MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1996
He remembers watching the tape of the game just once all the way through, pausing to examine that one particular play two or three times. “I wanted to see how ticky-tack it really was,” said Chris Garner. “I couldn’t stand to look at it any more.” That moment in University of Memphis basketball history is easy enough to recall without visual aids. The Tigers just seconds away from advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional final, Garner reflexively reaching his left arm as Arkansas guard Corey Beck begins driving to the basket, official David Hall whistling Garner for a handcheck call, the Tigers losing the game and the dream in overtime. Many of the Razorbacks who inflicted this misery upon the Tigers departed: no more Scotty Thurman, no Corliss Williamson, no Clint Mcdaniel. The visitors in tonight’s game at The Pyramid will bring in a 9-5 record, some of those defeats embarrassing. They will be wearing Arkansas uniforms, though, and that is what the U of M players claim will command their attention. “We know they beat us both times last year, caused us not to go farther in the tournament,” said center Lorenzen Wright, “so we always want to beat them real bad when we play them. I’m going to play against them like they’re the same team we played last year, the national champions.”
50 years ago — 1971
Philanthropist E.H. Little has given a million dollars to colleges, schools, churches and hospitals with a total of $475,000 earmarked for Memphis institutions. The largest gift locally — $200,000 — went to Southwestern, which has been the frequent recipient of donations from Mr. Little. Other gifts are $150,000 to Grace-st. Luke’s Episcopal Church and $25,000 each to The Hutchison School, Crippled Children’s Hospital School, Memphis University School, The Lausanne School and St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Mr. Little’s gifts also included a $25,000 appropriation for the Piney Woods Country Life School in Piney Woods, Miss.
75 years ago — 1946
Memphis merchants are being offered “all the meat they want” by one Memphis packer if they will cross union picket lines in privately owned vehicles, a union leader charged last night. Ernest Leslie, secretary-treasurer of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workers of America, Local 515, said he had been informed that the sales department at Memphis Packing Co., 1337 Riverside, had gotten in touch with many Memphis merchants with the offer.
100 years ago — 1921
HARTFORD, Conn. – What is claimed to be a world’s record for a civilian wireless transmission was made early today when a message from the Hartford Courant to the Los Angeles Times was relayed across the continent by the station of Hiram Percy Maxim here. The reply came in 1 hour and 8 minutes. Several midwestern stations operated by members of the American Radio Relay League, the national organization of non-commercial wireless operators, of which Mr. Maxim is president, assisted in relaying the text message across the continent.