50 years ago
Dec. 1, 1973
— OPENING SERVICES FOR LAKE METHODIST CHURCH
Under construction since August, initial services in the Central Community United Methodist Church, Shell Knob-Viola, will be held this Sunday. The order of services by Rev. Leland Loy, pastor, calls for Sun- school at 1:15 p.m., services at 2:30 p.m. and a fellowship supper at 5 p.m. Built by Max Grimes, general contractor, the 3,700 square foot structure is located on Route YY, overlooking the Central Crossing Bridge and a portion of Table Rock Lake. Caryl Trowbridge was building committee chairman on the project. The sanctuary is designed to seat 160 persons. The overall building can be seen from several locations in the area and from the reservoir. A fully equipped basement includes a fellowship hall and kitchen. The church has 74 full-time members with a total of 89 related members. All members and residents of the communities served by the new church are invited to attend Sunday’s events. Area suppliers and contractors this week feature the new church in a picture page in the Democrat.
— SGT. CATRON’S AF UNIT GETS OUTSTANDING AWARD MASTER SERGEANT
Robert E. Catron, son of Mrs. O. L. Catron of Seligman, is a member of the School of Military Sciences for Airmen which has earned the U. S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. Sergeant Catron is a military training instructor supervisor at Lackland AFB, Texas, with the school which received the award for providing basic military training for all airmen of the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard from January 1, 1971, to July 31, 1972. The sergeant is a 1949 graduate of Washburn high school. His wife, Oleta, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Hooten of Exeter.
40 years ago
Dec. 14, 1983
— CITY TALKS COMPUTERS; WASTE PLANT INSPECTED
Hardware, software, training, service contracts, extra this and extra that. This was the line of conversation as the Cassville city council opened bids from six firms seeking to supply computer equipment for utility billing, taxes, general bookkeeping and Council also heard a report from Freddie Evens, operator of the wastewater treatment plant, covering the first Environmental Protection Agency inspection of the three year old facility. Evans explained the plant, designed for 3,900 people, had received a rating of clear discharge into Flat Creek by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Both government agencies gave the plant a compliance rating. The department head also covered a number of functions and possible improvements at the plant that handles an average discharge daily of 500,000 gallons. In other business before the council, aldermen present, Bill Ward, Dr. Dale Assing, John Miller and Allen Stubblefield, concurred with Mayor LeCompte in issuing instructions to issue courtesy tickets for overtime parking between now and Christmas. Police will ask cooperation of employees, officials, etc., not to abuse the parking situation between now and the holidays. A Barry County request for loading zone designation at the north side of the courthouse was approved by council. Southern Judge Lige Frost and Charley Baker, custodian made the request. The driveway area to the courthouse will be so designated. A lengthy ordinance attaching zoning classifications to areas not previously classified, was officially adopted by council. Areas, previously approved by the zoning and planning commission and council public hearings, included: Medical Holdings land on Old Exeter Road, R. G. Edmondson land on Route Y, Dr. Chip Kammerlohr on County Farm, J. C. Kenney and George Ulmer, engineer, reported on progress of bridge replacement projects, delay of swimming pool improvements until the spring, conversations with property owners in the area of 14th Street and County Farm, concerning better water drainage. Ulmer said he had visited with Herschel and Corky Stehlik, Les Chapman and Leon Jackson regarding the matter. A spring project of replacing drains and overlay of one block on 14th from Presley Drive, will be devised by the city
— ACCOUNTANT OPENS OFFICE
Ed Sanders, accountant, has announced plans to open an office at 110 East Fifth Street here, in the German Building. A former member of the Cassville schools faculty and operator of an accountant service, Sanders and family recently returned here to join the part-time staff of Barry County Lumber as accountant. He and Mrs. Sanders will operate the newly announced business.
30 years ago
Dec. 1, 1993
— MASTER MECHANIC
An aviator since 1935, Randall Woolaway of Cassville will be among those honored by the Federal Aviation Administration as a master mechanic during ceremonies in Kansas City this Saturday. The pilot, instructor, mechanic and builder, has been a Cassville resident since 1948. As one of this area’s pioneer aviators, he operated Timberline Airport for years before the advent of Cassville Municipal Airport. Woolaway qualifies for the master mechanic recognition by exceeding the 50 year requirement by eight years. His last flying was the summer floods in this area during which he scouted the Cato area of Flat Creek assisting searchers to recover one drowning victim. That’s been the story of his life in aviation in this area. While he once flew for the U. S. Forest Service in fire spotting, instructed and rebuilt damaged aircraft, he’s also used his talents to provide a number of services for the area. Saturday afternoon, one of those favors will be returned when a pilot friend from Joplin lands at Cassville airport and takes Randall and Odessa as passengers and flies them to Kansas City municipal where the K.C. Technicians Association will hold their holiday banquet. It’s during this event he will step-up to receive the FAA recognition. They will return that evening, “weather permitting,” adds Mrs. Woolaway. For a number of years, Woolaway’s pet project, a Pitts Special, flew the skies of Cassville, with the veteran pilot at the controls giving viewers just about any summer evening, an aerial show that couldn’t be equaled else-where. He later disposed of the experimental aircraft that he built from the ground up. In the hanger-shop that he still maintains a short stroll from his home east of Cassville on Highway 76-86 are aircraft he’s flown and that of a son, J. R. Woolaway. The pride of the squadron is a Thorp T-18 experimental that he built. He’s more than likely never going to fly the single passenger airplane again since health conditions a few years back resulted in him not being able to renew his license. Saturday night in Kansas City, the veteran Cassville aviator will take his turn bringing attention to his home field as he accepts one of the highest honors presented by the FAA for aviation people in his category. His friends and flyers in this area acknowledge the recognition as “Well Deserved!” — WESTGATE AND PRECISE PROJECTS GETTING STARTED A new business location and expansion of a local industry were announced this week, putting the projects in the getting started status. Precise Manufacturing, located on Sale Barn Road and owned by Danny Fancher and Joe Lay, is beginning a 2,100 square foot expansion that will expand office and employee areas. Owners of the machine operation will be in their fourth expansion since beginning operations in Cassville in 1985. Adding the space on the west end of the building will include a 21×100 foot attachment to the present 15,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Precise currently employs 22 persons. Westgate Center, owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Chappell, announced a start of a 2,500 square foot expansion on the strip-devel- opment that will house a laundromat operation planned by Robert Bone of Bella Vista, Ark. Bone has also purchased property adjacent to Flat Creek Lube, also owned by the Chappells, for installation of a five-bay car wash. Addition of the space at Westgate will join the existing 6,000 square feet occupied by seven businesses or offices. The Chappells began the project in 1988. Chappell said work on the two projects would be determined on the arrival of equipment in the case of the car wash. Site preparation was underway on the laundry spaces this week.
— MAJOR EXPANSION AT BARRY COUNTY CARE CENTER
Addition of 20 skilled care rooms, extension of day room and family visitation areas has been completed in a 12,000 square foot expansion at Barry County Care Center. Owners and operators Reese and Kay Lancaster announced the opening of the added facilities this week. The Lancasters purchased the property in 1984, constructing a new 40-bed skilled care facility and converting the old structure into a 20 person residential care unit 1986. First additions were accomplished in 1989. Recently added bed spaces divides services now available in a 60-20 ratio. Finishing the expansion, the facility becomes one of the largest in the area, with 35,000 square feet available for bed spaces and related services. In the recently completed addition, there are six private and semi-private rooms. The 1600 square foot day room, nurses station and sitting area and service facilities complete the addition. Incorporated in the project was addition of a Wanderguard System, which provides an alarm to attendants should a resident leave the building either unattended or in an unauthorized manner. Barry County Care Center, is located on County Road at the west edge of Cassville. Lancaster said this week the organization has planned a holiday season open house throughout December. He said visitation would be encouraged any afternoon during the month from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
