Remember When?
1976: Couple Killed in Waldeck Plane Crash
The wreckage of a twinengine plane and its two fatally injured occupants from McAllen, Texas, were discovered near Waldeck around mid-morning Wednesday. Sheriff T.J. Flournoy, who headed the local investigation, said the Cessna 402B was apparently flying in a southerly direction on Tuesday night when it clipped a grove of trees and came apart on the Steglich place on County Rd. 137. The aircraft had taken off earlier that night from the Austin airport.
County Judge Fritz Lobpries presented Rev. Donald L. Mattson, the president of the Fayette County Mental Health-Mental Retardation Center advisory board, with the keys to a van. Fayette County’s judge and commissioners had strongly supported the MH-MR’s workshop located on the grounds of the Schulenburg school grounds since October 1973, when it came into existence. The van was to be used to transport students.
In bidding their faithful readers goodbye, Bonner and Virginia McMillion said three milestones that marked their more than 10 years of involvement with The Fayette County Record were: growth, change and customer loyalty, with paid circulation increasing by nearly 1,500 subscribers. During that time, the paper switched from the old letterpress printing to offset, moved into larger quarters, developed an office supply department and greatly expanded commercial printing. The couple also paid tribute to their hard-working and dedicated employees, and the vitality of Fayette County. The McMillion’s longest vacation during more than a decade at the helm of the largest local paper was four days. With the Bartons and Don Hengst now in charge, the McMillions looked forward to relaxing from the pressure of producing a twiceweekly newspaper.
The Texas Railroad Commission ordered Lo-Vaca Gathering Co. to stop passing through the added costs of natural gas ‘banking’ agreements to its customers in a widespread area of Central and South Texas. The emergency order, signed by all three commissioners, involved prices Lo-Vaca paid for the natural gas that the company was repaying to three firms it borrowed billions of cubic feet of fuel from in the late 1960s.
The 16th semi-annual Round Top Antiques Fair was scheduled for April 3 and 4 in the Rifle Association Hall at Round Top. Vignettes of early Texas pioneer furniture and the decorative appropriate for country living made this event the most anticipated antiques show in the area.
Funeral services were held for: John Kopecky, 77, of La Grange; Edgar Birkelbach, 82, of Round Top; Charlie Henry Schmidt, 64, of Carmine; Lee Ilse, 76, of Round Top; Walter H. Kalmus, 40, of La Grange; and Mrs. Ella Giese, 82, of La Grange.
After becoming Fayette County’s spelling champion, Connie Muras, a seventhgrader from La Grange Junior High School, was headed to the East Texas Spelling Bee in Houston. She had competed against Elizabeth Wilde, a seventh grader from Fayetteville, and Diane Janda, a sixth grader from Hermes Elementary School in La Grange, for the title.
Kenny Hatfield threw a one-hit job against the Lockhart Lions here Tuesday night to lead the La Grange Leopards to an 8-0 victory. Ricky Dippel hurled a no-hit job to conquer the Lion jayvees, 4-0, in the opener. Hatfield was wilder than usual, giving up eight bases on balls while fanning six. La Grange wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, racing four across in the opening stanza on an inningopening bunt single by Garry Dippel, successive walks to Hatfield, Mike Pechal and Pat Smith. Jeff Lindemann’s single, gave another base on balls to Thomas Supak, and Bert Vasut.
Sheila Jacob of Carmine was installed as the state officer of the Future Homemakers for the 1976-77 school term at the Area III meeting held at the University of Houston.
Three La Grange High School boys, Chris Janda, Thomas Matocha and Bruce Williams, were chosen to represent La Grange at the 1976 session of Texas American Legion Boys State scheduled for June 9-16 at the University of Texas in Austin.
An unearned first-inning run was all that Mike Pechal gave up to the visiting Elgin Wildcats at Fair Park on Saturday. Then he shut the gates for the rest of the seven-inning affair. Pechal retired 17 straight Elgin batters between the first and seventh, allowing nary a semblance of a base hit and fanned eight in the process to aid and abet La Grange’s 5-1 victory.
Mrs. Virginia Fietsam of La Grange received her cap during exercises at the Vocational Nursing Program at Blinn College.
The La Grange Volunteer Fire Department received a $75 check from the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies as an expression of thanks for the department’s work on the property of Gordon Hopkins near La Grange. Volunteer fire departments received a stipend from the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies for fighting fires in rural areas that involved property it insured.
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Below are ads from 1976