The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1956 Page: 1 of 19
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Rockdale Reporter and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library.
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INSIDE iODAk
Woman's Pay®
Sports
Classified Ada
Personality
Editorials, Features
VOL. 84
THE ROCKDHLE REPORTER
20 PAGES TODAY
10c the Copy
Rockdale Messenger Established 1173
VM) MESSENGER
ROCKDALE. MILAM COUNTY. TEXAS. THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 2. 1956
Rockdale Reporter Established 1893
NO. 3
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FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH Here Ts the architect’s conception of how the new First Christian Church in Rockdale
will look. The church ts m final stages of a fund-raising campaign seeking $75,000, and plans call for completely remodel-
ing the present building into a new auditorium, removal of the old church school annex and buildim; a new educational
building as an integral part of the complete building. Auditorium seating space will be almost doubled, educational
plant will house 10 class rooms, a large fellowship hall, nursery, pastor's study, kitchen, ami rest rooms. The building
will be brick exterior, completely modern interiors, and air conditioned throughout. As the fund-raising canvass nears
completion the next step, committee members say, will be meeting with architects to perfect final plans and blueprints
before calling for bids.
iJanuary Building
Permits $61,500
W.H.C. i
Wonder Why?
£1) DU,PEN says he
other clay and it ina
of mo so he passcc
“There's one thing h
ignorance—it sure causes
interesting argurm nts."
■ad tins the*
c him think
it along:
be said for
lot of
He didn't explain
made him think of mi
ask him, I ain’t lhat ignorant.
Lions and Longevity
A
dinn* r the other night honoring
club founders, Clyde Franklin
pointed out that nht one of the
charter members' of the present
club has died in its sixteen years.
“I cannot guarantee that nieinbt r-
ship in a Lions Club will guarantee
you Immortality but it might be
worth while to try joining up just
in case,” Clyde said.
The Rockdale Lions Club is a
flourishing civic organization with
a membership of 60 and more "on
the way.” After sampling trio kind
of food they are exposed to, as a
guest Wednesday, I can under-
stand why their attendance is so
good.
The Lions Club has had its ups
and downs in Rockdale, and cer-
tainly is at its peak right now.
Actually, the original Lions Club
was organized here back in 1923
or 1924, according to M N. Striek-
er who was one of ti ■■ eh.urtei
members of this club Reporter
files of 1926 ti II of a ladies : ,giit
dinner for the three-year-old club.
This original Lions Club later
(hanged into a Bonehead Club, and
still later this club disbanded. Th*.
original Lions Club was respon-
sible for bringing natural gas to
Rockdale, and the IJoncheadcrs
had a lot to do with Rockdale get-
ting concrete paved streets in 1929.
There followed a pe: iod in which
Rockdale floundered along without
the services of r. luncheon *
but a Lions Club was organized
again in 1936. as Clyde Franklin
told the club the other night It
later fizzled out. hut in 1941 a
See RAMBLINCS. page 7
( spite one dozen building per-
5, including seven new resi-
les. Rockd.de got off to a slow
t in 1956 compared to 1955.
I Total building permits issued by
I Building Inspector Leo Ogeri were
just why it | $61,500, compared to $67,650 12
and 1 didn't months ago. Og* a also issued 15
plumbing permits and 15 electrical
permits.
Permits issi
Hal*
Coif.eld Co
Lot 19, block
i,o,v residenci
during
istruction Company,
. Hi Merest Addition,
for sale.
NO SCHOOL
HERE FRIDAY
There v\ ill tie no school in
l*»“kdale Friday, according to
Superintendent J. M. Moor-
man.
Ilad weather forced post-
ponement of school. Moorman
said. School will resume
Monday.
Collield Construction Company,
lot 16. block 1. Hillcrest Addition,
new residence for sale.
Charles E. McGregor, lot 16,
block 4. Hamilton Rasberry Addi-
tion. new residence for himself.
Barnes-Jones Construction Com-
pany, lot 6. Eieseler Addition, j,ew
residence l'or sale. t
{ Billy Haelbig. 613 Wilcox, build
January garoge.
) A C. Towery. Belton .md Col-
lege. remodel house.
| Barnes-Join s Construction Com-
; puny, lot 3, block 5, Meadowbrook
j Addition, new residence fen Dr.
I M. < >. Slaughter.
| Newton and Luckey. lot 6. Fies-
| ier Addition, new residence for
IA Rornhocfer.
j Cecil Pratt, r< model Perry's
I)i ug Store
Duplex Advertising Company,
erect sign West Cameron.
Cameron Roofing Company, lot
5, block 4, Meadowbrook Addi-
tion, new residence for sale.
Frank Weng* r, moving and re-
pair barn.
Crane Resigns
As City Judge
i . (1 Cr.ane. justice of the i care,
has r. signed as city judge and
; tin . pah h« r, «-ft« dive
Feb 1. ucording to N. K. Alford,
city m anagt r-.x cn t;»ry.
Alf, nl said the city council will
have 'o tiike arti .\i to fill the
vacancy. Alford said Crane told
iiitri his resignation was tendered
on advice of doctors.
Bank Examiners on
Routine Check Here
!vn.,miners f,»: the State Bank-
ing Commission and the Federal
Deposit Insurance Commission
: pent tiiree days in Rockdale
State Hank this week making their
routine semi-annual examination.
City Directory
Reflects City's
Steady Growth
A re’used city director;i the sec-
ond such issue in six months, is
I being distributed this week and
next by the Rockdale Chamber of
Commerce.
The direct tv reflects some of
the city’s continued growth for it
has one more page than the Julv.
1955, issue and has nearly 15(mi
individual listings, abo an in-
•reuse.
All Rockdale business houses
will receive otic copy of the direct-
ory. Additional copies may be se-
cured at no charge at the chamber
office. Mrs. Dale Bri/wn, chamber
secretary, said the tirst printing
was 140 copies, and the demand
necessitated a second i rinting.
Mrs. Brown said about two
week's work went into the direct-
ory Listings ware chocked
through all utility companies, till1
telephone directory and water con
no< lions Stic said most businesses,
plus rn .'st heads of households, are
listed.
Alcoa Expansion
5 Weeks Ahead
j PITTS Ml.' R( I. PA Feb 2 -ATum-
| inum Company of America has bc-
j gun pro. ait tion fiv* wieks ahead
j of schedule on curr* nt Texas
smelting capacity expansion.
Already in production are ex-
panded potroom facilities at Point
I Comfort, while the first of two
n< w I'otlines at Rockdale is sehed-
{ uled t( begin operation by
j March l
1 The new production partially
| >".ff ■"( *s r< ,u< * ■ I 11:• t.ii .hit put at t .
j Company's Alcoa, 'lYnn , smelter,
and make up in small part for sub-
stanti ill> curtailed imports from
Canadian sources. Iri both areas
hydroelectric power shortages, due
eondit ion:
smelt i nt
> >r< ■
pr
Tex a:
d t.
; to nr ought
j ti rnpuniry
i cut hacks.
Construction ot t!
iti' : is iieing ru in
I nation's inert «c mg
: aluminum, tiie Com)
When complete,
| will boost Rockd.uk
' 50,OOP tons of ; rim.
annually and that of Point Com-
fort by 25,(i00 tons. The increase
K pr. vents more than four per cent
of i:t55 C S nhiminum I'I'.kui' tu n
Alena smelting capacity m the
Pacific Northwest meanwhile is
C mg increased by Il.OnO tons an-
nually at 1' e Company's Wt nut-
: diet arid Vanrouvt r. Wash . plan*
Snow, Sleet Forecast Here;
Freezing Temperatures Due
Sad Weather
Elam? in
Auto Wrecks
M
Vi
mt.
A f..«g d-up w
blamed for causing
lisio.a at 3:30 p. m
the Bt il -San < Jabr
No one was iuu t
There were three wrecks re-
ported Friday. At 12:58 a. m. a car
turned over on the old Alcoa road,
injuring no one. At 8:3(1 a. m two
cars collided ul tlic (in • 1 S.
Andres inti t r md t 6:35
p. m. a wrt'ck occurred between
Main and Ackerman streets dow n-
town.
The only other wreck m Rock-
dak tins wt ek was a car running
into a ditch <ui San Gabriel street
about (i j). ru. Monday.
Groundhogs,
Humsns Slay
Inside Today
Te
ns
us ;hw! i umum. abf«»-
o t day while winter
maker punch to throw'
and Central Texas
Groundhog Day, the
ic little animal is sup-
recast continued cold
.. sees h s shadow,
rc no shadows ca t in
nl.iy as the city pre-
ie bitterest b.te of the
natures .stood at 30
■ morning and were
Uidl.v vv as seeon
Cily Awards
$48,507 Contraci
On Wafer Plan! ____________
.......... ....... ........
awarded a $48.:»07 contract to John
Meents Construction Companv of
San Antonio to build the citv wa-
ter filtration plant
The council's a.tion came on
net r 1 )ave Williams of Austin, who
said his past experience w;th
Meents has been "very satisfac-
tory.” Willi; ms estimated wo*k
will begin in four weeks end be ®
completed iy mid-June j LOSIXd FK’JHT-—Frank Dymke was one of many Rockdale
volunteer firemen who waged a losing battle against a fire
Friday in the home of the Richard Williams family on East
Third. This picture was made soon after the fire broke out
Rock da It v. and while firemen were still getting good water pressure,
t v. is not A short time later the water pressure failed for several
minutes and firemen had to stand by helplessly and watch
flam* . totally consume the house. A family of five negroes
lost all its pos ess ions in the blaze. (Reporter staff photo).
FIRE DESTROYS HOME OF*
ROCKDALE NEGRO FAMILY
Fire destroyed the 1 -mv. ar d alt Fire chief Johnny Weed declared
belongings of a family of fivt the house a “total loss." Firemen's
Rockdale negroes Friday a fit r- efforts win hampered by a steady
noon. wind and bv lack of water pres-
R rhFirri W'finms*. owner of the sure. Eventually two fire trucks
house on Fast Third Strec*. sand were in service and hose was
he did rmt know how the fin -'’rung m veral blocks away to a
dug before sufficient water ntts-
Meents’ I
low of The - x
this mm 'tire.' R
submitted by (
tion Comj • v
not accented Ik
('o
.260
iuse John
(5 i.'onai: v-
Ai>
M
S' * ii ta v N
F A!
Pro T
W P 1! i
his vv
ihor*
I Weather bureaus in Central
Texas forecast sleet, snow and
I freezing rain for tonight. High-
i ways were already dangerous, and
I uithorities advised us little traf-
fic as possible.
! Th> snow-sleet-ice problem w.u
i. xp' e'ed to dimmish daily Friday,
| but temperatures arc expected to
j continue falling Friday.
| Rainfall in Rockdale this week
i totaled .74 of an inch, including
■ 09 of an inch Tuesday, .45 of an
i inch Wednesday and .20 of an inch
| Wednesday night.
Weather observer W. C. Marrs
| said total rainfall this year is 3.24
I inches. He added that the way the
moisture has fallen most of it will
furnish sub-soil moisture.
This cold front, sweeping down
from the Pannandle and upper
Tex ;S plains, probably will bring
Rockdale its coldest weather of
the vv inter. Low recorded so far
this season was a pair of 25s.
Today’s freezing weather was
part of a cold front extending from
Springfield. Mo., to Needles, Ariz.,
Weather forecasters said another
i front is - xpected about 24
hours later, possibly bringing more
t tic r m r.nn. *fa>w or
Low overnight temperature was
sever, degrees at Amarillo, where
there was also snow. An early-
morning television weather report
said the low in Central Texas was
31 at Waco.
The frigid front striking Rock-
| dido was particularly bitter be-
: cause it followed a balmy week-
J end of near-shirtsleeve weather.
Hign Temperature the past week,
| .as reported by Marrs. w’as 77 de-
j gee* > both Saturday and Sunday,
Late Sunday the cold began
j inching in, and by Monday tomp-
! •matures wore freezing. The rain
Tuesday and Wednesday brought
a slight warmup, but the cold
' front landed with both feet this
morning and Rockdalians pro-
cured to weather the storm.
Mrs. Birdie While
Named Manager
Ai Culpepper's
s t .
Wj
Jc
W.
r
l at the house. A neig'n-
red the fire about 1:20
Mi
Band Boosters in
Membership Drive
Poslal Receipts
TotalS3969
Birdie White has been
d manager of Culpepper's
t y in Rockdale. She will re-
Mr.'. Larry Ixnve, who will
Rockdale late in February.
Lowe will remain at tho
* ■ .‘dp Mrs White become
?>lrs White is e.xper-
i iri j* vva !rv and gift store
and sht i a- reeentjy bv' n
\v( d in the gift department
in m T
1955,
V> ithm a 4 '-u mute period Sat- | di
urd.av afternoon the Band Boosters m
Club will conduct an intense mem- di
hi ! hi; campaign
The high school hand will give ; ;t:
Frank!
Tav I
lor store*
Wh
it* 's hu
vb
rind.
O. L.
iperinten
fit. <
*f Cen-
Mil
1 at Tim
rn
dale
Thcv
rent>
I of tie
nc
■ White of
The Wm
tr:
wi
ill cun-
in TavI;
but
plan t j
> Utv
L.kd;»te st
>on.
IHiro
thy Sildt
n
will
remain
a’Ctilpei
PP
• r's.
She is
■ if t
\ ria cer Si
.1(1
ion a
T Rock
as w .rk*
in t
■ - 0.1-
IT
*\ f
One Grass Fire
Reported in Week
New Awning Added
To Perry's Drugs
‘ . “line time and was
i; t manager fur Mon-
v Wm 1 at Palestine.
Lowe lias bun vvitn the
pi r store '-incc it ouened
1954. Hr r husband recently
d his job h chief storekeep-
h Alt a’s Rockdale Works
me purchasing agent for the
So* CVLPKI’PER., page 7
THE WFATHER
Money Still Coming In for
Rockdale March of Dimes
L.
wm' r u
fUU
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Cooke, W. H. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1956, newspaper, February 2, 1956; Rockdale, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth694332/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library.