THIS WEEK IN LOCAL HISTORY
Columbia held its own at weightlifting event

10 years ago

From the Columbia Daily Tribune

June 17, 1996

The U.S. All-Round Weightlifting Association championships were held in Columbia, and Columbians fared quite well.

Emily Gordon, a 14-year-old at West Junior High School, was the top teenage girl, and Jonathan Anderson, a 12-year-old at Gentry Middle School, was the best junior boy. Gordon had a 735-pound harness lift and Anderson a 200-pound neck lift.

Kerry Clark, who also served as one of two meet referees, made a 505-pound neck lift, a record for U.S. women. Other weight class titles were won by Dave DeForest, John Carter and Joe Garcia. The local lifters represented Clark’s Gym, the meet sponsor.

June 18, 1996

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce named Joe Machens Jr. as its Citizen of the Year, citing his work with the disabled residents in our community. Vicki Dunscombe received the chamber’s Athena Award for work with many leadership and mentoring projects.

25 years ago

From the Columbia Daily Tribune

June 18, 1982

A merger of four area university music departments into one under the Mid-Missouri Associated Colleges and Universities was under serious consideration.

Declining enrollment and rising costs were the factors underlying the consideration. The Mid-Missouri Association executive committee asked music department leaders from each school to propose lists of faculty expertise, enrollment and costs, and in mid-September, the report was to be forwarded to the association’s board of trustees.

Compiler’s note: It didn’t happen.

June 21, 1982

Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by two strokes to win the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pebble Beach, Calif., beating Nicklaus in a duel that found them all even with two holes to go.

Watson hit a wedge out of the tall rough on the par-3 17th hole for a birdie. He birdied the 18th with an 18-foot, downhill putt to ice the cake. The shot at the 17th remains an Open classic.

50 years ago

From the Fayette Democrat-Leader

June 21, 1957

Smile Burnette was the star of "Sellebrity Dollars" Day in Fayette. Burnette, well-known sidekick of Gene Autry, had driven from Hollywood with his wife and four children to be a part of the celebration.

A parade opened the day’s festivities followed by Burnette doing standup comedy and voice imitations. An auction followed. Then came a Rotary Club luncheon, where Burnette, also known as "Frog," sang and told more stories.

Burnette was raised in Breckenridge, just west of Chillicothe. He said his home town was so small "you had to throw a bone in the highway to get the Greyhound to stop."

Paul Szopa won first prize in the decorated bicycle contest during the parade.

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George Howell was elected president of the Fayette Lions Club, succeeding Larry Thompson. One of his first duties was to select two entrants in a beauty contest at Boonville in late July.

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Donnie Williams led Armstrong to a 19-10 win over Glasgow with a grand slam home run. He reached base six times.

Compiler’s note: Williams retired recently after a Hall of Fame career as the basketball coach and athletic director at Paris High School.

75 years ago

From the Hartsburg Truth

June 23, 1932

A front-page column was called "Strippings from the Cow Barn" by Hank, the Hired Man. The weekly column reflected the Depression Era:

"These days seem tew be homkuming days on the farm. Paw’s oldest son Ed what haz bin wurkin in the city hez cum hom. Seems hez bin outta wurk sum time, so him en hiz fambly aer bak on the farm.

"We all pitched in en helpt Ed git a garden in, en paw lent him the teme uv ole gray mars en hiz brindle cow. Maw sez it takes hard times tew mak foks apresheat ther friend en kin fokes."

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Wildon defeated the Hartsburg Pilots, 10-7. Buescher, on the mound for the Pilots, gave a good account of himself with 14 going down on strikes.

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Wilton School was to become a two-room school because of an increase in enrollment. Ancel Sapp, who had taught at Wilton the previous two years, was put in charge of the intermediate grades. Miss Katherine Nichols was chosen as primary teacher. Both were graduates of Ashland High School.

100 years ago

From the Weekly Columbia Herald

June 21, 1907

The Columbia City Council was very busy. First, it refused to allow Sunday baseball in Columbia. A petition had been presented by Boyle Clark on behalf of baseball enthusiasts to repeal a law banning Sunday games. The petition was defeated.

Judge E.W. Hinton presented the council with papers showing that all paving ordinances passed recently were defective. He was ordered to prepare ordinances that would survive the passing of time.

The Wabash crossing at Machir Street was ordered "to be fixed up." The city clerk was ordered to notify L.W. Berry to appear before the council to show why his dance hall license should not be revoked.

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Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Baumgartner and Mrs. John Chandler returned from the Jamestown Exposition, where they celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony.

The Baumgartners, who then lived in Pasadena, Calif., were old-time Columbians. They spent time with the Chandlers at their beautiful East Broadway home, "Courtland Lawn."

150 years ago

From the Missouri Statesman

June 19, 1857

The Statesman printed an editorial from the Warrensburg Signal, which the Statesman labeled "very truthfully and appropriately said," regarding the governor’s race involving Columbian James Rollins. The Signal editorial:

"The barking against Maj. Rollins has commenced, and the anti-slave editors will keep it up. His supporters will make him an abolitionist before the canvas is over, nonwithstanding that the Major was born and raised in a slave state and owns slaves. The truth is - Rollins owns 30 slaves, 10 times the number owned by those who oppose him in a slave-holding state."

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Major Clough, the town assessor, released the following assessment of taxable property in Columbia in 1857.

Real estate $230,918; 359 slaves worth $171,295; 165 horses and mules - $18,110; 169 cattle - $3,245; 57 buggies and carriages and 43 wagons and hacks - $8,319; 108 clocks and 112 watches - $5,693; furniture - $19,406; 23 pianos not used for teaching - $3,205. Total $619,506.

Compiler’s note: It is obvious why the issue of slavery was so volatile. The assessed value of slaves was more than double all other categories together, except for real estate.

180 years ago

From the Missouri Intelligencer

June 221, 1827

A letter to the editor from "A citizen in Fayette":

"The prosperity of our rising little village depends in no small degree upon the wholesome regulations enacted for its welfare and the energy and efficiency of those appointed as its guardians.

"If there is a relaxation in those delegated to watch over its interests and protect the citizens form lawless violence and intrusion, the effect in the general prosperity of the place must soon be apparent.

"I feel regret and mortification that any individual should be suffered … to disturb the midnight repose of any of its peaceable inhabitants by acts of outrage, insult and robbery.

"My object is merely to call attention of the authority to the subject, if it be within their province."

Compiler’s note: The same letter applies in 2007. Nothing changes except the date.

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