REMEMBER WHEN?
50 Years Ago from the files of The Fayette County Record
March 12-16, 1971
The H.J. and A.R. Eilers Jr. American Legion Post No. 102 staged a dual celebration on Sunday afternoon at the American Legion Hall marking the 52nd birthday of its founding, plus the burning of its mortgage note. Commander Otto Legler opened a short program and Vice-Commander Leon Reeder welcomed the large crowd. Past Commander C.C. Creuzbauer reviewed the organization’s activity since it was organized in 1919 by the Veterans of World War I. In 1942, the veterans of World War II were asked to join and later those who served in the Korean War. The organization was named after H.J. Ehlers, a local young man who lost his life in World War I. In 1945, the Post added the name of A.R. Ehlers Jr., who lost his life in World War II. After it was organized, the Post bought the “Old Casino” to use for meetings and gatherings. In 1931 when beer was legalized, the organization staged its first November 11 celebration, an activity that continued for decades.
Inability to hit in the clutches and several costly fielding lapses contributed to a 5-1 defeat of La Grange’s Leopard baseballers by the Sealy Tigers at Sealy. La Grange plated its sole counter in the top of the second when Ricky Kana and Buddy Grobe strolled, and Larry Harbers’ single batted in Kana. However, the Tigers retaliated with a pair in the bottom half of the third on a single and three Leopard fielding misplays and then added a trio for icing in the sixth via a two-bagger, another single base on balls and an error. Bubba Riehs hurled the first stanzas for La Grange, giving up three base knocks and fanning nine of the 19 Tigers he faced. Rick Kana finished, doling out the other three bingles and whiffing four.
Fayette County had 7,938 qualified voters for the year 1971.
Fayette County 4-Hers set a record for their exhibits in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with almost $2,500 in exhibit sales, premiums and scramble certificates. The largest sale was $600 for the fifth place pen of broilers exhibited by Kenneth Zapalac of the Ellinger 4-H Club.
La Grange High School track and field contestants scored three places in the highly competitive Cotton Boll Relays at Taylor. Steve Citzler placed fifth in shot put with a heave of 50 feet one inch.
La Grange High School was represented by a number of students from its local chapters of the Vocational Instruction Cooperative Association at the District 5 meeting in San Antonio. This included: auto mechanics - August Pietsch, Gregory Johnson, Kenneth Ripper and Rickey Kuhn; building trades - Daniel Fisher, Ronald Tiedt, Earl Preston, Dean Niesner and Ray Pietsch; and industrial coop training - Delvin Dockery, Steven Haschke, Connie Norsworthy and Kathy Polasek. Steven Haschke and Dean Niesner were presented with honorable mention ribbons for their efforts in the student select job division of the meeting.
Funeral services were held for: John Jasek, 72, of Praha; Ferdinand L. Herzik, 84, of Schulenburg; Mrs. Annie Bartosh, 63, of Schulenburg; and Mrs. Annie Kaluza, 77, of Ammannsville.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Dornhoefer of the Winedale community observed their golden wedding anniversary on Sunday, Feb. 7 with an open house at the Round Top Legion Hall. A smoked turkey dinner was served to approximately 175 friends and relatives. Albert Dornhoefer and Miss Lydia Ullrich were married by Pastor A.H. Falkenberg on Feb. 6, 1921, in the home of her mother. The Dornhoefers had three daughters: Mrs. Herbert Koester and Mrs. Allen Spies of Houston and Mrs. Wilbert Meier of Brenham, as well as nine grandchildren.
“The Lost Man” starring Sidney Poitier was showing at the Midway Drive-In Theatre in Schulenburg.
An open house was held at the Hermann Son Lodge Hall in Rutersville to honor Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Wessels on their 25th wedding anniversary. The couple operated Tietjen Store in Rutersville. Miss Clara Tietjen and Edwin Wessels were married on March 3, 1946, in the Lutheran Church at Rutersville by the late Rev. Robert Heise. Attendants present at the anniversary party included Mrs. Robert Mitchon, the bride’s sister who had served as maid of honor, and Mrs. Lloyd Lenert, cousin of the groom who had sung at the wedding. The Wessels had two children: Clarence E., a recent Texas A&M University graduate employed at the Gulf Coast Seed and Chemical Co. in El Campo, and Carol Ann, a sophomore at La Grange High School.
David Janda’s Holstein heifer won reserve junior champion at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. A member of the Swiss Alp 4-H Club, David was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Q. Janda.
The La Grange Leopard baseballers nosed out Austin McCallum, 6-5, in one of the preliminaries in the A&M Consolidated diamond tournament. Then the locals lost to El Campo and finally bowed out of the meet with Bryan prevailing, 10-0. With McCallum leading by 5-2 in the opener, the Leps narrowed the gap to one when Ricky Kana belted out a two-run homer in the fourth. Billy Miller opened La Grange’s fifth by getting on via a McCallum error and David Zatopek followed with a double.
Winners of the 1971 Fayette Electric Cooperative Government-In-Action oratorical contest were Miss Treva Mayer and Bobby Gresser. They were to join winners from across the county on an allexpense paid trip to Washington, D.C.
Czechoslovakia’s Minister of Education sent 26 first and 26 second grade readers to Fayetteville Rural High School, according to Jesse J. Jochen, a member of the Fayetteville faculty who taught Czech classes.
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