Look Back In Yalobusha History
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Beauty (?) Contest winners in the Queen of Diamonds contest at Water Valley High School in March 1994 were (from left) Cam McQueen, 3rd alternate; George Walls, 2nd alternate; Jordan White (Wanda), Queen; and Chris Hardy, 1st alternate. – Photo by Jack Gurner
The board of directors of the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce met 60 years ago on March 23, 1964 in the City Library (now the Chamber Office) to complete the organization of the chamber.
The name, “Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce” was adopted for the organization and the annual membership fees were fixed at $25 for a business establishment and $12.50 for individual memberships.
Board members elected were: Earl K. Fly, Edward B. Shearer, Kermit R. Cofer, Dr. Rayford Edgar, Fred Kendrick, Albert Mott, L. C. Stewart, Bill Trusty, Mrs. Kathryn Williamson, Mayor Stanley Perkins, Oscar Parsons and Herman White.
Among the suggested projects was the selection of a uniform closing day as some businesses closed on Wednesday afternoons and others on Thursday afternoons. The group also wanted to erect better community signs and prepare a brochure for the town.
Through The Years From The Herald
• 15 years ago, March 19, 2009 – A Marmota Monax, aka ground hog, terrorized the Williamson farm after Mike Williamson and Steve Holloway rousted the critter from a burrow in a Lafayette County cotton field and brought it back to Yalobusha County.
An attempted child-selling incident in Enid prompted an amendment to the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act that would make buying and selling children illegal.
Christina Rogers and Leandrea Telford won first place in the Yalobusha Idol contest, part of the Relay for Life fundraiser.
• 20 years ago, March 18, 2004 – The Oakland-Yalobusha Natural Gas District pipeline was under construction.
Volunteers preparing for the mission trip to El Sauce, Nicaragua, included Beth Villegas, Cathy Sartain, Erin Sartain, Jamie Cofer, Jeremy Sartain and Raulin Villegas.
• 30 years ago, March 17, 1994 – Dana Williamson was Holley Automotive’s Employee of the Month for February.
Mark Nicholas placed in the top three percent of competitors in the biology division of the Mississippi Science and Mathematics Tournament at Mississippi College. Jeremy Warren placed in the top ten percent. Other local participants included Jimmy Parrish, Stacey Avant and Brian Baggett.
• 40 years ago, March 22, 1984 – Faye Hawkins won the county spelling bee by correctly spelling the word “ballistics” at the contest in Coffeeville. Other participants were Camilla McGehee and Pam Carr, Water Valley; Lawanda Kunkendall and Anthony White, Oakland; and Gary Keeler and Vincent Bobo of Coffeeville.
Winners in the Land Judging Competition in the Yalobusha County Soil Conservation District were (senior division) Ronnie Stark, Tony Turner, Buddy Nelson, Mike Dunn, (junior division) Art Fielder, Mark Fielder, Jason Purdy, La Donna Yarbrough.
• 50 years ago, March 24, 1974 – Mayor Watson Hunt and Alderman Richard Flowers, Jaycee President Jodie Burk and Earl Fly, who was the first president of the Jaycees, broke ground for the Little League-Softball Park at the site of the old high school.
Houston Vaughan and Wallace Odom were to face each other in a run-off election for the office of Alderman-at-Large.
Diane Logan Jones was named Outstanding Educator of District 3, Mississippi Education Association. Mrs. Jones was a music teacher in the Water Valley School System.
• 60 years ago, March 19, 1964 – Pvt. Jim Ed Larson completed basic training at the U. S. Army Training Center at Fort Gordon, Ga.
Eddie Cofer was among 30 freshmen at the University of Mississippi designated as scholars in the Scholars Program of the College of Liberal Arts.
Assisting with clerical work during the Sabin Vaccine program at WVHS were Bena Lou Kendrick, Janice Dickey and Kay Tyler, all dressed in their Candy Striper uniforms.
Barbara McNamee was named Sweetheart and Don Harding Beau at the FFA-FHA Sweetheart Dance.
• 70 years ago, March 18, 1954 – Water Valley had a business increase of about 18 percent in January of 1954 over January of 1953.
Mississippi State Senator Murray Williams of Water Valley introduced a bill calling for appointments of city officials in towns of less than 10,000 population.
Mrs. J. B. Cowan and 26 of her students attended the Federation of Music Clubs Festival at Ole Miss.
Receiving excellent ratings were Gary Cox, Lynda Edwards, Alma Ann Everett, Geri Mitchell, Nancy Turner, Brenda Shirley, Diane Thompson, Sara Nell Trusty, Lucretia Webb and Bessie Fay Champion.
• 80 years ago, March 16, 1944 – Beginning March 16, local merchants would take Thursday afternoon of each week through August.
