REMEMBER WHEN?

50 Years Ago

August 1-4, 1972

James Lee Jasek, 19, of the Praha community, was fatally injured when the bulk feed truck he was driving collided with a Southern Pacific freight train about two miles north of Flatonia on Hwy. 95. Loaded with 12,000 pounds of feed, the 1963 Ford truck struck the seventh car behind the engine units of the westbound train, throwing the driver from the wreckage.

In the 155th District Court, Judge Paul Huser of Schulenburg fixed a two-year sentence on a subject charged with assault with intent to rob. The accused, who had taken part in an armed robbery attempt at the Elm Grove store in Oct. 1971, was transported to prison at Huntsville by local sheriff’s officers.

The new Motorola plant at Seguin was accepting employment applications. The company had leased a building near the Seguin airport that would require a workforce of 300 to build auto radios. Motorola planned to build a 200,000-square-foot facility costing approximately $5 million on 50 acres of land in that area.

The new Needle Fashions Fabric Center, which specialized in cloth and notions, was opening at 209 S. Jefferson St. in La Grange. Involved in the venture was Mrs. Catherine Zurborg; Mrs. Elois Wooster; Miss Virginia Mode, teen advisor; Mrs. Betty Henderson, manager; and Ed Henderson, owner. The firm was sponsoring a fall fashion show on Aug. 5 at La Grange City Hall.

Shirley Sladek, the 18-yearold daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Erwin A. Sladek Sr., was representing La Grange in the Austin Aqua Festival beauty contest. She was a former Ellinger Farm Bureau queen, La Grange High School duchess and Chamber of Commerce queen.

Funeral services were held for Olga Lindemann, 84, a native of Willow Springs and Mrs. Dora H. Granville, 83, a native of Fayette County.

Texas Governor Preston Smith announced the appointment of La Grange Mayor L.W. Stolz Jr. to the Texas Advisory Council of Community Affairs. This group was to consult with the director of the Texas Department of Community Affairs with respect to local governments’ issues and the work of the state department.

The grandfather of Lee Walla, who operated a cotton gin at Ellinger, invented the first cotton gin distributor and cleaner used in Texas. Frank Walla Sr. of Frelsburg was offered $44,000 for the invention about 1871 but refused because the company making the offer wanted to purchase exclusive use. According to a story in The Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press, Mr. Walla never sold the patent, but made some claims that he sold to his friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Stoerner celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on July 29 at the VFW Home. Esther Martinak and Erwin Stoerner were married on July 30, 1932, at Warrenton Lutheran Church by the late Rev. Julius Broussard. The couple had one daughter, Mrs. W. Dan (Bernice) Rost, and one grandchild.

The Catholic Daughters of America, Court Chromcik No. 1440 of Fayetteville, celebrated its silver anniversary with an open house on July 30 at the St. John’s Recreation Hall. Charter members of the court who were present included: Mrs. Emillie Piwetz, Mrs. Claudia Kubena, Mrs. Mary Chalupa, Miss Clara Koch, Mrs. Minnie Cufr, Mrs. Hattie Zdaril, Mrs. Mildred Von Minden, Mrs. Delphine Sarrazin, Mrs. Sophie Mynar, Mrs. Rose Jurajda, Mrs. Clara Parma, Mrs. Isabel Knippel and Mrs. Irene Mascheck.

Evelyn’s Cafe in Fayetteville was closed from Aug. 6-14 for vacation.

Glenn Smith and Jimmy Guenther of Boy Scout Troop 803, La Grange, became Ordeal Embers of the Order of the Arrow by meeting the tests administered at the LCRA Lost Pines Boy Scout Reservation at Bastrop.

James Vincent Liska, the son of Mr. and Mrs. V.E. Liska of La Grange, was a freshman at Rice University in Houston. The student body represented 40 states and 18 foreign countries. In the group were 92 high school valedictorians, 38 salutatorians and 56 National Merit Scholars.

A blind cow on the John Karl farm near Hope in Lavaca County adopted an orphan fawn. Twice a day, the fawn would appear for its meals alongside the cow’s own calf and then scamper back into the woods.

Trotline fishermen had to start carrying their three-month calendars around. As of July 22, Texas Parks and Wildlife game management officers had the authority to remove all freshwater trotlines that had been in place for over 90 days. By law, trotliners were required to tag their lines with their names and addresses, along with the date the line was set.

For more great stories, visit Elaine online at www.elainethomaswriter.com/blog/ or call her at 979-263-5031.