REMEMBER WHEN?
50 Years Ago
June 18-22, 1971
Vandals smashed the large plate-glass clubhouse window at the Frisch Auf! Valley Country Club sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning. Sheriff T.J. Flournoy said a long-handled item like a shovel might have been used in the destruction. Only a few weeks earlier, a similar sort of vandalism had occurred at the Clothes Closet on the Bluff.
Although the weekend precipitation could hardly be called a drought breaker, several inches of rain did much to dent the long dry spell. Generally, crops were approaching normalcy in the southern and southwestern areas of the county where rainfall had been heavier on earlier occasions.
Texas State Department of Health’s Senate Bill 27 amendment was signed into law by Governor Preston Smith. Henceforth, all children entering Texas elementary or secondary schools as well as institutions of higher learning had to provide proof of having been immunized against six diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, rubella and smallpox.
Golden Gate College in California awarded Lt. Col. Willie J. Kopecky Jr. of Schulenburg an MBA degree. Col. Kopecky, the chief of the requirements branch at Mather Air Force Base in California, studied under an Air Force program that assisted members earn advanced degrees.
Carabeth Fuchs, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Fuchs Jr. of Carmine, was chosen by the Quade-Werchan American Legion Auxiliary of Round Top as a delegate to the annual Bluebonnet Girls State at Texas Lutheran College.
The La Grange Little League presented a plaque to the Misses Kruschel for generously providing the materials and labor for construction of the new concession building at the playing field.
Beginning July 1, the U.S. Mint would accept orders for the special silver Eisenhower dollar coins. These first silver dollars minted since 1935 were to be available at the La Grange Post Office at $10 each per proof. The cost of an uncirculated silver dollar was $3.
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Frierson of Flatonia were honored on their 50th wedding anniversary at their home, Two Bar R Ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Frierson were married on May 14, 1921, in Lampasas. Mrs. Frierson taught school in the Flatonia area for 47 years and Mr. Frierson was a rancher.
Funeral services were held for: Gus J. Tramp, 73, of Prairie Valley; Mrs. Elfrieda M. Dockal, 75, of Industry; Leonard Stastny, 44, a native of Fayetteville; and Leo Curtiss Eilers, 37, of Fayetteville.
Butch Blume pitched wellnigh perfect ball and contributed a pair of base knocks as he led the La Grange Schroeder Drug Demons to a 4-0 shutout victory over Shiner’s Clippers. Blume didn’t allow the semblance of a base hit until the top of the ninth when Clip pitcher Doug Roessler led off with a single. However, the next hitter popped too short, and a fast double play followed to end it all. Blume struck out 11 over the route and issued one lone base on balls. La Grange belted out 10 safeties, including a pair of singles by Blume and another duo by Jimmy Marek.
Gregory T. Smith, the son of Dr. and Mrs. H.T. Smith and a 1970 honors graduate of La Grange High School, was notified by Congressman J.J. Pickle’s office and the U.S. Naval Academy that he been appointed to the academy’s class of 1971. Gregory had attended Texas A&M majoring in nuclear engineering during the prior term. A member of the Corps of Cadets, he had advanced to rank of corporal by the end of the term.
Texas Clipper, the training ship of the Texas Maritime Academy of Galveston, set sail on its seventh annual cruise with 177 students and crew members aboard. The students included 80 cadets and 97 prep cadets who were spring high school graduates participating in the college’s summer school at sea. A member of that group was Stephen Citzler, the son of City Manager and Mrs. Atlan M. Citzler of La Grange. Stephen planned to attend Texas A&M University in the fall. The 11-week cruise was to sail 13,481 nautical miles with stops in: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Copenhagen, Denmark; Cork, Ireland; Lisbon, Portugal; Las Palmas, Canary Islands; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; and Houston.
Recent University of Texas at Austin graduate Ann Deinken, who earned a BS degree in home economics, was to serve as assistant county home demonstration agent for Mrs. Nettie Mae Freudenberg for the summer. In the fall, Ann would begin her home demonstration agent career in Live Oak County.
About 50 interested citizens from various sectors of the county met in the ag building in La Grange to get first-hand information regarding rural water supply systems and Farmers Home Administration loans for financing them.
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