50 years ago
June 13, 1973
— Grace’s Drive-in will move this month from its present location across from the CHS campus a building at North Highway 37 and Loray Streets owned by Bob Fuller. Grace Ryan, owner, said she hopes to be in the new location and open for business by June 25.
— Donald Cupps of Shell Knob, who is Missouri president of the Future Farmers of America, is one of seven young people from the state spending 10 days in Haiti to observe functions of CROP, a program of Church World Service in the Caribbean nation. The CHS senior will return June 12 after having many opportunities to talk with Haitian people about the impact of the food program on their communities.
— Barry County ranks in the middle of some tax assessment statistics in Missouri, and also stands close to the bottom in some, according to tables published recently in Missouri Counties Today, a monthly publication of Missouri Association of Counties. Lowest of the rankings is in the precipitate division, where Barry County ranks 106 out of the state’s 114 counties. The average assessed valuation is $1,584. This comes from the $31 million total valuation of 1972 divided by the approximately 19,500 persons living inside the county borders. Surrounding counties and their ranking include: McDonald, next to last at 113; Newton, 97th; Stone 73rd; Lawrenсе 92nd and Taney 67th. Meanwhile the county doesn’t stand too bad in overall assessed valuation with just over $31 million based on 1972 figures. In this department the county ranks 64th. In the latter division, surrounding counties rank as follows: Newton 30, Lawrence 41, Taney 66, Barton 71, Stone 91 and McDonald 104.
— A substantial reward for in – formation leading to the whereabouts of Mrs. Chris Seal, who disappeared from her rural Verona 1972, home on June 19, will be cancelled as of midnight, June 27 according to her husband, Lynn Seal.
Seal said Sheriff Marvin Quade of Lawrence would notify those County who had contributed to the reward of refunds that would be made. Mrs. Seal and her husband. who is employed with a dairy operation in Lawrence County, are both former residents of the Cassville area. She disappeared from their home during early morning hours nearly a year ago.
— Bill Smith of Cassville was presented a 25-year plaque by Phillips company week. Smith here this has represented the company that length of time in the service station business. The Cassville businessman has been in the fuel, tire and service business here 40 years, having been as associated with other companies during his early career.
He and Mrs. Smith were formerly also involved in the florist business. Smith’s 25 years with Phillips has been in the same location on Main Street a block north of the public square. He returned to Cassville upon graduation from the University of Missouri and entered the business he has followed his entire life.
40 years ago
June 1, 1983
— Named to the board of directors of the Missouri Association of Counties is Rex Stumpff, county clerk of Barry County. In his first term in the office, Stumpff was named to the post during a state meeting in Jefferson City last week. With the responsibilities is representation of clerk’s in a mine county area of Southwest Missouri. Stumpff will represent Barry, Lawrence, Stone, McDonald, Taney, Newton, Jasper, Christian and Dade counties. Duties in the area post will be to coordinate contacts with chief election and record keeping offices of counties on procedures and other clerk functions.
— A $218,052.85 highway resurfacing project will benefit the Cassville area by providing a smoother driving surface which will save time, fuel and expensive vehicle repairs, a Highway and Transportation Department official said. Joe Mickes, the Department’s Joplin district engineer, said the Department awarded a contract May 6 to Hamilton-Patten Construction Company, Mt. Vernon, for resurfacing a 12-mile segment of Route 76 from Route 248 at Cassville to the north junction of Route 39. The project is expected to be completed by October. The work is important to the Cassville area, Mickes said, because more than 1,050 vehicles travel the highway daily.
“Highway improvements like this are vital to our state if we expect the movement of goods and people from homes to schools, work and stores to continue uninterrupted,” he said. “Missouri has more than 32,000 miles of state-maintained highways, and improvements like this are necessary if the highway system is to function at peak efficiency,” Mickes said.
— Barry County Co-op of Exeter is beginning the process of installing a mill for feed services, according to John Marney, manager. Included in the project is a trade of property between the Co-op and Barry County Lumber that will give the agri-business firm additional property.
— Unemployment in Barry County stood at 8.7 for April, says the Missouri Division of Labor and Industrial Relations. Area county statistics included: Lawrence 9.5, McDonald 9.1, Newton 8.9 and Stone 11.7.
30 years ago
May 26, 1993
— A 2 a.m. Saturday fire completely destroyed the Leonard Day family home east of Cassville on Highway 76. The home was near Timberline Airpark. Bill Row of the Cassville police department said a neighbor reported the blaze with the dwelling completely engulfed in flames when firemen arrived at the scene.
— Barry County law enforcement officers will send arrests for armed robbery and cultivation of marijuana to associate court hearings in coming weeks. Sheriff Ralph Hendrix said a Wheelerville area man was arrested Tuesday for armed robbery and a Shell Knob man was arrested May 19 in possession of a number of marijuana plants. Stephen Eugene Moore, 38, residing between Jenkins and Wheelerville was arrested in a combined effort by Barry and Lawrence County officers under a warrant for armed robbery of the Madry Store on Highway 39 in the eastern edge of the county. Hendrix said sheriff Dave Tatum and Barry County deputy Ernie Arrasmith assisted him in the arrest of the man at his home just off Highway 248. Hendrix said Moore walked into the Madry Store Friday and robbed the cashier, Pam Mullin. The woman provided a description of the man and his vehicle to officers who aided in the arrest. He was jailed at 2:15 p.m. Monday on a first-degree robbery warrant. His bond has been set at $50,000. He was expected to be arraigned before associated judge Edward Sweeney on Tuesday.
— Roaring River Led Fishing Program Kid’s fishing Day at Roaring River State Park this year was a tremendous success – in more than one way. Last year only 180 kids participated. But this year, 426 children caught trout. Roaring River led the rest of Missouri’s Trout Parks this year with a total of 1367 boys and girls participating.
The youngsters enjoyed the park and the river, and many learned a sport that can stay with them all their lives.
The Department of Conservation reserved a special hole for kids 12 and under and made sure it was well stocked. Several times during the day as fishing slowed down more trout were added to the hole.
— Disease management of blue-berries, gooseberries, currants and elderberries is less intense than with many other fruit crops. These fruits are good candidates for home fruit growers interested in organic production. Several of the diseases mentioned below can be controlled without the use of chemicals. Currently, blueberries are relatively free of disease problems in Missouri. Phytophthora root rot, however, can be a problem. This disease is found in the soil and is most severe when the soil is heavy and poorly drained. Plants develop reddish leaves, and roots appear black and brittle. Avoid planting blueberries in low lying or poorly drained locations. A good approach is to plant blueberries on raised beds or berms, which ensure that the soil is well drained. Stem blight may be present if one or two dead canes are adjacent to living canes in the same plant. Stem blight infections usually spread from wounds created by pruning, frost injury, insect feeding or other mechanical wounds on the canes. Remove and destroy infected canes and disinfect pruning shears (with rubbing alcohol) between cuts on an infected bush to reduce spread of the disease.
— May 14 at Hammons Student Center included 10 receiving degrees from Barry County. They were among 1,576 receiving degrees in the commencement ceremonies. Three of the graduates were in honor scholar positions. From Cassville was Todd L. Harvey, Bachelor of Science, graduating magna cum laude. From Washburn, Kimberly A. Weathers, Bachelor of Arts. From Butterfield, Myra L. Poe, Bachelor of Science in education; summa cum laude.
From Purdy, Elizabeth A. Dodson, Bachelor of Science in education. From Monett, Michael E. Dugan, Bachelor of Science. Michelle Elbert, Bachelor of Science; Cheryl Trobaugh, Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude; Cathleen Wall, Bachelor of Science. Heather Dugan-Feldt, Master of Arts and Linda Vaneaton, Master of Science in education.
