50 years ago
May 20, 1973
— Lee H. Ford, brother of James E. Ford of Cassville, has been promoted to master sergeant in the U. S. Air Force.
Sergeant Ford, an air transportation technician at Andrews AFB, Md., serves with 89th Military Airlift Wing, the special Air Force unit which provides air transportation for the President of the United States and other top government officials. The sergeant, whose other brother, Zane B. Ford, resides in Mount Vernon, is a 1956 graduate of Scranton (Ark.) High School.
— Navy Commander Edward Estes of Purdy, in his first appearance in Barry County since being released as a POW from the north Vietnamese received a hero’s rewards during welcome home ceremonies in Monett before a crowd of over 200 persons Saturday. In the photo above, his mother, Mrs. Catherine Estes, gives the most important of the recognitions, while a delighted father, Harold, beams his approval.
— Living tributes in recognition for two fallen servicemen in Vietnam from Cassville will be officially dedicated at Cassville Memorial Park at 3 p.m. Sunday. Sponsoring the Silver program is Leaf Benefit Club of Cassville and the CHS senior class of 1962. The club project will honor Captain William Rothrock Edmondson, USAF, who was shot down on May 31. 1966 while serving as a C-130 navigator on classified missions flying from Da Nang AFB in South Vietnam. Classmates will honor Specialist Fourth Class Aaron H. Lowe, USA, who was killed May 12, 1969 during a mortar attack on his base, Landing Zone Baldy, serving the headquarters company of the 196th Light Infantry Division. Included in the speaker list for the program will be Congressman Gene Taylor, _State Senator Emory Melton and State Representative Dan Har-mon. Mrs. Gerald M. Johnson is chairman of the club’s Freedom Tree program, which will coincide with National MIA Awareness Day. The bronze plaque and Freedom Tree living tribute to Captain Edmondson, is also designated for recognition of all Prisoners of War and MIA’s.SP/4 Lowe’s recognition comes from a magnolia tree planted in the park and a memorial close by.
Also participating in the program and representing the U.S. Air Force will be Chaplain Major Don Downing of Whiteman AFB near Knobnoster.
— The collection of use fees at many Corps of Engineers parks in southern Missouri and north Arkansas originally set for May 25, will be delayed according to Little Rock District Engineer Colonel Donald G. Weinert. Heavy spring rains raised most lakes to record breaking levels, inundating almost half of the 136 parks operated by the LittleRock District and full use of recreation facilities in the affected parks has been delayed. Colonel Weinert said the collection of fees at these areas will also be delayed until the recreation facilities are adequate to fully accommodate the public. Fees will be collected staring May 25 at designated use fee areas not affected by the floodwaters. Others will be delayed until August. Colonel Weinert pointed out that after the lake levels drop a major cleanup and repair effort will be made to get the parks back in condition.
40 years ago
May 25, 1983
— The First Baptist Church of Cassville will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary with special services planned in a week-long commemoration June 5 through 12. As a prelude to the anniversary week services, Cassville native Vern Baker of Longview, Texas, a former member of the church, who is now associational mission’s director of the Gregg Baptist Association in Texas, will be preaching at the Sunday morning and evening services on May 29. He is the son of the late Everett and Mable Baker. He has two brothers here, Truman and Charley Baker. Ed White, minister of youth and education in Childress, Texas, and a former educational director at the Cassville church will be leading the singing for the special services June 5 through 9. The celebration will begin on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. The week’s speakers will include previous pastors, staff members and former church members. Evening services will begin at 7:15 p.m. each evening except Saturday when there will be no services. There will also be short testimonies from members at each service and Pauline Cox will be giving a brief bit of history from the memorable events in the church’s past. Pictures and other memorabilia will be on display throughout the week.
— E-Z Gas Service Cassville’s on South Main Street has been sold. Cliff Triplet, owner, announced the sale to Ozark County Gas Company of Branson. Pard Lowe will remain associated with the business as manager.
— Gazebo Dandy Duds, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lonnie Marshall and Mr. and Mrs. Gary Marbut, opens this week as Cassville’s newest business. Miss Crystal Marshall will be associated in the business.
— Mr. and Mrs. Charles Thompson of Cassville have purchased the coin-operated laundry facility on Mill Street here from Mrs. Cecilia Kid-well. Mr. and Mr. Thompson have assumed operation of the business, located in the Kidwell building, adjacent to Ozarks Realty. Thompson said the laundry facilities would be open seven days a week.
30 years ago
May 19, 1993
— A new ballistic missile defense system under development by the United States will have a Cassville native as program director for a first phase technology demonstration phase contract. Bruce Mitchell, a senior engineer of Loral Command Control Systems in Colorado Springs, Co., has been assigned the task by his company.
As the first phase of an operational system GPALS is being developed for deployment from the Strategic Defense Initiative effort begun in 1982. It will combine existing satellite and radar warning systems with new computer, missile and communications resources. The system is to provide this country the capability to eliminate ballistic missile threats against the continental United States or deployed US forces. The GPALS is the surviving portion of the SDIO activity cancelled last week by the Department of Defense. It will be acquired by both Army and Air Force agencies.
Mitchell’s company will be contributing systems and software. engineering effort to a multi-company team involved in the new contract work announced Saturday. Scheduled program completion for GPALS is 1997. A major in the USAF reserve, he completed two weeks training last weekend at Scott AFB, Ill. Mitchell is a 1971 graduate of Cassville high and graduated from the U. S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 1975. He has been with Loral since 1983. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Mitchell of Cassville. He is a grandson of Mrs. Kathryn Mitchell, also of Cassville.
— An annual report of Barry County circuit court released this week shows that dissolution of marriages topped the case list in a total of 809 handled during 1992. Clerk Dick Sanders said divorces amounted to 36 percent or just over 294 cases during the report year. At the same time, Sanders said payments of child support through the office amounted to $1,124,052.65 for the same period. Court action took care of 174 adult abuse cases, or 174 in number as the second largest action of the county in the three-county circuit of judge William Pinnell. Miscellaneous cases or others, grouped 15.1 percent of the court’s time for 122 cases. Criminals or small claims amounted to 11.4 percent or 92 cases. Juvenile actions amounted to 8.9 percent of the court’s time at 72 and child support obligated 7.2 percent of the court and office schedule at 58 in number.
— Cassville Wildcat golfers failed to advance beyond district competition that was played on the local course last week. The five-member squad missed individual and team qualification for state play. Individuals qualified with scores between 74 and 79. Team qualification went to McDonald County and Branson.
Other teams playing and their scores, Nevada 319, Cassville 339, Carl Junction 341, Monett 342, Seneca 342, Aurora 366, Webb City 369 and Reeds Spring 455. Cassville individual performances, freshmen Justin Beck 82 and Seth Allen 84, Matt Ledgerwood 85, Jay Duncan 88, Allen Irwin 97.
— Representing three school districts in the county, 76 youngsters marked completion of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program last week with the program at the Exeter schools. Also in the event were two rural elementary districts, Jenkins and Shell Knob. Dana Kammerlohr of Cassville was instructor for the law enforcement officer-based program.
— A Barry County Sheriff’s deputy was hit on the head last week by a man who broke into a seed company, south of Monett. Ernie Arrasmith refused medical treatment for his injury. “He’s pretty bullheaded,” said Sheriff Ralph Hendrix.
Deputies continue looking for a suspect, but no arrests have been made.
Hendrix said the sheriff’s office received a call about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday from the security- alarm company, reporting that the alarm at the seed company had been activated. Arrasmith responded to the call. “The back door was open,” Hendrix said. “He (Arrasmith) went in through the back door. He went in and somebody hit him in the forehead with an object. It didn’t knock him out completely. It just blacked him out for a second.
“He saw what he believed was two subjects run out the back door. By the time he got his flashlight and got to where he could see, they were gone. Deputies and the owners of the business were trying to determine whether anything had been stolen.
— Lawrence County Prosecutor Robert E. George plans to seek the death penalty against the man accused of killing an elderly Monett woman. Dwight Taylor, 43, is charged with first-degree murder for the death of his motherin- law Pauline Shrum, 73. Shrum was reported missing June 21. Her decomposed body was found September 4, in rural Barry County by hunters. Although Taylor’s trial is set for the week of June 28 in Vernon County on a change of venue, George anticipates the trial will be continued because Taylor is represented by the public defender’ Office and George expects the case to be transferred to the capital murder division of that office.
— Super 8 Motel of Cassville, featuring 46 units, was officially opened Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce participating. Open house for the public followed the ceremony. Hilburn, a native of Exeter, holds a degree in hotel-restaurant administration from SMSU in Springfield. She also has completed Super 8 management training program.
