65 years ago, Jan. 13, 1955
“Marion County students took a good share of honors at the recently held who’s who contest at Pearl River Junior College. Area students taking honors in the balloting include: Best girl personality – Daisy Calhoun; best boy personality – Jerry McMurray; best all around girl, Virginia Ball; wittiest girl, Virginia Ball.”
60 years ago, Jan. 14, 1960
“Bootleg establishments are closing their driveways, according to Sheriff J.V. Polk of Marion County. Sheriff Polk said Wednesday three men were arrested in three raids during the first week he was in office. One of the men arrested was picked up twice. … The sheriff said driveways and entrances to the establishments in the bootleg business in the county have been closed. He noted that some of the owners had put tree tops in the roadway, erected ‘Private Drive’ signs or stretched chains or placed concrete blocks or other obstruction in the driveway. The raids have netted between 25 and 30 gallons of mostly wine and moonshine whiskey.”
“New officers of the Columbia Exchange Club were installed Friday night at the annual meeting held at the SandS by Dr. Porter L. Fortune, dean, Mississippi Southern College. The new officers are R.L. Bourne, president; Louis Barnes, treasurer, and G.B. Simpson, secretary. Pete Burdette, the immediate past president, presided until turning the gavel over to the new president.”
50 years ago, Jan. 8, 1970
“Columbia and Marion County schools reopened this week under the directed integration orders of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and about two weeks of moving equipment and reassigning pupils and faculty. The city schools opened Monday. County schools opened for registration Wednesday and Thursday and at press time it was too early to determine enrollment figures at the various county schools. In the city schools, enrollment figures for the various schools were not broken down by schools but Supt. of City Schools B.F. Duncan gave some comparative totals for all schools. At the end of the third month, he said, total enrollment in the city schools was 2,433 and the average daily attendance was 2,327, compared to 2,297 in school Tuesday. He added that some new students were reported in school Wednesday morning who had been absent Monday and Tuesday for various reasons. On the opening day in the city schools, there were about eight high-school-student-age boys picketing Columbia High School, but there were no disturbances. Columbia received much favorable publicity from major news sources on the opening of the city schools, quoting the president of the Columbia High student body, Tommy Barber, and Archie Johnson, president of the student body at John J. Jefferson High, which was transferred to Columbia High under the new set-up. Barber urged that everybody see everybody else as a human being, and Johnson said, ‘We can become a lighthouse in Marion County.’” … Columbia Academy, a private school that began some three years ago, announced that high school classes will be opened and taught in Columbia. The grammar school classes, being taught in the former Hopewell School, are reportedly full. The formation of Carley Academy, to operate at Good Hope Church, was reported to The Columbian-Progress Wednesday morning. Improve Academy was enrolling students Wednesday morning, and it was reported that some other private schools, including East Marion Academy, were being organized in other parts of the county.”
Forty years ago, Jan. 10, 1980
“By press time Tuesday 11 candidates had qualified as candidates in the special circuit clerk election Feb. 5. H.B. (Billy) Berry, Darrol W. Broom, Joe Herring, Hilton Holmes, Jerry Morris, Lavern Robbins and Glen Simmons all qualified since last week. They’re added to the four who qualified earlier, Leona DuBose, Lewis Holmes, Sedgie Pounds and Gerald Gene Ryals.”
“Richard Douglass has been named assistant to District Attorney Philip Singley and assumed the assistant DA position Jan. 1. A resident of the Oak Grove community, he has been working since Nov. 1, learning the routine of the office. Legislation passed in 1978 allows the district attorney to have an assistant with the state paying the salary. … Douglass has lived in this area since the early 1960s, is a graduate of Watkins High School in Laurel, Jones Junior College, Ole Miss and the Jackson School of Law.”
“There are a wide range of prices on namebrand items in the five local food stores, Columbian-Progress staff members Jimmy Rogers and Tamara Payne found when they priced several items at all the stores. … An 11-ounce box of Fruit Loop cereal costs $1.11 at one store, and $1.29 at another. A gallon of namebrand milk (whichever each store sells) ranged in price from $1.89 to $2.39. … An 18-ounce loaf of Sunbeam bread sold for 53 cents at one store, 59 cents at one, 61 cents at two and 67 cents at the other.”
30 years ago, Jan. 11, 1990
“Flu epidemic strikes local residents … Although no accurate patient count was available at press time Tuesday, Methodist Hospital of Marion County has reported a record incidence of influenza. Bonnie Loftin, RN, said the hospital’s census has been averaging between 70 and 75 patients, many of whom have been diagnosed with flu-related symptoms. … Records indicate that this outbreak of the virus has caused the hospital to reach its busiest point since moving into the new building in 1981.”
“The Columbia Board of Aldermen Monday night voted to allow the sale of beer in individual serving containers, following the lead of a similar action recently by the county supervisors. The action repeals a section of the local ordinance which prohibits the sale of beer in less than a six-pack if the individual containers hold less than a quart.”
20 years ago, Jan. 8, 2000
“When Pat Broome, vice president and cashier at Citizens Bank in Columbia, and Kay Givens, assistant vice president, retired last week, it ended a working relationship that spanned some 40 years. Except they haven’t left. Both were back the bank this week tying up loose ends, after having worked for awhile on Saturday. A retirement party was held for the officers last Thursday afternoon.”
“John Anderson of Anderson Engineering, who has served as the Columbia and Marion County engineers since the 1950s, has stepped down with plans to retire. Sean Burns, a partner in ECS Engineering Consultants, who worked for Anderson from 1993-96, was named the new city engineer during Tuesday’s meeting of the Columbia Board of Aldermen. Jeff Dungan of Dungan Engineering has been named the new county engineer.”
