Looking Backward 8.23.2018
25 years ago
When Richard Huber pulled into the driveway at Clinton Hodges’ home in Ava a few weeks ago, he didn’t know what would happen next. But after a 20-minute wait in the car, he went to the door and introduced himself to the father he had never known. What happened next? It got real quiet, Huber said, when he introduced himself as Hodges’ son. The couple embraced, and the reunion had climaxed. Huber said he knew he was adopted since he was a teenager, but he never attempted to find his real family until his adoptive mother died.
The Rock Church, built in Ava in the 1940s, is a perfect example of Ozarks rock masonry architecture. The church building is located on Jefferson Street, across from the high school.
On August 8, friends and family of Josie Farris gathered at Meadowbrook Manor of Ava to celebrate Josie’s 90th birthday.
Gary Welch of Ava was one of Casey’s recent $1,000 sweepstake winners. Casey’s Stores gave away $1,000 every day during the months of June and July.
Robin Willis recently opened Robin’s Even Ends Salon just off the northeast corner of the Ava square next to the Ava Community Center.
SANDY –– Bert and Bessie Hodges had their grandchildren, LeaAnn and Martin Hodges, as overnight guests Wednesday.
You can pick the daises, but please don’t tear them out by the roots. Doing so could earn you a fine or a jail sentence, because a new Missouri Law makes it illegal to dig or remove plants growing alongside Missouri roadways.
Do something every day to make other people happy, even if it’s only to let them alone.
BUCKHART –– Mr. and Mrs. Earl Dickinson, Zella Mae Coonts and Verna May Lovan all met at Vanzant Junction Cafe and enjoyed breakfast and a morning of visiting with each other.
The most essential element in any home is God.
The weather has been very hot and no rain here. The coming week is expected to be continued hot and dry.
Most Lyme disease patients would say a tick by any other name infects the same.
50 years ago
A record attendance is expected at the four day Douglas County Fair which opens next Wednesday with the entry of all exhibits from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a horse show, judging of all exhibits, professional wrestling, kid’s day, special musical entertainment, horse pulling contest, amateur talent contest and square dance exhibition.
Classes for the 1968-69 term at Ava R-I Public Schools will begin on Monday, Aug. 26. New teachers here this year will include James H. Gray, Kirksville, junior high principal; Kenneth Wagner of Ozark, band director; Dolan Hawkins, high school football coach; E.A. Ray, junior high coach; and Mrs. E.A. Ray, home economics.
Scattered reports from over the area indicate that several head of cattle were killed last Friday when they were struck by lightning. Rosco Dean of the Mt. Tabor community lost 10 head of cattle while Audie Posey, also of the Mt. Tabor community lost four head. Rayford Ledbetter of near Theodosia lost three cows and a bull when they were struck by lightning, and Murrell Clark of the Victory community lost two registered Hereford cows.
Charles C. Farris, 35, of AVa, was given the oath of office as postmaster here last Friday by J.L. Gardner, postal inspector of St. Louis.
S/Sgt. William Gipson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gipson, recently received the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal for outstanding service in Cam Ranh Bay A.B., Vietnam.
Strout Realty is open for business in its new location on Highway 5, one mile south of the Hwy. 5-14 junctioin. Strout Realty, V.A. & Daisy Shull, branch managers.
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Davis, their son, Lyle, and their daughter, Connie, have just completed a two-week vacation tour in the northwest and in Canada.
KSOA Radio, Ava’s new radio station, is operating at full strength from studios in the Kellogg building on the south side of the square. Everett Archer is manager and Herb Starbuck, program director.
Vernon Ray of Ava has been named acting president of the Ava Country Club for the remainder of the term of Cleo Cooper who resigned his position last week. Other officers are Lou Prince, vice president; Fred Lethco, Jr., secretary; and Bryan Leeper, treasurer.
SWEDEN –– Miss Francis McNeil bought the J.I. Samuel property and will teach in the Ava School this year. Miss McNeil and her mother are from Kansas City and will move in this week when Mr. and Mrs. Samuel move into the property they bought in Ava.
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Henderson of Raymore announce the birth of a 5-pound, 7-ounce daughter, Sherrie Michele, July 27 of Baptist Memorial Hospital in Kansas City. They also have two sons and a daughter.
75 years ago
John E. Tompkins pleaded guilty to a charge of felonious assault in a special term of circuit court here Monday and was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary and paroled. Tompkins was charged with assault on Mrs. Warner Marler with a .22 pistol. It was said that he shot the pistol toward her feet the night of August 5, on the street just east of the Norman-Gentry drug store.
Allied armies Tuesday completed their conquest of the Italian island of Sicily. Capture of the city of Messina was a spectacular finish to the 38 day invasion campaign in Sicily.
O.C. Reynolds of Ava has been appointed Douglas County chairman of the war finance committee.
William E. Luttrell of the U.S. Navy was one of seven Navy men who escaped injury or death in the train wreck enroute from Camp Farragut, Idaho to California recently.
RANDOM SHOTS –– For those couples –– and I’m sure you’ve all met them –– who will tell you that “My wife (or husband) never gave me a cross word, we never disagree,” Well, I DON’T BELIEVE IT! I do not believe it at all.
Miss Warren Snearley who had been employed in the Roper Store during the spring and summer months has resigned her position and is now teaching the Arno school. Miss Snearly began her duties in the school Monday morning.
Three Ava families met last Thursday evening at the Cowskin bridge and enjoyed an outing and a picnic supper. The three couples and their families, Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Hibbard, Mr. and Mrs. W.K. Wiggins and children and Mr. and Mrs. W.I. Barker and family, were celebrating their wedding anniversaries which occur on August 12. Mrs. Edwin Judd was also a guest of the group.
ROY –– Those visiting in the Corbett Brown home Sunday were William Daugherty, Leonard Daugherty, Leona Barnes and daughter, Melva Dean, and Isaac Wilson and daughter, Barbara.
At 12 he pouts and refuses to eat to punish his parents; later he gets drunk to punish his wife.
A group of friends and neighbors gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Guthrey Sunday for a surprise birthday dinner, honoring their son, Delmar, who was celebrating his 18th birthday anniversary.
WASOLA –– Ralph Prock, U.S. Navy, arrived at the home of his parents for a 30-day furlough.
ROBERTSON – The Carmickles have sold their farm south of Ava and intend to leave for Oregon soon.
The measure of your vanity is the difficulty of forgiving anybody who once exposed your ignorance.
The War Production Board says, corn cannot be used for manufacture of distilled spirits and high wines.
BAKERSFIELD – Mr. and Mrs. Tate moved last week to a house on the farm of Mrs. Tate’s parents in this community.
100 Years Ago
Prof. J. J. Farmer of La Grange, Mo., has been employed as superintendent for a term of 11 months, which will include the summer courses. Prof. Farmer holds a B.S. Degree and comes highly recommended.
Miss Gladys Berger is due the honor of being the first young woman to enlist as a Red Cross nurse from Douglas County.
General Pershing War Savings Pie Supper – Pershing day, Monday, Aug. 26, will be properly celebrated in Ava. The admission fee to the War Savings Pie Supper is a thrift stamp purchased at the gate, which remains the property of the purchaser.
U. S. casualties in war total 21,167.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. Luther Hunt and daughter, Misses Lilia and Orla Mankin returned Saturday from a weeks vacation spent at fishing on North Fork in Ozark County.
Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Yeoman and children will depart this week for Norwood where they will make their future home. Mr. Yeoman has been employed to Superintend the Norwood school this year.
The Ava Telephone Company’s lines have gone into the hands of the U.S. Government since August 1, 1918 and all parties who have phones will please pay their phone rent on the first of each month. The company cannot carry these accounts over. Those who have phones will please not allow parties not having phones to talk over their phone unless they pay the regular charges. This does not apply to farmer lines. They do not belong to the Ava Company. August 22, 1918, T.L. Plummer, Manager.
Mrs. Ida Carr of Prior arrived in Ava Wednesday on a visit to her sister Mrs. H. M. Curnutt and other relatives.
Mrs. J.M. Adams gave a splash party Friday afternoon in honor of Mr. and Mrs. D.F. Votaw. The party motored to one of nature’s natatoriums on Hunter and enjoyed a swim after which a picnic lunch was served. Those in the party besides the honor guests were Mrs. J.A. Luna, Mrs. J.W. Byng, Billy Byng, Miss Elinor and Florence Adams.
The County Court of Wright Co. in session at Hartville last week appropriated $15,000 for the construction of the Ozark Highway through that county. The estimated cost of constructing the road is $1,000 per mile, and the state will pay one-half that amount.
OAK FOREST –– Did anyone see the aeroplane Saturday and Sunday? It passed over on its way to Springfield from Memphis Saturday and returned Sunday afternoon.
DORA ITEMS –– We understand that we are to have a new merchant in Dora soon. John Epley from Drury.
A letter from Floyd F. Fisher,
July 25, 1918, in the trenches.
Dear Father and Mother,
You ought to see me now. I am laying on the softest bed of pine needles you ever saw, and as I write, I can hear the crack of rifles and the bursting of shells. From that, you will expect me to be white headed when I get home ….
125 Years ago
New lands about ready for settlement comprise 14,580,000 acres.
Louisiana resounds with 400 cases of whooping cough.
Faith and persistence are life’s architects, while doubt and despair bury everything under the ruins of endeavor.
Lightning rod men are now know as “electricians.”
Seventeen year locusts are singing their song in all parts of Missouri.
Indignant free silver advocates of Buchanan, Texas, hanged President Cleveland in effigy and then riddled the figure with bullets.
A company of men is searching for supposed buried treasure near Warrensburg, Mo.
An illicit whiskey still was found in the cell of a noted swindler in the county jail at Birmingham, Ala.
Whoever opposes truth is bound to come out a loser by it.
Judge Spurlock did a land office business on Tuesday. There were seven homesteaders who completed their final proofs before him on that day.
The 6th annual picnic at Bryant on Saturday was a success. The attendance was large, and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.
Mrs. Mary F. Stover of Sparta, Christian County, was arrested last week by a deputy U.S. Marshal on the charge of sending obscene literature through the mails.
Mrs. Dr. Baldwin is sick with fever. Bert Pennington is suffering with an attack of intermittent fever. T.A. Kay is sick with the fever. John Fry of Ava is sick with intermittent fever. Miss Ethel Kay, daughter of Prof T.A. Kay has been quite sick for the past week with the fever.
E. D. Pennington is tearing down his old residence property and will erect a new house on the old site.
The Ava and Whites Creek baseball clubs played a game of ball on the 19th and on the Whites Creek ball grounds, resulting in favor of the Ava team.
Sheriff Weatherman went up to Bradleyville, Thursday, to arrest Dr. Hornbeak, charged with forgery and brought him down here on Friday. The doctor is accused of putting out a forged note for $100, as collateral security for accommodation from J.G. Siler. The sheriff took his prisoner up to Sparta, Sunday, to have his bond filled, and while there he gave him the slip. The sheriff gave chase but it was no use, the doctor could not be found.
VANZANT –– Barker & Johnson have purchased a new sorghum mill and will have it in operation in a few days.
A case has come to light in North Carolina that is one of the most remarkable on record. Moses Williams, a Negro farmer, living in the eastern section of the state, is 83 years old, as near as he can make out. He has been married twice, and by the two wives, they have born to him 45 children. By the first wife he had 23 – 20 girls and three boys. By the second wife he had 22 children – 20 girls and two boys. He also has about 50 grandchildren. The case is well authenticated.
