From the Archives

1993 – 30 years ago

The dozens of dogs and collection of cats are clean, well-fed, and even pampered at the Humane Society of the Ozarks on Highway 67. They have roomy cages and toys to play with as they wait to be adopted. But if public support of the animal shelter doesn’t improve, those there might find themselves in dire straits — their days numbered. And unwanted animals the shelter might have harbored will have to fend for themselves where they are. Last year it cost $32262 to run the facility. Income for the year was $29,141. Monthly expenses last year averaged $2,699, while monthly income averaged $2,428. Less than $1,000 remains in the checking account.

The Downtown Farmington Organization has made its New Year’s resolution to keep the downtown Farmington area vital in a time of rapid growth and change. At the monthly meeting of the DPO, President Lee Francis expressed concern about the number of vacancies and projected vacancies to hit the downtown area. He said the organization has a few plans to help with the revitalization and renovation of downtown rather than seeing buildings disappear or be demolished. One of the steps the DFO will take is to organize a meeting for the purpose of instituting the Neighborhood Assistance Program.

If you need a letter to get somewhere fast — fax it. If you need a package to arrive somewhere quickly — UPS it. And for time-critical medical cargo? — fly it. A Farmington businessman and licensed pilot has been accepted into a nationwide network that provides free flight transportation for people with a medical and financial need. Dave Taylor is one of only two Missouri residents to join the nonprofit organization — AirLifeLine — during the fall of 1992. In addition to needy people, AirLifeLine volunteer pilots fly time-critical cargo such as human organs, tissue, and blood to be used for transplants and other surgery.

Tim Wade, an eighth grade student at Farmington Middle School, was the winner of the school-level competition of the National Geography Bee and he now has a chance to compete for a $25,000 scholarship. Wade captured the title of champion from a field of 26 participants. The school-level competition was open to all students at the middle school rather than just Eller’s students as in previous years. During the school-level Bee, students were asked to answer questions about geography orally. This competition represented the first round in the fifth annual National Geography Bee, sponsored by National Geographic World.

The chief surgeon at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff has been suspended pending the outcome of a second investigation involving his treatment of patients. The announcement was made by VA officials last Thursday. Dr. Youngsoo Kwon was suspended Tuesday, Jan. 12, and placed on leave of absence. The investigation of the “patient-related incident” is expected to take two to three weeks. VA officials would not comment on the investigation. The first complaint against Kwon was filed last October by a Butler County man who said the doctor was negligent in performing cancer surgery. That investigation continues.

1963 – 60 years ago

Bids were opened for the wire fence to be erected around the new water tank at the Monday night meeting of the Board of Aldermen. The contract was awarded to the low bidder, the Missouri Steel and Wire Co., whose bid of $1453.39 was for the material only. The eight-foot cyclone wire fence will be erected by city labor. Other items of business taken up at the meeting included a report from the planning and zoning committee on the progress of their work, a report on the activities of the Khoury League which will be extended in the coming season; and the report of Works Superintendent Lovell Turley who submitted a tabulated report of the labor costs for the street and alley and the water and sewer departments for 1961 and 1962.

Dunahue’s Café, well-known eating establishment on the north side of the square in Farmington, changed hands early this week. Mr. and Mrs. John Hartshorn have purchased the business from Mr. and Mrs. Orla Dunahue, long-time operators of the café. The sale was consummated Monday and the Hartshorns assumed management as of that date. Mr. Hartshorn has been engaged in the furniture and appliance business with his brother, Denny, for the past two years, on the west side of the square. Denny Hartshorn will continue to operate Hartshorn’s Furniture & Appliance store while John will devote his full time to the restaurant.

Edward G. Hogenmiller of Route Two, Farmington, son of the Wendall and Mary Vogt Hogenmiller, was born at Weingarten, Missouri, July 26, 1887, and passed away at his home Tuesday, Jan. 15, 1963, being 75 years, five months, and 19 days of age. On Sept. 9, 1914, he was united in marriage to Beulah Krekel at Weingarten, Missouri. In 1914, Mr. Hogenmiller started a farming and dairy business in St. Francois County and continued in such until 1946 when he started his fine herd of registered Aberdeen Angus cattle, in which he took great pride. His cattle were shown throughout the state for several years.

County Superintendent of Schools Amos O. Hardy died early Thursday evening, January 10, at his home in Farmington. Mr. Hardy had been in failing health for several months. Mr. Hardy had spent 40 years in the education field. He served as principal of the school at Elvins, Pattonville High School, and of Jamestown near Jefferson City. He had been superintendent of the schools at Bismarck and at Doe Run and for the past eight years was county superintendent of schools for St. Francois County. He was married to Miss Mary Louis Meyer of Lexington, Missouri, on June 17, 1933.

Operators of business firms and other individuals in this area should be especially careful about cashing checks, county law officials warned this week. St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney Charles G. Hyler told The Press yesterday that he has become increasingly concerned about the increase in this type of crime within the past few weeks. Much of the work of law enforcement officials lately have had to do with investigating reports of “bad checks” and forgeries. Within the past month or so, Hyler said, four arrests have been made on bad check charges in St. Francois County, and of the four, three defendants have been sentenced to the state penitentiary.

1953 – 70 years ago

On Oct. 11, 1950, the State Board of Education appointed a special committee composed of ten outstanding lay citizens of Missouri, headed by M.C. Matthea of Hillsboro, for the purpose of studying the problems of the public schools of Missouri and making recommendations for their improvement. This committee has now made a report of its findings, and laws to implement the recommendations are ready for presentation to the State Legislature. Since the schools belong to the people, the first step in this rather complicated procedure was to find out what the people of Missouri thought of their public schools. With this in mind, questionnaires were sent out to thousands of lay citizens throughout the state in all walks of life to determine their feeling toward our schools.

Rev. Elbert C. Cole, pastor of the Memorial Methodist Church of Farmington, was elected to serve as president of the Ministerial Alliance in Farmington for 1953. Mr. Cole was elected at the quarterly business meeting of the ministerial alliance, which was held at the Presbyterian Orphanage on Monday, Jan. 12. Rev. Fred A. Walker was elected secretary-treasurer. The ministers and their wives had a luncheon with the children in the main dining room of the orphanage preceding the business session. Luncheon was served to the following people: Rev. and Mrs. E.C. Cole, Rev. and Mrs. Ray Stone, Rev. and Mrs. J.W. Allen, Rev. and Mrs. W.T. Magill, Rev. William Beard, Rev. Lydia Long, and Rev. A.H. Mayfield. Dr. and Mrs. Walker were hosts to the group at the luncheon.

Charles Jenkins, a prominent West Columbia Street merchant, was elected president of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce for 1953 at a meeting of the chamber Monday night at Legion Hall. Andy Paul, Rice-Stix executive, was chosen vice president; Roscoe Brune, banker, was elected treasurer and John Spahr, insurance man, was named temporary secretary. As president, Jenkins succeeds Tom Edwards Sr., theatre owner, who has served in that capacity for the past two years. Members of the Board of Directors were also chosen. They are R.A. Gareshe, Ed Selmars, Tom Coghill, Dick Roberts and Vernon Wright.

Col. And Mrs. John C. Whitworth, 13 McIlvane Street, Farmington, attended the inaugural ceremonies for Gov. Phil Donnelley in Jefferson City on Monday and report a busy and enjoyable day in the state capitol. Gov. Donnelley’s honorary colonels and their wives were in the parade during the morning and attended the swearing-in of the governor at noon in the capitol. A reception for the colonels and their wives was held at the executive mansion in the afternoon. Following the state reception, early in the evening, the Grand March and Inaugural Ball were held in the Capitol rotunda.

St. Francois County now has a Loan Closet, established last year by the American Cancer Society in honor of two outstanding Farmington men, the late Mr. Harry Denman and the late Dr. J.B. Robinson, both well known for their goodness and humanity far and near. The Loan Closet was made possible by helpful memorial gifts of our local people to whom we are deeply grateful. The Closet includes, to date: one fracture bed, two hospital beds, one pair of crutches, one cane, urinals, ice bags, hot water bottles, fever thermometers, invalid ring cushions, pus basin, rubber sheets, many sizes of cancer dressings, pads, bed jackets, slippers, and bedside pockets.

1943 – 80 years ago

The annual joint meeting and banquet of the Farmington Junior and Senior Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Club and Business and Professional Women’s Club was held at the Lutheran Auditorium on Wednesday evening of this week and again proved to be one of the most enjoyable community events of the year. More than one hundred and fifty local men and women were present to partake of a splendid banquet served by the women of the Lutheran Church, and to enjoy an address by Robert E.L. Hill, of Columbia, Missouri, as well as a fine program by local citizens.

A revision in the ceiling price of fluid sweet milk sold at wholesale and retail for St. Francois County has been ordered in a new regulation issued by the Southwest regional OPA office. T.J. Watkins, the administrator of the St. Francois County War Price and Rationing Board, announced Monday, January 18, 1943. The ceiling price set for the city of Flat River will differ from the ceiling price set for the rest of the county under the OPA order, Mr. Watkins explained.

A new working schedule effective at once has been announced by officials of the Trimfoot Company at Farmington. Due to a veritable deluge of orders, the company is going on a nine-hour shift, six days a week in an effort to supply their customers with at least partial orders. The new schedule means 54 hours of work per week for each employee, with 14 hours at and one-half pay. The factory will work from eight a.m. until 5:30 p.m., with a half-hour off for lunch. In connection with the networking schedule, John Reinhart, Jr. states that even with the longer hours, they will have to allocate their products to the customers, making partial shipments so that all of their dealers might have at least some of their output. The factory now employs more than four hundred men and women.

Dr. Paul D. Newman, a Farmington dentist, has enlisted in the U.S. Army and has received orders to report for duty at Omaha, Nebraska, on Feb. 2nd, where he will be commissioned a first lieutenant. Dr. Newman will close his dental office next Wednesday and spend a few days with his family before reporting for duty. Mrs. Newman and their two children will continue to maintain their home in Farmington. The enlistment of Dr. Newman marks the departure of the second dentist from Farmington to the armed forces. Dr. Jones E. Klein enlisted in the Marine Corps several months ago as a lieutenant and recently sailed from California for foreign duty.

Joe Mathes, scout for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, spent considerable time in Farmington last Saturday afternoon looking over the Farmington Athletic Park as a possible training site for the World Champions. Mr. Mathes was here at the invitation of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and was shown our park by a committee from that organization. Mathes informed the committee that he was tremendously impressed with our park but intimated that they would prefer a community with an indoor arena for use on rainy days. He did, however, leave the impression that a high-class minor league team might be secured to train here.

The Farmington Junior Chamber of Commerce. last Monday evening, elected Frank Highley as president for the coming year. Mr. Highley succeeds Herbert Boxdorfer, who has served in that capacity for the past 12 months. Highley, an employee of the Fitz Chevrolet Company, has held various offices in the Junior Chamber of Commerce and has always been one of their most active members. Joseph B. Ruebel, of the Trimfoot Company was chosen as first vice-president, with Berl J. Miller, of the Miller Funeral Home, as second vice-president. Harry W. Bradley, Jr., of the Rice-Stix Company, who has served so efficiently as secretary for the past year, was re-elected to that post, and Harry Henderlite, of the Leakman Drug Store, was re-elected as treasurer in view of the splendid job he has done in the past.

Mr. and Mrs. Berl J. Miller are holding an Open House at their funeral home this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They have recently completed extensive alterations and decorating work and are now anxious that the general public pay them a visit to view the improvement. There will be souvenirs for all visitors, as well as a cordial welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Miller.

1933 – 90 years ago

A fire of undetermined origin resulted in a loss estimated at $9,000 at the Lang and Brother Manufacturing and Mercantile Company late last Thursday night. The flames started near the ceiling of the second floor of the main building. Just what caused the flames will probably never be known as there are no electric wires at this point and the building was, of course, unoccupied at the time. The brick walls and heavy iron roof confined the flames to that one division of the plant and prevented a fire that might easily have destroyed a large portion of the city. The local fire department battled the heat and smoke for more than two hours before they got the fire under control at four o’clock Friday morning.

The work of installing machinery in the new Rice-Stix shirt factory at Farmington is well underway and from all appearances, is being rushed to an early completion so that the factory may start as quickly as possible. The third floor will be occupied by 300 machines. Only a few more than a hundred are being installed at the present, however. These machines are placed in rows and one motor runs 25 machines. The second floor will be occupied by pressing and packing equipment. The main office is also located on this floor. The basement will house the cutting equipment. It is to be hoped that the factory will open around the first of next month as it will be a great help in relieving the unemployment of the community.

Lester Frances of West Flat River was fatally injured at about three o’clock Wednesday afternoon when he lost control of his car while driving south on Taylor Avenue in Flat River and crashed into the brick wall of the Christian Church. His jugular vein was cut by one of the spokes of the broken steering wheel. Mr. Frances had just left his place of employment at the federal division of the St. Joe Lead Company and was on his way home. It is said that he had complained of feeling ill. There is a very sharp turn immediately in front of the Christian Church and Frances failed to take the curve. His car, a Whippet coupe, grazed a telephone pole and crashed head-on into the church.

The Press is authorized this week to announce that Harry O. Smith has opened law offices in the suite of rooms on the first floor of the newly reconstructed Ozark Building located on the southwest corner of the public square. Mr. Smith moved into his new offices, which face onto Columbia Street on Monday. He will engage in the general private practice of law. We are pleased to make the above announcement to the public and are glad to know that Mr. Smith is to remain in and take part in the professional business life in the community.