff where they are establishing their home.  Harold, Jr., the oldest son, will remain in Ava until the close of school and will live in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Exline.

Charles A. Lindbergh and Henry Ford met last Friday on Lindy’s arrival at Dearborn, Michigan, to go to work in the Willow Run Bomber plant for Mr. Ford.

Private H.C. Privett, home on furlough from the Army for a visit with this parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Privett of Route 1, Ava, was honor guest at a basket supper at the Cross Roads school.  Young Privett who is in the Marine Corps has been stationed in Iceland, but was given a two-week furlough while on transfer to San Diego, California.

War production officials have recognized the importance of the beekeeping industry to the extent that priorities on materials used in the industry have been granted.  While bees are usually thought of as honey producers, their importance in war production goes far beyond this.  They are very necessary in pollinating apple, pear, plum and cherry orchards, in pollinating several of the important truck crops and also in pollinating clover.  Then more beeswax is needed.  Ordinarily it is used mainly for church candles, but now in wartime more of it is needed for waterproofing, electrical insulation, adhesive tape for gun shells, and in making airplanes.  With some of the imports cut off, more beeswax will have to be produced at home.

The need for war steel is also likely to mean you’ll keep your same license plates on your car for the duration of the war.  The government has forbidden states to issue metallic plates except for new licenses.

 

100 Years Ago

April 12, 1917

 

Acting under the provisions of Act No. 908 of the recent Missouri Legislature which was introduced by Rep. G.H. Boehm of this county, the board of education met Thursday night and voted unani-mously for a summer school to be conducted at Ava this year.  The term opens May 14th and continues 60 days.

The drive wheel at the power house at Lake Crystal gave way about 8:00 o’clock Tuesday night, and has temporarily put the plant out of business.  The large wooden wheel which has been in use since the installation of the plant was dismantled beyond repair and no relief will be had until a new one arrives from Pennsylvania.  The plant was not overloaded at the time and the break is contributed to the fact the wheel had simply weakened through constant use, until no long able to stand the pressure.  A metal wheel will perhaps arrive and be installed by the first of next week.

The Vera Cruz school district voted $1000 bonds at the annual school meeting, for the purpose of erecting a new school building, with only one dissenting vote.  The new building will be located just across the creek from the Vera Cruz store, and will have two rooms.  The old building is located on the hill above Vera Cruz.

A quarrel between Dr. Lawrence Harrison and Bill Luna both of Gainesville, over a gallon of whiskey, resulted in the shooting of Harrison by Luna, on Friday night of last week.  Luna had received a shipment of whiskey, and had hid it in his blacksmith shop. The “booze” disappeared and Harrison was accused of taking it, when the trouble started.  Harrison was shot twice with a 44 pistol through the left shoulder and the right side, just above the hip. The wounds are reported serious, but will not be fatal.

War Resumes –– War resolution passed House of Representatives by a vote of 372 to 50.

With the opening of spring, many fond mothers will regret seeing their sons spend so much time at baseball yet this pastime has evolved itself into a noteworthy profession.  Manager John McGraw of the New York Nationals has just been re-engaged by that team for five years at $50,000 a year.  All boys cannot grow into a McGraw, but the enormous salary of this man and many other baseball stars proves that a boy is not without ambition just because he loves the game.

W.E. Mankin has bought the picnic ground just west of town and will build a modern residence just west of the baseball grounds, about where the picnic stands are usually located.

 

125 Years Ago

April 14, 1892

 

BUTTE, Mont. –– Meager news has reached here to the effect that cattlemen and range rustlers have had an encounter that the attacking party was repulsed and that the thieves killed eight men and wounded several others.  News of the engagement has been daily expected as men are marching in on the rustlers from all sections. This encounter is supposed to have occurred on Green River, where the outlaws have winter quarters.  This band of horse and cattle thieves is incorporated under the laws of Wyoming under a high sounding name.  Plans for the war of exter-mination have been under formation since last fall.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. –– The evidence in the Taney County trial yesterday bore chiefly on the guilt of Mat Day, the old ex-coroner, whose career in Southwest Missouri has been so eventful.  Capt. Madison Day, whose Christian name is always contracted to “Mat” by the Taney County people was a charter member of the Bald Knobber organization.  He lived there when Capt. Kinney was in his glory and might in Taney County.  He belonged to the Bald Knobber legion known as the “Bears” on account of the location of the command of the regulating forces.  He was openly accused of participating in the lynching of Frank and Tubal Taylor, who were taken out of the same little Forsyth jail from which Bright was dragged to this fate on the night of the 12th of March last.  Day is now nearly 70 years old, but rugged, resolute and repulsive in feature.   W.G. Snapp was in Forsyth Saturday afternoon March 12 before the lynching.  He saw Mat Day in the evening, and heard him say to an unknown man that they would stay in town that night and have a little fun.  This was a few minutes before sundown. The opinion is now that George Taylor and Day will be held for murder, as two of the leaders of the mob.

Our farmers and gardeners are beginning to complain of too much rain.

The Platte Motel and Martin’s livery stable have been connected with a telephone wire for the con-venience of guests of the hotel.

It is reported that a party of railroad engineers are surveying for a railroad near Rockbridge, in Ozark County. They are supposed to be surveying a route from White River in a northwesterly direction with Kansas City as the objective point.  If the report proves well-founded it means a railroad across Douglas County.

What a pity it is that a man cannot remember his early infancy – the only time he was his own boss.

Opium will never become a drug on the market.

The hill that man climbs to go to the devil never looks big.

The poorest Easter bonnet is very pretty if it has the proper kind of face in it.