MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1997
In a move that shows Fedex’s domestic truck network is maturing, the Memphis transportation company announced Tuesday that it will begin three-day deliveries in July. Industry experts said “Express Saver” shipments will primarily travel on trucks instead of airplanes, a move that can reduce Fedex costs and the prices it charges customers. The new offering will include package tracking, moneyback guarantees and other Fedex hallmarks. “(Our customers) don’t want to have to go to another carrier when their package is less urgent,” said David Shoenfeld, Fedex vice president for marketing in the United States and Canada. The company did not announce Express Saver prices. Currently, the least expensive Fedex shipments are second-day deliveries. “This shows Fedex is comfortable with its position on the truckload side of the business,” said David Guthrie, transportation analyst at Morgan Keegan & Co. “The company is ready to start expanding it.” Fedex has struggled to improve profitability by increasing shipment volume and reducing costs on a per-package basis.
50 years ago — 1972
Christendom is celebrating the feast that anchors its faith today in joyous religious rites, family gatherings and Easter holiday trips to the sun. The bells of Rome’s 500 churches pealed out at midnight to announce Christ’s resurrection. The clang of the 10-ton campanone, the master bell on St. Peter’s Basilica, led off the chorus. Tens of thousands of Italians and foreign pilgrims packed Rome’s churches for midnight masses.
75 years ago — 1947
First steps toward the formation of a new community theater here are to be taken at a meeting tomorrow night at the home of Mrs. Wilson Fly, an active leader in the Memphis Little Theatre for a number of years as both actress and member of the Board of Directors. The new organization, which is being tentatively called by its leadership “The Memphis Arts Theater,” expects to become sufficiently established to present a full season of six or seven plays next Fall and Winter.
100 years ago — 1922
JACKSON, Miss. – In a rush today, the Legislature passed an emergency bill extending the time for tax sales from the first Monday of April to the first Monday in May. The bill was passed by both houses and signed by the governor before adjournment this afternoon, and certified copies were sent to all tax collectors.
It supplements the Sheldon bill which permits the taxpayer to assign his lien for taxes for one year, as published in Friday’s The Commercial Appeal.
125 years ago — 1897
The Southern Bicycle Race Circuit opens at Memphis tonight. Besides 20 professionals, the following local riders will take part: Sam J. Bowen, A.L. Boyle, R.D. Sanderson, J.W. Rawlings, W.O. White, W. Morehead, A.F. Harwill, Armfield Branch, Ben Monroe, R.D. Lanier and Louis Lanier.