June 1, 1951
• Showing at the Paramount Theatre in Rock Port: “Tomahawk” with Van Heflin and Yvonne DeCarlo and “Rock Island Trail.”
• Mr. and Mrs. Temple Bentley are giving their premises a brand new planting treatment. Chamberlain & Son are handling the work, which includes an outdoor “living room” enclosed by a beautiful lattice-work fence, upon which will grow clematis and climbing roses of different varieties.
• Lee Pemberton has had a big excavation made at his home for the erection of a garage which will be partially underground.
• John T. Wells has purchased the Conoco Service Station on No. 275 from Herb Rolf. Rolf retains the tank truck feature of the business. “Solly” Salfrank will operate the station and Mrs. Salfrank will continue operating the cafe.
June 3, 1976
• Twenty-three train cars and four engines were derailed and several hundred feet of track had to be replaced following a train/fertilizer truck collision May 27 in Phelps City. The truck driver was pinned in the vehicle and a hack saw owned by a citizen was used to extricate him. He was treated at the Fairfax hospital and later released.
• Cox’s Conglomerations: “I overheard a little girl talking about the parade Saturday and she said, ‘I don’t know why our float didn’t win a prize. I waved as hard as I could all through the parade.’” “Ginny Mae says you know you are in the Bible Belt when the graffiti on bathroom stall doors say ‘Jesus Saves’ and ‘Get Right With The Lord’ instead of the four-letter words usually found.”
• The Christian Church won the grand sweepstakes in the Rock Port Bicentennial Parade May 29. Best float went to Beta Sigma Phi, with the theme “We’ve come a long way baby.” Best group was won by the Baptist Church.
• A Cadillac stolen from an Omaha, Nebraska, resident was found burning at Charity Lake in Atchison County, Missouri.
• Donald Sawyer, 81, and Mrs. George “Jessie” Boettner, 85, were honored at the 1976 Rock Port High School Alumni Banquet as being the oldest alums in attendance. Linda Omohundro and Scott Chamberlain were crowned queen and king of the banquet.
May 31, 2001
• Rock Port High School has named Mr. Wayne Moore and Mrs. Sharon O’Laughlin as Teachers of the Year. This spring marks 27 years of teaching for Mr. Moore and 26 for Mrs. O’Laughlin.
• Mrs. Jamie Evans was named the Rock Port Elementary Teacher of the Year. She has been teaching at Rock Port for 16 years.
• Funeral services were held May 26 at Hunter Cemetery in Rock Port for Lewis William Hunter. Lewis entered the United States Navy at the age of 19, just 17 days before his 20th birthday, and served on the aircraft carrier St. Lo. During the Battle of Layte Gulf during WWII, Lewis was injured when his ship, the first to be hit by kamikaze pilots, sunk. For his bravery, he received the Purple Heart.
• The Rock Port FFA Chapter held its annual Parent-Member Banquet May 10. Ben Gebhards was named the Star Farmer and Adam Meyerkorth, Brett Deatz, and Curt Graham received the Star Agribusiness Award. Shawn Shineman was the Star Greenhand.
• Virgil Clarence Watts, local golf pro, will celebrate his 82nd birthday on June 14. No gifts are needed except maybe a few dimes to help pay his losses on golf matches and maybe a golf ball.
