FIFTY & 100 YEARS AGO CONTINUED
Tuesday, Dec. 26, 1971 Former President Harry Truman dies
Harry S. Truman died today, conquered finally by the infirmities of his 88 years.
President Nixon led the mourning for the nation’s 33rd president, calling him “a fighter who is best when the going was toughest.” The president also proclaimed Thursday a day of national mourning and ordered flags at federal buildings flown at half staff for 30 days.
Lyndon B. Johnson, now the only surviving former president, lamented the passing of “a 20th century giant.”
Truman’s wife of 53 years, and his daughter who saw him for a final 20 minutes on Christmas Day, were at home and nearby Independence, Missouri, when death came at 7:50 a.m. CST.
In accordance with Truman’s wishes, the funeral Thursday will be without the panoply accorded other great statesmen.
He will be buried Thursday at 4:00 p.m. EST in the courtyard of the Harry S. Truman Memorial Library, Truman’s proudest achievement in the 20 years since he left the White House.
Truman was the last of the great World War II figures, preceded in death by Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin.
He was the president who set the United States against global communism in the Cold War that followed World War II. He ordered use of the atomic bomb to end World War II, extended unprecedented help to nations resisting Soviet domination, and ordered troops into Korea when communists began their invasion of the south.
Truman entered Research Hospital three weeks ago — after fighting lung congestion at home for two weeks — and had been in a coma since early Saturday. Earlier in his hospitalization he appeared to be rallying, but the combination of respiratory problems, hardened arteries and kidney disease were too much for the old man.
In recent years he had appeared frail and drawn, his way down from a presidential 170 pounds. He long ago abandoned his lifelong predilection for long, fast early morning walks, but made almost daily excursions on shopping trips with his wife, Bess, herself 87.
Mrs. Truman received the sad news by telephone. A family spokesman, Randall Jesse, said she received it “with the same fortitude and calmness with which she has faced all of this.”
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 1972 Pilot Club has holiday party
The annual Christmas party for the Pilot Club was held at the Boys’ Club, and a steak dinner was served to Pilot members husbands’ and guests.
Mrs. Ruby Bagwell, president, conducted a brief business meeting.
The Boys’ Club choir, under the direction of Robert Jones, presented a program of Christmas songs. Following the program, cookies and other refreshments were served to the choir.
Friday, Dec. 29, 1972
Springers, Model make it to finals in holiday tourney
A surprising Model team continued to surprise foes Thursday night in the semi-final round of the 13th Annual Cave Spring Tournament, but the Devilettes will be severely tested in tonight’s final.
In that contest, the troops of Coach Sherry Gatlin will collide with favored and once-beaten Cave Spring for the championship. That game will get underway at 8:30 p.m. following the consolation battle between Rockmart and West Rome.
At the semifinal contest Model came up with a 43-29 decision over West Rome, a team that had beaten the Devilettes earlier in the season. Meanwhile Cave Spring and Rockmart played in a low-scoring contest with the host club coming out on top by a 31-23 margin.
The Model-West Rome battle was a thriller to the final seconds as the two teams stayed close in a scoring duel between Pam Bishop and Marie Mercer kept the crowd in an uproar.
Bishop went out and the battle with 19 points as she played the doubles to the victory, while Mercer finished up with 18 counters for the night. The duo were the only players to hit in double figures in the game.
Model started out on top and remained in that position throughout the contest, but the lead stayed within striking range for the Chieftainettes. The Devilettes won the first period battle by a single point 11-10, while taking honors in the second seven-minute period for a 21-18 halftime advantage.
In the third period, both teams had trouble scoring and West Rome picked up a point to close the gap to 24-22. Model came back to outscore West Rome in the final frame by two for the final margin.
100 years ago as presented in the December 1922 editions of the Rome TribuneHerald
Prohibition enforcement agents in the South are cleaning out moonshine liquor in great quantities, they asserted, as the apex of the drive on Christmas rum began to near.
The largest illicit still ever taken by prohibition agents was rated near White Springs, Ga., in swampland where the agents found one of 1,442 gallons capacity running full blast. In this raid contraband valued at more than $4,000 was taken, and the agents declared they had found evidence implicating a number of prominent Meriwether County citizens and a syndicate of moonshiners.
--The little son of J. B. Sullivan of Rome, will have a happy Christmas this year.
He walked into Salvation Army headquarters and presented Captain Horgan with a sock containing 364 pennies, saying he has saved them this year and wanted to help some poor children who would otherwise have no Christmas. The boy also brought a sweater as his gift to the poor and Captain Horgan will see that deserving people get the little fellow’s donations.
--Mrs. Catherine Hillyer Conerat, a niece of Judge Junius Hillyer, of this city, has been greatly honored by being selected Queen of the elaborate Christmas pageant to be given at the Atlanta auditorium. A committee composed of representatives from the federated clubs of the city named the Queen.
Mrs. Conerat is the perfect Madonna-type and is considered one of the most beautiful women in Atlanta. She is prominent in religious and educational circles.