REMEMBER WHEN?

50 Years Ago

June 9-13, 1972

La Grange’s John (Bubba) Riehs, the southpaw pitcher-first baseman for the bi-district champion Leopards, was drafted in the 27th round by the Baltimore Orioles of the American League. Riehs was tapped on the second day of the major league free-agent draft.

Muldoon Baptist Church was reviving a custom of a half-century ago by sponsoring a brush arbor revival from Sun., June 11, through Sun., June 19, at 8 o’clock each evening. Rev. John Tripp Jr., the pastor, was to do the preaching and his son, John Tripp III of Crosby, was to direct the music promised from churches including Bastrop, Gonzales and Giddings.

The Postal Rate Commission in Washington recommended a total of $1.37 billion in postal increases, including retention of the 8¢ stamp for first-class letters implemented the prior year on a temporary basis. The postal service requested new rates of 11¢ for airmail and 6¢ on postcards.

The board of directors of the KJT, the state Czech Catholic fraternal insurance organization, awarded the contract for a new home office building in La Grange in the amount of $196,300 to A. Grohmann & Sons of Weimar. That was the lowest of the four proposals received.

County Agent Clinton R. Bippert scheduled the first of three meetings concerning the screwworm crisis at the La Grange City Hall on Friday at 8:30 o’clock. The initial session was being held on a Friday to give absentee landowners, principally from the Houston area, a chance to drive up and attend.

Building permits for La Grange was running well above the $750,000 mark for the second calendar quarter of the year. A total of $762,509 was cleared through the office of Mrs. Margaret S. Mason, city secretary. This was the highest total since 1966, when permits for the new Fayette Memorial Hospital and a vocational high school were filed. Topping the construction list was the new church home and rectory for the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish.

Banging out a dozen base knocks and getting a four-hit hill performance from two chunkers, the new La Grange Schroeder Drug Stars – virtually the same La Grange Leopard squad that advanced to the regional playoffs – blasted Warda’s Aces, 10-2, in their 1972 lid-lifter. Skippered by Clint Bippert, the Stars opened with Charles Koether on the hill. He gave up two runs, both in the first inning, and three hits while fanning five over six frames. Billy Miller finished, doling out one safety and striking out five. He also socked a homer. The victim of the La Grange onslaught was Gus Schramm. Herman Lehmann tossed the final stanza for the Aces.

Mark K. Johnson earned a coveted silver medal on a trombone solo in the Texas State Solo-Ensemble Contest in Austin. Johnson, a freshman in the La Grange High School Band, received a Division II rating of excellent. John P. Williams was awarded a Division III on his trombone solo, as was a brass quartet composed of Bruce Dopslauf, Mark Johnson, Lois Krause and John Williams. Attending the contest with the students were La Grange High School Band Director Wilbur W. Johnson and Mrs. Helen W. Johnson, who accompanied the trombone soloists on the piano.

Funeral services were held for: Arthur A. Hoffman Sr., 73, of Schulenburg; Emil T. Arldt, 70, of La Grange; and Mrs. Annie Maresh, 81, of Willow Springs.

Years ago, Fair Park was a horse racetrack and it turned into that again on Friday night. The La Grange Schroeder Drug Stars ran wild on the base paths to tack on a lopsided 17-0 victory over Serbin as three Star hurlers set the opposition down with three measly base knocks. Billy Miller’s walk and Bubba Riehs’ two-bagger got the races started in the first stanza. Jim Quinn’s over-the-fence homer in the third added three more as the Stars built up their run production. Two came around in the fifth, six with but two base hits in the sixth and four crossed the dish in the seventh. The final counter was registered in the bottom of the eighth.

Texas Highway Department Maintenance foreman Melvin E. Bayless of La Grange was one of 25 persons nominated for the annual Lady Bird Johnson Highway Maintenance Award. It was given to the top two individuals on the basis of their dedication and success in making their district highways attractive and pleasing showcases to Texas visitors. Prizes were $1,000 for first place and $500 for second. Mr. Bayless had been one of five semi-finalists the prior year.

Fayetteville was staging a Fireman’s Fund Festival on Sunday to raise money for a new 800-gallon tanker truck and pumper for the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department. It was for use in Fayetteville, as well as surrounding rural areas.

Rainfall in La Grange was well-nigh zero for the weekend, but a frog strangler of five inches was recorded in the Freyburg community. Black Jack got 3½ inches and the Shell Pumping Station near Fayetteville received 1.1.

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