William Hugh Means King was one of Evergreen's most colorful residents

CSA General Braxton Bragg

This past Monday – May 28 – marked the 186^th birthday of one of Evergreen’s most colorful residents, William Hugh Means King.

King was born in the town of Madison in Morgan County, Ga. on May 28, 1832. He went on to graduate from Emory University in Druid Hills, Ga. and later graduated first in his class from the University of Georgia (then called the State University of Georgia) in Athens in 1853. Prior to the Civil War, he worked as a lawyer and planter in Columbus, Hamilton and Bainbridge, Ga. and even served as mayor of Bainbridge from 1860 to 1861.

At the beginning of the Civil War, King joined the Confederate Army on May 11, 1861 and served as a captain in Co. H of the 5^th Georgia Infantry Regiment, a unit also known as the Hardee Rifles. He served as an aide to General Richard Anderson at Pensacola, Fla. in 1861 and was promoted to the rank of major and brigade quartermaster on April 24, 1862. During this time, he was cited for gallantry at Santa Rosa Island, Fla.

Interestingly, he resigned that position on Nov. 7, 1862 only to be appointed to the position of colonel of cavalry in February 1863 by General Braxton Bragg.

Bragg ordered King to collect unattached cavalry companies and form them into a regiment under King’s command. However, King was unable to form a regiment and went on to serve on General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Wheeler’s staff for the rest of the war. He was wounded in action on Feb. 26, 1864.

After the war, King bounced around until he settled in Conecuh County. Not long after the war, he moved to Muscogee County, Ga., then to Tuskegee and finally to Evergreen. Described as a “elegant-looking man, tall and always well dressed,” King wore a number of hats during his time in Evergreen. In addition to working as a lawyer, he also served as the principal of the Evergreen Academy and as Mayor of Evergreen.

He passed away in Evergreen at the age of 82 on June 5, 1914, and news of his death was widely reported. Courant editor George W. Salter Jr. reported in the June 10, 1914 edition of The Courant that King’s funeral was held at King’s family home on Main Street in Evergreen on the afternoon of Sat., June 6. Salter reported that “the obsequies” were performed by members of the local Masonic lodge “of which deceased was a devoted and consistent member.”

Salter also noted that King gave up teaching around 1889, about 25 years before his death, and “thereafter devoted his talents to the practice of law and to literary pursuits for which latter especially he was peculiarly fitted by learning and inclination.”

King was buried in the Old Evergreen Cemetery, and those of you who have been to his grave will know that his grave is marked by an impressive white marker that indicates that he was also a prominent Freemason. His grave marker also bears the inscription, “He never turned his back on friend or foe.”

King appears to have been married twice, once to a Jane Varner and later to an Elizabeth Gordon. Elizabeth Gordon King outlived her husband by eight years, passing away at the age of 84 on Oct. 1922. She is also buried in the Old Evergreen Cemetery. I was unable to find any information about Jane Varner King, but I presume she passed away at some point before King’s marriage to Elizabeth Gordon King.

In the end, if you’re interested in reading more about King, I recommend that you check out “Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register” by Bruce S. Allardice and “Staff Officers in Grey” by Robert E.L. Krick. Also, if anyone out there in the reading audience has any additional information about King’s life, please let me know by e-mailing courantnewsdesk@gmail.com.

What local athletes would you select for the Conecuh County Sports Hall of Fame?

Wayne Frazier of Evergreen, Ala.

This week marks 55 years since Donnie Jones became the first person ever selected for inclusion in the Evergreen High School Baseball Hall of Fame. Jones, the son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Jones, was a senior during the 1963 season, and he was selected for the honor based on a vote by his teammates.

The best that I can remember, this is the only reference to Evergreen High School’s Baseball Hall of Fame that I’ve seen, and I’m not sure how many years it existed or how many players were named to this hall of fame. Henry Allmon was the school’s head baseball coach 1963, and this hall of fame may have ceased to be when he left that position.

Speaking of halls of fame, I think it would be cool to have a Conecuh County Sports Hall of Fame, and I think you could fill it up pretty quick with well-known sports figures from the county’s past. Maybe one day when the Conecuh County Cultural Center gets on its feet, the administrators of that institution might consider starting a full-fledged local sports hall of fame like those that already exist in other counties in the state.

As far as who would be suitable for inclusion in a Conecuh County Sports Hall of Fame, it’s easy to come up with a lengthy list. If you started with coaches, I think you would have to include the likes of Wendell Hart, Richard Brown, Tommy Dukes, Mike Bledsoe, Russ Brown, Charles Branum, Hugh Wilson, H.L. Watson, M.C. Thomasson, Oran Frazier and Mike Cheatham. I’m probably leaving a few out, but you get my drift.

From the world of football, I can think of an even longer list of local names. Suitable candidates would have to include Wayne Frazier, Deatrich Wise, Bob Meeks, Drew Davis, Justin Nared, Ted Watson, Chris Dukes, Homer Faulkner, Ronnie McKenzie, Buddy Monroe, Michael Pate, John Greel Ralls, Jeff Moorer, Lee Goodwin, Doug Williams, Marvin Williams, Jimmy Hart, Buck Quarles, Hollis Tranum, Dewayne McQueen, Jeff Brock, John Law Robinson, Gillis Morgan, Tony Rogers, Dickey Bozeman, Shirley Frazier, Homer Chavers, Billy Melton, Sam Cope and Donald Lee.

When it comes to basketball, I’d start out with Tommy Dukes, Chris Hines, David Thomas, Ronnie Jackson, Wavie Ausbey, Randy White, Ronald Fantroy, Michael Campbell, Nicky Jones, Erica Palmer, Andrea Ward, Kelvin Davis, Adrian Woods, Wayne Pope and Bill Dukes.

From the world of baseball, I’d include Ottis Johnson, Edsel Johnson, Skin Hyde, Warren Bolton, Jerry Peacock, Lee Wild, Sid Lambert, Hugh Ellington and Steven Gall.

A few others that I would nominate would be Sparta super-booster Byron Warren Jr., World Turkey Calling champion Eddie Salter, outdoorsman Ken Tucker, Olympic boxer Clint Jackson, track star Mathew Likely, Evergreen native Keith Pugh, public address announcer Willie Crutchfield, tennis player Philip Harold Jr. and golfers Jason West, Bill Ivey and Johnny Brown.

Many of the people mentioned above were great all-around athletes and would likely qualify for inclusion in multiple sports. I think Tommy Dukes is a good example of this. Not only did he lead Hillcrest to a state basketball title as a head coach, but he was also one of the greatest high school basketball players to ever come out of Conecuh County. In addition to this, he was also a dominate football player, earning all-state honors as a defensive lineman during his playing days at Repton High School.

Those are about all of the names I can come up with off the top of my head, and I’m sure there are many, many other outstanding athletes deserving of inclusion in a local sports hall of fame. I’d like to hear from you if you can think of a name that needs to be added to the list. Please e-mail me at courantnewsdesk@gmail.com if you’ve got a name you’d like to throw in the hat and provide the reasons why you think they should be included in a local sports hall of fame.

Today in History for May 31, 2018

May 31, 1578 – Martin Frobisher sailed from Harwich in England to Frobisher Bay in Canada, eventually to mine fool's gold, used to pave streets in London.

May 31, 1692 – In connection with the Salem witchcraft trials, John Hathorne, Jonathan Corwin and Gednew examined Martha Carrier, John Alden, Wilmott Redd, Elizabeth Howe and Phillip English. Alden and English later escaped from prison and did not return.

May 31, 1775 – During the American Revolution, the Mecklenburg Resolves were allegedly adopted in the Province of North Carolina.

May 31, 1801 – The Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite was founded.

May 31, 1819 – Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, New York.

May 31, 1852 – Argentinian explorer and academic Francisco Moreno was born in Buenos Aires.

May 31, 1859 - The Philadelphia Athletics were formally organized to play the game of Town Ball.

May 31, 1861 – During the Civil War, P. G. T. Beauregard was ordered to assume command of the Alexandria Line.

May 31, 1862 – During the Civil War’s Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Seven Pines (or Battle of Fair Oaks) occurred as Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston and G.W. Smith engaged Union forces under George B. McClellan outside Richmond, Va. Robert Rose of the Conecuh Guards was killed during this battle, and James H. Thomas of the Conecuh Guards was wounded. The Yankees lost 5,000 casualties to the Rebels’ 6,000.

May 31, 1863 – Pakistani-English captain and explorer Francis Younghusband was born in Murree, British India.

May 31, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege of Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 13.

May 31, 1863 – During the Civil War, an affair took place near Patterson, Missouri.

May 31, 1864 – During the Civil War’s Overland Campaign, the Battle of Cold Harbor began near Mechanicsville, Va. as the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee engaged the Army of the Potomac under Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade. The battle continued until June 12. Nicholas “Nick” Stallworth of Evergreen, who joined the Conecuh Guards at age 15, was wounded here. He became an attorney after the war, state representative and solicitor of 11th Judicial Circuit. First Lt. Archibald D. McInnis of the Conecuh Guards was also wounded at Cold Harbor.

May 31, 1864 – During the Civil War, combats occurred at Bethesda Church, Mechump's Creek, Shallow Creek and Turner's Farm in Virginia.

May 31, 1864 - A small convention in Cleveland of Republican abolitionists unhappy with Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and other things, nominated John C. Fremont for president.

May 31, 1879 – Gilmores Garden in New York, New York, was renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and was opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.

May 31, 1880 – On this day, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in front of the courthouse door of Conecuh County, county officials planned to let the building of a new bridge over Sepulga River, where or near where the Staple’s Bridge stood at that time, to the lowest and best bidder. The successful bidder was required to give a good and sufficient bond in double the amount of bid to keep said bridge in good repair, and for the safe passage of the traveling public, for the term of five years, the county reserving the right to reject any and all bids. Specifications and dimensions of bridge were on file in Probate Judge’s office. F.M. Walker was the Probate Judge.

May 31, 1887 - Reflecting a scientific spirit that was rare among frontier physicians, Tombstone doctor George Goodfellow rushed south to investigate the effects of a powerful earthquake in the Sonora Desert of Mexico. Though keenly interested in earthquakes, Goodfellow is best remembered today for being one of the nation’s leading experts on the treatment of gunshot wounds, a condition he had many opportunities to study in the wild mining town of Tombstone, Arizona.

May 31, 1889 – During what is now known as the Johnstown Flood, over 2,200 people died after a dam failed and sent a 60-foot wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

May 31, 1906 – The Monroe Journal, in news from the Poplar Springs community, reported that the Rev. G.W. McRae had changed his regular appointment at Poplar Springs from the first to the second Sunday in each month, and had also sold his home in Atmore and moved his family to Grove Hill in Clarke County.

May 31, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that W.A. Mooney, the “efficient photographer of Excel,” was in Manistee during the previous week.

May 31, 1907 - William Wiggins, an industrious farmer living near Monroeville, brought to The Monroe Journal office on this day the first cotton bloom of the season, which was fully 10 days earlier than the first bloom reported in 1906, notwithstanding the unfavorable weather conditions which had prevailed.

May 31, 1909 – The National Negro Committee, forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, convened for the first time.

May 31, 1911 – Postmaster Dean reported that during the month of May 1911, the Evergreen Post Office handled 127,450 pieces of mail, an average of 4,253 pieces each day.

May 31, 1911 – The hull of the ocean liner RMS Titanic was launched.

May 31, 1913 - The baseball team of Belleville defeated Evergreen in a one-sided game on this Saturday afternoon, 28-3. The features of the game were the pitching by Avant and the homerun by Perrin Lindsey with two men on bases, both of Belleville. Batteries for Belleville, Avant and R. Lindsey; batteries for Evergreen, Whitley, Johnson and Blake, Williams and Blake.

May 31, 1915 – The second day of Monroe County High School’s four-day fourth-annual commencement exercises continued on this Monday with a concert by the school’s music department at 8 p.m.

May 31, 1916 – As part of the closing exercises of the Second District Agricultural School in Evergreen, this Wednesday was graduation day and the auditorium was filled on that night “with friends of the graduates, who entertained them with essays and orations,” according to The Conecuh Record. Misses Mamie Lou Smith, Mae and Aline Chapman, Annie Lovelace Moorer and Messrs. J.G. Lundy, Thomas Jackson, Bryan Northcutt and Percy Chapman composed the graduating class. The commencement address was delivered by Dr. Zebulon Judd of Auburn.

May 31, 1916 – A large crowd gathered for Monroe County High School’s annual graduation exercises in the school auditorium. Dr. J.S. Thomas of the University of Alabama delivered the graduation address.

May 31, 1916 – During World War I, at the Battle of Jutland, the British Grand Fleet under the command of John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe and David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty engaged the Imperial German Navy under the command of Reinhard Scheer and Franz von Hipper in the largest naval battle of the war, which proved indecisive.

May 31, 1917 - The Conecuh Record reported that several heavily loaded troop trains passed through Evergreen during the previous few days en route to Chickamauga. The troops were from Arizona.

May 31, 1917 – The Conecuh Record reported, in news from the Castleberry community, that Capt. E. Downing Jr. of the First Regiment, stationed at Mobile, came home for a few days that week.

May 31, 1917 – The Conecuh Record published the following advertisement – “Washington, D.C. and return, $18.95, United Confederate Veterans Reunion, June 4-8, Tickets sold June 1 to 6, Limit June 21, Extended limit July 6, Extension fee 50 cents, Let us arrange your trip now as the attendance will be large, Ask us about regular and special service, C.H. Mann, D.P.A., Pensacola, Fla., C. Hawkins, Agent.”

May 31, 1917 – The Monroe Journal reported that completion of plans for the 27^th annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans to be held in Washington from June 4 to 8 was announced by Col. Robert N. Harper, chairman of the citizens’ reunion committee. Harper stated that 16 hours of each day would be filled with patriotic, social and spectacular events. President Wilson was expected to address the opening session of the veterans on June 5. The parade was to take place on June 7. The visitors were also to go to the battlefield of Gettysburg June 8 to take part in the dedication of the Virginia memorial of which an equestrian state of General Robert E. Lee was the central figure.

May 31, 1917 – The Monroe Journal reported that the sheriff’s department effected a few days ago the capture of a negro labor agent who had been operating in that section in violation of state laws. Officers had been on the lookout for such agents for some time but previously were unable to secure conclusive proof of guilt. The capture was effected at the L&N Railroad station where the agent was awaiting transportation for himself and several negro laborers whom he had engaged and for which he had wired his employers. The negro gave his name as Sam Moore, claiming to hail from Bagdad, Fla. When taken into custody a concealed pistol was found on his person, hence he was held on two charges.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that P.E. Wallace, 21, of Ackerville had passed the mental and physical examination and was in the U.S. training camp at Ft. McPherson, Ga.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that Sgt. Willy Murphy, 1^st Alabama Cavalry and Cpl. Robert Young, 1^st Alabama Infantry, were recent Camden visitors.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that Press Pharr of Caledonia recently killed in a pasture on Snells plantation and near Bear Creek a monster rattlesnake with 13 rattles and six inches in diameter.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that Prof. Emmet Kilpatrick was now in Co. 4 (?) and also J. Brad Holman Jr., Esq., were in the officers training camp at Fort McPherson, Ga. Judson Hawthorn, who was in Idaho in business, was also in the Second Regiment, U.S. Army, at San Diego, Calif.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that Reo. Francis Pappy of Huntsville, formerly of Wilcox County, had received his doctor of divinity degree from the Alabama Presbyterian College of Anniston.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that Mrs. Joedy H. Curry of Darlington had presented the editor with a large Rutabaga Purivip that weighed 4-1/2 pounds. It was grown in her garden where she had many fine, nice vegetables.

May 31, 1917 – This day’s edition of the Wilcox Progressive Era contained the following notice: My cattle are branded O in right side. Please notify me in case of any of them are found. H.H. Dale, Camden, Ala.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that the McWilliams Medal, offered by Hon. R.E. McWilliams for the best average made in the Camden Grammar School, was won by Jessie Lee Bonner, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. E. Bonner. Grace Wallace and Jennie Stewart were next highest and received honorable mention.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that Mayor McIntosh and the council had made a contract with Mr. O.B. Bradford of Selma to repair the second waterworks well, to furnish more water or build a new well, so the Camden waterworks may be completed in a few weeks.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that the county teachers association had elected the following officers for the ensuing year: President, R.L. Griffin, Pine Hill; Vice President, J.B. Sellers, McWilliams; Secretary, Miss Alberta Chambers, Snow Hill.

May 31, 1917 – The Wilcox Progressive Era reported that President Wilson had been invited to address the Confederate veterans when they assemble at the National Capital on June 7.

May 31, 1919 - Capt. Raymond Brown stopped off in Evergreen, Ala. on this Saturday for a few hours to renew old acquaintances. Capt. Brown was “with Co. E, the old Fourth,” which was encamped in Evergreen for a few months in the spring 1917, shortly after the declaration of war by the United States against Germany. He was first lieutenant at that time but after being in France a short time he was promoted to the captaincy of his company.

May 31, 1919 - John Lassiter reached home on this Saturday from overseas. He was wounded in one of the fierce engagements in France but was at that time in excellent shape, according to The Evergreen Courant.

May 31, 1921 - Suffy McInnis began an errorless streak of 1,700 chances.

May 31, 1922 - Commencement exercises were scheduled to be held at the State Secondary Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala. on this Wednesday at 8 p.m. The keynote speaker was Dr. Spright Dowell, President of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn. The senior class was the largest in the history of the institution up to that point, numbering 17 boys and 15 girls. The class roll was as follows: Ruby Allen, Annie D. Brooks, Ira Mae Bryant, Julius Edward Chapman, Harry Edwin Dickinson, Reginald Rex Golson, Eva Myrtle Hurst, Daisy Leigh Harvell, Helen Lucille Hagood, Charles Thaddeus Ivey, Aline Marie Johnson, Battie Drucilla Johnson, Mary Allen Johnson, Martha Jennings Lundy, Carl Henry Middleton, Algia French Miller, Benjamin Franklin Miller, Carlos Holgrove Mills, Samuel Robert Morris, Claudia Oswald, Ollie Phares, John Carey Pritchett, James Edward Ridgeway, Joseph Pickett Rutland, Lucy Clare Shannon, Johnnie Mae Shoemaker, Henry James Smith, Lemuel Robert Stallworth, Robert Lee Stallworth, John Deming Stearns, Charles Robert Taliaferro Jr. and Sara Elsie Williamson.

May 31, 1922 – In connection with the ongoing commencement exercises at the State Secondary Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala., a baseball game was scheduled to be held on this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

May 31, 1927 - Johnny Neun of the Detroit Tigers made an unassisted triple play.

May 31, 1927 – The last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.

May 31, 1930 – Clint Eastwood was born in San Francisco.

May 31, 1934 – On this Thursday, Evergreen’s baseball team played the Andalusia Senators on the Evergreen field and lost, 10-6. Andalusia left fielder Nelson led in the defeat of Evergreen with four runs. Evergreen’s lineup in that game included Kendall, second base; Hanna, center field; Melton, right field; Steen, third base; Fergison, shortstop; Hansen, left field; English, catcher; Jones, pitcher; and Barfield, first base.

May 31, 1935 – In Lovecraftian fiction, Miskatonic University’s Peaslee Australian Expedition reached the Great Sandy Desert.

May 31, 1935 – The State Secondary Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala. was scheduled to hold its 43rd annual commencement exercises. Dr. S.J. Hocking of the University of Alabama was scheduled to deliver the baccalaureate address, and the school’s principal, Prof. W.Y. Fleming, was to present the seniors with their diplomas.

May 31, 1935 - Alabama author Sara Haardt died in Baltimore, Md.

May 31, 1937 - The Brooklyn Dodgers ended Carl Hubbell's of the New York Giants 24-game winning streak.

May 31, 1941 - The first issue of "Parade: The Weekly Picture Newspaper" went on sale.

May 31, 1941 – During the Anglo-Iraqi War, the United Kingdom completed the re-occupation of Iraq and returned 'Abd al-Ilah to power as regent for Faisal II.

May 31, 1943 – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath was born in Beaver Falls, Pa. He went on to play for the University of Alabama, the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Rams. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

May 31, 1945 – Italian-Austrian SS officer Odilo Globocnik, around 11:30 a.m., committed suicide by biting on a cyanide capsule in Paternion, Austria. He was 41 years old.

May 31, 1955 – Award winning pilot and engineer Dave McKenzie graduated from Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Ala.

May 31-June 5, 1956 – In the first game of the season in Evergreen’s Pony League, the Chicks beat the Pelicans, 14-12. The game started on Thurs., May 31, but was called at the end of the third inning due to darkness as the Chicks led, 7-4. The game resumed on Tues., June 5, and the Chicks went on to win. Carl Dyess was the manager of the Chicks, and Moreno White was the manager of the Pelicans.

May 31, 1961 - Jimi Hendrix enlisted in the U.S. Army.

May 31, 1963 - Graduation exercises at Repton High School were scheduled to be held at 8 p.m. on this Friday night. Betty Jo Richards was named valedictorian of the graduating class of 1963, which was announced by H.E. Penny, principal of Repton High School. Faye Ellis had been chosen as salutatorian. Twenty-five seniors were slated to receive diplomas.

May 31, 1965 – Lyeffion High School was scheduled to hold graduation exercises on this Monday night at 8 p.m. in the school auditorium in Lyeffion, Ala. Keith Holcombe was the valedictorian, and Bobbie J. Carter was the salutatorian. Twenty-four seniors were expected to receive diplomas.

May 31, 1965 – As part of Operation Rolling Thunder, U.S. planes bombed an ammunition depot at Hoi Jan, west of Hanoi, and tried again to drop the Than Hoa highway bridge.

May 31, 1968 – Army PFC Jimmy Ray Thomas, 20, of Brewton, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam. Born on Sept. 9, 1947, he was a member of Troop A, 1^st Cavalry, 4^th Infantry Division in Vietnam. He was buried in the Catawba Springs Cemetery in the Keego community of Escambia County, Ala.

May 31, 1969 – U.S. Army PFC Billy Wayne Pettis, 21, of Castleberry, Ala., was killed in action in Ben Luc, Long An, Vietnam. Up to that point, he was the fifth Conecuh Countian to lose his life in Vietnam, where he arrived on March 10, 1969. Funeral services were held June 7 at Oak Grove Holiness Church at Sandcut with the Rev. L.L. Smith and the Rev. Cobb officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. Born on Feb. 29, 1948 in Castleberry, he was an infantryman in Co. B, 5^th Battalion, 12^th Infantry Regiment, 199^th Infantry Brigade. Pettis was featured in the June 27, 1969 edition of LIFE magazine in a cover story entitled “The Faces of the American Dead in Vietnam: One Week's Toll.” Pettis was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge.

May 31, 1970 - About 75 communist soldiers who had seized key outposts in the city of Dalat, 145 miles northeast of Saigon, managed to slip past 2,500 South Vietnamese militiamen and soldiers who had surrounded their positions.

May 31, 1971 – In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurred on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30.

May 31, 1972 – Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola, Fla. was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

May 31, 1973 – Joseph “Joe” Leon Reddoch, probably Monroe County’s most avid sports fan, died on this Thursday in Monroe County Hospital. He was 74 years old. He was active in the Monroe County Little League and was a renowned supporter of all the school teams in the county. He belonged to several school booster clubs in the area and was perhaps Patrick Henry’s most enthusiastic Patriot fan. He was instrumental in raising money for scholarships for PHJC athletes.

May 31, 1973 - The Monroe County Babe Ruth League opened its season with a bang on this Thursday night at the local Babe Ruth Park, with the Reds and Tigers capturing wins. The Tigers shut out the Yanks, 13-0, as the Tigers’ pitcher, Rhett Barnes, threw a no-hitter. In the process, Barnes struck out 12 batters.

May 31, 1974 - Alabama naturalist and author Blanche Evans Dean died in Goodwater, in Coosa County, Ala.

May 31, 1976 – Irish actor Colin Farrell was born in Baldoyle, Dublin, Ireland.

May 31, 1976 – NBA small forward Matt Harpring was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went on to play for Georgia Tech, the Orlando Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz.

May 31, 1981 – Major League Baseball starting pitcher Jake Peavy was born in Mobile. So far during his career, he has pitched for the San Diego Padres, the Chicago White Sox, the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants.

May 31, 1982 – Italian mountaineer and explorer Carlo Mauri died in Lecco, Italy.

May 31, 1990 - The first episode of "Seinfeld" aired on NBC.

May 31, 1992 - The final episode of "Night Court" aired on NBC.

May 31, 1997 - Ila Borders became the first woman to pitch in a minor league baseball game, when she entered a game in relief for the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League. Mike Veeck, son of famous baseball impresario and promoter Bill Veeck, owned the Saints, and signed Borders to garner publicity for his team and the Northern League, an independent minor league not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Borders, though, was more than an attraction: She could throw strikes, and she went on to pitch in the Northern League for three years.

May 31, 1999 - Weather observer Harry Ellis reported that total rainfall for the month of May 1999 was 5.17 inches.

May 31, 2003 - In North Carolina, Eric Robert Rudolph was captured. He had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list for five years for several bombings including the 1996 Olympic bombing.

May 31, 2005 – Vanity Fair magazine revealed that Mark Felt was Deep Throat, the secret source that led to the uncovering of the Watergate scandal. The family of Mark Felt, a former FBI official, revealed that he had been the source for the Washington Post.

May 31, 2011 – Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Andy Robustelli died at the age of 85 in Stamford, Conn. During his career, he played for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Thurs., May 31, 2018

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.10 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 2.60 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.95 inches.

Spring to Date Rainfall: 10.70 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 21.05 inches.

Notes: Today is the 150th day of 2018 and the 72nd day of Spring. There are 216 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

100-year-old news highlights from The Wilcox Progressive Era

Graves of Louise A. Merritt Knight

What follows are 100-year-old news excerpts from the May 30, 1918 edition of The Wilcox Progressive Era newspaper in Camden, Ala.

SOLDIER BOYS ENTERTAINED: One of the best executed and most inspiring patriotic send off to the soldier boys, yet staged, was given Friday evening to the 56 boys who left for Camp Sevier, S.C. Saturday morning. Chairman R.L. Spurlin of the Council of Defense headed the movement. Mr. E.W. Berry presided over the exercises. Inspiring speeches were made by Messrs. N.D. Godbold, J.M. Bonner, John Miller, P.E. Jones, S.C. Godbold and Rev. H.T. Strout. Patriotic reading by Mrs. John Miller was quite an addition to the program. Special hits with the soldier boys and audience were the songs by the High School girls. Mrs. Hardy had charge of the music and on short notice gave a most excellent program. This meeting was most appropriate and made a deep impression on the boys. They were served with ice cream and cake. Mr. Spurlin and associates are to be commended on the excellent results of their efforts.

Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Jones motored to Tuscaloosa this week to witness the graduation of their son Ellie, who receives his diploma from the University.

Mesdames B.M. Miller and D.H. Turner returned home Saturday from Marion and Greensboro, where they accompanied Judge B.M. Miller and Mr. D.H. Turner, on their circuit court duties.

Messrs. Will Albritton, Rob Hardy and Hunter Farish, who attended the University the past session are at home for vacation.

Mr. J.P. Buck of Selma, commercial freight agent of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad company, was in Camden Wednesday looking to the betterment of shipping facilities.

Memorial of Mrs. J.E. Knight of Furman: Mrs. J.E. Knight, wife of Mr. John E. Knight, was taken from our midst by death May 3, 1918 at 1 p.m.

She was 57 years of age, born in Kentucky and moved to Furman in 1903. Her maiden name was Miss Alice Merritt.

Those closest to her to mourn her death are her husband, Mr. J.E. Knight, and sister, Mrs. J.E. Callier of Fort Deposit, Ala.

Mrs. Knight was the mother of three children, only one having lived to reach manhood.

This son, Merritt, died last June in a Boston hospital, having volunteered for hospital service in the Navy.

Camden Grammar School Closes: The graduating exercises of the ninth grade mark the close of the Camden Grammar School on Friday morning last. The program was participated in by the different members of the seventh grade and a few from the lower grades. Quite a large audience was present and expressed their appreciation of the program. Each one of the participants revealed a thoroughness and effectiveness that reflected credit on the institution. Mrs. Foster, as principal of the school, has had a most successful year, and has been unanimously re-elected for the ensuing year. The total enrollment for the year was 143, which is the highest number in its history. Diplomas were awarded to the members completing the work by Supt. O.C. Weaver. Mr. S.C. Godbold, in a few well chosen words, awarded the McWilliams scholarship medal to Grace Wallace, who won over Hugh Dale by a very small margin. Other close contestants were Billy Bonner, Junius Cook and Camilla Jones.

Hank Williams's father is buried behind historic church in McWilliams

Hopewell Methodist Church at McWilliams, Alabama.

I read in last week’s edition of The Progressive Era that the 39^th Annual Hank Williams Festival will be held this coming Friday and Saturday in Georgiana. This festival is held each year to celebrate Hank Williams, who is known far and wide as one of the most famous Country and Western singer-songwriters of all time.

Hank Williams’s life was cut short at the age of 29 when he died on New Year’s Day 1953 on his way to a concert in Charleston, West Virginia. Hank and his mother, Lillian Skipper Williams, are both buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery, many miles from where Hank’s father and stepmother, Elonzo H. Williams and Ola T. Williams, are buried in Wilcox County.

With all of this in mind, the other day I found myself in McWilliams and took a few minutes to visit Elonzo and Ola’s graves, which are in the cemetery beside the old Hopewell Methodist Church on Hopewell Road, off State Highway 21, between McWilliams and Oak Hill. I parked in the empty lot across the road from the church and watched as a family of ugly brown and black lizards hurried beneath the front-door wheelchair ramp. The sign over the church entrance said, “Organized 1875.”

I got out of the truck, circled the building on foot and entered the cemetery through the gate behind the church. There, just a few steps inside the graveyard, I came upon the plot shared by Elonzo and Ola. Elonzo was born on Dec. 22, 1891 and passed away on Oct. 23, 1970 at the age of 78. Ola, who married Elonzo on Sept. 12, 1942 in Wilcox County, was born on Oct. 6, 1909 and died on Sept. 25, 2000 at the age of 90. Both of them were members of Hopewell Methodist Church.

Grave of Elonzo H. and Ola T. Williams at McWilliams, Ala.

Like his famous son, Elonzo lived an interesting life. He served in the U.S. Army in France during World War I and went on to work for the railroads and timber companies. During his life, he moved around a lot, living in various places in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

And although his tombstone bears no visible indication of the fact, Elonzo was also a Freemason. Hank’s birthmother, Lillian, was also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic women’s group, and her headstone in Montgomery bears a prominent OES marker. Their Masonic affiliations played heavily into the story of their famous son, whose official birthname was Hiram King Williams. “Hank,” which was his nickname, was actually named “Hiram” by his parents in honor of Hiram of Tyre, a famous Phoenician king, who plays a prominent role in Masonic traditions.

Before leaving the Hopewell Methodist Church behind, I made a slow tour of the cemetery, which contains a number of old, unique graves. I found a number of graves belonging to Civil War and World War I soldiers as well as several century-old graves with coffin-shaped ledger stones unlike any I can remember ever seeing before.

Later at home, I poured through Masonic records in an attempt to determine which lodge Elonzo belonged to, but I was unable to determine which lodge he was a member of. Cokerville Lodge No. 75 in McWilliams was chartered on Dec. 6, 1856 but forfeited its charter in 1934, well before Elonzo’s death in 1970. In the end, if anyone in the reading audience knows what lodge or lodges Elonzo belonged to, please let me know because it will be an interesting fact to hammer down since it figures so heavily in the story of one of Alabama’s most famous musicians, Hiram King “Hank” Williams.

Today in History for May 30, 2018

May 30, 1432 - Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The 19-year-old, who claimed heavenly voices had urged her to lead France to victory over England, was condemned by the Church and executed for heresy.

May 30, 1539 - Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer, landed at Tampa Bay, Florida with 600 soldiers to search for gold.

May 30, 1783 - The first daily newspaper was published in the United States by Benjamin Towner and was called "The Pennsylvania Evening Post."

May 30, 1806 – Future U.S. President Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in a duel after Dickinson had accused Jackson's wife, Rachel Donelson Robards, of bigamy.

May 30–31, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette stayed in Pittsburgh.

May 30, 1842 – John Francis attempted to murder Queen Victoria as she drove down Constitution Hill in London with Prince Albert.

May 30, 1849 – Henry David Thoreau self-published “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers,” his first book.

May 30, 1854 – The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law, establishing the U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas.

May 30, 1861 – Randolph County, Ala. native and Lincoln assassination conspirator Lewis Powell enlisted in Co. I of the Second Florida Infantry in Jasper, in Hamilton County, Fla. at the age of 17.

May 30, 1861 - Union troops occupied Grafton, Va.

May 30, 1861 – During the Civil War, at a convention in Knoxville, a group of Unionists denounced Tennessee's secessionist actions.

May 30, 1862 - The Confederates abandoned the city of Corinth, Mississippi. After the epic struggle at Shiloh, Tennessee, in April 1862, the Confederate army, under the command of P.T. Beauregard, concentrated at Corinth, while the Union army, under Henry Halleck, began a slow advance from the Shiloh battlefield toward the rail center at Corinth. Halleck’s men entered a deserted Corinth later that day. Although an important city had been forfeited to the Union army, Beauregard’s army remained intact and, with it, Confederate hopes in the West.

May 30, 1862 – During the Civil War, Tuscumbia Bridge in Mississippi was destroyed.

May 30, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Fair Oaks and Front Royal, Virginia and at Tranter's Creek, North Carolina.

May 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, Robert E. Lee restructured his Army of Northern Virginia, creating three corps under James Longstreet, Dick Ewell and A. P. Hill.

May 30, 1863 – The siege of Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 12.

May 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, an affair occurred at Point Isabel, Texas and a skirmish was fought at Jordan's Store, Tennessee.

May 30, 1864 - Confederates attacked Union troops at Bethesda Church, Va.

May 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, combats occurred at Shady Grove, Old Church and Armstrong's Farm, Virginia, and a skirmish was fought at Greenville, Tennessee.

May 30, 1868 – Decoration Day (the predecessor of the modern "Memorial Day") was observed in the United States for the first time (by "Commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic" John A. Logan's proclamation on May 5).

May 30, 1890 - Dave Foutz hit the first Dodger home run.

May 30, 1894 - Bobby Lowe of the Boston Red Sox became the first player to hit four home runs in one game.

May 30, 1895 – The Monroe Journal reported that Alabama Gov. William C. Oates had appointed Capt. Thomas A. Nettles, John I. Watson and Thos. A. Rumbly to serve as members of the Board of Confederate Pension Examiners for Monroe County.

May 30, 1896 – Filmmaker Howard Hawks was born in Goshen, Indiana.

May 30, 1899 - On this day, the amateur bandit Pearl Hart and her boyfriend, Joe Boot, held up an Arizona stagecoach, between the towns of Globe and Florence.

May 30, 1904 - The store of W.S. Oliver in Repton was completely destroyed by fire on this Monday night. The fire was discovered about one o’clock, but it had made such headway that it was impossible to check it and the building with practically all its contents including the post office and fixtures, were soon a pile of ashes. It was with much difficulty that nearby buildings were prevented from burning. This was the fourth fire that had occurred in Repton within the past few weeks.

May 30, 1904 – The Monroe Journal received the first cotton bloom of the 1904 season on this day from F.S. Busey of Claiborne. Busey’s bloom was two days ahead of any the newspaper had seen reported in any of it exchanges and 10 days earlier than the first reported bloom in 1903.

May 30, 1906 – Snow Hill native James Wright Groom (Winston Groom’s great-great-grandfather) died at his family home in Mobile at the age of 74. Born in Snow Hill in 1832, he joined the Fourth Mississippi Cavalry Regiment at Meridian, Miss. in 1862 and served at the siege of Vicksburg. After the war, Groom moved to Mobile, where he became a marine engineer. According to the May 31, 1906 edition of The Mobile Register, “he won a high standing in this profession and was one of the best-known engineers on the river.” The newspaper also noted that he was a “highly respected citizen of Mobile.” He is buried in Mobile’s Magnolia Cemetery beside his wife, Mary E. Groom.

May 30, 1909 – W. Roach, who lived near Castleberry, Ala., allegedly killed his wife and child on this night with a shotgun. He claimed he did so in self defense and surrendered to the Conecuh County Sheriff, who put him in jail.

May 30, 1911 – At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ended with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race. Harroun's average speed was 74.59 miles per hour.

May 30, 1913 - On this day, a peace treaty was signed ending the First Balkan War, in which the newly aligned Slavic nations of Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece had driven Turkish forces out of Macedonia, a territory of the Ottoman Empire located in the tumultuous Balkans region of southeastern Europe.

May 30, 1915 – Monroe County High School’s four-day fourth-annual commencement exercises began on this Sunday at 11 a.m. with a commencement sermon delivered by Dr. B.F. Riley of Birmingham, Ala.

May 30, 1916 – Senior Class Exercises of the Second District Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala. were scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

May 30, 1917 - The commencement exercises of the Conecuh County High School ended on this Wednesday morning with the graduation exercises. The following students received diplomas: C. Matilda Albreast, W.B. (Otto) Castleberry, Verna M. Castleberry, Sibyl DeLoney, Kate Holland, Haskew Page, Marguerite Page, Mendenhall Page. Mrs. L.M. Baskinsky of Troy made the address to the graduates.

May 30, 1917 - A camp of the Modern Woodmen of America was organized on this Wednesday night at Vredenburgh by District Deputy G.B. Morgan, assisted by Messrs. L.Y. Moore and W.H. Drew, who had been very active in the organizing of this camp, and deserve much credit for such a large membership to start on, as the camp was organized with over 50 new members. The meeting nights were to be on Monday night of each week.

May 30, 1922 – The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

May 30, 1922 - Max Flack of the Chicago Cubs and Cliff Heathcote of the St. Louis Cardinals were traded for each other between the morning and afternoon games of a Memorial Day twin bill. They played one game for each team.

May 30, 1927 - Walter Johnson recorded his 113th career shutout. It was also the final shutout of his career.

May 30, 1927 - Jim Cooney of the Chicago Cubs became the sixth player to record an unassisted triple play against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He caught Paul Waner's line drive, stepped on second to double Lloyd Waner and then tagged Clyde Barnhart coming from first.

May 30, 1927 - Johnny Neun of the Detroit Tigers became the seventh player to record an unassisted triple play.

May 30, 1932 - The New York Yankees dedicated a plaque to Miller Huggins.

May 30, 1933 – Alabama Attorney General Thomas E. Knight Jr. issued a press release about Conecuh County, Alabama’s “lion” incidents.

May 30, 1935 - Babe Ruth of the Braves played in his final game. He went hitless against the Phillies.

May 30, 1937 - Pitcher Carl Hubbell got his 24th consecutive victory.

May 30, 1939 – The Mills Brothers - Carl and Thomas Mills - announced on this Tuesday that they had taken over the Crystal Café which had been operated for the previous year by ‘Skin’ Hyde. They announced that a number of interior improvements would be made at an early date.

May 30, 1941 - Author Maud McKnight Lindsay died in Tuscumbia, Ala.

May 30, 1943 – Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and punt returner Gale Sanders was born in Witchita, Kansas. He went on to play for Kansas and the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

May 30, 1946 - Carvel William "Bama" Rowell of the Braves hit a home run that shattered the Bulova clock in Ebbets Field.

May 30, 1947 - One of the largest classes to graduate from Evergreen High School was to be awarded diplomas by Prof. J.C. Harper at the graduation program at the auditorium on this Friday evening. There were 52 to receive diplomas. Of this number 15 were boys and 37 girls.

May 30, 1947 - Graduation exercises were to be held at Lyeffion High School on this Friday night, beginning at 8 p.m. Dr. H.G. Dowling, President of Talladega Institute for Deaf and Blind, was to deliver the address, according to Prof. Guy Kelly, Principal.

May 30, 1949 - The new building housing the office of the Evergreen Division of the Alabama Highway Patrol was to be dedicated on this Monday, according to Capt. O.T. McDuff. The patrol planned to hold an open house at the new building south of Evergreen on Highway 31 between the hours of two and six on this Monday afternoon. The public was cordially invited to inspect the building and equipment during that time.

May 30, 1955 – Irish novelist Colm Toibin was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, in southeast Ireland.

May 30, 1958 – On this Memorial Day, the remains of two unidentified American servicemen, killed in action during World War II and the Korean War respectively, were buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

May 30, 1962 - Pedro Ramos of the Cleveland Indians pitched a three-hitter and hit two home runs in a 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. One of his home runs was a grand slam.

May 30, 1963 – Willie Holder, a farmer who lived 2-1/2 miles from Evergreen, Ala. on the Loree Road, brought the first cotton bloom of the 1963 crop by The Courant.

May 30, 1963 – A protest against pro-Catholic discrimination during the Buddhist crisis was held outside South Vietnam's National Assembly, the first open demonstration during the eight-year rule of Ngo Dinh Diem.

May 30, 1966 - In the largest raids since air attacks on North Vietnam began in February 1965, U.S. planes destroyed five bridges, 17 railroad cars and 20 buildings in the Thanh Hoa and Vinh areas (100 and 200 miles south of Hanoi, respectively). Others planes hit Highway 12 in four places north of the Mugia Pass and inflicted heavy damage on the Yen Bay arsenal and munitions storage area, which was located 75 miles northeast of Hanoi.

May 30, 1968 - The Beatles began recording the "White Album."

May 30, 1969 - South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, concluding a four-day visit to South Korea, told reporters at a news conference that he would “never” agree to a coalition government with the National Liberation Front (NLF).

May 30, 1970 - Voting for baseball's All-Star game was returned to the fans.

May 30, 1971 - Willie Mays hit his 638th home run. He set a National League record of 1,950 runs scored.

May 30, 1976 – National Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Max Carey passed away at the age of 86 in Miami, Fla. During his career, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn Robins, and he also managed the Brookly Dodgers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1961.

May 30, 1976 – NBA center Radoslav Nesterović was born in Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia. He went on to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the San Antonio Spurs, the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers.

May 30, 1977 - Dennis Eckersley pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the California Angels.

May 30, 1981 - Author Howell Vines died in Bessemer, Ala.

May 30, 1981 - The Los Angeles Dodgers became the quickest to get 1,000,000 people to attend games in a season. It took 22 games.

May 30, 1982 – Cal Ripken Jr. made his Major League debut and began his record-setting streak of 2,632 consecutive games played that would last for 17 seasons. The streak ended on Sept. 20, 1998.

May 30, 1983 - Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was suspended for one week for his public criticism of umpires.

May 30, 1987 - Eric Davis of the Cincinnati Reds became the first National League player to hit three grand slams in a month and set a National League record of 19 home runs in April and May.

May 30, 1992 - Scott Sanderson of the New York Yankees became the ninth pitcher to beat all 26 teams.

May 30, 1997 - Sparta Academy was scheduled to hold graduation exercises on this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stuart-McGehee Field. Members of the class were honor students John Cook, Leslie Shipp, Kristy Booker, valedictorian Kristy Hudson, salutatorian Tammie Goodwin, Cathy Cumagun, Aundria Griffin and Lyle Bell; Jessie Adams, Jeff Myers, Karla Baggett, Michael Pate, Landra Padgett, Jason Miller, Stephanie Smith, Michael Grimes, Carrie Lambert, Marsha Garrett, Josh Pate, Carla Waters, Joey Brewton, Kim Waters, Chris Kervin and Melissa Tranum.

May 30, 2001 - Barry Bonds hit two home runs to move into 11th place on the major league career list with 522.

May 30, 2005 – Natalee Ann Holloway, 18, of Mountain Brook, Ala. disappeared while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba.

May 30, 2006 – “Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee” by Charles Shields published by Henry Holt & Co.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Wed., May 30, 2018

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): Trace.

Week to Date Rainfall: 2.50 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.85 inches.

Spring to Date Rainfall: 10.60 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 20.95 inches.

Notes: Today is the 149th day of 2018 and the 71st day of Spring. There are 217 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for May 29, 2018

Congressman Lister Hill

31 YEARS AGO

MAY 28, 1987

Local weather reporter Earl Windham reported 1.09 inches of rain on May 22 and .19 inches on May 24. He reported a high temperature of 90 degrees on May 23 and lows of 65 on May 20 and May 23.

The Class of 1987 of Evergreen High School will be honored at graduation exercises Friday night, June 5, at 7:30 o’clock. Honor graduates are Felecia Dailey, Shelby Waters (valedictorian), Amanda Brooks (salutatorian) and Chris Wallace; and Linnell King, Donnie Pitts, Rodney Pugh, Chon Mitchell and Kelly Whatley.

A 1970 graduate will be his alma mater’s graduation speaker at exercises at Evergreen High School at 7:30 o’clock Friday night, June 5, it is announced by Principal Ronnie Brogden.

Jimmie L. Perryman, a registered professional engineer of Miami, Fla., who grew up in Evergreen, will be the speaker.

The speaker graduated from Evergreen High School in 1970 and earned his BS degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University in 1974. He received his MS degree in nuclear engineering from Tuskegee University in 1977 with academic concentration in the area of thermal-hydraulic analysis of nuclear power systems. He has also done work toward his PhD at the University of Idaho.

46 YEARS AGO

MAY 25, 1972

Sparta Academy will honor these seniors at the private school’s first graduation exercises at eight o’clock Monday night at Stuart-McGehee Field. Seniors are Deborah Josey, Carey Stinson, Martha Gaines, Kitty Horton, Beth Harper (salutatorian) and Shelia Ward; Terry Chapman, Crawford King (valedictorian), Charlotte McCreary, Forrest Brantley, Larry Tranum and Dwight Watson; Mike McKenzie, Joey Nix, Mike Turner, Gary Gibson, Robert Carleton and Donnie Griggers. The 19th member of the class, Mary Ann Mack, was not present due to illness when the picture was made.

Randy Hanks of the Repton FFA Chapter showed the Grand Champion barrow at the ninth annual Conecuh County Barrow show May 15. Kenny Brown of the Evergreen FFA Chapter showed the Reserve Champion barrow.

Evergreen High School will award diplomas to 77 students at graduation exercises at eight o’clock Monday night at Brooks Stadium.

Dr. Paul Hubbert of Montgomery, executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association, will be the speaker. Joann Rogers is valedictorian, and Ann Coburn is salutatorian.

Diplomas will be awarded by Principal John Floyd.

Lyeffion High School is to award diplomas to 45 graduates at exercises Thursday night, June 1, at eight o’clock in the gymnasium.

Diplomas will be awarded by Principal Danny Covin.

61 YEARS AGO

MAY 30, 1957

Navy Plane Crashes Thursday Night Near Here; Pilot Unhurt: Trainer Catches Fire During Night Flight: Thursday night a plane crashed and exploded on the farm of M.M. Cardwell, about five miles west of Evergreen on the Loree Road.

The pilot, Ensign Richard Frank Polich of Chicago, Ill. bailed out and landed safely about a mile from where the plane crashed. He is stationed at Whiting Field, near Milton, and was on a night training flight when his plane caught fire.

Ens. Polich said that he put his T-28B trainer into a climb at about 2,000 feet, when he noticed flames bursting from the engine. He maintained the climb, and bailed out in the prescribed fashion. His parachute caught in a tree and let him down without a scratch. Ens. Polich’s first thought upon landing was to get to the site of the crash to see if anyone was hurt.

The Evergreen Fire Department answered a call from Frank Dizzy Dean, who saw the plane crash and rushed to the scene, with the usual entourage of dozens of cars, which swelled to hundreds when the word got around about the crash. The plane had crashed at an angle, scattering parts over a wide area, and burned fiercely for a few minutes.

Other witnesses in a 10-mile radius reported having seen the plane on fire, and some reported having heard the explosion when it hit.

This was the first crash of a Navy plane in the county since Middleton Field has been used by the Navy. In April 1956, the Navy Air Training Command at Pensacola began utilizing this field for training purposes.

76 YEARS AGO

MAY 28, 1942

Missing Plane Is Found Near Here: Searching parties from Maxwell Field located a missing plane for which they had been searching for the past week late Tuesday afternoon.

The crashed ship was sighted by a searching plane in Sepulga swamp some 18 to 20 miles north of here, but it was so late land parties could not get to it until early Wednesday morning.

The plane crashed in a thick swamp in a rather isolated section. It was totally demolished and the pilot whose name was given as Lowe was dead. His body was rescued and sent immediately to Maxwell Field.

This plane was one of a group of eight which crashed Wednesday night of last week, three of them in this county and five near Atmore. Five lives were lost according to reports. The planes were enroute from Crestview, Fla. to Maxwell when they encountered a storm.

All of the planes were piloted by British cadets who had been assigned to Maxwell Field for training.

Laula Middleton Gets War Wings: Lt. Laula M. Middleton, son of Mrs. Evelyn Middleton of Fairview, was awarded his war wings last Wednesday, May 20, at Foster Field, Texas after a period of intensive training since Nov. 8 of last year. Young Middleton enlisted in the Air Corps early in November and was assigned to Foster Field for his early training. He is now a full fledged pilot assigned to a pursuit ship. Upon receiving his wings, he was immediately transferred to Orlando, Fla., where he will take advanced training prior to being assigned to active duty.

91 YEARS AGO

MAY 26, 1927

S.S.A.S. Commencement Ends Wed. Night: The commencement program of the State Secondary Agricultural School came to a close Wednesday night, when diplomas were awarded to the 25 members of the senior class, after a very eloquent and forceful baccalaureate address was delivered by Hon. Lister Hill, Congressman from the Second District.

During the program Wednesday evening, Mr. (W.B.) Sexton introduced to the audience Prof. Paul Fisher of Abbeville, who is to succeed him as principal of the S.S.A.S. Mr. Fisher is at present teacher of Vocational Agriculture at Abbeville. He will move here about July 1.

Diplomas were awarded to the following students: Flossie Allen, Pauline Black, Ernestine Chapman, McLean Dreaden, Jno. Tom Gaillard, Addie B. Garvin, Stanley Fountain, William Hairston, Jno. Hanks, Lindsey Hart, Myra Hart, Jno. C. Holman, Lucinda Horton, Oris Jones, Mrs. Vernice K. Kelley, Joeffy Lundy, Reuben Millsap, Flowers Northcutt, Myrtle Quarles, Julien Relfe, Gladys Reynolds, Winston Stillwell, Entys Thomas, Hazel Williams and Helen Williams.

CONECUH HOTEL NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS: The hotel building belonging to W.K. Horton, which was formerly occupied by the Evala Hotel, has been completely overhauled inside and out during the last few months and is now open for business under the name Conecuh Hotel, with M.H. Crawford as manager.

Today in History for May 29, 2018

Audrey and Hank Williams.

May 29, 1500 – Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias died at the age of 48 (some sources say 49) in a shipwreck near the Cape of Good Hope.

May 29, 1677 – The Treaty of Middle Plantation established peace between the Virginia colonists and the local Natives.

May 29, 1721 - South Carolina was formally incorporated as a royal colony.

May 29, 1736 – American “Founding Father” and first Virginia governor Patrick Henry was born in Hanover County, Colony of Virginia, British America.

May 29, 1765 - Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia's House of Burgesses.

May 29, 1780 – During the American Revolutionary War, at the Battle of Waxhaws near Lancaster, S.C., the British, under commander Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, continued attacking after the Continentals laid down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.

May 29, 1781 - Captain John Barry, commander of the American warship Alliance captured the HMS Atlanta and the HMS Trepassy.

May 29, 1790 – Rhode Island became the last of the original United States' colonies to ratify the Constitution and was admitted as the 13th U.S. state.

May 29, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Braddock, Pa.

May 29, 1843 - John C. Fremont again departed from St. Louis to explore the West, having only recently returned from his first western expedition.

May 29, 1848 – Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. state.

May 29, 1862 - P.T. Beauregard began moving troops out of Corinth, Miss. The evacuation was completed the next day.

May 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Whitesburg, near Huntsville, Ala.

May 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Seven Pines, Virginia; near Boonville and Corinth in Mississippi; at Kickapoo Bottom, Arkansas; and near Wardensville, West Virginia.

May 29, 1863 - Ambrose Burnside offered his resignation over the Vallandigham affair. Lincoln refused to accept it.

May 29, 1863 – The siege at Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 11.

May 29, 1864 - Union troops lost another foot race with the Confederates in a minor stop on the long and terrible campaign between Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Potomac and Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Grant was getting frustrated. After the Totopotomoy, Grant slid south to Cold Harbor, just 10 miles from Richmond. His impatience may have gotten the best of him. At Cold Harbor, Grant would commit the foolish mistake of hurling his troops at well-fortified Confederates, creating a slaughter nearly unmatched during the war

May 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, an “action” occurred at Moulton, in Lawrence County, Ala.

May 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought on the Fordoche Bayou Road in Louisiana and at Hamlin, West Virginia.

May 29, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought near Austin, Nevada.

May 29, 1865 - Andrew Johnson granted a Presidential pardon to those who directly or indirectly aided the Southern war effort. He restored property rights to the South with the exception of slaves. Unlike Lincoln's declaration in December 1863, Johnson created an exception for property owners whose holdings totaled $20,000 dollars or more.

May 29, 1865 - President Andrew Johnson appointed William Holden as provisional governor of North Carolina, a blueprint for his plans of Presidential Reconstruction. Holden was instructed to call a constitutional convention of men who had signed an oath of allegiance to the United States.

May 29, 1874 – English author G.K. Chesterton was born Gilbert Keith Chesterton in London.

May 29, 1880 – German philosopher Oswald Spengler was born in Blankenburg, Germany.

May 29, 1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton placed his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.

May 29, 1886 – The Monroe County Convention was scheduled to meet on this Saturday, according to The Monroe Journal.

May 29, 1896 - Mr. J. Falkner, representing the Alabama Mercantile Co. of Montgomery, was in Pineville on this Friday.

May 29, 1900 – Charles Pawson Atmore, the General Passenger Agent of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, passed away from apoplexy at the age of 66 in his room at Forth and Chestnut Street in Louisville, Ky. Born on Feb. 28, 1834 on the Island of Guernsey, he was buried in the Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. After coming to American, he entered the railway service of the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railway, and afterward, occupied several positions with other railroads. In 1872, he became the General Passenger Agent of the Louisville and Nashville. The City of Atmore, located in Escambia County, Alabama, was named after Charles Pawson Atmore. Prior to 1896, the City of Atmore was known as William's Station.

May 29, 1901 - Seven days into the Constitutional Convention of 1901 a petition submitted by Booker T. Washington and 23 other African-American leaders was read to convention delegates, all of whom were white. The petition asked that the black Alabamian be given "some humble share in choosing those who shall rule over him." Nevertheless, with the ratification of the Constitution of 1901 in November, blacks--along with poor whites--were effectively disfranchised.

May 29, 1903 – Comedian Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, near London, England. His family moved to the United States when he was four years old, and he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Hope died in 2003, two months after his 100th birthday.

May 29, 1904 – The Rev. W.N. Huckabee preached at the Sowell Old Field School House (Monroe County?) on this fifth Sunday evening at 5 p.m.

May 29, 1906 – English author T.H. White was born Terence Hanbury White in Bombay, India, to English parents employed by the British civil service. He is best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, “The Once and Future King,” first published together in 1958.

May 29, 1909 – The Conecuh Record reported that about four inches of rain fell in Evergreen, Ala. on this day and 1-1/2 inches fell the day before.

May 29, 1911 – The government thermometer reached 100 degrees on this day in Evergreen, Ala.

May 29, 1913 – Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” premiered at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris.

May 29, 1914 – English explorer, hunter and author Henry Seton-Karr passed died at the age of 61 in Canada’s greatest maritime disaster when the Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River when he was returning to England from a hunting trip in British Columbia.

May 29, 1914 – Edgar Lee Masters published the first poem of what would later be collected and published as “The Spoon River Anthology” in 1915.

May 29, 1915 – The Bowles baseball team beat Skinnerton, 17-12, on this Saturday.

May 29, 1916 - The New York Giants won their 17th consecutive road game.

May 29, 1916 - Author Virginia Pounds Brown was born in Birmingham, Ala.

May 29, 1916 – As part of the closing exercises of the Second District Agricultural School in Evergreen on this Monday evening, a Chinese operetta, ‘The Feast of the Little Lanterns,’ was presented to “a large and appreciative audience,” according to The Conecuh Record. “All the girls in the play acquitted themselves splendidly; those deserving special mention are Misses Sara Cunningham, Edith Shields and Evelyn Chapman. Mrs. Dr. Hairston of Burnt Corn, who ably assisted Miss Gammon, played the part of a ‘Japanese Juggler Maid’ and her work could not have been surpassed.”

May 29, 1916 - The state high school commission, at its meeting in Montgomery on this Monday, reelected Prof. G.A. Harris as principal of the Monroe County High School for the ensuing year. Principals of the 50 other high schools in the state were named at the meeting, among their number being Prof. G.M. Veasey for Chambers, Prof. Claud Hardy for Wilcox and Prof. C.A. Peavey for Escambia.

May 29, 1917 - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was born in Brookline, Mass.

May 29, 1917 – “Another noble old veteran in the person of Mr. D.M. McNeil has called to his reward, his death occurring suddenly at his home near Axle” on this Tuesday evening, aged upward of 70 years.

May 29, 1918 – Wm. T. Broughton and Zeilin Simpson, who both died in World War I, were inducted into the Army and sent to Camp Sevier, S.C. for training.

May 29, 1922 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that organized baseball was a sport, and not subject to antitrust laws.

May 29, 1922 – In connection with the ongoing commencement exercises at the State Secondary Agricultural School in Evergreen, Ala., a baseball game was scheduled to be held on this Monday at 3:30 p.m.

May 29, 1922 - The eighth annual commencement exercises of the Conecuh County High School were brought to a conclusion on this Monday evening with an operetta in the school auditorium. Thirteen students received diplomas at the hands of Supt. W.R. Bennett at the Monday morning exercises. Dr. John W. Abercrombie, state superintendent of education, delivered the baccalaureate address Monday morning, immediately following which came the presentation of medals and diplomas. The medals awarded were: scholarship, Marie McDonald; affability, Bertie Skinner; perfect attendance, Clement Brooks, Alma Booker and Philip Kyser. The graduating class was composed of three boys and 10 girls, with Bertie Skinner, president. They were Ruby Lou Wood, Pluma Jones, Verdie Estelle Jones, Elizabeth Skinner, Addra Alice Skinner, Jessie Holland, Alma Eugene Booker, Ellye Myrtice Sauders, Ida Mae Ward, Mary Ellen Albreast, Roderick Matthews, Oris Sullivan and John Somerall.

May 29, 1932 – World War I veterans began to assemble in Washington, D.C., in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.

May 29, 1942 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “Gallant Lady” was released.

May 29, 1943 - Marvin Coleman died of a heart attack on this Saturday night about 11:30 p.m. He was on duty as town marshal of Frisco City when death came.

May 29, 1946 – German SS officer Martin Gottfried Weiss, after being found guilty of "violating the laws and usages of war," was executed by hanging at Landsberg prison at the age of 40.

May 29, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported, under “HI-LITES OF EHS,” that achievements of Evergreen High School students during the 1946-47 school year included, “No. 1 Basketball Player in District One, James Carpenter; Good Sportsmanship Award for District One in Competition with 32 high schools, R.E. Ivey, James Carpenter, Mickey Logue, Gillis Jones, Melvin Brantley, Glenn McIntyre, George Hendricks, George Brown; County Junior Basketball Champions, Jack Cunningham, Bobby Frank Snowden, Dickey Bozeman, Billy Mudge Lee, Guerry Moorer, John Logue, Jeff Moorer, Tommy White; No. 4 Basketball Team in District One.”

May 29, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that friends of Edward Beasley were “glad to see him out again after having suffered a broken leg during a ball game.”

May 29, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Repton High School won seven of the 10 baseball games they played that year. “The Watson brothers starred as catcher and pitcher,” the scores were as follows: Lyeffion 5, Repton 4; Castleberry 5, Repton 9; Lyeffion 8, Repton 17; Castleberry 6, Repton 7; Castleberry 2, Repton 1; Castleberry 1, Repton 2; Monroeville 8, Repton 18; Monroeville 11, Repton 9; McKenzie 4, Repton 11; McKenzie 4, Repton 11. Repton scored 89 runs in 10 games, an average of 8.9 scores per game. There were six home runs hit by Sawyer; Marion Watson, 1; Carl Watson, 1; Lamar Crutchfield, 1; Ray Nall, 1.

May 29, 1947 – The Evergreen Courant reported that it was the unanimous decision of the Evergreen High School Journalism club to donate its entire funds to the Summer Recreation Program social committee.

May 29, 1947 - The Evergreen Courant reported that the Evergreen Junior Chamber of Commerce planned to sponsor the popular June dance which for many years was an annual affair attended by large crowds from Evergreen and nearby towns. “Wartime was not dancetime but now most of the boys and girls are back and ready for a good time so this will be the first in a new series of June dances.”

May 29, 1947 – This day’s edition of The Monroe Journal carried the following advertisement – “Now is the Time… LEARN TO FLY – Instruction leading to Private, Commercial and Flight Instructor Ratings now available at Monroeville Airport – Charter Trips Anywhere, Passenger Rides Any Time – REASONABLE RATES – VETERANS: Make Your Application for FREE FLIGHT TRAINING Under GI Bill. For Further Information Contact Mr. Frost at Airport. MONROEVILLE AVIATION CO.”

May 29, 1947 – The Monroe Journal reported that Miss Alice Lee spent the previous weekend with her sister, Mrs. Herschel Conner Jr., and family in Eufaula.

May 29, 1949 - Barzell Griffin, 24-year-old who escaped from the Conecuh County Jail in Evergreen on Tues., May 24, was picked up by law enforcers in Birmingham on this Sunday after a tip from the sheriff’s office in Evergreen, Conecuh County Sheriff W.D. Lewis reported. The Jefferson County law enforcers picked up Griffin by watching his wife, who lived in Birmingham, after receiving the information from Sheriff Lewis. Lewis also informed The Courant that Griffin was being held in Birmingham to face trial on a burglary indictment from several months before. Griffin was also wanted in Selma and Pensacola, Fla. Griffin was being held in Evergreen for breaking into Brown Supply Co. and cracking their safe. He got away with $300 after smashing the safe with an axe. When Griffin broke out of the county jail in Evergreen it marked the sixth time he had escaped from civil and army authorities since beginning his career of crime 13 years before at the age of 11.

May 29, 1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

May 29, 1951 - C.F. Blair became the first man to fly over the North Pole in single engine plane.

May 29, 1952 – Country music legend Hank Williams and his wife, Audrey, were divorced.

May 29, 1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday. "A symmetrical, beautiful, snow cone summit," Hillary said of the peak that is 29,028 feet above sea level.

May 29, 1954 - The first meeting of the annual Bilderberg group, a secretive, invitation-only gathering with the elite from such fields as politics, commerce, and banking, was held.

May 29, 1955 – New Hope Baptist Church at Natchez, Ala. held its 100th anniversary homecoming.

May 29, 1955 - John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was born in Ardmore, Okla.

May 29, 1959 – Repton High School was scheduled to hold its graduation exercises at 8 p.m. in Repton, Ala. Starr Smith of Montgomery was to deliver the graduation address, and Principal E.H. Penny was to deliver the diplomas.

May 29, 1962 – First baseman Fred Whitfield, a native of Vandiver, Ala., made his first Major League start, two days after his Major League debut. He went 1-for-4 for the St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field with his first hit coming in the fourth inning, a RBI single off Al McBean that scored Red Schoendienst.

May 29, 1962 - Buck (John) O’Neil became the first black coach in Major League Baseball when he accepted the job with the Chicago Cubs.

May 29, 1963 - A delegation of Monroe County, Ala. residents planned to meet with Gov. George Wallace and State Superintendent of Education Austin Meadows in Montgomery on this Wednesday to discuss Monroe County as a location for a new prospective junior college.

May 29, 1965 – Repton High School was scheduled to hold graduation exercises on this Saturday night at 8 p.m. in the school auditorium in Repton, Ala. Dorothy Waller was the valedictorian, and Willene Powell was the salutatorian. Twenty-three seniors were expected to receive diplomas.

May 29, 1965 - Dick Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a 529-foot home run out of Connie Mack Stadium.

May 29, 1967 - Noel Gallagher, the lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the rock band Oasis, was born in Longsight, Manchester, England.

May 29, 1967 - Economist and “Freakonomics” co-author Steven Levitt was born in St. Paul, Minn.

May 29, 1972 – Sparta Academy held its first ever graduation exercises on this Monday at 8 p.m. at Stuart-McGehee Field in Evergreen, Ala. Members of the class included Forrest Brantley, Robert Carleton, Terry Chapman, Martha Gaines, Gary Gibson, Donnie Griggers, Beth Harper (salutatorian), Kitty Horton, Deborah Josey, Crawford King (valedictorian), Mary Ann Mack, Charlotte McCreary, Mike McKenzie, Joey Nix, Carey Stinson, Larry Tranum, Mike Turner, Shelia Ward and Dwight Watson.

May 29, 1972 - In a joint communique issued by the United States and the Soviet Union following the conclusion of summit talks with General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev during President Richard Nixon’s visit to Moscow (the first visit ever by an U.S. president), both countries set forth their standard positions on Vietnam. The United States insisted that the future of South Vietnam should be left to the South Vietnamese without interference. The Soviet Union insisted on a withdrawal of U.S. and Allied forces from South Vietnam and an end to the bombing of North Vietnam.

May 29, 1972 - Evergreen High School was scheduled to award diplomas to 77 students at graduation exercises at eight o’clock on this Monday night at Brooks Stadium. Dr. Paul Hubbert of Montgomery, executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association, was to be the speaker. Joann Rogers was valedictorian, and Ann Coburn was salutatorian. Diplomas were to be awarded by Principal John Floyd.

May 29, 1974 - U.S. President Richard Nixon agreed to turn over 1,200 pages of edited Watergate transcripts.

May 29, 1976 – Major League Baseball infielder and outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He went on to play for the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, the Texas Rangers, the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees, the San Diego Padres, the Washington Nationals, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

May 29, 1976 – NBA power forward and center Raef LaFrentz was born in Hampton, Iowa. He went on to play for Kansas, the Denver Nuggets, the Dallas Mavericks, the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers.

May 29, 1981 – The Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Ala. were designated a National Historic Landmark.

May 29, 1984 - The Boston Red Sox retired the No. 9 jersey of Ted Williams and the No. 4 jersey of Joe Cronin.

May 29, 1986 - The first issue of "The Frisco Citian" newspaper was published in Frisco City, Ala.

May 29, 1987 – In Monroeville, Ala., Alabama Bureau of Investigations agent Simon Benson conducted a tape-recorded interview in the county courthouse with Karen Kelly, whom he suspected of lying about the Vickie Lynn Pittman murder, according to Pete Earley’s book “Circumstantial Evidence.”

May 29, 1990 - Rickey Henderson stole his 893rd base, breaking Ty Cobb's record.

May 29, 1992 - Tim Raines of the Chicago White Sox stole his 700th career base.

May 29, 1997 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Dwayne Hodges of Carrollton, Texas and a former resident of Evergreen had killed two large turkeys recently. The largest weighed 19.1 pounds and had a nine-inch beard and the smallest weighed 14.5 pounds and had a six-inch beard.

May 29, 1997 – The Evergreen Courant reported, under the headline “GRATIA Enterprises, Inc. now open for business,” that the Conecuh County Economic Development Authority had announced that GRATIA Enterprises, Inc., a manufacturer of custom fashions for the home or business, had recently opened its doors. The plant was located on Highway 31, three miles south of Evergreen. Four employees were employed with GRATIA. Tommy Shehan, Beverly Lowery, Teresa Hawsey and Robert Lassiter made up that list. Those employees had varied experience within home fashions manufacturing that allowed GRATIA to offer a wide variety of products including bedspreads, roman shades, balloon shades, ruffled curtains, draperies and decorative pillows.

May 29, 1997 – The Monroe Journal reported that several Monroeville employees devoted their off-duty time during the previous week to install a static helicopter display on Veterans Avenue. The military craft was the most common type flown during the Vietnam War. Police Chief Bill Dailey was joined by Fire & Rescue Department Chief Eddie Everett, firefighter Billy Wayne Black, city compliance officer Robert Sims and others in placing the exhibit in time for Memorial Day.

May 29, 2001 - In New York, four followers of Osama bin Laden were convicted of a global conspiracy to murder Americans. The crimes included the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people.

May 29, 2003 – High Ground Burial in Baldwin County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

May 29, 2003 - The Dulaney Cemetery in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

May 29, 2004 – The National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

May 29, 2015 – NFL defensive back and Olympic track athlete Henry Carr, a native of Montgomery, Ala., died at the age of 73 in Griffin, Ga. He played football at Arizona State and for the New York Giants.