MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1997
Hundreds of Mid-south families crowded into Shelby Farms for a day of picnicking, fishing, horseback riding, basketball, bicycle riding, Frisbee tossing or some combination of activities Sunday, but it wasn’t much of a day for marching. Officials of the March for the Parks to Celebrate Earth Day said the event drew only about a dozen participants as other action stirred around them. ”The ice cream man’s doing a wonderful business,” said Debbie Schafer, a teacher at Chimneyrock Elementary School. ”We didn’t have but 10 or 12. But that’s better than none,” said Schafer, 42, who is West Tennessee coordinator for the Tennessee Environmental Education Association. ”We’re undaunted. We plan on another march in the fall or this time next year.”
50 years ago — 1972
SPACE CENTER, Houston – Two American astronauts landed safely on the moon Thursday night to begin an expedition that was temporarily threatened by a failure in the main engine of the Apollo 16 command ship, Casper. “Orion is finally here, Houston,” exclaimed Charles M. Duke Jr., moments after he and John W. Young achieved man’s fifth landing on the moon and began a scientific exploration of a plateau high in the lunar mountains.
75 years ago — 1947
More adequate coverage of the South’s population with full-time health service is the region’s greatest need of today, Dr. John M. Whitney, superintendent of public health of New Orleans, declared last night. Dr. Whitney was among the first arrivals for the threeday meeting of the Southern Branch of the American Public Health Association at the Peabody. 100 years ago — 1922
With the amount of water in sight, Memphis will get a stage of 49 feet by the last of next week, says J.H. Scott, local U.S. weather observer. This is not Mr. Scott’s crest figures. He is waiting on developments in the Ohio River, which are not serious, but will put more water in the Mississippi than there is at present. Memphis’ gauge yesterday was 41.1 and stationary. Mr. Scott says it will remain stationary to falling until the second rise starts.
125 years ago — 1897
VICKSBURG, Miss. – Shortly after midnight this morning, Maj. J.H. Willard, United States engineer, announced that a request came from the master of the Steamer Florence that food and clothing be rushed to Coon’s Lake, La., where flood waters have covered thousands of acres, marooning nearly all the people living there.