25 Years Ago
October 3, 1985
The two earthquakes that devastated Mexico City on Sept 19 and Sept. 20 had an effect in Missouri. Water well in at least two Missouri communities were disturbed by the earthquakes. Water level rose and fell approximately four feet at the time of the more severe earthquake.
Ava High School homecoming queen candidates are Colleen Mooney, Lisa Wood and Amy Prince.
Mr. and Mrs. William G. “Bill” Baker were in Ava last week to announce the establishment of a scholarship fund that will benefit future graduates of Ava High School. Baker, a graduate of the AHS Class of 1925, now living at Marshfield, has made arrangements to establish this scholarship fund which will be known as the “Ava High School Class of 1925 Scholarship Fund.
Local fans saw the Bears give Salem its first loss of the season, 14-6, in a very fine gridiron contest on the home filed last Friday night.
The Douglas County Health Department is moving from its location near the Ava Drug to the former FmHA, ASCS, SCS building at 203 SE 3rd Avenue, and will be open in that building on Tuesday.
Great Southern Savings has moved into its new banking facility on the northwest corner of the Ava square and will be hosting a grand opening there at noon Friday.
Carter Blackerby is a member of the Central Methodist College Eagles football team. Blackerby, a sophomore from Ava, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Donnie Blackerby.
Rick and Jill (Walley) Heckendorn are proud to announce the birth of a daughter. Kalie Elizabeth. She weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Barnes of Ava, are proud to announce the birth of their son. Adam William was born Sept. 26 at 4 a.m. at Cox South.
50 Years Ago
October 6, 1960
Devastating fire struck with sudden fury at Zion’s Order of the Sons of Levi, Inc., six miles north of Ava in Douglas County at 8 a.m. Saturday. Seven houses, including 21 dwelling rooms, were destroyed, and 2500 quarts of canned fruits and vegetables was ruined. Loss was estimated at $11,000. Marl Kilgore, president of the religious group, and his family were in Mansfield when the fire struck.
Dale Lane Posey, 190, Route 1, Ava, lost his car in spectacular fashion Tuesday. He told troopers he was driving his westbound 1956 Oldsmobile up a steep hill on Route 76 two miles west of Douglas County KK when it stalled, then burst into flames from engine trouble. Posey leaped out to extinguish the fire and the auto began rolling backward. Cutting across the road, it disappeared over a 200-foot high embankment.
Judge and Mrs. R.E. Dixon of Brown Branch announce the engagement of their daughter, Ella Jean, to Lew Heigham, son of Mr. and Mrs. L.M. Heigham of Route 4, Ava. Miss Dixon, who is beginning her fourth year as supervisor of music in the Ava school system, was graduated from the Bradleyville High School.
Assistant manager at the Ava Carps Store will be Landon Gardner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gardner of Ava.
Mrs. Max Morris was honor guest at a pink and blue shower given Thursday night, Sept. 29, in the home of Mrs. Cecil Harley.
A real estate transaction completed with the Fred Curnutt Real Estate Agency in Ava Saturday included the sale of the farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Buchanan, on Highway 14, four miles east of Ava, to Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Stencil, of Milan, Ill.
Identification tags help get homeward-bound first-graders on the right school bus those first hectic days of school. As youngsters climb on the bus the morning school opens, the driver writes each first grader’s name and bus number on an identification tag, than pins it to the child’s clothing. At the end of the day, drivers and teachers check each youngster’s tag to be sure no one gets lost by boarding the wrong bus.
Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Gray entertained 19 children at their home 7 1/2 miles south of Ava Saturday afternoon Sept 24. The party was in honor of their daughter, Zora, on her seventh birthday. Guests included Sue Curry, Debby Rogers, Joyce Clinkingbeard, Marla Kay Collins, Jackie and Jean Taylor, David Sallee, Lynn and Chuck Shollenberger, Susie Kottmeier, Michelle and Voyna Jane Moore, Celecia Dye, Jean Ann Curry, Rita Heath, Bobby and Susan Pettit, Huba Ann Welton and the honoree, Zora Gray.
Man blames fate for other accidents, but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one.
75 Years Ago
October 10, 1935
Frank McDaniels, 27 years old, alias Carson Baker, escaped convict from the State Reformatory, Frankfort, Kentucky, was arrested here late Saturday evening by City Marshal Burnam Cummins, who identified McDaniels from a picture in a detective magazine. McDaniels serving a life sentence for a feudal murder at Manchester, Kentucky, in 1932, escaped with four other convicts on May 12, 1935. McDaniels had been touring the country since his escape, selling vacuum cleaners from door to door. One day last week he sold one to Mr. Cummins. Later in the week, Cummins saw the picture in a detective magazine and noted the resemblance.
The Ava Milling Company, idle during the past five or six years, has been sold by R.R. Thompson and the W.E. Mankin estate to R.J. Gray of Springfield, and is to be in operation again within the next few weeks, probably by November 1, it was announced yesterday by Mr. Gray.
Some form of income taxes now exists in twenty-nine of the forty-eight states. The highest rate, 3 percent of all sales being in Illinois, California, New Jersey and North Carolina.
This is a motor-driven age. Electric motors are now attached to all kinds of things that were operated only by hand or foot power and those who used them felt that they were great conveniences and added materially to the comfort of living. For instance, the dentist once pedaled with one foot while his skillful fingers guided the drill. Sometimes the movement of the drill was rather perky which added nothing to the comfort of the patient. The grocer turned the coffee mill by hand, the bank clerk pulled the handle of the adding machine and the soda fountain clerk used a shaker instead of a motor driven mixed. The uses of the electric motor in the home are too numerous to mention. We expect some day to meet a young married couple piloting a motor driven baby buggy along the sidewalk.
Ava School News –– Mr. McDonald announced the cast for the school operetta, Chonita, Monday. The students are Beulah Davis, Junior Reynolds, Paul Hays, Audra Hunsaker, Paul Murray, Boone Norman, Jr., Lois Yandell and Ruskin Norman.
Across our northern border, Canada provided an excellent lesson in government competition. There the Canadian Pacific Railroad is privately owned, the Canadian National is Dominion owned. In the 13 year period from 1920 to 1933, Canadian National showed a deficit of $864,000,000. Serving the same territory, charging the same rates and paying equal wages, the Canadian Pacific rendered as good or better service, employed an army of workers, and paid to stock and bond investors $401,080,152.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Harnden of Ava, moved last Thursday to the C.E. Browning farm near Verona.
J.C. Garrison and son Loren have leased the Sinclair Service Station and ice plant on the southwest corner of the square to Harold Hutchison. Mr. Hutchison took charge of the business Monday morning.
100 Years Ago
October 20, 1910
A red-letter day for Ava – The Big O.O.O. opened Wednesday morning with flying colors, and everything is in readiness with excellent display and great enthusiasm. The biggest show and the largest agricultural exhibit that has ever gathered together in this part of the state opened Wednesday morning with great enthusiasm and promise for a general good time. People have been coming in from all parts of the country since Monday, and it is hard for us, at this time, to estimate the number who will be here.
D.J. Landers Lumber Company of Mountain Grove and Springfield suffered a loss of about $20,000 early Sunday morning as a result of a number of fires in their lumber yards in Douglas County, about 25 miles south of Mtn. Grove. Definite information is hard to secure but it seems that there can be no question but that the fires were of an incendiary origin for four yards are reported to have burned at one time. The reason for such a crime is not entirely clear, but it is generally believed that certain parties had been systematically stealing lumber, and that it was to cover this crime.
BEAR BRANCH FOOT-PRINTS –– While eating supper Tuesday evening Oct. 11, Mrs. T.B. Youngblood got choked and caused her some sever trouble but is better now.
A Biased Opinion –– “Do you think buttermilk will prolong one’s life, Colonel Soaksby?” “Ahem! I have no doubt, Miss Plumper, that if a person had to drink buttermilk every day it would make life seem longer.”
Rev. Arthur Schooley is the new pastor at the M.E. Church. He arrived in Ava last Saturday with his new bride and will go to housekeeping in Ava at once.
The K.C.O. & S. Ry. have put up their water tank at the depot. It is supplied from a spring on the upper side of the Martin land.
A Wyoming girl recently killed a coyote by beating it with a riding whip. If you meet a Wyoming girl with a riding whip be polite to her.
Tom Hays presented the Globe Realty Co. with a bunch of clover last week which measured 6 feet and 7 inches in length. It was of the large red variety and was perfectly grown. That’s some clover.
Ozark County is here in full force with a big exhibit of everything imaginable. The exhibit is in charge of John Harlin, John Squires, W.S. Thomas, J.J. Kyle, S.J. Williams and a number of others.
President Taft assisted Boston in the observation of the first formal recognition of Columbus day by reviewing with Gov. Draper the big military and civic procession in that city. For an hour and a half the president stood on his lame foot and watched the enthusiastic paraders march past. The Boston parade represented a turnout of 52,000 men, including regulars from the coast fortifications in and about Boston, and the sailors from half a dozen of the warships at the Boston yard.
