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The Roanoke Times

File 1982 Bill Davis, a Roanoke entrepreneur, displays a 1957 ad proclaiming Dr Pepper's popularity. He was awarded for his work in 1984.

1999 (10 years ago)

n "Roanoke City Council voted Tuesday night to approve a plan that will convert two downtown streets to two-way thoroughfares. Salem Avenue, now one-way between Williamson Road and Sixth Street Southwest, will be converted to a two-way street. Campbell Avenue will become a two-way street between Fifth Street Southwest and Second Street Southwest. The portion of Campbell running through the market area will remain one-way."

n "A record crowd saw a record grow Friday. In a duel between the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Virginia Tech beat St. Joseph's 65-56 in front of 8,373 fans at Cassell Coliseum -- the largest crowd ever to see a women's basketball game at Tech. The 13th-ranked Hokies, who lead the Atlantic 10 West Division, improved to 17-0 overall and 7-0 in the league."

n "Curtis Turner, the NASCAR driving legend and showman with Roanoke roots, is one of eight inductees in the 1999 class of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame."

1984 (25 years ago)

n "The Roanoke Valley is moving closer to the creation of an emergency 911 telephone system that provides quicker access to police, fire and rescue squad aid."

n "A Roanoke father and son have been elected directors of two competing state banking organizations."

n "John W. 'Bill' Davis, 79, the entrepreneur who turned Roanoke into the 'Dr Pepper Capital of the World' in the 1950s, went down to Houston not long ago to pick up what you might call the Oscar of pop. You never heard of the Beverage World magazine Hall of Fame award before, but Davis became one of only 26 men to get one."

n "Someone left the freezer door open again. Arctic-like weather is predicted to drop Roanoke Valley temperatures into single digits today."

n "Henry Brabham, a prominent Vinton businessman and owner of the Virginia Lancers hockey team, announced plans this week to construct a $1 million athletic complex in Vinton."

n "After years as a one-airline city, Roanoke has three carriers flying out of Woodrum Field with choices for many destinations."

1959 (50 years ago)

n "A C119, an Air Force transport known as a 'Flying Boxcar,' made an emergency landing at Woodrum Field without trouble early last night."

n "Mrs. Fannie Mays Trent, who lived in Roanoke for 95 of her 100 years, died today at her home."

n "City Council rezoned the 93-acre Commonwealth Redevelopment Project yesterday without opposition. This paves the way to starting sale of the land involved in Roanoke's first slum clearance program."

n "They said it couldn't be done. But they forgot to tell the basketball players at Virginia Military Institute. And since they didn't know they weren't supposed to win, the Keydets went to work here last night and gained a double victory over highly-favored teams from Virginia Tech."

n "High winds ripped a roof from a chicken house in Roanoke County last night and dropped it on another chicken house, killing about 3,500 chicks."

1934 (75 years ago)

n "A rat-killing campaign, endorsed by Dr. C. B. Ransone, the city health officer, will open in Roanoke tomorrow."

n "The Chamber of Commerce, which has been giving serious thought to throwing its annual meeting Monday night open to wives of members, has weakened, and for the first time in its history women will be present."

n "Twenty-five per cent of the gross receipts on Thursday, January 30, at the American, Roanoke and Rialto theaters ... will be sent to President Roosevelt for inclusion in the Warm Springs Foundation fund for the cure of infantile paralysis."

n "The artistry, talent and ingenuity of a junior at Addison high school, William Dillon, has attracted the attention of school authorities. The youth took scrap books and prepared his own text books ... A biology 'book' prepared thus was handed Jefferson senior high school teachers for study by their pupils."

n "The mysterious and sinister attacks of a night marauder whose release of nauseating gas has terrorized residents of Botetourt county, today received the attention of the Virginia General Assembly in the form of a bill to make such attacks punishable with heavy penitentiary sentences."

n "The first use in Roanoke of 'office broadcasting' commercial telephone equipment brought agents here of the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company."

n "Speaking of glad tidings of comfort and joy, the Green Memorial clock has been fixed, and is now ticking to an interested world a faithful and accurate report of E.S.T."

1909 (100 years ago)

n "Roanokers who last night attended the lecture on Edgar Allan Poe ... at the Y.M.C.A. auditorium by Mr. Edward S. Kines, enjoyed one of the most finished elucidations of the character and genius of the weird and ever-fascinating melancholy bard."

n "Fifty-eight grave and dignified citizens of the city of Roanoke faced the stern majesty of the law yesterday in police court, charged with the heinous offense of failing to clean snow from sidewalks on Sunday."

n "Saturday night at 11:30 o'clock Rev. R. J. Dogan, pastor of the Jefferson Street Baptist church, was awakened from his dreams to unite in marriage Mr. W. H. Stultz and Miss E. C Dillard, of this city."

n " 'Honest John' Murphy, of Cincinnati and Petersburg, came to town yesterday with large wads of verdant money to buy the franchise of the Roanoke baseball club in the Virginia state league. Mr. Murphy still has the legal tender in his possession and the owners of the Roanoke team have the franchise safely boxed and are sitting tight on the lid."

n "The first intercollegiate basket ball game ever played at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute will be pulled off this week ... J. L. Hughes has the honor of being the captain of the first Tech basketball team."

n "The town council of Salem has voted to purchase at once a stone crusher, two stone spreading wagons, and one ten ton steam roller, with which to properly work the roads and streets of the place."