100 years ago
June 19, 1917:
FIVE NAVAL RECRUITS
SENT TO DALLAS
The local naval recruiting station sent five recruits to Dallas last week as follows: Thomas Johnson, of Bivins; Guy Ames and Joe Etian of Texarkana; Dewey Copeland, of Mount Pleasant; and W.F. Yarbough, of Amity. Recruiting was very dull last week, and is not opening up any better this week. Quarter Master Huddleston, one of the local recruiting men, is visiting towns in the Texarkana territory in the effort to secure more men.
June 20:
SALVATION ARMY
GOING TO BATTLEFIELDS
Ensign Morris, of the local Salvation Army, announced this morning that 19 units of 92 men each are being equipped by his organization to be sent to the battlefields of France. Already, the Salvation Army has a number of workers on the fields with the armies of the allies, and will send more. A number of ambulances also have been sent.
June 21:
KITCHEN HELPER ATTACKS
CHEF WITH BUTCHER KNIFE
A. Pappas, cook at the English Chop House, State and Front streets, was severely slashed with a butcher knife by H. Gibson, a helper in the kitchen, this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock. Gibson was arrested by the police and jailed. Pappas' wounds were dressed, and he is not dangerously injured.
June 22:
MR. PRIDE IS PROUD
Sales of strawberries by growers at the Horatio district the recent season amounted to $60,000, according to Henry Pride, sales manager for the Horatio Strawberry Growers Association, who was in the city yesterday. Three carloads (train cars) of Irish potatoes were sold and recently shipped. A specialty soon is to be made of shipping string beans, and a fairly good profit is expected from them.
June 23:
NEW OWNER TO RAZE OLD BARN
The old Hunter transfer barn on Thirteenth Street, between Wood and Walnut streets, soon is to be razed and the lots on which it stood cleaned and graded. In the future, it is probable a neat bungalow will occupy the corner lot. This property has been recently purchased by George J. McNeeley.
June 24:
HOUSEWIVES TOLD TO PRESERVE SURPLUS OF VEGETABLES OR FRUIT
"Every housewife this year should restore to her home the often overlooked home industries of canning, preserving, pickling and drying of perishable fruits or vegetables," said David Houston, secretary of agriculture today. "The large number of new backyard gardens which have been planted this year shortly will begin to yield their extra harvest of beans, peas, carrots, beets, sweet corn and tomatoes. Not to conserve much of this surplus of valuable food would be sinful waste.
June 25:
TEACHERS TAKE EXAMINATION
County Superintendent T.V. Reid, of Miller County schools, was busy the past two days with teachers' examinations. Of the teachers present were the Misses Vetriae Robertson and Ethel Dunlap of Doddridge and Veronica Sherman of Texarkana and Mr. William Z. Bennett, of Fouke.
50 years ago
June 19, 1967:
'SMALL TWISTER'
HITS NEAR CONWAY
A windstorm described as a "small twister" toppled a 10-foot by 57-foot trailer parked near U.S. 65 about 6 1/2 miles east of here Sunday afternoon, injuring two persons. Ben Siebold, 71 and his wife, Retta, 63, said she had injured her back. Both were trapped inside the trailer. The twister also damaged other trailers, barns and did some damage at a cemetery a half mile from the Siebolds'. Mr. and Mrs. Cato described it as a tornado but the weather service said there was no indication of a tornado.
June 20:
CONTRACT MADE FOR
BUCKNER P.O. BUILDING
Postmaster General Lawrence F. O'Brien announced Monday that a contract has been awarded to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nix, P.O. Box 32B, Buckner, Ark., to build the new post office department. The new building will be on the south side of Highway 82 in the central area of town. It will have an interior space of 864 square feet. It will have air conditioning, and after parking lot areas, it will total 5,700 square feet.
June 21:
STUDENTS OF IRENE PELLEY PRESENT RECITAL
Mrs. Irene Pelley presented a group of piano students in a recital at her home at 1911 Wood St. Participants on the program include Janet Carol Kiser, Elizabeth Ann Wade, Paula Davidson, Cliff Varnon Jr., Linda Duke, Jane Spillyards, Linda Duke, Barbara Young, Janie Adams and Linda Sherwood. Programs were distributed by Kim Looney. Assisting Mrs. Pelley were Mrs. Joe Duke and Mrs. Cliff Varnon.
June 22:
BLOOD BANK OPENS HERE
Blood Service of Texarkana has opened a community blood bank at 317-A W. Seventh St., to handle blood for local hospitals. The blood bank will open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Blood was being shipped in from a Little Rock branch. The blood bank officially opened Monday, but last week, Blood Services set up temporary headquarters at St. Michael's Hospital when an emergency arose concerning a patient who required a rare type blood. Frank Holocomb is manager, and Dr. L.L. Duncan of Texarkana is medical director of Blood Services of Texarkana.
June 23:
BAND WINS TOP HONORS
"The Roots of Evil" from Lepanto, Ark., recently won top Arkansas honors in the Battle of the Bands held at the American Legion Post here. Those in the band are David Vaughn, Jimmy Eason, Nayden Argo, Floyd Patterson, Barry York and Dennis Wise. They will represent Arkansas in national competition to be held later this year in Boston, Mass., where a $1,000 scholarship, a car, and other prizes will be presented to each member of the winning band.
June 24:
MUSICIANS TO REPRESENT TEXAS
LCS and The Bishops Four recently won the right to represent Texas in national competition after winning top honors in Texas' Battle of the Bands held at a discotheque here. From New Boston, they are Danny Wilson, Lyndel Stripling, Bill Ratcliff, Rickey England and Ronnie Frazier.
June 25:
STAMPS MAN BECOMING
WELL-KNOWN FOR GLADIOLI
Garden clubs and flower growers are generally "thing for women," but there are a few men who delight in growing flowers and even become experts in the field. One such man is Tom Roton, who lives about 3 miles south of Stamps on a side road off the main highway. Roton grows gladioli, an entire field of them. He gives them away to friends and neighbors, church altars in the area and patients in the hospitals. He is a widower, 75 years of age, living all alone. His wife died 12 years ago, and a son was killed in World War II. He has two daughters, Mrs. Edna Harrison, who lives near him, and Mrs. Florence Clements who lives in Omaha, Neb. The flowers were also kind of a loving tribute to the memory his wife and son.