Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 12, 1977 Page: 1 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Mount Vernon Optic Herald and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Franklin County Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
' ■
Inc.
I
i
/
'7
i
I
Editor s Quote Book
Mark Twain
Picture* On Page i&9
T*
j
K
I
4-
I
jt rd
L lJ' i
/
Golf Tournament
\
/
/
■
7
The
1
i
\-
\
i
<
I /
• i
u
1
88 Days
WITHOUT A
FATAL TRAFFIC
ACCIDENT IN
FRANKLIN
COUNTY
athletes, Billy Mills. George
Miller and Jessie Owens. who
he stated as having average
talents in their fields, hut noted
that the) were "set on fire"
with the desire to win
reso
grant
first believed his leg had been
shot off However, upon closer
examination he discovered he
was'still in one piece; the hip
personnel with
X-ray unit
unit is kept for a period of 10
years as points of reference for
physicians These films may be
Golf
a
the bool straps and help make
something of you,” he stressed
He closest by saying to those
‘ I
I
|
a
- I
!»■
u
W.
I
t
substance has an estimated
"street vahM"s( $98*. (fluff
Photo).
Debbie Barton, who resides
in a moone noine less umn i.x>
yards south of the Pelts home,
stated that she was in the
garden at the rear of her home
shortly after the passing of a
severe thunderstorm, when she
noticed smoke pouring from the
rear of the Felts home
The Felts family had report
edly been away from the home
since Friday. May 6. and were
contacted in Dallas after the
fire was discovered
All three pumper units of the
Mt Vernon Volunteer Fire
Ik»partment responded to the
call Smoke was already
pouring from the roof of the
home when firemen arrived,
who launched an all-out effort
to contain the blaze
AWARD WINNERS were
honored during the annual
Mt. Vernon High School
All-Sports Banquet held
Monday evening. May », at
the . school cafeteria. Pic-
tured, sitting from left to
Temper is what gets
moat of us into trouble
Pride is what keeps us
there.
need for the revamping of
equipment, services ami in
creased demands for additional
city services The city has not
received any additional rev
enue from Ad Valorem taxes in
three years, since 1974. when a
10c increase was made to the
rate
Presently evaluations total
approximately $10,000,000 (ten
million i ami in many cases are
far below actual values City
taxes are liased on 50 percent of
that value al a rati- of $1 10 per
$100 valuation This fiscal year
is projected to bring into the
city treasury $52,862
overturned and spilled near a
hot water heater at the rear of
the Cox home
The fire was apparently
caused when the fumes from
the gasoline were ignited by the
hid water healer The fire
caught along the wall of the hot
water heater and went into the
attic above
The house, which is located
on the north service road to
I 30. one-fourth mile east of
Spur 421!. was owned by Pat
Lindley, who valued the
structure at $9,000. Glen Felts,
who rented the home, valued
the family's personal contents
at over $5,000.
The exact origin of the fire
has not yet been determined
However, Lindley speculated
that lightning triggered an
electrical fire in the home
Flames swept throughout the
six room frame structure
before the fire was extinguish-
ed some 90 minutes after it was
reported A manned unit of the
Fire Department remained on
hand for several hours to insure
against a second breakout of
the blaze within the hull of, the
structure
One fireman was treated for
minor cuts he received from
broken glass at the fire No
other injuries were reported
Mt Vernon firemen also
answered a call to the home of
Ernest Cox on Olive Street at
approximately 3 30 p m the
afternoon of Wednesday, May
Several hundred dollars in
damage resulted, when a small
container of gasoline was
standing, Sian Dickson.
Allan Winfield, Brad laiwry
and Terry F.asley. Not
available for the photo was
Laura Stroud and Cliff
Evans. (Staff Photo).
Pictures On Page 3
four to five pounds of
marijuana in the trunk of the
automobile
The substance was found in a
large grocery bag Within the
brown bag were four equal
plastic bags of the dried plant
The penalty for felony
special Christmas decoration
fund at the First National
Bank Donations to the fund
may Im* made at the bank or at
the C of C office
of public relations for the
center appeared on the pro
gram for the Mt Vernon
Rotary Club on Friday. May 6.
They were guests of Judge W
3,
J >
A mobile X ray unit, *pon
sored locally by the Mt Vernon
Rotary Club and the American
Lung Association of Texas, will
be in Mt Vernon this Friday,
May 13 The mobile unit will be
located in front of the Mt
Vernon Public Schools, and will
Im* in operation between the
hours of 2 00 and 5 00 p m
A fee of $5 00 will be charged
for each X ray taken A $4 00
portion of this fee will be used
to defray the cost of bringing
the Unit and personnel from
Dallas The remaining $1 00
will be used by the American
Lung Association of Texas to
defray local expense* connect
ed with the program
The program is oriented
toward educating the public to
the hazards of all respiratory
diseases, as well as providing
chest X-ray service
The mobile unit is being
brought to Mt Vernon for the
convenience of- Franklin
The steady gnawing of
inflation at the city's budget
has caused the members of the
Mt Vernon City Council to take
a close look at the finances over
' the past months The result of
the examination was the
adoption of a resolution by the
council authorizing the re-
evaluation of all taxable
properties in the city to too
percent of ‘ their real value,
when they met in regular
session Tuesday evening. May
10
The city fathers have been
faced with increases in costs in
all phases of operation, the
Two Accidents
Reported
Mt Vernon Chief of Police
Mike Johnson reported the
investigation of two traffic
accidents over the past week
Neither of the two accidents
involved injuries
Arnie Holmes of Talco,
driving a 1975 Chevrolet, struck
the left rear of a 1974 Plymouth,
owned by Bessie Cheaahire of
Clarksville, at approximately
1 47 p m the afternoon of
Thursday, May 5, ISO feet east
of the intersection of Highway
37 and Highway 87
Johnson reported that both
cars had been parked on Hwy.
87 facing east when Holmes
pulled onto the roadway, but
was forced back into the
parking lane by a unknown
third vehicle. Holmes struck
the parked Cheashire car.
No charges were filed.
Moderate damage was receiv-
ed by the Holmes car. and light
damage was reported to the
Chesshire car
A second two vehicle acci-
dent occured the morning of
Friday. May 6, at approxi
mately 9 06 am at the
intersection of U. S. 87 and
Houston Street in Mount
Vernon
A 1977 Ford pickup driven by
Marianna Stapleton Cates, age
19. of Winfield, was struck Tn
the left side by a 1988 Chevrolet
driven by R V Coe, age 70, of
Mt Vernon, when Coe attempt-
ed a left turn onto Highway 87
from north bound on Houston
Street
Moderate damage was eati-
mated to have been done on the
Cates pickup, and light damage
was incurred on the Coe auto
Coe was charged with failure
to yield right of way
borrowed from the film library ( nrrtdl /st
H.. Iln. Aran N J<1 f F A <9
“ 4th Highest
The stories of O A Hitchens
and William Jackson Miller,
two Confederate soldiers whose
graves are found in the
historical Rockhill Cemetery,
typify many of the early
settlers of the Franklin County
area
The Civil War was over and
O A Hitchens was glad to get
A person without inspiration
is as gixxi as dead, commented
Elliott "You gotta let some
B (Bill) Meek, program
chairman for the day
A film was shown, which was
made especially for the Stewart
center, to encourage participa-
tion in the blood drives
Persons donating blixxi on
Thursday will lie given an
opportunity to participate in a
predeposit plan which will
provide them and any member
of their family with unlimited
blood for one year A pint given
each year by any member of
the family provides coverage
for the year following
Blood donated in ML Vernon
will cover the family's blood
need almost anywhere in the
United States through the
See MOBILE Page II
The Franklin County Com-
missioners’ Court' authorized
the advertisement for bids on a
tractor during their regular
meeting held Monday, May 9
The tractor, to be purchased
by the county, is to be used by
. Precinct 2 Sealed bids w ill be
accepted for the tractor until
10:00 a m Monday, May 23. at
which time the bids will be
opened and read aloud
In other action taken by the
court, approval was given for
the payment of $1,21297 for
Public Officials' Liability In-
surance from Mt Vernon
Insurance Company, and the
payment of $5,549 09 for county
fleet insurance from Williams'
Insurance Company
Following lengthy discussion
of the hospital expansion
project, the court authorized
the fifth installment payment
on the work being done by the
Hardin Brothers Construction
1
I
Country Club
The Cypress Creek
Association will sponsor
two-man scramble golf toum
ament at Cypress Creek
Country Club on Saturday and
Sunday. May 14 and 15
There will be a limit of 80
teams, which will be divided
into five flights with prizes
consisting of golf clubs, bags,
and balls to lie awarded in each
flight
Other activities include a
Barbecue beginning at noon
Saturday, and a dance Satur
day night There will also be a
drawing for a color television
set.
The deadline for entries is
Friday, May 13 Entry fee is
$50 00 per team, which includes
the barbecue lunch on Saturday
and admission to the dance
Saturday night
For information, contact
Cypress Creek Country Club at
214- 860 2155
possession of marijuana, if
convicted, is from two to 10
years in the state prison and-or
a maximum fine of $5,000
_ a
■■I "
MARIJUANA in an eiUn-
aled amount of four to five
pounds was roof He a led by
.
In Nation
David Carrell, son of Mr and
Mrs W. H. Carrell, placed
fourth highest in individual
rating at the United States
National Land Judging Contest
held at Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, May 5.
The Mt VErnon FFA team
placed twelfth in a field of 85
teams from 34 states at the
national contest
Members of the Mt. Vernon
land judging team were George
Lester, Robbie Sparks, Danny
Campbell and David Carrell.
The team was accompanied
C. Of C. Taking Donations
For Christmas Decorations
A representative from a
Christmas Decoration Compa
ny met with the Board of
Directors of the Franklin
County Chamber of Commerce
at their regular meeting
Monday night. May 9 in the
chamber office
Tile representative gave the
board prices on various
decorations and described
them to the board
The C of C has M*t up a
iHt. Wnum (Optic-Herald
\ol 102—No. 35 / '
Mi Vernon Franklin t ouatv Tex$» 12 I’agrtt--1 Section Thursday. May 12.1927 15* |»rr (.4»DN
I
a
Texas Highway Patrolman
Steve Blake Wednesday.
May 4. The controlled
1
J
Losses incurred in a fire
which gutted the home of the
Glen Felts family Sunday
afternoon. May 8. at 12:45 p m
were estimated at over $14,000
In the mid 1800's and
following the conclusion of the
Civil War the area of northeast
Texas remained sparsely settl-
ed and opened for homestead
ing The news of this new and
fertile land was welcomed by
the ears of many who returned
home after the fighting to find
everything destroyed
Quantity Of Marijuana Found, Man Charged
Edward Vernon Thompson, a
black male, age 45, of Dallas
was released from the Franklin
County Jail on a $10,000 surety
bond, which was set at his
arraignment before Franklin
County Justice of the Peace B
E. "Stacker" Cowser Wednes-
day, May 4. on a charge of
felony possession of marijuana.
Charges were filed by Texas
State Highway Patrolman
Steve Blake of Ml Vernon
Blake reported -having
stopped Thompson, who was
headed east on 130, for a
speeding violation at approxi
mately 11:30 a m Wednesday.
May 4 A routine check of the
vehicle revealed a small
amount of marijuana in the
passenger compartment of the
vehicle
Thompson was then placed
under arrest and taken to the
Franklin County Jail
A required inventory of the
items in the vehicle conducted
later revealed an estimated
In addressing the capacity
crowd of students, teachers and
parents at the annual Mt
Vernon High School All Sports
Banquet Monday. May 9.
Harold E "Bud” Elliott, head
football coach at the University
of Texas at Arlington, told the
young men and women that
there were two intangibles that
were absolutely necessary to be
great; the best
Those two intangibles pointed
out by Elliott were will or
desire and inspiration He
noted that these two things
were present in every great
person whether they were in
the field of business, science, or
athletics, and stated they
especially applied in the field of
athletics
"Many people may have the
right equipment (talent) to get
into the game," stated Elliott,
"but difference in a great
person and the others is that
person's will to succeed "
He pointed out several great
Mobile Blood Donor Coach Here Today
Stewart Blood Center’s Mo-
bile Donor Coach will be in Mt
Vernon today (Thursday) for
the convenience of everyone
from this area who wishes to
Microfilm Center
pox
D*11r8 Tex»»
The banquet committee re
ported the annual banquet held
on April 7 was a success with
around 180 people attending
Minute* of the previous
meeting and the financial
report were read and approved
X-Ray Unit To Be Here Friday
County school personnel and
other* who need certification of
freedom of tuberculosis for
employment The service is
also available to the general
public
Worker* needing certifies
tion lor health card*, student*
attending schools and colleges,
school employees and person
nel will find the mobile unit a
quick, reliable source of
clearance
All X ray film taken on the
mobile unit is interpreted by
Dallas area physician* who
specialize in recognizing, or
treating pulmonary diseases
All are member* in good
standing of the Dalia* County
Medical Society a
Each person having an X ray
receives a written report within
two week* AU persona with
suspected abnormalities are
requested to take the report to
their family physician
All film taken on the mobile
Vernon, and Marcia Hare,
daughter of Mr and Mrs I. H
Hare. Jr of Sulphur Bluff
In individual sport* awards
urn* presented a* follow*
Football. Lloyd Stone, Out-
standing Back, son of Mr and
Mrs Jimmy Jack Stone. Stan
Dickson. Outstanding Line
man. son of Mr and Mrs
Royce Dickson, and Danny
Chnstenberry. Fighting Tiger
Award, son of Mr. and Mrs
F.nnu Christenberry.
Volleyball. Barbi McNeese.
Outstanding Player, daughter
of Mr and Mr* Bill McNeese;
Tennis, Allan Winfield, Out-
standing Male Player, son of
Mr and Mr* Charles Winfield;
Laura Stroud. Outstanding
Female Player, daughter of
Mr and Mr* J L Stroud.
Golf. Walter Sear*. Outstand
ing Player, son of Mr and Mr*
Walter Sear*, Sr . Basketball,
girls. Marcia Hare, (kitstend
ing Forward, daughter of Mr
and Mrs I H Hare. Jr.; Lil
Skinner. Outstanding Guard,
daughter of Carroll W
Peacock, boys, David Boyd,
Outstanding Offensive Player
with 14 point average per
game, son of Mr and Mrs Jack
Boyd, Lloyd Stone, Outstand
ing Defensive Player, son of
Mr and Mr* Jimmy Jack
Stone, Brad txiwry, (hitstand
ing R/bounder. with an
average of 20 per game, son of
Mr and Mr* Charlea Ixtwry;
• Track. Fannie McGill, Out-
standing Female Track Star,
granddaughter of Seresta
Trammell, Terry Easley. Out-
standing Male Track Star, son
of Mr and Mr* Billy F Easley
Basketball team managers
Bobby Dunlap and Cliff Evans
were also recognized by head
basketball coach, Mike
Ballard.
Elliott Notes Two Intangibles Needed To Win
students who would return to
Mi Vernon next year, "that If
there is anything you do. make
up your minds to be the very
best because the very best will
bang you many champions ."
The climax of the evening
came with the presentation of
award* to the outstanding
athlete* in each of the sports df
the high school athletic
program
The top hoixirs of overall
Outstanding Athlete, male and
female, went to Uoyd Jack
Slone, son of Mr and Mr*
Jimmy Jack Stone of Mt
818
right, are Murcia Hare.
Fannie McGill. Barbi Mc-
Neese. Liz Skinner; tland
ing, first row, Lloyd Stone.
Danny ( hristenberry, WaL,
ter Sear*. Jr„ David Boyd.
Bobby Dunlap: xeeond row
great person, friend, teacher
minister, husband, wife, coach
or allmighty God grab you by
Losses Reach $14,000 In House Fire
Mr* Cox stated that she had
had a fire extinguisher near by.
which she used to battle the
fire, as well as the outside
watering hoae Firemen com
pletcd the job within minutes
after arriving at the scene
Damage was confined to the
utility porch at the rear of the
home
donate their blixxi for use in
hospitals in this area
Robert A Fry, administra-
tive director of the center, and
Betty Hayes, who is in charge
Commissioners Ask For Tractor Bids
Company in the amount of
$84,530. '
The bond of Jearl Cooper,
director of the Franklin County
Water district, was presented
and approved by the court
The transfer of $4,825 from
Revenue Sharing funds to the
Precinct Four Road and Bridge
Fund for the purchase of . a
backhoe for that precinct was
approved
The payment of a bill in the
he had heard in the service
atxHjt a new land in ttw west,
Texas, w lie re the earth was
See CONFEDERATE Psge II
Property To Be Re-Evaluated
Rough estimate* of neces-
sary expenditure* for 1978
fiscal year indicate that the Ad
Valorem taxes will have to
generate $100,000
The cost of Mt Vernon
taxpayers will be decided after
the setting of the 1978 budget
Once re evaluation* are
recommended a board of
equalization will lx* appointed,
and public hearings will be held
in the matter to afford the
citizens an opportunity for
comment
Other business conducted by
the council included the
approval of the purchase ot a
Myers high velocity sewer
cleaner at a cost of $7,500 The
sewer cleaner, which uses
water pressure to clean lines,
will be purchased in three equal
payments
Authorization wax given for
City Manager Jack Perrin to
proceed with the renovation of
the city's storage facilities
which are located behind the
NETCO Store
Authorization was given for
lbs* transfer of $750 from the
General Fund to Fireman's
Pension Fund to cover the
expense* of pensions now being
See PROPERTIES Psge It
soil scientist
1 I
back home to Alabama He had
served in his uncle's place in
the war for the sum of $700
Confederate money He had
been lucky to return home
unscratched, but he had some
close calls
’ During one battle, Hitcheris
was hit by a cannon hall on the
right hip. kmx ked down and at
amount of $144 was approved to
R and T Contractors ft>r the
relocation of 120 feet of l11"
and 180 feet of 1‘2" PVC water
pipe along the right-of-way to
FM 3007. The pipe* lx*longs to
the South Franklin Water
Supply Corporation
The court adopted a
lution accepting the
application to the Criminal
Justice Department of COG to
See COMMISSIONERS Page 2
Confederate Veterans Typify Franklin County Settlers
remained sore for several days
What he found when he
arrived home in Alabama
made Hitchens remember talk
. J
of the Dallas Area Association
by any doctor through i
written, or telephoned request
to tlx* X ray department
The program has been
developed over a number of
year| and is well planned This
past year 54,368 film* were
taken. of that number 299 were
alerted to possible respiratory
disease. 125 alerted to possible
heart disease, and 158 were
alerted to the possibility of
tuberculosis
Providing the mobile unit is
jwt one part of the program
sponsored by the I-ung Associ
ation, your Christmas Seal
Agency
Several members of the ________
Rotary Club will be on hand to Oklahoma by Bo-Ag teacher
throughout the evening to assist Charlea Stretcher and M. 1.
the mobile Hall, retired
from Mt. Pls
' 1
L
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Bass, James T. Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 12, 1977, newspaper, May 12, 1977; Mount Vernon, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1295576/m1/1/?rotate=90: accessed June 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Franklin County Library.