MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1993
The pastor of Central Church was on a high horse Sunday morning, but the congregation didn’t seem to mind. The church at 6655 Winchester is gearing up for a 100th anniversary celebration. Dr. Jimmy Latimer, pastor, rode into the sanctuary to symbolize old-time transportation. Church member Aubrey Floyd led Charlie the Tennessee Walking Horse down the aisle.
50 years ago — 1968
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will have a guest conductor at performances Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night. It will be one of the high points of this year’s musical season in Memphis or any other city, because the guest conductor is Pablo Casals. Casals, who will be 92 in December, rarely makes such appearances any more. Although he is regarded as the greatest cellist of his time, that is not why he will be in Memphis. The purpose is to give the vital feeling to his famous El Pessebre, a “poem of the manger,” his oratorio for peace. We can conceive of no greater honor to Memphis and to its symphony orchestra than to have this giant of 20th Century music on our Auditorium stage.
75 years ago — 1943
The Kiwanis Club paid tribute to local newspapermen at its meeting during National Newspaper Week. W.L. Sharpe, club president, said “the press today is the greatest force in the world for good or evil.” Attending were J.A. Foltz, F.W. Goldschmid and Plez R. Pettit of the Memphis Publishing Company; Frank Ahlgren, editor, and Mattye B. Wilroy, church editor of The Commercial Appeal, and Null Adams, city editor of The Memphis Press-Scimitar.
100 years ago — 1918
The Commercial Appeal headed the list for yesterday’s additions to the Liberty Loan Drive with a $100,000 contribution. The total now stands at $7,092,350, more than two-thirds of the goal figure. The expected 1-million-dollar subscription of local railroad employees will be in the coffers by the end of the week.
125 years ago — 1893
Dispatches from the West tell of many wild happenings there this week. In one incident, a party of 400 Indians, returning from a hunting expedition in Montana, stopped at a farmer’s house near the Cheyenne River and sacked it. The farmer appeared, struck one Indian with the butt of his Winchester and the rest fled.