25 Years Ago
January 16, 1986
In the city of Ava, Joe Murphy has filed for re-election as east ward alderman. Also expiring this spring is the term of Herman Davis who was elected a year ago to fill an unexpired term as alderman of the west ward.
Ava United Methodist Church held groundbreaking ceremonies at noon last Sunday for the new church that will constructed on the Methodist Acres property in west Ava. The 8,660 square foot facility is now under construction. Members of the building committee and related committees connected with the work are Mary Lou Sallee, Rev. Appling, Bill Cradic, Edwin Hailey, Wanda Williams, Eric Anderson, Joe Banta, Daisy Ellis and Jack Ashbaugh.
BIRTHS –– Mr. and Mrs. Greg Davis of Ava announce the birth of a son, at 10:18 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at St. John’s Regional Health Center, Springfield. He has been named Bryan Dale. …. Mr. and Mrs. Ian Arnold (Dornna Everett) of Hillingdon, Middlesex, England, wish to announce the birth of their daughter, Morgan Alexandra Everett Arnold.
Darrell and Betty Haden, South Fulton, Tennessee, celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary as a part of their holiday trip to England Dec. 12-29. The Hadens were married Dec. 26, 1955 in the Pound, Wis. home church of the bride.
ONGO –– December came in like a lion with a temperature of 8 below zero here at our house with a 7 inch snow, then December went out beautiful and January came in nice.
CLEVER CREEK –– Mr. and Mrs. Buck Baker and Ruth Hicks attended the singing Friday night at Evansdale.
FLINTPOINT –– Willie and Patty Farris moved from Seymour last week to B Highway.
50 Years Ago
January 12, 1961
The Western Auto Associated Store, operated by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Plaster in the Wilson building on the north side of the Ava square, will be moved the first of next week to larger space in the Miller building on the west side of the square. The Plasters have operated the store in its present location for the past three years. The Miller building was vacated in early fall by the Schofield Store.
A northbound 1949 Ford sedan driven by Lester Turner, 22, of Squires, overturned on Highway 5 at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, 6 1/2 miles south of Ava, but the driver suffered only a bloody nose, according to Trooper Homer Grose. Turner told the trooper that his steering gear broke, causing him to lose control of the car on a curve. The car skidded off the left side of the road, re-crossed the highway and overturned.
Three quartets which have not appeared in Ava previously will present the next in a series of gospel singing concerts sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Featured will be the famous Oak Ridge Quartet of Nashville, Tenn. Also on the program will be the Mabe Bros. Quartet of Nixa, and the Mel La Di Aires Quartet of Springfield. The Ava R-1 Parent-Teachers Association will operate a lunch room during the concert.
The Ava High School Bears broke into the victory column in the SCA last Friday night, but lost in first round action of the Tournament of Champions in Springfield Tuesday night.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gardner of Ava announce the engagement of their daughter, Kitty Rhea, to Jerry Mackey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Mackey, also of Ava.
Mrs. Charles Burris returned to her home in Ava Friday night after concluding a six weeks vacation visit in Santa Clara, Calif.
Miss Audrey Jenkins, daughter of Mrs. Aude Jenkins of Ava, became the bride of Jerry Lee Huffman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Etcyl Huffman, of Ava, in a ceremony performed at 7 o’clock Saturday evening, Dec. 24, 1960.
Mr. and Mrs. Orvil Potter of Ava announce the birth of a daughter, Pearl Avis, at 9:30 o’clock Thursday night, Jan. 5 in the Mansfield Hospital.
The short-short quail season is long gone, but the best story we heard came from Mrs. Peter Bucheit wife of the Rawlings plant manager. She was doing her housework one day when she heard a heavy thump against the large living room window. She looked, but saw nothing. Then, another heavy blow which rattled the pane. This time she went outside to investigate and found two quail laying dead on the ground under the window.
BRUSHYKNOB –– There will be a baptizing at Bryant Creek Sunday afternoon near the bridge west of Charley Coats.
STAR –– Lita Briscoe spent Sunday night and Monday as a guest of Geneva Keeton.
75 Years Ago
January 16, 1936
Another attempt by John Huff, Camdenton laborer, to gain freedom by breaking jail, was frustrated here early Tuesday afternoon, when officers discovered efforts to saw thru the bars at the county jail. Huff is held for the murder of Rondo Ellison, farm youth of west of Ava, in August of last year. He was brought here early this week from the Greene County Jail, where he had made numerous previous attempts to saw his way to liberty.
Postal receipts at the local post office for the year 1935 totaled $10,654.85, exclusive of money order and other miscellaneous receipts, for a new all-time high, according to figures disclosed this week by Postmaster R.L. Ellis. The above total exceeds the 1934 total of $10,026.69 by $628.16.
It is reported here that T.J. Moorhouse has sold his stock of merchandise at Mt. Zion to Clyde Nichols, of that community.
Mail service between Ava and the Frisco at Mansfield, was taken over by J.C. Gunton of Mansfield, temporary star route carrier. Formerly mail service here was handled by the Ozarks Southern Railway. The postal department will ask for bids for a star route between Ava and Mansfield in July of this year, it is understood.
Voters of Mountain View recently approved, by a vote of more than 4 to 1 majority, a proposition for a bond issue of $27,000 to install a modern waterworks system in the city, and another $2000 bond issue to buy modern fire fighting equipment. Both projects will be financed under PWA, and government grants will swell the funds to more than $45,000.
It is quite clear that nobody has any exact information of the number of employable persons still unemployed in the United States. To the claim that there are still eleven million industrial workers unemployed, the reply has lately been made, based upon Government statistics, that at no time, even at the peak of prosperity, did industry ever employ more than nine million persons and as there are now more than seven million on industrial payrolls, unemployment in that field cannot amount to more than two million.
Preliminary plans for the development of an Ozarks picnic and outdoor recreation center on Indian Creek in the Spring Creek forest ranger district, have been completed and presented to the regional forestry office in Milwaukee, Wis. for approval, forestry officials announced Tuesday.
GIRDNER –– Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Lewis are the proud parents of a baby girl. She has been named Joan Ray.
ARNO –– Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Hires and son Clarence moved Saturday from the Paul Haynes farm to a farm near Red Bank.
Strange news came to this office recently through an exchange which reported the marriage of Mr. William Strange to a Miss Martha Strange. However, we expect the next strange news of this strange couple will be a little stranger.
100 Years Ago
January 19, 1911
Washington –– Senator Norris Brown of Nebraska, author of the income tax amendment to the Constitution, now before the states for ratification, is confident that favorable action will be taken this year by more than the requisite necessary states. Thirty-nine states, through their legislatures, will have the opportunity to indicate their attitude on the income tax amendment. There must be a three-fourths vote to ratify it. Those states that have ratified it are: Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
J.H. Murray is re-arranging his building on the south side. He will put in a concrete floor and make some other improvements, which will greatly add to the value and convenience of the building.
Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Mitchell, of this city, are the proud parents of a bright baby girl, which made its arrival last Friday morning. All parties concerned are doing nicely except Jesse A. who was not able to get to his daily duties until the first of the week.
BOYS TAKE NOTICE –– If you want to get married, first, ask the girl, then the Recorder, then me. Give me a call, I need your support. Lawrence S. Davis, Probate Judge.
RIPPEE NEWS –– Mr. and Mrs. Ora Chambers, son of Vera Cruz, is visiting at the formers parents.
GIRDNER –– Whooping Cough that raged so in west of Squires and Girdner is now subsiding.
ROME –– Whooping Cough is pretty bad around in this neighborhood.
The K.C.O. & S. Ry has been awarded the mail contract between Ava and Mansfield. They have not yet received official notice but information received by Postmaster H.L. Brown is to that effect. This will be a good thing for the country all around. It will give us better mail service and better train service. The railroad is perhaps not as good as the Frisco, but it will eventually be doing the business, and the whole country will be benefited thereby.
Henry Klineline and Miss Rebecca Grabeel, were married at Squire A.A. Inman’s in Findley township last Saturday evening, before a few immediate friends. The groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Lon Klineline of near the Casto schoolhouse and the bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Grabeel, of the same place. Congratulations to the happy couple, and best wishes for a long happy and prosperous life together.
We always abhorred the fashion of high heeled shoes and the hideous, frightful looking hats, which “old dame fashion” forces upon the fair sex, but now comes the “hobble skirts.” This is the limit — we are completely “bumfuddled” and dumbfounded,” and have not another word to say.
ZENDA ITEMS –– Mr. and Mrs. Simon Buchanan are the proud parents of a new baby girl, being born January 5, mother and child getting along nicely.
