Times Past: Nov. 8, 2017
As Ozark County native John R. Sims celebrates his 90th birthday (see page 7), we thought it was a good time to share again this photo of the Sims Locker Plant in Gainesville, from the collection of the late Phyllis Herndon and shared by her niece, Rhonda Herndon. Shown in the 1949 photo are, from left, Odean Goodway, P.O. Sims, John R. Sims, Alton Kyle with son Jimmy, Neil Lawrence, Howard Wade, Jack Barger and Bob Kyle. John R. Sims, now living in Mountain Home, Arkansas, operated the business with his father, P.O. Sims. He told the Times in 2016 he does not recall the occasion for the photo but did remember that Egbert Robbins and Aus Shanks built the locker plant and cheese plant in Gainesville at about the same time, around 1945-46. John R. and Eddie Shanks “mixed mud all summer” for the blocks used in constructing the locker plant; they then joined Hayden Carter in mixing mud for the cheese plant blocks. That summer the Rural Electric Authority ran the first three-phase electrical lines to Gainesville to provide power for the two facilities. The locker plant provided freezer space for rent to residents at a time when most homes only had small refrigerators with tiny freezer compartments.
Ozark County Times
Nov. 8, 1901
Thornfield – Elders G. R. Curry and P. A. Byrd baptized 38 converts Sunday. Mrs. Abija Frost and five of her children were baptized.
Mrs. Pease died last Tuesday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Carry Love. The remains were buried in the cemetery south of town.
Our photographer, G. A. Humberd, does not stay at his gallery so much now. Don’t blame you, George! I would nurse that baby if I never took another photograph.
Nov. 9, 1917
Dugginsville - S. E. Edmonds is running a delivery wagon from Guber to his farm on North Fork, delivering Cal Hogan’s cotton hands and taking them home at night.
Lawndale – Cotton picking and corn gathering is the order of the day. Cotton was badly damaged by the freeze and is not making much.
Homer Blair was pretty badly hurt last week while working on the roads. They were blasting out a stump and Homer failed to get out of the way. He was struck on the hip.
Bakersfield – A crowd of young folks gathered at the A. B. James home Halloween night and spent a few hours playing games and telling ghost stories.
Nov. 9, 1942
Luna – The Luna district is now on the U.S.O. honor roll.
Don’t forget to send your Xmas mail early to the soldier boys. Arvis Strong, Roy Howard, Hugo Hambelton, Audie Luna, Gordon Shanks, Doin Pitchford, Charles Lee Strong, Hervil Crowley and Warden Hinsley from this district are all in the service.
Romance – Romance came near being wiped off the map during the storm last week – a light twister came thru and did considerable damage to buildings. Lightning struck Auburn Shanks’ house, tearing down his new flue and damaging his garage. ... The furniture on Herman Melton’s porch was blown out in a field. Many feed shocks were carried away and other damage done.
Nov. 9, 1967
When a packing crate shipped from Viet Nam arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Luna shortly after their son SP4 Donald Luna had returned from a year over there with the Army, Mrs. Luna says she was sure there would be some interesting things inside.
But when it was opened, all it contained were a pair of jungle boots, some letters and copies of the Ozark County Times which SP4 Luna had received while he was in Viet Nam.
When asked why he brought all of those Times home, Mrs. Luna says he replied, “Well, you didn’t expect me to leave them over there did you?”
Nov. 16, 1967
Bakersfield schools will be closed Monday through Wednesday for deer season and from Thursday through Friday for the Thanksgiving holidays.
Bakersfield is the only school district reporting the closing of school for deer season in the county this year.
SP/4 Gerald L. Souder, son of Mr. and Mrs. Almond Souder of Rockbridge, has returned home from 12 months service in Viet Nam.
He is home on a 30-day leave and will then go to a camp in Maryland. He will be discharged in April.
Nov. 11, 1992
The pie supper auction at the Frontier General Baptist Church in Pontiac was well attended Saturday night. Over $2,000 was raised for the building fund.
The newly formed Barjach String Quartet based in Mountain Home will perform in concert Sunday Nov. 15 at 2 at the First Baptist Church in Mountain Home. ...
All Barjach members reside in Mountain Home except cellist Joe Golton, who lives and works at the East Wind Community near Tecumseh where he is in charge of the nut butter operations.
Golton, who studied cello in the Philadelphia area for 10 years and later played in the renowned Carnegie-Mellon Orchestra in Pittsburg, will showcase his talent during the second half of Sunday’s program.