50 and 100 Years Ago.
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 1969
Covington, Logan supply power in Rome American’s 8-3 victory
Rome American used a pair of home runs – one to tie the game in the sixth and another to win it in the eighth – to soar past Cook County, 8-3, and advance to the second round of the Georgia State 9-12 baseball tournament at Adel.
The Romans are scheduled to go against Fitzgerald at 6:30 p.m. today. Fitzgerald edged Albany, 6-5, in its opening encounter last night.
David Covington delivered the big blow for Rome Monday night when he blasted a grand slam homer in the eighth inning. Rome and Cook County had gone into the inning locked in a 3-3 tie.
Earlier, Ray Logan smashed a two-run homer to enable the Romans to tie the game at 3-3.
Cook County teed off early on Rome starter Terry Clements, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Rome American came back with a singleton in the fourth and then pulled even on Logan’s blast.
Ray Donaldson, who came on in relief in the fifth, received credit for the victory.
In the meantime, one Rome team advanced and another was eliminated last night in the first round of the Georgia State Women’s slow-pitch softball tournament in Rome.
Lite Rite of Rome, defending state titlist, posted an impressive 5-0 shutout win over Rockdale County, while Cox Shell Service of Macon pounded out a 22-6 victory over J. Finley Wilson Elks of Rome.
Thirteen teams are entered in the tournament and play continues throughout the week.
Lite Rite scored four runs in the first and a singleton in the third to defeat Rockdale County with little difficulty. Ann Peery got two hits to pace the winners while Martha Regan and Wilda Capp had two hits apiece for Rockdale.
The Macon girls started off with four runs in the first frame and continued to pour on the coal to easily win over the Romans.
Sharon Jones got three hits, while Joan Gary, Carolyn Ross and Linda Crowder had two apiece for the winners. Bailey and Stallings had three hits for the Romans. Thursday, Aug. 21, 1969 ‘Gift-Pac’ marathon for Vietnam
Although the public eye is now on the United States’ Gulf Coast where Hurricane Camille wreaked her destruction and death, another area of need – Vietnam – has not been forgotten.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor Sunday a radio marathon for pledges for Vietnam Gift-Pacs.
Phones will be manned at Rome radio station WRGA from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Seven volunteers will answer phones and take pledges.
Gift-Pacs, which cost $5 and $6, contain 28 personal items which will be sent to troops on the battle lines in Vietnam. The items include such things as first aid cream, medicated powders, instant lemonade, writing tablets, self-seal envelopes, pens, razor blades, playing cards, tooth brushes and toothpaste and lighter flints.
Mrs. Irene Traylor of Berry College, is the Rome marathon chairman.
Pledge phones will be manned in 140 cities throughout the country. A number of well-known motion picture and television stars will donate their time to providing entertainment for the marathon. They include Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Pat Boone, Johnny Carson, Bing Crosby, Phyllis Diller, Glenn Ford, Arthur Godfrey, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, Danny Thomas and Andy Williams.
Friday, Aug. 22, 1969 Friends mourn death of flying grandmother
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) – Zaddie R. Bunker was 65 when she decided she’d rather sit in the cockpit of a plane than baby-sit her grandchildren. So that’s what she did.
Now this desert community is mourning the death of Mrs. Bunker, a legendary figure among women pilots. Death came Thursday- just a week before her 82nd birthday and preceded by these achievements:
Learned to fly at 65; flew solo back and forth across the continent at 66; earned her multiengine license at 68 and flew faster than sound at 73.
On winning her multiengine pilot’s license at Teterboro, N.J., she commented: “Why did I learn to fly at 65? Because it’s fun.”
Of her cross-country jaunt, she told a newsman: “I’ve been driving for 45 years, but if I had to make this trip by automobile I don’t think I could have done it. Motoring just isn’t safe enough.”
In breaking the sound barrier, Zaddie piloted an Air Force F100 Super Sabre jet with Lt. Col. Robinson Risner as copilot.
100 years ago
as presented in the August 1919 editions of the Rome TribuneHerald
The “government’s grocery store” saw a success of the business of $190 on its first day. Ten orders aggregating this amount were sent in by Postmaster King to Atlanta headquarters. Two of the 10 orders came from a rural route. Mr. King considers this is satisfactory start and anticipates a larger demand as time goes on for the various canned meats and other articles being marketed through the post office.
The postmaster says he has received a number of queries as to blankets on sale through the post office department. As yet the local office knows nothing officially of this. Yesterday was a day when the thoughts of most people were far from blankets, but a number of thrifty people wanted to buy them and be prepared for winter.
Associated Press dispatches in reference to the matter stated that the method of dispersal of blankets had not been fully determined upon.
--The fire department answered a call to the Strand Theatre, where it found that a reel of film had caught on fire. A large crowd quickly gathered, as the theater where is the heart of the business section of Rome.
Manager Lam stated to a reporter of the TribuneHerald that the fire started when Harris Broom, an operator, was changing the reels, and on account of having a cut hand, let the film come in contact with one of the projecting lanterns, causing the quickly ignitable reel to catch fire, the Broom boy suffering a badly burned hand. The patrons at the time of the show, Mr. Lam stated, retired in an orderly manner and very little damage was done to the theater, as the fire was mostly confined to the fireproof projecting room. The entire damage was negligible outside the burning of the reel and the show will be opened at the regular hour today.