Old newspaper excerpts from The Monroe Journal newspaper of Monroe County, Alabama

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Bataan.

21 YEARS AGO
MAY 24, 2001

18 to compete in Junior Miss program June 2: Next Saturday, June 2, at 7 p.m., Monroe County Junior Miss for 2002 will be chosen from a group of 18 girls from Excel High School, Frisco City High School, Monroe County High School and Monroe Academy.
(2001 Junior Miss Sarah) Sawyer will appear on stage with the 18 contestants next Saturday night at Nettles Auditorium at Alabama Southern Community College.
Contestants are Amanda McMillan, Marlee Smith, Erin Hall, Allison Welch, Tiffany Stokes, Emily Dueitt, Mary Stevens Mitchell, Alisha Ruggs, Anna Lee, Casey Ramer, Krystal Levins, Linn Lazenby, Catherine Black, Melissa Averett, Stefanie Long, Natoria Williams, Anna Jay and Laura Ashley.

Excel High School’s softball team ended its championship hopes with a 7-3 loss to Geraldine High School and a 20-6 loss to Munford High School Friday in the 2A-3A state tournament at Fain Park in Montgomery.
Excel earned a bid to the state tournament by winning its section tournament at Murphy Park in Excel and by defeating Elba High School in a sub-state series in Excel.
(Top players for Excel that season included Erika Burton, Shandra Gross, Ginger Hollinger and Shelia Jordan. Jim Gibbs was Excel’s head coach.)

Movie ‘Scout’ – Mary Badham speaks to area students Friday morning in the courtroom at the Old Courthouse in downtown Monroeville. Badham, who played the role of “Scout” in the motion picture version of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” discussed the universal themes and messages in the novel.

46 YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 1976

Road to pulp mill site approved: The Monroe County Commission Tuesday approved an agreement under which the state will build a 10-mile road connecting Alabama Highway 41 near Fountain to U.S. 84 at Claiborne.
The paved road, costing an estimated $3.85 million and going through the site of a planned pulp mill on the Alabama River, will be built entirely at state expense. Once it is completed, the county will maintain it at no cost to the state.

The sixth annual Monroe Academy athletic banquet was held Tuesday night, May 18, and the Monroe Academy Volunteer Quarterback Club played host to athletes, cheerleaders, coaches, wives and other guests. More than 300 people attended the event, held in the Vanity Fair Community House.
Topping the list of athletes receiving awards was Jimmy Lambert, who not only took awards as the most valuable player in football and baseball but was awarded the coveted Bill Grant Memorial Award as the most outstanding senior athlete.
(Others receiving awards were Tim Asnip, Karen Crenshaw, Janet Huggins, Mitch Jones, O’Neal Jordan, Lori Lane, Carlisle McClure, James Sales, Cindy Stucky, Melvin Wilson and John Winters.)

Maughon files in Frisco: James Maughon has filed as a candidate for the Frisco City Town Council seat currently held by Gilbert Norris (Place 4).
Maughon, 30, is owner and operator of Frisco City TV Service. He founded his business about five years ago.

71 YEARS AGO
MAY 24, 1951

Monroeville’s new brick and concrete coliseum will be completed by July 1, officials in charge of construction of the structure announced this week.
Monroe County Probate Judge E.T. Millsap said work on the roof has been completed and installation of the building’s 2,000 seats was begun Wednesday with the floor sections having been ordered.
The completion of the new structure will bring to a successful close some two years work by local residents to obtain the necessary funds for its erection.

Locals Win Two In Past Week: William Bayles, Monroeville hurler, pitched a nice six-hit shutout against Atmore last Thursday night as Monroeville won, 1-0, and he took the mound again Tuesday night against Pensacola to scatter 12 hits and defeat the Fliers, 11-5.
The locals also racked up two more exhibition contests as they defeated Haas-Davis of Mobile, 12-11, Saturday night and whipped Saufley Field of Pensacola, 12-6, Sunday afternoon, both games played on the local field. Finlayson went the route against Haas-Davis and Weaver pitched the distance against Saufley.

Goodway Seaman Advances In Rank: Marlon Hendrix, U.S. Navy, formerly of Goodway, Ala., has been advanced in rate to radarman, second class, while serving aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Bataan.
The ship is a unit of the United Nations Blockade and Escort Force in the Far East.
The Bataan has been in action against the Communists in both the Yellow and Japan Seas off Korea since last December.

96 YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 1926

The Manistee & Repton Railroad has handled the heaviest tonnage during the past month than it has for several years, one hundred or more cars of lumber being the outgoing products. The next two months are also expected to show heavy traffic, Irish potatoes and peaches promising heavy tonnage.

Commencement exercises of the Monroe County High School engage the interest of the community this week to the exclusion of almost everything else. On Sunday, Rev. K.B. McCutchen delivered a most thoughtful and impressive discourse, and on each succeeding evening, enjoyable programs have been rendered by students in the various departments. The exercises are being given at the Methodist church, and the building has been packed with patrons and friends on each occasion.

Mr. Rufus Garrett of Uriah is a candidate for member of the County Board of Education. Mr. Garrett has always taken lively interest in progressive education matters and would make a valuable member of the board.

Capt. J.L. Marshall and Mr. L.R. Riley of Monroeville were the only veterans from Monroe County in attendance upon the reunion in Birmingham.

Coley-Blacksher Vocational School Commencement: Commencement exercises of the Coley-Blacksher Vocational School, Vocation, Ala., took place during the early part of the week. The commencement sermon was delivered by Dr. J.M. Glenn of Atmore at Coley Chapel on Sunday.
The annual meeting of the board of trustees of the school was held on Monday and Dr. F.H. Gardner was reelected vice-president and principal.

121 YEARS AGO
MAY 23, 1901

Nothing further has been heard from the gold mine in Monroe, the discovery of which was reported recently.

Messrs. F.P. and F.M. Jones Jr. have accepted positions with W.W. Brown, turpentine distiller, Manistee.

Applicants for Confederate pensions will bear in mind that the examining board will meet in Monroeville on the first Monday in July this year instead of in June as heretofore. Those already on the pension roll need not appear.

Hon. N.J. Stallworth visited the Capital City on the occasion of the assemblage of the constitutional convention.

Messrs. W.G. McCorvey and H.W. Jones went to Montgomery Monday to be present at the opening of the Constitutional Convention.

J.H. Barefield, Esq., delegate from Monroe in the Constitutional Convention, left for Montgomery Saturday, accompanied by Mrs. Barefield.

BURNT CORN: Mr. J.F. Betts, who went to Atlanta some weeks ago to take the morphine cure, is expected home in a few days. Dr. B.J. Shirley left for Atlanta Monday to take the same treatment.

NERO: Last Wednesday quite a number of the people of this place met at Bowdens Landing and enjoyed a nice picnic. The day was spent talking, fishing and strolling. At 12, large and well-filled baskets were coming from every direction.