25 Years Ago
April 10, 1986
JCPenney Company, Inc. will initiate catalog service here beginning April 21, it was announced today by Roger Williams, who owns the new JCPenney Catalog Sales Merchant Facility on the east side of the square.
The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 112 of Ava has named two girls who will attend Missouri Girls State in June at Williams Woods College, Fulton. They are Tracy Murphy, of Ava High School, and Susan Ledbetter, of Gainesville High School. Named as alternates were Becky French, Ava, and Amy Huss, of Thornfield.
Ava’s biggest winner in the state lottery to date is Eugene Rogers who scratched off a $100,000 ticket at Village Mart last Thursday morning. Rogers, 47, who is disabled said he bought two $86 tickets in the first round of the lottery games and has had several $1 and 42 tickets. But the $100,000 ticket set him back on his heels.
Following the path of least resistance makes rivers and men crooked.
Grand Opening, Saturday, April 12, come help us celebrate the opening of one of the largest discount clothing stores for miles! Free coffee and cake for the adults, suckers and gifts for the young ones. Farris Outlet, Barnes Shopping Center, Ava.
Those present to help Mrs. Goldie (Rosseau) Sutherland celebrate her birthday Sunday April 6, were Mr. and Mrs. Corbin Matthews, Mrs. Grace Roller, Mrs. Uva Jenkins, Mrs. Delphia Roller, Mrs. Dorothy Burton, Mrs. Velma Melton, Mrs. Amy Rosseau, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Sutherland.
BLACK OAK –– A week ago Mr. and Mrs. Norman Alcorn and Darlene Thompson visited their son, Rev. and Mrs. Oren Alcorn and girls, Malissa and Micca at Jonesboro, Ark.
50 Years Ago
April 6, 1961
The AHS Industrial Arts Department entered 64 projects in the annual SCA Industrial Arts Fair, which was held at Mtn. Grove on Saturday, April 1. Bill Cradic industrial arts instructor, stated that the projects were rated as I, II, III and IV, with I and II receiving blue and red ribbons. Ava received a total of 42 ribbons, Cabool 33, Mtn. Grove 30, Mtn. View 27, Houston 21, West Plains Senior High 19 and West Plains Junior High, 5. There were 299 projects on display at the fair.
A comparatively heavy vote came in both the city and R-1 school elections Tuesday, but both were considerably below the record number of ballots which had been cast in previous elections. A four-way contest to fill two vacancies on the Ava R-1 board of education resulted in the election of two newcomers to the board, Carl Henley and James E. Curry. Mrs. Juanita Ewing was elected city collector.
Miss Joan Warden, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dwain Warden of Wasola, has been named valedictorian of the 1960-61 Ava High School senior class and Miss Wanda Hodges, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Hodges of Ava, has been named as salutatorian. Other students ranking in the top ten of the class in order of their rank are: Norman Letsinger, Jerry Sutherland, Leah Streight, Ava Cudworth, Jeanie Comer, Carol Bell, Charlotte Applegate and Elda Jo Sutherland.
L.H. Pettit, 75-year-old Douglas County pioneer, was honored at a special communication of Ava Lodge No. 26, A.F.&A.M., Wednesday night when he was presented a pin for 50 years of continuous membership in the Masonic Order – all in the Ava chapter.
GENTRY –– Danny Maloney of Springfield spent the weekend with James and Larry Pueppke.
BLACK OAK FLAT – Wedding bells have been ringing in our community. Miss Marie Ritter became the wife of Ralph King Tuesday morning at the Black Oak Flat Church.
ARNO –– No one around here got to make garden on Good Friday as it rained all day and even some flakes of snow fell.
Miss Sue Hailey of Tulsa, Okla., spent the Easter weekend in Ava as a house guest of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Tavner Hailey, while also visiting with her aunt, Mrs. Charles Fish, Mr. Fish and children.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Barcus of Ranioul, Ill., announce the birth of a daughter, Glenda Lea, on March 22. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. The couple also have a son, Dwayne, 2-years-old.
In a double ring ceremony performed at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon, April 2, Miss Norma Dene Hart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hart of Route 1, Ava, became the bride of Landon Dean Gardner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gardner of Ava.
Named as the “A” team cheerleaders were Norma Lakey, Mary Martha Hutchison, Carolyn Barnes, Sheryl Russell, Judy Souder and Karen Enloe.
75 Years Ago
April 9, 1936
Douglas County Republicans, assembled in mass convention at the courthouse here Friday afternoon, endorsed the candidacies of Alf M. Landon, governor of Kansas, for president of the United States and Jesse W. Barrett for governor of Missouri.
For the first time in many years there is no store at Squires. Fire late Tuesday night destroyed the general merchandise store owned by C.M. Spurlock and a midget mill standing nearby involving a total loss estimated at about $8,000. Loss of the store was estimated by Mr. Spurlock at about $5,000. Cause of the fire could not be determined, Mr. Spurlock said. The fire in the store was noticed by Mrs. Spurlock a little after 10 o’clock Tuesday night, and it had already gained much headway. The building was twenty-six years old.
A cat at the farm home of J.E. Morris near Basher is mothering a family composed of two young squirrels and one kitten. About a month ago, Mr. Morris’ son, Hugh, 17 years old, found the squirrels in the woods and brought them home. The mother cat, then with a family of three kittens, immediately adopted the orphaned squirrels, apparently only a day or two old. Now the two squirrels are large enough to climb trees and eat hickory nuts, Mr. Morris says, but they show no indication of wanting to leave their foster mother. They are quite tame, he says.
Voters re-elected two aldermen and two members of the school board Tuesday in the lightest vote cast in the city in recent years. Eighty-one votes were cast in the school election, the lightest vote in a school election here in twenty-one years, according to E.L. Yeoman. Dr. R.M. Norman and H.S. Wilson were elected with seventy-seven and seventy-three votes respectively. C.V. Clinkingbeard and J.E. Curry were re-elected to the board of aldermen with no votes cast for any other person.
In defense of divorce, a Hollywood authority says it is a mistake for a woman to live too long with one man. They do not tell us just how long is too long, but it’s fairly evident that few Hollywood women suffer from the error.
BUCKHART –– A movie show is being held at Buckhart School House from the 6th – 11th of April.
Mr. and Mrs. Eldon James purchased the cafe owned by Scott Power, last Friday and took possession of the business Saturday morning. Mr. and Mrs. James have recently returned from Alpena, Ark., where they operated a cafe. They are well-known in Ava having been in the hotel and cafe business here.
Several citizens from the east end of Douglas County were transacting business in Ava Monday. There were Levi S. Collins, of Siloam Springs; N.F. Bowlin, of Vanzant; George Upshaw and Noel Cox, of Denlow.
New Arno Store, Hartley & Staley. Friendship Coffee, lb. 25¢; Hershey’s Coco, lb. 20¢; Winner Matches, 6 box. 15¢; Pure cane sugar, 10 lb. 55¢; vinegar, gal., jug, 30¢. Flour – Feed – Produce.
100 Years Ago
April 13, 1911
With an invincible army of American soldiers on one side of the Rio Grande watching the rebels and the regulars on the other side, it is not hard to guess how the Mexicans will finally settle their troubles. They will soon settle down or else Uncle Sam will soon make them settle up.
The City Council is having the concrete crossings around the square put in this week. Geo. Sanders is doing the work. This will complete the crossings and walks around the square, and it makes our city look a great deal better than it did five years ago. What we need most now, is a concrete curbing around the Courthouse square and some walks leading to the courthouse door. Let the good work go on.
Ira Sullivan and Tom Cornelius have moved their grocery business into the Hays building just back of the Citizen Bank, and will conduct their grocery business in that building for the present. The Lytle building which they vacated, will be occupied by the firm of Timberlake & Barnet who will conduct their produce business at that building.
Henry Huffman, postmaster at Basher, was in Ava the first of the week. He informs us that Basher has been made a money order office, taking effect April 1, 1911. This will be a great convenience to patrons of that office.
Oscar Kester is having some concrete walks put down in his yard and in front of his residence this week, which adds greatly to its appearance. T.S. Newsome is doing the work.
Though we have had several cold, blustery days the past week or so, the fruit in this section of the country is not damaged to any great extent. If it is not killed by late frosts, there will be an abundance of all kinds of fruits in this section of the Ozarks.
More towns die for want of confidence on the part of business men and like of public spirit than any other cause. When a man in search of a home or a business location goes into town and finds everything brim full of hope and enthusiasm of the prospects of the place, and all earnestly at work to build it up he soon becomes imbued with the same spirit…and as a result, he drives down stakes and goes to work with the same interest. When, however, he goes to a town where everyone expresses doubt and apprehension for the future prosperity of the place, moping about and indulging in mournful complaints he naturally feels that it is no place for him and he at once shakes the dust off his feet while he pulls out with all possible speed for some other place. When you are working for or saying a good thing for your town you are accomplishing all the more for yourself.
ROME ITEMS –– Lester Youngblood was kicked in the mouth by a horse the other day knocking out two teeth. … Homer Maxwell was kicked in the face by a horse April 3, cutting an ugly place in his cheek. … While taking care of some lambs a few day ago, Mrs. Youngblood was knocked down by a sheep, spraining her ankle as she fell.
