50 years ago
Jan. 9, 1974
— NAVY COMMISSION
Newly commissioned as an Ensign in the U. S. Navy is Don James, son of Mr. and Mrs. John James of Cassville. He received his commission in the supply corps upon graduation recently at the University of Missouri where he was a marketing major and an honor student. Ensign James completed his education at MU-Columbia through the NROTC program. For two months he will be stationed in Columbia. In March he will report to Athens, Georgia, for Navy Supply School training. The 1969 graduate of Cassville high school has participated in Navy summer cruises and training throughout his four years of college.
— AIRPORT OPTIONS MAKE 95% LAND NOW AVAILABLE
Options on four of five required pieces of property for a proposed new airport in Cassville have been acquired, according to Max Fields, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce airport committee. Fields made the report to the board of directors in a meeting Tuesday• Fields said the easement option made about 95% of the required land available for the proposed project. Options will be turned over to the city of Cassville at the appropriate time. Signing the options were property owners E. R. Heston, L. D. Pennell, Leon Sanders and CASCO Inc. The lone parcel yet unportioned for the project is approximately two and onehalf acres owned by Bob Gibbons. Airport information presented to the board included a scheduled meeting on January 15 between state and federal aviation officials and the city council. Tom Mertens of the State of Missouri and Bill Clark of the Federal Aviation Administration are scheduled to attend the session. Mayor Bill LeCompte also announced to the C of C that the city was in the process of signing an engineering contract with Miller-Newell Associates of Fayetteville, Arkansas for project work. The firm is represented in Cassville by George Ulmer. Other business before the board included a report by incoming president Bob Mitchell concerning the annual membership dinner this Thursday night at the CHS cafeteria at which Secretary of State James Kirkpatrick will be the principal speaker. Bill Wiley, Industrial Development Corp. president, also reported on pending FASCO Co. industrial labor survey scheduled here January 17. Wiley briefed the directors on company potential and importance to the community. Other items on the agenda included a report of activities during December by secretary manager Bill Ward. Coming budget plans, activities and membership drives of the C of C were also discussed by the officers and directors. Bill Kimmons of Bolivar, president of the Chain-o-Lakes association, spoke briefly.
— 1,750 ELIGIBLE VOTERS IN COMING SCHOOL BOND VOTE
There will be 1,750 eligible voters in the Cassville R-4 school district when poll time rolls around Tuesday, January 29 in a bond election. Superintendent James Ford said those figures were furnished him by the office of County Clerk Chester Snider after the January 2 deadline for registration. The Cassville school bond election will be the first major vote in Barry County under the new voter registration program. Only those voters who registered before the deadline will be eligible to participate in this decision-making issue. Going before the district voters is a $125.000 bond issue, which combined with a $50,000 state building grant, would enlarge elementary facilities, provide for new transportation garage facilities, and make $10.000 regular funds available for band uniform purchase. The building grant would be made available through Cassville’s last reorganization program with the Eagle Rock district two years ago. Ford said this week a two-thirds majority of those voting in the issue must give their approval to permit passage of the bonds. No tax levy increase is proposed by the board of education to retire the bonds over a 15-year period. Ford also said bonding arrangements have provided five percent money for the program. Cassville’s current bonded indebtedness amounts to $400,000. With the coming issue passage, a reserve bonding capacity would exist in the district in the amount of $138,000. The R-4 district has a total valuation as of last July of $6,639,000. Absentee ballots for the election will be available at Ford’s office starting this Thursday. Under new voting regulations, the absentees will be handled by the county clerk’s office. Polls in the election will be located in Cassville and Butterfield. There will be no voting place provided at Eagle Rock for this election. Concerning the present levy, Ford said the board’s decision not to increase the levy was based on continued growth of district valuation. The present levy is $3.75 per $100 valuation and cannot be increased without voter approval. The superintendent pointed out that the average high school district levy in Barry County was higher than the local tax, $3.97 per $100 valuation. Cassville uses 3.32 percent of the present budget for bond retirement.
40 years ago
Jan. 11, 1984
— CASSVILLE NATIVE NAMED ASST. SUPER
A Cassville native, Bill Ash, has been named assistant superintendent at Roaring River State Park. Ash, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Ash, assumed the post this week, after serving with the Park Ranger staff of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources four years. He is a 1971 graduate of CHS and holds a degree in recreation and leisure studies from SMSU.
— LEDGERWOOD FILES
Dennis Ledgerwood, in the purchasing department at FASCO Industries, has filed as a candidate for the board of education of Cassville R-4 district. The CHS graduate is the first to declare as a candidate for two posts subject to April elections. Filing deadline is noon, January 31, according to Wanda Paul, board secretary.
—98TH BIRTHDAY
One of Missouri’s oldest citizens celebrated her 98th birthday. Mrs. H. W. Edwards, of Seligman, celebrated her birthday, December 29, at the home of her daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Tatman in Seligman. She is one of the oldest Missouri citizens and she is most active, doing most of her housework and is kept busy entertaining her friends and she attends church regularly. She was born near Somerset, Kentucky, Pulaski County, in 1885, where she spent her young adult life moving to the Ozarks with her husband, the late Dr. H. W. Edwards – and their children in 1929. She is in good health and eagerly looking forward to celebrating her 100th birthday. Her family includes Mrs. Ella Withers, Somerset, Kentucky; Lloyd Edwards, Walnut Creek, California; Mrs: Edna Tatman, Seligman; Arthur Edwards, Roseburg, Oregon; Mrs. Marie Reynolds, Rogers, Arkansas; her oldest son, the late Dr. W. C. Edwards, of Rogers, passed away in 1959.
—POLICE HOT PURSUIT BILL INTRODUCED
The “hot pursuit” bill which enables police officers to make arrests after pursuing a person out of their jurisdiction has been introduced in the General Assembly by State Rep. Robert Ellis Young, Carthage, in cooperation with the State Department of Public Safety and the Missouri Chiefs of Police Association. Rep. Young said that the bill has the support of Missouri’s law enforcement’ community. He was contacted by Chief Ed Ellefsen of Carthage and Lt. Col. Robert Scheetz of the St. Louis Police. Ed Daniel, director of the State Department of Public Safety, also encouraged him to sponsor the measure. The legislation extends “hot pursuit” from only counties of the first class with a charter form of government to all counties where the peace offices of the county or municipality have completed the basic police training program required by state law. The bill allows a peace officer who has completed the basic training to respond to an emergency situation outside of the political subdivision from which the officer derives his authority. The officer’s ability to act must first be authorized by the governing body of the municipality. The bill also provides for cooperation of counties and municipalities in the formation of “major case squads.” Police officers acting as members of a major case squad shall have the power to arrest anywhere in Missouri. This power shall be exercised only during the time the officer is a member of the major case squad and only within the scope of the investigation on which the squad is working.
—AIRMAN SERMON IS GRAD OF BASIC
Airman Robert J. Sermon, son of Robert L. and Shirley J. Sermon of 503 S. 6th Street, Thayer, Missouri, but formerly of Cassville, has completed Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. During the six weeks at Lackland, the airman studied the Air Force Mission, organization and customs and received special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree in applied science through the community college of the Air Force. The airman will now begin on-the-job training in the morale, welfare and recreation field at Blytheville, Ark. Air Force Base. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. James Woods and Mrs. Katherine Haddock, all of Cassville.
30 years ago
Dec. 29, 1993
— STUCO EFFORT AT R-4 SET RECORD SYC DRIVE
Cassville student council’s Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas efforts in pre-holiday contests raised a record $3,414.01 for Share Your Christmas programs in the area. The amount was about $1,100 over the drive last year. The program began with the student council nominating three girls and three boys from each class for the honor. A student body vote pared this group down to a boy and girl representing each class. Then their efforts to raise funds for the program produced votes. Joe Starchman, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Starchman of Cassville and Roxie Mitchell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Mitchell of Eagle Rock won the honor. Their coronation was by last years winners, Dominic Whitley and Michelle Hilburn. From the sophomore class, candidates were Wes Stringer son of Mr. and Mrs. John Stringer of Eagle Rock and Kari Holtzman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Holtzman of Cassville. Representing the junior class, Charlie Tabor son of Marjourie Tabor of Cassville and Tim Tabor of Seligman and Kelley Hart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Hart of Cassville. Seniors in the contest were Jeremy Hilburn, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Hilburn of Cassville and Jeni Reed, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Reed of Cassville.
— RECALLING CASSVILLE’S TWIN TOWERS
Remember Cassville’s Twin Tower Players? Lady Wildcat basketball fans of the late 1980s will well remember the twin towers of those years that rewrote Cassville history for that particular phase of the sport. It was the era of Shannon King and her sister, Debbie King, who became known as the twin towers of lady basketball in this region. Teams with both of the gals anchored along the lane or base line, put together conference and district champions. Their only problem came from just west of here where the McDonald county Mustangs had a team that, so far as scores were concerned, were just a little bit better. Or perhaps as has been observed before, they go the ball down the floor in a better manner than did the lady ‘ Cats. The grandmother of these two outstanding girl athletes, Mrs. Wilma Robbins, provided an update on their present activities recently, which should be of interest to local fans. After graduation from CHS in 1987, the most senior of the two, Shannon, went to the University of Central Florida where she had a good career on the hardwoods. She graduated on schedule and is now working for the Johnson County, Ks., pardon and parole department. She is also attending UMKC working on an advanced degree. Debbie King Barnes graduated from CHS in 1989 and received an arts and science bachelor’s degree majoring in English earlier this month. Her playing career on a scholarship after two years in a Kansas junior college, ended with a knee injury. Since graduation she has been doing substitute teaching in the Kansas City area and is also working on a master’s degree.
