1975: Local Couple Witness Attempt on President’s Life

When Mr. and Mrs. Ovie Roensch of La Grange won a trip, they never dreamed they’d be on the same street in San Francisco when an unsuccessful attempt was made on President Gerald Ford’s life on Sept. 22, 1975. Nor did Ovie expect to be interviewed by a TV news crew afterward. President Ford was exiting a hotel where he had been making an address when the shooting took place. The Roenschs were standing near the man in the crowd of spectators who was shot. Ovie said he may have stood out in the crowd because he was the only one wearing a hat. The Houston Chronicle conducted the contest for its carrier-agents that the Roenschs won.

Brown & Root of Houston appeared to be the low bidder for construction of the generation plants at the Fayette Power Project, the gigantic Lower Colorado River Authority- City of Austin coal-fired electric station being built between La Grange and Fayetteville. Brown & Root submitted a bid of $34.9 million for the first generating unit and $55.7 million for the first and second units simultaneously. The closest bids were approximately $10 million higher for one unit and $18 million higher for two.

La Grange firefighters answered five out-of-town alarms over a three-day weekend period. First was a grass fire west of La Grange at the Gilbert Boening place, where three acres of meadow burned before the blaze was doused. Next was a call to Prairie Valley, where a spark from a hay baler apparently set one of the large round hay bales on fire on the farm owned by V.A. Hrbacek and farmed by Dr. M.R. Wirtz. The third fire was in the Chaparral Ranchettes, just off the Nechanitz farm road. A spark from a power lawnmower set the grass on fire that spread to a mobile home owned by Gene Busch. The fourth call was to Cozy Corners on FM 155 where damage was confined to the motor area of a car on fire. The last weekend fire call came from the Rex Gray farm near Nechanitz, where dense smoke from a controlled brush burn alarmed the neighbors.

Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Austin were bringing suit against Mr. and Mrs. Howard Mills in an appeal from the outcome of a condemnation suit for the Mills land near Fayetteville. A courtappointed commission in April set $333,250 as the value of 176.7 acres of Mills’ land and improvements that had been condemned for the Fayette Power Project. LCRA’s and Austin’s appeal from the decision was a civil suit, set to be heard at 9 a.m. Monday in the 155th District Court at the Fayette County courthouse.

Reactivation of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce got off to a booming start Wednesday night, when over 50 people attended the organizational meeting at the Clovis Heimsath residence. A steering committee was formed and memberships were issued to more than 20 businesses and about 35 individuals.

Markers designating La Grange as a Bicentennial city were placed at city limit signs by the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation.

La Grange City Council formally adopted a $446,734 operational budget, the largest ever, for the new fiscal year, Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

Funeral services were held for: Mrs. Ida Heinsohn Richardson, 83, a native of Warrenton; Emil J. Maerz, 85, of Industry; Raymond Rainosek, 81, of La Grange; andArthur Wied, 61, a native of Oldenburg.

James A. Recek, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Anton H. Recek of La Grange, graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University ofTexas atAustin School of Architecture at the end of the 1975 summer session.

Bluebonnet Youth Ranch, between Yoakum and Cuero, which opened to care for 12 abused and neglected children in 1971, was branching out into Fayette County. Erland Schulze of La Grange was named board chair to help coordinate the ranch’s activities here. An advisory board was organized to seek funds and become affiliated with the childcare organization.

Mr. and Mrs. R.R. Kubena of Fayetteville celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the St. John’s Recreation Hall in Fayetteville. Miss Minnie Mae Spacek, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Spacek, and R.R. Kubena, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Kubena, were married in Houston on Sept. 15, 1925. Both were born in Fayetteville and lived their entire lives there. Mr. Kubena was the postmaster of Fayetteville for 33 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Zoch were surprised with a 25th wedding anniversary celebration by their daughters, Ann and Alice, on Saturday evening in the house of their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Zoch. Mr. and Mrs. Zoch were married in St. Michel’s Lutheran Church in Winchester by the Rev. George Heinemeier on Sept. 25, 1950.

Milton Roeder was elected to his second term as Schulenburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief. Also serving were: Robert Brosch, president; James Brossmann, vice president; Larry Veselka, secretarytreasurer; Melvin Kunz, first assistant chief; Elton Kaase, second assistant chief; and John Bohac, third assistant chief.

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Below are ads from 1975