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Looking back: April 8, 2013


Courtesy of Charlene Dooley


This postcard shows Mill Mountain and the residential section of South Roanoke in the 1920s.

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by
The Roanoke Times

Monday, April 8, 2013


1988 (25 years ago)

  • “Roanoke College President Norman D. Fintel will retire next year after 14 years as head of the college.”
  • “Cameras are the newest offering by the Roanoke public library.”
  • “For most of the 200-plus Democrats at the Sheraton Hotel in Roanoke Friday, it was a novel way to start a campaign. The mood was relaxed. The speeches lacked harsh, partisan tones. It was like a victory party before the race had even begun.”
  • “Patrick Henry has apparently lost Timesland Basketball Player of the Year George Lynch to Flint Hill Academy.”
  • “The state moved Tuesday to buy its first piece of land for the Explore Park.”

1963 (50 years ago)

  • “ ‘Comeback,’ a 30-minute documentary tracing Roanoke’s industrial development since 1958, will be shown on Ch. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.”
  • “A new type of artificial leg was used the first time in Virginia one day last week in Roanoke. … Albion L. Smith … who lost his right leg in World War II, is the first veteran in Virginia to be fitted by the Veterans Administration with the new limb — called a ‘Hydra-Cadence.’ ”
  • “Bandleader Bobby Vinton will come to his namesake town as the celebrity during the annual Vinton Dogwood Festival April 25-27.”
  • “Halmode Apparel, Inc., a new dressmaking plant, will be operated in the former Kenrose Manufacturing Co. building on Center Avenue by Herbert S. Kurshan and Louis J. Turk, former Kenrose officials.”
  • “William Dupree , a Roanoke native who has been tenor soloist with the United States Air Force Band, is one of the guests on this week’s Arthur Godfrey radio show.”
  • “Juniors and seniors at William Fleming High School this fall will choose from a college-like variety of English courses as the result of a complete overhaul by the school’s English teachers.”
  • “There is apparently no room for the small farmer in the Roanoke area. … Roanoke County is losing farms at a much faster rate than surrounding counties.”

1938 (75 years ago)

  • “Hunton L. Downs, a V.P.I. junior from Roanoke, carries on a family tradition by succeeding two of his brothers as editor-in-chief of The Virginia Tech, student weekly newspaper.”
  • “Except for the cigar smoke, the dinner meeting of the Roanoke Lions’ club at Hotel Patrick Henry last night looked like a session in the little red school house with 16 men standing up against the wall spelling — in many cases misspelling — words given out by D.W. Persinger, of the Jefferson high school faculty.”
  • “Certificates for completion of the school in maid-craft, conducted by the Roanoke Altrusa club for 200 colored maids and household servants, were presented to the 166 maids … in final exercises at the Ebeneezer Methodist church colored, last night.”
  • “With the temperature shivering around 40 and a stinging mist sifting over the countryside last night, the outlook for the two high school baseball games scheduled for today was not good.”
  • “Lynn Bari, former Roanoke girl, will be featured in the picture, ‘Walking Down Broadway,’ which opens today at the Grandin theatre. … The Fox Movietone news will feature the Norfolk and Western wheelrollers, who recently gave a demonstration in the East End shops for movie cameramen, with Lew Lehr as commentator.”
  • “With eight all-state men as a nucleus, National Business college will have a softball team this year, the first in the athletic history of the Golden Eagles.”
  • “Following four years of instruction in high school work, county high school pupils who fail to graduate will be required to pay tuition for further study, according to a policy that has been approved by the Roanoke county school board.”
  • “Firemen at No. 7 station … had a fire brought to their own front door about 3:45 yesterday afternoon and doused it with a pail of water.”
  • “The French government has honored Mrs. J.H. Fallwell, of the Jefferson high school French department and a native of France, with the Palmes d’Officier d’Academie.”

1913 (100 years ago)

  • “Three ladies and three gentlemen barely escaped serious injury about 2:15 yesterday afternoon when an automobile, a motorcycle and a buggy were in collision on Church avenue.”
  • “What promised to be a highly interesting session of police court today, fell flat when several of the most important cases docketed were continued for hearing later in the week.”
  • “When the Tigers open the Virginia League season on the 17th of this month the fans will have an opportunity to observe the best ball club that has represented Roanoke for some time.”
  • “This weather is fine for ducks, but not suited for the athletes who hurl the ball around a diamond, entertaining fans, making errors, base hits and other things too numerous to mention.”
  • “Because of the great floods in the West, The Roanoke Times is unable to provide its carrier routes and news stands with the comic supplement today. They were sent out from St. Louis in time to reach Roanoke for use today [Sunday], but were lost somewhere on the way.”
  • “Citizens of South Roanoke who worked to secure a separate city government for the suburb which includes South Roanoke and the Crystal Spring territory lost out in the circuit court of Roanoke county Friday.”
  • “As indicated in a special dispatch from Richmond to The Evening News … the Evening World, of this city, has passed into the hands of a corporation. The charter names J.B. Fishburn as president.”
Saturday, September 14, 2013

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