Sunday, November 5, 2017

Old newspaper excerpts from The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville, Alabama

Lurleen Wallace
20 YEARS AGO
NOV. 7, 1996

Kevin Johnson, co-owner of Johnson Jewelers, presents a lad’s diamond ring to Bunny Bayles, who won the ring in an Oct. 24 drawing for Johnson’s 50th anniversary celebration. Later, Debbie Thorsteinson won a 20-piece set of china. Johnson said he and his brother Kenneth Johnson Jr. planned the event to “show our appreciation to our customers and welcome new customers as Johnson Jewelers begins its next 50 years.”

Excel trips up FC Whippets: Friday’s revival of the rivalry between Excel and Frisco City high schools lived up to its billing as one of the top matches to be held in south Alabama last week. About 2,500 people attended the showdown at Whippet Field in Frisco City.
Excel took advantage of four turnovers, including a blocked punt, to defeat Frisco City, 13-7, in the Battle of Big Escambia Creek.
(Top Excel players in that game included Nic Beasley, Chris Champion, Lee Fore, Rob Hill, Trevor Ledkins, Kevin Luker, Bryson Martin, Derrick Millender, Tyrone Preyear, Nic Robinson and Travis Smith. Top FCHS players in that game included Cedric Brown, Jimbo Cave, Randy Coleman, Walter Lambert, Marcus Lee, Quamie Richardson, Johnny Sirmon, Ken Sirmon and Seneca Watts. Al Bowen was Excel’s head coach, and Rodney Dollar was FCHS’s head coach.)

J.F. Shields High School principal Larry Woolfolk places the crown on senior high queen Colette Pettway, escorted by Byron Murphy, Friday during a ceremony held prior to the game between Shields and Autaugaville. In addition, Shete McCants was named junior high queen and Cherri Lett was named Miss J.F. Shields.

35 YEARS AGO
NOV. 5, 1981

TV cables extending to south: A Monroeville cable television company is already stringing its lines in Frisco City, Excel and Sugar Hill, and that may block a second cable firm from constructing a system in the area.
Dave Pardonner, president of Essex Communication Corp. in Greenwich, Conn., the firm which recently bought CATV of Monroeville, said Tuesday that his company is already putting its “strand” up in the three areas, but he does not know the projected “turn on” date.
Pardonner said that the three communities would be offered the same services Monroeville already has, and that there may be some additions to the programming by the middle of 1982.

The Monroe Academy Volunteers held on to their fourth place 3A private school ranking Friday night with a sound 34-3 thrashing of South Choctaw in Toxey, Ala.
Paul Bennett was the Vols leading rusher and his 188 yards on 19 carries was enough to give him the SouthWind Offensive Player of the Week Award. Sophomore Anthony Wilson received his coaches’ lineman of the week recognition for his outstanding job of filling in for the injured guard Tripp Hendrix.
(Other top Monroe players in that game included Boyd Bradley, Tim Carter, Todd Cruitt, Eugene Garrett, Joey Langham, Pat McKenzie, Chuck Owens, Mike Owens and Don Smith. Rob Kelly was Monroe’s head coach.)

50 YEARS AGO
NOV. 3, 1966

Gov. George C. Wallace, campaigning for his wife, Lurleen, for the governor’s office on the Democratic ticket in next Tuesday’s election, made a stop in Monroeville Wednesday morning where he made a talk at the courthouse.

Special Edition Date Postponed: The job is bigger than we figured – we need more time.
Consequently, the publication date for the Journal’s Centennial Edition, originally announced as Nov. 24, has been postponed until Thurs., Dec. 13.
Approximately 6,000 copies of the Centennial Edition will be printed.

Union High Tops Camden School: The Union High Eagles rolled over the Bulldogs of Camden Academy by a score of 29-0 Thursday afternoon in Camden.
Union High scored one touchdown in the second quarter when Camden attempted a pass, but had it blocked by a Union High lineman and caught in the air by John Dean, left tackle, who raced 65 yards for the touchdown.
(Other top Union players in that game included Jessie Askew, Alvin Dailey, Charles “Boot” Davis, William McPherson, O’Neal Parker, William Smith, James Thames and George Thomas.)

One Person Injured In Hearse Wreck: One Monroe County man was slightly injured early Monday morning near Oak Hill when the Johnson Funeral Home hearse in which he was riding ran off the road and turned over.
Lauris Skipper of Excel, a passenger, received a broken collarbone and lacerations while Seth Watkins of Monroeville, received bruises.
Julius Johnson of Monroeville said Mr. Watkins apparently ran off the road due to the fog. The accident occurred 7.6 miles north of Oak Hill.

65 YEARS AGO
NOV. 1, 1951

Monroe Schools Have Million Dollar Budget For First Time: During 1950-51, financial functioning of Monroe County schools was over the million dollar mark for the first time in their history.
This fact was revealed in an annual report of educational funds released this week by H.G. Greer, County Superintendent of Education, for the Monroe Board of Education.
He said the $948,606.03 available for actual school operation plus the school lunchroom fund and expenditures for the veterans training programs reached the grand total of $1,040,540.73.

A game team of Bulldogs from Uriah’s J.U. Blacksher High racked up their first victory of the present grid season in completely outclassing the Lyeffion High eleven by a 33-0 score last Thursday night.
Starring for the Bulldogs was quarterback Bob Grissette, whose pass was responsible for one TD while he also carried the ball for another score. He, too, converted for all three extra points.
(Other standout Blacksher players in that game included Lotan Griggers, Clyde Hines, O’Neil Smith and Mason Woods.)

Pvt. James L. Nettles of Beatrice recently arrived in Korea and has been assigned duties as a crew member of one of the “General Patton” tanks of Co. B, 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion.
As a member of the 73rd, Pvt. Nettles is serving with a unit which has participated in some of the most epic phases of the Korean fighting.

80 YEARS AGO
NOV. 5, 1936

A jury last Friday morning found Orin Lambert guilty of the murder of Earl Dean and on the same day he was sentenced by Circuit Judge F.W. Hare to life in the penitentiary.
The state charged that Earl Dean met his death by strychnine poisoning administered by Lambert.
Three Mobilians, former postmaster R.S. Cartledge; Dr. S.F. Hayle and Mrs. Ed K. Cogburn, identified Orin Lambert as the man who on March 9 took out $15,000 worth of Woodman Insurance on the life of Dean and naming himself, Lambert, as beneficiary.
The Lambert case called forth more interest than any on the criminal week docket of the fall term of circuit court and for two days, beginning Wednesday morning, the case was heard before a packed court room.

Beatrice Wins Game From Escambia Team: The Beatrice football champs of last year piled up another win on their home field Friday afternoon by defeating the McCullough high school team by a margin of 14 to 0.
Beatrice and Excel will meet on Friday afternoon of this week in Beatrice in a hard struggle to begin the playoff for the 1936 county championship.

William Cato, 22-year-old Quilan, Mo. youth, was convicted in the fall term of the Monroe County Circuit Court on Friday morning on a second-degree arson charge in connection with the burning of the Sunnyside School house.
Esker Wasden, well known farmer of the Sunnyside neighborhood, whom Cato charged “hired” him and Jim Cranford, young Foley boy, to burn the building, will be tried at the next term of circuit court. It was alleged that Wasden had the school burned because the meeting held in the building by the “Holy Rollers” was annoying him.

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