LOOKING BACK in HISTORY Happenings in the Cookeville Area As Recorded in the Pages of the Herald Citizen Newspaper, Cookeville, TN
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WAY BACK WHEN: LOOKING BACK IN HISTORY Happenings in the Cookeville area as recorded in the pages of the Herald Citizen Newspaper, Cookeville, TN. By Bob McMillian 1960’s (Compiled by Audrey J. Lambert) http://www.ajlambert.com 1960 (January 11, 1960) The town's two newspapers have changed hands. The Citizen has been sold to Coleman Harwell, former editor and vice•president of the Nashville Tennessean. The Putnam County Herald has also been sold to Harwell by its former publisher, William Matthew. Joining Harwell as a partner in the venture is John Mott, the editor of The Citizen. (January 13, 1960) Tennessee Tech professor D. W. Mattson says they don’t make them like they used to. He’s referring to roads, specifically the road he helped rebuild through Cookeville’s Westside business district in 1930 when he was resident engineer with the State Highway department. It’s still in good shape today. The road’s foundation was a thick sheet of concrete. Mattson, now chairman of TTU’s engineering department, says most of today’s roadbeds begin with layer of crushed stone. It just doesn’t hold up as well. Broad Street through Westside has been heavily traveled for the past 30 years and shows no signs of wear, he says. The one exception today is the new interstate highways like the one that’s due to be built past Cookeville in a year or so. He says the new superhighways are using concrete roadbeds and should last for at least 50 years. (January 13, 1960) The town’s two newspapers have changed hands. The Citizen has been sold to Coleman Harwell, former editor and vice•president of the Nashville Tennessean.The Putnam County Heraldhas also been sold to Harwell by its former publisher, William Matthews. Joining Harwell as a partner in the venture is John Mott, the editor of The Citizen. (January 20, 1960) Martin Migliore, a well•known shirt factory operator, has opened a new plant in the old City School building. He’s employing 50. Some 300 interviewed for those jobs. He’s operating out of the old school until the country completes a new facility on South Borden Street here. (January 27, 1960) A group of TTU students and teachers are training in the use of a new mobile radioisotope laboratory in a training program of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission through the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Science. It’s the cold war. (February 10, 1960) Nancy Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bacon of Cookeville, has a role in the up coming water pageant at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville this week. She’ll be one of 49 coeds in the annual water show sponsored by the UT Dolphin Club. Bacon is a sophomore education major. (February 17, 1960) The state is building a new $100,000 Tennessee Highway Department district garage in Cookeville. Presently, state highway crews are operating out of a garage on Elm Street that was built in 1927. Before that, there was a state highway garage on the corner of Walnut and Spring. Today, the district includes state roads in Putnam, Overton, Clay, Jackson, DeKalb and White Counties. (February 24, 1960) There’s a new car on the market from Germany these days, and it’s not a sleek sports car. The Roberson Motor Co. on East Spring Street has several. Its ad in this week’s newspaper asks readers, “Do you want a Volkswagen?” The company says that if it doesn’t have the make and model you want on its lot, it’ll hunt one down for you. (March 1, 1960) Cookeville Electric Department Superintendent W.R. Holland said this week that the average cost of electricity for homes here last year was .83 cents per kilowatt hour of power. The national average was 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour, he added. (March 6, 1960) In a closed•door session this week, the Cookeville City Commission has endorsed a new trailer ordinance which could have significant effects on the 250 trailer homes now on lots within the city limits. The new ordinance forbids single trailers, but instead requires them to be in licensed trailer courts. To be licensed, those courts have to be landscaped and have approved sewage and electrical facilities. The ordinance has caused quite a stir in the city, and the city commissioners met behind closed doors to approve the new city code. (March 9, 1960) Putnam School Supt. Eddie Watson told the Putnam County Court this week that the county school system needs another $25,000 to complete the school year. Members of the court say that means that next year’s property tax rate will have to go up to make up the deficit. The court gave the county’s school bus system $1,797 in January to keep buses rolling. (March 13, 1960) Cookeville General Hospital graduated another 17 student nurses this week, and in a special ceremony at Broad Street Church of Christ, Putnam School Supt. Eddie Watson 'capped' the new nurses. Among them were Mrs. Arvis Lee, Mrs. Joyce Haney, Miss Wyeath McCormick, Miss Myra Sue Taylor and Mrs. Estelle Garrison. In its weekly "Town Topics" column, the newspaper comments on the state of Cookeville's winter•ruined streets. The city council this week announced that crews have begun filling potholes. But the newspaper comments that a more systematic routine is needed. It says that city streets have fallen into such disrepair over the winter that each motorist in the city pays an average of $10 a month fixing damage from potholes. (March 23, 1960) Services were held this week for Lee Gore Sadler, 59, president of Citizens Bank. He died Saturday of a heart attack shortly after eating lunch and going to vote in the city election. He became bank president here in 1954. Previously, he spent 35 years with First American Bank in Nashville. The Cookeville Masonic Lodge issued 50•year certificates to two of its members this week. Dr. W. A. Howard of Cookeville, and Dr. J. T. Moore of Algood. (April 12, 1960) Taylor Stout of Gentry was elected to the Putnam County School Board this week. Voters chose the 36•year old over three other candidates to secede the late Virgil Stanton. Stout’s term expires in July of 1962. He’s the circulation manager for thePutnam County Herald and the Cookeville Citizen. (April 19, 1960) Editor John Mott wrote in his “Town Topics” column this week that while Cookeville is hardly big enough to be considered a convention town, Tennessee Tech’s presence here is enough to draw many major meetings each year. They include the annual high school coaching clinic, which brings some 600 guests here each July, and the state high school vocational agriculture teachers convention each June. TTU is an asset to the community, Mott concludes. *At the Putnam Drive•in this week, its Brigitte Bardot "in her frankest role." She stars in "Love is My Profession." (April 26, 1960) Drought is threatening half of the county’s $1 million burley tobacco crop, says county extension agent A. C. Clark. He advises tobacco farmers here to take it easy on the fertilizer and hope for rain. (May 3, 1960) John Poteet became the new president of the Cookeville Jaycees this week, succeeding outgoing president James Foutch. Other new officers include Loyd Gentry, vice president; Zollie Ferrell, second vice president; Dee Ray Anderson, treasurer, Terry Edgington, secretary; John Oldham and Jack Sells, directors; and G. V. Thomas, state director. *Clara’s Restaurant opened in the Thunderbird Motel this week. It seats 148 and is owned by Clara Duggins and her son, Thomas. She’s operated restaurants since 1947, starting in Woodbury. She ran a restaurant in McMinnville’s Brown Hotel for 10 years and until recently owned a “Clara’s” in Sparta. (May 10, 1960) Pictured on page one in a police•style uniform, wearing a white helmet and asgtrice a large motorcycle, is Ralph Maddux, a special courier taking part in the Civil Defense drill, Alert Opal ’60. he’s delivering a message to Capshaw Elementary School principal Oliver Bohannon giving instructions on what to do during the simulated national emergency. Other Civil Defense couriers in the drill this week are James Swack, Louis Vinson, Bob Red and David Bryant. (May 17, 1960) Cookeville's airport has one of the best landing strips in the state, officials say. It will be used here in early June when an air tour by 80 state officials in 20 airplanes arrive here. Gov. Buford Ellington will be among the entourage. The annual air tour is resuming this year after a break for the past few years due to construction at numerous Tennessee airports. Greeting the group when it touches down here will be County Judge Jimmy Mosier and several members of the Putnam County Court. They'll show the state officials the new county fairgrounds and the new county highway department garage. Other stops on the tour include Nashville, Lebanon, Knoxville and the Tri• Cities in East Tennessee. (May 24, 1960) The 1960 census figures are in and the results are better than officials here feared they would be. Putnam’s population only fell from 29,869 residents in 1950 to 29,058 this year, and Cookeville actually gained residents, going from 6,924 residents a decade ago to 7,748 residents this year. But the newspaper’s editorial writer says that losing less than officials expected is not good enough. The newspaper urges a greater push to attract industry here.