Remember When?

City of Austin Declares Sheriff Jim Flournoy Day

Austin’s city council honored Fayette County’s top lawman when the mayor signed a proclamation designating Sunday, June 22, as Sheriff Jim Flournoy Day in the Capitol City. The manifesto noted that during his 30 years as a sheriff, Flournoy had earned the respect, admiration and love of the people he served through his diligence to duty, his concern for the people he was sworn to protect and his personal integrity. Touching on the incident with a member of the Houston news media that resulted in litigation in his press statement, Mayor Jeff Friedman encouraged Austin residents to attend a barbecue in La Grange on Sunday, June 22, to raise funds to help pay legal expenses resulting from the incident.

Two young Kansas medical doctors committed to come to La Grange and set up a practice. Although a formal announcement would be forthcoming from the Fayette Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, Lloyd Kolbe, the La Grange Chamber of Commerce’s health and education committee chair, confirmed that two new doctors would soon be officing in the late Dr. Guenther’s clinic, which was being renovated by the La Grange Industrial Foundation. Both doctors ranked high in their medical school classes and were serving internships in Kansas City.

Funeral services were held for: Mrs. Ella Stavinoha, 70, of Schulenburg; Mrs. Emma P. Lehmann, 85, of La Grange; Mrs. Leo (Bertha) Brokmeyer, 76, a native of Ellinger; James Milton Brown, 55, of La Grange; Mrs. Herbert Dieringer, 61, of Swiss Alp; Mrs. Hanna Louise Fisbeck, 80, a native of Rutersville; Mrs. Mary Gully, 82, of Fayetteville; and Henry Vasut, 68, of Fayetteville.

A La Grange native son and corporation executive was among the highest-paid executives in the nation, according to The Houston Post’s Parade Magazine. Maurice F. Granville, chairman of Texas, was listed as number eight with an annual pay of $579,000.

La Grange received a check from the office of Texas State Comptroller Bob Bullock of $11,000, the net March sales tax collected in the city. That brought La Grange’s 1975 total to $27,654.

The Fayette Heritage Museum/ Library building fund vaulted to well over $130,000 on Friday when La Grange Mayor L.W. Stolz Jr. announced a $25,000 gift from the J.S. Abercrombie Foundation of Houston.

The annual Fayette County Grain Tour was set for Friday, June 20. Texas Extension entomologist Dr. Charles Cole planned to accompany local grain growers and agribusiness people to farms east of La Grange and at Rabb’s Prairie, Mullins Prairie, Swiss Alp and Plum. He wanted to help determine the maize midge situation.

A six-foot rattlesnake with 14 buttons was killed in a cornfield on the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lawrence Fleck, four miles from Luck’s Store at Black Jacks Springs. The snake measured about eight inches in circumference.

Sixteen University of Texas at Austin students were spending four weeks at the Winedale Museum near Round Top to survey historic farmsteads in the area and interview their owners. The students were enrolled in the first University of Texas School of Architecture Winedale Graduate Institute, an intensive course in architectural and historical fieldwork, taught at the museum by UT School of Architecture professors. The Fayette County Historical Commission endorsed the program.

A La Grange minister was recognized as a published author. The Rev. Clarence Oestreich, the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, wrote The Day of Coronation, released by Graphic Publishing Company of Lake Mills, Iowa. The book grew out of Rev. Oestreich’s ministry to families who had lost loved ones to death. All the meditations were from the pastor’s funeral sermons for the La Grange community and former congregations he had served.

The third annual reunion of descendants of Ricklef and Anke Meiners was held on Father’s Day at the Round Top American Legion Hall with about 60 people in attendance. Emil Albers of Carmine asked the blessing before the covered dish meal at noon. Willie Meiners of Ledbetter was in charge at the business meeting that followed. Gifts were presented to Gus Meiners, 79, of Ledbetter, the oldest person at the gathering; Willie Meiners for having the most children, six; and Carroll Rogers of Giddings, the newest father. Mr. and Mrs. James Krenek of Ellinger were elected chair and secretary for the 1976 reunion.

Leading the attack with a pair of homers, Gary Weyand and the Indians took the measure of the Yankees, 5-3, in the La Grange Little League opener on Wednesday. Steve Willett was credited with the pitching win, although he got relief from Mark Prause. Sammy Klein, who was bailed out by Rodney Zimmerhanzel in the fifth, was the loser.

For more great stories, visit Elaine online at www. elainethomaswriter.com/blog/ or call her at (979) 263-5031.