MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1993
More than two years after announcing plans to aircondition most city schools, school officials said Monday that they still don’t have money to complete the project. Only 28 schools have been air-conditioned since the announcement in July 1991. It’s difficult to determine how many schools lack full air-conditioning because different numbers are shown on different reports. The school system is operating on an abbreviated schedule again today because of hot weather which poses problems for schools without full air-conditioning.
50 years ago — 1968
The State Highway Department will take bids in Nashville on Sept. 27 on a project to nearly double the width of Poplar Avenue in Memphis from White Station Road to Interstate 240. G.R. Champion, the department’s construction engineer, said the job, which is expected to cost $251,000, will widen Poplar from 36 feet to 72 feet, from curb to curb, including a two-foot median strip. When complete, that stretch of Poplar will have three 11-foot traffic lanes on each side. It is estimated the project will be finished in 150 working days.
75 years ago — 1943
The population of Shelby County is 420,000, Mayor Walter Chandler declared yesterday. He was disputing a new estimate by the Census Bureau in Washington which placed the figure at 383,078 on the basis of registrations for Ration Book II. Chamber of Commerce officials agreed with the mayor.
100 years ago — 1918
WASHINGTON — War Department officials made two announcements yesterday of interest in Memphis. The first was that government agents have selected the Lotus Building to house a military convalescent hospital and will spend $150,000 improving it. In connection with this move, the government will also take over the Lyceum Building and the Nineteenth Century Club Building to use for hospital offices. The second announcement revealed that the government has approved the West Tennessee State Normal School near Memphis for an Army training corps, provided 100 students are enrolled.
125 years ago — 1893
A big crowd from Memphis went to Hopefield, Ark., yesterday to hear the results called in poolrooms of the great Futurity Race run at Sheepshead Bay, N.J., and won by Domino.