1997 (10 years ago)

n "Volvo Trucks North America Inc. produced its 200,000th truck at its Dublin plant Monday afternoon, amid a celebration by Volvo officials and plant employees."

n "Representatives from more than 70 news media organizations were on hand Monday to chronicle the actions of the first coed class in Virginia Military Institute's 158-year history. The news media ranged in size from Highland County's 5,000-circulation weekly newspaper, The Recorder, whose editor attended to cover Highland native Jen Jolin, to USA Today and ABC News Nightline."

n "Virginia Tech fans aren't the only ones complaining about the Hokies' 1997 football schedule. Tech coach Frank Beamer doesn't like it, either."

n "Beginning in the fall of 1998, Virginia Tech will require all incoming students to own a personal computer, the first public university in the state and one of the few public schools in the country to do so."

1982 (25 years ago)

n "The 300-year-old patient is looking better. Last week, in one of his periodic checks on a huge Salem tree suffering from Dutch elm disease, Dr. Jay Stipes of Virginia Tech assured the T.C. Rohrbaughs their ailing treasure is responding to treatment."

n "After traveling over 3,000 miles and spending 20 of the last 22 days on the road, the Salem Little League All-Star girls saw their hopes for a national championship end Wednesday in Kalamazoo, Mich."

n "After more than two months of negotiations, Roanoke Memorial Hospital has taken control of Life-Guard 10, a privately owned helicopter ambulance service which previously operated out of Lewis-Gale Hospital in Salem."

n "The heart of downtown Roanoke usually goes into cardiac arrest at nightfall, but it was beating with vitality Friday evening. The occasion was a 'Beach Party Reunion' which thronged the City Market and kept surrounding streets uncharacteristically populated with traffic and pedestrians until long after the party's scheduled 10 p.m. closing. For once, the city seemed like a city after dark."

n "Roanoke Mayor Noel Taylor and his counterpart in Salem, James Taliaferro, joined together Saturday to head a businessmen's committee that will spearhead a 'Save the Redbirds' campaign. ... Country music star Conway Twitty, the team's majority owner, kicked off the goal of selling 800 season tickets ... by purchasing the first eight."

n "Shooting bursts of steam skyward, the bullet-sleek 611 locomotive hooted its whistle and pulled out of Lynchburg Sunday afternoon on its way home to Roanoke. ... The engineer in blue coveralls was none other than Robert Claytor, the chairman of the Norfolk Southern Corp."

n "A fire that filled downtown Roanoke's streets with thick, black smoke Monday evening destroyed a shoe store on South Jefferson street and damaged several other buildings."

1957 (50 years ago)

n "The mountain came to Mahomet here [Akron, Ohio] during activity in the 20th annual All-American Soap Box Derby. Three of the top stars in the world of entertainment paid personal visits to the headquarters of the Roanoke delegation." The stars were Jimmy and Gloria Stewart, Dinah Shore and husband George Montgomery and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

n "Thieves who stole explosive devices from a Roanoke County tool shed last night were warned today by Sheriff Henry W. Clark that they are 'playing with dynamite.' "

n "Mrs. Almeda Thompson, 76, sat in her Floyd County home yesterday and watched her 90-year-old brother make an appearance on a television show in California. It was the first time she had seen him in about 35 years."

n "A convention without business sessions, resolutions or long-winded speeches will be held in Roanoke over the Labor Day weekend. Railroad fans will attend. They'll just look, ride and take pictures of trains."

n " 'Get a horse!' That turn-of-the-century refrain will come to life once again on Roanoke streets in October, when some 250 ancient autos, plus their drivers and admirers, will invade the city for the start of the 12th Annual Revival Glidden Tour."

1932 (75 years ago)

n "More than 1,100 visitors from 30 towns between Bristol and Roanoke and Luray and Roanoke, are expected to come here Saturday on Norfolk and Western trains for the John Robinson and Sells-Floto circus."

n "A circus accident ... marred the afternoon performance of the Roanoke engagement of the John Robinson-Sells Floto circus yesterday. Agnes Doss, one of the aerialists, fell from her traps high up in the big tent, but her husband ... broke her fall."

n "Russia is a nation too quickly transformed from a vast agricultural state to a highly mechanized Soviet in the opinion of Alfred K. Sisson, of Buchanan. The result is mechanical inefficiency, a thing which he as head of the connecting-rod department of the Stalingrad Tractor Plant's machine shop came in close contact."

n "The Chamber of commerce [forwarded] to the city manager suggestions made by merchants, who think it would be a good idea to have trash cans placed at various places along the streets, wherein pedestrians could deposit scraps of paper, empty cigarette packs, etc."

n "A scheduled concert by the Roanoke Booster Band at Elmwood Park last night was prevented by an oversight whereby instruments to be used by members of the band were left locked up at the Roanoke auditorium and no steps were taken to procure the keys."

n "The veterans' administration today announced that a veterans hospital would be located near Roanoke, Va., but gave no details of the project."

1907 (100 years ago)

n "The police have suspected for some time that certain places in the city which were on the order of social clubs ... were in reality blind tigers, and Sunday two of them were raided and a large amount of beer and whiskey taken and three of the proprietors were landed in jail."

n "One of the biggest hauls ever made by the police was the arrest Tuesday night in the rear of Gallagher's saloon of seventeen hobos, who were back there, most of them drunk."

n "There appears to be more hobos on the road now than for some time. Each morning in the police court there are anywhere from three to a dozen who have been caught on freight trains."

n "The people of this community [northwest] would be glad of a visit from the street force once more. The weeds render the sidewalk almost impassible."