MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1995
Thirty years of history — Memphis’ and Big John Grisanti’s — will be offered for sale Thursday at an auction of inventory and memorabilia at Grisanti’s restaurant, Airways at Lamar. The Italian restaurant, a Memphis landmark, closed Aug. 31, six months after John A. Grisanti Sr. died of cancer. The green-trimmed white buildings on nearly three acres have been sold to RFS Inc. of Memphis. Sale of the restaurant equipment, from glasses to stainless steel pots, will begin at 10 a.m. Auction of the collectibles that decorated the restaurant starts at noon.
50 years ago — 1970
Ahh, somewhere the sun is shining. It is in Mississippi — even if it is raining. For last night in Memorial Stadium, the Ole Miss Rebels erased all doubts as to their football prowess in this, their most cherished of seasons. In the doing, Memphis State was almost erased, period. The Rebels whipped the Tigers, 47-13, and that is the only way to tell it. A steaming, oohing and ahhing crowd of 50,164 watched the two teams open their 1970 campaigns. It was the worst defeat for Memphis State in the long series since 1953.
75 years ago — 1945
George Burns and Gracie Allen will be “back home” tonight after an absence of several years. They return to the NBC chain and will be heard once more over WMC, The Commercial Appeal station, at 7 each Thursday night. For the last several years Burns & Allen have been on the CBS chain where they have enjoyed great popularity. 100 years ago — 1920
Noted herds of cattle, swine and sheep from 13 states have been entered to date in the 13th annual livestock show of the Memphis Tri-state Fair, which opens next Saturday and continues until Saturday, Oct. 2. J.S. Henderson, superintendent of the livestock department, came hurrying home yesterday to make ready for the greatest exhibit of cattle, swine and sheep in the history of the Tri-state Fair.