REMEMBER WHEN?
50 Years Ago from The Fayette County Record
August 27-31, 1971
Ernst Emmerich, Round Top’s city marshal for 57 years, was honored with a steak dinner at Birkelbach’s Cafe upon his retirement. Hale and hearty at 82, Mr. Emmerich, who started his city marshal job in 1914, spent several years overseas in World War I before returning to pick up where he had left off.
At Muldoon, the trains were back on schedule after a derailment the prior week.
Ruben (better known as R.J.) Danchak Sr., 66, was opening the M-K-T deport in La Grange on Tuesday morning for the last time. He was retiring after 46 years and nearly three months of service with the railroad. Over that time, Mr. Danchak’s duties had ranged from helper to telegrapher to station agent in different Texas towns. He was station agent in Fayetteville for 21 of those years, coming to La Grange in 1964 to succeed the late M.F. Dickerson. Mr. Danchak said he had no hobbies because railroading had been in his blood so long.
Fayette County added three more fatalities for a total of 11 auto accident deaths in 1971.
Another entertainment attraction added to the 44th annual Fayette County Fair was a baseball game between the La Grange Schroeder Demons of the South Central Texas Amateur League and Warda’s Aces. Season tickets for the fair were $1.
The La Grange Leopard football team didn’t consider 13 an unlucky number because that’s how many lettermen were returning to the 1971 squad. They were: Charles Koether, Larry Urban, David Zatopek, Buddy Grobe, Billy Miller, Paul Risper, Brian Prause, Charles Mayer, Jimmy Quinn, James Liska, Jimmy Turner, James Conner and Curtis Wittmann.
A grand opening was scheduled for Sat., August 28 for the area’s newest resort development, Horse Shoe Lakes, located just beyond the Fayette County line in southeast Bastrop County off FM 2239. The 30-acre project contained 103 lots ranging in size from 50x100 feet to ¾ of an acre. Thirty-seven of the lots had frontage on the horseshoe-shaped sixacre lake. Ed Tobias of Ellinger and James Guthrie of Houston were the owners and developers of the new site that was expected to appeal to those in the market for a weekend or second-home place. Lots were priced at $995 and up, with owner financing of 10% available. A country store would be built, along with a park and playground, in the future.
Ronald Chris Weishuhn received a BBA degree from Sam Houston State University and accepted a job with Curtin Scientific Co. in Houston. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin M. Weishuhn.
Airman Michael D. Kana, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Kana of Stanford, Kentucky, and the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Fred W. Janda of La Grange and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kana Sr. of Swiss Alp, finished his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. For the next 10 weeks, he was to study mechanics at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois.
Emil Seidel Jr. of La Grange, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Seidel, received his Master’s degree from Mississippi College.
Effective August 30, motorists would no longer legally be able to stop and then pass a school bus unloading or loading children. The new law passed by the 62nd legislature that applied in both cities and rural areas required motorists moving in both directions on the same road to stop and remain stopped as long as the lights were flashing on a bus.
Second Lt. Michael P. Ford, the son of retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. and Mrs. Milton R. Ford, was awarded his silver wings at Webb Air Force Base upon graduation from USAF pilot training. Lt. Ford’s wife, Susan, was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart L. Bosl of Schulenburg.
Funeral services were held for: Frank Hayek, 63, of Schulenburg; Julius Vinklarek, 43, formerly of Cistern; Mrs. Lina Eckhoff, 90, of La Grange; and Henry Stiewert, 66, of Carmine.
Robert L. (Bobby) Glaiser, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Pete Glaiser, was awarded a Bachelor of Business Management degree at Sam Houston State University at Huntsville.
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