MID-SOUTH MEMORIES

25 years ago — 1995

London – Britain's Prince Charles has attacked American English, saying “proper English” should be the world's preferred means of communication. The U.S. version, he said, was corrupting. “We must act now to ensure that English — and that to my way of thinking means English English — maintains its position as the world language well into the next century,” Charles told a reception organized by the British Council. Explaining his prejudice, the heir to the throne said that overseas adaptors of the language tend to “invent all sorts of new nouns and verbs and make words that shouldn't be. I think we have to be a bit careful, otherwise the whole thing gets rather a mess,” the prince said.

50 years ago — 1970

The head of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) last night called for a nationwide walkout of air traffic controllers to prevent air disasters. F. Lee Bailey, executive director of PATCO, said in Washington, “The issue is safety.” Members of PATCO have been calling in sick to work the past two days, causing a slowdown or cancellation of flights in scattered areas of the country. 75 years ago — 1945

Midnight curfew exemptions have been granted seven Memphis establishments and application of “several” others are pending Joe Alfonso, secretary of the Memphis Restaurant Association, said yesterday. They were Ship A'hoy Restaurant, 118 Jefferson; Jim's Place No. 2, 154 Union; the Skillet, Nos. 1 and 2, at 156 Union and 106 North Main; Fortune's Belvedere Fountain Room, 1681 Union; Pig & Whistle, 1579 Union, and the Cotton Boll, 444 East Parkway North. The Memphis Restaurant Association passes on eligibility of restaurants requesting exemption. The procedure follows recent announcement of the War Manpower Commission that those restaurants serving food only to war workers or those engaged in essential services will be exempt from the curfew.

100 years ago — 1920

Washington – Little John D. Rockefeller and his father, John D. Rockefeller Jr., toured the U.S. Treasury Building. The younger Rockefeller demonstrated that kinship with money that has characterized other members of his family. Allowed to hold a package of $10,000 bills with a valuation of $40 million, young Rockefeller, 12, said: “Huh, that isn't much. Can I hold another?”

THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL A five-man fraternity team left St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on March 27, 1979, to practice for its upcoming mission to roll a beer keg across the country, calling attention to the hospital and the need for cancer research. Making up the team from Tau Kappa Epsilon are, from left, Jim Wolf of Marshall, Mo., team leader; Larry Middaugh of Newberry, S.C.; Warren Muench of Harrisonburg, Va.; Bill Ringen of Ashland, Ohio; and David Rogers of Des Moines, Iowa. They’ll drive the van to Boston, where they will begin their cross-country journey. They expected to spend 10 weeks rolling the aluminum beer keg from Boston to Los Angeles.