DISCLAIMER: Echoes of the Past is printed as it originally appeared, including typos.
1923 – 100 Years Ago
Our Drinking Water
The Pocahontas Times says “In Squire Smith’s court a fine of $100 and $3.30 costs was imposed on the Marlinton tannery for allowing lime to enter Greenbrier River whereby some fish were destroyed.” We are inclined more and more to accept the theory that this periodical pollution of the drinking supply of thousands of people, is merely a cheap avoidance of the installation of more expensive means of disposal.
Read The History
Those who are inclined to be dubious over the continued existence of this Republic should review its history for the past century and a half. They will find a score of occasions when the outlook was far more menacing than it is today, yet the United States lived through them all and continued its rapid rise to wealth and prosperity.
Teacher’s Institute Resolution
Among the resolutions adopted by the Greenbrier County Teachers’ Institute were “we discourage the use of tobacco in any form among our teachers, especially the smoking of cigarettes; a hot lunch should be served in every school and that every school should have a Four H Club; and that athletics should take on more the nature of physical training for the entire student body. Games requiring only a few players should be replaced by games permitting many to play.”
1948 – 75 Years Ago
Day Of Mourning
Ninety-nine Protestant clergymen propose that the nation observe August 22 as a ”day of mourning and repentance” in a protest against the draft. The date is a week before youths 18 through 24 begin registering under the peacetime draft law.
President Get Something He Didn’t Ask For
President Truman’s bantam session of Congress adjourned Saturday night, with Senator Ferguson of Michigan raising the question of impeachment of the President in order that Congress might obtain files of papers relating to disloyal characters still in the government servicer.
Eisenhower Reproved
Representative John E. Rankin, Mississippi Democrat, said at Tupelo, Mississippi., that General Dwight D. Eisenhower ought to help the House Committee on Un-American Activities in “exposing the Communist spy ring” in the United States, instead of criticizing it.
1973 – 50 Years Ago
Nixon Says He Is Innocent
President Nixon said Wednesday night it is the “simple truth” that he is innocent of guilt in the Watergate affair. He suggested Senate investigators help solve the country’s problems instead of trying to put the blame for the scandal on him.
Pat Boone, Family
Miss Tiffany Dior Becker of Tazewell, Virginia was the first to collect an autograph from the famed Pat Boone following the Boone Family appearance Sunday afternoon at the West Virginia State Fair. Mrs. Boone stands at the center with the couple’s four daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Boone wore lavender outfits and the girls were in pastel shades of pink, green, blue and yellow.
Indictment Is Expected
Time magazine reports that a federal grand jury, acting on reinforced allegations he received kickbacks on government contracts, is expected to indict Vice President Spiro T. Agnew next month.
1998 – 25 Years Ago
Alabama Returns To State Fair For Encore Performance
A perennial State Fair favorite, the legendary country band Alabama makes an encore appearance on the grandstand stage after a sell-out performance at last year’s exposition. With a recording career that has spanned two decades, produced 40 #1 hits and some 55 million albums sold, it is obvious that Alabama will continue to dazzle and delight music fans for years to come.
Visitors Enjoy The State ‘Fare’
Visitors to the West Virginia State Fair have many opportunities to stop and refuel throughout the day at the numerous food stands, booths, and restaurant style buildings located on the fairgrounds. The Greenbrier East Chapter of Future Farmers of America is one such group. They have been operating a ham stand at the fair since 1969, when advisors at East were given the chance to purchase it. Before that, different schools within the same FFA organization took turns running the stand on different days.
McBride Resigns
The Associated Press reported over the weekend that embattled politician Jon McBride has resigned his appointed post as the state’s liaison in Washington, D.C. Governor Underwood had appointed the 55-year-old McBride to the $60,000 per year post in May. In his resignation, McBride reportedly cited the domestic battery charge filed against him in Greenbrier County.
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