REMEMBER WHEN?
50 Years Ago from the files of The Fayette County Record
Feb. 9-12, 1971
La Grange’s official population was 3,092, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That figure, based on the results of the 1970 census, was a 14.7% decrease from the 1960 total.
A family Bible with a connection to Fayette County had been left on the moon for future explorers to discover. It was owned by Mrs. W.J. Kelly of Houston, a cousin of Mrs. Don Williams of La Grange. Mrs. Kelly was asked by Astronauts Shepard, Mitchell and Roosa for permission to take the Bible that had been in Mrs. Kelly’s family for several generations with them on the Apollo 14 moon mission. Mrs. Kelly, a frequent visitor to La Grange, was an ardent worker and speaker for the women of the Episcopal Church and had written a book about Houston.
Texas voter registration for 1971 was reopened for the remaining days in February by an emergency law that went into effect on Friday. Immediately after the bill was signed by Governor Preston Smith, all county tax assessorcollector offices were notified to accept new registrations. The move was necessary to comply with federal district court rulings that the existing annual Texas voter registration system was unconstitutional.
The coldest temperature reading of the winter season was recorded on Monday when the mercury officially dropped to 22 degrees.
Funeral services were held for: Mrs. Carl F. Werchan, 90, of Carmine; Roy Dornak, 71, a native of Schulenburg; Mrs. Elfriede Wiemken, 82, of La Grange; and Miss Lula L. Eckels, 82, of La Grange.
The City of Schulenburg annexed another area around I-10 and US Hwy. 77 based on a petition from Atlantic Richfield Company. ARCO wanted to hook its new service station up to the city’s water and sewer facilities and was willing to pay $4,500 to do so. The plan called for a water line to be drilled under U.S. Hwy. 77.
Mrs. August Giese, the mother of Mrs. Clarence Schwake and Mrs. L.L. Weber, fell at her home Saturday morning and fractured her right hip. She was reported to be resting as well as could be expected in Fayette Memorial Hospital after undergoing surgery there.
U.S. Army veterinarian Captain Thomas F. Antosh, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ivan E. Antosh of Schulenburg, was awarded a Certificate of Achievement while serving with the Veterinary Activity, Irwin Army Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas. The 1962 graduate of Schulenburg High School had received his BS and DVM degrees in 1968 from Texas A&M University.
Effective Feb. 1, the room rate at Lee Memorial Hospital in Giddings went from $27.50 to $38 per day. It became necessary to increase the room rates, the principal source of the hospital’s revenue, when an increase of the minimum federal hourly wage scale automatically created a raise in wages for those employees of the hospital.
A La Grange native, Herbert H. Loessin of Eagle Lake, lost his life in a tragic accident hear his home when a tree reportedly rolled across the bulldozer he was using to clear a tract of land. The 57-year-old apparently was struck across the chest.
Fayette County Commissioners authorized a contribution of $240 to the Fayette County Historical Survey Committee for monetary assistance in erecting historical markers at the Rutersville College site, Warrenton cemetery, Warrenton complex, Cockrill store at Cistern and Schulenburg Baptist Church.
Daniel Polasek, a 6-foot 3-inch, 245-pound tackle from La Grange, signed a letter of intent with Southwest Texas State University. Polasek, an offensive and defensive tackle on Butch Blume’s Leopard team, had been an alldistrict choice in 10-AA the prior season.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Hrachovy of La Grange were surprised on their 25th wedding anniversary with a dinner at the Hostyn Hall given by their children: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kuntschik, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chamrod and Amy of Houston and David Hrachovy of La Grange. The couple was married in St. John’s Catholic Church in Ammannsville on Jan. 28, 1946.
V&V Sausage Company at Cistern held an open house at it new processing plant. The opening address was given by Rev. Emil T. Vinklarek, who also gave his blessing on the new business. Mrs. Adolph Brunner was in charge of registering guests. As the visitors toured the plant, they were served sausage, sandwiches, pickles, cookies and drinks. Approximately 750 people, many of whom traveled long distances, attended the afternoon event. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Vinklarek and Mrs. and Mrs. Robert Rietz, began operating the new plant on Jan. 25, 1971.
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