25 Years Ago
April 3, 1986
Ava East Ward Alderman Joe Murphy held off challenger Neil Stillings to retain his seat on the Ava City Council in Tuesday’s municipal election. The final tally was Murphy 188, Stillings, 110.
Over 100 children participated in the Easter egg hunt at Chastain’s of Ava last Saturday afternoon, and 30 of those who hunted eggs won a prize. The guests of Chastain’s moved outside Saturday afternoon to enjoy the sunshine and to watch the children look for Easter eggs.
Bill’s Lumber Company ladies’ bowling team won first place in the fall league at Ava Bowl. Members of the team are Elaine Graham, Fern Kresse, Linda Lakey, Wanda Huffman and Rhonda Garrison. Kay Hutchison won high scratch series and scratch all events. She claimed prizes of a lawn chair and an alarm clock.
Squires Bill Frye will be looking for his second point title at Lebanon’s I-44 Speedway starting this Sunday afternoon. Bill who captured the title two years ago fell 6 points short last year. With over $25,000 in point money put up by area merchants, the action will be hot and heavy every week as the drivers will be battling wheel to wheel and going all out.
Dennis and Denise Souder and their boys and Cynthia and Scotty Smith went to Branson and ate Easter dinner with Cynthia and Denise’s father, Ross Martin and his wife and their brother, Dennis Martin.
Willie and Irene Freeman, Ava, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary Sunday, April 13.
Ava sophomore Ron Wallace cracked a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday afternoon. But that was all the Bears would get, and they lost to Mtn. Home, Ark., 3-2. The Bears took two games from Houston in their season-opener last Thursday, winning 12-3 and 9-2.
50 Years Ago
March 30, 1961
Some 150 members of the Ava High School chapter of Future Homemakers of America, mothers, teachers and special guests attended the annual FHA mother-daughter banquet held Tuesday night in the all-purpose room of the Ava Elementary School.
The grade A and C milk receiving plant in Ava, owned for several years by the 20th Century Foods Company, has been sold to the Square Deal Milk Producers Association which has headquarters in Illinois.
The Ava High School music department personnel were quite pleased by the results of the sub-district music contest held March 20 and 21 in Seymour. Those making “1” ratings were Sharon Pierce and Ava Lynn Cudworth, piano solos; Linda Pettit, Ava Cudworth and Jim Shollenberger, vocal solos; boys quartet, girls trio, and two girls sextets and mixed chorus.
The Ava merchants semi-pro baseball team will hold its first practice session Sunday afternoon, April 9 at 1:30 at the local fairgrounds. Any boys ages 17-24 who are interested in playing on the team should be at this practice.
Miss Luetta Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Johnson of Route 3, Ava, became the bride of Mac Mitchell Friday morning, March 24. The Rev. Ira Bray read the double ring ceremony at his home.
Mrs. Vance Moore was elected president of the Ava R-1 Parent-Teachers Association at a monthly meeting held Monday night, and Mrs. Kenneth Alderman was named as vice president. Other association officers will be named at a later date, according to Charles Fish, outgoing president.
Perhaps you wouldn’t call farmers “the vanishing Americans,” but that is what the Census Bureau’s recently completed 1959 Census of Agriculture adds up to. During the past 30 years the farm population has been decreasing, with but a few years excepted, at the rate of almost one million a year. Farm population has been cut in half during a period in which the national population has approximately doubled. The percentage of the total population living on farms declined from one-third in 1925 to one-tenth in 1959.
FOIL and CLARK –– A wedding shower was given for Mr. and Mrs. Perry Lakey Friday night at her parents’ home, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Turner.
WAGNER –– Miss Mattie Jane Casebeer met with several ladies of the community in a sewing lesson Tuesday afternoon in the home of Mrs. J.O. Moxley. Those present were Mrs. Ivol Swearengin and Sandy, Mrs. Ivol Cornelison, Mrs. Virgil Swearengin and Gary, Mrs. Raymond Johnson, Mrs. Phillip Hargis, Mrs. Kenneth Sharrow, and Mrs. Howard Griffin.
RED BANK –– Charley and Irene Adams have the mumps this week.
Experience is the best teacher, so it naturally follows that she should be the most expensive.
75 Years Ago
April 2, 1936
Appointment of a temporary county committee of five members recently started the organization for putting into effect the national Soil Conservation Domestic Allotment Act in Douglas County. Members of this committee are B.M. Osborn, J.D. Harnden, Roy Swearengin, N.E. Kellogg and A.T. Goodding, emergency county agent.
Airplane patrol of the Gardner national forest has been inaugurated, and the first patrol plane to fly over the Pondfork unit put in two hours of flying Saturday and another two hours Sunday.
James Curry, Ava High School sophomore, was awarded second place in an American Legion district oratorical contest in the Ava high school auditorium Friday night. The legion contest was James’ first experience in oratory. There were four contestants. Each had previously won preliminary county contests to gain eligibility for the eight-county district contest. James proved himself an orator that any school would be proud of. He deserves much praise for the nice showing he made. The contest was judged by Mr. Shannon, Dr. Bassett, and Dr. Nicholson of Springfield State Teachers College.
Ava High School will be host Saturday to music students of the eight schools in the Altitude League who come here for the annual league music festival. Glen McDonald, music supervisor, estimated that approximately 275 students would be present form the visiting schools to take part in the festival program. In addition he expected about seventy-five students of music in the local high school would participate in the program.
Only believe half of what you hear and be sure it’s the right half.
Mayor H.H. Platt and Guy Rippee report good luck on a last-of-the-season fishing trip Sunday evening on Bryant Creek. About an hour after the fish started biting the two fishermen counted thirty-four goggle-eye on their strings. The legal season on all game fish except trout and channel catfish closed after Tuesday night.
It is “unprofessional conduct” for lawyers in Missouri to carry “any kind of a professional card or advertisement in a daily or weekly newspaper,” according to a ruling of the State Bar Association.
When a minister takes a vacation, the congregation usually enjoys the vacation more than the minister.
The following Douglas Countians were transacting business in Ava Wednesday: Otis Wade of Topaz; Clarence Singleton of Roosevelt; Sam Hutchison of Coldspring; Dr. T.A. Osborn of Omba; John Snow of Arno, and Roy Swearengin of Ongo.
Miss Edith Wise who is employed at the Duck Inn left Sunday for Squires where she will spend the week visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Wise.
SMALLETT –– Several from this community have been suffering from mumps.
100 Years Ago
April 6, 1911
The city election in Ava last Tuesday was quite interesting but very orderly. The final result is as follows: Wm. Barnes, Mayor; Henry Klineline, Marshal and street commissioner; T.E. Glass, Collector; R.F. Jenkins, Alderman Ward No. 2; J.F. Holestine and Oscar Kester, Alderman Ward No. 1. The new officers will be sworn in and begin their duties May 1, 1911.
The Ozark Water and Power company soon will begin the construction of a large dam across the White River near Hollister, Taney County, Missouri. A half million dollars has been raised for the work.
NEW YORK, NY –– Otto Ringling of circus fame died here at the home of his brother, John, as the big show of which he was joint owner with his four brothers was giving its evening performance at Madison Square Garden.
Peru Buys Missouri Goats –– Six head of pedigreed Angora goats have just been shipped from Fruitville to South America by way of New York City. They were sold to the Peruvian government and will be used for breeding purposes. Four does and two bucks were in the lot. They were sold by the Gist Goat company of Fruitville through the consul general of Peru at New York City.
“Do you know that Missouri boasts the richest agricultural town in the United States?” asked Francis M. Wilson of Platte City, state senator and a power in politics and the bar of that section. “The town of Platte City has about 900 inhabitants” he continued, “and the two banks carry deposits that exceed three quarters of a million dollars. That, with the securities held, give us a cash wealth per capita of $1,000, or thereabouts. It all comes from within three miles of Platte City.”
There was a very quiet wedding took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Woods last Sunday at 11 a.m. Arthur Hopper and Miss Lilly Woods, being the contracting parties, several of their friends were present to witness, Mr. James Davoult in joining the two together for life.
The Alexander & Haas Players at the Opera House, 3 nights commencing Monday, April 10. Drama and Vaudeville — Prices 15 and 25 cents. Your money’s worth or your money back.
LAS VEGAS, New Mexico –– Two masked men forced an entrance into the home of A.T. Rogers, a wealthy lawyer, at eleven o’clock Wednesday night and at the point of revolvers, compelled Mrs. Rogers to surrender to them her two-year-old baby. The kidnapers left a note for Mr. Rogers, who was not in the city, demanding $12,000 in cash if the parents wanted their baby back alive, and directed that the money be paid at once. The demands were complied with to the letter. The money was paid and the child recovered. The baby is a grandson of Judge Henry L. Waldo, a wealthy resident of Kansas City. One of the kidnapers was partly identified as Dennie Hart, a notorious post office and bank robber, who recently broke jail at Albuquerque, where he was being held for trial on a charge of post office robbery.
TOPAZ NEWS –– Mr. and Mrs. Artie Gott visited with Ed Ridenour Sunday.
Sunday School was organized at Coble school house Sunday with B. Harman Supt.
In 1961: All phases of community development can be best determined if there is frank and open discussion concerning any issue –– and the Herald feels that the coming election to vote on bonds for a school building is among one of the most important facing this area. We invite letter from the readers of this newspaper discussing the issues – pro or con- for publication during the next five weeks. All letters must be signed by the writer. However we will withhold publication of a name is the writer desires, though the identity of the writer will be revealed to anyone making personal inquiry of this office. Let’s discuss it — whether you are for or against!
The bond election is May 8.
