Days Gone By
30 Years – 1989
¦ Miss America Debbye Turner visited St. Francois County. According to information received from the Miss America Pageant headquartered in Atlantic City, Miss Turner visited the Presbyterian Home for Children. Her visit to the area was reportedly a part of her campaign to “Motivate America’s Youth to Excellence.”
¦ Two men photographed swimming at Marble Creek Park on the day of Gina Brooks disappearance were cleared of any suspicion in the case, according to Madison County Sheriff Verlon Young. Both men had alibis for the evening of Aug. 5.
¦ A community blood drive was held for six-year-old Amie McCombs who was a first grader at Truman Elementary. Amie suffered from single-ventricle pulmonary atresia. It means that she has a large hole in her atrium — the wall that divides the top two chambers of her heart. A minimum of 35 successful donations were needed to make sure Amie had enough supply for her required surgery.
¦ Farmington Mayor Mike O’Brien signed a proclamation declaring the city’s support for American Education Week. Present for the declaration was Ron Short, Carol Cook and Bob Webb. Students present were Karrie White, Amy Boyer and Brandi Sebastian. Also present were parents Susan Boyer and Pam Sebastian.
40 Years – 1979
¦ Mabel Williams was presented a corsage by Mrs. Maxell Teeter at the Quilt Show held in the Fellowship Hall of the United Memorial Methodist Church. Mrs. Williams was a vital part of the quilting group at the church for many years.
¦ Charges were filed against four men who allegedly stole a jeep from Farmington, then went on a rampage of burglaries and vandalism. The chain of events which led to the arrests began in Farmington, when a jeep was stolen from Thompson Auto. The intruders broke a window to gain entrance, then took cash from a metal box and opened a garage door before driving away with the jeep.
¦ Evening Press Sports Editor John Adams was killed as a result of a traffic accident. His wife was seriously injured but survived. Adams came to the Evening Press early in March of 1975. His first story was on the state basketball playoffs between Potosi and Charleston and appeared in the March 4 edition.
50 Years – 1969
¦ Gerald Schilli, son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Schilli of Farmington, was on leave several days with his parents. Gerald was a member of the U.S. Navy and has spent the past two-and-one-half months at Great Lakes Naval Training Center for basic training.
¦ Mr. and Mrs. George Harrison of Farmington celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with a family dinner followed by a reception at the home of their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Lucas.
¦ Lynn Karraker played the haughty heiress Diana Messerschmann who flirtatiously teased Frederick, played by James Wooldridge, in the drama “Ring Around The Moon” which opened at the Junior High School Auditorium.
¦ Mercy High School of Webster Groves opposed Farmington in semi-final play-offs in Missouri Class AAA football at Crystal City. Mercy High School, with a record of 7-1-1 had one more game to play while Farmington completed their regular season with a perfect 9-0 mark.
60 Years – 1959
¦ Winners in the 1959 corn growing contest for local Future Farmers of America were presented cash awards at the Chamber of Commerce meeting. Winners were Albert Graham, Bobby Kollmeyer, Denny Vaugh and John Crow.
¦ Donald Lee Umfleet, 17, was accidentally killed by electrocution while working with the Fred Weber Construction Company in St. Louis. The accident happened when the bucket of a crane came in contact with a high tension wire.
¦ Four students from St. Joseph High School were guest speakers at the Farmington Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Lutheran School. Student guests were Marilyn Ellis, Margaret Burrus, Bob Boyd and Richard Young. Each student spoke about four minutes on different phases of their school’s Planned Progress projects.
70 Years – 1949
¦ Construction on the two new buildings at the State Hospital in Farmington was completed and this $630,000 in building improvements was expected to greatly augment services to the more than 1,800 patients at the crowded institution. The buildings were $230,000 occupational therapy and $400,000 for an Infirmary. They also completed a two-story addition to these two buildings onto the rear of the dining room that they were using prior to completion of the occupational and infirmary buildings.
¦ One of the largest robberies — and the first jewelry store robbery — in Farmington occurred at the Howard Tetley Jewelry Store. Diamond rings, watches, ladies’ stone rings, a quantity of rhinestone jewelry, cigarette lighters, pearls, pen and pencil sets and a large tray of diamonds were removed from the front display window. Items taken were valued at over $5,000.
¦ Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Huff celebrated their 94th and 74th birthdays together. Friends and relatives gathered at the home of their daughter-in-law and had a basket dinner at noon on a table that was more than 25 feet long.
