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Looking Backward

 

 

 

25 years ago

Ava High School senior Chrystal Barnes was crowned Ava High School Homecoming Queen in halftime ceremonies at the Ava-Salem football game last Friday night. Queen attendants are Pam Freeman and Amy Turner, also seniors. 

Robert Holt of Ava, is among 20 master folk artists from across the state chosen by a panel of experts to participate in the 1993-94 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.  

A national survey shows that parents are uninformed on the realities of underage use of alcohol and severely underestimate the extent of teen drinking. 

Three Ava first grade teachers met with the Ava R-I Board of Education Tuesday night to discuss overcrowding in their Classrooms.  The teachers, Suzette Litwiller, Alice Ann Fleetwood and Venae Heier, assured the board they were not upset or angry with the board, but simply wanted to express their concern to the directors. 

The Ava Kiwanis Club, through the cooperation of Ava R-I Schools, recently organized a Builders Club at Ava Middle School.  Builders Club is an organization that offers service opportunities to junior high and middle school students between the ages of 12 and 15. 

Hubert Welton returned to Ava Monday after a visit with his son, Dwayne Welton, and family in Boise, Idaho and his son, Joe Dean, and family in Marsing, Idaho. 

Betty Sue Evans came to AVa, Mo., October 10 to get Betty’s mother to take her to Chicago, Ill., to visit for a week. 

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Campbell, Route 4, Ava, will observe their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 25.  

Funeral services for Dwight Marvin Emerson, 76, Route 2, Ava were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Clinkingbeard Chapel. 

Janice Gray has moved her beauty shop to West Washington Ave., next door to Ava Drug. 

The Ava VolleyBears had a pleasant surprise last Thursday to learn they were ranked third in the district this year, compared to the fifth place seeing last season. 

Mrs. Rosa Davis, of Ava, celebrated her 98th birthday on Oct. 1, and was honored with a family birthday party at the home of her granddaughter, Judy and Elwood Lakey on Saturday, Oct. 2. 

Inez Clinkingbeard was honored with cards, gifts, flowers and a cake at McDonald’s on Friday for her 91st birthday.  

50 years ago

Two breakins were reported here Tuesday  night by Douglas County Sheriff Chancey Sherman. Intruders took several tools from a bus owned by the Ava R-I Schools after braking the glass in the door. The tools were valued at about $50, the sheriff said. In a second burglary Tuesday night, approximately $500 worth of tools were taken from the Clyde Wilson Body Shop near Carnation Milk Co. 

The Douglas County Auction Company here has been purchased by Rondo Prock and his brother, Herman Prock, from Doc and Harley Van Shannon, and will be operated as the Ava Sales Company.  Mr. Prock announced today that the weekly cattle sales will be held each Saturday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. the Tuesday sales have been discontinued, he said. 

Paul Coldiron, 27, a native of West Plains, assumed management of the Carps’ Department Store here Monday. 

California Governor Ronald Reagan will be in Springfield Friday evening for a rally in support of the election of Tom Curtis as U.S. Senator. A crowd of over 4,000 is expected to attend the free event which will be held in the Shrine Mosque. 

The U.S. will launch the first three-man space team in Apollo 7 Friday.  James P. Williams, formerly of Ava, installs equipment in the spacecraft at the Space Division of North American Rockwell Corporation, builder of the Apollo spacecraft command and service modules in which the three astronauts will journey to the moon and back.

A Fort Leonard Wood soldier, Paul Edward Dooms, 20, Ava, was treated at St. John’s Hospital for head lacerations after officers said he apparently fell asleep at the wheel of his car, which veered off Mo. 14 and overturned three times just west of Sparta at 9:35 a.m. Sunday.  

Undefeated Willow Springs continued its perfect record Friday  night by clipping the Ava Bears 27-20 at Willow Springs. 

John D. Harnden, who observed his 92nd birthday Friday, Oct. 4 celebrated the occasion Sunday when he was honored with a family birthday dinner given in the home of his daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Norman, where he resides. 

A new old time fiddling album has been released by Caney Mountain Records of Springfield featuring fiddling by Lonnie Robertson, formerly of Ava. 

Jerry W. Loftin, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Burrel Loftin of Route 5, Ava, has recently been promoted to Army private first class in Korea where he is serving with the 2nd Engineers Battalion of the Second Infantry Division. 

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. Mass) has announced his support of Lt. Governor Thomas F.. Eagleton, Democratic candidate for United States Senator from Missouri. 

STAR –– Dinner guests Friday in the Mertie McFarlin home were Wesley McFarlin of Moline, Ill., Neil McFarlin, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Green and Mr. and Mrs. Claude Chappell. Afternoon guests were Mrs. O.K. Welton and Mrs. C.M. Letsinger. 

VICTORY –– The Twin Knob Saddle Club had a meeting Friday night. 

75 years ago

Allied planes, carrying out the heaviest raid of the war in the southwest Pacific, crippled almost two-thirds of Japan’s air strength at the powerful New Britain base at Rabaul and destroyed or damaged more than 100 warships and large and small merchant vessels and harbor ships, it was announced early today from Allied headquarters. 

The Ava Telephone Exchange will be moved over the weekend to its new location in the Herald building on the southeast corner of the square, it is announced by W.R. Trowbridge, manager. Local service will be discontinued promptly at 6:30 o’clock Saturday evening and every effort will be made to have service fully restored withing 24 hours.  In the meantime, long distance service will be maintained for the accommodation of telegrams and any emergency calls that might arise. 

The Ava High School softball team added another victory to their score Friday afternoon when they defeated the Gainesville High School 8 to 2.  The game was played in Gainesville and was the second time Ava had defeated the team this season.  Batteries for Ava were T. Sallee, pitcher, and J. Gipson, catcher. 

Missouri has about used up its pool of selective service registrants who are not fathers and will induct some fathers this month.  

Still confident –– or bluffing –– Hitler says that the last Jew shall be driven out of Europe; not one shall remain.  Mr. Hitler has said a great many things. 

Requests for men to shuck corn in north Missouri have been received at the county extension office in Ava and anyone interested in such work should get in touch with that office.  A total of 500 men will be needed to harvest an excellent corn crop there. 

Corporal Bill Pettit, who is stationed at the Marine Corps base in San Diego, California arrived in Ava Wednesday morning and will spend a 15-day furlough visiting with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Pettit and other relatives.  

Millard Gott who has been visiting for two weeks with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Gott of Cross Roads, left Ava Monday for Springfield where he was to report for active duty in the U.S. Navy.  

Miss Virginia Givans arrived in Ava Early last week and will remain here for a three weeks visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Givans.  Miss Givans who is taking nurses training came to Ava from Chicago where she has been studying in the Children’s Memorial Hospital throughout the summer. 

Monday evening Mr. and Mrs. Hobart Gentry entertained with a dinner in their suburban home west of Ava.  Covers were laid for Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Spurrier and son, Alvin, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Baker, Mrs. Georgia Edmonds and the host and hostess. 

CROSS ROADS –– Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Hart and sons, Joe and Jerry, visited Saturday evening with Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Brown and sons, Kenneth and Gary. 

  

100 Years Ago

Is this new disease which has already killed hundreds and stricken thousands of our soldiers and civilians a new German war offensive?  If not, how did it happen that this epidemic appeared so suddenly and extensively in such widely scattered cities and army camps throughout the country? Smitten as from a bolt from a clear sky thousands of Americans have been suddenly prostrated in many widely separated parts of the country, during the past ten days by a disease which is called apparently for want of a better name, “Spanish Influenza.” 

Morgan County, Indiana, had more rats and mice than it wanted so it planned a “rat week.” The purpose was to start a concerted effort on the rats and mice in the week previous to the storing of grain.  One boy reported that he killed 97 rats and 393 mice.  Another killed 84 rats, a third 37, and a fourth, 28. 

Millions of women in the United States are engaged in war work. Seven hundred thousand women serve as active workers in the organization of the National Women’s Liberty Loan Committee.  70,000 women are employed on the railroads. Hundreds of thousands of women are laboring in the munition factories.  Other hundreds of thousands serve in clerical work directly related to the war.  

Mr. and Mrs. Newt Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Reynolds and son spent Sunday at Smallett visiting with Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Upchurch and Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Surguine. 

B. T. Gallagher of Stockton, Kansas, was in Ava last week and bought an 80 acre farm six miles east of Ava from W. M. Garrison of Salina, Kansas.  The deal was made through the Jenkins & Barker real estate firm. 

Ava is this week in the grip of influenza and pneumonia, and the Herald extends its sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and to those homes where the epidemic has taken hold.  

Bill Simmons returned to Ava this week from Nashville, Tenn.,where he has been for the past few weeks employed in the DuPont powder factory. 

Mr. and Mrs. H. I. Brown of Squires have rented their farm and are preparing to leave the county.  They are yet undecided as to where they will locate. 

Stock law election will be held in Boone Township, Clay Township, Findley Township, and Lincoln township the 5th day of November, 1918, the question of restraining the following animals from running at large to-wit: Sheep, goats, swine, horses, mules, cattle, asses. 

BUCKHART –– Many schools have been closed in this section of the county on the account of Spanish Influenza which is spreading very rapidly over the country. 

Turkey Flat school closed last Friday, there still remains a month or two for some teacher, Miss Chloe Gardner having resigned. 

We are having some nice autumn weather. 

125 Years ago

Terrible forest fires are raging in Colorado near Silverton.  

Bill Dalton and two pals walked through the streets of Stillwater, Okla., and the officers did not dare to arrest them. 

Several hundred men have been added to the shop force of the Santa Fe at Topeka during the past two weeks. 

Diphtheria and scarlet fever is prevailing to an alarming extent at Atchison, Kansas. 

The chief and three men of the Council Bluffs Fire department have been arrested on a charge of arson. 

The safe in the bank of Orange City, Iowa, was blown open with dynamite and $7,000 in cash stolen. 

Sixty-five miners from California and New Mexico captured a freight train at Del Rio, Texas, and ran it to their destination. 

Deputy United States marshals and the Woodard gang of outlaws had a fight near Fifty-Two Spring, I. T., and one outlaw was killed. 

It is reported that William Waldorf Astor is preparing to spend $7,000,000 in London for the largest and costliest hotel in the world. 

The ejection of a well-dressed woman from a train because she refused to enter a special car for colored people has precipitated a test of the new law in Kentucky. 

The entire chain of the great lakes was swept Saturday by a northwest gale whose severity has not been excelled during the season of navigation for the past ten years. 

The state university has 511 students. 

Harrison County has had no saloons for 18 years. 

Hamilton has a gymnasium club for men and boys.  Now, where are the girls? 

12,000 school teachers call the children to order every morning in Missouri. 

A Missouri jack took the first premium at the World’s Fair. He has been sold for $2,000. 

In 1820 the United States had three inhabitants to the square mile of area; in 1889 there were 20. 

A man who claims to be a “conjurer” has so “bewitched” three Negroes in Tennessee as to render them insane. 

The five pointed star on the national flag is a woman’s idea.  

Does the telephone girls’ profession represent a vocation or a calling? 

A man never discovers he is growing old by looking in the glass, he makes the discovery by looking at his wife. 

All the world loves a lover –– yet the world laughs outrageously when his ardent letters are read in court.