MID-SOUTH MEMORIES

25 years ago — 1996

HAMDEN, Conn. – Gennaro Florio's heart beats with pride. The 78-yearold man has a new pacemaker, but not just any pacemaker: This one was designed by his son. Florio had it implanted Friday at the Hospital of St. Raphael. Joseph Florio's device went on the market Sept. 30, only weeks before his father's heart problems landed him in the emergency room for the fourth time in two years. ''Thousands of people get pacemakers every year, but I don't get to see any of them,'' said Joseph Florio, a scientist at Pacesetter Inc. in Sylmar, Calif. ''It's good to see that what I do makes a difference.'' Gennaro Florio had been suffering from a rapid and irregular heartbeat, and drugs were not working. His son had begun working on the new type of pacemaker in 1992.

50 years ago — 1971

PARIS – Tina Livanos, former wife of Aristotle Onassis, was married Thursday to Stavros Niarchos, once her brother-in-law. The wedding took place in the town hall of the eighth ward of Paris. Tina, whose full name is Athina, is the Greek-born daughter of the late Stavros Livanos, Greek ship owner.

75 years ago — 1946

NEW ORLEANS – Bakery workers returned to their jobs here Monday night as a settlement in a five-day-old bakery tie-up promised New Orleans bread with that one meatball by Tuesday.

100 years ago — 1921

NEW ORLEANS – The most drastic ruling yet promulgated by the national prohibition commissioner was made known last night through Hugh Larro, local prohibition director, when notice was mailed to all hotels, restaurants and places where the public congregates that violations of the prohibition act would be followed by the closing of the premises where the violation occurred for a period of one year.

125 years ago — 1896

The steamer City of Sheffield, commanded by Captain Henry Keith, is the low water Anchor Line steamer from Memphis to St. Louis today.

THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL FILES Oct. 23, 1953: Members of Boy Scout Troop 63 at St. Peter’s Orphanage, 1805 Poplar, gather boisterously around their Scoutmaster, Frank Noble (left), aviation machinist’s mate at the Memphis Naval Air Station. Noble, an alumnus of the orphanage, and his assistant, Richard Straka, a navy photographer at NAS