25 Years Ago
May 22, 1986
Seniors graduate –– school is out Friday.
The fiftieth anniversary commencement season of the Mt. Zion Bible School of Rte. 1, Ava, begins this weekend.
The 74th annual May Singing Convention will be held this Sunday afternoon at the Ava High School gymnasium.
The Ava High School baseball team will be playing this afternoon for the District 12 championship. The Bears will take the field at 4 p.m. today at Mtn. Grove, and will fact the host Panthers in the championship game.
Miss Donna Mork, a sophomore at Ava High School, has been selected as one of the 319 students from Missouri to attend the 1986 Missouri Scholars Academy, which will be held on the campus of the University of Missouri Columbia, June 14 – July 4.
The Lady Fender Benders sponsored by Jim Collins’ Body Shop of Ava won first place in the ladies’ Thursday morning coffee league at Ava Bowl for the fall season. Members of the team are Evelyn Cantwell, Allie Gentry, Lucille Collins, Lois Calhoun, and Sammie Martin. Second place was won by Paul Hart’s Backhoe, represented by Brenda Hart, Toni McGill, Rita Fleming, Carol Tharp and Betty Howe.
Mr. and Mrs. Vernie Halford hosted a barbecue dinner on Friday evening for Mr. and Mrs. Harley Dye who were celebrating an anniversary. Other guests were Tommy Dye, Mr. and Mrs. Everett Chisam, Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Dye and Mr. and Mrs. Cab Owen of Springfield.
The 1986-87 officers of the Ava Future Farmers of America were installed at the annual FFA Banquet on May 2. The new officers are Lynn Lambert, secretary; Jeannie Shrable, president; Mary Jo LeVelle, vice president; Charlie Sievert, treasurer; Mickey Swofford, chaplain; John Roberson, parliamentarian; and David Overcast, sentinel.
50 Years Ago
May 18, 1961
The Mothers March for a Better School is well under way this week as a host of mothers in the Ava R-1 district plead with voters to approve a bond issue of $350,000 with which to construct new classrooms. The school building proposal will be presented for the fourth time on Thursday, May 25.
A benefit dance for the United Cerebral Palsy fund of Missouri will be held Saturday, may 27, at the American Legion Memorial Building. A six-piece orchestra from Springfield, led by Be-Bop Brown, will provide the music.
A three-day baseball tryout camp will be conducted by the Pittsburg Pirates of the National League at Theodosia, in Ozark County, June 15-17, according to O’Dean Goodwyn of Gainesville, Pirate scout for Missouri and Arkansas.
First work on 110 acres of land purchased early last year by the Community Recreation Association to provide a park for this community got underway Monday when a bulldozer began clearing brush from an area on the southeast corner where a picnic area is planned.
Mrs. Bess (Archer) Wimber of San Diego, Calif., is hiking in Douglas County again. Mrs. Wimber formerly lived near Squires, but she, with her brother and their parents, left Douglas County 51 years ago. Mr. Wimber returned for a visit in 1959. Her father will be remembered as Dr. Archer, a well-known country doctor in the early 1900’s in the horse and buggy days. Mrs. Wimber visited Tuesday night and Wednesday in the Clarence Keeton home, and Wednesday to Friday in the Monroe Keeton home. She plans to visit old friends and new ones near Squires, Girdner, Star and Sweden.
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Staley entertained guests in their country home in the Arno community Sunday.
Heart of the Ozarks Rip-Snortin’ Rodeo, RCA approved, June 8, 9, 10, general admission $1.50, box seat $1.00. Order early, phone 113.
Spending the weekend May 6 in Ava as guests of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Haynes were her cousin, Mrs. John Clarke, Mr. Clarke and their daughter, Mary Kay.
Charles Garrison, superintendent of the Lecompton, Kan. High School, has announced that Retha Page is valedictorian of the 1961 graduating class of that school. Retha, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Page, received her first 7 1/2 years of school in the schools of Douglas County, before her family moved to Kansas.
Miss Teresa Loyd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Loyd of Branson, was honored Sunday, May 14, with a birthday party in the home of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Davis.
Bulldozers, graders and dirt movers roared into action Monday morning, after weeks of delay because of continuous rains and progress on the Highway 14 entry into Ava, from its new junction with Highway 5 about a mile west of town, could quickly be seen. It is estimated that about six weeks of working time will be necessary to complete this bit of road.
75 Years Ago
May 21, 1936
Sentence of life imprisonment was imposed on Dennis Morefield this morning by an Ozark County jury that deliberated less than an hour. A verdict of guilty was voted on the first ballot it was understood, but jurymen disagreed on the penalty, at least two asking the death penalty. Morefield was charged with first degree murder in the slaying last July of Rondo Ellison, 22, Douglas County farm youth.
“We are just as great as our friends,” Dr. John Crockett of the School of the Ozarks at Point Lookout summarized in his address to eighth grade graduates at countywide exercises Friday afternoon in the Ava high school auditorium.
Old age assistance certificates for four Douglas County persons have been received by the local old age assistance board the past week. Certificates are for the following: Virginia Wagner, Seymour, R4, $10; George F. Graundy, Pansy, $10; Daniel Welch Cardin, Cabool, $8; Mary Irena Cardin, Cabool, $8.
A friend tells me that this –– these cold mornings – is California weather. Well, I don’t like it.
PLEASANT GREEN –– Mr. and Mrs. Jess McGinness are moving to the vacant house close to Pleasant Green school house.
Fire about 11:30 o’clock Monday night completely destroyed a barn at the home of Mrs. Ella Cummins in the north part of town. Burnam Cummins, chief of the local fire department and step-son of Mrs. Cummins, said there was nothing to indicate how the fire started. There was no wiring in the barn, and very little hay and other combustible material, he said, indicating the fire might have been set or started by a carelessly thrown match.
Mrs. Vernon Bowles is employed at the Douglas County Capital office. Mrs. Bowles began her duties last week replacing Miss Mildred Bean who had been an employee of that paper since Mrs. Claude Edwards purchased the publication last winter.
W.I. Barker traded the Jess Jones property located east of Ava on Whites Creek, for the Wenzel Whitman property just south of Ava. Mr. Barker’s newly acquired property is the old “Pug” Singleton property joining the Delbert Cairns farm.
The girl scouts of Ava held a called business meeting Wednesday afternoon at the home of their leader, Miss Charlene Gray. They decided to conduct a candy sale Saturday afternoon and evening at the Wilson Theatre. Fifteen members attended the meeting.
Automobile construction in this country reached last week the highest point since 1929 which had established the all time high for this industry.
Mr. and Mrs. Royce Stanton and daughter, Betty Lou, and Mrs. J.C. Garrison motored to Sarcoxie Sunday and visited the peony fields. They were also in Mt. Vernon and called on Herman Sellers who is a patient in the Mt. Vernon sanitorium.
100 Years Ago
June 1, 1911
The school board has just finished taking enumeration of the school children of this district. They find 365 children of school age or a gain of 42 over last year.
The farmers of every agricultural State have enjoyed several years of unprecedented prosperity, and yet a large percentage of them voted last year for free trade congressmen who election knocked down the prices of farm products, and if they could have their way at Washington, farmers would soon be borrowers in the banks instead of depositors. It is strange how men sensible enough to make money at farming can be induced by Democratic politicians to vote away the protection given their business by Republican statesmen.
Excursion, K.C.O. & S. Ry. Sunday, June 4th, Ava and intermediate points to Cedar Gap and return, no change of cars. June singing, train leaves Ava, 7:30 a.m.; leave Mansfield 9:00 a.m.; and arrives Cedar Gap, 9:24 a.m. Round trip tickets, Ava to Cedar Gap, adults, $1.00; children under 12, $.50. Cash fares, 4 cents per mile.
Frank Anselmen left Douglas County four years ago this fall, headed for the University of Missouri. This week he receives a diploma from that institution, graduating in a class of three or four hundred of Missouri’s highest type of young men and young women.
PRIZE SPEAKING CONTEST comes Saturday evening, June 3rd, the program consists of serious and humorous declamation; vocal, piano, cornet and violin music. All who are interested in having added school advantages next year are cordially invited. Doors open 7:30 p.m. and contest begins 8:15 p.m.
REWARD –– I will pay $25.00 reward for information leading up to the arrest and conviction of the party or parties who have been cutting my telephone wire on the Castro Road, one-half mile north of Wm. Bradshaw’s. J.T. Hailey, Ava. Mo.
CHENEY –– There is too much dry, hot weather for the good of the corn crop, in fact everything is suffering for want of a drink.
COLDSPRINGS –– Uncle Dave Deevers and wife has moved in with Mrs. Allumbaugh and will make their home there for the present.
Don’t grumble if your paper is not always flush up to the high standard of your ideal. Charitably remember that no editor is capable of getting up quite as good a paper as you could yourself.
WHITE OAK ITEMS –– Herman Stone will begin working at Stone’s sawmill this week.
Jim Melton was baptized into the Christian Church last Monday.
WITTY NEWS –– Roy Gott who has been attending school at Ava was down home on a visit last week.
