Looking Backward
25 years ago
Winter weather has been flirting with the Ozarks since a pre-season snowfall blanketed the area on Halloween. But the elements struck with full force over the weekend with sleet and snow, and the coldest temperatures seen here in sever winters.
Habitual disciplinary problems at Ava High School will find themselves going to school on Saturday as a result of the Ava R-I School Board’s approval of a Saturday detention policy last Thursday night. The policy went into effect immediately with a half dozen students scheduled to “participate” on Saturday, Jan. 15.
Mrs. Joelle Jackson, second grade teacher at Skyline School, won “Turkey of the Year” by being the Skyline staff member to have received the most votes from students.
Bonnee Rhoades, Ava, is among those students who made the Dean’s List at Ozarks Technical Community College, Springfield, during the recent fall semester.
The Ava Saddle Club held its first monthly meeting of 1994 on January 3. The annual election of club officers was held. Jerry Miller is now club president; Rondo Prock is vice president; Sharon Wilkerson is secretary; and Dale Lawson is treasurer.
ARNO –– There was no church at Arno Sunday, the rain, sleet and snow closed a few churches.
BUCKHART –– Those having birthdays in February are Irene Cope, Irene Elliott, Elsie Canada, and Reba Hutchison.
A surprise birthday party at the home of Harry and Berniece Sevin was held on Friday honoring Harry’s 77th birthday.
The Ava General Baptist Church Greenway Missionary Society met Tuesday evening, Jan. 11, in the home of Georgia Norman.
MOUND –– Happy Birthday to Mrs. Lillie Gann, Connie Kissee, Kerry Hull, Dusty Stafford, Kim and Amber Butler, Theresa Woolbright and Ervin Bray.
Kristi Pitts, daughter of John Paul and Rachel Pitts, of Ava, has been named to the Dean’s List at College of the Ozarks.
MT. TABOR –– Most of the news all day has been about the terrible earthquake which hit California this Monday morning at 4 a.m.
50 years ago
Four Osage Beach area men were arraigned in Douglas County Magistrate Court Wednesday on charges of breaking and entering and carrying a concealed weapon in connection with an attempted robbery at the Squires Store and Post Office, 10 miles south of Ava on Highway 5.
The Ava City Planning Commission Monday night recommended to the city council that the city take action on construction a municipal swimming pool using city funds.
GMT-2 Tom Williams left Ava Friday to return to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he is based with the U.S. Navy, after spending a two-week holiday leave with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Williams of the Sunrise Hill Subdivision. Williams who is now stationed at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii, is scheduled to go aboard ship Feb. 2, to begin sea duty.
Cleo Cooper of Ava and his brother, Bobby Gene Cooper of Springfield, are among 1031 honorary colonels of Gov. Warren E. Hearnes. It is tradition in Missouri for governors to name honorary colonels as a “thank you” for campaign help.
A New Year’s and birthday party was held Tuesday, Dec. 31 for Johnny Warren, in the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Call Gunter of Brixey.
Mrs. John Crutcher and children, Ruth, Carol, Barbara, Billy and Paul, left Ava Monday to return to their home in Clay, Ky., after spending the Christmas holidays as guests in the home of Mrs. Crutcher’s mother, Mrs. Dorothy Tedder.
Miss Brenda Price and John Borawski entertained with a New Year’s Eve party Tuesday night at the home of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Doy Price of Route 2, Ava. Guests attending the traditional watch party were Misses Vanessa Davis, Huba Welton, Treva Brooks, Becky Herd and Reggie Victor, Johnny Klineline, Boyd Strong, Mike and Rick Roberts and Dennis Miller, all of Ava.
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Parsley entertained at their home, 612 NE 2nd Avenue, Thursday evening, Jan. 2 when they hosted a regular winter meeting of the Ava Pitch Club. Members attending were Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Maloney, Mr. and Mrs. Cloine Pettie, Mr. and Mrs. Burnam Cummings, Mr. and Mrs. Harlan House, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Alderman, and Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Jackson and joinng the group as guests were Olen Deckard and Bob House.
Lena Louetta Hitchcock enlisted this week in the Women’s Army Corps. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hitchcock of Route 2, Ava. She attended Ava High School, graduating in 1966.
ALMARTHA –– Mr. and Mrs. Russell Walker, Lillie Stone, and Carrie Murphy had dinner New Year’s Day with Vernie Gardner.
Taking candy from a babe may be easy, but it is not recommended that you try it with any of our kids.
RED BANK –– Miss Judy Lirley, RPN at Springfield Baptist Hospital spent a few days visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Lirley and James.
75 years ago
“I’ll take my hat off to a soldier anytime –– especially an infantry soldier.” That tribute was paid to the American doughboy by Fred Burk, who witnessed from the deck of a transport ship the invasions of Africa, Sicily and Italy. “They go into the thick of it, and they don’t get out until the job is finished, and many of them don’t get back to tell their stories,” he said. Fred is a son of Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Burk and has been in Ava on leave after his ship returned from the Mediterranean theater.
Ava High School basketeers won another victory Friday evening when they defeated the Hartville High School team by a score of 29 to 21. Teddy Sallee, forward for the Ava Bears, was high scorer of the game with eleven points.
Wilfred Collins, young farmer of the Twin Bridges community, 25 miles east of Ava, was here Tuesday and had with him the pelt of a big timber wolf he had caught just a week previous in a small steel trap.
Firemen were called out to control two flue fires here the past week. Saturday afternoon a flue burned out at the Irby home in the north part of town, and Monday morning a flue burned out at the home of Roy Griffin.
Air mail and passenger service will be instituted at the Joplin airport in the near future and the Joplin City Council has appropriated $5,000 for temporary improvements at the port to facilitate inauguration of the service.
NOTICE –– Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Mercer object to the sale of any of the property under the purported deed held by J. William Mercer. John S. Mercer and Susie C. Mercer.
Miss Joy Hicks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Hicks of Wasola, and Fred Burk, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Burk of Ava were married Thursday, Jan. 6.
Mrs. Boone Norman spent Sunday in Brown Branch as a guest in the country home of her brother and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Glesco Roberts, who on that day became the parents of a baby daughter.
Staff Sergeant Glenn Harnden, who has spent the last two weeks here visiting his wife and parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Harnden, left Saturday evening with his wife and went to Springfield where they visited Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Howard Harnden and family and Miss Ellen Harnden. Sergeant Harnden left Sunday night to return to Louisiana.
ROY –– Callers in the Bob Blakey home Sunday afternoon were Mr. and Mrs. Larkin Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. Corbett Brown and daughter, Bonita and Miss Betty Brake.
SPRING CREEK – Mrs. Herman Frye and children have moved from the A.C. Hamby home to the Loren Silvey home last week.
Old Man Winter is still with us. Everything is under a blanket of snow.
From Allied headquarters on New Guinea the AP reported Friday that the Japanese had lost 2,000 men since the Marines landed on Cape Gloucester December 26.
100 Years Ago
The case against Henry Huffman, being tried for the murder of Fred Zerbat was submitted to the jury about eleven o’clock Wednesday morning, and a verdict was returned shortly after the noon hour pronouncing him guilty as charged of murder in the second degree. Fixing punishment at 15 years in the state penitentiary. Motion for a new trial has been filed, and in event this is denied, the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court, Atty. A.H. Buchanan, counsel for defendant announced.
James E. Brammer, a prominent farmer and livestock dealer at Dora has been arrested on the charge of burning the Odd Fellow Hall at Dora late in December. Ten years ago Brammer was tried in the Douglas County Circuit Court at Ava on the charge of murder. Brammer was working in a wheat field with his father-in-law, Henry Myers, and brought the water jug for Myers to take a drink. Myers went into convulsions after drinking from the jug and soon died. It was charged that Brammer had placed poison in the jug to kill his father-in-law. Jake Hollingshad, who was postmaster at Crider at the time, said he saw a package containing a white powder which he supposed to be poison going through the mail to Brammer. Brammer said it was his belief that a snake had crawled into the water jug and poisoned the water.
Marriage Licenses – Cleveland Maggard, Ongo and Stella Nelson, Keltner; Otis King, Bryant and Oma Letsinger, Mansfield; W.F. Darby, Squires and Mary C. Fleetwood, Wasola.
Claud Mathis, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Mathis of Cross Roads, was in Ava Tuesday night to have wounds dressed as the result of his middle finger being torn off by a gasoline engine. Mathis was working with the engine when his glove got caught in the timing gear and pulled his finger into the cogs, amputating it close up to is hand.
The proceeds of the play given by the Ava High School Wednesday night amounted to $129. The school netted $85.63 which will be applied to their piano fund.
In winning the war food proved an effective weapon; in keeping it won, food will be our most valuable tool.
Wm. Wicker, prominent farmer living near Bly, Howell County, was placed under arrest last Saturday, the result of a shooting affray which took place on the road between Bakersfield, Ozark County and Bly, near the dividing line between Ozark and Howell counties. Wicker shot several shots at Earl Vaughn, a young farmer of the same neighborhood, two of the shots taking effect in the young man’s body, although neither of them inflicted serious wounds. The shooting was the result of a trivial quarrel between Wicker and young Vaughn’s father over the fencing up of a road.
Springfield is now a dry city, temporarily at least.
A drove of about 200 turkeys from Ozark County passed through Ava today on the way to Mansfield.
125 Years ago
The new “Duplex Typewriter,” which carried off highest honors at the World’s Fair, and which is destined to revolutionize typewriting, is a most remarkable machine. It is a western invention, manufactured in Des Moines, Iowa, and is neatly and compactly built, and so strongly made as to insure very long service.
Warrensburg is looking forward to free mail delivery.
The new Springfield High School has been dedicated.
The last frame building in the square in Bowling Green, Mo. have burned up.
John M. Daniel of Mexico, Mo. killed 27 quails with 4 shots.
The camp fires of tramps burn every night along the road from Poplar Bluff south.
Somebody figures that there are 49 cloudy days in the average Missouri year.
In St. Louis, the complaint is that so much that the milk is watered, as that the water is dirty.
In some parts of Missouri people set up dynamite with an axe –– some day they will regret it.
Five cars of Missouri horses ere shipped from Lancaster, Mo. They went to Richmond, Va., to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to New York and to St. Louis.
Married at the residence of the bride’s father was W. H. Harris and Miss R. H. Bouden, of Eggleston, Mo.
W. J. Turner is having a well drilled at his residence on the north side of town.
The Thornfield Norman School is a pronounced success and is gathering students by the score from Ozark and surrounding counties.
A stranger called at Frank Young’s livery stable at Mansfield on Jan. 3, and hired a buggy and team to go to Cold Springs in Douglas County. He has not returned and was heard of down near West Plains. Evidently he is a thief and Constable Zumalt has gone after him with a warrant.
Born to the wife of J.A. McAdvo, a nine-pound boy.
Jack Capps of near Vera Cruz has traded his farm for land near Springfield and will move soon.
While on his way home from a GAR meeting Thursday night, John W. Mack was held up by two masked ruffians and relieved of $80.40, that being the amount of cash upon his person. Mr. Mack is sexton at the Hazlewood Cemetery and recently received $100 from the city council for his services. He is a peculiar kind of a gentleman and it is said he would never trust any bank far enough to place his money on deposit.
County Clerk Melton severely sprained his ankle last week while attending a little private entertainment given by W. F. Reynolds at the warehouse building.
County Assessor Bufferan has completed the assessment books for 1893 and has added thousands of acres to the land list which has heretofore been missed. There is also a large increase in the number of personal property lists.
