The Roanoke Times l File

This undated photo shows the pond at Elmwood Park.

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Archive

• History index

1998 (10 years ago)

n "The civic action group that led the charge against adult entertainment businesses in the Williamson Road neighborhood in the 1980s might disband because of dwindling interest from residents.

n "A plaque, unveiled at a ceremony Tuesday, designates a house at 28 Wells Ave. N.W. as a historic site: the first YMCA for blacks in Roanoke."

n "A Bedford man who wrote threatening letters to Chelsea Clinton at the White House was apparently trying to frame his ex-girlfriend's new love, but the plan backfired when the U.S. Secret Service tracked the letters back to him."

n "You can bet they'll never wear tie-dyed uniforms again at Salem Memorial Stadium. The Avalanche was resplendent in purple and black tie-dyed uniforms Thursday in celebration of Jerry Garcia Night." Salem lost to the Wilmington Blue Rocks 16-4.

n "Fifty-four years ago today, Bob Slaughter floated with 29 other men on a landing craft headed for Omaha Beach. Their duty was to storm the beach in Normandy and secure a path to a tiny coastal village. ... On a morning last month, Slaughter trudged around a red clay hill overlooking Bedford. Dump trucks rolled up and down the hill like ants, carrying mounds of dirt. A year from now, a granite arch with reflecting pools will be there as a permanent memorial to D-Day."

1983 (25 years ago)

n "Roanoke Police Officer R.A. Hodges was figuring out the path of a car that had crashed into a Southwest Roanoke gas station Wednesday morning when, 200 feet behind him, a gunman robbed a Colonial American branch bank."

n "For Ed Sneed, life after golf may include golf. Roanoke's contribution to the PGA tour came back Wednesday to where he started -- Roanoke Country Club -- to be honored as the 1983 inductee into the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame."

n "The runners leading Saturday morning's 10,000-meter race would have crossed the railroad tracks at the bottom of Jefferson Street, ignored the 'No Crossing' signal, and proceeded on the final mile to the Festival Run '83 finish line. ... But they could do little about the train, which sputtered along and choked off the race route."

n "Center in the Square, the cultural complex under construction on the Roanoke City Market, will have its grand opening Friday, Dec. 9."

1958 (50 years ago)

n "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century -- Starting Today In The Comic Section of The Sunday Times"

n "The first Negro ever to graduate from an integrated high school in Virginia received his diploma at Roanoke Catholic High School last night. He is Vernon Dudley, 17, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Harvey G. Dudley, Jr."

n The Roanoke City School board saw the proposed master plan for Shrine Hill Park. The plan included "a high school; elementary school; a proposed city auditorium; a technical institute ... parking ... playfields, tennis courts and a practice football field and track ..."

n "Five Woodrow Wilson Junior High boys were ordered back home to 'put some pants on' when they showed up today in Bermuda shorts for a special Saturday session to make up time lost last winter due to bad weather."

1933 (75 years ago)

n "The largest pair of overalls ever made, size-100, manufactured at the Blue Ridge Overalls Co., Inc., here, forms a part of the cotton exhibition at the Chicago World's Fair."

n "With airplanes zooming overhead and huge guns banging away the Virginia Polytechnic Institute cadets this afternoon staged as part of [the] commencement program realistic warfare."

n "Positions of the red and green lights on more than 30 traffic signals in Roanoke have undergone a change. All lights are now uniform, with the red at the top and the green at the bottom. This system is generally used in other cities."

1908 (100 years ago)

n "The congregation of the First Presbyterian church worshipped for the first time on Sunday in their new house of worship, on Church avenue ..." The church was extensively renovated.

n "The Evening News and Roanoke Times will jointly give free a $20 Phonograph to the person who brings in the largest number of paid in advance subscriptions by August 1st, 1908."

n "A more perfect June day ... could not have been desired, than honored the laying of the corner-stone of the Cocke Memorial Library at Hollins yesterday."

n "There were thirteen fines imposed by Judge Bryan in the police court yesterday. Some had used 'coffin varnish' too freely, others were disorderly ..."