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

USS Henry W. Tucker

17 YEARS AGO
MARCH 4, 2004

500 tickets left for play: Tickets for another round of performances for the “To Kill a Mockingbird” play are almost gone.
Kathy McCoy, executive director of the Monroe County Heritage Museums, said 500 of the 4,000 tickets were still available yesterday (Wednesday), but that number was being reduced almost every time the phone rang.
“Sales went great this year,” said McCoy, who also directs the play. “It went smoother than it’s ever gone.”

MOBILE - J.F. Shields High School’s Wesley Jones scored 61 points and grabbed 22 rebounds to lead the Panthers to the Southwest Regional Class 1A tournament championship here last week.
In Friday’s championship game at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center, the McDonald’s All-American got 23 points and 10 rebounds. Jones’ effort keyed a 71-56 win over Coffeeville High School in the finals.
(Other top players at Shields that season included Justin Byrd, Shane Castopheny, Jeffrey Finklea, Cortez Johnson, Adrian Manuel, Ernest McCovery, Antwaun Smith, Demetrius Stallworth and Johnathan Williams. Jerome Sanders was head coach.)

Navy Seaman Johnny J. Pleasant, son of Bettye J. and Johnny L. Pleasant of Monroeville, recently returned from a routine scheduled deployment while assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, homeported in Norfolk, Va. Pleasant was one of more than 6,500 sailors and Marines aboard the ships of the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group. Enterprise was the first U.S. aircraft carrier to deploy since the end of major military operations in Iraq.

42 YEARS AGO
MARCH 1, 1979

Helton retires as chief: Aubrey Helton retired yesterday (Wednesday) as Beatrice police chief, a position he held for nine years.
Beatrice Mayor Jim Bigger Jr. said he had received a letter of resignation from Helton on Friday. Helton will still be in charge of the town’s water system maintenance, Bigger said.

Rob Kelly new MA top coach: Rob Kelly, a Frisco City native and Monroe Academy graduate, has been named head football coach at MA, assistant football coach Eddie Tyler said Wednesday.
Kelly is still on the faculty at Sparta Academy in Evergreen but is coming to Monroeville afternoons to conduct MA’s spring football practice, Tyler said.
As head coach, he succeeds Vance McCrory, whose resignation was announced two weeks ago.

FC top citizen named: The late Henry Rowell was named Frisco City’s Outstanding Citizen for 1978 by the Frisco City Chamber of Commerce at its annual banquet last Thursday. A plaque was presented to his widow, Louise, at the banquet.
Rowell founded the Frisco City IGA Foodliner and operated it for 19 years. He died Sept. 7 at age 55.
A past president of the Frisco City Chamber, Rowell was also a past president of the Frisco City Kiwanis Club, a member of the Monroe County Rescue Squad, and a past member of the Frisco City Industrial Development Board.

67 YEARS AGO
MARCH 4, 1954

Monroeville Five Nips Vigor, 49-48: A determined Monroeville Tiger quintet climaxed the current cage campaign last night in the coliseum with a 49-48 upset victory over the powerful Vigor Wolves of Prichard. The triumph gave the Tigers a record of 17 wins, five defeats and gained revenge over the Mobile County quintet, who had defeated them by 20 points earlier in the season. The Tiger scoring attack was paced by 6-2 center Bobby White with 16 points and forward Paul Fowler, who scored 10 markers.

The 43 ships of Task Force 12 gave residents of the San Francisco Bay area an impressive and spectacular view of U.S. Naval might upon their arrival there for a three-day stay. Enjoying the rest and recreation in picturesque San Francisco was Alvin T. Stacey, seaman, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Stacey of Monroeville, aboard the radar picket destroyer, USS Henry W. Tucker.

All members of Monroeville’s Boy Scout Troop No. 24 were either advanced in rank or received merit badges last Thursday night in the largest Scout Court of Honor ever staged locally.
Included in the impressive program held in the First Baptist Church, were a candle-lighting ceremony and Tenderfoot investiture; presentation of charters to the local Scout posts by Dr. J.W. Arms, chairman, Alabama-Florida Scout District, Gulf Coast Council; recognition of Scouts advancing in rank; and the awarding of merit badges.
(Scouts honored during that event included Max Bradley Jr., Mick Fountain, Gene Arnold Hetherington, Cecil Jackson, James Jackson, Johnny Johnson, Malcolm Jones, David Katz Jr., Mickey Kennedy, Jack Ledkins, Charles Locklin Jr., Mike Michael, Cecil Murphy, Albert Nettles Jr., Joe Nettles, Richard Nettles, William Nettles, Bobby Quimby, E.J. Ostberg, Bill Owens, Donald Russell, Philip Russell, Grayson Simmons, Dan Smith, David Stallworth, Wells Turner Jr., Jimmy Vickery and Robbins Williams.)

92 YEARS AGO
MARCH 7, 1929

Mr. Augustus N. Thompson died at his home at Mexia on Feb. 28 after an illness of several weeks, aged 84 years and six months. Mr. Thompson had been a lifelong citizen of Monroe County and was respected and esteemed by all who knew him. He was a veteran of the War Between the States, having served as a private in Co. F, 36^th Alabama Infantry. The funeral took place at Mexia on Friday afternoon attended by a large concourse of sorrowing relatives and sympathetic friends.

Notice: Notice is hereby given that the building committee of the Monroeville Methodist Church will receive sealed bids for the sale of the Monroeville church lot on the southeast corner of the public square until four o’clock p.m. Friday. These bids will be received on a cash basis, but if anyone desires terms of payment a separate bid should be made setting out the price and the terms of payment desired. The right is reserved to reject any and all bids. – J.B. Barnett, Chairman, Building Committee, Monroeville Methodist Church.

The PTA will have an old-fashioned square dance at old Happy Feed Store on Friday evening. You are cordially invited to attend.

Mr. and Mrs. Claude Hundley, formerly of Enterprise, arrived last week and will make Monroeville their future home, Mr. Hundley having accepted a position with Lazenby Mercantile Co.

117 YEARS AGO
MARCH 3, 1904

COURTHOUSE ACCEPTED: The Commissioners Court convened in special session on Friday and Saturday last to inspect and receive the new courthouse and assign the county officers to new quarters.
The members of the board went through the entire building with the architect and contractor and concluded by entering the proper order accepting and receiving the house.
Quarters were assigned to the various county officials and all are now comfortably situated in their new apartments and busy arraigning books and papers and transacting business.

Mr. H.L. Lewman was here Friday and Saturday to deliver the new courthouse into the custody of the county.

Mr. A.J. Bryan, the architect who planned Monroe’s magnificent new temple of Justice, was here Friday on the occasion of the formal acceptance of the building by the county commissioners.

Mr. R.L. Roland, who has been superintending the construction of the new courthouse for several months past, took his departure Monday, accompanied by Mrs. Roland. During their stay in Monroeville, Mr. and Mrs. Roland won many warm friends whose best wishes attend them.

Mr. Murry Nicol, the competent and agreeable young stenographer and bookkeeper for Lewman & Co., who has had charge of the office work since dirt was first broken for the new courthouse, bade adieu to his many friends here Monday and left for another point where he has been assigned by his employers.