REMEMBER WHEN?
50 Years Ago
Jan. 4-7, 1972
Fayette Memorial Hospital welcomed 129 new babies in 1971, with boys outnumbering the girls by one – 65 to 64. The first new baby of 1972, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thurman Bates of Smithville, was born Jan. 2.
After a slow start, the final rainfall tally for 1971 was 33.09 inches, a scant 2.43 inches below the annual average of 36.52. The total was surprising because only 10.19 inches fell during the first seven months. The coldest mercury reading was Feb. 8 when the thermometer dropped to 22 degrees. The warmest day was July 30 when it climbed to 103. There were 11 days in July when the high was over 100 degrees.
The first severe storm of the 1972 winter season barged into Fayette County during the first week of January plummeting temperatures from a balmy 70 to 20 degrees, the first freeze of the new year.
A fast-moving fire destroyed the Tri-Association Bowling Lanes complex in Schulenburg. When firemen received the call, the roof at the front of the building was about to cave in. The blaze had spread quickly through the structure and there was little that firefighters could do.
A three-room house in the far western part of La Grange was damaged by fire during the strong north wind about 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The house, occupied by Annie Mae East, was located west of Hermes Cartwheel Lodge. Firemen said the blaze apparently was caused by a faulty flue over a wood stove. Firemen prevented the loss from being even greater by ripping the tin off the original shingled roof that was burning. Some furnishings were removed and others were covered with tarpaulins to minimize interior damage.
V.A. (Boss) Hrbacek announced the Pinewood Inn Restaurant at Clear Lake Pines Resort Development was open for business. The new eatery was housed in a western-style log building on commercial property at Clear Lake Pines on FM 153 between Hwy. 77 and Winchester. Hrbacek said the Pinewood Inn would be the ‘country cousin’ of his Cottonwood Inn in La Grange with all-you-can-eat fried chicken or fried catfish for $2. Also on the menu were chicken fried or broiled steaks and Mexican food.
Sheriff T. J. Flournoy announced that during 1971 the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department processed 480 prisoners and collected $29,763 in fines and fees.
The board of directors of the Fayette Water Supply Association announced that 170 families were definitely interested in a system to provide domestic water for their homes and other purposes. However, the group would need upward of 500 members to initiate action to make the water project a reality. Prospective members were requested to submit an application and agree to an easement when they filed their $100 membership fee. Ben Janda of La Grange was the secretary-treasurer of the association.
Funeral services were held for: Rt. Rev. Msgr. Alois W. Nesvadba, 75, of Wallis; Mrs. Emma Bruening, 73, of La Grange; Michael Patrick Knippel, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Knippel of La Grange; Mrs. Julia C. Richter, 80, of La Grange; Dr. Lyttleton Moore Thomas, MD, 88, a native of La Grange; Mrs. Annie Pavlicek, 76, of Fayetteville; Miss Viola Bruns, 68, of Schulenburg; and Joseph A. (Uncle Joe) Hrachovy, 84, of Ellinger.
Fayette County veterans and their families received $584,823 of monetary benefits in 1971.
Eddie Zouzalik, who had served as Fayette County Precinct 3 commissioner for 11 years, announced his candidacy for re-election.
George Allen Rainosek purchased the interest of Chas. F. Rainosek in the Cash-Carry Grocery in La Grange. George Allen and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Rainosek, planned to remodel the grocery business on the north side of the Square.
Mrs. Leroy Hruska and her daughter, Beth-Ellen of Houston, vacationed in the Hawaiian Islands during the holidays. The trip was a Christmas gift from Mr. Hruska, who was in Mexico on a business and vacation trip.
A gunman accosted Jimmy Kana when he arrived at the Rice Food Market he managed on Braeswood Blvd. in Houston. The robber got away with several thousand dollars from the safe. Jimmy was the 27-year-old son of Mrs. Annie Kana of La Grange.
Private Allan Nitschke of Fayetteville, who was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, spent the holidays with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Nitschke, and his brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Nitschke.
Mobil Oil announced the appointment of Edgar S. Schulz as the consignee for the La Grange area. He replaced George H. Giesber who had retired with 43 years of service.
The Velvets were playing on Sat., Jan. 8 at Swiss Alp. Admission was $1.50.
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