Look Back In Yalobusha History

• 5 years ago, April 3, 2008 – Bryant Mix was about to be inducted into the Northwest Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
An oil and gas company from Texas was looking at the Floyd shale in the Black Warrior Basin area as a possible source of natural gas.
Citizens were cleaning up the city in preparation for the upcoming Founder’s Day Celebration. Pictured were members of the Methodist Men’s Club planting new shrubs on the church grounds. In the group were Robby Parsons, Isaac Paredes, Gil McMahan, Maggie Kate Kuchta, Barry Dickerson, James Person, Ian McMahan, David Kuchta and Bill Taylor.
Top fundraisers for the First Baptist preschool Trikathon for Saint Jude were Eli Hodge, Jagger Stovall and Jana Hart.
The Blue Devils baseball team was 13-6 for the season and 4-2 in division play.
• 10 years ago, April 3, 2003 – A two-unit group home for mentally retarded citizens was going to be built in Water Valley after $1.2 million was included in the State Department of Mental Health budget.
Some little cuties were pictured on the front page to promote the upcoming Watermelon Queen Pageant. They were Briana Norwood, Kyle Spence and Peyton Hill, all winners from the previous year.
Lee Ann Holt was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society and was honored during a campus ceremony…but, the news release didn’t say which campus.
Yalobusha County Deputies Milton Hervey, David Wallis and Steven Story received training in terrorism prevention at Ole Miss.
Lions Club members Ernie Aune, Dennis McMinn and Jerry Daum were pictured landscaping the Water Valley Casey Jones Railroad Museum, a local Lions project.
Rodney Phillips was BorgWarner Employee of the Month for April.
• 20 years ago, April 1, 1993 – Governor Fordice was set to speak at the annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
The 2nd grade class at WV Elementary School was practicing to present “A Mother Goose Hoe Down.” Cast members pictured were Kendall Wesson, Jeff Eubanks, Roshannon Blackmon, Lacey Harris, Sabrina Johnson, William Beard, Bill Beam and Keith White.
Guy Dale Shaw was shown with a turkey he had killed before going to work. It was his first hunt of the year and the bird had a nine-inch beard.
Sharon Reed won a $10,000 scholarship to attend Eckerd College in Florida in the National Teenager Pageant held in Vicksburg.
Mrs. Carylne W. Taylor, 82, died from injuries sustained in an auto accident on Hwy. 7 south of Water Valley.
• 30 years ago, April 7, 1983 – Mechanics Bank was honoring local industry during Industry Appreciation Week by presenting a cake to Big Yank, Bondafoam, Holley Carburetor, Mott’s Inc. of Mississippi and Carothers Construction Company.
A salvage company was removing ties from the abandoned Illinois Central Railroad line.
Brandon Hughes and Brian Baggett appeared on WTVA television show, “Fun Shop.”
Mayor Hamric Henry proclaimed National Library Week in Water Valley and was pictured with Mrs. Ernest P. Aune, Mrs. Melvin Ford, Mrs. A. W. Carothers, Mrs. Ann Ivy King, Mrs. M. B. Williams and Eddie Foster.
Jan Womble was honored with an autograph party for her new book, “The Challenge of Her Life.”
Students in the 4th grade raised over $100 each for St. Jude Hospital. Pictured were Tracey Norris, Margaret Hill, Michelle Sims, Stephanie Peeples, Jennifer Sartain, Melissa Taylor, Wesley Henbree, Shelly Durham and Irene Davis.
Former resident Jerry McCay was named Meridian’s Outstanding Young Man for 1983 by the Exchange Club.
• 40 years ago, April 5, 1973 – The WVHS Band received an Excellent rating at the State Band Contest in Raymond. Some of the band members pictured or mentioned were Paula Knight, Mary Childress, Jacquie Nemecek, Cindy Massey, Mary Beth Knight, Linda Sartain, Bea Bryan, Robbie Wilbourne, Terryl McClaflin, Larry Hawkins and Jamie McCammon.
Ricky Suratt, a southpaw from Water Valley, had not lost a game on the mound in two seasons with the NWJC Rangers.
Holley Carburetor Division of Colt Industries announced a long-term contract with Ford Motor Company to manufacture air pumps, an emission control component. The contract was estimated at about $75 million.
• 50 years ago, April 7, 1963 – Four teenagers spotted someone in Peoples Wholesale Company and alerted night policeman Frank Short. A few minutes later, when Short walked around the corner of the building he ran into the suspect who had broken into the building and then piled merchandise in the back alley for later pickup.
He was arrested and later admitted to the crime.
A large wild animal, supposedly a member of the cat family, was killing livestock in the Camp Ground area. Witnesses said that the beast was larger than native bobcat and some reported it as solid black. All witnesses reported seeing the animal under poor lighting conditions.
Renovations were under way at the Post Office. Postmaster Paul Parker was pictured with Herbert Woods as they looked over the work. A large, single window would replace the General Delivery and Stamp windows.
Two Yalobushans, Gerald Ford of Oakland and Don Harding of Water Valley, exhibited at the District Livestock show in Batesville. The junior dairy judging team, consisting of Bill Harding, Richard Moore and Shelby Rogers of Water Valley and Marty Langston of Oakland, took third place.
• 60 years ago, Apr. 2, 1953 – Approximately 625 4-H Club boys and girls enjoyed the Yalobusha County 4-H Rally and were privileged to hear inspirational talks by W. E. Blackmur and Charles Crawford. The Pine Valley club won the overall prize.
Mayor F. B. DeShon announced that power would be off Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. for TVA to work on the line between Water Valley and Oxford.
Mary Pearl Green was valedictorian at Camp Ground with an average of 94.82 and Elsie Wrenn, salutatorian, with a 94.65.
• 70 years ago, April 1, 1943 – W. L. Elkin was new manager at the Water Valley Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. He replaced J. M. Moffitt.
Bob Jones, who resigned from the Circuit Clerk’s office and the draft board to join the Army Air Corps, notified the Herald he would not be a candidate for re-election to the office.
Editor Edward B. Shearer wrote about another civic-minded young man, Paul Parker, who had announced he would run for state senator. But, he withdrew because of the war and the possibility that he would be drafted.
Sgt. Nicholas Benson gained high honors in his mechanical course, Tank Hull Suspension System and Power Train.
In the want ads, G. W. Edwards had a registered big bone Poland China sow for sale. One has to wonder if the sow was fat or just big boned?