Looking Backward
25 Years Ago
Touch’s Trace of Rex, owned by Dallas and Betty Beard, of California, and ridden by Steve Dampier of Eldridge, captured the 3-Year-Old Futurity title, closing out the 1995 Spring Show of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association.
The Ava Art Guild announced winners of the Poke Salat Day show. The Best of Show/Judge’s Choice went to Nanci Harlin. Other winners were Darrell Lathrom (Adv. Acrylic), Deanna Skerry (Drawing-Pencil), Ellen Lathrom (Int. Acrylic), Sherry Dobbins (Leather Carving) and Karen Chronister (Photography).
Betty Hunter visited Ann Tannehill. They went to Theodosia and got their hair cut.
The Jefferson City Assembly #16 International Order of the Rainbow for Girls held an open installation for Worthy Advisor, Carolyn Hauser, at the Masonic Temple in Jefferson City.
Melynda Campbell and Christina Patterson, each were named to the trustee’s list at Southwest Baptist University, with a grade point average between 3.85 and 4.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Almeda West, 99, was named Miss Meadowbrook Manor of Ava 1995 and represented the facility at the Missouri Health Care Association Pageant in Springfield.
Heath Gray of Ava has completed a one week course of intensive baseball training at the Mickey Owen Baseball School near Miller.
Kirby Fossett, Ava, was the big winner at the special trailer roping held at M&S Arena.
Kelly Jones and Jim Thurman were among the Ava Kiwanis Club members who greeted motorists at the 4-way stop in Ava and gave away bags of peanuts.
David Denney, Leta Page, Vicki Shumate, David Willden, Kirstin Jones and Shawn Stopper passed the local G.E.D. test for their high school diplomas.
James (Bo) and Rachel (Daughterty) Morrison are proud to announce the birth of their son, Caleb Benjamin Allen.
Tabitha Meideth, age 7, was the first place winner in PeeWee Division of the Arrows & Antlers archery shoot at Forsyth.
The Country Heritage Spinners & Weavers Guild will meet at the home of Nicole Pierson.
June is Dairy Month. We salute you, Dairymen!
Everett and Jewell Massey have sold their farm to Mr. and Mrs. Darrel Haire of Anchorage, Alaska. The Masseys are moving to Hartville, where they have bought a farm.
Claude and Shirley Piland, Wasola, will observe their 50th wedding anniversary. Hosts for dinner and a show is their daughter and her husband, Marilyn and Del Schexsnayder of Republic.
50 Years Ago
Bill Stewart and Ken Lanning defended their title when the pair shot a seven-under par 65 at the Ava Country Club Four Ball Golf Tournament.
Jim Huffman, 18 years old son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Huffman, was elected treasurer of the Missouri State 4-H.
Attending the Phillips 66 Pitch, Hit and Throw contest held at Marshall, Mo, were Allen Phillip, Danny Gray, Ivan Chambers ad Kirk Reid, all from Ava.
James E. Combs and Miss Ruth Wickham exchanged wedding vows in a simple ceremony in the Chapel of Zion’s Order.
Mrs Harry Brixey was hostess to the Know Your Neighbor Club. The ladies spent the day working on a “flower garden” quilt.
Daniel Defoe, author of “Robinson Crusoe,” is said to be the founder of the modern British secret service. He organized a British intelligence system in the reign of Queen Anne.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Jarvis honored their daughter, Treva, with a surprise birthday party at their home.
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Denton of Ava announce the birth of a daughter, Kemberly Lynn.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fry had breakfast with Hattie and Bill Shindler.
Basil Frye, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Frye of Wasola, hauled in a catfish weighing 37 pounds, during a fishing contest. He won a $5 prize.
Food prices rose less than three-fourths as much as all other consumer goods in the past ten years according to the latest reports from the USDA.
The Arno Extension Club met at the Arno school house for an all-day meeting. Hostesses were Mrs. W.A. Spurrier and Mrs. Reba King of Ava.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hopper and Mr. and Mrs. Bert Cooley attended the working at Camp Joy.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim McCleskey of Mich., have been visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Bushong and Dorothy.
Joel Frank, 16, of Cotter, Ark. received a $2000 scholarship for his essay “My Victory Over Hate” which won Guidepost magazine’s 1970 youth writing award. He is the nephew of Mrs. Monta Stone of Ava.
Six students received eighth grade diplomas at Thornfield School graduation ceremonies. They are Eva Adams, Tier Turner, Kay Turner, Terry Ewing, Reba Turner and Calvin Merrill.
Mr. and Mrs. Billy Sellers and children of Charleston are staying in the Raymond Sellers home looking after things while they are in Colorado.
Miss Letha Gail Chaney is taking a two weeks course in drivers training at Cabool.
Irvin Kramer called in the Theo Kimball home. Their son, Sam, had been involved in a car wreck.
75 Years Ago
The Grocers defeated Wasola in the ninth inning, 10 to 9, on the city park diamond.
Private Eddie Ridenour, who spent seven months in a German prison camp, was guest speaker at the Lions Club luncheon. Private Ridenour is spending a furlough in Ava with his wife and children.
Little Rose Marie Chestner, 8, has gotten more than 131,000 pieces of mail from all over the U.S. in the last week – a record in the history of the local postoffice for any individual.
Private Harold T. Joslin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Joslin of the Cross Roads school district, completed parachutist training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Mrs. Lena McClendon entertained the members of her contract club in her home. High score prizes were presented to Mrs. Harlan House and Mrs. Ben Davis.
Mrs Norman Privett entertained with a bridal shower in compliment to miss Eva Belle Rowe who became the bride of Johnny Crouch, ARM2-c on Sunday.
Miss Mary Mae Haden who has been studying in the University of Missouri in Columbia, recently returned to the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Haden of Smallett and will remain with them during the summer months.
Visitors in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Shirley Brooke were Mr. and Mrs. Lonnie Moore, Nancy and Betty McFarlin, Zola and Louise Rippee.
Wilma Hall left enroute to Wenatchee, Washington where she will work this summer.
Rev. Rich is painting the Brushyknob church house on the outside this week.
Junior Green visited his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. R.D. Swearengin for the afternoon.
Ralph Prock and family are visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Neil Prock, here. He has recently been given a disability discharge from naval service.
Mr. and Mrs. Will Howard who have sold their farm near Goodhope to Mr. and Mrs. Ike Hughes, moved last week to the Harve Haynes farm.
The Robertson Helping Hand Club meets this week at the home of Mrs. J.E. Thompson.
Bill Harnden spent the weekend in Springfield with his aunt, Miss Ellen Harnden.
Fire caused by lightning completely destroyed the Denlow school building. A very small amount of the furnishings were saved by men who were at the Denlow store.
Corporal Roscoe Hawkins notified his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Hawkins, not to write to his present address as he was leaving Belgium, but couldn’t tell where he was going.
Naomi Kester spent the weekend with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Loney Kester. Naomi is attending Teachers College.
Two Douglas County men, Gene D. Prock and William I. Humbyrd, are receiving initial Naval Indoctrination at the U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois.
100 Years Ago
According to the Government Census Bureau, Ava has a population of 846, an increase of 132, or 18.5 percent over the census of 1910.
Only thirty cars of strawberries will be shipped from the Sarcoxie fields this year owing to the dry weather last fall.
J.F. Haggarty, aged 67, is held in the county jail in Houston on a charge of representing himself as a government geologist, and thereby obtaining money for alleged geological reports on land in the county.
The Mansfield Hotel is now under the management of T.R. Dean and wife, who took possession last week, having leased the business from John N. Prior, Jr.
J.H. Hahn of Winona, Shannon county, has clipped 2,700 pounds of mohair from his Angora goats this season. “Zarko,” his prize Billy, sheared sixteen pounds of mohair.
The Ava ice plant was put into operation this week.
Dr. Geo. Osborn, retired physician and one of the early settlers of Douglas county, died at his home in this city following a very brief illness.
West Plains has a new ambition. She wants to be known as the town that makes “one-dollar-a-pound” butter.
The Ava Commercial Club will celebrate the nation’s birth-day, here on Monday, July 5th, since the 4th falls on Sunday.
Precisely at one a pretty wedding was celebrated at the M.E. Parsonage when Rev. W.C. Robbins united in the bonds of matrimony Miss Lois Rice and Irl Maxwell.
The United States supreme court upheld constitutional prohibition.
A total of seventy rural teachers of the county were here last week to take the regular June teachers’ examination.
W.W. Brown of Clinton Township was here on a short business mission.
J.A.G. Maxwell of Smallett reports the loss of three fine Jersey cows, supposed to have been poisoned from clover.
Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Kerr and Mr. and Mrs. Coday Williams of Springfield motored to Ava on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Kerr of just south of the city.
Don’t fail to see the first and second episodes of the “Lure of the Circus” at the Opera House.
Homer Owens of this city was called to Sparta to pitch a baseball game for the Sparta team against a team from Springfield. Owens won his game by a score of 15 to 5.
Quincy dams of Lutie, Ozark Co., recently bought a four hundred acre farm on Little Creek just north of Thornfield from Mrs. Geo. W. Pearey of Thornfield. Consideration $7000.
For Sale: 8 No. 1 School desks put up by the American Seating Co.; have never been set together, are just as they were shipped from the factory.
By hitting the bull’s-eye from the standing, kneeling and sitting positions, Corporal Dan Strong of Sweden, this county, has qualified as an expert rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps.
125 Years Ago
Mr. W.J. Turner is excavating a vast cellar under his store building.
Mr. Capps, late editor of the Farm Record, has been employed to teach the first school west of Ava.
Beaker Wade, of Forsyth, is going to build a steamer for excursion parties up and down the White river.
There is no county in the state of Missouri that can turn out as many luscious and lovely schoolma’ams as the kingdom of Douglas. If any one is in doubt let him visit the Institute which is now in progress.
Judge Joseph Slagel, for half a century a prominent citizen of Chillicothe, is dead, aged 85 years. His fifth wife survives him.
Mr. J.M.Adams has forgotten the combination of the safe in which he keeps his records of abstract.
Mrs. Murray, the wife of Dr. J.H. Murray, the south side druggist, is an artist of delightful skill and a portrait painter of some eminence.
Mr. H.C. Jenkins, a farmer residing near Roy, visited Ava with a couple of wagon loads of wheat, which he disposed of at one dollar per bushel.
A minister at Hamilton has been presented by his flock with eight hens and 250 chickens.
H.C. Jenkins is building one of the best barns in this locality. T.M. Jackson is doing the work.
Uncle Elijah Adams had about seventy-five pounds of bacon stolen.
Ed. R. Hogg, the lumber merchant, is inscribed on the annals of Jefferson City as having furnished the first lumber for the bridge.
Sedalia is instituting a “Missouri on Wheels” by loading several cars with Missouri products and starting them out over different lines of railroads to advertise the resources of the state.
Joe Sell and J.I Singleton have rented the north store room in the new hotel building and have fitted it up into a neat butcher shop. This is something that has been badly needed in Ava for sometime.
