The Press-Dispatch
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B-10 Wednesday, June 24, 2020 The Press-Dispatch HISTORY Submit history photos: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Source: www.history.com • Photo source: Humanities 4 The Classroom Wednesday, June 24 • Jacqueline Bouvier and Senator John F. Kennedy announce engagement (1953) • Air Force releases a report dismissing claims of an UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico (1997) Thursday, June 25 • Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) • Korean War begins (1950) Friday, June 26 • Sonny and Cher's divorce becomes final (1975) • U.S. begins Berlin Airlift (1948) Saturday, June 27 • Germans get Enigma (1940) • Route 66 decertified (1985) Sunday, June 28 • Archduke Ferdinand assassinated (1914) • Bald Eagle removed from list of threatened species (2007) Monday, June 29 • U.S. space shuttle docks with Russian space station (1995) • Academy Award-winning actress Katharine Hepburn dies at age 96 (2003) Tuesday, June 30 • "Gone with the Wind" published (1936) • Sandy Koufax pitches first no-hitter (1962) Spurgeon class of 1932—as freshmen Spurgeon class of 1932 photo, taken when they were freshmen in 1928. In row one are Harold Mason, Glenn Dougan, Welsie Curry, and Elwood Ashby. In row two are Nellie Dyer, Ina Jean Mason, unknown, Gladys Dougan, Helen Dougan, Victor Tyring, and Orace Ferguson. Row three includes Fern Mason, Elzo- ra Shaw, Arvel Harkness, Hancel Ferguson, Margaret Julian, Sanford Sanders (teacher), Opal Couts, Glen Brewster, Helen Roettger, and Onis Chapman. The photo was submitted by Don and Annetta Parke of Newburgh. SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Petersburg Press Friday and Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Feb. 20, 1945 Burglars entered three Petersburg business hous- es Tuesday and escaped with several hundred dollars in cash and checks and then entered a business house at Ireland to add over a hun- dred dollars to their loot. Checks and cash were tak- en from a garage on South Fifth street. Entrance to the garage was gained by break- ing a window and unlocking the office door. The burglars forced the safe where they found the cash and checks. They also broke into the Pete Shafer service and took a small amount of merchan- dise. The burglars are then believed to have gone to the Farm Bureau office at main and first street, where they entered by breaking a win- dow, and knocked the com- bination off the safe door. The Bartley Brothers gen- eral merchandise and poul- try store at Ireland also was broken into and $128 in coins and currency was tak- en from the safe. Also sto- len was a bank draft issued to Gilbert Armstrong on the Guarantee Trust com- pany of New York for $ 944, which had been signed. State police are assisting city and county officers in the hunt for the burglars. A fingerprint expert has been sent for to examine finger- prints left on the Farm Bu- reau safe. Petersburg and the sur- rounding community were shocked Saturday morn- ing on learning that Wil- liam Boberg, photogra- pher and friends of all, had committed suicide with cy- anide gas which he kept on hand for use in his work. In his usual thoughtful way, Mr. Boberg had carefully tacked a sign on the outer door reading, "Poison Gas. Do Not Enter." Henry Ber- ry and Margaret Stafford, who worked for Mr. Bo- berg, made the discovery when they went to work at 7:30 Saturday morning. It was they who called the police for help. Mr. Boberg had been ill, but went about his work in such a way that few knew how much he suffered. He had fallen on ice earlier this past winter and broken his collar bone, which in someway prevent- ed the nerves in his left hand from working prop- erly. Little is known of Mr. Boberg's family of life be- fore coming to Petersburg. He had come from Bicknell some 15 years ago, at which time he entered the photo- graphic business in Peters- burg. He was 64 years old at the time of his passing. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. William Scott, of Peters- burg, a girl, Glenna Fay, born Saturday, in the Da- viess County Hospital; To Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Sand- ers, a boy, born Saturday in the Daviess County hos- pital. Marriages: Miss Betty Jo and Mr. Elvis R. Gross were married Saturday Evening, at 6:30 o'clock, at the home of the bride's parents. Deaths: Mrs. Mary J. Robinson, 85, of Peters- burg, died on Friday, at 8:25 p.m., in the Good Sa- maritan hospital, in Vin- cennes; Margaret Caroline Hale, 60 died Sunday eve- ning, at 6:30, in her home. SIXTY YEARS AGO The Pike County Dispatch Thursday, May 19 1960 A new book, "Principles of Human Pathology," was presented to the library by Dr. Edward B. Smith, of In- dianapolis, formerly of Pe- tersburg. Dr. Smith, with Dr. Frank Veelios and Dr. M. Schulz, are pathologists at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indi- anapolis. It is a comprehen- sive study and textbook on pathology, one of the most interesting and vital fields of medicine. The book is available to all who wish to read it and is especially a treasured volume because of Dr. Smith's love and in- terest in Petersburg, and its library and people. Lloyd Hawbaker, manag- er of the Index in Peters- burg, was purring around Friday evening about the number of persons who brought in black cats to take part in the Black Cats Days contest held at the In- dex. Mr. Hawbaker adver- tised that if anyone had a black cat, they could bring it into the store between 2 and 5 p.m. Friday and weigh it. The owner of the heaviest cat received $10 in merchandise. The cats brought in weighed from five pounds, six ounces to nine pounds, 14 ounc- es. The nearly ten pound- er was owned by Gladys Barnett, of Rural Route Two, Winslow. The second heaviest cat was owned by Gene Burger of Petersburg and weighed nine pounds and ten ounces. Deaths: Ella Wagner, 76, of Petersburg, died Fri- day evening, at 6:30 p.m., in the Colvin Nursing Home, in Washington; Della Gray, 90, of Otwell, died Sunday, at 10 :45 p.m., at the family residence. FIFTY YEARS AGO The Press-Dispatch Thursday, June 4, 1970 Season's first horse show of the Pike County Saddle Club will be presented on Saturday, June 6, at 6:30 p.m., rain or shine. It will be held at the club grounds one mile west off highway 61, between Petersburg and Winslow. This show is open to everyone, either as a spectator or exhibitor. There will be a trophy and five ribbons in each class, and the first place winner in one class will not be eli- gible for a trophy in anoth- er class. This will assure more trophy winners, and since the entry fee for each is class is only 50 cents, it will be easy to enter as ma- ny classes as is desired. The admission is only 50 cents (children under 12 free) for a whole evening's entertainment and fun. Sandwiches and drinks and other treats will be served starting before the show. The purpose of the house shows is to promote healthful and enjoyable out- door recreation for the peo- ple of the community. Ev- eryone is cordially invited to come and participate as a spectator or exhibitor and join in the fun and excite- ment. Pike County School Corporation will again of- fer swimming lessons and use of the Youngs pool to all children of the county in the summer recreation- al program. Swimming pro- gram begins Tuesday, June 9. Transportation will be available for most children living outside Petersburg. On Tuesdays and Thurs- days a school bus will pick up children in Otwell and leave for the pool at 12:30. The bus will stop in Algiers on its way to the pool. Chil- dren from the Velpen area may board the bus in Ot- well. On Wednesdays and Fridays children will be picked up in Winslow at 12:30. Stendal, Spurgeon and other children in this area may board this bus. Petersburg children will be divided into two groups and will be included in each day's lesson along with chil- dren bused in from outlay- ing areas. There will be no charge for transportation. There will be a charge of 25 cents for the pool. School recreational program will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on those days. On Saturday there will be a "Swim and Stay Fit" program from 12:340 to 1. The pool will then be open to the public from 1 until 8 p.m. On Monday the pool will be closed all day. Deaths: Sherman T. White, 69, of Washing- ton, died Monday, June 1, in the Daviess Coun- ty Hospital; Charles Sulli- van, 78, of Hazelton, died at 3 a.m., Tuesday, in the Good Samaritan hospital, in Vincennes;Charles M. Limp, 77, of Petersburg, died, Wednesday, May 27, at 8 p.m., at his home; Bronice Abbott, 41, died on Tuesday, June 2, at 9 a.m., in the Welborn Memorial Baptist hospital. TWENTY- FIVE YEARS The Press-Dispatch Thursday, May 18, 1995 A Petersburg man was ar- rested Thursday in Peters- burg after he shot a .22 cal- iber bullet into the driver's side window of Fred Groves auto, according to police. Hector J. Willis, 75, of 201 S. Walnut St., was charged with criminal recklessness, according to Indiana State Police Detective Mike Hil- debrand. According to po- lice reports, Groves and sev- eral friends had been work- ing on a van at a house next door to Willis'. Groves told police they were sitting on a picnic table resting, when Willis came out of his house and started pointing a gun at them. Groves, 30, said he got in his truck and attempted to leave the scene. As he was backing onto Second St., Wil- lis fired a shot into the driv- er's side window of Groves' car, according to Hildebrand. The bullet did not hit Groves, but it shattered the window and glass fragments cut his face. Neighbors called police and several police agencies, including Indiana State Po- lice, Petersburg Police and Pike County Sheriff's Dep- uties responded and arrest- ed Willis at the scene with- out incident. Hildebrand said they are not sure what precip- itated the incident. He said, according to the witnesses, Willis had just gotten home, went into his house, got a gun and came outside and began pointing it at the group. Hil- debrand said there had been problems the week prior to Thursday, but there was no altercation or signs of trou- ble on Thursday night. The shooting took place at about 8:20 p.m. Thursday on Wal- nut St. The Indiana Appellate Court upheld a decision re- quiring Pike County to re- hire former coach and teach- er Jed Beadles. Beadles was one of two teachers whose contracts were cancelled due to a reduction in force (RIF) in June 1991. He then filed suit against the school corporation, claiming he had not been released pri- or to a deadline by which teachers had to be given notice. Beadles and 13 oth- er teachers signed a waiv- er to the May 15 deadline as the school corporation wait- ed to see what implications the state budget would have on their budget. In 1991, the state was going to re- duce funding from a pro- jected increase of eight per- cent to an increase of only three or four percent. The Pike County School Cor- poration notified 11 teach- ers they were at risk and asked them to sign a waiv- er. All of the teachers, in- cluding Beadles, signed the first waiver. When the waiv- er expired and the state had not set its budget, the cor- poration asked teachers to sign another waiver. All ex- cept Beadles signed it. This forced the school board to "consider his status." In the May 28 meeting, it was moved and seconded to can- cel his contract, but the sec- ond was rescinded. School board members were told that they were not required to vote, but they were only required to consider it with- in the time frame. The court ruled in favor of Beadles and ordered that the corporation reinstate him to his teaching position and give him back pay. School board attorney Val Fleig said the school is petitioning to have the case transferred to the Indiana Supreme Court. Fleig said the Supreme Court has yet to decide to hear the case. If the Supreme Court hears the school's case, it would have to overturn the Circuit Court decision for Beadles' status to be changed. Or it could decide to hear the case and then uphold the lower court's decision. Births: To Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Merter, Jr., of Otwell, a girl, Miranda Marie, born on May 4, in the Daviess County hospital, in Wash- ington. Deaths: Jack L. Miley, 64, of Petersburg, died Thurs- day, May 11, at 7:30 p.m., in his home; Beatrice Brenton, 68, of Petersburg, died Sun- day, May 14, at her home; Elwood Jones, 82, of Law- renceville, died Monday, May 8, in United Method- ist Village, in Lawrencev- ille; Venise Yolande de Sou- za, 75, of Lawrenceville,