MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1998
LOS ANGELES – Lloyd Bridges, whose half-century in acting ranged from the drama of “High Noon” to the adventure of TV’S “Sea Hunt” to the daft “Airplane!,” died Tuesday of natural causes. He was 85. Although Bridges had suffered from minor illnesses on and off during the past year, he continued to work and recently completed two feature films, “Jane Austen’s Mafia” and “Meeting Daddy,” the latter with his son Beau. He played every kind of role in 25 B movies, starred on Broadway, worked in seven TV series, and even appeared in musical comedy.
50 years ago — 1973 WASHINGTON – Lashing out at “soft-headed judges and probation officers,” President Nixon proposed Saturday to restore the death penalty for certain federal crimes and to require life imprisonment without parole for twice-convicted drug felons. “There are those who say that law and order are just code words for repression and bigotry,” Nixon said. “That is dangerous nonsense.”
75 years ago — 1948
Blanche Thebom, beauteous mezzo-soprano of the Metropolitan Opera, is expected to arrive in Memphis this morning for the concert in which she will be presented by the Beethoven Club at 8:30 tonight at Ellis Auditorium.
100 years ago — 1923
On Sept 1, 1924, the department store of B. Lowenstein & Bros. Inc., will be doing business at Monroe and Main, where The Peabody Hotel now stands. Lowenstein’s, which is one of the landmarks in the Memphis mercantile field, will be in a building eight stories high, 150x150 feet. The great front will be on Main Street and a side entrance will be on Monroe. Lowenstein’s will also occupy a building running from Front Street to the alley in the rear of the great store.
125 years ago — 1898
LITTLE ROCK – Business men of Little Rock held a meeting tonight at the board of trade, for the purpose of organizing a construction company to build a railroad from this city to Wister Junction. It was agreed that Little Rock should raise $150,000, the city of Memphis
$150,000, Little Rock & Memphis Railway Company $300,000 and the Choctaw Railway Company $300,000. Subscriptions were taken from those present and in less than 30 minutes $111,000 was subscribed and the remainder will be made up tomorrow.