Remember When?

Postage on an ordinary first-class letter was increasing from 8¢ to 10¢, air mail was climbing from 11¢ to 13¢ an ounce, cards in regular mail were going up from 6¢ to 8¢ and air mail cards were to cost 11¢ rather than 9¢. La Grange Postmaster Oscar L. Cook said second and third-class postage rates were also increasing.

Fayette County’s voter strength for the upcoming primaries would be more than 500 greater than two years before. In the 1972 primaries, 7,932 were qualified to vote and 8,454 were registered for 1974.

Fayette County Green Thumb crews completed 10 major projects in the county during 1973. Local project sponsors contributed $32,821 of in-kind contributions for the community sponsored projects. Green Thumb, a worktraining program sponsored by Farmers Union and funded through the U.S. Department of Labor, operated programs in 16 Texas counties. Rural men and women 55 years of age and older with family incomes under the federal poverty guidelines were eligible to enroll in the program. They were paid the federal minimum wage and worked an average of 24 hours a week.

Selective Service lottery numbers were to be drawn on March 20 for young men born in 1955, although there was no draft or plans to resume callups for involuntary military service.

According to a Texas Agricultural Extension Service spokeswoman, consumers could be paying 13% more for food than they had a year earlier.

Elmo Minzenmeyer filed for another term as trustee of the La Grange School board in Place 2, while Joe G. Bargas of Holman filed as a candidate for Place 1 on the board. Place 1 incumbent Vastine (Big Jawn) Janssen and Place 3 incumbent C.A. (Tex) Roitsch had not filed for reelection.

The La Grange Leopards placed five lads on the allzone, District 13-AAA basketball quintets. Johnny Johnson, a 6-0 sophomore, rated a starting berth in the number one choices. Steve Kovar, a 5-10 senior, and Robert Pool, a 6-2 junior, placed on the second unit. Neal Miller, a 5-11 junior, and Tommy Taylor, a 6-4 junior, were listed on the third platoon.

Funeral services were held for: Harry A. Rudloff, 85, of Shelby; Gus Hausmann, 81, of the Bluff community; Mrs. Bessie C. Petras, 80, of Holman; and Mrs. Frances K. Lycka, 87, of Ellinger.

Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Giesber purchased Kovar Gift & Art Shop at 107 W. Colorado from Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Voss.

La Grange City Council studied a proposed ordinance for condemnation, repair or removal of sub-standard buildings. If adopted, certain buildings or other structures could be declared public nuisances and, therefore, considered unlawful under the new regulation.

Mrs. Frances Balko celebrated her 105th birthday Sunday, Feb. 24, at the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Mrs. and Mrs. Otto Krueger, with whom she lived. Mrs. Balko received many lovely gifts and pot plants. She was still in fairly good health.

Six points stood between the Round Top-Carmine Cubs and the state Class A basketball tournament in Austin, but it was not to be. The Anderson Owls edged Coach Alvin Mueller’s charges, 51-45, in the Region IV finals, although they almost pulled it out. The Cubs had knocked over two district champs, San Perlita and Hutto, before taking on the favored Owls in the grand finale.

The John B. Janda home west of the radio station atop the Bluff was heavily damaged by fire and smoke in a grease fire on Saturday morning. La Grange firefighters answered the call with their booster truck and subdued the blaze in short order, having received prior assistance from E.G. (Dude) Heinsohn, who lived next door. He rushed to the Janda home, knocked out a window and pumped in the contents of a five-pound dry extinguisher to cripple the inferno. Firefighters utilized a fogging process to snuff it out altogether.

The La Grange CYO girls’ volleyball team won first place in the Brenham District CYO Tournament in Fayetteville. Players were: Catherine Munsch, Barbara Liska, Donna Wessels, Elaine Matocha, Pam Struve, Robin Wessels, Patricia Liska, Elizabeth Kallus and Jackie Bartos.

The Henkel Square historical restoration project in Round Top won the Texas State Historical Association’s Tullis Memorial Prize. It was accepted by Mrs. Charles Bybee of Houston, who with her late husband established the Texas Pioneer Arts Foundation for the collection and preservation of early Texas arts, crafts, furniture and structures.

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